A coalition of church leaders, educators and Christian organisations has released a new video campaign calling on churches, parents and communities to take a more active role in shaping the future of education in Scotland.
The initiative, led by Unite for Education, brings together pastors, teachers, school leaders, students and Christian advocates who argue that education plays a crucial role in forming the worldview, beliefs, values and future of the next generation.
The video highlights growing concerns about the direction of modern education and encourages Christians to engage more intentionally with issues affecting schools, families and young people.
“Education not indoctrination. Truth not confusion. Hope not despair. This is the moment for the Church to stand together,” said Unite for Education.
“Christian education is not a luxury. It is a calling, a responsibility, and a vital work.”
Unite for Education founder, Niel Deepnarain, said Christians must be willing to engage publicly with educational issues rather than remain silent.
“Paul took the gospel to the public square, and we have pulled out of the public square and look around us, everything is collapsing and this is why we’re seeing our education system literally fall,” he said.
“Let’s stand together, speak up with wisdom and courage, and work for a future that honours both families and freedom. Together, we can make a difference.”
Concerns were raised that parents are increasingly encouraged to delegate responsibility for their children’s moral and spiritual formation to educational institutions and professionals.
William Philip, Glasgow’s Tron Church’s minister, pointed to biblical teaching on the responsibility of parents to instruct their children in the faith, citing the command in Deuteronomy 6 to teach God’s words diligently to future generations.
“Christian parents have the responsibility under God for the formation of their children,” he said.
Deepnarain said, “Parents have authority. Children are under your covering till they leave home.”
The campaign takes the view that education is not merely as an academic enterprise but as a key influence on personal identity, moral formation and society’s future.
The campaign is critical of aspects of contemporary education, including teaching on sexuality, gender identity and human origins, and argues instead that children require a strong biblical foundation before engaging with competing worldviews and cultural ideas.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, warned that education systems can drift away from biblical principles when society loses its Christian foundations.
Pastor Noble said, “We want our children to be exposed to and know what is going on in this real and fallen world, but the key emphasis is that we’re not handing our children over to that real fallen world to be educated, raised, and trained by them.”
Likewise, Director of EPIC Education Jayne Richardson said: “We really want [for] our children, from the moment they wake up until they go to bed, that their world view is Christ-centred.”
Dave Dickson, Pastor of Lochee Baptist Chapel, said, “Give your children the right tools – the Christian tools – in order to train them in a good and a safe environment to know truth, to be able to touch it and taste it and smell it.”
The video showcases a range of Christian educational models, including independent Christian schools, home education initiatives and co-operative learning groups where children can learn an explicitly Christian worldview.
School leaders featured in the campaign highlighted what they described as the benefits of smaller learning environments and stronger partnerships between schools and parents.
Sarah Sharp, head teacher of Regius School in Edinburgh, said schools inevitably shape both the thinking and behaviour of children.
“Therefore, God should be central there, but in most schools that’s not the reality,” she explained.
The video featured testimony from a student who has experienced Christian education firsthand.
Former Mannafields Christian School student Ninner Davis said that attending a Christian school gave him a strong foundation for both his faith and daily life, adding that it helped him know what he believed and shaped the way he approached his work and relationships.
The campaign highlights challenges facing Christian education, including financial pressures following the introduction of VAT on private school fees and reports of Christian teachers facing disciplinary action for expressing traditional biblical beliefs.
The campaign seeks to inspire renewed discussion about the role of faith in education and encourage greater support for Christian schools, educators and families across Scotland.
The video concludes with a call for churches, parents and Christian organisations to work together in supporting educational initiatives that reflect Christian values.
Pastor Noble concluded: “Even though it may feel like small steps in a very difficult environment that we’re in in our culture, we are working and seeking to serve together for the Lord’s purpose.”
