The Rise of Christian Education
In today’s newsletter:
- The Rise of Christian Education
- Squatters Gonna Squat, Market Watch, and The Semiconductor Arms Race
- MBA Lessons from an NBA Christian: Jonathan Isaac’s Unique Take on a Lifestyle Brand
Famed reformer Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
This is a feel-good, popular sentiment, and it gives us hope. The problem is, this goes in both directions: the world can be changed for good or for evil. When we look at what a subverted education system – or simply a poor education system – does to the next generation, should we be hopeful? Or should we think that something’s got to give?
Christy-Faith, in her popular book Homeschool Rising, describes the growing skepticism of the current public school system in this way:
“It’s having the courage to truly ask ourselves, ‘This may be normal, but is this “normal” good?’”
Increasingly, the Christian community in America looks at the 200-year-old public school system and says, “No. This is not good.”
The ever-declining test scores, increasingly unhinged political and philosophical agendas, and the behavior and crime problems in public schools are now well attested and documented. But where does that leave the future leaders of our churches, businesses, and governments?
If we abandon the public school system as a failed model, where are parents to turn?
Increasingly, the answer is:
1) Private Christian Schools
2) Homeschool
3) A hybrid model that blends the first two approaches.
The numbers tell us that private school enrollment is booming, and more families are homeschooling than ever before. We spoke with parents, educators, and even church staff who have funded new private schools in order to better understand the phenomena of America’s slow rejection of the public school system.
“We chose a private Christian school for the morals and values,” says Michelle Perelman, a mother of three (and pregnant with her fourth). She and her husband moved their family from Alabama to Tennessee and have recently enrolled their children in a parochial school. “We’ve enjoyed our experience so far and have been very satisfied with the education… Overall, we chose it because we either wanted to homeschool or have them attend a Christian school so our kids would learn Bible stories. God is very present and known in our kids’ lives at school.”
Dan Deyling, Principal of Foothills Christian High School in San Diego, CA, says this reasoning is becoming common.
“A significant number of people aren’t interested in the religion of the public schools – which is secularism – and they’re looking for an alternative. Christian education offers a coherent, cohesive theory that is based on reality, and it works.”
When asked why Christian schools are an increasingly attractive solution for even non-believers, Deyling highlights the classroom management issue that is facing public schools, and the alternative environment you find in a private Christian institution.
“Parents want places where you can actually make rules, have discipline, and enforce it. That’s become less and less available in the public school system.”
Foothills Christian School follows the hybrid model, which provides 3 days of in-person instruction in a fairly typical school setting, and 2 days of independent study – essentially home schooling – that allows parents in on the process of educating their children. The school was founded nearly three decades ago by a local church.
Some other Christian parents, however, prefer to keep all of the education in-house.
“We really love spending time with our kids,” says Ben Gordon, an entrepreneur in Los Angeles with four children. He and his wife have decided to homeschool. “We value passing our values onto the next generation, and we want to be the primary ones instilling values into our children. We’re very passionate about it.”
Sara Reading, a mother of three in Chattanooga, TN, expressed a similar sentiment but with an intriguing twist. She and her husband have taken inspiration for their children’s education from the monastic tradition. “What I love about monasteries,” Reading says, “is that they operate in slowness and thoughtfulness. Their faith isn’t compartmentalized as part of their day; it’s central, and everything else is peripheral to that. That’s why we are doing what we are doing. We want to grow together in a faith-centric lifestyle.”She and her husband send their kids to a hybrid school once a week, and the rest of their days they spend with their parents.
As more and more Christian parents reflect on their time in the public school system, spending 8 hours a day in classrooms, followed by multiple hours of homework in the evening, they are starting to think that we’ve been given a raw deal. (Over 50% of U.S. adults say that public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction.) Christian private schools, hybrid schools, and the homeschool approach offer a different solution, which allows faith to be integrated into every aspect of our lives and builds up the family unit at a time when that is rare.
