All culture educates, thus all culture must be devoted to God.

“You shall write [these words] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:9

Every aspect of life in ancient Israel was intended to reflect the goodness and justice of God. The idea of writing the Law of God on the doorposts of homes and the gates of communities was intended as a symbol and meant to convey the idea that every aspect of life at home and in the community should be under the shelter and direction of God’s Law. This would have included all aspects of cultural life as well.

God was insistent that His people should not tolerate in their midst tokens or representations of anything in pagan culture which would have been likely to draw them away from devotion to Him and His Covenant. All pagan religious artifacts were to be destroyed, and all pagan religious practices were proscribed. Certain aspects of pagan culture – farms, fields, homes, cities, and so forth – could be assumed for the use of God’s people. However, over them all the Law of God was to stand as guardian and guide, so that no destructive pagan influences would be able to find a way into the economy of God’s people.

The effort to educate children in the ways of the Lord will struggle to make progress while the currents of culture flow against such an aim. Contemporary culture today is materialistic, sensual, and self-serving in the extreme. Public policy has increasingly taken an “anything goes” attitude toward aspects of cultural expression, making room for forms of culture which are (as we shall see) abominations in the sight of God. The simple fact is that culture is a powerful educator, especially of the young. Parents and community leaders, therefore, must do whatever they can to ensure that the culture to which their children are exposed offers instruction which complements, rather than contravenes or undermines, their own efforts to help children learn to take their place in an economy based on justice and neighbor-love.

Our culture today, as debased as it has become in many ways, yet realizes the power of culture to affect young minds. This is why films are rated, certain consumer goods (e.g., alcoholic beverages) are forbidden to children, and even certain forms of speech are not permitted on the public airwaves. However, this cultural guardianship and guidance has been steadily eroded by the sensual and material interests of our day, and the detrimental consequences, especially on young people, are visible on every hand.

In the work of education we must work for public policies that acknowledge the educating power of culture and which help to keep culture from becoming a corrupting influence in the lives of citizens.

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