Why I can no longer support Scholastic

As a teacher, I have relied heavily on Scholastic for growing my classroom library and finding new, cheap and interesting books for my students to read.  We've found many fun books through Scholastic's Book Clubs and some of these books have helped my students develop a love of reading.

However, Scholastic is no longer a safe company for our children and families.  As much as this saddens me, I can no longer support a company who is pushing a worldly agenda and promoting false truth to our children today.  Unless they turn from their actions and pull these books from their shelves, I am going to have to search out new ways to grow my classroom library and find books for my students to read.

Thanks to a Facebook group and a Google search, I came across this article and this article yesterday. These articles are talking about how Scholastic is promoting the LGBT and transgenderism agenda.   They are selling a book about a boy who knows he is a girl.  They have sold and promoted books about gay parents.  They have shared a list of books on transgenderism on their Parent website as suggestions for books you should read with your children.  They have written an article with ways to discuss transgenderism in our classrooms and given suggestions on how teachers can create an inclusive classroom.  We can't let our children believe that it's okay to think this way.  We can't let them know that this is a "choice" in life.  Instead, we must teach them biblical Truth and encourage them to share the Truth when they meet people who are deceived.

In Genesis 1, we read about God's great and beautiful design for our world.  In Genesis 1:27 we are told that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  Two genders.  Neither gender was given a choice of how they could live their lives.  Their gender was given to them by God.  Gender is one of the many good gifts of God.

In the past few years, we've seen a shift in society.  Gender has become fluid and we can all believe our own truth.  And those of us who believe in one Truth are 'required' to accept everyone's truth as okay.  This is a result of our fallen human nature.  Unfortunately, these actions are contrary to God's good design.  

I found this article on the Gospel Coalition's website and they do a great job of breaking down this debate and sharing biblical Truth.  Below, I have pulled the Bible verses from their article which give the Truth about this sinful, worldly way of thinking.  I encourage you to read their article in length.  They have some great thoughts on the issue and give ways we are to respond to this agenda.

• Deuteronomy 22:5 condemns cross-dressing: "A women shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God."
• Leviticus 20:13 condemns homosexuality: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them."
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 tells how those who practice homosexuality (among other sinful actions) will not live in God's eternal kingdom: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, no thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
• 1 Corinthians 11:4-5, 13-15 explains that we must embrace the gender distinctions given to us by the ultimate Creator: "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven...Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?  Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?  For her hair is given to her for a covering."

If a boy suddenly decides he wants to live as a girl and claims that he was "born this way," he is a liar.  He was born as a boy.  And that is the gender he must live as and embrace.

This article has ways to take action.  If you wish to do so, there is a link to email Scholastic and there's even a pre-populated email you can use as the basis of your email.  I have already emailed them with my concerns, and I invite you to do the same!