Many families have discovered the benefits of homeschooling during the pandemic lockdowns. They have also learned of the many resources available to help them. They now see that they have a way out of the public schools. Since July of last year over 18,000 families have filed notices of intent to homeschool in North Carolina compared to about 8,000 during the same period a year earlier. In Wisconsin, 26,000 notices were filed in the last half of 2020.

But teachers' unions and other government stakeholders are beginning to raise some objections.

School officials in Michigan claim that allowing students to homeschool prevents them from tracking students who are in no school at all. They are using this as a pretext to change state law. Such a law, of course, does not bode well for the privacy and freedom of homeschool families.

Several bills in other states have also been introduced to increase the scrutiny of families that have chosen to homeschool. One bill would require districts to visit families quarterly to check on the children’s “health and safety.”

This is another example of overreaching government not allowing a “crisis go to waste.”

Fortunately, there are organizations such as the Home School Legal Defense Association that stand ready to counter these encroachments. HSLDA Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff said:

“Most state legislatures get it. When they sit down and think through the issues, they consistently vote against adding new regulations on homeschool families.”

Besides homeschooling, Christian schools are increasingly becoming a target of homosexual organizations. It remains to be seen whether government leaders will resist their demands. One such organization has an 85-item list called the Blueprint for Positive Change. One item is recommending that the US Department of Education must deny accreditation to any Christian college or University that insists on holding the biblical view of sexuality.

“That means…Christian colleges, housing, admissions, hiring of faculty, and student life [would] have to recognize same-sex marriage,” warns Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler. “You’d have to recognize homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle for students. You’d have to hire without regard to a Christian understanding of sexuality.”

Another prong of their attack is coming through the U.S. Congress. A bill has been approved by the House called the Equality Act. If it passes it will amend the basic civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Tony Perkins of FRC Action lists the consequences:

• Women and girls would no longer have privacy in publicly accessible bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and even battered women’s shelters;
• Churches and houses of worship could be prohibited from requiring that their leaders and employees abide by their doctrines about marriage and sexuality;
• Religious employers could be forced to offer their employees insurance coverage for procedures related to “gender transition;”
• Medical professionals could be ordered to perform abortions or procedures related to “gender transition” against their moral or medical opinions; and
• The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion, would be in jeopardy.

Fewer and fewer people today are aware of or willing to follow God’s plan for human flourishing. This is primarily because we have not had the boldness to widely present His plan. We do not know at this point if we can turn the tide. But Christians at other times have recognized that we are commissioned only to preach the gospel. We are not responsible for the results —only obedience.

Gospel tracts have always been an effective tool because the word of God that they contain is powerful enough to change hearts. And a true revival can only come through changed hearts.