In my church right now, we’re studying the Book of Habakkuk, an Old Testament minor prophet who many think lived the same time as the more well known prophet Jeremiah. Both preached about how God’s plans are often beyond human comprehension, and yet He remains faithful and sovereign over all history.

A few things have stood out as our pastor lays the groundwork for a deep dive into this man of influence from generations ago.

Clearly, there have always been really nasty leaders in this world and yet God never leaves his throne even using those people to give us insight and food to contemplate where our help ultimately comes from. And, as followers of Yahweh, we are called to keep our covenant, walk with his light at our feet and impact the world for his glory in part by helping those in our sphere of influence become aware of and in line with God’s plan for human flourishing.

Our homes and places of worship, right here in frosty Anchorage, as well as the rest of Alaska and our county, have been invaded and undermined by our public schools.

When Nicolás Maduro was captured and brought to Manhattan, a stunningly sophisticated endeavor regardless of where you stand on this foreign policy, the world became much better aware of the under radar war Maduro, with help from China, Russia and Iran, was waging against the United States. Who needs aircraft carriers, fighter jets and infantry when you can flood a country with drugs, cartel and gang members, insane asylum patients and your most dangerous prison inmates?

As I’ve contemplated the grainy, black and white explosions that have vaporized drug smuggling speed yachts bringing narcotics to our shores and now a handcuffed former dictator arm in arm with DEA agents in the Big Apple, I’ve connected a dot.

School boards and superintendents, like Jharrett Bryant with the Anchorage School District, are acting a lot like Nicolás Maduro when they undermine our First Amendment right to raise our kids in alignment with our deeply held convictions.

Our homes and places of worship, right here in frosty Anchorage, as well as the rest of Alaska and our county, have been invaded and undermined by our public schools. The acronyms of DEI, CRT and LGBTQ, although not embraced by every school administrator or teacher, have become joined at the hip with the NEA.

Children in taxpayer-funded classrooms are being told that you can choose your gender among a growing list of dozens and that parents and faith leaders who have guided those kids on issues related to sexuality are wrong. A wedge is being forged and it must stop.

It is indisputable that public schools in Alaska are still teaching kids a view of sexuality that undermines parental rights and traditional views on sexuality by faith leaders.

As Christ followers, we tell our children to respect authority, starting with their own parents. That is indeed the first commandment with a promise of long life and well-being. Despite the reality that many individuals in positions of authority fall short, myself included, God is honored when jurisdiction is recognized and that parents, public office holders, police officers, military members and yes, teachers, are acknowledged as having a level of authority in society.

But when those in authority abuse that power, Biblical justice is required to restore shalom.

Many teachers, principals, counselors and school board members are abusing their positions of authority by actively undermining the inherent right of families and faith leaders to direct the upbringing of their children. Instruction, from people we tell our children to honor, that implicitly endorses specific ideologies regarding gender or sexuality is not a neutral educational matter. It is a subject of core spiritual significance.

Despite a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (Mahmoud v Taylor) clarifying that parents must be informed of and given explicit opportunities to opt their kids out of any instruction involving LGBTQ matters as well as a memo from the former Alaska Attorney General stating the same, it is indisputable that public schools in Alaska are still teaching kids a view of sexuality that undermines parental rights and traditional views on sexuality by faith leaders.

Alaska Family Council is very serious about ending this violation and will, in the coming weeks and months, provide clarity once again to public school officials. Until it stops, legal action is going to transpire.

As a school district in Massachusetts just found out, the courts are siding with parents. In that important ruling, the Court stated accurately that “Under well-established constitutional principles, defendants (the public school) cannot force plaintiff (the parents) to choose between foregoing the valuable benefit of having his child attend public kindergarten and exposing his child to materials that would burden his free exercise of religion.”

Stay tuned for updates on our important efforts in this arena. An action item that can happen right now is for parents to let their public school children, from Kindergarten to Seniors in high school, know that any rainbow-themed lesson is not appropriate unless the parent has been informed and given the right to opt out.

When the legal actions begin, we can echo what Secretary Rubio noted regarding the Maduro capture about our own resolve. “If you didn’t know…now you know.” Let’s be covenant keepers and look out for the welfare of our city and our children.

The views expressed here are those of the author.

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