So Much For The P.T.A.--Parents Push Back

Once the "Parent Teacher Association" (PTA) was a helpful, constructive association in almost every public school district across the land.

The "association" between parents and teachers is frayed, if not gone in today's great American pushback.

I've written about and talked about on the radio, the National Education Association's declared attack on parents over the subject of racism in America.

In their annual conference last weekend, the NEA  told the parents of the 50.7 million kids in public schools that they "would" teach Critical Race Theory to their children, and the parents "will not" stop them.

One black theologian is wondering if there is a demonic dimension to this battle.

The growing pushback by parents is underway, and all Christians and conservatives should be informed as to what is actually happening.

Be informed, not misled.

Faithwire says, "By now you've seen the viral videos of parents of all races and ethnic backgrounds speaking out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) being taught in their local school districts.

I wrote about this last Tuesday in this Faith and Freedom Daily column, documenting how the NEA, one of America's most powerful unions, has committed itself to teaching critical race theory in public schools regardless of what parents think about it.

Well, we are now learning what parents really think about it. They are showing up in droves at school board meetings, and they are not silent. The peaceful exchange of the local PTA is gone as the parents rightfully tell their tax-funded local school district how they feel about CRT being taught to their kids.

For speaking out, some of these parents have been slandered, discredited, and in some cases, even insulted on national news broadcasts.

The great American pushback.

Axios is reporting efforts to recall school board members are surging across the nation due to plans to implement CRT in elementary and high schools. Just halfway through the year, there are at least 51 local recall efforts currently underway, targeting at least 130 elected members of those school boards.

According to Ballotpedia, a non-partisan website that tracks election information, that's twice the annual average for school board recall efforts.

In comparison, they note, during a 14-year period, they only covered an average of 23 recall efforts against an average of 52 school board members each year.

The reasons for recall efforts have generally had to do with bad behavior, mismanagement of funds, conflicts with district administrators or teachers, refusing to listen to their constituents, and violating open meetings laws.

Not this time. It's all about parents refusing to allow government-run schools to indoctrinate their children.

California leads the nation with 22 current recall efforts., Arizona and Idaho have 6 and 4 efforts respectively.

Libby Emmons, writing for The Post Millennial, made an interesting observation: 

"Education, entertainment, and mainstream media, all chant the same call and response, they all tell the same narrative. They each espouse the talking points of the far left, parroted by the Biden administration."

Emmons says, 

"Americans hear, daily, from celebrities, politicians, pundits, sports figures, that white people are oppressors and black people are victims, and these wrongs must be intentionally and forcefully redressed, that historical wrongs must be righted by 21st-century students, educators, and citizens." 

The pushback is not only coming from parents but some political leaders too,.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says of CRT, "It's offensive to the taxpayer to ask them to fund critical race theory, teaching kids to hate each other and hate their country."

He's right. It is "offensive to the taxpayer." Most all polls taken on the subject are finding that most Americans oppose critical race theory."

No question, CRT is based on the premise of hate.

Some are wondering if this movement is fueled by something even stronger than hate.

Christian theologian Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr. has been studying Critical Race Theory long before it became a household name in recent months, and he doesn't mince words.

Working primarily in Zambia as Dean of Theology at African Christian University, Baucham has a unique perspective when he comes back to the states.

He has written a book titled, "Fault Lines," on the subject of critical race theory.

He says being removed from day to day culture then coming home once or twice a year, he gets a sense of how far the dialog has shifted.

He says, "I've come back three or four times a year for speaking tours and it's always interesting to be an American ex-pat looking back at the US."

He says each time he comes back, he can sense the temperature has changed around flashpoint issues such as social justice, critical race theory, and intersectionality, and antiracism.

That, he says, is why he has written the book about those issues.

He says things in America are shifting so quickly and deteriorating so quickly---"I'm watching families be divided, churches be divided, institutions and schools and denominations be divided over this thing."

He describes Critical Race Theory as a "demonic ideology" and a "religion without grace." 

The reason Baucham says he believes it is demonic is because it has origins from Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, and their neo-Marxist successors in the Frankfurt School. 

He further explains that many Christians are caught up in supporting social justice because..."What Christian does not want to be for justice? What Christian does not want to empathize for people if they are oppressed? So I think there is a sinister aspect to the religious nature of this movement...that has really led people astray."

The professor says, "But...people are beginning to wake up to these realities" and offered some advice:

"You've got to be informed." You know, I agree with that.

"And secondly, when you're informed, be engaged. We have to engage and we've got to refuse to be bullied. We've got to refuse to be silent on this." 

Amen!

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.