At our second Education Revolution conference held in Oxford this year, we welcomed more than 270 delegates from across the UK, North America, Germany, Hong Kong and more. Nabila Roukhamieh-Mckinna reflects on the inspiring day for Christians involved in education.
Our message at Christian Concern has always been one of hope for the transformation of our culture, as the Lord Jesus Christ reigns over every sphere of life, and will work through His people for the advancement of His Kingdom.
As the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill progresses through Parliament, and we continue to fight against the implementation of VAT on independent school fees, the challenges to Christians wishing to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord are only increasing.
But we need to meet these difficulties with faith and courage.
Christian Concern held its second Education Revolution conference on Saturday 26 April, drawing together state school teachers, Christian educators, parents and founders of new education initiatives from across the country, united by a common vision to see Christ glorified in the discipling of the next generation.
We saw even greater interest than last year, with over 270 people attending. Almost every seat was occupied in the spacious main hall of the King’s Centre, leading Chief Executive Andrea Williams to proclaim that what was happening in this room was in itself a victory for God’s Kingdom.
How did we get here?
Following a time of worship, the day began with both encouragements and warnings from Andrea and Head of Education, Steve Beegoo.
Although the new government has pursued policies that are harmful to Christian education, Andrea said the Church has no one else to blame. Historically, the Church had pioneered education for the glory of Christ, but ceded this responsibility to the secular state.
Christian Legal Centre client Aaron Edwards, who shared his story of being dismissed from an evangelical Bible college for speaking out about homosexuality, warned that if the Church vacates the public sphere, we cannot expect to be shielded from the corruption that will inevitably spread throughout society.
Steve similarly attributed the nation’s spiritual decline to the Church’s abdication of her responsibility to educate the next generation. While atheists are 94% likely to pass on their atheism to their children, Christians are only 50% likely to pass on their faith. Steve explored statistics showing a steady decrease in the number of professing Christians, in light of Judges 2:10: “a new generation arose who did not know the Lord nor the works which he had done”.
He explained that God’s people were instructed to ‘impress’ His laws upon their children (Deuteronomy 6:7) and their failure to do so led to humanistic chaos as in the period of the Judges in which “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”(Judges 21:25).
The Great Commission necessitates education because we are commanded to teach the nations to observe Christ’s commands, but we as the Church are in large part guilty of the “great omission”: we have failed to disciple our nation, especially our children.
Hope for the next generation
While this may paint a bleak picture, and Christians do indeed have a great challenge ahead if we want to reclaim the sphere of education for Christ, the opening session quickly moved from lament and warning to encouragement and hope.
Andrea spoke about the recent legal victories we have seen at Christian Concern, including school worker Kristie Higgs’ recent vindication following a six-year legal battle for Christian freedoms.
Along with victories in the courts, the spiritual atmosphere is shifting more broadly in this nation, with a recent Bible Society report arguing that apparent decline in the number of professing Christians is only a decline in nominal (name-only) Christianity.
The 12% of people who say they are Christians are more likely to be active in their faith and the Bible Society describes a ‘quiet revival’ amongst 18-34 year olds. Steve noted that these young people who are turning to Christ are actually the parents of the next generation, inspiring hope amongst delegates that a true revolution could take place in Christian education.
The Third Education Revolution
With Steve and Andrea having established both the need for, and the real possibility of, an education revolution, keynote speaker Dr Vishal Mangalwadi outlined his vision for how this could be achieved practically, not just in the UK but globally.
Vishal argued that the West had already experienced two education revolutions.
The first was in the 700s when Emperor Charlemagne abandoned his policy of forced baptism and focused instead on persuasion and education. This resulted in the Carolingian Renaissance, climaxing with the establishment of universities across Europe. The second followed the Protestant Reformation and the popularisation of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which laid the foundations for making education universal, not just for the ecclesiastical priests.
Vishal argued that the third education revolution would be characterised by Christians reclaiming education and the Church reassuming its rightful role in this sphere, primarily through the use of new technology.
