It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
Dateline: January 5, in the Year of our Lord 2023
From time to time, I have a guest writer from the classical Christian movement contribute a piece for this substack. This piece is packed with good information, and good admonition.
Guest writer: Mark Koscak, Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN
There is a tidal wave of godlessness that we are seeing across the land as people deny reality, turn their back on God, and believe the lies of the day. On the surface, our society seems to be in a tailspin. However, there is also a strong undercurrent, a mighty move of God, that is not as obvious because it is under the surface. Even though most people don’t see this mighty undercurrent, it gives me great hope. I first started to see this movement of God at the school where I work - Providence Academy. Two years ago, the number of parents who were seeking to enroll their children at our school started increasing dramatically. We added 200 students, and now we are building a new educational wing to add 200 more. This surge of interest in an education that honors God is an answer to prayer. As I watched God answer this prayer, I also began watching to see what else He was doing in our midst. As I looked closer, I saw that God is doing something exciting in the next generation, and education is at the forefront.
Here are some examples of what I have found:
Growing enrollment at many classical Christian, and Christian, schools across America:
DickersonBakkerFundraising-Matters-National-Study-on-Christian-School-Growth-Sustainability.pdf
https://wng.org/opinions/are-parents-giving-up-on-public-schools-1653566784
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/avoid-wokeness-parents-enroll-kids-catholic-school
“ACSI schools experienced steady enrollment growth throughout the pandemic, on average growing by over a third since the 2019-20 school year.”
New classical Christian schools:
Per David Goodwin, President of the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS): “In recent years the number of classical Christian school start-ups has been about thirty per year. This past year there were 100.”
Home schooling has more than doubled since the pandemic began.
The Battle for the American Mind was #1 on the NY Times bestseller list this past summer, and it continues to be very popular. It is the untold story of the Progressive plan to neutralize the basis of our Republic. It explains the 100-year Progressive takeover of our public schools, and it encourages parents to give their children a classical Christian education. I am thrilled that parents all over America are reading about a classical Christian education.
Conservative Christian college enrollment is going up.
Liberal Christian college enrollment is going down.
Public undergraduate university enrollment is down 10% since the pandemic began.
Like the verse in Malachi (Mal. 4:6), all across this land, God is turning the hearts of Christian parents towards their children, specifically to the education of their children. God is opening the eyes of many Christian parents to the value of a God-honoring education. Today, just like the days of Moses, God doesn’t want us to imitate the heathen approach to life. Parents are finding a way to teach children about God all day long, and to honor God in the education of their children (Deut. 6:5-9), to teach them to obey everything he has commanded (Mt 28:20), to raise up children in the way they should go (Pr. 22:6), and to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:5).
Of course, this undercurrent is not a tidal wave. God is not moving 70%, 50%, or even 40% of parents across the nation. But, God doesn’t typically use a majority to impact culture. There are numerous things happening in our society that I can only attribute to God. Here are a few more examples:
Last year, we had growth in the number of babies. After six years of decreasing birth rates, the U.S. birth rate increased last year.
After 50 years of prayer, marching, protesting, and more, Roe v. Wade was overturned.
According to the ECFA’s (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) most recent report (2020-2021), giving to K-12 Education went up by 18.3% over the prior year.
Based on these trends, in the upcoming year I anticipate more babies, and growth in the number of children receiving a God-honoring education. Imagine the impact of these children thirty years from now! God is doing a mighty work among this young generation!
God Uses Small Numbers to Make a Big Impact!
This movement of God gives me great hope. God doesn’t need a majority to defeat the advance of godlessness.
God defeated the Midianite army with 300 men. (Jdg. 7:7)
Samuel Adams said, “It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
God, the Creator of heaven and earth, understands the pareto principle.
Our Creator knows about tipping points. “Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of society.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110725190044.htm
There is Another Dimension to This Move of God.
We must not overlook the spiritual growth among Christian parents who are making educational decisions for their children with an intent to honor God. These are major steps of faith. These decisions impact society one family at a time, as seen historically in the English revival during the reign of King Alfred the Great as he reimplemented classical Christian education. We can also look to other similar movements that succeeded in impacting culture like Abraham Kuyper’s efforts to implement sphere sovereignty in the Netherlands, or Hungary’s recent educational efforts under Victor Orban.
I know that this tidal wave of ungodliness that we are experiencing may be a sign of the end of times. We need to be ready for Jesus to come back at any moment. However, if He doesn’t come back in the near future, there is good news. God is at work. As Henry Blackaby says, “Watch where He is working and join Him.” I challenge you to pray about how you can join Him in His continuing work. As I write this letter, I realize that many of you are already involved in this movement.
There have been times in the past when people faced a tidal wave of godlessness, and it wasn’t the end of times. As I look at our current times with great excitement over what I see God doing, and as I think of the godlessness we face, it reminds me of the times that Charles Dickens wrote about in A Tale of Two Cities:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of Incredulity,
It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
I admit that my evidence is anecdotal. However, I see God doing things that only God can do. I not only have renewed hope in the face of a godless cultural tidal wave, but I am also excited to think about the telos of this awakening, the possible trajectory of this revival, and the greatness of our God and His providence.
Love it.
And if "just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief" it will be adopted, I'd like to mention another statistic: Barna found that only 4% of Americans hold a Biblical worldview, despite 70% claiming to be born-again Christians.
So, if we focus on emboldening and discipling the most noble-minded of those 66% nominal Christians, we can take that 4% and see God make it 10%. We must stop trying to be a "Big Tent" via moral compromise like the rest of the RNC, and become a small Gideon's Army.