A referendum to deter abortion in the state of South Dakota may have been defeated this past November, but a Christian school student was not. An opponent to the ban wrote an editorial titled "Abortion: Think for Yourself" in the November 11 issue of the Argus Leader. In it, author Jo Braun inferred that young people who attended rallies in support of the referendum were manipulated to do so by their parents. He encouraged them to not be blindly led but to read and gain their own knowledge about the subject. He even gave them several questions to ask themselves while doing so.

Many students reading an article like this would simply choose to ignore it and go on with their daily living. However, this was not true for Jessica De Jager, a senior at Faith Christian Academy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Displeased by the author's implications, she immediately began to plan a course of action for her response. The following excerpts are from her rebuttal that appeared in the Argus Leader on November 25:

"I want to set the record straight. Braun wrote to encourage us to read, so we could ‘save our sanity' and become more knowledgeable. I do read every chance I get, and I ask myself questions similar to those Braun told us to ask. This summer, I averaged around ten adult-length books each month. Everyone should read authors of different views.

"I would like to address Braun's opinions that the reason I feel strongly for a cause is because my parents and people have brainwashed me. I have seen and read the facts for myself, and I know what I believe to be true. In the case of my Christian school, it is something I thank God wholeheartedly for. It is the place where my love for reading started and the place that taught me loyalty and dedication to the things I believe strongly in."

We loudly applaud Jessica for boldly declaring her faith. We applaud her parents for training her in the "fear and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4), and we applaud her school for providing a Christ-centered educational platform from which Jessica could develop her thinking.

In referring to children as a "heritage from the Lord," Psalm 127:5 says, "They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." The "gate" was a place of public discourse, business, or justice, a centerpiece of their culture. Jessica is a prime example of a young person unashamedly standing for righteousness in her local "gate."

Alpha Omega Publications® would like to make "Speaking with the Enemies" a regular feature of the "School Messenger" by sharing similar stories from Christian school students across our nation and the world. In order to do so, we need to hear from you. Please, send us your articles about how students from your school are affecting cultural change in "your gate." Email your stories to AOP with the subject line "Our Gate Article." If your story is published, your school will receive a credit toward future purchases of AOP's curriculum.