By Dr. Vernard Gant, Director of ACSI Urban School Services
“Government funds are tainted!” This oft-repeated statement represents a prevalent mind-set among some in Christian circles who have used the statement to explain and justify why Christian schools should not receive government funding for the operation of their schools. The belief has been that with government funds comes government control. Accordingly, these funds would easily become a web of entanglement that could greatly impact the recipient school’s mission and operations. The postulation has been that one thing leads to another, and before long, the school will have to compromise its Christian beliefs and practices to continue receiving the government subsidy.
The government is viewed either as the enemy of Christian causes or as a threat, because with its funding come reglations. The book of Romans, however, provides a different take on the role of government. As opposed to being adversaries, those in government exist as advocates for the good of society. They are to function as God-ordained authorities to restrain evil and promote good.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.... For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.... For he is God’s minister to you for good. (Romans 13:1–4)
The people of God are instructed to pray to this end for those in authority. At the same time, nowhere in the New Testament are the people of God either instructed to receive or admonished to not receive support from the government for the propagation of the good of society. Christian ministry in general, and Christian education in particular, contributes to the good of and betterment of society. In other words, the people of God support the authorities in their God-given mandate to take care of the people under their rule.
In the Old Testament, Nehemiah represents a classic example of how the governing authority is employed to contribute to the purpose of God:
Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. (Nehemiah 2:4–8)
A pagan government contributed to the rebuilding of the wall for the protection of God’s people. It pleased God to use the government not only to give Nehemiah permission but also to give him supplies and a royal escort. Moreover, the national authority mandated that the local authorities be supportive. From a human standpoint, the walls of Jerusalem would not have been rebuilt without government support, including government funding. We find another example in the book of Ezra:
Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king’s expense from taxes on the region beyond the River; this is to be given immediately to these men, so that they are not hindered. (Ezra 6:8)
King Cyrus not only directed that tax revenue be used for rebuilding the temple, but he gave instructions to cut through the red tape so that the work could be done immediately. The king further instructed:
And whatever they need ... let it be given them day by day without fail, that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons. (Ezra 6:9–10)
He recognized that the people of God had something to offer that would benefit the kingdom, the king, and his family. Perhaps it was his example that played an influential role in the life of his son, Xerxes, leading him to rule favorably on behalf of the Jews during the time of Esther.
Using the government to support the cause of Christianity also has modern applications. Many Christians preparing for Christian ministries have reaped the benefit of government support in the form of tuition subsidy at Christian colleges and universities. According to Bob Andringa, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, 80 percent of Christian college students receive some form of federal aid. For these ministries, the government funds have not been strapped by, or even conditioned by, government regulations. These schools retain all their Christian distinctiveness, including their enrollment policies, mission, and hiring practices, while receiving funds from the government in the form of aid to students. These students, in turn, use their education to make a positive difference in the arenas where they labor. In other words, for ministries of higher education, the government provides support to educate their students to serve the public good.
For example, I received my undergraduate degree from Columbia International University. Most of my education was paid by the government in the form of Pell Grants and Basic Education Opportunity Grants. The government supported me as I prepared for what I am doing now to promote urban Christian education throughout the nation. Columbia International University did not have any government intervention whatsoever. The school’s mission, beliefs, or practices were never threatened or held hostage by the government funds.
This practice that works so effectively at the higher education level is also needed at the elementary and secondary levels. A Christian education is a purchased commodity. As a result, it can be obtained only by those who have the purchasing ability to secure it. For low-income families (and increasingly for moderate-income and working-class families), Christian schooling is an unaffordable luxury. Sadly, this is true at a time when Christian schooling is so desperately needed to equip students to function successfully and effectively in today’s society.
In society’s attempt to expel or exclude God from the public arenas, we have embraced a relativism and an individualism that basically say, anything goes. The endeavor to create amoral and a-religious institutions has instead resulted in the formation of institutions with moral vacuums that are being filled with irreligious and immoral values and activities. Nowhere is this result seen more than in our institutions of learning.
Without an absolute basis for right and wrong, for example, we can’t seem to agree on whether to teach abstinence or safe sex. Is homosexuality wrong or simply an alternative lifestyle that must be embraced by all? The timeless virtues of honor and integrity are being replaced by the mind-set of “anything goes” (particularly as long as one can get away with it). Respect for authority has given way to individual rights and entitlement.
The times are necessitating and issuing a clarion call for an alternative approach to educating our nation’s young. The call is going forth for educationalinstitutions that will address hearts as well as heads. Schools are needed that will teach, along with the 3 Rs of reading, writing, and arithmetic, the 3 Rs of respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness. These should all come under the central R of righteousness. Christian schools are uniquely positioned to provide such an education.
The U.S. government recognizes that having an educated populace is in the nation’s best interest; thus, schooling is compulsory in this nation. An education is so highly valued that the government spends, on average, over $7,000 a year per child to educate each and every one of them. Sadly, for too many children this is money wasted because they are not receiving an effective education that equips them at a functional level. Indeed, in many urban areas, too many minority children are not graduating at all, and those who do are graduating with 12 years’ worth of schooling and only 8 years’ worth of education. There is not much hope for a positive and productive future in modern society for an adult with only an eighth-grade education. Under such circumstances the nation suffers along with the individual.
Furthermore, it is also in the nation’s best interest to have a populace that is educated to do what is right. Smart wrongdoers are still wrongdoers. Children educated to do what is good and right will lead out in contributing to the public good. Christian schools, as stated above, are uniquely able to provide such an education; that is one of the reasons they exist. The sad reality is, however, that the children who stand to benefit most from such an education can least afford it. The cost of the education stands in the way, blocking their access to it. Therefore, it is in the national interest to remove barriers that stand in the way of such an education.
During these critical times, it behooves the people of God to follow the lead of Nehemiah, Ezra, and Esther in influencing the government to fulfill its God-ordained responsibility. Now is not the time to expend energy on keeping the government at bay. Rather, now is the time for creativity in how best to appropriate government funds and services to advance the cause of Christian schooling. Now is the time to pray and work for the day when educational freedom will be a reality, so that children who are now educationally bound to a failing system will be liberated to pursue what Frederick Douglass calls a “useful education.” What makes the education useful is that it contributes to the betterment of the person and the society.
Is such a move risky? Yes, absolutely! But this is true of every kingdom endeavor. Even starting a Christian school is not without risk. I would suggest that pondering the risk is the wrong response. A better question would be, Is the effort worthwhile? Again, the answer is a resounding yes! Nehemiah knew that it was risky for him to draw attention to himself in the presence of the most powerful ruler in the world at that time. Esther knew that it was risky for her to approach her king without prior authorization to do so. For these people of God, the greater risk was in doing nothing. Had Nehemiah done nothing, Jerusalem would have remained a city in ruins. Were Esther to have done nothing, her people would have suffered a terrible fate at the hands of those who hated them. Today, if we do nothing, many children—particularly those living in our nation’s urban centers—will continue to suffer academically and socially at the hands of a sometimes hostile and ineffective educational system. The times are so critical, the needs are so overwhelming, and the stakes are so high that we must act. In this matter, may the God of heaven give us the spirit of Esther whereby we determine
I’ll go to the king, even though it is forbidden.
If I die, I die.
At a cost far less than Esther’s, shouldn’t we be willing to go to the government for such a critical cause?
The Meantime Volume 4 Number 1