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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. Tim Kimmel 
 
 
Question: 
 
Our kids are in public school but every Christmas and Easter the 
school seems to enforce that Christianity is irrelevant. How should we 
handle this? 
 
Answer: 
 
We understand what it’s like to have kids in public school, because 
that’s where we put our kids, from kindergarten all the way through.  
 
But here’s something we need to understand and keep in mind as 
Christian parents: it’s a public school. It’s not a Christian school. It’s 
not a religious environment. It’s a public school. 
 
And because of that, we shouldn’t expect them to somehow cater to 
our spiritual needs. I never expected that. 
 
Now, because of the neutrality they talk about—around Christmas, 
they try to make it a seasonal thing, rather than a Christmas holiday. 
They don’t even recognize Easter. You know, some Christians can get 
all upset about this. Listen, it’s a public school. Don’t worry about that, 
because you have Christmas in your home, you can celebrate it in your 
community, and God’s message goes out every year, no matter what 
anybody tries to do to squelch it. 
 
So don’t worry about that. I think the better thing is send your kids to 
school ready to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, to 
show you what the message of Christmas is like every day that they 
are in that public school, to live out that resurrection message every 
day they’re in that public school. Then every day is Easter. It’s 
 
 
represented there. Christmas is represented every day by the way 
your kids go there ready to shine for Christ. 
 
So we called it, with our kids, “glowing in the dark.” In fact, I would 
drop them off at school and oftentimes say to them, “Now go glow in 
the darkness.” 
 
This is a great opportunity. Don’t expect the school to somehow cater 
to your spiritual needs. That’s not their job. Their job is to give them 
an education.  
 
I don’t consider it antagonistic, because I assume the whole world is 
antagonistic to my faith. I say, “Let’s just go and make a difference 
there.” 
 
And you know, one more thing. We need to be very careful that we 
aren’t some kind of a Rottweiler on the neck of the public school 
system, and are always over their screaming and yelling at them about 
the things they are unspiritual about. It’s a secular environment. 
That’s exactly what they look like. 
 
Teach your kids how to flourish in the middle of that, to have a good 
attitude towards people, treat people with love and grace. Watch what 
happens. 
 
I’ll tell you what: then the Christmas message, the Easter message 
becomes embedded in your kids’ heart. They live it out. They are real 
authentic. And there’s nothing that any public school system can do to 
squelch that message.  
 
 
 
To download a printable version of this transcript, click here.