Series: Education and Worldview Formation
Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 6:6–7
Not long ago, parents were trusted to sign permission slips for field trips and make sure their kids’ lunchboxes contained something other than candy bars. Today, those same parents are discovering that schools may withhold life-altering information about their children, from gender identity to mental health decisions, in the name of “privacy” or “inclusivity.” The cultural script has flipped: parents are expected to provide transportation and tax dollars, but not moral guidance.
This tension has sparked lawsuits, legislation, and heated debates across the nation. Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law is one example, drawing both applause and outrage. In California, parents sued after learning schools were socially transitioning their children without consent. These are not isolated incidents; they represent a growing belief that the state, not the family, has the ultimate say in raising children.
Yet Scripture could not be clearer. Long before school boards and legislatures, God gave parents the primary responsibility for shaping the faith and worldview of their children. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 commands parents to teach God’s Word diligently “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” This is not a suggestion or a nice idea. It is a mandate. And when the state intrudes on this God-given calling, Christians must know how to respond, with conviction, clarity, and courage.
Few passages in Scripture speak as directly to the responsibility of parents as Deuteronomy 6. Known as part of the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”), it was the daily confession of God’s people:
“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:6–7, LSB).
This command is sweeping in scope. Notice the rhythm: sitting, walking, lying down, rising up. In other words, every moment of ordinary life is meant to become a classroom for discipleship. Faith is not relegated to the temple or Sabbath services. Parents are called to make God’s Word the soundtrack of daily living.
Theologically, this reveals two key truths. First, parents are the primary disciplers of their children. The state has no God-given mandate to raise children. Schools may support, churches may supplement, but only parents are charged with this sacred task. Second, discipleship is holistic. It is not merely the transfer of information but the shaping of affections, habits, and worldview. Children are to be taught to love God with all their heart, soul, and might (Deut. 6:5).
Throughout Scripture, this pattern is consistent. Proverbs exhorts sons to heed the instruction of their fathers and mothers (Prov. 1:8). Paul tells fathers to bring up children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Nowhere does the Bible suggest that civil government holds this role. At best, it serves as a partner in providing skills and knowledge; at worst, it becomes a rival authority seeking to supplant the family.
This is why parental rights are not merely a political talking point. They are a biblical mandate rooted in God’s design for the family. When the state undermines parents, it is not simply violating civic freedom; it is trespassing on divine territory. The issue, therefore, is not only about who chooses the curriculum or approves the field trip. It is about whether we will honor God’s order or cede it to Caesar.
If Deuteronomy 6 lays out God’s blueprint for education, then modern culture has redrawn the plans with bold, red ink. Increasingly, schools and governments act as though parents are merely incidental to the educational process—chauffeurs and financiers, but not moral authorities.
Take the ongoing battles in California, where lawsuits have emerged after schools concealed students’ gender transitions from parents. Administrators argued that “privacy” protected children from their own families, as though mothers and fathers were threats rather than guardians. In Virginia, a similar storm broke when a student was socially transitioned at school without parental knowledge. These cases highlight a disturbing trend: the assumption that the state knows best how to form a child’s identity.
Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, derisively nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by critics, has sparked nationwide debate. Stripped of spin, the law affirms a basic truth: parents have the right to know what their children are being taught and to set boundaries on instruction regarding sexuality and gender. Supporters see it as a return to common sense; opponents view it as oppressive. Yet the very existence of such legislation reveals how far we’ve drifted from the biblical assumption that parents, not bureaucrats, are the primary educators.
This drift has a long history. Benjamin Rush insisted that without religion, education would collapse into chaos, because liberty depends on virtue, and virtue depends on faith. Noah Webster called the Bible “the chief moral cause” of American prosperity. But by the time John Dewey and his progressive model took hold in the early 20th century, education had become less about forming character and more about engineering citizens for a secular society. Once prayer and Bible reading were removed in the 1960s, the spiritual spine was gone. What remained was a vacuum, quickly filled by ideologies that elevate self-expression and relativism.
Modern education now claims to be neutral, but in reality, it actively promotes a worldview. When schools teach that truth is subjective, that gender is fluid, and that family authority can be bypassed, they are catechizing children into an alternative gospel. This is not neutrality; it is indoctrination.
