Schools that the Lord loves and that God will honor are born, not invented by vagabond dreamers. They are born in the rich hunger for biblical understanding, spontaneously, without legislature or anxious manipulations. God's schools have been, and always will be, organisms, first, not mere organizations. If we need schools merely because there is a deficit of preachers and missionaries, the root is deeper than education. For when we have the correct spiritual posture of evangelical spirituality and evangelistic fervor, we will have more preachers than pulpits, and they will be trained, not following folly; good, not immoral or lukewarm; and, scripturally sound, not mere philosophical wanderers.

The current twentieth century apostasy indicates conclusively that we need new schools because many of the old ones have shared in the falling away. However, these new schools need to be born in the old way. We live in a time when the old landmarks are being swept away by a "neo" crowd. Denominations are being divided; ecumenical movements are flourishing; and, the boundaries where scriptural affinities formerly held have given way to charismatic fevers in their leaderships.

The words of Isaiah, the prophet, fit quite appropriately with the ecclesiastical leaders and the false prophets of our time.

Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:14-16).

The Lord is leading a remnant of God's people back to the days of primitive Christianity. It is a time when it is truly every man for himself before God in these matters of current religiosity. Many conservatives are falling away into the ecumenical movements; many fundamentalists are falling away into the evangelical ranks; and, many old-line Christians are being swept away among the pentecostalists. It seems certain that two great religious forces are getting together for a final church: (1) The Ecumenical movements are moving toward a new unity. (2) The Charismatics and Neo-Pentecostalists are moving toward that same unity. This is the return of the union of Babel; the Anti-Christ church is being born.

Many Bible colleges and teachers are being carried away—some giving only lip service to truth without becoming involved openly; and others with outright denials are giving lip service to error. Where are the foundations and fundamentals of the Bible as set forth in orthodoxy and orthopraxy?

The methods, means, mission, and manner of evangelism are becoming more important to the church, as an institution, than the Message and the man of God. They say that we need to "get out where the action is," and become "relevant to an age." Much church slang has identified Christ as being "cool," the Holy Spirit as being a "trip," and God the Father as being a "god" that a hippy would love. Reverence and truth are probably our greatest needs; and reformation, revival, restitution, repentance, and regeneration our only hope.

May we always remember that the facade of higher learning will never take the place of the need for lower kneeling. "If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3)

As schools across the country begin another year, we wonder which ones will truly set forth the principles of the Word of God?