Circumcision, Not Castration

I recently heard a message preached from 2 Kings about the story of Hezekiah and his big mistake towards the end of his life.

The Book of 2 Kings 20:12-19 records:

At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness. Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil--his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?" "From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came from Babylon."

The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?"

"They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

"The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?"

The blindness and folly of King Hezekiah was utterly remarkable. How could the invasion and plunder by the Babylonians of the palace, or the forceful subjugation and castration of his own descendants be called "good"?

King Hezekiah's comment showed the utter selfishness and self-centredness of his own heart. It cared nothing for the welfare of his own descendants, but cared only about his own wealth and temporary "peace and security" during his lifetime.

This, the preacher explained, seems to be the attitude of many parents towards the education of our children, who are being castrated in their hearts and minds by worldviews and philosophies utterly opposed to the things of God.

Nothing destroys the future generation more than castration. Yet in the same way, in the Old Testament at least, God's covenant from one generation to the next is marked by circumcision. It is not merely a bodily circumcision, but a circumcision of the heart that God calls for, as exhorted in Deuteronomy 10:16, "Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer."

Likewise, Paul emphasised in Romans 2:28-29:

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

A couple of chapters down, Paul urged, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

Ultimately, Christians should at all times be aware that this is a spiritual battle being waged on all fronts against a relentless enemy whose goal is none other than to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

Former Lebanese ambassador Charles Malik, said in his address "The Two Tasks" delivered at the dedication ceremony of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College on 13 September 1980:

Responsible Christians face two tasks - that of saving the soul, and that of saving the mind... The mind is desperately disordered today. I am pleading that a tiny fraction of Christian care be extended to the mind too. If it is the will of the Holy Spirit that we attend to the soul, certainly it is not his will that we neglect the mind. No civilization can endure with its mind being as confused and disordered as ours is today. All ills stem proximately from the false philosophies that have been let loose in the world and that are now being taught in the universities, and ultimately of course... from the devil, whether or not the human agents know it.

As Christians, we cannot possibly neglect the mind, including the spiritual, emotional and intellectual education of our children. We are called to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God", and "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In Ephesians 6:4, Paul writes, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Our children need to be circumcised in their hearts and minds, not castrated.

Made in the Image of God: Why we should avoid labels like "gay", "lesbian", etc.

With the rise of gender theory and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) activism, a growing number of people have begun to define themselves with reference to their "sexual orientation" or "sexual identity". Terms like "gay" or "lesbian" are used to define people, and distinctions are made between "heterosexual" and "homosexual" persons. Even many Christians use these terms.

But is this Biblical?

The concept of "sexual orientation" is completely foreign to the Biblical framework, a point that homosexual activists and liberal theologians are especially quick to emphasise. Yet this is precisely the point.

From the Biblical perspective, human beings are not defined by "sexual orientation" or "sexual identity". Instead, the starting point is and has always been Genesis 1:27:

So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. 

Men and women are created in the image of God. That is our identity.

For Christians, our identity is rooted in being children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Paul writes in Galatians 3:26-28:

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,  for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, Dr Michael Brown sums this up very simply in "5 Truths About Same-Sex Attraction":

Your attractions do not define you. Despite the fact that much is made today of “being gay” or having a gay identity, the reality is that your romantic attractions and sexual desires do not define who you are as a person. 

More importantly, if you have surrendered your life to the Lord and are living in obedience to Him, your primary identity is found in being a son or daughter of God. 

Many believers struggle when they put gay before Christian in terms of their identity rather than putting Christian (or child of God) first.

Likewise, then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict) wrote in his Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons:

16. ... The human person, made in the image and likeness of God, can hardly be adequately described by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual orientation. Every one living on the face of the earth has personal problems and difficulties, but challenges to growth, strengths, talents and gifts as well. Today, the Church provides a badly needed context for the care of the human person when she refuses to consider the person as a "heterosexual" or a "homosexual" and insists that every person has a fundamental Identity: the creature of God, and by grace, his child and heir to eternal life. 

As disciples of Jesus Christ, let us refrain from using simplistic and reductionist labels like "gay", "lesbian", etc. We are not defined by our desires, sexual or otherwise.

Marred as we are by sin, humans still bear the image of God. And through Christ Jesus, each one of us can be set free from desires that enslave us, to live a life free from sin with the guidance and counsel of His Holy Spirit.

What should parents do for their children in a digital age?

Parents have both physical and spiritual roles to fulfil in the lives of their children. Parents should be actively involved in providing for the physical and spiritual needs of children. This is why the Bible places such great emphasis on the role of parents in children's education.

The Book of Proverbs writes:

Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)

The principle is clear. However, the way we apply this principle must be adapted to the circumstances.

In a digital like ours, there are many perils on the internet which endanger our children. James Poh Ching Ping wrote in a letter to TODAY, "Internet, sex addiction deserves attention, too" (7 November 2013):

... I hope more attention can be paid to Internet Addiction Disorder.

Singapore has one of the highest computer and Internet penetration rates in Asia. Many are introduced to the Internet at home and in school at a very young age and they are exposed to gadgets and popular computer games almost every day.

This is no longer a trivial matter as we see children becoming addicted to computer games. It affects not just one person, but also the family and others around the addict.

In China, where nearly 20 per cent of adolescents are said to be suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder, they have started camps for such teens. Those suffering from severe computer addiction may display symptoms such as mood swings when they do not have access to a computer or the Internet, the tendency to sleep little, skip meals or have a poor diet, little motivation to interact with others, and so on.

I hope more can be done to help this group in Singapore.