Homeschooling, however, takes some organization, a special set of skills, and at least one parent who doesn’t have to be at work. Private Christian schools tend to be expensive (over $12,000 per year, per child, on average), and not everyone can afford to send their children. Thankfully, there are more and more resources and homeschool support networks to assist people who are making the switch. Private Christian schools often offer scholarships, especially when affiliated with a local church – and in some states, such as Tennessee, the government now allows for a voucher system so that your tax dollars can go towards tuition at a private Christian institution.
All of this is to say that finding a way to give your children a Christian education can be challenging, but there are ways of making it happen – and the stakes have never been higher. Preacher and writer Voddie Baucham provides a piercing epigram in an era where more and more young people are abandoning the faith and embracing strange and damaging ideas:
“If you send your children to Caesar to be educated, you should not be surprised when they come back as Romans.”
Private Christian schools aren’t funded by Caesar, so that gives them a bit more freedom in how they operate and in what they teach. Instead, they get their operating capital from tuition, endowments, fundraisers, or even from local churches pitching in using tithes and offerings. Private school teachers make much less (around $41k) on average than public school teachers (around $66k), so even the instructors are willing to take a hit in order to help the cause. Homeschooling, needless to say, isn’t government-funded either; it’s mom, dad, and a whole lot of decisions to make and organizing to do.
At the end of the day, parents who put their children in private Christian schools or homeschool their children feel that the unique education is a price they’ll gladly pay.
“It’s worth it,” says Rita Fulkerson, a mother of three in Georgia. “It’s very worth it.”
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Squatters Gonna Squat, Market Watch, and The Semiconductor Arms Race
Squatters Gonna Squat
Rental property owners, beware – squatting is on the rise. Strange as that sounds, it is, unfortunately, true, and causing havoc in many states, such as California, which has a specific set of “squatter’s rights,” making it difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible to remove an unlawful resident from your property, whether this is a former tenant who stopped paying rent and refuses to leave, or simply a random person who shows up and takes up residence without permission. Often, unlawful tenants can damage the property once the eviction process has begun, and in some states, property owners are not allowed to cut off utilities.
In Florida, Governor Ron Desantis recently signed legislation to make it easier to remove squatters from properties they unlawfully occupy, and Senator John Fetterman has gone on record stating, “Squatters have no rights. How can you even pretend that this is anything other than you’re just breaking the law?” For the moment, however, the crisis remains.
A New York property owner was arrested in March for “unlawful eviction” after confronting a group of squatters in her deceased parents’ home and attempting to change the locks. In Washington, a squatter who has occupied a home he does not own and has not paid rent for in over two years was granted a restraining order against the homeowner – meaning the property owner has to stay 1,000 feet away from the house which he owns. Newsweek offers a comparison of squatter’s rights in various states, and Fox Business provides a list of tips to help prevent your property from falling prey to squatters.
Market Watch
Amid persistent “sideways” inflation, employment data, and a still-hot economy, economists are less certain of Fed rate cuts this year. Gold continued its record-breaking bull market early this week, but experts warn that it is likely to contract soon. In Oil, Brent Crude has climbed past $90/barrel (and West Texas is sitting at just above $86), but it seems to be decreasing now, in part due to a potential ceasefire in Gaza, though Israel’s heightened tensions with Iran and a still-tight supply suggest that prices likely won’t go too low any time soon. Legendary investor Michael Burry is still calling for a stock market crash, and while some economists warn that we could still see a recession, a strong job market and improved GDP projections for 2024 make a recession unlikely, according to many experts.
The Semiconductor Arms Race
The United States is poised to award Samsung $6.6 billion to expand its chip-making capabilities in Tyler, Texas. It’s a large sum, but still only one-eighth of the amount earmarked for companies to produce computer chips in the United States in the 2022 bipartisan spending package called the “Chips and Science Act.” As tensions continue to mount in the Taiwan Strait, with China always threatening to invade, it has become a priority for the United States to decentralize its semiconductor sourcing – because Taiwan currently produces 60% of the world’s semiconductors and 90% of the advanced semiconductors (the type that is used in our top-secret military technology). This disbursement of funds via the Chips and Science is primarily about shoring up national security, but it will also have a tremendous impact on local economies where factories are being built or expanded, and we could also see an impact in the stock market.
