Sunday, June 14, 1998

Christian group declares war on public education

By Ken Garfield / Knight Ridder Newspapers

I've always appreciated the open-mindedness of Christians who embrace private education while also respecting public schools that constitutionally can't emphasize Christ.

Now along comes an South Carolina group to argue that there can be no peace between the two different approaches to teaching our children. Seeing no room for compromise, Exodus 2000 is asking ardent Christians to wage war on what it sees as the godless enemy.

The Israelites escaped bondage in Biblical times, said Exodus leader E. Ray Moore Jr. Now, as graduation arrives and attention is on students, Moore wants us to see that it's time for Christians to escape the bonds of public education.

Moore, 54, is an independent, evangelical pastor in Columbia, S.C., who is dedicated to convincing Christians to yank their children out of public school by 2000. He isn't just asking others to take a stand Ñ he and his wife, Gail, home-schooled their four children.

Moore's argument is simple and unbending: Public schools are hostile institutions that put Christ in a box and refuse to let children take him out. Since public educators have our kids 30 hours a week, that's enough time to undermine the Christian lessons they can be taught the rest of the week.

Moore laughed when I asked how public schools subvert what children learn at home and in church, as if that was a stupid question even though students can join Bible clubs, pray silently and hold prayer rallies around the school flagpole. Even though Congress is debating loosening restrictions on religious practice.

But Christians can't pray publicly in schools. They can't post the Ten Commandments. Evolution, he argues, is taught as if it is truth.

Moore said he's all for Christians obeying the mandate to be a light in a dark world. But how's an 8-year-old supposed to stand fast against what he considers this rolling tide of paganism?

"If they stay in public schools," Moore said, "their faith is going to be eroded."

Even Moore concedes his movement won't come close to reaching its goal, so the issue isn't the damage he'll do to public education.

The issue isn't how people of other faiths react to Exodus 2000. Many who make up the minority in a community Ñ Muslim, Jew or otherwise Ñ have felt the sting of the majority faith lording over them. Many believe you respect all faiths by favoring no faith.

The most important issue raised by Exodus 2000 is how other evangelical Christians react to this call for withdrawal.

The evangelical Christian educators I talked with aren't ready to give up on a system they believe can gain from their responsible presence in it. To many, rejecting public schools means giving up the chance to practice the simplest, purest form of evangelism Ñ being there to share the faith one-on-one when anyone asks.

Cramerton Christian Academy principal Kyle Brown spoke of the word of God being truth, and so education must teach the truth. But then he said Christians need to "be a witness, try to make a difference" to those who don't hear the word.

Charlotte Christian School headmaster Gary Coker said he wouldn't educate his child anyplace that fails to affirm Judeo-Christian values. But he, too, stopped short of saying Christians should withdraw their children from public schools.

Covenant Day School headmaster Barrett Mosbacker said Moore solicited his support for Exodus 2000. Mosbacker refused, saying the Exodus crusade is "not a loving, merciful, compassionate, constructive response."

In other words, he's too engrossed building up Christian education to tear down another way.

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(Ken Garfield is the religion editor at The Charlotte Observer. Write to him at: The Charlotte Observer, 600 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28232.)

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(c) 1998, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).

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