Published on September 16, 2024, 12:29 am

In the midst of evolving societal trends, Stefani McDade has been appointed theology editor at Christianity Today, stirring significant concern from conservative Christian quarters. Notorious for its progressive ideologies, Christianity Today has taken another leap toward the left with this appointment. However, it is McDade’s recent endorsement of public schools acting as platforms for “strength training” for children’s faith which has precipitated significant controversy.

McDade champions the idea that allowing children to wrestle with contradictory secular narratives while under parental guidance results in stronger faith. Yet critics argue that this notion appears akin to sending lambs into a den of wolves and defining it as strength training.

Several critics have accused individuals like McDade, Russell Moore, David French, and Mike Cosper of misleading Christians into believing that their offspring should be exposed to secular indoctrination camps. Such viewpoints are deemed dangerous and misguided given the potential harm posed by these institutions on formative young minds.

The progressive theology that McDade propagates had led some detractors to liken it to soft-mindedness or regressive thought patterns infecting a large segment of contemporary churches. Critics argue that equating children’s exposure to worldly counter-narratives with spiritual enlightenment is nothing more than full-scale indoctrination targeting Christianity itself under the guise of personal development.

Many accuse vast sections of contemporary education systems in being insistent upon promoting radical ideologies such as transgender theory or Marxist underpinnings hidden beneath educational frameworks. These teachings are seen by many within the Christian community as running counterproductive to their efforts in maintaining traditional values within their families.

The suggestion that exposure to opposing ideologies results in stronger faith is considered illogical by numerous Christian adults who find difficulty defending their own faith against these trending philosophies. Dissenters question how a child would fare any better when faced with these ideologically complex challenges.

Critics contend that using lofty rhetoric around ‘strength training’, progressives like McDade are ultimately advocating for child sacrifice within classrooms saturated with secular humanism and diversity representation.

Increasingly, proponents of traditional Christianity fear a manufactured effort to dismantle the biblically-endorsed concept of a family. McDade’s suggestion to send children into public schools is seen as nothing less than a disaster waiting to happen, boiling down to reckless exposure of children to secular ideologies which undermine their Christian upbringing.

In conclusion, while divergent approaches will always exist regarding how best to educate our children, this new wave of inclusive and progressive teaching methods has resulted in real concern among the traditional Christian community. At stake are not only personal religious beliefs but also the very underpinnings of familial structures and societal norms from the perspective of these adherents to orthodox Christianity.