It seems to be a popular notion among the conservative right to think that hypocrisy is the exclusive domain of the liberal left. However, in recent years I have become increasingly aware of the presence of hypocrisy infecting the political right and I find it quite disturbing.

Hypocrisy is subtle and beguiling. Like the Pharisees of old, you can fall into hypocrisy without even realizing it – being blind to your own gradual departure from the righteous standard while still calling yourself an enlightened guide to the blind. I believe the Christian-conservative-right would do well to take a reality check and ask God to show us any places where we have let this insidious disease creep in and influence us to engage in practices that do not align with what we preach.

As many recognize, homeschooling has been booming in recent years and promises to keep growing. The most recent numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) hail from 2012 and suggest that 1.8 million children are now educated at home.

Compared to public school students, studies suggest that homeschoolers perform up to 30 percentile points better on standardized tests, have higher college GPAs and completion rates, and may even be better adjusted socially. Judging from these numbers, it would seem that homeschooling definitely benefits the individual student.

But what about the nation as a whole? Are there any immediate benefits which homeschoolers offer to their communities?

Why God's People Should Not Be Led by External Phenomenon

In the weeks following last year's Presidential election, I heard members of the Christian right referring to Donald Trump's victory as, “divine intervention,” “an act of God,” and “a miracle.” Article headlines read, “Trump: President by the sovereign intervention of God,” and “Signs Of Divine Intervention In Trump Victory.” One article ended by quoting 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (emphasis mine). The Christian right was on an emotional high that ranged from exalted jubilation to giddy euphoria.

An item published on the website of Christian pollster, George Barna, stated, “In the eyes of Christians, God’s fingerprints are all over his (Trump's) victory.” The article went on to equate Trump's win with a miracle on the basis that it, “almost defies explanation; it makes little sense from a rational, empirical point of view. And that’s what a miracle is: God intervening to change our reality to align with His sovereign will.”

While reading one of these articles, it struck me that Christian people were taking the perceived improbability of Trump's election win as “a sign” of divine intervention, and therefore, as affirmation of Mr. Trump as “God's man” and of their choice in voting for him.

I'm not commenting on Mr. Trump, or even whether God was involved in the outcome of the election. What I am commenting on is the propensity of Christian people to look to the natural realm for circumstances and phenomena to subjectively interpret as being “signs” of divine intervention, and thus, of divine will, rather than looking to God's word and His indwelling Holy Spirit for clear direction without the need for external indicators.