In states where voucher programs fund private or parochial school options, a new model is meeting parents’ demand for tuition-free 4K. The objective is to open public 4K classrooms without increasing the district’s tax burden.[i] These programs are attracting attention within the WELS. But in an era of unlikely partnerships, this particular model deserves scrutiny because of the way in which the two very different educational models are positioned. In terms of philosophy and curricular content, the educational part of this 4K model essentially remains a public school venue while the classroom itself is housed in a facility that identifies with, and is dedicated to, the educational model we know of as Christian education (CE). Educators of every ilk know that, “Whoever tells the story shapes the culture.” [ii]
New programs of this kind are really more of a business model with educational and philosophical implications than they are true educational models. In this model local participating community sites (private or parochial schools or childcare centers) are contracted to provide about 500 hours annually of instruction time to four-year-olds at no cost to their parents.[iii] The revenue for community sites is attractive. The Appleton School District in Wisconsin, for example, is expecting average per-student vouchers to be in the neighborhood of $2,300. Host sites do have some flexibility with regard to staffing. (They have the choice of using their own teachers or they can staff their programs with instructors provided by the district.) Nevertheless, all instructors in the program are required to refrain from teaching, motivating, or disciplining children from a faith-based perspective during the 2 ½ hours of each day that are publicly funded. Teachers may not lead the children in their class in prayer, teach from the Bible, apply law and gospel to behavioral issues, motivate children with the gospel, or make a public confession of faith.
The emerging rationale in support of such programs suggests that the 12.5 hours that are spent weekly in a secular environment can be offset by wrap-around programs [iv] that can legally teach four-year-olds about Jesus. This article contends that while participation in the voucher program offers congregations outreach opportunities, they would also be intentionally exposing children to an environment that supports two very different worldviews. Some children (and parents) will conclude that God will not mind if they also integrate both philosophies into their personal worldviews.[v]
Two Key Lessons from the Old Testament
God’s people had occupied Goshen for four centuries. A pagan (Egyptian) worldview had slowly crept into their understanding of life, death, the hereafter, and their worship of the true God. To prepare for their liberation, God commanded them to cleanse their homes and food supplies of every hint of yeast.[vi] The symbolism taught a simple lesson: jettison every trace of Egypt’s godless worldview from your lives.
Twenty-first century believers need to consider the implications of that narrative. God does not want us naively believing that secular philosophies are harmless or that we are immune to the deadly poison of humanism.[vii] Nor can we foolishly imagine that four-year-olds are too young to be shaped by their environment. When a classroom full of 4-year-olds takes a 2 ½-hour hiatus from their Christ-centered learning environment, the vacuum fills with a philosophy intent on replacing Christ with self.[viii], [ix], [x], [xi] Remember, Whoever tells the story shapes the culture.
For the next forty years, God enveloped his people in a divine media—columns of cloud and fire outside the camp, a tabernacle at the center of camp, the smoke-filled Tent of Meeting, morning and evening sacrifices, a calendar of festivals to remember God’s goodness, and a daily benediction. These were inescapable reminders of the Lord’s presence. God’s people depended on him 24/7 for food, water, clothing, shelter, and protection. In return, God asked for nothing more than their whole-hearted devotion.[xii]
God still hates divided loyalties—no halvsies, shared glory, or lukewarm hearts.[xiii] We want children to not only know this truth, we will want them also learning daily to live it with consistency, continuity, and deep conviction. If the words Christian education are to mean anything for future generations, the model they represent will need to uphold the biblical principle that Jesus Christ is all-in-all, . . . all of the time.
Exercising Freedom with Loving Discernment
God neither commands nor forbids us to take advantage of such public voucher models. That said, this writer is convinced that this 4K model effectively introduces secular philosophies into a learning environment that has been dedicated to the mission, learning objectives, outcomes, student motivation, discipline, climate, curriculum, and teacher training of an educational model that is distinctively Christian. Scripture supports the idea that Christ and his cross permeate every facet of the CE learning experience.[xiv] As congregations weigh their freedom to participate in such programs, spiritual leaders are obliged to counsel their members with loving discernment, knowing that whoever tells the story shapes the culture. “Consider the challenges and opportunities carefully in the light of Scripture, . . . review their mission-vision statements and the purpose for which their early childhood ministry exists . . . The training and preparation for this kind of ministry is absolutely vital. It is critical that the congregation is intentional about equipping and training the staff for this approach to ministry.” [xv]
The notion that Christian education and secular education can coexist as complementary programs should never go unchallenged. God’s people will need to be prepared to consider the very real possibility that such a business arrangement with secular education has the potential to undermine the very purpose for which Lutheran preschools exist.[xvi]
Written by Kenneth Kremer
Kenn is an adjunct professor at Martin Luther College Graduate Program, a retired editor from Northwestern Publishing House, and a member of Bethany Ev. Lutheran Church in Appleton WI.
