The book of Daniel reinforces the idea that education is discipleship based on the education tactics used with the Jewish exiles.
As I spent the month of July sitting in the book of Daniel, I was struck by the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar understood the importance of education. He understood that education is discipleship. And many of his education tactics are being used in our society today. If you want to get some context on this topic before you continue this post, read my previous post Education Is Discipleship.
At the very beginning of the book, Daniel relates to us how he came to live in Babylon. Most scholars agree that he and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), were around the age of fifteen when they were essentially kidnapped and taken to Babylon. Once there, these young men were subjected to very intentional and systematic tactics that were intended to make them forget where they came from so they could lead their own people to follow the Babylonian culture.
Babylonian Education Tactics
The first education tactic used by the Babylonians was isolation. Not only were these boys taken from their families in Israel, but they were also separated from the other exiles. They were specifically selected for their appearance, pedigree, and knowledge to be set apart to be trained and taught. This brings us to the second tactic of the Babylonians: indoctrination.
Scripture tells us that they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The goal was to immerse them in this new culture and teach them where the beliefs originated. They were supposed to replace what they had learned in Israel with this new and “superior” knowledge. Since the Babylonians were able to defeat and conquer the Israelites, the Babylonian gods and culture must be better, so the Jews were expected to assimilate, which is the third education tactic.
Daniel and his friends had a complete lifestyle change. They were served foreign (to them) food and drink that came from the king’s table. They were taught what it meant to stand before the king. And they were expected to comply with every request, including answering to a different name. This leads us into the last of the Babylonian education tactics.
The final tactic of the Babylonians was confusion. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are all names that point to the God of Israel. Daniel means “God is my judge.” Hananiah means “Yahweh is gracious,” Mishael, “Who is what God is?” and Azariah, “Yahweh is a helper.” The new Babylonian names given to these young men, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, all point to the Babylonian gods Maduk, Bel, and Nebo. By creating confusion, King Nebuchadnezzar understood that these boys would cling to anything that appeared to be solid ground. They would go with the flow of the culture because it would all make sense once they had spent the full three years under this indoctrination.
Of course, if you are familiar with the biblical account, you know that they did not assimilate. They rejected the food and held to their Jewish beliefs, and they paid dearly for their faithfulness. We might look at Daniel and his friends and think, “See, they made it. They were able to stay faithful to God in spite of living in a godless society—a society that was hostile to their faith.” But how many captives didn’t remain faithful to God? Of all of the Israelites taken to Babylon, we only know of these four young men who stood strong in spite of the danger.
And boy, did they face danger! They weren’t threatened with death, they were literally thrown into the fire and into the lion’s den where they were expected to die. Only through God’s intervention did they survive. How many others caved under pressure because their faith wasn’t strong enough to sustain them?
So how does this relate to education tactics seen in our society? I have heard and read many preachers talk about this for our college students. Once our kids go off to college, they are isolated, indoctrinated, assimilated, and confused. But I would argue this is happening long before college. I would argue this is the intention of government schools.
Before you close this post offended because your daughter teaches in public school, and she is not indoctrinating her students, please hear me: This is the goal of the school system, not each individual teacher! I am 100% pro teacher. I know many amazing teachers who are doing their best to stand in the gap and protect their students from the world’s harmful ideologies. Unfortunately, most of those same teachers are also wondering how long they will be able to do that.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s break down this sequence.
Education Tactics in Our Society
Isolation: You may be thinking, “My kids come home everyday, and we talk about what they are learning.” Ok, I get it, but if you have been at work for 8 hours that day, and your child has been at school for 8 hours that day, how much energy do you really have to talk about what they learned, especially if you are spending your evenings at ball practice or gymnastic classes? Are you spending as much time at home teaching them as their teacher is spending with them at school? Not to mention that there seems to be a concerted effort to keep parents in the dark about what takes place in the classroom.
Indoctrination: Knowing how a subject is being taught is more important than the subject itself because it is teaching the students how to approach not only that subject, but every piece of information they encounter. The teacher’s pedagogy is passing on the teacher’s worldview even if it isn’t explicitly stated. Often we discuss what the child learned when we should be discussing how it was taught to get a full picture of the teacher’s worldview.
Assimilation: One thing I can say with absolute certainty after our country’s experience with Covid is that the years of anti-bully slogans and seminars have failed miserably. There was so much peer and administrative pressure to force students to comply with “guidelines” that they now know to go against the grain is to ask for trouble. This applies to the pronoun choices of their classmates, sharing a bathroom or locker room with a child of a different biological gender, and even their status in the classroom based on the color of their skin. We have been taught to “go along to get along” or else…
Confusion: Our children are being taught that gender is fluid, it’s okay to keep secrets from your parents, and all sexual activity at any age is normal. They are being taught that the color of their skin determines their success in life. History is changing, not the future, but the past. Science should not be challenged. And the list could go on.
So, as believers, how do we respond? How do we make sure that we are giving our children the tools they need to stand strong in this hostile world? We disrupt the program!
Disrupt the Education Program
Of course, the best and quickest way to disrupt the program is to pull your kids completely out of the program. Whether you choose to homeschool your kids or send them to a private school where you have a say in what and how they learn, taking them out of the system is the easiest way to disrupt the program. But it isn’t the only way.
Which of these education tactics can you disrupt? Can you be at your child’s school periodically so you are disrupting the isolation? Can you make sure to be teaching your child biblical truth at home (not just in Sunday school) to disrupt the indoctrination and the assimilation? Can you have difficult conversations with your kids to clear up the confusion? The truth is the program is systematic, so disrupting one tactic will disrupt all of them. Imagine what it will do for your child’s confidence and strength to see you in the hallways or the classroom on a regular basis! Be the parent who asks for the lesson plans and gets ahold of the textbook or articles ahead of time. Be the mom who makes regular appointments with your child’s teacher so you can be sure he or she knows your worldview.
Disrupting the system at any level will not guarantee your child will have a strong relationship with God, but he or she will have a greater chance when you set the example. Show your kids what it looks like to live your life with a biblical worldview in spite of the hostility the world throws at you.
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