The following is a Statement of the Education of our children from the 80's.  While we may say this a little differently in the 21st Century, the heart is still the same:

We believe that the most important job on earth for the church is to train its children to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, we are guaranteed that the children will never depart from proper godly training if they are trained up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). In other words, if a child is not properly trained, then the rest of his life will be misguided and miserable, lacking vitality, wholeness and truth. Therefore God has always instructed His people to bend every effort to train their children "so that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live. Impress these commands upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 6:2,7).

We, as the followers of Jesus Christ, are held responsible to obey the whole Word of God, and it is in this obedience that we must take on the education of our own children (Pr 13:24). We cannot merely teach our children from 7 to 16 years of age, but we must diligently instruct and discipline our children from the cradle to the grave. Our Lord has provided the perfect environment for our children to be trained. That environment is the community where the order of God prevails under the good government of God. In this environment our children are being trained according to God's purpose on earth with concentric vision of how to accomplish this purpose. They, as vital parts of the community, are being prepared to attain to the highest goal possible in this life   to enter the kingdom of heaven.

We refuse to send our children to undisciplined school rooms where rebellion against parents, teachers, human dignity, and freedom of religion (which the Constitution protects) prevails. Sexual permissiveness, drug abuse, and anti-Christian philosophy are rampant. We are commanded by our Lord and God not to conform to the pattern of thinking and the lifestyle of this world, but to be separate from it (Rom 12:1-2). OUR CHILDREN ARE ABSENT WITH CAUSE: The present secular school systems can only deal with mental and physical training, with no means to train our children spiritually and socially. The greed of the human heart goes unchecked in this school system because administrators and teachers alike cannot deal squarely with problems of greed and lawlessness, and are unable to lead the students to the answer   Jesus Christ and His kingdom on earth.

The faults and failures of the school system are obvious to all, especially the students. They cry out insatiably for better schools with an environment of order in which to learn rather than chaos and confusion. Students express their frustration in millions of dollars of vandalism and violence each year. Teachers strike for more money   victims of the greed inherent in the system they promote. Do our children need an atmosphere of ever-present threats of strikes by their teachers who need such organizations as unions to assure justice? Do they need the unstable influence of teachers who teach out of selfishness and greed instead of compassion?

We want to ensure our children have an education suitable to prepare them to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37-40). Obedience to this command fulfills and expresses everything God has said in His Law and through His prophets. We will not subject them to the interruptions of strikes and violence and the examples of selfishness, hate, and greed that they would have been conformed to. Our children must be in an environment where they can have examples to whom they can be conformed. "A student is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Lk 6:40). Therefore, our children who were once enrolled in public school will be enrolled no longer, and as stated earlier, they are absent with cause. We will not subject them to further beatings, harassment, and insults, which officials cannot control. Our unenrolled children will never be enrolled.

In spite of many well-meaning individuals involved in the educational complex, the system itself is evil and ungodly. The proof of its corrupt nature is not so much in its failures and shortcomings, which almost everyone readily admits, but rather its essence is revealed in its fruit and the spirit it instills in our precious children. The teachers pass on the spirit of this world from which we are commanded to be separate (Deuteronomy 7:1-11; 1 Cor 2:11-12).

Teachers cannot be qualified by colleges and universities, but only by God and only in His Church where His graces are added to the innate abilities put into them by Him. Teachers are in the Church, not in the world (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11). Should we remind you of all the violence, strikes, threats, etc., by the "licensed teachers" that were "qualified" in college by a so-called "degree"? This behavior is no surprise to the cognitive ones in our society. These so-called "teachers" and "educators" received their spirit from educational institutions which consider success to be power, money, position, and authority. Their philosophy of education is one which says that the purpose of education is to make one a success in order that he may live his life for himself in the "comfort" this world offers, thus having no greater preoccupation other than self-interest. They are taught how to perpetuate their existence at all costs even if that means stepping on others who might get in the way.

We believe a teacher must teach from a spiritual gift given by God and not with merely natural abilities. Those who teach our children must pass on to them a spirit   the one Spirit of Truth. The education of our children requires that our teachers be motivated by compassion (not greed), and therefore can earn no salary; students must attend and teachers must instruct on a twenty-four hour schedule, seven days a week. From these requirements it is clear that the "school" our children must attend is part of a total life, the life of the person of Jesus Christ in His Body, the Church, and not merely a building or academic institution. This Body is the only living organism established by God to carry out His will on earth. No other structure on earth could qualify to educate God's people, for it is obvious that no contemporary educational institution is equipped to accomplish the purpose of God on earth.

