{"id":304624,"date":"2017-08-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/engaging-the-public-school-system\/"},"modified":"2017-08-03T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-03T15:00:00","slug":"engaging-the-public-school-system","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engaging-the-public-school-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging the Public School System"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen Williams talks about his journey to faith. Now, 16 years after embracing Christianity, Williams challenges parents to be proactive and exercise their faith in the public school system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-08-03.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:29:21","filesize":"26.87M","filesize_raw":"28177205","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2848,2806],"tags":[4299,4005,5799],"podcast_series":[8223],"cwp_profile":[9463],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304624","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-issues","category-spiritual-development","tag-faith","tag-parents","tag-public-school","podcast_series-navigating-public-schools","cwp_profile-stephen-williams","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304624\/engaging-the-public-school-system","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304624\/engaging-the-public-school-system","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"FUZpt5PROK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engaging-the-public-school-system\/\">Engaging the Public School System<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engaging-the-public-school-system\/embed\/#?secret=FUZpt5PROK\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Engaging the Public School System&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"FUZpt5PROK\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Stephen Williams talks about his journey to faith. Now, 16 years after embracing Christianity, Williams challenges parents to be proactive and exercise their faith in the public school system.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-08-03.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Are you a Christian parent who sends his or her children to public schools? Have you ever had anybody look at you like, \u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d Stephen Williams has some counsel for you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>We\u2019re not saying that as Christians you need to be in the public school system, but we\u2019re also very importantly not saying you have to get them out. What we\u2019re saying is you need to be aware of where an anti-Christian worldview can, at times\u2014not all the time\u2014come up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, August 3rd. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. School is about to start up again, and it\u2019s important for Christian parents to be intentional about a course for protecting a child\u2019s faith and biblical worldview in the public schools. We\u2019ll talk more about that today. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong> \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. We\u2019ve talked over the years about the variety of choices that are available to parents when it comes to the decision about how you\u2019re going to school your kids, what your school choice is going to be, whether it\u2019s homeschool or private school, public school. You guys did a little of all of it, didn\u2019t you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Well, we didn\u2019t do the Christian school. We did homeschool and public school, but didn\u2019t go the private school route.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Do you think, in today\u2019s environment, if you were raising your kids all over again\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I can\u2019t say. I really don\u2019t know how God might have led us. I do know we were intentional about it, because we wanted our children to work out their faith where they\u2019re going to live their lives, and that\u2019s with other people who make up the world. Fortunately, there are some great teachers in the public school system who are champions for Christ, and they\u2019re actually being salt and light in the midst of\u2014I think\u2014one of the greatest opportunities that our nation faces.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tStephen Williams is a former school teacher, now heads up a ministry called Prepare the Way Ministries from Bend, Oregon all the way to Arkansas. Stephen, welcome to Arkansas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes, I love it here. Thank you, Dennis and Bob. It\u2019s a total blessing to be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Stephen\u2019s married to his wife Sarah, they have four daughters. He has written a book called <em>Navigating Public Schools<\/em>. I\u2019d have to say, Stephen, it seems to me that teachers today in the public school system who are men and women of faith have a tougher time because it seems more and more Christian parents are abandoning the school system and heading the private route. Would you agree with that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes\u2014or homeschooled. Yes; I would agree. And they\u2019re getting badgered by this false understanding of the separation of church and state. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo yes, I think a lot of teachers are getting kind of backed into a corner and thinking, \u201cWell, how can I be salt and light?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> When you grew up, did you grow up in a Christian home\u2014where you were taught faith from your childhood\u2014or did you have to find it later in life?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>I found it later in life. I grew up in an atheistic home. I had a dad who was a professor in computer science and really kind of, \u201cIf you can\u2019t prove it by reason and logic then it doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d So that was kind of my worldview growing up through the adolescence, teen years, into college, and then even into adult life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You went to University of California at Berkeley. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes, \u201cBerserkly\u201d.