All Categories - Discerning the Times with Pastor Rusty

Discerning the Times with Pastor Rusty

I Was a Teacher, Here's How Your Children are Getting Indoctrinated by Leftist Ideology

9/13/2020

"Your children are being indoctrinated. The education system designed to teach them how to think critically has been weaponized by the radical left to push an anti-American agenda.

As someone who has worked in education for four years, I have seen firsthand how your children are being ensnared by the left and their teachers." So writes Douglas Blair in his article from the Daily Signal. I encourage you to read this brief article and gain a glimpse into the steady, daily influence of public education on the attitudes of our children.

The rise of anti-Americanism is coming right out of our own schools which are dominated by leftist ideology. Said another way, the system is dominated by ungodliness and this has been the case now for decades.

Education must either be built upon God and His word, or it will be built upon the philosophies of men and their word. Today's public system (good teachers notwithstanding) censors all things godly with the mere mention of creation, the ten commandments, and Christ Jesus (the most important person in history) absolutely forbidden.

The voice of good teachers are muted and their efforts to just get a word in edge wise is censored as well (read the article by Douglas Blair for another example of the norm in our public system).

What are we to do? The first priority of every Christian parent is to raise their children in the faith. Period. This is not optional (Cf. Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:1; 2 Timothy 3:15). Parents must take great care as to the selection of a "tutor" for their children lest this priority is thrown to the wind.

The teachers of children from Christian homes must be godly believers themselves, trained in the Scriptures. Otherwise, parents have yoked up with unbelievers. But what agreement does a Christian parent have with an unbeliever (Cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)?

And what about the substance of a child's education? Namely, what curriculum is used and how is it presented by the teacher? Remember, it is not possible for a teacher to interact with a student independent of their own worldview. What the teacher believes will be communicated to the student one way or the other. Thus, the necessity that a Christian parent sees to it that the influence brought to bear on the heart and mind of their children is from a godly source.

It is time for Christians to renew their minds to a Biblical philosophy of education and avoid conforming to the world (Romans 12:2). We must first win our children and train them in the fear of the Lord. Once we fill these precious empty little "salt shakers" with salt, then as adults they will be prepared to function as salt and light just as our Lord Jesus intends for all his people. May the Lord stir us to the task is my prayer.

Latest Surveys Show a Worldview of Difference

8/22/2020

This piece produced by Tony Perkins of the FRC is very timely as a new school year begins. Sadly very few Christians actually possess a strong, Biblical worldview. It prompted Tony to point out that "only six percent of adults in this country have what George Barna defines as a "biblical worldview" -- a shocker of a statistic that has more Christians wondering, what on earth are parents and churches teaching?"

Well, I would add the question, who are parents enlisting as the tutor of their children K-12? In order for children to develop a proper understanding of the world from the Bible they must grow up in an education rooted in Scripture at home, at a Bible believing church, and the tutoring of a Christian school.

The one common denominator of adult Christians in our country is the secular based education received at the public-school system attended. The absence of focused training in Scripture (K-12) in the formative years of life is the primary reason adult Christian lack a Biblical worldview.

Consider another quote from Tony's article featuring George Barna who says:

"Believe it or not, he went on, a person's worldview starts developing at 15 to 18 months of age -- and it's almost completely developed by age 13. That's not a lot of time, and we -- as parents -- aren't the only influencers. There's the media, their friends, teachers, public officials. They all help shape their thinking about right and wrong, purpose, God, and life.

It all goes back to what Scripture tells us: if we teach our children when they're young, they'll return to it. But they're not going to return to that which they don't know. That's why it's extremely critical that parents take the leading role -- even in pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary school -- in teaching them a biblical worldview and helping them integrate that faith with the world around them."

I have shared this insight on numerous occasions, however, the average Christian parent does not understand how the lack of instruction in Scripture is disastrous for their children. Check out this feature from FRC and pass it on to others. Please don't neglect the diligence necessary to ensure your sons and daughters develop the convictions they need to bring them to Christ and a proper understanding of the purpose of life.

