A week ago, the German police raided a home in Southeast Germany with a SWAT-like team and stole away the family’s four children. The parents' crime was believing the Bible. Deuteronomy 6 instructs each of us that we should teach our children when they sit in our house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down, and when they rise up. We call this "homeschooling" or "home-based education". It is God’s biblical design for education, and after being rediscovered, it has been a remarkable success here in the United States. But why should Americans care about what is going on in Germany? After all, it is a different culture. Aren't they just trying to control the Muslims with mandatory schooling? Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, though in some states, like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, the laws are less than ideal. But isn't America the land of the free and Germany the land that long ago traded liberties for socialized healthcare and 30 days of mandatory vacation?
Obviously, we should care because it is simply inhumane to have police break into a family’s house and take well-cared for children away from their parents. Germany is a major economic power and world leader that should, frankly, know and be better then this. Their own history should make them abhor this type of action.
The second reason is the Romeike family. The Romeikes arrived in the United States from Germany, fearing that this exact same thing would happen to them. In 2010, an immigration judge granted them political asylum. However, Eric Holder and the Obama administration specifically took up the cause against the Romeike family by appealing the judge's decision. They convinced the courts that coming to America to escape persecution and to follow Deuteronomy 6 in educating children was not worthy of refuge. The justice department apparently must have been educated in the public school system; a system which missed a major part about the founding of modern America. I refer to the historical event in which some people called "Pilgrims" landed from England to escape religious persecution in 1620.
All homeschoolers and all who believe in parental liberties should be concerned about this event. Even if you aren't a Christian and don’t believe in Deuteronomy 6, what if the political tide were to turn some day? Do American Muslims or atheists want police breaking into their home to take their kids off to Bible school? Not worried? Hasn't homeschooling gotten to be too big of a force to stop in the United States? In one fell swoop that may be true, but who would thought that the U.S. government would force large companies in America to give birth control pills to their employees? Every parent needs to be vigilant. There are many in America who no longer believe that America is about liberty, but is instead about mob rule. This is a philosophy which states that "as long as we can get the majority opinion, we can do whatever we want", including controlling your children. Why else would the justice department have made such a great effort in the Romeike case to deny that controlling the education of your own children is a human right that all should enjoy? What can we do about this? 1) We need to pray. We will not be able to win this battle on our own cunning, strength, and ability. 2) Support HSLDA as they fight for the Romeikes and the Wunderlichs. 3) Support parental rights wherever you can, including supporting the parental rights amendment. 4) Don’t participate in government school programs which pose as homeschooling programs here in the US. These programs will be the easiest avenue for those opposed to homeschooling to get control of homeschooled children and put an end to parental control of education. We know the money is very nice, but don’t sell out hard-fought rights for a laptop. 5) Support politicians who believe in individual rights, justice, and freedom more then short term economic development, special interests, and “crony” capitalism. 6) Become a member of a Bible-believing church that supports parental discipleship, training of children, and persecuted Christians around the world.
If you want to have the gratitude required, vision and attitude needed, plus the ability to really succeed in homeschooling over the next 16 years these are four books you need to read. They probably aren't ones that you have seen listed together before. Gratitude:Home School Heroes -This book by Christopher Klicka gives the history of how homeschooling became legal in the United States by giving the stories of the individuals and the battles they fought to make it possible. As more and more homeschoolers look to the government for support of their efforts, it is helpful to remember that homeschooling was made possible by those trying to avoid a monopolistic government education system that wanted to arrest them for doing so. This education system that has only gotten worse sense the first homeschoolers started. Vision:The Second Mayflower - This book by pastor, radio host, and avid homeschool promoter Kevin Swanson does the best job I have seen of the possible nationwide impact home discipleship could have on a nation that is in rebellion against the Word of God. When times are rough, it is always good to know that your efforts are part of a bigger picture and home discipleship can have great impact on not only your family but society. Attitude: One Thousand Gifts -This smash hit nationwide best selling book by Homeschool Mom Ann Voskamp is the most famous of the four books. It uses the background of tragedy and hardship to turn our hearts to see the joy that is right in front of us all. You will need this ability to succeed at homeschooling. Everyone needs this, that is why it has sold so well. Ability: A Praying Life -This book by Paul E Miller is the only one not written by a homeschooler but is one the best books I know of on the helping us connect to God in a distracted world with daily prayer. It most importantly helps us understand the hindrance's to prayer. The author shares his own successes, tragedies, and challenges with a real and honest heart. If you think you will succeed by your own skills, abilities, without the power of God...think again.
Recently, we just had our seventh baby. This time we did something a bit strange. We waited two days to officially announce the name. We had a good idea of what the name would be, but we wanted to make sure it was going to fit. But since we couldn’t use this name during the "waiting" time in case we had a change of heart, we had to use names that came up at the moment. We typically chose names that reflected the characteristics of our baby itself. It struck me that this was a lot like how one might name a puppy. A child notices that your new puppy has a spot on its back and for the rest of its life its name is spot. I started to think what would the most popular baby names be if we named children like we name a new puppy. We came up with names like Peanut, Red Squash, Cutie, Noisy, Red Tomato, and our favorite Mr. Scrunchy. But then I began to question myself, do people really name their dogs like this any more? I checked. And guess what? They don’t. Sure enough, just as plentiful as there are baby name sites. Their are top puppy name sites too. The top name right now is Max. This is the name of the boy who lives next door to us. And sure enough all the rest of the top puppy names are names that could pretty much pass as people. Names like Jake, Charlie, and Buddy are are all on the list. A while back while I was in church, and the pastor made a comment that struck me as bizarre. Maybe it was not that bizarre considering we are living in a city with more dogs then children. He mentioned something about children and then he added on after that, "I guess now some of you have dogs instead these days." I was a bit dumbfounded. Not that I don’t like dogs, I like dogs. I don't own one because I would don't have time to properly take care of a dog as it should be taken care of. However, I wanted to shout or at least whimper, as I was sitting in the back row of the sanctuary with a squirmy child on my lap, hold it a second. Where does it say in the Bible that blessed are those who have a quiver full of pet dogs? When we were visiting the small resort town of Leavenworth in Washington a couple summers back, and I ran across a sign in a gift shop that seemed to sum up an attitude that is creeping into our culture. Do you mean to tell me that my Grandchild is a Dog?What a world we would live in if instead of pandering to the crowd, and making an observational comment about dogs now being the new kids, the pastor instead had implored, begged, and encouraged the congregation to have children! And if you can’t have children adopt. If you can’t adopt, support those who have children, support the crises pregnancy center, support efforts to make adoption easier. Then please bring your well cared for and happy dog and let it play with the children, but don’t treat it and pretend it is a child. As the sign of the pleading grandmother points out, everyone know that dogs really can’t replace children. Has our society slipped so far that we don't get this anymore? Yes, yes I know having children does not make you a superior Christian. There are no superior Christians. What is important is being a faithful Christian “like a child” following His "commands". Each of us serving God in the place we are called, in the situation we are in, serving him as the Bible instructed as we go forward no matter what mess we have gotten ourselves into in the past. That is what is important. And for a lot of us still capable. That means having children…possibly even lots of em. See Genesis if you doubt me or check out one of my favorite Psalms. Psalms 127 "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he gives his beloved sleep. Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Here's hoping you have so many children you run out of good names!