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And the worldview you had was reinforced there; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Sure. Yes; absolutely. I was at times hostile towards Christianity\u2014sometimes neutral. I wasn\u2019t always an atheist, I would say I waffled between agnosticism and atheism.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did you intend to go into teaching after you graduated?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>No, I got a degree in economics from Berkeley\u2014went into economic consulting, and\u2014it was my life story\u2014I kind of bounced from one thing to the next, thinking, \u201cWell, what\u2019s the meaning in life?\u201d First, I was a swimmer, went to the \u201984 and \u201988 Olympic trials in swimming, and I thought, \u201cIf I just make swimming then that will be my identity,\u201d but still that didn\u2019t quite satisfy fully. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen I got the degree and I thought, \u201cWell, let\u2019s just make a lot of money.\u201d So I went into economic consulting, started to make some cash, and I thought, \u201cIf this is all that life\u2019s about, well that\u2019s kind of meaningless too.\u201d I thought if I just chose the right career\u2014 \u00a0 That is when I went into teaching, back in the mid-\u201990s. Still, it was great to teach and see the lightbulb go on with those kids and be a positive influence in their lives, supposedly\u2014as a secular person\u2014but still it didn\u2019t satisfy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>What actually pushed you in the direction\u2014then\u2014of finding out more about Jesus Christ and the Scriptures?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Right. Beating my head against the wall, kind of pursuing all these different things thinking that will give me identity, I finally\u2014well, do you remember the movie \u201cJerry McGuire\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: I<\/strong> watched this movie as a secular person, and in that movie \u201cJerry McGuire\u201d there\u2019s this amazing scene where he looks at the woman and says, \u201cYou complete me.\u201d I\u2019m in tears, thinking, \u201cThat\u2019s it! I need a wife.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>How old were you at the time?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Late 20s\u2014early 30s. I\u2019m thinking, \u201cI have to do that.\u201d I\u2019m not having great luck meeting babes in bars, so I thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to go to a church group. I\u2019m going to go to a singles\u2019 ministry down in the bay area California and meet a quality Christian girl.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You were on the prowl.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>I was.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You didn\u2019t believe a word of it, but you\u2019re down there looking for some sweet Christian girl who will marry you!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>I was a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing in a big way. So yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Did anybody call you out on it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Absolutely! No one would date me! Finally, this one woman takes me out, public place, coffee, and she says, \u201cWell Stephen, what do you believe about Jesus?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI go into this long thing about, \u201cWell, let\u2019s take Him with a grain of salt. If you get some values from Christianity and the Bible that\u2019s cool, but you know, nobody really believes that He\u2019s the only way to God.\u201d She like, \u201cThat\u2019s why no one will date you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe challenged my worldview, and she starts laying a basic apologetic. I said, \u201cGive me a break. I\u2019m well-read. I\u2019ll prove the circular reasoning\u2014give me your best book.\u201d She lays down Lee Strobel\u2019s <em>The Case for Faith<\/em>\u2014that was in the fall of 2000\u2014and I read that in the winter and it just rocked my worldview.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI started to pursue that, reading other books, getting plugged in with a men\u2019s Bible study, and then in 2001 took an alpha class, committed my life to Jesus Christ, and got completely lit on fire for the Lord.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Jim Wallace, as you know, talks about the difference between believing <em>that<\/em> and believing <em>in<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe says you can believe<em> that<\/em> Jesus is God, <em>that<\/em> Jesus came back to life, but there\u2019s a point where you have to believe <em>in<\/em>. Was that a hard line for you to cross?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>It was. We actually talk about this in our ministry, that apologetics can be an amazingly important tool and partnership with the gospel, but ultimately that head knowledge, you know, even if you have this mountain of evidence\u2014which I did\u2014but now in these Bible studies I\u2019m reading about Romans 8, you haven\u2019t received a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, \u201cbut you have received the spirit of adoption by which we cry, \u2018Abba! Father!\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was thinking, \u201cIf I don\u2019t get that relational experience, I\u2019ll walk away.\u201d So man, after I said that the pastor, Bob Rice\u2014who\u2019s now a missionary in Africa\u2014he sent out a prayer chain email and had all these, \u201cPray for Stephen Williams! He\u2019s on the cusp.\u201d It was just three or four short weeks after that\u2014April 16th, 2001\u2014just radical conversion experience.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Romans 8 also has a passage in it where it says, \u201cNothing can separate us from the love of God.\u201d That love ultimately chased you down, and now, some 16 years later, you\u2019re not only a follower but you\u2019re challenging parents to truly train their children to know how to embrace their faith in a very effective way in the public school system.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>That\u2019s exactly right. We\u2019ve seen the darkness that\u2019s in the public school system and the fear\u2014whether it\u2019s fear or just people who are not motivated. So we\u2019re praying that this book will really be a breath of fresh air\u2014an encouragement for believers on the public school campuses\u2014that there\u2019s a whole lot they can do to be salt and light.