This (inaugural) Newsletter’s purpose is to bring glory to God by means of promoting civil government school system abolition.
By Kevin R. Novak, Deconstructing the Coliseum President
About one year before becoming an attorney I came to understand something profound; so profound in fact that it is repugnant to many Christians. Moreover, the profundity is not in accord with why I originally went to law school – which was to legally defend biblical marriage. The profundity is that our American society has adopted a humanistic ethic as an express result of the civil government school system, which should not exist, as God delegates the education duty to family government(1), to the exclusion of civil government.(2) Consequently I had to ask, WHY SHOULD I BECOME AN ATTORNEY AND THEN SPEND MY CAREER LEGALLY DEFENDING BIBLICAL MARRIAGE WHEN LITERALLY MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT EVERYDAY THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT THE SOURCE OF TRUTH?(3) More strategically, why should I position myself where even if I convince one humanistic judge that biblical marriage is proper, millions of young people exit a system each year that teaches otherwise? If I had entered the machine that defends biblical marriage I would have been swimming upstream in vain.
With the new knowledge that the civil government school system is the vehicle(4) that facilitates America’s burgeoning humanistic ethic, I abandoned defending biblical marriage as a career option. Displacing that option was a new goal: abolishing the civil government school system.
The epiphany that caused me to abandon defending biblical marriage produced uncomfortable consequences. (As a sidebar, what is right can oftentimes be uncomfortable, and so I merely keep in mind that what feels right is not always dispositive of what is right.) Some of those consequences include: rejecting advice from people I trust that I should join that legal machine that ignores the disease (that is, what produces humanistic politicians is the humanistic civil government school system, partially funded with Christian tax dollars) in order to engage the symptoms, via legal disputes and legislation; knowing that my short-term earnings would be less than desired; and having the patience to repetitively explain to Christians the biblical paradigm that we have so long suppressed: that the civil government has no right to use force and coercion to advance humanism or Christianity.(5) The latter is not really a consequence, but rather a blossoming mission field(6): a father and mother…teaching a child true wisdom. That is God’s model.(7)
Another consequence to promoting civil government school system abolition is the possibility that I provoke the listener to negative thoughts. For example, does my audience experience guilt for sending a child to a civil government school? Or, does my audience feel anger towards me when I explain that Christians don’t have the God-given right to use the humanist’s tax dollars to be salt and light in a civil government school? Or, does my audience confuse my abolition message as something of a condemnation about delegation? The Bible provides answers to these questions, and I rest knowing that if God is the starting point for all reasoning, then any believer who takes an honest look at Scripture will conclude from it that there is no God-given right to use force to advance thought. In regards to the latter inquiry, I do not debate whether a parent should send a child to a civil government school; the biblical approach is to explain that if there were no civil government school system in the first place, no parent would be forced to decide whether to delegate the education duty to the civil government. In sum, the issue is not one of delegation, but rather abolition. The latter disposes the former.
The biggest consequence though to promoting civil government school system abolition is resistance from the Christian Establishment’s(8) Iron Triangle(9), which is analogous to Washington, DC’s Iron Triangle, who for the moment have a stranglehold on American politics. The first corner of the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle is comprised of preachers, hesitant to assert that men and women have limits (via Romans 13) when operating as the civil government. They think that when they preach Romans 13 they are getting “political” and are straying from “religion”. But every human has an ultimate authority that informs his politics, so for the Christian Jesus is what informs us about our politics, meaning it is impossible to sever politics from religion. In short, by not preaching that men and women have limits when operating as the civil government, preachers imply there are no limits to the civil government; consequently, civil government unlawfully breaches the family government and church government’s God-given lawful authority (jurisdiction). As a result congregations never consider whether there should even be a civil government school system. In the end preachers passively perpetuate the civil government school system’s humanism – the very thing they claim to be against.
The Triangle’s second corner is comprised of pro-family organizations, who consider civil government schools just another bona fide option when it comes to education. This perpetuates the civil government school system (legally required to demote God the Spirit to God the Secular(10), virtually eliminating the possibility of winning, for how can a Christian ethic be implemented when millions of young people are taught that the Bible is irrelevant to everyday life? More importantly, pro-family organizations lull society into the impression that the issue is one of delegation. To reiterate, it is not about delegation, but abolition. In the end pro-family organizations perpetuate the civil government school system’s humanism – the very thing they claim to be against.
Finally, the Triangle’s third corner is comprised of the Christian legal field, who fail to infuse Jesus into their argumentation, and therefore premise their arguments on humanism, precluding victory. Even as an attorney, the more I learned about Christianity the less I was embarrassed by it; now I know that if Jesus is not my argument’s governing presupposition, I can’t win. A failure to push the humanist’s antithesis suffers the gospel, as do Christians who think like humanists when they adopt the “secular” and not the “sacred” in that supposed distinction. Jesus reigns everywhere and at all times, including the courtroom. But failure to advance Christian arguments creates a vacuum that humanism fills, and so in the end the Christian legal field perpetuates the civil government school system’s humanism – the very thing they claim to be against.
