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by Dr. Bradley Price
There is a battle in the universe between good and evil, and the prize is the souls of men. There is a battle of values in society, and the prize is the souls of our children. It seems that no matter what political, religious, educational, or philosophical position one holds, conservative or liberal, many people make the claim that their agenda is “best for the children.” But is it possible for philosophies of life that are diametrically opposed to wind up at the same place with the same positive results? How can it be “best for the children” to give them an education that is at best amoral, but more often than not is actually immoral —especially when they are beginning to form their personal values and morality for life? A wrong direction at the beginning always produces undesirable problems later. And so, when the inevitable problems arrive, we do what is “best for the children” by offering income for unwed mothers, abortion for unwanted babies, power to rebellious students, an alternative lifestyle as normality, chaos to classroom environments, diplomas to unprepared graduates, and a set of moral values that has replaced God with man at its center. So what are we to do? The answers do not lie in the halls of local government or in the swelling tax coffers of our politicians. I believe it lies in the hearts, and in the homes, and in the churches that are being given a personal, practical value system of right and wrong. It all starts with a value system that begins with a loving God who has a plan for every person, a set of guidelines for every decision, and a foundation of consistent principles for every situation. It is in the heart that destinies are determined. It is in the home that champions are molded. And it is in the church that a bold affirmation of truth should be proclaimed. The pages of history will rue the day that biblical principles were taken from the heart of our educational curriculum, from the halls of our courts, and from the family circle of our homes. The tried and proven method of setting right priorities still works. This method, simply stated, is: put God first, family second, and career third. I recently witnessed the positive results of this method. I was visiting in the hospital with the family of a local physician. His wife had just undergone surgery two days before. They have five children. Before long, our conversation turned into a family report. This couple shared how each child was adjusting to adulthood with their own careers and their own children. We looked at the pictures lovingly placed on the hospital wall. In the midst of all this conversation, I was remembering the sacrifices that this couple had made to make sure their family was in church and actively involved, and that family time had been carved out of an incredibly busy schedule. Later, I visited with a single mom who spoke with pride about her own young teenage boys. She had also set priorities and structured her family around devotion to God. I was struck by how two radically different sets of circumstances —but both with God at the center —had produced the same positive results. I left the hospital wondering why some people are so determined to create their own world without God. Do we really believe that this is “best for the children?” Dr. Bradley Price is pastor of King’s Way Baptist Church in Concord, N.C. |
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Minnesota Family Council / Minnesota Family Institute 2855 Anthony Lane South, Minneapolis MN, 55418-3265 Phone 612.789.8811, FAX 612.789.8858, www.mfc.org |