HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-07-09, Page 20By Pastor John KuperusBlyth Christian Reformed ChurchThe majority of people in ourcommunity have been trained in
Canadian schools. Some of the older
generations have been educated in
the one-room schools, where there
were eight grades with one teacher.
The students would walk or bike to
school. They would arrive at 9 a.m.
and leave at 4 p.m.
As we travel around the
countryside, you can pick out some
of these old schools. In time, the one-
room schoolhouses closed in favour
of village or township schools, what
we presently have.
In the past, teachers were expected
to teach children about God and
Jesus Christ. In the words of a 1642
document written to promote
Christian learning on the North
American continent: ‘Let every
student be plainly instructed and
earnestly pressed to consider well
(that) the main end of his life and
studies is to know God and Jesus
Christ, which is eternal life (John
17:3), and therefore to lay Christ in
the bottom as the only foundation of
all sound knowledge and learning…’
(Christian Day Schools by D. L.
Kranendonk p. 11).
Teachers prayed in school, read the
Bible and required students to
memorize portions of the Bible. One
person shared with me that she had
memorized Isaiah 54 and it still
comes back to her today when she
reads that passage.
The founding fathers wanted to be
obedient to the Lord. God’s word in
Deuteronomy 6:6 would have
influenced their thinking where God
says: “These commandments that I
give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your
children. Talk about them when you
sit at home and when you walk along
the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. Tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind
them on your foreheads. Write them
on the door frames of your houses
and on your gates.”
God wants his people to be very
intentional about teaching his ways.
God knows that the way we think is
the way we act. If God is important
to us, then we will talk about him and
be in places where his name is lifted
up.
The North American education
system was shaped by the church.
The organized church, both
Protestant and Roman Catholic, was
responsible for starting most of the
school systems in North America.
There were a number of reasons
why that early education was
organized and operated by the
church. First of all, the church had to
educate children to read and write so
that the younger generation would be
able to carry on the mission of the
church. Second, since the church
was primarily a frontier church, it
was usually the first and, for sometime, the only organized institutionin a new community.Third, church and state both
subscribed to the same Christian
morals and values. Hence, since
education was only perceived to be
technical training in reading, writing
and arithmetic, the state had no
difficulty in letting the church cover
these technical areas while teaching
morals, values and religion.”
(Kranendonk p. 18)
The state and church were on the
same page. The culture of that time
viewed God as sovereign over the
affairs of humans and we see the
National Education Association in
1892 making this statement. “If the
study of the Bible is to be excluded
from all state schools; if the
inculcation of the principles of
Christianity is to have no place in the
daily program; if the worship of God
is to form no part of the general
exercises of these public elementary
schools; then the good of the state
would be better served by restoring
all schools to church control.”
(Quoted from The Truth Project put
out by Focus on the Family) Wow! A
statement like that seems so foreign
to us today. That was said only 117years ago. The strong support for Christianbelief in Canada and the U.S. has
changed and our government and the
institutions of higher education are
no longer supportive of Christian
belief.
The hostility to Christian beliefs
can be seen in taking prayer out of
schools, getting rid of 10
Commandments in schools and
public places, and the fight over
nativity scenes being on public
property. We hear the cry of
“freedom of religion” and we do not
want to offend anyone.
How did we change from wanting
God at the centre of our education to
not wanting any part of God in our
education system? According to the
Truth Project, 1859 is an important
date because that is when Charles
Darwin published the Origin of
Species.
Darwin’s thinking took hold and
worked to dislodge the Judeo-
Christian view from our institutions
and nation. Who would have ever
thought that we would reject the
foundation that we thought was
central to all of life?
How does God’s word speak intothis situation? What is God’sperspective? God understands the human heart
and in Deuteronomy 8:10-14, 17-18
he says to his people, “When you
have eaten and are satisfied, praise
the Lord your God for the good land
he has given you. Be careful that you
do not forget the Lord you God,
failing to observe his commands, his
laws and his decrees that I am giving
you this day. Otherwise, when you
eat and are satisfied, when you build
fine houses and settle down, and
when your herds and flocks grow
large and your silver and gold
increase and all you have is
multiplied, then your heart will
become proud and your will forget
the Lord your God…. You may say to
yourself, ‘My power and the strength
of my hands have produced this
wealth for me.’ But remember the
Lord your God, for it is he who gives
you the ability to produce wealth,
and so confirms his covenant, which
he swore to your forefathers, as it is
today.”
God continues by stating the result
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2009.From the Minister’s Study‘We cannot get rid of God,’ pastor says
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
Sunday, July 12
Outdoor Worship Service
10:00 am
at Howard & Alice Martin's
99 McDonald Drive, Brussels
Welcomes You
Noon potluck meal
(No service at the church)
Pastor Brent Kipfer
519- 887-6388
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
519-523-9595
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, July 12
308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590
B l y t h C o m m u n i ty Church of God
C H U R C H O F G O D ,ANDERS
O
N
,
I
N
D
I
A
N
A
“The Church
is not a building,
it is people
touching people
See you
Sunday!
Worship Service
10:30 a.m.
for July and August
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224 Rev. Gary Clark
All Welcome
Sunday, July 12
Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Coffee is on at 10:30 a.m.
Theme: “Constructing a Healthy Faith”
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, July 12
Brussels Arena
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Please join us at Melville Presbyterian Church
for services for the month of July
on Sundays at 11 a.m.
Church services for Brussels - Ethel Pastoral Charge
will resume on August 2nd.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
PASTOR DAVID WOOD
119 John’s Ave.,Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School is cancelled for
the summer months
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
UPCOMING
SUMMER EVENTS
August 17-21
“Athletes in Action”
Soccer Camp
Ages 7-12
Cost:
$110.00
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow
519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
July 12: 1 Samuel 24
“David’s King-sized Avenger”
Evangelical Missionary Church
NOTE: Joint worship at
Blyth Community Church of God
JULY - AUGUST 10:30 am
Wednesday 8 pm Video Study
at C&A Kerr’s:
Chuck Colson - THE BODY
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, JULY 12
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9831
11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service
Continued on page 22