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I just want to step in here\u2014and you tell me if I\u2019m right\u2014because you\u2019ve been in schools as a teacher. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think in most public schools there are a handful of teachers who love the Lord and are there with a worldview that reflects their faith, and they\u2019re there on mission.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Then there are maybe another handful of teachers who have the opposite worldview, and they are as passionate and as fervent for their worldview as the Christians are\u2014and they\u2019re going to shut down and silence anything that would get in the way of a more secular worldview. Then there are a whole bunch of teachers who are in the middle between that. They love kids and they want to teach kids and maybe they think this about a worldview or that about a worldview, but they\u2019re not really the enemy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe reason I say that is because I think a lot of parents look at any school teacher who is not on fire for Jesus as \u201cthe enemy\u201d or as somebody who is philosophically opposed. Most of the teachers I know are just kind of going along with the flow and love kids and want to help teach them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes. Bob, I think that\u2019s a very good observation, and in reality that\u2019s true. I don\u2019t think the vast majority of teachers are out there with sort of enemy mindset, so yes, I think\u2014right in the introduction of the book, we\u2019re not saying that as Christians you need to be in the public school system, but we\u2019re also\u2014very importantly\u2014not saying you have to get them out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat we\u2019re saying is you need to be aware of where an anti-Christian worldview can\u2014at times, not all the time\u2014come up. So to be aware of that\u2014and ultimately, we\u2019re representing Christ there. Those teachers, the vast majority who are not believers, who are not there with this agenda to try to brainwash your children\u2014we\u2019re a witness for them, and for the hostile ones as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You have four daughters?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes; four daughters.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And their ages?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Hold it\u2014hold it, hold it. You jumped to the word daughters. We didn\u2019t find out if you got the babe at church. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So now you\u2019re converted, you\u2019re back in the group that you were in\u2014and now more people are ready to go out on a date with you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>They were; yes. 2001, and I had some stuff that I needed to deal with first. I idolized marriage, and so I was Christian now, but I had the kind of wife radar thing every time you go to a group, \u201cWell, she\u2019s hot, maybe that\u2019s who I\u2019m supposed\u2014\u201d Anyway, the Lord needed me to lay that on the altar and be content serving Him as a single person. Then He blessed me with an absolutely amazing woman, Sarah. We just started to get to know each other doing ministry together, and for eight months we were just brothers and sisters in Christ\u2014serving the Lord together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen I felt the Lord, \u201cNot just brothers and sisters in Christ anymore,\u201d and we got married in 2003.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Let me go back to your four daughters, and the question I have. They\u2019re school aged, some of them?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes; 12, 11, eight, and four.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So three of the four are in school.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Public school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes, they\u2019re in an alternative public school charter model, but it\u2019s kind of nice; it\u2019s alternative, so it allows a lot of the time in the home with education. There are some great charter school options out there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>But this is not a specifically Christian or values-based charter school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>No, it\u2019s public, so you can\u2019t spend money on Christian curriculum.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Now, you made that choice consciously\u2014deliberately\u2014as parents?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes, and we just supplement the curriculum with our own good Christian stuff.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, what you\u2019re doing as parents is saying we have to be actively involved in every part of our child\u2019s education. If we\u2019re going to have them in a public school environment we can\u2019t just hand them over and say, \u201cSend us back a well-educated child.\u201d You have to walk the path with them; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Absolutely, and in the book we start right off early on in chapter three and say, \u201cWho is your family\u2019s anchor?\u201d So this starts in the home. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe go back to Deuteronomy, where Moses says\u2014I\u2019ll paraphrase it\u2014talk about the Lord, you bring Christian principles and doctrine and theology when you\u2019re sitting down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner\u2014when you\u2019re traveling in the car, in the minivan\u2014be discussing this at all times. We really\u2014Sarah and I want to be intentional\u2014we want to encourage everyone in this book\u2014that\u2019s where it starts. It starts in the home to be intentional, informing this comprehensive, biblical worldview as a family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Your home needs to be an embassy. An embassy is a place where ambassadors live, and we\u2019re training the next generation of ambassadors for Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 20\u2014Paul talks about how we are ambassadors for Christ\u2014imploring people to be reconciled to God. You do that in a winsome way. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t train your kids to pull out a big, heavy, black Bible and open it up and point their fingers at their classmates\u2014you teach them how to be salt and light in the midst of really a place that needs lots of salt and lots of light.