Our last instruction given on earth by our Lord, Jesus Christ, in whom is all authority in heaven and on earth, was to disciple all people, teaching them to observe all the things He taught His disciples in the three and a half years He spent with them on earth, principles which detail the life of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:3). This training was to take place in the Church, not in an institution based on greed. This greed is evidenced by the policy of allocating money to each school on the basis of the daily attendance of each child. If the child does not attend, then money is cut off. Thus the motivation is money and greed, not love and concern for the well-being of the student. We are to train our children to love the Lord our God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37). To send them to public schools would be a far cry from doing this. If one fails to see this, it is only because he chooses to ignore the evidence.

There is no way to change this system, this process, except at the root by a change of basic principles, and even further, its origin and foundation must undergo a radical change. The evidence that demands a verdict is mounting in every country on earth. If we examine the fruit, it would seem that the USA is a leading contender for perverted thought and reason. This system has failed; why not admit it? The fruit is overwhelming and is all around us like salt that has lost its savor.

We are of another kingdom and we are convicted of what we say. The blood of all martyrs down through the centuries proves this conviction. They were all murdered by this same system from which we are withdrawing, the system that lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19), the same one that crucified the very Christ of heaven who came to save earth from all the evil we see around us (1 John 3:8). The majority would not listen then, nor will they listen now, for they will attempt to crucify Him again in His Body on earth.

Who are the modern day "savages" who teach us to discount the Bible as impotent by ignoring its principles, its eschatology, and the way of life it teaches? How could we ever submit to an educational system that presents history from a slant, the slant of creation apart from God? Why are key men in history such as Adam, Noah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the apostle Paul missing from the history books in the secular school system? How can we ignore Ezekiel the prophet, who said, "Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children, and offered them up to idols" (Ezeziel 16:20-21)?

We are in the days spoken of by Paul, "But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For people will be lovers of self and utterly self-centered, lovers of money, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, blasphemous, scoffers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. They will be without natural affection, relentless, false accusers, troublemakers; intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. They will be treacherous betrayers, rash and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements rather than lovers of God. For although they hold to an outward form of godliness, they deny and are strangers to the power therein. Avoid all such people; turn away from them — they are forever inquiring and getting 'knowledge', but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the Truth" (2 Timothy 3:1-5,7). We are commanded by our God to obey these principles, not being influenced in any way by the evil prince of this world. We must stand in the teaching of the Bible, the standard and the rule of our faith, God's written record of His word to man interpreted only by those who are His people under His government — a Holy nation, a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:5-9).

It is impossible to co-exist with the school system of this or any other state. The kingdom of God cannot collaborate with the kingdom of this world. Any joint undertaking or common course of action is against what God has revealed to us. By giving the school system charge of a portion of rearing our children, we would prove unfaithful to the one who saves us from this world and its imminent destruction (2 Cor 6:14-18). There is no benefit in collaborating with the system of this world. What does the rational have in common with the irrational? What does good have to do with evil? What could be accomplished except a share in the system's failures and disgrace?

The educational system, a system dedicated to training the minds of our youth in all "goodness" and moral character, and integrity, and stature, has turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, due to its internal corruption. It has become so grotesquely evil that it is an affront to reason, morality, and civilization. Jesus of Nazareth said that if the blind lead the blind they both will fall into the ditch. There is only one source that could produce blindness on so large a scale, the institution whose job it is to provide men with sight — human philosophy and thought. This is the crumbling foundation of modern education. It offers no direction, no answers to man's problems. Men have been graduating from the institutions of human learning, thought, and philosophy for many decades past with the helplessness of a blind man having no inkling of the nature, function, or practical application of the principle that is life itself and leads to life forever.

The world of science and education based upon worldly wisdom has been groping blindly for some direction through the bewildering mass of problems to which it has no solutions. Its proponents see no hope now, nor on the horizon! They have been groping, struggling, giving up and perishing, unable to know in what manner they have acted as their own destroyers. Each of these men is like a traveler going on a long journey to a place he's never been before, but instead of consulting a map and selecting the way to get to his destination, he instead starts out driving at random, turning, cutting any corner, taking any road in any direction, following nothing but the mood of the moment. They are like ships without compasses or any guides — left only to their unreliable fallen instincts. History has proven that the only possible outcome of this method of travel is the destiny of destruction. Although most people understand this example in relation to the course of a journey, they fail to recognize this fact in regard to the course of their own lives and to the future of all humanity and civilization.