School Administration: Bible Verses are "Abusive"

6/14/2020

OneNewsNow reports:

An attorney says it was wrong for school officials to rebuke a student in Ohio for posting Bible verses in her school in response to LGBTQ students adorning the campus with "gay pride" flags.

You can review this short article here and get the rest of this story. I speak to this issue often, but children from our Christian homes are immersed in a public school culture that for some time has embraced liberal, ungodly ideology. There are many consequences.

First, our own children under such influence develop the wrong persuasions of heart. Remember, faith (persuasion of heart/conviction) comes from hearing (Romans 10:17). In the Christian community we generally complete the verse which says, "and hearing by the Word of God." However, what if the content received into the heart and mind is not the Word of God?

Of course, faith (persuasion of heart/conviction) still forms. Remember, all men and women have a lens through which they view the world. We call that "worldview." Adults formed their worldview in their youth as do all our children.

The critical issue in worldview formation is what youth feed their mind on. Apart from the Word of God, young people form the wrong view of the world. They embrace ungodly thinking first and then ungodly behavior follows naturally.

Next, young people both hear and follow. Example is huge in the formation of godly youth. Wrong examples corrupt good manners (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:33). The wrong fellowship with the ungodly does not lead to settled, godly, Biblical convictions. If that is true for adult believers to whom Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, it is most certainly true of young, impressionable youth.

From a godly Pastor's perspective, it is heart-breaking to see parents hand over their children to an ungodly educational system. We are paying a heavy price as most young people from Christian homes are not forming a Biblical worldview in their hearts and minds. Sadly many of these youth will never recover.

I urge Christians everywhere to dedicate themselves to the priority of raising children in the faith. Everything else is second to that priority. Why should millions of Christian homes sacrifice the 13 years of spiritual formation in the lives of their children (age 5-18) in order to participate in State run schools? The loss of proper Biblical instruction in school is no trivial matter.

Biblical literacy (which includes an understanding of the defining doctrines of Christianity) must be the priority of Christians everywhere as it relates to education. Anything short of that is horribly deficient, Friday night football notwithstanding.

Why We Need to Reemphasize America's Founding Principles in Civics Education

6/4/2020

Katie Gorka of the Daily Signal says,

"We have a serious problem in this country with civics education and history.
Not only are there widespread efforts to undermine the country’s founding principles, such as Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and The New York Times’ “1619 Project,” but the prevalence of civics and history as subjects in schools has declined."

Well, here we go again. May I ask, what subject area in our schools is not disappointing to conservative parents? The progressive agenda is ridding our schools of substance in many ways, this is another example.

While no school is perfect and review of curriculum to assure students are engaged with as much substance as possible is necessary, what are we to say about the deliberate and consistent watering down of education in our State schools?

I can say publishers such as Abeka Books and ACSI are not watering down nor neglecting American history and civics. We use both sources at Firelands Christian Academy.

My friends, why are parents so accepting of content which clearly does not challenge their children intellectually, or purposely aims to remove a proper understanding of Americanism from the minds of their children?

And time would fail me to revisit the great spiritual deficiencies in our State run schools. We desperately need a return to Christian education and it needs to begin in the lives of millions of professed Christian families.

Here is the link to Katie's full article.

The Sex Ed Secrets Schools Don't Want You to Know

5/25/2020

I appreciate the efforts of conservative groups like the Family Research Council. There are other good groups of mainly concerned Christians organized to sound the alarm on moral issues and call the church to action.

Like a number of you, I have watched these efforts (and to some degree participated in them) for the last 40 years. Certainly when it comes to the stewardship of our government we simply must fight the battle for religious freedom and do everything possible to preserve our constitutional republic.

However, with that said the church in America is coming up woefully short in its resolve to deal with the foundational problem we face. The foundational problem is the utter corruption of education in America. The impact of godless education is slowly driving the nails in the coffin of our once strong republic.

Here is another case in point. The headline above says "The Sex Ed Secrets the Schools Don't Want You to Know." The article proceeds to sound the alarm and call parents to action. Of course, if the past 60 years is any indication very little will happen to change anything.

