In 1923, Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen warned of a growing threat to both liberty and truth: the centralization of education under the control of the state. Nearly a century later, Machen’s words read like prophecy. As debates rage today over parental rights, curriculum transparency, and the role of ideology in public schools, one thing is clear—Machen was right.
In his landmark work Education, Christianity, and the State, Machen argued that education must not become a tool of government indoctrination. He viewed compulsory, state-controlled education as a danger not only to intellectual freedom but to the very soul of a nation. A system that excludes Christianity under the guise of “neutrality,” he wrote, is not neutral at all—it actively teaches a rival religion, one rooted in humanism and moral relativism.
Fast forward to today: public education in America often promotes a worldview that is increasingly hostile to Christian convictions. Biblical morality is ridiculed, traditional family structures are undermined, and children are encouraged to explore gender ideologies and subjective truth without parental consent. This is not education—it’s cultural engineering.
Machen believed that parents—not bureaucrats—are the rightful stewards of a child’s moral and spiritual formation. When the state claims that authority, it commits a grave injustice and disrupts the God-ordained order of the family. The growing number of families turning to homeschooling, classical Christian schools, and private education options is not a fringe movement—it’s a quiet revolution of conscience, a reclaiming of sacred responsibility.
That’s why the backlash to Louisiana House Bill 550 last legislative session was both puzzling and troubling. In the last legislative session, HB550 came under heavy assault—even from some so-called homeschooling parents—despite the fact that the bill enhances their autonomy and strips unnecessary government oversight. HB550’s aims were to modernize Louisiana’s outdated homeschool statute, streamlining the process and restoring parental control where it belongs.
Here’s what HB550 would do:
- End the BESE approval process—parents would no longer need permission to homeschool.
- Give parents full control over curriculum, subjects, and instruction.
- Simplify filing—only a one-time notice is required (no annual renewals).
- Limit state data collection—only name, address, and student count are needed.
- Ensure homeschool diplomas carry full legal weight and preserve eligibility for TOPS scholarships.
This is not a power grab by the state—it’s a release of power back to parents. There’s nothing in the bill that expands government control over families’ lives. In fact, it eliminates bureaucratic bottlenecks—BESE can’t keep up with homeschool renewals—and removes burdensome requirements that reflect outdated attitudes toward homeschooling.
It’s worth noting that only 3 states in America (Louisiana included) still use an “approval” model for homeschooling, and only 4 require birth certificates, with even fewer mandating automatic immunization submissions. Louisiana is overdue for reform. HB550 is a rare opportunity to affirm educational liberty without compromising accountability.
Yet critics argue that giving homeschoolers more freedom might “draw attention.” But the attention is already here. Nationwide, there’s a growing push to deregulate homeschooling—not to hide, but to protect what is rightfully ours: the ability to raise and educate our children in line with our convictions.
Machen’s voice still echoes with urgency. We must resist the totalitarian impulse to standardize minds and sterilize truth. Education should not be a tool of the state—it should be the cultivation of wisdom, virtue, and faith, guided by families and communities, not distant officials. HB550 was a step toward restoring that balance. What will our legislators do in this new session? Parents must be trusted—not feared—with the sacred task of shaping their children’s destinies.