Politics and the Christian School Part 2 of 2

In Part 1 last month, we looked at five of the biblical principles that we use in the Christian school setting to train our students to have a biblical worldview when it comes to politics. This month, we look more deeply at how that translates to the classroom. I spoke with WCS Heritage Studies teachers Sandy Smith, Kevin Clineff, Julia Matthews, and Lori Erdvig. It was a great conversation; here are some highlights (their responses have been blended for concision).

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What other biblical principles would you add to the ones mentioned in the October Influence article? What are some overarching concepts that guide your teaching when it comes to politics?
“I remind my students that everyone and everything is broken. We live in a fallen world, so politics and politicians reflect that reality. This is why we must show grace, even to those we disagree with. Everyone comes from a different perspective, and we cannot hate someone for their political views. That is contrary to Scripture.”
“Voting and making decisions are based on moral standards, justice, and truth. So, we continually go to God’s Word and help [students] learn the basic principles that should undergird our decisions. Ultimately, we are helping them participate well in the process. If we can do this, then we have developed good thinkers.”
“I remind my students not to judge historical characters by our modern standards. The same is true for other people. We’re not in their shoes. We do not want to be in the business of tearing others down.”
“In a world where personal attacks, mockery, and name-calling are the norm, it is important that students speak of leaders—and each other—respectfully. Just because someone is famous or in public office does not justify slander, gossip, demeaning, or dehumanizing language.” 
What do political discussions look like in your classroom?
“Sometimes, politics is the topic of the lesson, and sometimes, students may bring up something they saw or heard that is politically related. We debate ideas and discuss different viewpoints. And, of course, we study the various political parties historically and how platforms have changed over time.”  
“We will center on a biblical truth, such as justice or poverty, and then discuss how different political parties or politicians—historical or current—may apply that biblical principle differently or violate it.”
“I will ask students to explain their ideas in writing. I often ask them to defend a position that they may not hold. For example, when studying the Civil War, I may ask a student to defend the Southern position on a certain issue. This causes them to see things from another’s perspective and, in the end, may even strengthen their previously held position.”  
How do you remain neutral, and/or how do you present (or avoid presenting) your own political opinions? 
“My job is to teach my students how to think, not what to think. We want our students to be critical thinkers, able to form biblically based convictions on a wide range of issues. We want them to rely on the Holy Spirit, and the Bible, not on their history teacher.” 
“I try to remain neutral and ask a lot of questions to get them to reason things out. In fact, sometimes the students will get frustrated and ask me, ‘Why won’t you just tell us what you think?!’ Of course, I will correct an unbiblical concept, but I won’t go beyond that with my personal viewpoints.”  
“Again, it comes back to staying focused on biblical principles. In the past, when the church stayed silent on politics, politics seemed to stay in political arenas. When politics began to invade morality, we needed to speak up. Today, some of the major political issues are moral issues, sometimes called ‘social’ issues. And if we remain silent on the biblical and moral issues, we’re not actually teaching a biblical worldview.”
Outside of your classroom, where are students getting their political information?
“Most younger students get their information and opinions directly from their parents, which is understandable. That’s how we all learned a lot of things growing up. Older students watch TV occasionally, but not like previous generations. The major source is social media, which is unfortunate.”  
“That is why one of my favorite sayings with my students is, ‘Show me your primary source.’ It is easy for students (and adults) to simply parrot or pass along a sound bite they heard or a post they saw on their feed, but I want them to analyze their sources. How reliable is it? What is the bias? Is this a primary source or a secondary source? Human nature being what it is, information is so easily distorted that it is imperative that we teach our students to consider their diet of information carefully.”
“I also try to place the current political climate into a historical perspective. We are a divided nation for sure, but certainly not as divided as during the Civil War. And the access we have to information is a double-edged sword. Imagine living 200 years ago when the only source of information might be your local newspaper (if you could read at all). Not much fact-checking was going on back then. Now, we have so many streams of information, which is great, but it requires much more scrutiny and critical thinking.”  

It was truly encouraging to spend time with these experienced educators and see the wisdom and skill with which they guide our students through such an important and sometimes difficult topic. Each day, we wrestle in the battleground of ideas (2 Corinthians 10:5), and it is an honor to plant our flag for the Kingdom of God and train our students to stand firm on His truth, knowing that we are impacting the culture for Christ!
Educating for Eternity,
Jonathan Nazigian
WCS Headmaster