Instead the progressives will have their way as parents continue to send their children to schools where God, Christ, and His word are no where to be found in the daily instruction of students. In the place of godly instruction the children from Christian homes will be subjected to a world of unbelief and immorality.

Of course of even greater importance is the neglect of developing our children in the faith. Evidently most Christian parents do not understand education is first and foremost about this priority. I encourage you to study the points laid out in my article "Why We Need a Private K-12 Christian School."

I also encourage parents to read the article from the Family Research Council and stay informed about what is going on in our public schools. Quite frankly, if in the process of attempting to work for change (removing the ungodly influences engulfing our schools) it becomes obvious your children are at great risk, then break the yoke with the system. After all, we are not called to save a "system," rather we are called to train our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The Left's Long War on Parents Over Schooling Their Kids

5/5/2020

While this article deals with the animosity of certain elitists in our society who desire to eliminate homeschooling altogether, their attitude toward the private Christian school is the same.

What I find striking is the obvious intent of those who dominate our State run schools and the seeming blindness of so many Christians (including Pastors, lay leaders in the church, and the otherwise stronger believers in our churches) to the agenda they are implementing in our public schools right before our eyes.

Is the larger part of the Christian church in America oblivious to the fact that godless education cannot sustain the American Republic? Furthermore, and of greater importance, is the church fully contented to pretend we are impacting the State run schools without the implementation of Christianity within those schools?

The nation is dying a slow death for the lack of godly education. Worse yet is the grievous reality that most of our children in our professing Christian homes are Biblically illiterate at age 18 because we handed them off to the progressive crowd in State run schools.

Children raised as the Lord intends learn his Word from a babe and are cutting their spiritual teeth on Christian doctrine at home, school, and the church from their youth. Christian young people should be young theologians at age 18. Don't let the word scare you. Theology simply means the study of God. I assure you if the average young person in America is raised on the Bible they will fear God, possess a personal faith in Christ, and will not be confused on basic morality at age 18!!

But back to the article. Please take the time to open your eyes to the vision the ungodly have for education. This battle is not going away. Unfortunately, the church is losing the greater battle for the hearts and minds of our youth because we refuse to separate from the ungodly and counter them with aggressive, Spirit-filled schools where God, Christ, and His word are honored and pursued as the first and great purpose of life.

For Porn, There is no Vaccine

4/15/2020

Posted below is a complete article written recently by Tony Perkins speaking to the on-going problem of pornography. Every Christian on a personal level and in family life must fight the battle to stop the spread of pornography. Most certainly parents must be vigilant to safeguard children from the destructive influences of this vice. Here is the article:

Business is tough for a lot of industries right now. Pornography, unfortunately, isn't one of them. Isolated, stuck at home, and restless, more people seem to be turning to adult entertainment to while away the hours. That's terrible news for anyone concerned about young men, marriages, abuse, trafficking, addiction, sexual dysfunction, and brain development. Let's face it, experts say, porn was a pandemic long before this virus.

There's no bad time to drum up business, PornHub has decided. One of the world's most popular porn sites is taking advantage of the coronavirus by advertising like never before. In early March, when the outbreak was just starting to hit hard in Spain, France, and Italy, the company decided to give the lockdown nations another way to pass their time. "In light of expanding quarantines, we're extending Free PornHub Premium for the month to our friends in [other countries]!" Almost immediately, web traffic spiked -- in some places by as much as 61 percent. The site, along with others, even started featuring COVID-19-themed videos.

Maybe, Terry Schilling writes, "During a worldwide pandemic that has already taken thousands of lives, concerns about a rise in porn usage may seem trivial. However, to brush these concerns aside would be a huge mistake. Like the coronavirus, pornography use is silent but deadly, a powerful disease that has had devastating effects across our society. Although coronavirus may attract more headlines today, pornography will be with us for the long haul. Porn cannot be vaccinated against, it has a nearly $100 billion industry devoted to its spread worldwide, and few are brave enough to stand against it."
As CBN's David Brody and I talked about on radio, today's porn is a far cry from the Playboy magazines of old. These are violent, abusive -- even rape-centric -- videos that are teaching children to treat women like trash. If you don't believe it, check out the jarring exposé from the New York Times, "What Teenagers Are Learning from Online Porn" (warning: extremely graphic). What kids think is normal will shock and sober you. They're seeing raw, brutal, and nauseating videos that they don't have to sneak into a store for. Every time they hold a cell phone or log on to a laptop, there's a whole new world waiting.

