A group of Baptists activists who two years ago tried to get the Southern Baptist Convention to approve a resolution urging the faithful to pull their children out of government schools announced they are proposing a similar measure this year.
The new resolution, sponsored by Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee member Roger Moran and Dr. Bruce Shortt, urges churches to develop an "exit strategy" for removing their kids from public school.
Moran, a leader in the Missouri Baptist Convention, and Shortt, co-sponsor of the 2004 and 2005 Christian education resolutions and author of "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," note the new proposal urges that particular attention be given to "the needs of orphans, single parents and the disadvantaged."
The resolution also urges the agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention to assist churches as they develop their exit strategies and commends Christians working in government schools.
This year's resolution was inspired by a column written by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in which he advocates the "exit strategy" approach. Shortt called Mohler "the SBC's leading theologian."
In a statement announcing the new resolution, Moran said today's public schools have had "a major role in infiltrating and destroying the faith of those we have been commanded to train up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Dr. Al Mohler's call for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from the public schools was not only wise, but courageous, for multitudes of our own people still don't see the inherent dangers. The time has come for the debate to begin."
Added Shortt: "The government's schools haven't merely failed; they are destroying our children spiritually and morally. Academically, the public school system is as dead as Elvis. Unfortunately, many Christian pastors and leaders still try to evade the cold, hard facts by talking about 'school reform' and 'salt and light.' Well, we've tried that strategy for 40 years and more, and, after trillions of dollars of reform, anyone who takes a serious look at the consequences of our government school habit can see that the Church has been hemorrhaging children for more than a generation and that the public schools are stuck on stupid morally and academically.
"If you approve of a school system that is indoctrinating children with cultural Marxism and dogmatic Darwinism, devoting increasing time and resources to instructing children in the colorful folkways of homosexuality, and preparing them for a future as hewers of wood and drawers of water, by all means continue talking about 'reform' and children as missionaries. Responsible Christians, however, will plan so that no child is left behind."
In 2004, the resolution, which called on members to take their kids out of public schools and either homeschool them or send them to Christian schools, failed to be referred to the floor of the Baptist body after being heard in the Resolutions Committee.
Last year, Shortt and Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr., a Southern Baptist lecturer, introduced a resolution urging churches to investigate the level of homosexual advocacy in their local school districts. That resolution passed in an even stronger form than introduced.
This year's SBC Annual Meeting will be held June 13-14 at Greensboro, N.C.