In response, Parenting Specialist Agnes Goh from Focus on the Family Singapore advised in "Parents must guide children to be discerning users of digital media" (8 November 2013):

With reference to the letter (“Internet, sex addiction deserves attention, too”, Nov 7), the truth of the matter is that, with an increasing “high-tech, low-touch” society, it is possible that our children can become experts in navigating social networking sites and text messaging but are ill-equipped in face-to-face interactions.

We must recognise that we are unable to completely protect our tech-savvy children from unsuitable images that are widely available in the digital era. More importantly, we must equip them to separate the treasure from the trash.

First, let’s make time to explore the natural world with our children. The issue is not just what children are watching and listening to. It is also what they are missing out on while watching or listening to media.

Expose them to different outdoor activities and hobbies and get involved with them. In fact, having a loving relationship with our children is one of the best ways to teach them about having healthy relationships with others.

Second, let’s take up the mantle to give our children a healthy view of sex, love and relationships. This is a hard topic for some parents to broach with their children. However, if they do not hear it from you, they will hear it from a multitude of sources that may not have their best interests at heart.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development’s FamilyMatters@Community and the Health Promotion Board offer a variety of programmes and resources aimed at helping parents talk to their children about sex. As parents, we can be equipped with the skills to engage our children, and be empowered to coach them.

Finally, we need to draw age-appropriate boundaries and limits on media usage for our children and, at the same time, teach them values and principles. These will undergird knowledge and behaviour so that when they are older, they can make wise decisions.

By being involved parents who actively engage in our children’s lives, including how they use the media, we can teach them to be discerning individuals.

This is good advice.

Godly values and good skills are some of the greatest gifts that parents can impart to their children in any age.

Who Bears Primary Responsibility in Children's Education?

In a busy and well-connected country like Singapore, there is a constant temptation for parents to be caught up with work and other activities, while leaving children in the care of schools, tuition centres or even domestic helpers. Some parents choose to occupy their children with television or video games.

Is this correct? Who bears primary responsibility in children's education?

Biblical principles on parental responsibility

Most Christians should be familiar with the principles of spiritual multiplication found in the Great Commission, where Jesus commanded:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

However, physical multiplication is God-ordained too. It is both a blessing and a command, given at the very beginning when God blessed the man and woman in the Garden of Eden, "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28).

Parents therefore have both physical and spiritual roles to fulfil in the lives of their children. Parents should be actively involved in providing for the physical and spiritual needs of children. This is why the Bible places such great emphasis on the role of parents in children's education.

When Moses addressed the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land, he instructed them:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Likewise, various passages in Proverbs highlight that the duty to instruct children rests on both fathers and mothers:

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
(Proverbs 1:8)

My son, keep your father’s commands
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
(Proverbs 6:20)

The same can be found in the New Testament, where Paul instructed:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

While there may be some debate about whether Paul's exhortation meant both fathers and mothers, or fathers only, it is clear from the passages above that parents bear primary responsibility in their children's education. That responsibility does not rest on the government or society. Nevertheless, parents can delegate that responsibility if they choose to do so, just as they can withdraw that responsibility where necessary.

Application of principles to sexuality education

How do these Biblical principles apply in practice?

Here, we shall see how it applies in the context of sexuality education.

Parents bear primary responsibility in their children's education. This includes sensitive topics such as sexuality. Therefore, the Ministry of Education was in line with Biblical principles when it declared in a statement in 2009 that it sought to complement parents, who have the ultimate responsibility:

Parents are ultimately responsible for inculcating values in their children. MOE’s sexuality education programme aims to complement parents’ role in helping students make informed, responsible and values-based decisions regarding sexuality.

Since parents, as primary care-givers, are responsible for the health and moral values of their children, parents have have the right to opt their children out of a school's sexuality education programme, talks and workshops if they disagree with the values being taught.

Likewise, Focus on the Family wrote in a letter to the TODAY paper, "Abstinence education can work" (21 August 2013):

Parents should always be the primary communicators with their children about sexuality, imparting values and the family’s religious positions. No effective programme can operate without the support of parents.

Schools should want parental involvement and do everything in their power to cooperate with parents in sexuality education.

Contrast the views of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) in a letter to TODAY titled, "Young minds and bodies: Is ignorance bliss?" (13 August 2013), which criticises the alleged "delegation" of sex education to parents:

The Education Ministry places an onus on parents to educate their children about sex, but it was reported last year that a Health Promotion Board poll, covering 1,169 Singapore households, found that less than half of parents had broached such topics with their teenage children. 

To delegate sex education to parents would thus be inadequate.

This is a view which deprives parents of their primary responsibility in educating their children about sex. As rightly pointed out by the writer of I on Singapore in "AWARE's Sexual Indoctrination Agenda: Misrepresentations, inversions and logical non-sequitur":

AWARE's philosophy represents an inversion of the original loci of rights and responsibilities. AWARE presupposes a state-centric idea which places primary responsibility for education of children on the State rather than on parents, by assuming that the government is the one which bears the original "onus" to teach children about sex, and which "delegates" that responsibility to parents...

The State exists for the individual, family, community and society; not the other way around. The role of the State is to support mediating institutions like the family, community and society, rather than to usurp them... The State has no right to impose ideas on children which fundamentally contradict those held by their family, community or society as a whole.

Conclusion
The Bible teaches that parents bear primary responsibility in their children's education, not the government, and not society. God has ordained us to multiply both physically and spiritually, and therefore parents have both physical and spiritual roles to fulfil in the lives of their children.

Parents should always strive to be actively involved in their children's lives. Initiatives in Singapore like Dads for Life and events like Date with Dad, organised by Focus on the Family, are good initiatives to encourage parents to connect with their children. We should give such initiatives our fullest support.