July 13, 2004
Thousands of Christian teachers from across the U.S. will gather in Florida later this week to confront issues such as homosexual "marriage," abortion, and religious freedom in the classroom.
On Thursday, the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) (www.ceai.org) will convene its 35th national convention in Palm Beach Gardens.
CEAI executive director Finn Laursen says this year's theme is "One Nation Under God -- With No Child Left Behind." He explains the connection to President Bush's signature education initiative.
"[T]hrough the No Child Left Behind Act, [we certainly] have a federal accountability -- but as Christian educators, we have an accountability that's even higher than that," Laursen says.
Christian teachers in the public sector, he says, need to show the love of God to every child in their classrooms -- even those children who society may consider "unlovable."
"Each one of those children that we serve in the school is so valuable to our heavenly Father that He actually sacrificed His only Son for that child," Laursen says.
The CEAI head says his group is trying to counter society's anti-religious push in education by encouraging Christian teachers to let their lives be an example in their public schools.
"Many of us in the field of public education have been deceived [into] believing that our faith is for Sundays and in the privacy of our homes," he says, "but the truth of the matter is that the Christian faith isn't for the church or for the home."
While acknowledging that faith should indeed be evident in the church and the home, Laursen says it should not stop there. "It should extend beyond the church walls -- and part of that area beyond the church walls is our public school classrooms," he says.
The National Christian Educator of the Year will be announced at the CEAI convention, which runs through Sunday. Speakers at the convention include Christian personality Janet Folger and Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver, who will deliver a presentation titled "One Classroom Under God."
© 2004 Agape Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
