Conviction, Belief, and Why It Matters in Education

“We can’t grow up [children] in these K-12 schools where nobody takes a position on anything” - Dr. Cy Smith

Recently, Dr. Cy Smith appeared as a guest on the Purpose Under Pressure podcast with Bryan Lefelhoc and talked about his mission to help instill a biblical worldview in the next generation. That is the purpose of the Clearly Christian with Dr. Cy Smith podcast. But in this episode, you hear why it matters so much, directly from the source.

Dr. Smith is convicted. “Convictions are more than just those beliefs that we hold, they actually hold us in their grip”, he says, referencing Albert Mohler. “Conviction is actually bigger than me. My life is driven by conviction and not the other way around”.

He compares a conviction in truth to the belief in what the world says today. The “Disney Philosophy” suggests that if you believe in something, it will be true. But only the Truth is true. You must believe in the truth.

This episode’s Chalkboard Points are evidence of the conviction that Dr. Smith brings to his work as Superintendent at Mansfield Christian School, and his role as host of the Clearly Christian Podcast. They accurately set up the conversation with Dr. Smith and lay out why he does what he does and why it is so important for you to know more about it too.

Chalkboard Point #1: Your Convictions Matter. Dr. Smith says that “If you want to live a life of significance and meaning and purpose, then you must hold to a conviction and act upon it.” So, if that’s the case, those convictions better be bigger than you, and they must be true.

Chalkboard Point #2: You have to know what you believe, and why you believe it.This is important for many reasons, as stated above. It is undeniably important when it comes to what we teach to our children. “You’ve got to know your convictions”, says Dr. Smith, “and you’ve got to pass those on to your children”.

Chalkboard Point #3: Never underestimate what God will accomplish through your life when you live with Christian Convictions. Dr. Smith acknowledges that you have a choice. But when you choose Christian convictions, “your influence will be far greater than you ever thought possible. He’ll take care of His truth, and it’ll play out exactly as he wants it to play out”

During the Purpose Under Pressure podcast, Bryan Lefelhoc asked about the state of Public Education today. “Why is a Christian Education so important, if education is about math, English, History, and the things that should be taught in school”

“Because all truth is God’s Truth” replied Cy. “Why is this or that true? You know, eventually we have to go back further and say ‘where did this subject even start’? Well eventually, all things point back to God”. “There’s a purpose for language and math that is Godly. The whole truth is defined by Him, and so that is made the basis for the learning every day.” Dr. Smith continues and contends that our public schools are removing God from the discussion entirely. “It’s like He’s irrelevant to the subject”. They’re saying this is true whether God’s in it or not. Nope,” Cy expresses. “This is true because God’s in it, period. The discussion continues to discuss the history that has shaped the definition of public education today, and how values and convictions were watered down to become more neutral. “And so now, look at what that’s brought us”, exclaims Cy. “We didn’t just succeed in removing Him, we are now anti-Christian in some ways in our government schools”.

The Clearly Christian with Dr. Cy Smith podcast has a message to be heard - the only way we're going to turn things around in our country is to increase the number of people who live and operate with a biblical worldview and to see things from God's perspective. The best way to do that is to get kids a Christian education, either at home or church, so that they understand the world from God's perspective and can truly multiply themselves and lead this next generation closer to a walk with Christ.

[Editor's Note: This blog post is adapted from a Clearly Christian podcast episode with Bryan Lefelhoc from Purpose Under Pressure. To hear more on that topic, check out the full episode.]