The Deep End

Big Words of the Christian Life: Indoctrination

Peter – having walked with Jesus, having seen the Resurrected Jesus, having seen Jesus ascend, and having been filled with the Holy Spirit – preached to the same group of people who been responsible for crucifying Jesus:

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:36-42 (emphasis added)

They heard the truth, they believed the truth, they repented, they were baptized, they joined the Church, and they were indoctrinated. But the ones who did not believe hated this message and they wanted Peter and the Apostles and these new Christians to STOP preaching this message:

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 5:27-31 (emphasis added)

Indoctrination is a word which has taken on an extremely negative connotation. Frequently it is connected to the idea of authoritarian mind control. People who are obsessed with certain types of political thought are said to have been indoctrinated, and therefore are close-minded and not open to differing viewpoints or competing ideas. Fascist or communist governments will arrest and imprison people who speak out against the approved and sanctioned policies and send them to “reeducation” (indoctrination) camps for punishment and corrective behavior, and for speech and thought modification. Parents who instill in their children their own personal opinions, and try to teach them to think and behave in the way the parents – with their own personal bias – think is the right way are criticized for indoctrinating their children, and not allowing them to make their own choices or express their own free will and distinct personalities.

Of course, in a fallen world, Satan does his best to take anything good God has given us, and to warp it and pervert it until it takes on a false meaning that deceives the simple and the unwise. However, since the word “in-doctrin-ation” has as its root the key word “doctrine,” and since the word doctrine is used in the Bible over 50 times – almost always in a positive sense – Christians should not cave in to the world’s pressure and refuse to accept and take advantage of the good gifts God has given us, even if the world has anathematized them or corrupted their proper names.

Doctrine is from the Latin word docere, which meant to teach. It is most often translated in the New Testament from the Greek word didache, which meant a system of taught principles and precepts, forming a body of beliefs and truths. The first appearance in the Old Testament of “doctrine is:

1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (emphasis added)

In the Old Testament it is the Hebrew word leqah, which meant the same thing. Doctrine is that which is intentionally and systematically taught as being vitally important. “Indoctrination” is when the doctrine being imparted affects the hearers’ way of thinking and their worldview. The criticism is that it reinforces preconceived notions, but preconceived notions are not bad things. In fact, they are extremely valuable if they are true. Christian doctrine is Biblical doctrine, and Biblical doctrine is true. Being immersed in, affected by, and intellectually sure of the TRUTH is a very good thing, and don’t let some “free-thinker” who is anything but free (in fact, doubly deceived and in double bondage) trick you into believing otherwise.

So, as we see, the doctrine of Biblical Indoctrination is really a doctrine about Biblical doctrine itself, with the thing that makes it different from any other type of indoctrination being that it must be based on:

Revelation, Not Opinion

In Deuteronomy 32:1 the revelation comes from another – higher – realm, and is announced in the heavens and the earth. In Verse 2 it drops as rain – it comes down from God and is explicitly Divine in origin. It is not based on supposition or conjecture. In Verse 3 it is merely “published” – made known by men, in a sense, but credited fully to God. Moses was the publisher of doctrine, not the author of doctrine. God is “the Rock” (Verse 4); He is the sure foundation that is immutable, not shifting like sand. God’s doctrine is true, because it comes from the God of truth. It is just and right because it comes from the just and righteous God. It flows out of the glory of Who He is. It is not adapted to the likes or dislikes or thoughts or speculations of sinful human beings.

As a parent I have a responsibility to indoctrinate my children. At times, I have tried to indoctrinate them in various ways. Some of my attempts at indoctrination – such as getting them to stop misusing the word “like” so much – were of relatively little importance and of even less success. I tried fining them a dime each time they said, “And I was, like, ‘stop doing that…’ And then she was, like, ‘you can’t make me…'” But, after they burned through their whole allowance in like-fines, I decided to drop it. It was doctrine based on my opinion, not the Word of God. However, there were other issues where the indoctrination was non-negotiable, such as when I indoctrinated them to know that Jesus is the Son of God, and that knowing Him is the only Way to be right with God and to appear before Him and live eternally in His loving presence. That was something that I would not drop – because it was revealed by God, not dreamt up by me or any other human being.

Another important thing to know about Christian indoctrination is that, after recognizing that it is based on revelation, not opinion, we need to recognize that it is:

Remarkable, Not Ordinary

We have all been indoctrinated unwittingly with several mundane truths: the Government is going to force us to pay taxes; the heat index in Louisiana between May 1 and October 1 is going to be around 140 degrees F; the ice cream machine at McDonald’s is going to be broken. Indoctrination does not, in isolation, sound exciting. But Christian doctrine – the doctrine with which Jesus indoctrinated His followers – is anything but ordinary.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

Matthew 7:28

And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

Mark 11:18

Matthew 7:28; 22:33; Mark 1:22; 1:27; 11:18; Luke 4:32; Acts 13:12 all say this. Biblical indoctrination is not mundane. It is not boring. It is not ordinary. It is powerful, transforming, exciting, life-changing. Jesus wants us to be indoctrinated to such an extent that we are loved or hated, feared or courted, insulted or thanked, mocked and ridiculed or respected and honored… but never ignored or disregarded. We must recognize that it is:

Required, Not Optional

1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Proverbs 4:1-4

Having God’s doctrine retained in our hearts and activated in our lives does not guarantee that we will be happy or successful or healthy or popular or wealthy. That’s not what Proverbs 4:4 says. No, it says we will LIVE. Biblical indoctrination is a matter of life and death.

People will say indoctrination means thought-control. You better believe it does: bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and casting down every imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (II Corinthians 10:5). People will say that indoctrination is brainwashing. You better believe it is: being transformed by the renewing your mind (Romans 12:2). Christ loved you and gave Himself for you that you might be cleansed with the washing of water by the Word. Every Christian must be Biblically indoctrinated.