Clashing Worldviews

Recently Loveland had two events held on the same night supporting school board candidates.  One event was distinctly Christian and the other event was not. (Subscription is required to read more about the events.)  Comparing the two worldviews expressed at the two events showed that there is a wide gulf between the two sets of candidates.  Both groups are concerned for the students, but because of different ways of viewing the world they have different ways of addressing the problems of educating the students. In Colorado, the new worldview has become dominant in public education, and I believe that is true in most of the country.  The Colorado legislature has passed laws requiring that this viewpoint be taught in the public schools.  In reference to schools, the new worldview is all in favor of supporting and affirming the LGBTQ+ ideas in schools, like being able to choose and change one’s own gender and selecting personal pronouns.  The traditional Christian worldview does not support those actions.

One of the candidates with the new worldview said “I cannot understand how anyone thinks that way” in reference to the traditional Christian worldview, and I totally get that because I have a hard time understanding the rationale behind the new worldview.  I think I know what they believe and why, but to me the new worldview does not make rational sense.  I believe the LGBTQ+ ideas (and this new worldview in general) are harmful for the children and are causing all sorts of problems and confusion.  I believe the facts bear that out.

So what is this new worldview?  First and foremost the individual is the authority.  The individual determines pretty much everything.  And there is no problem with that because the individual is considered to be naturally good. The individual looks inside oneself to find their authentic identity. It is almost always expressed sexually.  Problems come because of oppressive societal structures.  People can be broken into two groups: the oppressed and the oppressors.  (One can be both an oppressor and one of the oppressed, e.g. a white woman.)  LGBTQ+ and other minority groups are oppressed. Society and culture needs to change so that society can become harmonious, and every life, no matter how different, can be celebrated.  Governments and schools are needed to guide and change society in order to get rid of those societal structures that prevent all of us from reaching this utopia.  That is also why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers in companies are needed to help bring about this change and help dismantle the oppressive structures in the companies.  Parents can be seen as a barrier to the child expressing their authentic self, that is their chosen gender.  This is why in Colorado (and in many states) once a student turns 12 years old parents do not have to be notified about “reproductive rights” choices or gender decisions.  The individual rights and thus the welfare of the child needs to be protected from the parents’ old fashioned views.  It really bothers me that parental rights have been dismissed, because who knows the child better than the parents. And is it good for an immature child or teen to make some major life changing decisions without some helpful parental input? 

Let us look at the Christian worldview.  God created the world.  He has the authority.  We do not.  He has primarily revealed himself in the Bible.  We are his creatures.  He made us, male and female.  We disobeyed him and became selfish self-centered people.  Problems exist in the world because each and every one of us is a selfish self-centered person.  There may be societal structures that are oppressive but the core problem is us.  There are oppressors and oppressed people, but that is because we all are broken sinful people.  Out of love, God sent Jesus into the world.  He lived a perfect life and then took upon himself the punishment we deserved so that we might have a full life.  Our true identity can only be found in Jesus.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can live lives of service to do good and to help end all oppression.  We see everyone as equal fellow creatures, created in the image of God.  We recognize that God designed the family and the family is the basic building block of society, not the individual.  The parents have the duty and right to raise their children.  Throughout the ages, Christians have instituted change for the good.  Christians have improved and continue to improve society.  One day, when Jesus returns, all the brokenness and selfish sin will be wiped away and we will have that harmonious utopia we have dreamed about.

Because of these two different worldviews, there are different goals to educating children.  The new worldview wants to enable children to find their authentic selves and help them change the world full of good people for the better.  The secularized Christian worldview (secularized because the schools are public) wants to protect the children as they grow and learn, and to enable children to live, thrive, and do good in a broken world. If people are broken, selfish, and self-centered then the secularized Christian worldview has the educational goal that would best serve the students.  If people are naturally good then this new worldview educational goal can be an option.  I believe every one of us is a broken selfish person.  If so,this means that the new worldview educational goal is flawed and it will cause harm to the children. I find the Christian worldview to be the best way to view life.  This means that the secularized Christian worldview educational goal is the best option for our children in public schools. (I believe private Christian schools can offer an even better option, but they are expensive since there are no tax dollars to support them. Check out Immanuel’s school.)