CViE UPDATE – At Christmas
Dear Christian Values in Education Supporter,
We would take this opportunity to reflect on the past year and update you on recent developments within CViE.
At this time of year, we send this Update to offer some news and updates that we trust will be of help or interest, especially with the time at home you may be looking forward to.
Christmas Greeting from the Trustees
As we approach the end of 2023, we wish to acknowledge the goodness of God in enabling the work of CViE to continue for another year. We are also grateful to each of you our supporters for your prayers and donations.
Our aim remains to encourage and equip Christians to stand firm on the Word of God in education today. We do this in the context of a society that continues to reject God and his Word often in an increasingly aggressive way. We are thankful to have been able to continue through the year with regular Education Matters briefings, blogs, another successful well attended conference, several online meetups and various new publications. We hope and pray that what we try to do is helpful to you all whatever your link with education. Do let us know if there are other ways we can support you.
We are glad to have heard testimony through the year from parents, teachers and others in educational settings enabled with God’s help to take a stand. We are also encouraged that there remain those in positions of responsibility at the national level who faithfully maintain a Biblical worldview. Indeed, in some areas ground has been retaken, most notably in a push back against transgender ideology.
CViE is not an evangelistic organisation, however, it is our desire that through our work amongst Christians and the churches, a Biblical worldview will be more strongly established. As a result of this we pray that the light of the gospel will shine more brightly into the darkness of our society, and that the hearts and minds of our children will be protected from unbiblical teaching.
As we come to this time of year, it is sad to see that most people around us are completely ignorant of the real meaning of Christmas. We also see so much uncertainty, division, sadness, violence and suffering throughout the world. What a blessing it would be if more people understood how incredibly special the coming of the Lord Jesus was, took to heart the message of the angel that Jesus came to save his people from their sins, and joined the shepherds and wise men in worshiping him. Only then will there be more peace and stability on earth and more understanding and good will towards others. For those of us who do know these truths, as we consider the Christmas story, let us not forget that the child in the manger is now the King of glory reigning through heaven and earth, and that if we ask, he has promised to help us with all the challenges we face in serving him as we look to the future.
We wish you each a very happy Christmas and God’s blessing for 2024.
With Christian greetings,
James Skelton
Vice-Chair, on behalf of the trustees and staff of CViE
Seasonal Items of Interest
The Christmas priority
Every parent – and every believer, we expect – is determined, at this distracted time of the year, to maintain the right focus amidst the worldliness of December. ‘Keeping Christ in Christmas’ is an article that offers twelve ideas for honoring God in our Christmas festivities
For a pleasant holiday morning
The December version of ‘Acts and Facts for Kids’ from Institute for Christian Research is available and offers word searches, spot-the-differences, coloring pages, code-breaking puzzles, and learning about all sorts of different animals. Free to download and print off.
If you watch – safer options
Christians are constantly faced by the real challenge of finding suitable programming for their family to enjoy. So many of the channels or streaming services are so openly in conflict with our values as followers of Jesus that we may be tempted to give up.
Here are a couple of options: Bentkey and Pureflix.
If you read – the enduring value of Christian books
In a recent article – ‘Athanasius On the Incarnation’ – the author reminds us of one of the best-known defenders of the divinity of Christ as Advent begins. The joy of the truth of Immanuel – ‘God with us’ – has been a point of challenge since it happened, and Athanasius preserved the biblical view that Jesus is “in very nature God.” He argued with such inspiring determination that he became known as Athanasius Contra Mundum, “Athanasius Against the World.” Reading older books is a helpful Christian discipline and, during this season when many will take time to sit in a comfy chair with a book, this article offers a happy reminder of the blessing awaiting those who will balance the reading of new books with old ones.
On the CViE website
Available now at the website are videos of the main talks from the 2023 CViE National Conference in September, from Roger Kiska (‘A Practical Guide to your Legal Rights in Education’), and from Steve Pearce (‘Weapons of Mass Distraction – How Independent is your Thinking?’).
Our website has been busy, and continues to offer a steady stream of current issues-related writing and news updates, and we were particularly delighted to publish and print our new resource in 2023, ‘To Whom Do Our Children Belong?’ from Geoff Thomas, available here.
Besides all of our resources, you will also find recent blogs such as:
Education Secretary’s letter to parents: You have the right to see RSHE lesson material
Preparing for the imminent transgender guidance
The current RSHE issues are nothing new
Home education: How I finally came to a decision
CViE Conference 2024
As the Lord allows, the 2024 National Conference will be held on Saturday 28th September at the King’s Centre, Chessington (same venue). Preparations are gathering pace, as we hope to partner with Truth in Science to focus on the foundational principles of the early chapters in Genesis.
‘Creation vs evolution’ was perhaps the key battleground in education a few decades ago but gets much less focus today. However, the major issues in society right now, and which we have sought to tackle at recent CViE events, all have their roots in the rejection of Genesis 1-11.
We are planning to have a key note session going back to basics to remind us of the wonders of creation, the glory or our creator God and how these truths are undermined across much of the education system, and a Q&A session with an expert panel from science, education and medicine to answer your questions about the challenges faced by those in these fields and to give practical advice for remaining faithful to a Biblical worldview.
We also aim to have the usual sessions for children and teens, and are carefully considering how to best accommodate the large numbers attending. A full range of exhibitors and bookstalls will be available.
Full details will be made available on our website in the coming months. All if the Lord will.
On behalf of the CViE Trustees,
Wishing you the Lord’s blessing at this season of the year –
Tim Wills
Business and Development Manager
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)