And now, PornHub and other sites are seeing to it that they have more access to it than ever. "This is a really good time," David urged, "for parents to reset with kids about what they're doing online." We cannot afford to let this crisis open the door to a craving that destroys our kids' innocence and future happiness. The science is all there. So are the heartbreaking stories -- and the predators helping to write them.

During this crisis, Terry warns, "each of us should also be doing our part to deny Big Porn the business it craves and protect our children from its influence. As bad as coronavirus is, we cannot afford to fight one disease by simply trading it for another. Now more than ever, we must join together to take on the pornography industry and defeat the terrible porn epidemic."

If you're an adult trying to escape this online world, it isn't easy. But it's also not impossible. Josh McDowell has a tremendous message of freedom for anyone struggling with this addiction that you can watch here. If you're a parent, I can't encourage you strongly enough to use this time to talk to your sons and daughters about the dangers of pornography. If you need help, check out FRC's blog post, "How to Talk to Kids about Pornography: Three Easy Steps." Other resources are here and at Fight the New Drug here.

My Son Was Addicted to Pot Vaping, Now Congress Wants to Aid the Industry

2/6/2020

In this article written by Tiffany Davidson of the Daily Signal we learn the story of Raphael Rodriguez. She writes:

"Rodriguez believed vaping to be safe, as he purchased his cartridges at a “licensed and regulated” dispensary. Then last month, as reported by The Toledo Blade, he found himself in the hospital struggling to breathe. His is one more case of the mysterious lung disease tied to pot vaping—and one more case tied to legal purchases swept under the rug. Lung disease is just one tragic result of the normalization of marijuana. Car crashes are another. After legalization, fatal car crashes doubled in several states that chose to liberalize their marijuana policies."

For the full article click here

Unfortunately, Congress is considering legislation that will increase investment in the pot industry. Such action will only promote the spread and use of marijuana and the rapid increase of the evils associated with its use.

I do encourage you to read this full article and take note of the increase in the negative statistics associated with recreational marijuana use. Let's do everything we can to push back against the growth of this evil and by all means KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM MARIJUANA, ALCOHOL, AND THE REST OF THE DIRTY DRUG BUSINESS.

January 30, 2020

1/30/2020

Thanksgiving Chapel Notes 112219

11/22/2019

One Nation Under God

Thanksgiving is more than a day in November
That students of history are taught to remember,
More than a date that we still celebrate
With turkey and dressing piled high on our plate.
For while we still offer the traditional prayer,
We pray out of habit without being aware
That the Pilgrims thanked God just for being alive,
For the strength that He gave them to endure and survive
Hunger and hardship that’s unknown in the present,
While progress and plenty have made our lives pleasant.
And living today in this great and rich nation
That depends not on God but on mechanization,
We tend to forget that our forefathers came
To establish a country under God’s name.
But we feel we’re so strong we no longer need faith
And it now has become nothing more than a wraith
Of the faith that once founded this powerful nation
In the name of the Maker and the Lord of Creation.
Oh, reach us, dear God; we are all pilgrims still,
Subject alone to Your guidance and will.
And show us the way to purposeful living
So we may have reason for daily thanksgiving,
And make us once more a God-fearing nation
And not just a puppet of controlled automation.

—Helen Steiner Rice

Our Thanksgiving Tradition

Ted Camp—Silent Word Ministries

Since we are missionaries to the Deaf, we have a tradition in our ministry. Thanksgiving means “giving thanks.” It is a time to think and thank.
In Sign Language you use your left hand to point to your head (think). To make the sign for thank ,bring an open, flat right hand from your mouth forward. Now try signing think and thank at the same time.
As you think, it will make you thank. Now let others also join in to think and thank. Here are twelve guidelines to help us as we think and thank.

