Reaching Our Students

Judges 2:10-12 says: “And also that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the Children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: and forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.”

We are living in a day with a generation that is rising through the ranks and standing on the threshold of adulthood that has not even had an influence of God in their lives. There are young people who have gone their entire lives without even hearing of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The responsibility begins in the home; however, in this country, even our public school system understood the need to educate our young people about the Word of God—the Holy Bible.
In 1962 and 1963—a decade of chaos and rebellion—the United States Supreme Court made two decisions that would drastically alter the environment of the public school system. The first was that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment because it represented establishment of religion. Second, they would go on to rule that Bible readings in school were along the same lines. According to a 2014 article on CNS news.com, Dr. William Jeynes, a professor at California State College in Long Beach and a reputable expert on education, said that since 1963 certain developments have taken place in our public schools:

• Academic achievement has plummeted, including SAT scores.
• Increased rate of out-of-wedlock births.
• Increase in illegal drug use.
• Increase in juvenile crime.
• Deterioration of school behavior.

The same article noted that the top five complaints of teachers from 1940-1962 included “talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls and getting out of turn in line—to rape, robbery, assault, burglary and arson from 1963 to present.”1

Just last week, both my hometown high school and middle school were evacuated on separate days due to bomb threats from students. There needs to be reform in our public schools. We are raising a generation of young people who have no fear of God, and without any fear of God morality is lost.
There are religious freedom rights in public schools that may defer from state to state. All pastors, youth pastors, teachers, students, and especially parents should research these laws in their states and educate their young people to know what rights they do have to share the gospel in their schools. There should not be a youth pastor in the United States whose heart is not directed toward winning the young people in their local high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. The harvest is now, there are young people in every city that God wants to save. Let us prepare ourselves with the right knowledge, much prayer, and believe God for the youth of this nation.

1. https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/penny-starr/education-expert-removing-bible-prayer-public-schools-has-caused-decline

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Parisragan1

Paris, accompanied by his wife Marybeth, coordinates and oversees <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/unite">Crossfire Unite</a> fellowship groups. He is a regular teacher on SBN’s “<a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/gotc">Generation of the Cross</a>” with Gabriel Swaggart. Paris is a workshop instructor and assists with Church Needs for the <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/iyc">International Youth Conference</a>, and he has been an evening professor at <a href="https://jsbc.edu" target="_blank">Jimmy Swaggart Bible College</a> since the spring of 2017. He oversees all Crossfire Unite Student Outreaches. Paris also contributes writings to the <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/blog?author=paris%20ragan">Crossfire Blog</a>.

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