Christians must not mistake these controversies as simply partisan squabbles. They strike at the heart of discipleship. Every time the state tells parents to step aside, it is challenging God’s design. Every time schools withhold information from families, they are not only breaking trust but also usurping God-ordained authority. The classroom has become a contested ground where the biblical mandate of Deuteronomy 6 collides with the secular vision of autonomy.
The stakes could not be higher. If parents abdicate their role, the culture will gladly take it up. If churches fail to equip families, ideologies will step into the void. The battle is not about keeping children “safe from ideas”—it is about ensuring they are formed by the truth of God’s Word rather than the shifting winds of cultural dogma.
So how do parents take back the mantle of discipleship in a world that seems determined to pry it from their hands? The first step is not filing a lawsuit or passing a bill, it is opening the Bible at home. God’s mandate in Deuteronomy 6 is profoundly practical. It doesn’t require seminary training or a master plan. It requires faithfulness. Talking about God’s Word when sitting, walking, lying down, and rising up simply means weaving Scripture into the fabric of daily life.
Parents can start small. Read a Psalm over breakfast. Pray together before bed. Ask a simple worldview question at the dinner table: “What does this show teach us about who we are?” or “How does this idea line up with what God says?” These brief but consistent conversations create a culture where faith is normal, not occasional. Over time, they shape how children instinctively evaluate the world around them.
Churches can come alongside parents by offering training and resources. Family discipleship classes, worldview seminars, and curated reading plans can help parents feel equipped rather than overwhelmed. When churches reinforce that parents are the primary disciplers, they empower families rather than replace them.
Technology, often the enemy in this conversation, can also be an ally. Bible apps, podcasts, and family devotionals can fill car rides and idle moments with truth rather than noise. The key is intentionality—choosing to disciple rather than letting the culture do it by default.
Parental rights are not secured by legislation alone. They are secured in living rooms, at kitchen tables, and in quiet prayers whispered before bedtime. The state cannot take what parents refuse to surrender: the joyful, God-given task of raising children in the knowledge of the Lord.
The mandate of Deuteronomy 6 is not optional. God has given parents, not the state, not the school system, not even the church—the primary responsibility for raising their children in the truth. That means the battle for parental rights is not just a political issue; it is a discipleship issue.
Parents, do not abdicate your role. Take ownership of your children’s spiritual formation with joy and determination. Know what they are being taught in school. Ask questions. Pray with them. Teach them diligently in the daily rhythms of life. You may not feel equipped, but remember: God did not call you to perfection; He called you to faithfulness.
Church leaders, commit to equipping parents, not replacing them. Build ministries that strengthen families rather than substitute for them. Remind your congregation that the front lines of discipleship are not in Sunday school classrooms but in living rooms, around dinner tables, and during quiet conversations at bedtime.
And to all believers; grandparents, mentors, teachers, pastors—the challenge is the same: stand with parents as they reclaim what God entrusted to them. The state may try to usurp this authority, but Scripture is clear. Parental rights are not granted by government. They are given by God. And it is time for us to act like it.
This article continues our September focus on Education and Worldview Formation. Last week, we explored the spiritual battle over the minds of our children. This week, we’ve seen that God has entrusted parents—not schools or the state, with the sacred task of discipleship. Next, we’ll turn to the sufficiency of Scripture and how it equips the next generation to live with clarity and conviction.
Previous: The Battle for the Minds of Our Children (2 Cor. 10:5)
Next: Equipping the Next Generation with a Biblical Worldview (2 Tim. 3:16–17)
View All: Facing the Issues Series
Key Truths to Remember
- Parents are God’s chosen disciplers. From Deuteronomy 6 onward, Scripture affirms that mothers and fathers, not the state, bear the responsibility for training children in truth.
- Parental rights are a biblical mandate, not a political privilege. When schools undermine or bypass parents, they trespass on God’s design for the family.
- Faithful discipleship happens in daily rhythms. Meals, car rides, and bedtime prayers are the natural classroom for teaching God’s Word and grounding children in a biblical worldview.
Live it out. Share the truth. Walk with courage. Parents, reclaim your God-given role with joy and conviction, because discipleship belongs to you, not the state.
