God given parental responsibility overtaken by government

illustration by Mae Bearden

Who knows you the best? Besides God and maybe your personal journal, the answer will most likely be your parents. Whether we’d like to accept this or not, our parents who’ve raised us play an important role in our development as people. Now imagine, instead of your parents open embr

ace, you are met with the agenda of state and federal actors within the government. The description of unnatural and invasive would be an understatement. No one would want government actors involved in their personal lives, especially as their parental figures. The government’s worldview has been encroaching on the core values of students, by first replacing parents as the parental figure in the lives of children and young adults. 

“I think God makes it very clear in His Word that parents have a huge responsibility in being the ones who shape the worldview of their students,” said Head of School Mrs. Kristi Brannen. “I do think it is very important when the government starts trying to take away responsibility given to families and to parents, then that is a real problem.”

To avoid generalizations, when I refer to the government, I am referring mainly to elected officials and groups within the government. The government has a place in God’s design, yet its authority is restricted.

“It’s a temptation anytime there is a big organization to take on additional responsibilities they were never supposed to have. I am opposed to the government trying to control what parents or Christian education can teach,” said Mrs. Brannen.

A recent example of the government influence in the education of students was The King’s Academy own Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps program (JROTC). TKA pulled out of the JROTC program, which was federally funded, due to conflict between government mandates and TKA’s foundational beliefs.

“The previous presidential administration decided to add to Title 9 wording and law which we believed were anti-biblical, such as transgender ideology. At that point, we felt like we had to pull out of the federal funding for JROTC,” said Mrs. Brannen.

In the state of Georgia, government interference in traditionally parental responsibilities has led to controversial laws such as the Social Media Age Verification Law. The law aimed to require parental consent for minors' access to certain online platforms. Though on the surface, this would increase parental rights, a federal judge temporarily blocked the law. The judge cited concerns over the balance of protecting children online and respecting parental autonomy in digital parenting. It begs the question, how involved should the government be in the traditionally parental role of discernment? In this case, over what the parent’s children are exposed to online. 

It's no surprise then when the government tries to create policy and laws which take on the responsibilities of parents. The worldview of a child is heavily influenced by their parents, so government actors work to cut parents out of their child’s life. This allows the government to insert its own worldview in the minds of young adults and children.

 A strong, healthy relationship between students and their parents is a powerful defense against this encroachment, whereas an apathetic attitude towards the government leaves oneself ultimately vulnerable. Both parents and students must remain vigilant against state and local laws or policy which try to wedge government worldview between parents and their children.