Why Equip Education?

The founders of our nation came to these shores in search of religious freedom. When they set up a new nation, they utilized their faith to establish principles of government. They constructed a government based on the Judeo-Christian ethic and designed for a people possessed of that same ethic. Unfortunately, the last 50 years has seen the rapid deterioration of the moral and ethical makeup of society. Popular culture is taking the place of the family and the only ideas not welcome in this multicultural and pluralist civilization are Christian ideas. John Adams said,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.

Although the founders of our nation intended to create a free civilization comprised of free individuals it seems clear that freedom is receding as the tide. This is not a remark about Democrats or Republicans. At the election of every new administration, it seems that government couldn't possibly grow as fast as it did during the prior administration. And every new administration manages to grow government faster than the last. Recently, Doug Wilson, the founder of Logos School, said that if we don't see chains being forged in every legislative session, we aren't paying attention. What did he mean by that? Radio host Walter Wilson characterized it well when he objected to a legislative action approving a water-usage standard for toilets. He was ranting wildly saying, "Congress says I have to flush with two gallons but I'm not gonna flush with two gallons, I'm gonna flush with five gallons because it works better!!" He's a funny guy; but his point was that with each passing year, government assumes more responsibility for decisions which are better left to individuals.

Here in Florida we have the Homeschool Education Foundation (lobbyists in Tallahassee) because it is necessary to fight to retain the right to homeschool – as if this is some privilege granted by the state instead of a responsibility given to us by God. And all of this pales in comparison to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which if ratified by the United States Senate will completely abolish most parental rights in this nation. As a people, we are slowly and systematically being conditioned to believe that government is the solution to our problems.

On a side note, this effort to train us to be compliant is greatly supported by the methods of public education which is why at Equip Education we've chosen a classical model of education as our tool. Our children must not only have a Christian worldview; they must also understand the ideas they'll be facing.

The progressive loss of morality and freedom in this country indicates a future of challenges for our children unlike any we've had to face. The decrease of moral restraint among individuals and the increase of government control over the society foretells a difficult future in which faith will be tested. We must arm our children for this conflict because as Dorothy Sayers says, we live in a day in which armor was never so necessary.

The big idea behind Equip Education is that Christian homeschool families need an educational mechanism to help us build a vanguard of young people filled with knowledge and understanding and possessed of virtue to act on it. We desire to educate a generation of Christians that lean forward into the culture to help shape it and lead it and when necessary, oppose it. Our children have a much tougher road in front of them than the road we travel. As Doug Wilson says, think of the books our children will need to write and the sermons they'll need to preach. It is our God-given responsibility to do everything possible to get them ready. That's what Equip Education is all about.

We hope you will join us in this endeavor. If you do, there is one thing you must keep in mind throughout the journey. Do not forget that the work done at Equip Education is greatly dependent on the work done in the home. It is in the home that the most important things happen: a relationship with Jesus Christ, training in personal holiness, a knowledge and understanding of God's Word. In the absence of these things, a Christian leadership education is impossible. I Corinthians chapter 3 says that the only foundation that can be laid is Jesus Christ. The best, and easiest, and most important place for your child to see Jesus and get to know Him, is in your home. Without that foundation in the student's life, Equip Education is building on the sand.

For further information on Equip Education, contact us at info@equipeducation.org.