Character without God is not character: It is popular opinion.

Of all the modern day school programs that I appreciate the most are those "character counts" programs that stress the importance of this noble virtue. I admire our administrators and teachers who are attempting to teach character to our kids as something to be sought after and admired. The problem that they are facing, however, is in the fact that character cannot be connected to the One from whom it flows - God.

Because of this, those involved with these programs are reduced to teaching character as defined by popular opinion. The clear difficulty with popular opinion is that it changes with the people who hold these opinions. So, things like sexual immorality cannot be taught as being immoral because immoral people don't like being considered immoral. We often find that the very act of frowning upon immoral behavior is considered to be "immoral". And, this is just one area of changing values in our modern society. Things such as honor, duty, and integrity have been philosophized away to the point where they don't mean the same thing that they used to.

So, we are faced with a very real dilemma: We want character to be taught to our kids, but true character cannot be taught in public schools without being scrubbed, sanitized, politically corrected and perverted. With our hands being tied so securely, is there anything we can do? In fact, there is something that we can and must do - we can teach character at home!

But be cautioned, though. In order to teach character at home you must first know what it is yourself. Character cannot be learned from just any old source: It must be learned from God. So, if we are ever going to return to being a nation with character, we will first have to return to God in our own homes. Then, and only then, can we teach true character. We have been 50 years away from teaching real character in the public schools and it will take some time to get back to it. It starts with a return to the Bible, and a return to church, and a return to God. If you think that character can be obtained in any other way, then it may be that you have forgotten one of the most basic truths this world has ever known: Character without God is not character.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character... for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures everyday... Acts 17:11, NIV