Recently, a pastor from Elizabethtown, KY gave misguided opposition to Amendment 2, Kentucky’s amendment to allow funding for new educational opportunities for students. He boldly claimed that assisting low-income families to afford private education with Christian guidance “may be harmful to communities and ultimately hurt our witness to the people that God has called us to evangelize.” If you didn’t get a chance to read it, his argument revolved around asking kids with religious backgrounds, as young as 5 years old, to carry the burden of evangelizing their public-school classrooms. He didn’t acknowledge that many of these kids are subject to underperforming school districts, increased violence and bullying, and far-left radical gender ideologies for kids as young as 1st grade. 

Referencing Jeremiah 29:7, he claimed that providing families with new educational opportunities actually hurts the families that make up our communities, leaving the least of these behind. Unfortunately, the “least of these” were left behind many years ago with no ability to alter the course of their child’s education. Families trapped in bad school districts struggle to afford a private education tuition as low as $6,000, which seems impossible in today’s economy. Current investment into Kentucky’s public education has risen significantly to reach spending of $20,000 per pupil on average. Yet opponents argue that this will drain our school systems. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

This Pastor’s viewpoint on children effectively evangelizing is an unbelievably heavy burden for any child to consider. God requires parents to train their children in love, patience, forgiveness, amongst other tenants of the faith, but not to put the burden of evangelism on a young child in a public-school classroom. I’ve witnessed many parents send their unequipped children into secular environments for 40+ hours a week for them to “be the light.” Recent statistics tell us that too many Christian kids are leaving the faith once they leave high school. 

To be clear, adults are required to fulfill that command to evangelize and disciple. Regarding children, adults are required to protect and train children. School is the greatest influence outside of family for their young impressionable minds. Why would God command us to place our children under teaching authority that competes in worldview and religion? He doesn’t. 

Christian schools are still a mission field for students and teachers alike. Children come from all backgrounds of life, and to think that every child is perfect with no need for love in a Christian school is a gross misunderstanding. These schools have families of all socio-economic classes, races, faith journeys, and family structures. Some kids come from families who have no religious backgrounds at all. The main difference is that all the kids mentioned have a moral and religious teaching that is taught and celebrated in a positive way. In many public schools, it’s totally absent during school hours.

For the Christian teachers who are still working in the public school system, your work is correctly applauded. There are many administrators and teachers who show the love of Christ on a daily basis to students and faculty and sponsor faith-based groups like Fellowship of Christian Athletes. During my time in a high-performing and safe public high school, I was grateful to have like-minded teachers who shared a common faith. If your calling is in this space, God will continue to use your voice and love to make an impact on your community. 

Lastly, the article in opposition to school choice states that our children won’t be a blessing to society if they are training in a private, religious school setting. I couldn’t disagree more. Offering children a safe and rigorous education allows them to compete for influential jobs and possess a strengthened faith that will lead them into a life of service and fulfillment. As an adult they will have multiplied impact with correct training from youth, rather than forcing gender ideology, safety threats, and a low-performing performing classroom as a majority of their weekdays.

Truly, Amendment 2 is a pathway for the kids and families who are left behind with limited financial means to have a choice in education. Voting “yes” will open opportunities to all Kentuckians, religious and non-religious. On top of that, access to charter schools and non-religious private schools will likely become additional options to parents if Amendment 2 passes. Even religious minorities like the Jewish and Muslim communities will have the opportunities to place their children in a school that reflects the desires of their parents. God calls us to train a child in the way they should go, so that they won’t depart from it. Amendment 2 will likely provide that reality for thousands of more children.