Opinion There’s no room for Christianity in politically biased schools sex ed

Sep 2, 2023 by Jill

by Lizzie Harewood, Premier:

As schools go back, a survey by the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) warns of widespread marginalisation of traditional Christian views on marriage, sexuality and gender. The government must make sure our children get a balanced education and teachers are protected.

In the discourse on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), concerns about safeguarding are sometimes perceived as being biased, insensitive or even intolerant. Christian organisations have faced this accusation frequently. But despite some exceptions, Christians have often stood alone in raising awareness about the safeguarding issues, harmful ideologies and child sexualisation linked to RSE resources, especially since statutory changes in 2020.

The issue gained public attention in March this year when MP Miriam Cates report on inappropriate resources led to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, ordering an urgent review of sex education materials.

Cates said that “despite its intentions”, the new RSE framework had “opened the floodgates to a whole host of external providers who offer sex education materials to schools, and now children are being exposed across the country to a plethora of deeply inappropriate, wildly inaccurate, sexually explicit and damaging materials in the name of sex education”.

I have been deeply troubled by the contact I’ve had with Christian teachers over recent years. Our correspondence indicates that the trajectory in RSE has not been sensationalised. The concerns raised have included teachers being forced to deliver unscientific materials, class trips to Pride marches and drag queen story times for four-year-olds being held against a teacher’s wishes.

Are these anecdotes isolated (and possibly exaggerated, as some argue)? Do Christian perspectives on topics like marriage, sex, and gender genuinely receive fair consideration alongside the myriad of progressive interpretations of the curriculum?

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