Notes and References
[i] References made in this article to a new publicly-funded 4K model are taken from documents provided by the Appleton School District in Appleton, Wisconsin.
[ii] Attributed to David Walsh, Institute for Family and the Media, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
[iii] By comparison, if a church member attended weekly worship services, weekly Bible studies, plus Advent and Lenten services, the combined total would approximate 115 hours per year or less than one-fourth of the amount of time that a four-year-old will be exposed to a secular approach to life and learning as a participant of this program.
4 The term “wrap-around program” is commonly used to describe learning programs that either precede or follow the normal hours in a school day. For this discussion the term applies to hours that are not part of the prescribed 2 ½ hours per day of publicly-funded secular classroom time.
5 Speaking of the relationship between the going aspect of the Great Commission and the teaching aspect, David Valleskey wrote, “ . . . Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you includes the believer’s life of sanctification . . . This, too, was part of Christ’s mission mandate . . . [Jesus’ disciples] were to help people grow as disciples as, through the Word, they taught them to obey, to guard, and to hold fast to everything Jesus had commanded, i.e., all of his Word” (“We believe, Therefore We Speak,” NPH, 1995, p.128).
6 Exodus 12.
7 To the Christians in Corinth Saint Paul wrote, “ . . . I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).
8 In an essay entitled, “Christian Education: A Matter of Life and Death,” Mark Zarling wrote, “Society believes that truth is what an individual decides based on his experiences, his background, his worldview . . . Ultimately, there are only two worldviews possible. One worldview is theocentric, or perhaps better spoken of as Christocentric. The other worldview is anthropocentric . . . The human mind will always create a worldview contrary to the truth of Scripture that reveals Jesus as the Truth. There is a battle of ideas being waged. And there are no multiple choices. Satan, who masquerades as an angel of light can make falsehood look attractive, but the Spirit warns us: ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death’” (Proverbs 14:12). (“Christian Education: A Matter of Life and Death,” Mark Zarling, WLS—Fall Symposium, Mequon, Wisconsin, 2011, pp. 16-21).
9 In his popular book, “The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age Without Good or Evil,” author James Davison Hunter writes, “A moral code that is, at bottom, self-generating and self-referencing…precludes the possibility of any compelling collective discipline capable of regulating social life. Simply put, there is nothing to which the self is obligated to submit” (p. 191).
10 In the Appleton District’s 4K curriculum, the language of learning objectives that have to do with the formation of a four-year-old’s character reflect the ideas of men like Dewey, Kohlberg, Erikson, Piaget and Carl Rogers—ideas rooted in humanistic psychology. A sampling of those objectives includes phrases like, “Show positive self-concept and pride in accomplishments,” “standing up for one’s self,” “display an I can do attitude,” develop self-awareness in terms of I am smart, I am fast, I am strong,” “accept direction from an adult” (without reference to authority).
11 Reflecting on his humanistic theory of how children begin to acquire character through a process of self-examination, Carl Rogers postulated that, “The individual increasingly comes to feel that this locus of evaluation lies within.himself . . . The only question that matters is Am I living in a way that is deeply satisfying to me, and which truly expresses me?” (“Becoming a Person: The Nellie Heldt Lectures,” p. 38).
12 Deuteronomy 6:5.
13 Matthew 6:24; Revelation 3:15-16.
14 Deuteronomy 6:6-9.
15 Interview with Cindi Holman, WELS National Coordinator for Early Childhood Education, conducted on 10/29/2012 by Kenneth Kremer.
[xvi] In his book, “God So Loved the World: A Study of Christian Doctrine,” author Lyle W. Lange wrote, “ . . . False doctrine leads people away from Christ . . . Jesus warned against giving offense to little children. Bad examples can lead children to sin and can destroy their faith. Jesus said, ‘If anyone causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea’ (Matthew 18:6).” (NPH, 2005, p. 411).
I likewise appreciate the cautions presented by the author. However, a clarification is called for. The title suggests that the issue at hand is “state funding.” I would suggest the issue is the strings that may or may not be attached to that funding. In the Appleton case, the strings rather resemble heavy chains! A now-sainted professor said long ago in regard to state funding of our Lutheran schools: If state funding does not hinder our preaching of the Gospel we are free to accept or reject it.
Americans have long accepted as axiomatic that what government funds it must control. However, that need not be the case. A free society is able, for example, to develop a system of education in which the government’s money follows the child and the control is exercised by the parent as they go about the task of choosing a school in an open and robust education marketplace.
Thank you for such as well-written and concise treatment of this timely issue. It is important that these “opportunities” always be evaluated under the guidance of God’s Word and how best to advance the spread of the Gospel. I pray that those who face these difficult decisions permit the Holy Spirit to guide them through the blessed struggle of searching the Scriptures to provide clarity and wisdom where the world can offer none.