A Governmental Breach of Covenantal Parenthood

The health of America's Constitutional Republic is supported by three essential pillars: 1) the faculties of the people to base their appeals upon sound arguments, 2) the willingness and ability of the governed to speak their concerns to their government, and 3) the ability and willingness of the government to listen to the governed; that is, the people who elect legislators to enact laws in the people's best interest. The context for the call to return to the honorable arts of political discourse is the current controversy over new K-12 curriculum and library book additions dealing with the philosophy of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and the introduction of explicit adult sexual conduct both in the K-12 classroom and in school libraries. These programs have drawn strong complaints from parents at school board meetings. The nature of their appeals to their board members centers on ever-increasing intrusions into the family, particularly the rights of parents to raise their children according to their beliefs. They are testifying that the public schoolhouse, which has been a beacon of safety for their children, is in the process of usurping parental authority that biblically and historically have belonged to fathers and mothers. It will be shown here why the parents indeed own a strong argument. Early efforts by citizens to passionately protest mandates that violate their conscience seemed to fail in the court of public opinion and were rebuffed in various school districts. More recently, however, those skilled in the arts of political discourse are proving how hopeful it can be for citizens who present fully-supported and clearly-stated appeals. The damage caused by government officials who refuse to listen to their constituents has only served to erode trust in otherwise-trusted institutions, like the local public school and previously-protected parental rights. Recent successes by parents should provide hope for others who also desire to win peer support, the help of their state governors, or the courts. How various parents and bureaucrats have utilized or ignored the arts of political discourse demonstrates a need to return to teaching classical persuasion in our schools. Instruction in the arts of persuasion has been resurrected successfully in classical Christian schools over the past thirty years, ─ not as an elective, ─ but as a necessary core subject for such a time as this.