Evangelicals' Stealth Mission to Sneak Jesus into Our Public Schools

[marmar]

via AlterNet:




Church and State / By Rob Boston

Evangelicals' Stealth Mission to Sneak Jesus into Our Public Schools
Fundamentalist evangelists are hiding their religious agenda to sneak into public schools and preach to a captive audience of students.

August 13, 2010 |


United Methodist minister David Jenkins was meeting with fellow clergy last year in the small Kansas community of Sharon Springs when one of the pastors made what sounded like a routine request.

The clergyman noted that the Todd Becker Foundation was coming to town, and the evangelical Christian organization, which purports to warn youngsters about the dangers of drunk driving, wanted to line up local religious leaders to help with its presentation.

What struck Jenkins as odd was the venue: It was to take place at Wallace County High School.

Furthermore, the Becker Foundation had a very specific set of duties in mind for the ministers. They would swing into action after students had been offered a chance to become “born again.”

“Our task was to go forward when students came down to make their decision, and we would give them a Bible and some Christian material and talk with them about Christ,” Jenkins said.

He noted that one of the attendees at the meeting was the town’s former school superintendent, a man who never had much use for the separation of church and state.

“His comment was that they’d have to fly under the radar so they were not barred from giving a gospel presentation in school,” Jenkins said. “It was clear to me they were using this drunk-driving lecture as a vehicle to give an evangelizing presentation.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/147794/evangelicals%27_stealth_mission_to_sneak_jesus_into_our_public_schools/

[ThomCat]

1. I'm sorry it cost him his congregation to stand up for what's right.

But I'm glad he's that good a person, and strong enough in his convictions to do what was right.

I wish his congregation had enough people in it who had been that good. He would still have his job. They would have recognized his strength of character instead of firing him.

[Mopar151]

2. Is there a name and standard diagnosis for this personality defect?

These freaks are addicted to prostletyzing as pedophiles are to their kink - and, to my mind, no less dangerous. It should tell us something when they are being "outed" by mainstream churches.

[old mark]

3. This stuff goes on all around us...some candidates for school board, library boards, etc

are evangelicals/fundamentalists who want to get control of the ideas people are exposed to in schools...they are afraid of real education, and used to love to have "debates" on "creation science", etc...they will use any means they can to gain followers, especially kids, and they will lie cheat and steal to do it and feel justified doing it.

Good post - thanks...
rec
mark

[msongs]

4. the american taliban spreading their war and killing loving culture insidiously nt

[Jenny_D]

5. This is nothing new.

I grew up in a small town in the Bible Belt, and this kind of stuff happened all the time. They were never allowed to hand out Bibles or pamphlets, but they would routinely end their anti-drug/anti-drunk driving rallies with a moment of silence/prayer and at least a sentence or two about Jesus and inviting everyone to their church. Our schools also still had the Ten Commandments posted in every classroom. No one ever reported it, probably out of fear of being run out of town. This was back in the eighties and early nineties.

As soon as I turned 18, I got out of that town and never looked back. I still live in the Bible Belt, but at least where I live now is more diverse than THAT place!

[66 dmhlt]

6. Americans United for Separation of Church & State ...

Does absolutely amazing work - it's who Rev. Jenkins turned to for help in doing the right (and legal) thing.
AU is at the top of my list of charity donatios (and nope - no connections to them):
www.au.org

[hootinholler]

7. Damned talibornagain! n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

8. such truth spoken in a single word

[hootinholler]

10. They truly care not about the means of proselytizing

What happened to Thou shall not bear false witness?

Are you aware of the seven (mountain|pillar) plan for dominion?

-Hoot

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Well, Jesus needs to catch up on his molecular biology and cosmology ...

I mean, they just didn't cover this stuff when he went to school!