1. Think about and give thanks for what you have instead of thinking about what you do not have (Eph. 1:16).
2. Think about being content with what things you have (Phil. 4:11).
3. Think of your family and friends. Pray for them and love them. They need you and you need them. Let them know you are thankful for them (I Cor. 1:4).
4. Think of others. Do a kind, refreshing act for that special someone today (II Tim. 1:16).
5. Think of God’s blessings and benefits each day (Ps. 103:2).
6. Think positive thoughts and avoid being so negative about things (Phil. 4:8).
7. Think about making a difference in the life of someone this day (Ps. 118:24).
8. Think about letting your thankfulness be known to all men at all times (Phil. 4:5).
9. Think of people. God is interested in people. Don’t love things, but love people. The best things in life are not things but people. Love is your greatest gift (I Cor. 13:13).
10. Think of eternal things that are everlasting instead of earthly things that fade (Col. 3:1).
11. Think of the day. You still have life and the opportunity to share it with your family and friends. You have breath to praise Him for the great things He has done (Ps. 150:6).
12. Seek to build good memories

Her Most Unforgettable Thanksgiving

It was 1935, and our country was in the midst of the Great Depression. My mother was eleven years old and one of seven children ranging in ages from one and one-half to sixteen.

My grandfather, previously employed at the local lime stone mining company, had been laid off with the rest of the workers soon after the Depression began. To feed his family he took odd jobs whenever available. Hunting and fishing, two sports in which he had engaged as leisure, now became necessary for survival.

The family planted a garden each spring which supplied food for canning. However, this particular year had brought drought—and a shortage of food to can. Summer had turned into autumn. With each passing day my grandfather would seek work hoping that the mining company would soon reopen.

It was late November when my grandmother’s test of faith occurred. The last of the canned goods had been used. All the staple items in the cupboard were gone. For breakfast that morning the children had eaten pancakes made from the last bit of flour and shortening. My grandfather, with the last piece of homemade bread and an apple in his pocket, set off with his dog to hunt squirrel for supper.

Time passed too quickly that morning. At noon my aunt Emma approached my grandmother: “Mother, what are we going to do? We don’t have anything left. There’s not a bit of anything in the house!” “I know,” she replied, “and there’s no money either. But I believe that God will provide something. I want all of you to gather around me on your knees. We’re going to pray and ask God to help us.” She led her children in prayer.

When she finished, she asked her son William to bring her Bible and turned to Psalm 37:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. “though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”--Vss. 23–25.

“God will not forsake us,” she said. “Let’s thank Him for taking care of us and for all that He has given us.” With bowed head and closed eyes she led her children in prayer again. While they were still praying, someone knocked loudly at the door. It startled the baby, and he began to cry.

My grandmother cautiously went to the door and opened it. There stood a young man she had never seen before. He looked very pleasant and was dressed neatly and modestly. “Mrs. Henry?” “Yes.” “I was told you had need of this and was sent here to deliver it to you,” he said, handing her a white envelope.

The envelope contained $50, quite a substantial amount for those days. Surprised when she opened the envelope, my grandmother looked up. The stranger had gone. So she sent William running down the hill to ask the man to come back. She wanted to thank him; and to satisfy her curiosity, she wanted to ask his name and from where he had come.

William returned and said, “Mother, there is no man on the road. I’ve looked up and down, and there is no man on the road. I don’t know where he could have gone! “Where do you suppose he came from, and why did he give us that money?” he added. “Because God knew we needed it,” she answered. “I believe, William, that truly that man was an angel sent to us from God because we were in need.”

She pressed her son’s hand in her own and turned back toward the house, walking slowly with tears streaming down her face. To her children, all standing in the yard, she said, “Let’s get ready to go into town. God wants us to have supper tonight!”

That $50 provided the family with enough food to last throughout the winter, and by spring my grandfather was called back to his old job. My mother told me this story when I was a little girl. I have told it to my own children, and I hope they will tell their children how a simple act of faith brought a messenger from God!

—Mary Murphy Kible