Bible Verses Related to Academic Topics

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

To be discerning about what they are learning as they sit in the classroom, students need think biblically.  Every aspect of the world needs to be viewed with the assumption that God is intimately involved with His creation. Children need to see that God exists outside of their Sunday school classroom and beyond the pages of their Bible. He is connected with everything in their lives at school—including the academic subjects they are learning.

Here are some Bible verses that you can have your children write on sticky notes and use as bookmarks in their textbooks.

History

“From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27 (NIV)

Language Arts

“The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness…. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:2,4 (NIV)

Biology

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

Physics

“For in him we live and move and have our being…” Acts 17:28 (NIV)

Astronomy

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Geology or Geography

“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

Mathematics

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone...?” Job 38:4-6 (NIV)

Teach Your Children Discernment

Children need to see that God exists outside of their Sunday school classroom or youth group and beyond the pages of their Bible. He is connected with everything in their lives at school—including the academic subjects they are learning.

Predict and Pre-teach

Author and Gateways friend Linda Moran explained to me how she prepares her children for what they might learn at school. She calls it “Predict and Pre-teach.” Explain to your children what they may learn at school (predict). Then, before they encounter it, teach them God’s truth on the topic (pre-teach).

We’ve applied this technique with our own children. For example, when our daughter was in first grade, we noticed at a school open house that the children would be reading a book about nature that referred to Mother Earth. Rather than protest the use of the book, we explained to her that she may be reading books that mention Mother Earth (predict), and we talked to her about God being the creator of all things (pre-teach).

We made it the subject of joking (“Can you believe how silly it is that some people think the Earth is our mother?”). We read the Creation Story from the Bible and talked about how beautifully God made the Earth and everything on it.

One day she came home with a big smile on her face. “You won’t believe what we read today in class,” she said. “We read about Mother Earth!” We all had a good laugh. That was years ago, yet she still rolls her eyes when she sees something written about Mother Earth.

You can use this practical way of teaching discernment with any age. For example, parents are rightly concerned with their teenagers being taught evolution as a fact. Using the “Predict and Pre-teach” method you can arm them with the thinking tools they need. Look at their textbooks to find out how the topic will be taught, then provide them with access to helpful websites and books.

Have your children begin every day with this question in mind: “What will Jesus think about what I learn today?” This means applying 2 Corinthians 10:5, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” You can help your children think like Jesus while in class by helping them make the connections between their academic studies and God’s Word.

New Poll: 50% of Americans don’t understand or value religious freedom.

Summit Ministries and Rasmussen Reports released the results of a survey asking people their views on religious freedom. Their headline reads, “Overwhelming Majority of Americans Support Religious Freedom, Oppose Key Provisions of Equality Act.” (June 22, 2021)

Their survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted on June 16 and 17, found that 82% of Americans say freedom of religion is important to a healthy American society. The survey asked two simple questions. The first asked, “How important is freedom of religion to a healthy American society?”

The second question asked, “Should churches and faith-based charities be required by law to hire people who oppose their religious beliefs?” The report heralded the finding that only 20% of Americans say churches and faith-based organizations should be required by law to hire people who oppose their religious beliefs.

However, what really caught my attention was the fact that the survey also reported another 30% were “not sure.” That is very concerning. The question did not ask if religious organizations should be required by law to hire people who might not agree with their religious beliefs. It asked if religious organizations should have to hire people who outright oppose their beliefs. Thirty percent think that maybe religious organizations should be forced to hire people who oppose their beliefs?

This tells me that Americans don’t understand religious freedom. We have a real problem on our hands if so many people (50%) don’t know that religious freedom actually means freedom. Instead, 20% think that, for instance, churches should be forced to hire atheists if they apply for a job, and 30% are just not sure.

That caused me to question the finding that 82% of Americans say freedom of religion is important to a healthy American society. I’m not questioning the accuracy of the polling. I’m questioning people’s understanding of religious freedom.

“Freedom of religion is more than freedom to worship.”

Remember, these were not different people being polled. The same people who overwhelmingly support religious freedom are split on the issue of forcing religious institutions to hire people who oppose their religion.

It very well could be that when the 82% said religious freedom is important, they were thinking of freedom to worship. Sure, they might have thought, people should be able to gather together and pray to and sing to whatever god they want. But freedom of religion is more than freedom to worship.

Religious freedom is not only the freedom to think what you want (in your head, your home, and your place of worship), it is also the freedom to act on it, to build community around it, and to hire people who will help in the teaching of, and living out of, those religious beliefs.

Rather than a survey proving the value Americans put on religious freedom, we should see it as an alarm bell alerting us that Americans need to understand what religious freedom really means. Students in public schools — the next generation of voters — need to learn the importance of religious freedom for a flourishing society. People will not defend what they do not cherish, and they will not cherish what they do not understand.

To help promote religious freedom in public schools, visit GoGateways.org/freetospeak.

Your donation will help Gateways teach students the importance of religious freedom. Give today.

A Largely-Forgotten History of the Civil Rights Movement

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a pastor, or a Sunday school teacher, you should include teaching your children/students a mostly-forgotten part of the Rev. King's civil rights actions.

Below is an excerpt from a U.S. State Department website that reminds us of a largely-forgotten part of the non-violent protests for civil rights. I've linked the complete article, at our website. Click on the link below.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: You are not proselytizing for merely teaching your students about Dr. King's passionate insistence that his fellow protesters base their actions on Christian principles.

Excerpt from "The Martin Luther King We Remember" by Adam Wolfson and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan

The Christian springs of King's statesmanship are abundantly evident. With the successful end of the Montgomery bus boycott, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in order to take the civil rights struggle and his nonviolent message throughout the South. One of his most trusted aides urged him to drop the word Christian from the new organization. It was argued that such an explicit religious reference would alienate white Northern liberals, whose support would be crucial in the years ahead. King was adamant, however, and the word Christian remained. He also insisted that civil rights participants be guided by Christian principles. For example, volunteers in the Birmingham campaign were required to sign a "Commitment Card" that read in part:

I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF--MY PERSON AND MY BODY--TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS:

1. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.

2. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation-not victory.

3. WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.

4. PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.

5. SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.

6. OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.

7. SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.

8. REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.

9. STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.

10. FOLLOW the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.

To read the full article CLICK HERE.

Luther Ray Abel writes “How Biblical Illiteracy is Ruining the Humanities”

Writing for National Review, Luther Ray Abel explains how the increasing unfamiliarity with the Bible threatens the study of the Great Books.

“I attend a well-to-do liberal-arts school in the Midwest. The professors are wonderful and the classmates impressive. However, I find myself consistently pained by one thing: Many have little to no familiarity with even the most widely known Bible stories.” [Read more…]