As evidence of the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle, I cite a documentary about the latest federal involvement in education, Common Core. One of America’s frontline Christian legal organization leaders(11) said that Common Core is wrong because it is implemented using “the force of law.” But to rail against Common Core because it is implemented using the force of law – and at the same time not rail against the civil government school system as a whole, even though they use the force of law – is absurd. That is, even if there were no federal civil government involvement in education, there would still be state and local civil government involvement in education – and state and local civil governments are civil governments, which exercise the power of the sword – the force of law. The “force of law” argument is inconsistent because it condemns federal civil government involvement in education but deems acceptable state and local civil government involvement in education. Unfortunately, instead of condemning all civil government involvement in education (the biblical perspective), the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle would rather put forth an embarrassingly weak argument that there should be no federal civil government involvement in education. This is typical though of the Christian Establishment, as their two main talking points are education vouchers (which are just more communistic central planning with humanist gatekeepers) and no federal civil government involvement in education. The latter point the humanist bypasses quite easily with the Tax & Spend Clause; I bypass it (using humanism) by questioning what the Common Core opponent’s argument would be in a small country without federalism.
Based on my own experiences evangelizing how the civil government has no right to operate a school system, sometimes I am prompted to explain why I do not caucus with the Iron Triangle, as they are (supposedly) on our side. So here you may be thinking I should stop complaining about other Christians and just advance the gospel. While I am not in the business of questioning someone’s salvation, I am in the business of questioning a believer’s fruit, which is a function of the believer’s worldview. That is, is the Christian thinking like a Christian and resting on Jesus and Scripture?
Am I on the Christian’s side? Yes, if you as a believer correctly identify that the civil government school system should not exist. Otherwise I think you are part of the problem, as I’ve just illustrated. When someone questions why I do not caucus with the Iron Triangle, I politely explain that he or she has been conditioned (by the Iron Triangle!) to always consider delegation – and not abolition – the issue. This is huge. When you understand that abolition is the issue, then you understand why taking on the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle is necessary. Put another way, since the Iron Triangle assumes the validity of the civil government school system, they think the actual issue is delegation; then they perpetuate that issue, conditioning you to believe delegation is the issue. Consequently, when you hear me promote abolition, you think my activities towards Christians who promote delegation are unnecessary, because you are projecting that we are all thinking the issue is delegation. But when you finally understand the real issue is abolition, you sympathize with me persuading the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle. (Thereafter you are persuaded that I am correct.)
To those familiar with public policy and public discourse you see the problem. Public policy and public discourse involve gatekeepers. But when the Christian gatekeepers think like humanists, then we as a body are stuck with the status quo. That is, the humanistic civil government school system raises young people (including Christians) to assume the validity of the civil government school system’s existence. A rebel band of Christians (who think like Christians and not humanists) lovingly and respectfully reject the assumption the civil government school system should exist. But when the Christians who think like Christians approach the Christians who think like humanists(12) (because we recognize that Christians are perpetuating the humanist’s paradigm), we are rejected and/or marginalized. Sometimes we are rejected because the gatekeepers are shocked to ever hear someone question the civil government school system’s existence.(13) (If the gatekeeper is a secretary, it is especially unlikely the organizational leader’s paradigm will be affected.) Consequently, the Christians thinking like humanists perpetuate the very problem they on an organizational level are fighting: humanism! Naturally, this Christian Establishment is the machine I refuse to be a part of. This is the machine I want to sledgehammer. And if I am not given the forum to sledgehammer the machine, I will chisel it until either it perishes or I do.
The Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle owns the Christian masses’ eyes and ears; they have the distribution lists and they are the donees. And since the Triangle refuses to diagnose the civil government school system as the vehicle that facilitates humanism, they perpetuate themselves. I do not assert this is done on purpose, but rather it is a consequence of not acknowledging that Scripture speaks to all areas of life, and that Scripture never justifies property taxes, wealth redistribution, and force and coercion when it comes to a person’s thought processes.
At this time I do three things. First, I practice law. Second, I am a home school academy administrator and tutor, a delegatee of the family’s God-given right to educate children.(14) Our group has unbridled enthusiasm for true wisdom; we also – as a private institution – have NO LIMITS (as contrasted with the civil government school system) on teaching Christ-centeredness. And third, I am the owner and operator of Deconstructing the Coliseum (DtC), which is the organization that promotes civil government school system abolition. This latter endeavor is the reason for me sharing with you. I hope you promote DtC. Here are some ways you can do so:
- Educate yourself about civil government school system ABOLITION.
- Search the Scriptures. Did God ever give humans jurisdiction over the heart and mind?
- Read Robert L. Thoburn’s The Children Trap. It is available as a free PDF via Gary North’s website.
- Read Kerry L. Morgan’s Real Choice, Real Freedom.
- Read Phillip E. Johnson’s The Right Questions, which is part of The Wedge of Truth (destroying the assumption that empiricism and neutrality are inextricable).(15)
- Obtain the documentary Indoctrination(16) and after you watch it share it with others.
- Watch DtC visuals on Godtube.com.
- Follow KRN@DtColiseum on Twitter.