The apostle Paul described this as follows:

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory" (1 Cor 2:6-8).

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor 1:20-21).

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, 'He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness', and again, 'the Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless'" (1 Cor 3:18-20).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:12-16).

How foolish it would be to educate our children in a system and philosophy that God will bring to nothing! For among God's people there is to be no hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, which is idolatry, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place. All of this abounds in the secular educational institutions, so we must separate ourselves from them, for because of such things God's wrath comes upon those who are disobedient (Eph 5:3-4,6-7).

The problem between the Church of Jesus Christ, the One who died but now lives, and the system of education which is based upon worldly wisdom, philosophy, and thought, is that they are founded on two different, basic, mutually antagonistic principles. This means that the root origin of one is absolutely wrong. Since principles are absolute and unchanging, we stand upon those of the Person who neither changes nor lies but is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (James 1:17; John 14:6). Basic principles determine the ultimate goal of any long-range process or action. The system of education today has forsaken, ignored, and turned up its nose at the only source of giving correct instruction, gaining true happiness, and attaining ultimate utopia.

As it is written, "Already the axe is laid to the roots of the trees; and every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Luke 3:9). The tree of the secular educational system is bad, thoroughly bad. Its fruit is rotten and detestable. We are looking for another kingdom, an everlasting kingdom that will not ever pass away. We must turn to it as our only hope.

"O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" (Luke 13:34).

We are convicted; if we hold mixed premises, our virtues will be destroyed and our consciences polluted (James 3:10-12). What is the moral state of a man who steals once in a while? The bad drives out the good if we hold to mixed goals. Since the fall of man, the goals of this world system and the goals of our Creator are diametrically opposed to one another. The goals of the world's educational system are short-ranged and apply only to this life. The goals of the gospel of Jesus Christ extend throughout eternity. What is the moral status of a nation whose Constitution or moral fiber allows its government to violate the citizens' rights once in a while? Can there be any partnership between an honest man and a thief?

If there is any compromise between good and evil, only evil wins. If there is any mixture between food and poison, the poison is spread and only death can win. It would mean moral failure for us if we compromise with the world's educational system by giving our children to it for six to eight hours a day for twelve years. "The thief comes only to steal, to kill, to destroy; I have come that men may have life, and may have it in all its fullness" (John 10:10). The evil prince of this world is using his educational system to steal and destroy the vitality of our children, usurping many thousands of hours of being trained up in the Church in order to have life in all its fullness, both now and in the ages to come. Collaboration with this system of education, which has proved itself inadequate and evil by its fruit, would be to us a compromise of our conscience. And it is upon the basis of our conscience, our obedience to Christ through our deeds in His body, that we must give account to Jesus Christ. "Judge for yourselves whether we should obey God or man!" (Acts 5:29). Upon this conviction we take our stand and submit this appeal.

We not only stand against the injustice of the requirement that we must send our children to secular schools, but also we appeal to all those for whom Christ died to take his or her stand against our common enemy whom Christ has defeated. "Find your strength in the Lord, in His mighty power. Put on all the armor which God provides, so that you may be able to stand firm against the devices of the devil. For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens" (Eph 6:10-12). Do not continue in the futile endeavor to be redeemed from evil by self-effort nor think that you can redeem the world system as the men in the days of old tried to do in constructing the Tower of Babel. All such plans and devices of men, God brings to naught.

"And now, my friends, I know quite well that you acted in ignorance, and so did your rulers — repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. Then the Lord may grant you a time of recovery and send you the Messiah he has already appointed, that is Jesus. He must be received into heaven until the time of universal restoration comes, of which God spoke by His holy prophets. Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among yourselves as he raised me; you shall take heed to everything he says to you, and anyone who refuses to take heed to that prophet must be utterly destroyed from among the people.' And so said all the prophets, from Samuel onwards; with one voice they all predicted this present time" (Acts 3:17-24).

The word of the prophet continues to cry out, "be saved from this abnormal society [wicked and perverse generation]" (Acts 2:40). The kingdom of heaven is in your midst!