Saving America with the Principle Approach®

America has had her ups and downs, to say the least. But, who doesn’t want to improve her and keep our Constitutional Federal Representative Republic? It has recently come to my attention that some individuals have concern regarding the idea of “saving” America via education. So, let’s define our vocabulary and reason through the idea of saving America with the Principle Approach®. Because context is everything.

Biblical Classical Homeschools

In order to understand how a Biblical classical homeschool will help to save America, we need to first comprehend the foundation of education in America. First and foremost, Christian character development for children is crucial for America’s future. In order to develop Christian character, we must recognize that we are teaching children (we are not teaching curriculum). Additionally, it’s important to help our children learn how to think and reason Biblically in all areas of life. This is why teaching with Biblical principles (and how to identify their counter principles) is so crucial.

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What is Meant by Saving America with the Principle Approach®?

To be clear, I cannot speak for other individuals. There seems to be a few different camps of thought on this. That said, my intent is to address what is meant within my personal experience with the Principle Approach®.

So, let’s define our vocabulary with the proper contextual definition from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

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“Saving, ppr. 1. Preserving from evil or destruction; hinder from waste or loss; sparing; taking or using in time.”

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For anyone who studies America’s primary and secondary sources, they will acknowledge that Christ has been the foundation of education for our first 200 years. Indeed, document after document points students to Creator God, the Bible, and godly morals. Founding Father John Adams stated:

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“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

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For this reason, Founding Father Noah Webster was a great influence in education. So, while our founding documents and schools never forced anyone to “become a Christian,” Biblical morals and principles were still taught to each generation. And, it helped to sustain our unique republican form of government. Of note, John Adams was saying that it will take both a moral and a religious people to keep our republic.

Contrast that with education today. Who isn’t aware that evil is being taught to the next generations in the government schools? And, who is unaware about the destruction this brings to each individual child and society? Therefore, in order to prevent evil and destruction from happening to children, there needs to be a restoration of education founded upon Biblical principles.

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Morals Will Either Preserve What is Good in God’s Eyes or Destroy It

Someone’s morals will be legislated and executed. To legislate is to plan and to execute is to implement. No Christian can deny that the morals being legislated and implemented in government schools are not godly. Even some non-Christians are keenly aware of this and they have concerns!

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Preserving From Evil

This has to do with the dominion mandate—regardless of whether it is one’s home, church, neighborhood, state, or the nation as a whole. And, it doesn’t matter where on God’s green earth one lives. All Christians in all nation’s have this responsibility.

So, let’s define dominion with Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

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“Dominion, n. 1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling.”

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Christians acknowledge God as Sovereign and the supreme authority. Therefore, we acknowledge the importance of governing according to God’s principles and moral laws. Again, this isn’t forcing anyone to take on the Christian faith. No one can do that. God invites individuals to have faith and accept salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. However, Christians and pagans alike are blessed by God’s moral laws. For example, one of God’s moral laws it to not steal. Another of His moral laws is to not murder.

Regarding principles, below are the seven basic Biblical founding principles that both Christians and pagans are blessed by when they are honored:

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God’s Moral Law and His Principles Help to Preserve Individuals and Nations From Evil
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Firstly, as my friend and mentor Ben Gilmore taught me, the seven basic founding Biblical principles rest on these two laws:

Natural Law (God’s creation, Romans 1:20)
Revealed Law (Scripture, )

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Secondly, here are the principles:

Individuality

Self-Government

Quality Character

Private Property

Biblical Form

Local Authority

Liberty

Helping to Defend America

Our nation from the onset has a history of men and women fighting for our liberties. My grandfather, father, and other family members have a history of serving her. And my husband’s grandfather does, too. To say nothing of acquaintances and friends seeing their sons off to training with the Army or Navy. Or will soon be doing so.

How disheartening when our men and women fight to help preserve our liberties, only for liberties to erode anyway. For all of their selfless sacrifice, why is America falling apart? Why is her character suffering?

Without doubt, it’s because it’s happening from the inside. Education is her heartbeat. And largely through her veins pumps a humanistic form of education. Life is in the blood. And the kind of life America is going to live will be reflective of this. To be sure, we see what’s going on in her internally by the external expressions of individuals reshaping her culture.