Sunday School
Q. What does the Hebrew word “Shema” (שְׁמַע) mean?
A. “Hear.” What is interesting, however, is that in Hebrew this is not separate from the concept of “obey.” Therefore, “Shema” means “hear in such a way that you do it,” or “hear and respond appropriately.”
“After learning how much free advertising she had been giving to various apparel companies, Cheyenne decided to really lean into it.”
TIPS & TRICKS
MBA Lessons from an NBA Christian: Jonathan Isaac’s Unique Take on a Lifestyle Brand
Here’s the unfortunate reality – a lot of the time, when a celebrity starts a consumer products brand, the “lifestyle” they try to tie in with its merchandise is something less than admirable. You have Kanye’s Yeezy brand, which historically promotes a sort of aloof solipsism (and now open anti-semitism, such as the infamous “Adidas” shirt they sell). Gweneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand “Goop” is wasteful and just plain weird (click on that link at your own risk – we did say they were weird). A lot of rapper brands encourage infidelity and promiscuity. A lot of athlete brands encourage arrogance.
Is the concept of “lifestyle marketing” even savable?
Jonathan Isaac, a Christian and a fine defensive player in the NBA, plays forward for the Orlando Magic. Outside of basketball, he is outspoken in his thoughts on politics, culture, and faith, and he is most known for his decision to stand during the National Anthem at a time when every single other player in the league knelt, amidst the BLM protests. He even wrote a bestselling book about the experience titled Why I Stand.
Now, Isaac has set his entrepreneurial sights on the clothing and shoe industry, like many NBA stars before him have done. What is different, however, is that in 2023 he did not sign a deal with your run-of-the-mill lifestyle brands such as Nike or Adidas, who he felt did not align with his values. Instead, he started his own brand called UNITUS.
“I wanted to create… an alternative and give lovers of God, lovers of country the freedom to wear their values in a cool, stylish way,” Isaac says. His flagship shoe, the Judah 1, features lion imagery and scriptures. “UNITUS gives you a way to confidently wear what you believe, without compromising style or performance,” the brand’s website says in its “About Us” section. The clothing is fairly unremarkable, except for a preference for muted earth tones, a retro tracksuit, and a neat logo that looks like a set of pilot’s wings. Hoodies are $11, shoes are $150, and sweatpants are $65, while t-shirts go for $40.
The prices aren’t a lot different from what you see from Nike – who used to sponsor Isaac. Now, he’s split from the $130 billion company and has gone out on his own in a difficult and crowded category. That takes courage, but courage is something that Isaac has in spades, and we can take a lesson from him. UNITUS isn’t poised to topple Nike anytime soon, but if Isaac can carve out a niche, produce a good product, and put forth a lifestyle that promotes things of actual value, that’s a big win.
As businesspeople, we’re always going to keep a close eye on the dollars and cents, as we should. But people like Jonathan Isaac remind us not to lose our distinctiveness as Christians, and that means so much more than the Bible verses on the shoes. It’s about integrity, loving what God loves, and having the courage to step out on your own when you have to.
Sometimes, it isn’t about the money- not first, anyway.
The money seems to be coming in, however. Revenue for UNITUS is not publicly available, but we do know that they have sold out and restocked at least two of the shoe models they sell. In a category as tough as basketball shoes, that’s a pretty good start.
Quick Hits
- Blackstone President Jonathan Gray says, “We can see the pillars of a real-estate recovery coming into place, specifically in regards to the multifamily/rental market.
- The Wall Street Journal traces several shifting narratives on the stock market and encourages investors to be clear-headed and eyes-open when placing bets.
- Pew Research Center offers “6 Facts about Americans and TikTok” for those wanting to understand the reach of the social media platform in our country.
- Church Leaders encourages pastors and elders to “fight the urge to make your small church look big,” instead valuing the intimacy and connectedness of a smaller body.
Guess the Prompt
Our “Rise of Christian Education” graphic was generated using AI prompts. Guess the prompt for your chance to win Sent To Win gear. Just reply to this email with your best guess.
For Kingdom Leaders, By Kingdom Leaders
Bringing Kingdom-minded leaders like you fresh perspectives and insights on business, finance, and leadership trends.
