Chuck Colson highlighted an incident when he was at Buckingham Palace. Prince Philip asked, “What can we do about crime here in England?”

Chuck responded with this answer, “Send more children to Sunday school.”

He then pointed out a study by sociologist Christie Davies, which found that in the first half of the 1800s, British society was marked by high levels of crime and violence. However, the crime rate dropped dramatically in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

What changed an entire national character?

During that period Sunday school’s attendance rose steadily until, by 1888, a full 75 percent of children in England were enrolled. But subsequently, when the attendance started to drop, there was a corresponding increase in crime and disorder.

Our late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was right when he shared his experience in London, when he was a student. One could pick up a newspaper and honestly paid for the papers without anyone manning the kiosk.

Such an honest society was not developed overnight by public education or political influence. There was this spiritual dimension that played a pivotal role in molding the lives of the children that changed the entire national character of England.

Our Christian values, when taken seriously and heighten collectively can bring about a social impact that will positively influence our society. Let us not lose our Christian character and values. We need to come together to regain our grounds amid the many negative forces that are bombarding and affecting our society at large.

Coming together as a Christian community of preschool operators and educators under the network of Christian Preschool Alliance can bring about a synergistic sharing of resources and expertise. This is in line with the biblical concept “5 loaves and 2 fish” and it has been our starting point to realize the greater vision of influencing the young with our values that will multiply beyond this generation.

Rev David Lim
Executive Director, Presbyterian Community Services

KINGDOMGARTEN PRESCHOOL SERVICES
AUGUST 12, 2020