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>That\u2019s exactly right; yes. Preach it, brother. I agree.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Have you hit any obstacles\u2014any roadblocks\u2014as you\u2019ve had your kids in public school, where you\u2019ve rethought your decision\u2014or any challenges you\u2019ve come up against as parents that have made you go, \u201cWe have to figure out how to deal with that one.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes. I mean, we kind of walk people through in the book, but I think everybody needs to be aware, \u201cWhat could come up that is going to be opposed to the Christian worldview?\u201d that maybe you need to take action on. Dennis, you were talking about taking action when you were in the public school system, and I think that\u2019s one of the things\u2014parents need to be proactive\u2014they need to be involved. One of the key points that we really try to stress is parents need to be involved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What are the kinds of things that you\u2019ve had to engage with, or where you\u2019ve talked to parents and they\u2019ve had to engage?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Let me just tell that story really quickly of what he\u2019s referring to. When our son was student body president he was invited to a sex education class and peer awareness, where they were training their peers to know how to deal with HIV AIDS and all the inclusion that surrounds that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe bottom line is there was an outside agency that had come in the school system that was basically abusing our children\u2014our adolescent children\u2014around sex education, and needed us as parents to get in there in a winsome way and talk about it and reason with them about, \u201cWhat are you doing here? What\u2019s the goal? Why is this happening?\u201d We were able to ultimately get this shut down nationwide, and it was happening in public schools across America.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Praise God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think a follower of Jesus Christ needs to realize, you can have an impact, not only on a life in your school, but you can have an impact in more than one school just by virtue of getting involved and having your eyes open, your ears listening, and your heart beating for the things that trouble God\u2019s heart, and protect our children.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You did that, I think we need to point out, by being wise, being compassionate, being kind. You didn\u2019t come in with swords and pitchforks and say, \u201cWe\u2019re shutting this deal down,\u201d you said, \u201cCan we reason together?\u201d and you got a responsive audience to that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We did. In fact, I appealed to the leader of this organization and I said, \u201cWould you send your chief of staff down here to talk to us parents about what\u2019s taking place?\u201d The message was clear: \u201cLet\u2019s take a step back here and evaluate, \u2018Is there another way to accomplish the objective?\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>I love that, to speak the truth in love. Like you said, we\u2019re ambassadors. We need to have a winsome way, but we don\u2019t just roll over and be a doormat. One of the things we want to bring up, as a teacher I discuss, where are curriculum areas that can potentially be hostile to a Christian worldview?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLook, there are great abstinence-only programs throughout the public school system. They\u2019re not hostile to us, but there are lot of them\u2014funded by Planned Parenthood or others\u2014that are hostile to a Christian worldview. So whether it\u2019s history or science or literature or anti-bullying curriculums\u2014a lot of these are fine, but sometimes you get an anti-Christian worldview woven into them, and that\u2019s when we need to be proactive and step in.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, give me a list of maybe the top five areas that\u2014if parents are going to have their kids in public school\u2014they just ought to be alert to.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Yes. We actually list them\u2014chapters seven, eight, nine, basically\u2014it\u2019s history, you can have a revisionist history that kind of removes God from the curriculum and it\u2019s kind of a secularized history. There\u2019s science, where basically every time we do a talk there\u2019s somebody who raises their hand and says, \u201cI was told I was stupid for believing in creationism.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tScience is a big one. But yes, literature\u2014what types of literature are chosen? There are many of them that have agendas that are anti-Christian ones. Sex ed, anti-bullying, safe schools; what holidays do you celebrate or not celebrate? Common Core\u2014there\u2019s a whole list of areas that we kind of walk Christians through in the book and how you\u2014these are just potentials\u2014they\u2019re not an exhaustive list. An anti-Christian worldview can come up in any place\u2014morality. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me give you an example. I was a teacher, and one time we\u2019re meeting as a fifth grade staff, and it came up with the idea of morality, that we as teachers\u2014I said, \u201cWell, of course we teach morality.\u201d All of them unanimously said, \u201cWell, no we can\u2019t. That violates the separation of church and state.\u201d I just thought back, \u201cHow am I going to be salt and light here?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo they\u2019re starting to agree, \u201cOh yes. That violates\u2014you can\u2019t do that, you can\u2019t\u2014\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo I just posed the question\u2014I said, \u201cSo we can\u2019t teach that it\u2019s not okay to lie, and you\u2019re saying we can\u2019t teach that it\u2019s not okay\u2014\u201d And I just started to go down this list of standard moral\u2014kind of go down the Ten Commandments.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Cheating. I mean, cheating\u2019s pretty basic in a classroom; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Stephen: <\/strong>Right. I ended with, \u201cSo we can\u2019t teach that we should treat others the way you want to be treated?