For example, Vishal proposed the creation of an online encyclopaedia named ‘Truthpedia’. Delegates were encouraged to hear that Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, who has recently converted to Christianity, had agreed to advise on how to build a Christian competitor to Wikipedia. Truthpedia could also make a Christian curriculum available to homeschooling parents, Christian schools and churches around the world and provide teacher training and degrees in education and applied theology, so that no parent, school or church could be accused of lacking the necessary qualifications to educate their children.
Salt and light in education
Following the presentation of Vishal’s long-term vision for the future of education, we had the privilege of hearing from Christians who were already being ‘salt and light’ in this sphere by obeying the Lord in their callings.
It was a joy to see so many organisations not only supporting parents to educate their children, but also bringing together Christian teachers and empowering them to use their gifts to fulfil the Great Commission by discipling the next generation. We heard from organisations such as the Sophia Christian Learning Centre, providing a biblical alternative to secular schools to children in Coventry and the King Alfred School, the pioneering Classical Christian school which continues to grow and flourish since its founding in 2021.
We also heard from Dr Timothy Edwards who has been working to establish a Christian liberal arts college in Oxford, the first of its kind in the UK. Selden College, which will receive its first students in October this year, is a source of hope that university education can, too, be restored to Christ.
Additionally, multiple founders of online education providers, such as Immanuel Online School and Arise Home Education, shared how they were supporting homeschooling parents with online courses taught form a Christian worldview.
Finally, we heard from Ron Skelton, Christian headteacher of a state school in a divided and difficult area of Birmingham. He spoke about an influx of Christian students to the school, the flourishing Christian Union and number of Christian staff members who support leading collective worship. While state schools can be incredibly challenging places for Christian teachers, Ron’s testimony was a great encouragement that they can be used by God as salt and light in these schools to bless pupils from different backgrounds.
Standing for Christ in education, as a teacher or a parent, can certainly feel like a lonely path to take, but the morning showed that those faithfully obeying the Lord in this way are most definitely not alone. Not only are there a growing number of Christians invested in Christ-centred education, but testimonies of the Lord’s miraculous provision for these pioneering efforts was a comforting reminder that God Himself is truly with His people as they seek to reclaim the education sphere for Christ.
Equipped for the revolution
After a morning of exhortation and inspiration, delegates had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of seminars to equip them as they labour for the education revolution, with options ranging from starting a Christian school, to homeschooling, to Christian colleges and universities. Delegates were able to hear practical advice and wisdom, as well as understand the philosophy and biblical basis for different forms of Christian education.
Other seminars explored pertinent topics such as why children believe in gender ideology, ably explained by Dr Julie Maxwell of Lovewise, and how the Bible can guide our use of technology, delivered by Vishal following his advocacy for the use of AI to bring about the third education revolution.
Additionally, delegates had the opportunity to learn from Lizzie Harewood (Association of Christian Teachers) and Hemara Earl (Oxford Schools Chaplaincy) about how to be a faithful Christian teacher in a state school, and to hear a stirring talk on spiritual warfare in education from Steve Beegoo, replete with powerful testimonies from his long career in education.
The Lord is our light
Reflecting on the state of education in our nation, Andrea reminded us of the motto of nearby Oxford University, taken from Psalm 27: “the LORD is my light”.
Educational establishments throughout our nation, originally founded upon Word of God, are only getting darker, and even seminaries are not safe from the corruption of secularism. Yet, as the day closed with worship, our attention was focused on the source of wisdom and truth, the Triune God, whose providence had brought all 270 delegates into that room for such a time as this.
As Steve emphasised in his talk, the etymology of ‘revolution’ is the Latin revolutio meaning to ‘turn around’, which is exactly what is meant by the term ‘repent’. The “education revolution” for which we are striving is nothing more or less than national repentance, and while this may seem impossible from a human perspective, God has done it many times before, through the faithfulness of a remnant in a time of darkness.
Many parents and teachers undoubtedly left the conference with renewed conviction, courage and hope as they returned to their callings. At Christian Concern, we are continuing to support parents, teachers and new education initiatives, and recently launched our education website to resource and equip those hoping to stand for Christ in this challenging sphere. We are all excited to see what God will do through our work and through those He brought to our second Education Revolution conference.
Ultimately, the day was yet another demonstration of the truth of John 1:5: “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Visit our new Education website to find resources and articles to help parents, teachers and church leaders raise up the next generation.