I believe it’s because more of us need to be involved with education in some capacity. Truly, education is our territory to defend. Indeed, it’s a battle of ideas and worldview.

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America’s Overall Humanistic Education

As most people are aware, counter principles to a Biblical form of gov’t and humanistic ideas are being taught to the next generation at large. In fact, many students are embracing these ideas and worldview.  Why should they question the people who influence them the most day in and day out? These young, impressionable minds put trust in educators from the moment they step into government classrooms.

And parents who have their children use government school curriculum at home are in the same boat. I know this is touchy ground; I have friends and family who utilize government education. But I refuse to walk on egg shells about it. While being at home may spare them some influences among peers, using a humanistic curriculum won’t in some areas. Because ideas have consequences.

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Contrasting the Humanistic and Biblical Worldviews of Race

For example, do you hold to the idea that an individual’s skin color defines race? If so, this is a humanistic influence in this area. For this idea of race is not Biblical. In fact, Darwin divides humankind up into categories of “races” by eye color, skin color, hair color/type. And it’s his belief that it’s an evolutionary progression. Additionally, he categorizes “white” people- especially Europeans- to be more “advanced” than humans with a darker complexion. Thereby, he creates this *idea* of an hierarchy of “races.”

To be fair, most of us aren’t taught our nation’s Christian Heritage, founding principles, and Biblical Principles in each subject. This includes myself. Of note, I was homeschooled with a popular Christian curriculum for most of my formal education. And it’s the same personal history for the brief experience I have as a student of a Christian high school. But the Biblical-Classical Education that birthed our nation and her Christian character is available to us. And I believe strongly this is the key in education that our nation needs.

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Shaping Minds for Christ Through Education

Discussions can often be centered around these sub topics when discussing education in the Christian community:

• Christian children are to be salt and light in the government schools. It’s a ministry for them.
• Our family goes to church faithfully. And our kids will be fine despite a government education.
• We vote conservatively and constantly talk with our children about the importance of conservative views. They’ll vote wisely.

Undoubtedly, the mission field is important as Christians. But dear Christian parents, our home is a mission field. If our children are in a government educational system, they’re under a humanistic influence. This is in conflict with a Biblical worldview. As seen with the topic of race, it can be very subtle. But do consider how even the subtle humanistic view of race negatively impacts our own nation.

In either case, education ripples outward from our homes, outwardly to our local communities, to our churches, and to our government. Once we recognize this, we’ll see the power of teaching with a Biblical-Classical Education. And we’ll recognize the faults of being under a humanistic form of education. Because a humanistic education cannot shape minds for Christ through education.

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Christ is the Focal Point of History

For the Christian, we see that Christ is the Focal Point of History when reading the Bible. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament proclaim this Truth.

Every subject has a history as well as Biblical principles tied to it. Furthermore, every subject intertwines with the Gospel.

At her core, America has roots in the Gospel:

• Pilgrims Providentially come westward to spread the Gospel message.
• The Bible is the text for generations in America.
• Founding documents secure Biblical Principles in them for the liberty of the individual.
• Historically, her education is a Biblical-Classical form.
• Biblical-Classical education is taught for around the first 150 years of America’s life as a nation.
• Reasoning from the Bible in all areas is a huge part of America’s historical form of education: The Principle Approach®.

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Saving America by Restoring a Biblical Classical Education

Are your kids learning about civil government? That’s great! It’s important to understand how and why our government functions the way that it does. In fact, I highly recommend TeenPact for this purpose. However, is this the same as helping them understand America’s decline? And is it the same as giving our students a Biblical-Classical education? In short, no it isn’t.

But, we can give them a Biblical classical education. And once future generations begin to think governmentally because of it, America has a strong chance of being saved (i.e. preserved from evil governing and destruction). It’s going to take more Christians to get on board with this. Will you be a part of the growing numbers of families embracing the mission to restore America’s Biblical principles?  Be encouraged by the PEERS Test results for a Biblical-Classical Education. And let’s do this together! Because wherever that nation is in which you live, dear Christian, your nation will be blessed. . . .

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” -Psalm 33:12 (KJV)

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