# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1071
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PARISH EDUCATION 878

zom the child’s schooling and relegate it to after-school hours or
Sunday morning. When this is done, religion becomes merely
appendage and is not a part of education. From the Christian
t of view, complete education is impossible apart from religion.
n-religious schools can give schooling, they cannot give children
omplete education. A complete education is possible only in a
ool in which religion occupies the central position and motivates
child religiously for study and conduct.

‘Christian education requires a Christ-centered and Bible-
tered school. In other words, for a complete Christian education
-time Christian schools are indispensable. Our fathers sup-
brted the public schools, recognizing the fundamental need for
cation, but they founded Christian schools for their own
dren. If such schools were imperative a century ago, when the
lic schools still had a religious background, they are even more
perative today. Since our children cannot receive a Christian
cation in the public school, we have no. other course but to
and our parish school system. .

- Twenty-five years ago most Reformed Protestants were op~-
fosed to Christian schools. They lived under the illusion that the

: Church could successfully supplement the public school by
stieans of religious instruction on Sunday morning. The fallacy of
this divorce of religion from general education has at last become
pparent. Many Protestants realize that a modicum of religious
truction on Sunday morning is not even enough to keep the
ildren loyal to the Church, since the tendency of the non-religious
chool is to alienate their children from religion and the Church.
Many Protestant leaders are adopting a philosophy of educa-
on approximating that of the Lutheran Church. Scores of Prot-
3.estant schools have sprung into existence, and more are being
planned. Unless believing parents are granted the same rights
(that are granted atheists, we can expect to see many Christian
hools founded in various parts of the country, just as several
; hundred evangelical Bible institutes have sprung up in protest
4 against the modernism and atheism that have been permitted to
invade Christian colleges and theological schools.

The Christian school movement has created considerable ap-
ehension. Some have gone so far as to say that non-public
B schools are un-American, an assertion which is disproved by the
, history of religion and education in the United States. The early
s. schools were religious schools. Back of this assertion is a dangerous
fallacy, to wit, all the youth of the nation should attend the one
, great educational. institution of the State, that they may learn to
, live together democratically. A group of progressive educators