Over the years, many court cases have been fought over the issue of “Church and State.” It has even been said that there needs to be a wall separating the church from the state. Now what this means is definitely up to interpretation. Generally, it is applied to mean that churches cannot formally use public institutions or property to promote their religious beliefs. What arguments about this topic leave out is the crucial role churches play in our society’s governmental institutions. This is where the family must form the bridge between the church and the state.

In schools for instance, it is essential that students come to school with a value system that will lead to their success and to harmonious relations with other people. Therefore, it is critical that they come to school knowing that certain ways of thinking and behaving are required. For example, they need to be honest, considerate, compassionate and respectful. If they do not have these qualities, they will not personally succeed, and the culture of the school will suffer.

Such character traits learned in the home and the church are essential to schools and our country as a whole. Having a civil society is highly dependent on the family and their ability to pass on fundamental values to the next generation. When families take this role seriously, the wall between church and state is removed and a bridge takes the wall’s place. Families provide this bridge so that the value system that is taught through our religious institutions is practiced in our secular ones.

The family is and has always been the key to a healthy society. When our family structures break down or become dysfunctional, the institutions that are created to serve the family suffer with them. This is why the family and school partnership is so critical. Our schools depend on the culture that is being infused in the children through their parents.

Today the family is more stretched and stressed than ever before. More families are fractured today than at any other time in our history. It is also safe to say that parents have never felt pulled in so many directions as they are today. One example of this is seen when both parents work and many are forced to do more than one job. As more families experience this pressure, it becomes more difficult to hold the fabric of our society together.

Public and private institutions must do all they can to support the family and help them deal with the pressures of our modern world. Schools are a part of this support system that must help families be the bridge between our country’s value-base and our public institutions. Other organizations must also do their parts. Fortunately, we see this happening in many areas of our community.

It is the best interest of all in our city that families provide the support structure that children need as a base for their character development. Then families become the bridge between church and state. If families cannot fulfill this role, the downfall of our civilization will not be far behind. Families and schools are critical partners in the development and formation of the next generation of youth. The community has a huge stake in seeing that this partnership remains steady and strong.

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