The battle for the minds of our nation’s children rages in public schools today. School teachers and their districts regularly institute policies and practices that are designed to shape the values, ideals, and moral judgments of our young people. Of course, this is what they have always done since the beginning of public education. The difference today is that the moral consensus of the public is no longer generally in favor of the same values and principles. This has created a battle for what gets advocated in the classroom and what is considered bigoted and narrow-minded.

To counter this and offer a truce in this battle, the Central Bucks School District of Doylestown, PA recently instituted a neutrality policy that bans teachers from displaying décor or advocating for “any partisan, political, or social policy issue”. In other words, they are asking their teachers to educate and not indoctrinate the students. As should have been expected, the new policy ignited a host of protestors from the LGBTQ movement who have countered that neutrality in the classroom amounts to “hate speech”. Nationally broadcast journalism outlets such as NPR have given these protestors a voice and confirmed their message in their coverage. The only acceptable solution from them is that both schools and society at large should be required to actively embrace and advocate for their cause. They demand indoctrination.

For Christians, this should make us upset. We should be demanding the indoctrination of the values and principles found in the Bible, right? Maybe the answer is not as simple as it seems. Indoctrination is by definition “the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.” Does God want us to accept the truth of the Bible uncritically? I don’t think so. It is the cults who hope to lead an uncritical mind into doctrinal error. It is the communists who wish to brainwash the masses through education and gain devoted followers in their authoritarian regimes. It is the social engineers of our society who are striving to affect the values and perspectives of the next generation by teaching them to agree with their social constructs uncritically. This is not God’s way.

From the very beginning, God is interested in educating us in His ways and having mankind choose to follow Him. We are given enough information in the Bible to understand who God is, what He has done for us, what His nature consists of, and our accountability to Him. He then asks us to choose His way over all others. There are countless examples of people being asked to think critically about God’s promises and then make a decision of whether or not to follow Him. Joshua made this choice clear to the people of Israel: “If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15). All through the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), there was the instruction to TEACH the people God’s statutes, commandments, judgments, wisdom, truth and nature. They were not indoctrinated. If that were the case, they would not have wandered in the desert for forty years, been affected by the pagan religions of their neighbors, or continued time and time again into a cycle of sin and repentance. They were always being taught in God’s Word and then given a choice to make. They would need to choose whether to accept the education they were being provided about the Lord or whether to reject it.

While indoctrination in God’s Word may seem like a good policy for us to adopt, we must recognize it is not God’s way. Indoctrination is designed to control our minds. God wants us to submit our minds and hearts to Him willingly. He does not take it by force. So, when we see indoctrination occurring, we must recognize it as from the enemy – Satan himself. It is one of his greatest tactics. We must be aware of the presence of indoctrinating influences in the education system, in our media, and in all areas of society. Then, think critically and compare the ever-changing opinions of our society to the eternal truth of God’s Word. You will find that a solid education in the Bible will always refute the subversive attempts at indoctrination by the world.