The June 2004 Southern Baptist Convention national meeting rejected a resolution that called on Baptist parents to remove their children from public schools, and instead place them in home schools or “truly Christian private schools.” Though the amendment was defeated, the spirit of preserving and spreading Christian values remains a priority for the group. So much so, in fact, that in another vote the group decided to exit the 99 year-old Baptist World Alliance. The BWA’s liberal positions have been a souce of friction for a number of years.

Southern Baptists generally support choice in education, but this move seemed too radical for a majority of those present. Removing Christian children from public schools wholesale would mean an end to opportunities to exert a positive Christian influence on the schools, some say. Others are doubtful that the evangelical approach is having much effect.

Baptists are not alone in raising an alarm about the state of state education. Clint Green of the Acton Institute points to concerns about the secularization of culture, already present and growing in the Muslim, Jewish and Roman Catholic communities. Green notes that it would “be wise” for government schools and policy makers to take note that lots of parents are watching, and they don’t like what they see.