\u201d You just saw the penny drop and all of them said, \u201cOh, well; no, that\u2019s fine.\u201d So moral relativism\u2014that can be a big one in our school system. So just how to deal with those issues, I think, is important.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think what you\u2019re all about in your book is empowering parents to get engaged and involved in the public school system, and I just want to encourage them, it is intimidating. I\u2019ll never forget the first time we walked into the junior high where our kids were going. There was something about it\u2014it was foreign land to me. It was not familiar turf. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut after a while\u2014with six kids and you\u2019ve been in there a number of times\u2014the administration gets to know you, the teachers get to know you\u2014they realize they\u2019re for the educational system that\u2019s taking place there, and it\u2019s not that you agree with everything that\u2019s being taught. In fact, we would raise issues and sit down with teachers in a very kind, compassionate way and say, \u201cIs there another way we can accomplish this objective without having to read this kind of literature?\u201d We found the teachers to be quite agreeable. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think parents today need to realize they don\u2019t need to take the hostile view that everybody\u2019s out to get you. Certainly there are those who are there who are out to get you, but the vast majority are just there to educate your children, and all of them need to be treated with the utmost respect.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>As a parent you can\u2019t simply think, \u201cWell, my kids are in school now, I don\u2019t need to be thinking about that\u2014I don\u2019t need to be worried about that. I\u2019m sure the public schools are going to reinforce the same values we have here at home.\u201d You may be thinking to yourself, \u201cI went to public schools and I turned out okay.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s a different day.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It is different.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>It\u2019s a different world, and you\u2019re going to have to be more involved in your child\u2019s life and in their education and in what\u2019s going on at the school than maybe you imagined. To have a resource like the book that Stephen has written, <em>Navigating Public Schools<\/em>, is just to have an ally\u2014a tool\u2014available to you so that you can be wise as you get ready to send your kids back to school this fall.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe have copies of <em>Navigating Public Schools<\/em> in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can order it from us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. Again, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. You can also order the book by calling 1-800-FL-TODAY. 1-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think all of us are aware as we have this kind of a conversation that there are places in our culture today where holding fast to what the Scriptures teach about marriage and about family is going to put you at odds with what the culture is saying is true. As Christians, we have to figure out, \u201cHow do we lovingly, kindly, winsomely speak the truth in love? When do we bite our tongue? When do we speak up? And when we speak up, how do we do that?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur goal here at <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is to provide you with practical help\u2014with some reinforcement\u2014to help you think rightly about marriage and family according to how it\u2019s defined in Scripture\u2014and then to help you know how to speak about that with family members or friends, relatives, school teachers. We want to effectively develop godly marriages and families. We\u2019d love to see every home become a godly home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThose of you who support this ministry financially\u2014you make it possible for us to extend the reach of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. You make it possible for everything we do to reach more people\u2014more husbands and wives, more moms and dads\u2014in a very real way. When you donate today you\u2019ll be providing practical, biblical help and hope to hundreds of couples, parents, grandparents, everybody who\u2019s a part of a family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019re a longtime listener to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> and you\u2019ve never donated, you can go online at FamilyLifeToday.com and join the team. Donate online or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. In fact, during the month of August there are matching funds that have been made available for those of you who make a donation. There\u2019s more information about that on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, so if you\u2019re able to help with a donation today your donation will go even farther.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019d like to mail your donation to us, our address is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at P.O. Box 7111, Little Rock, AR. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow we want to talk about what you do if your child\u2019s teacher is talking about the Bible, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s fine for faith or for church or for Sunday school, but it really doesn\u2019t belong here in the public schools and it\u2019s not the same as your science textbook,\u201d things like that. How do you deal with that? We\u2019ll talk more about that tomorrow. Hope you can tune in for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. A Cru\u00ae ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t______________________________________________________________________________\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\"><u>donating today<\/u><\/a> to help defray the costs? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2017 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/304624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304624"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304624"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304624"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}