By: John Van Der Brink
By now, most of us know something about the massive spending bill which has been promoted by the Biden administration as a “solution” to our country’s post-Trump woes. Democrats on Capital Hill would like to reverse many of the policies put in place by former President Donald Trump. They see this bill as the most promising opportunity to fundamentally change the way we live and think in America. This bill seems to pave the way to economic and social prosperity, but hidden in it are provisions to change the moral landscape of America. Here are some facts about the bill which would result if it were passed.
The bill includes massive spending for government sponsored social programs including free universal PreK for 3- and 4-year-olds as well as more support for federal student aid programs at American colleges and universities. What many people do not know is how these programs will be funded. They will not be provided through “block grants” which are administered by the local state according to state policies, but instead will be directed by the federal government itself. And the federal government intends to administer these programs according to strict federal so-called non-discrimination policies. Therefore, Christian day care centers, pre-schools, colleges, and other related institutions will be denied funding if they adhere to a Biblical understanding of LGBTQ issues. Some of these institutions depend on federal funding in order to survive. So, the danger this bill poses to their existence is very real.
Some will argue that this is not a direct attack on their own educational institutions. But what we need to realize is that control over the Christian colleges and preschools is a first step and it is achievable by this bill. And that control would extend the moral revolution that is already sweeping across our nation. The LGBTQ agenda is already dominant in our nation’s elementary and secondary public schools. Therefore if this bill takes effect, there will be hardly any educational institutions left that can hold to Biblical morals and values. Money in this bill is used to force moral changes.
This is one of the reasons West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is resisting this bill. He wants to protect the rights of religious institutions to participate without violating their Biblical convictions. Democrats are furious! They need his vote to pass this bill, and he is not ready to provide it!
Other favorite Democrat policies are part of this bill. They include massive spending on green energy, climate change, and Obamacare health insurance. Each of these policies are part of a governmental overreach that results in more and more individual control of individual citizens. Also, the cost of these programs is overwhelming and leaves a financial burden on our children and on generations to come.
There are other problems with this bill. One is its massive overreach. Ultimately, it makes Americans more dependent on government handouts, and that translates into government control. This bill would result in more Americans looking to the government for solution to their needs. That is socialism, and conservative Americans do not want socialism.
Please note what happens in the lives of individuals when government reaches and controls more and more policies. It may seem good on the surface, but we should look beneath the surface. There we will see the true result of these changes.
In conclusion, this bill is a massive spending which we cannot afford, and it includes insidious controls which fundamentally transform America. The Build Back Better bill is not better of America.
John Van Der Brink is director of the Netherlands Reformed Christian School in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and a member of the Board of Directors of Christian Council International (CCI), based in Washington DC, sister organization of CCI, based in the Netherlands.