- Enroll others in our DtC Newsletter.
- Listen to DtC Radio (which can be done via deconstructingthecoliseum.com) and our weekday DtC Briefs.
- Distribute this message to others so they can join the abolition movement.
- Pray for Christians to understand that once Christ-centered education is allowed to thrive…then America will revive.(17)
FINALLY, DO WHAT ROBERT BROWNE, WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, AND MARTIN LUTHER DID: DISREGARD THE CHRISTIAN ESTABLISHMENT GATEKEEPERS AND SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES YOURSELF. Ask yourself, What is the civil government’s purpose?, Is the civil government a God-ordained institution?, What are rights – and what is their source?, Does the Bible teach such a thing as a sacred/secular distinction?, Does the civil government have limits?, and Is it biblical to use force to take someone’s money to advance Christianity in the civil government school system? Also ask, Why hasn’t my preacher ever proclaimed that the civil government has limits?
These are not deeply philosophical questions; they are practical, nuts and bolts questions that are everyday-relevant. But these are also tough questions; not because the answers are hard to find, but because the answers are hard to digest. Humanists (and the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle) have told us for so long to think that the civil government is the ultimate authority. “It” is not, because just as the body of Christ is comprised of humans, so is the civil government; and it therefore follows that because humans are not the ultimate authority, the civil government is not the ultimate authority.(18) To say otherwise – and to assert that Romans 13 commands humans to always obey the civil government – is to erroneously assert that man is the ultimate authority. In light of this, the civil government has limits. What are they?
This letter is repugnant to many of you. This could be because you attended a civil government school, work in a civil government school, or sent/d your children to a civil government school; or you may be part of the Christian Establishment’s Iron Triangle, and your sophistication extends only so far that your conservative positions gravitate around quoting the Framers, thinking they are dispositive of truth. You have never been prompted to question the civil government school system’s existence, and so naturally you immediately reject abolition as repugnant. Moreover, you have never been prompted to start with the assumption that Jesus is the ultimate authority. Your exposure to law and politics is a function of man as the starting point, and consequently you rely on constitutional and case law to justify your positions, disregarding Scripture.
Anyway, when I am dealing with abolition repugnancy, I am sometimes reminded of the “argument” I heard from my former coworkers about homosexuality. They would imply that the person who completes the act is “good”, and therefore that makes the act okay; but just because “good” people do things that does not mean those things are “good” or should be considered “good.” In other words, just because you and I are Christians, it does not make every means a way to the end of glorifying God. Some means are prohibited – as is the case of sexual immorality, which has no potential to glorify God (it does in fact do the opposite of displacing God’s glory with man’s) – and I submit to you that that is the case with the civil government school system means.
If you are repulsed by me proclaiming that the civil government school system should be abolished, know this. First, I am not condemning you if you sent/d your child to a civil government school. What I am doing is proclaiming that the civil government school system should not exist, as God never gave man the right to advance thought (including Christianity) using force and coercion. In conjunction, if you or your child are acting as salt and light in a humanistic civil government school, you and/or your child can be more effective in a private school, where there are no evangelism limits. And second, if you are repulsed by me proclaiming that the civil government school system should be abolished… I will never shut up.
1 See Genesis 18:19, Deuteronomy 6:1-7, and Ephesians 6:1-4.
2 See Romans 13.
3 This is not defeatist; it is strategic.
4 Sin is the actual disease; Jesus is the cure.
5 A Christian has no God-given right to use might to be salt and light in the civil government school system. Besides, if you are not teaching that the civil government school system should be abolished, you are merely perpetuating the humanistic model.
6 A mission field in our own backyard and daily life. See, you need not go to a distant land to be a missionary.
7 “Secular excellence” is that perspective that steals Christian principles, but rejects Jesus as the governing presupposition. Think about how secular excellence is related to the civil government school system.
8 You’ve heard of a Republican Establishment. There is also a Christian Establishment:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0EE01CNU
9 http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WG6YZWNX
10 Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971).
11 Home School Legal Defense Association’s Mike Farris. His comments come at the 24:27 mark and were last checked on May 9, 2014. An email inquiry to HSLDA asking for clarification of these comments was unanswered. http://www.commoncoremovie.com/
12 Unfortunately the Christians who think like humanists are the ones in control of the infrastructure. Thus, they are the gatekeepers.
13 Here is an example of a Christian gatekeeper’s rejection: “What do you mean there should be no [civil] government schools? My cousin Johnny is a public school teacher, and he is a good guy!”
14 We do not use force and coercion to advance Christianity, and because this is private education there are no limits to our evangelism efforts.
15 I myself approach the civil government school system abolition issue in a similar manner in that I undermine the Christian’s assumption that civil government schools are neutral (which is impossible).
16 Via Exodus Mandate.
17 I think there is going to be a third American revival. We may already be in the midst of it.
18 This is the WINNING SYLLOGISM that if Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia were following, his decisions would be much different:
Premise 1: Humans are not the ultimate authority.
Premise 2: The civil government is comprised of humans.
Conclusion: The civil government is not the ultimate authority. Therefore, everything they do is not absolute.
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