I don’t know much about school vouchers or the policy Bill Lee is pushing through our state legislature right now.

But I am greatly concerned by conservatives' (and specifically Evangelicals’) perceived eagerness to rush from our public schools.

Being a kid is hard as shit.

I can think of no better way to love our neighbors - our community - than to support our local public schools.

Salt and light.

In the world, not of the world.

To be little Kingdom builders in a difficult and lonely world.

I'm not talking about standing out front of schools with a huge wooden cross, handing out pamphlets. Rather, I'm talking about being in PTA meetings to ensure every child is safe, warm & fed. Making sure classrooms are stocked. And making sure teachers feel supported & appreciated.

If we already believe public schools are broken - a woke trap that will pull our children from their faith - what more will come of those schools if Christians abandon them?

As the church, is it our duty to run or to serve?

It seems many in the church don’t believe the God of the universe can withstand a cross-examination. We act as though Truth is so fragile that it can be taken down by earnest skepticism or a library book.

Personally, I can’t fathom raising my kids in an isolated, Christian bubble where they don’t experience the “real world” until they move off to college. I graduated high school with many of those kids. It wasn’t pretty.

I want my kids to face those challenges while living under my roof and eating dinner at my table.

And I want the children in my kids’ classes to experience the love of Jesus and the redemptive work of the church - not as a tally mark for an outreach program, but because they are humans.

And, no matter how young, lost, tattered, or woke, God's creation deserves redemption.