4 steps to inoculate your children against progressive mind virus
One political philosopher put the goal of liberal progressivism in rather stark terms. He said, “Progressivism is, at its core, the hatred of your father and the rejection of God.”
While many self-proclaimed progressives might not put it like that, he’s right — at the core of their ideology is the rejection of anything and everything from the past that might hinder “inevitable progress.” This often means family. It always means biblical Christianity.
The triumph of progressivism in American culture has been on full display last week, as the Senate passed the (Dis) Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies the unconstitutional Obergefell decision “redefining” marriage in our nation.
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Another way to describe progressives is as “moral revolutionaries,” and indeed they are. In Albert Mohler’s piece addressing the passage of this bill, “A massive victory for the moral revolutionaries,” he rightly noted:
“No civilization stands still. This kind of legislation is not neutral. The so-called ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ is either the sign of a civilization advancing or a civilization crumbling.”
That’s a good litmus test. Progressives see this bill as a bright beacon of advancement. For Christians, we know that this is a tell-tale sign of civilization collapse. But this is the path of progressivism: God, family, and marriage must get out of the way as the arc of history hurtles toward their flawed conception of justice — diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As a father of three who wants my children to love (not hate) me and obey (not reject) God, it’s important that I serve them well by helping prepare them to fight against progressivism — to inoculate them, as best I can, against the ways of a world that wants to infect their minds with delusions of expressive individualism and unconstrained desire.
How do I do this? How can you do this? Here are four ways parents can inoculate their children against the progressive mind virus:
1. Teach them the truth of God’s Word
One of the most important things that parents can do is teach God’s Word, the Bible, to their children. Let them know that the Bible isn’t a book of fairy tales, nor some collection of “stories” with a little self-help thrown in, nor a good book about good moral living.
No, the Bible is the “living and active” Word of God, “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The Bible tells the truth about God, humanity, sin, Jesus Christ, the Gospel, redemption, the final judgment, and eternity. It answers our hardest questions, such as, why do sin and suffering exist, and what hope can we have in the face of a fallen world? Most importantly, it lets us, as guilty sinners, know what hope we can have to be forgiven and welcomed back into a right relationship with our Creator God — the Gospel message of the perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are indeed the things of “first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:1-3).
Teaching our children God’s Word actually isn’t just a “best practice” or an optional idea — it’s a matter of obedience.
God commands his people to do just this: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7a).
Teach your children to know and love God’s Word. But don’t just tell them, show them.
2. Teach them the goodness of God’s creation-order for men, women, sex, and marriage
Along with teaching them the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word, it is absolutely critical that parents teach their children the goodness of God’s fixed biological and moral order, or what we could call the creation-order.
Our children are truly growing up in a “brave new world.” One that doesn’t know how to answer questions like “What is a woman?” One that celebrates men, like William Thomas, swimming against women (and “winning”) at the collegiate level.
While it’s important to denounce debauchery, it is equally important to teach your children about the goodness and beauty of God’s creation-order design for men and women. Curse the darkness and light a candle. Teach them about how God made man and woman different, but that both are equally made in God’s image. Teach them that marriage can only ever be between a man and a woman because it is how God, in His wisdom, designed procreation, the way in which more image-bearers will fill the earth (Genesis 1:28).
The fixed nature of biological sex, the goodness of man-woman marriage, and the reality that God created sex to be enjoyed within the context of a committed, monogamous, exclusive marriage union of husband and wife — and only between a husband and wife — aren’t “old-fashioned and prudish” concepts, they are the foundations of society! Celebrate these truths with your children.
3. Ensure that their education is the moral formation and not mindless indoctrination
Over the last year-plus, the sewage of much of what passes for public school curriculum washed out into the public streets for parents to see. Critical Race Theory and Radical Gender Theory are being taught in the classrooms and pornography is put on the library shelves. Beyond this, students are taught to hate their country and be skeptical of Christianity — if not outright reject it.
One way to help your children be prepared to stand against progressivism is to take control of their education back from the state.
If your local public school isn’t publicly committed to keeping trash out of the classroom, consider Christian education — either private school, classical Christian education, or homeschooling.
Whatever you do, make sure you know how and what your children are learning. They need education, not indoctrination.
4. Train them to spot cultural “siren songs” and prepare them to “kill dragons”
In ancient mythology, sirens presented themselves as beautiful women sitting on rocks in the seas, singing songs to passing sailors in hopes of luring them to their demise as they crashed their ships onto the unseen rocks.
Consider how many Disney movies begin with this basic premise: A child (the Little Mermaid, Simba, Luca) wants something that the parents tell them they can’t have. The parents tell the kids that they should trust them, stay home, and embrace tradition and obedience. But the kid “follows their heart” and disobeys. What’s the moral? Ignore your family, reject tradition, and chart your own path.
This message is everywhere. As a parent, you need to learn to spot it. The point isn’t to put your kids in a bubble. The point is to equip your kids to spot the seduction of the wicked world. That’s one of the dominant themes of the book of Proverbs — beware of the evil and (genuinely) tempting ways of the world and seek God’s wisdom instead.
Along with spotting sirens, children need to know that dragons are real and pose a threat to their very lives. But in order to help them spot the sirens and counter the dragons of this world, you (and they) need to learn how to spot and kill them first. One simple way to do this is to constantly ask yourself, “What is this book, show, song, movie, etc., teaching my children about God and family.” You might be surprised at what you hear when you start listening closely.
Conclusion
Consider this: The serpent in the Garden of Eden was the first progressive. He questioned the truth of God’s Word, sowing doubt in the mind of Eve. He challenged God’s good creation-order by seeking to undermine Adam. He questioned the goodness of the tradition that Adam and Eve had received from God, telling them to reject it and chart their own path, free from custom and constraint. He told them to forsake the image of God in which they were made and encouraged them to remake themselves in the image of personal desire.
Remember, progressives want your kids to hate their families and reject God. This goes against the First and Fifth Commandments. So, help protect them from this and prepare them for it with these four steps — and lots of prayers.
Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
William Wolfe served as a senior official in the Trump administration, both as a deputy assistant secretary of defense at the Pentagon and a director of legislative affairs at the State Department. Prior to his service in the administration, Wolfe worked for Heritage Action for America, and as a congressional staffer for three different members of Congress, including the former Rep. Dave Brat. He has a B.A. in history from Covenant College, and is finishing his Masters of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Follow William on Twitter at @William_E_Wolfe
