Baptists Vote to Takeover Boards of Education
Mainstream Baptist printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 09:32:37 AM EST
Ethics Daily quotes a leader of the movement to get Southern Baptists to leave public schools as saying,

"This year has actually been a breakthrough year."

His resolution to devise an "exit strategy" from public schools was replaced by a resolution for Baptists to, in effect, takeover the boards of education at public schools.

Roger Moran, a leader in the Fundamentalist takeover of the SBC,  describes the Southern Baptist objective to promote Dominionist religious indoctrination under the name of "Kingdom Education":

"Just like it took years to turn that big ship around theologically, it is going to take a period of time for people to understand the significance of Kingdom Education," Moran said. "But it's starting to happen."

"It's going to require incredible patience on our part," Moran said.

The resolution passed by the convention "On Engaging the Direction of the Public School System" denounces the teaching of "dogmatic Darwinism," acceptance of homosexuality and a "humanistic and secular orientation" in most schools.

"Children are our most important mission field, and the overwhelming majority of Christians have made the government school system their children's teacher," it says.

The resolution urges Southern Baptists "to heed our Lord's admonition to be salt and light in our society" and encourages all Southern Baptist churches "to solicit individuals from their membership to engage the culture of our public school boards and exerting their godly influence upon these school systems."

Here's a link to the full text and a paragraph from the resolution that was adopted at the SBC meeting yesterday:
RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptist churches to solicit individuals from their membership to engage the culture of our public school systems nationwide by running for election to their local school boards and exerting their godly influence upon these school systems.



Display:
It would be hard to find more explicit notification that the Dominionists and Christian Nationalists within the Southern Baptist Convention are preparing to wage war on the public schools -- with the blessing of the entire SBC.

Either they will takeover school boards and turn public schools into indoctrination centers, or they will motivate Baptists to exit the public schools and deprive the schools of the resources needed to maintain them.

by Mainstream Baptist on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 09:38:25 AM EST

I think they will attempt both of these things, without much real success.

The Dover, PA ID fiasco is a clear case of 'takeover' but it relied on apathy and stealth - once they revealed their nuttiness in actual policy moves, the 'silent majority' got invovled and tossed them out.  It's not unlike HOAs being goverened by the worst busybody retirees. Similar battles are going on in Kansass right now.  While nothing's ever certain, people who formerly took it as a given that the fundies would never take over now realize that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.  I'm sure we'll forget the threat again in another couple of decades, but for now, the inroads made by the Xianist right are being rolled back.

The 'exodus' approach was tried by the exact same people for the exact same reasons after Brown v. Board of Education.   The segregationist academies - often named using combinations of, "Heritage", "Christian" and Academy - blossomed during the decade following the integration of public schools and introduction of bussing.  But, for the most part, within 20 years, they'd all closed up shop.  Tuition is expensive, and that's a tough additional burden when you're paying property taxes no matter what and you're tithing.

The Catholic Parochial system - one historically successful church-funded system - is straining under the burden of non-tithing low income families.  Most other historically successful church affiliated schools are the more traditionally understood private schools - they fund themselve s through tuition, and parents demand quality for their money - quality meaning educations that will ultimately better prepare their students for the future.  Although the Episcopal Church has a network of schools, we don't really see them as much of a threat.  At the risk of sounding classist, I don't see the SBC as having the same kind of wealth correlation as the Episcopals do.  The bigot/dominionist element requires a certain amount of general ignorance (at the grassroots level) to thrive, and that doesn't generally correlate to high income levels.  

The objective of the voucher movement is to address this specific failing - to divert the resource/revenue stream out of public entities which have to play by certain constitutional rules into institutions that don't - institutions which are free to discriminate in the guise of religious liberty.

Of course, the 'charter' schools - funded with public revenues, but free of public regulations - aren't doing any better than public schools on the objective test measures, on average.

The real threat is economic migration out of the schools - if parents can afford to buy out of the system, then the resulting concentration of low-income students will lower performance, and the whole shebang becomes an ugly negative feedback loop.  This is a form of voting with your feet, and if the current Busing cases in front of the Supreme Court serve to elimnate racial composition as a basis for busing and district boundry drawing, well, the schools will become a pastiche.  The Baptists won't capture them all, but they will be able to concentrate and takeover some (see Kiryas Joel).

Although the rulings regarding Kiryas Joel are reason to hope, they also make clear your main point: vigilance is essential.

by montpellier on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 02:27:10 PM EST
Parent

Suburban megachurches, however, are a world unto themselves.  SBC Fundamentalists know how to follow the money to the more affluent neighborhoods.  That's why most of the large downtown and uptown churches in the South have already closed up shop and moved to the suburbs.

SBC megachurches cater to the upper class, the upper middle class, the middle class and the upwardly mobile lower class.

All SBC megachurches have their own private academies, daycare centers, recreation centers, etc.

by Mainstream Baptist on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 05:43:55 PM EST
Parent

I just question their ability to penetrate those markets effectively with an educational offering as opposed to a school offering.

It's pretty tricky to finesse a quality AP Biology class  and at the same time espouse a dominionist ID/Creationism view.  The same is true for American and European History, and other subjects which cover the 'controversial' - stuff fundies would like to re-write/revise - material.   I heard someplace that the real problem confronted by these mega-churches, etc., is that they have to recruit very aggressively since they can't, despite their espoused reproductive theology, maintain replacement within their own families (ie, the kids don't stay in the flock).

I went to an old mainline denomination school, and I well recall the uncomfortable moment in AP Bio dealing with just this issue - and my denomination doesn't really have a fundamentalist Creationism bent.

My point is this: in order to survive, without vouchers, they will need to cultivate a strong clientele made up of the better educated - they can follow them to the suburbs all they like, but in the end, they'll need to deliver an education that gets their graduates placed into good undergraduate schools.  I think it would be informative to look at post-graduate matriculation and placements, both for fundamentalist secondary schools and undergraduate schools (eg, Bob Jones, Oral Roberts and Liberty).  

I do not mean to underestimate the threat you mention - I just believe that this particular "abandon the Public Schools" threat is pretty hollow.  I mention the Parochial system mainly because I think it's a perfect example of a parallel education system that competes with the Public Schools - and one that manages real academic competency at the same time.  Nevertheless, it's failed to take over the country.

by montpellier on Fri Jun 16, 2006 at 09:04:21 AM EST
Parent

Many of the dominionists that are the most hardcore in correspondence-schooling their kids in fact are increasingly sending them to "Bible colleges" that also author dominionist "homeschool" material (like Pensacola Christian College or Bob Jones University), to dominionist universities like Patrick Henry College and Liberty University that explicitly cater to dominionist "homeschooled" kids, or even to correspondence-colleges like Whitefield College.  (It is of note here that nearly all of these are completely unaccredited, or are accredited mostly through accreditation-mills that themselves are not recognised or are at threat of states and the US Department of Education revoking their certification as accreditation bodies.)

Increasingly, the same groups promoting dominionist "homeschool" programs also encourage the parents to send their kids to dominionist colleges, claiming that public and even non-dominionist private school programs are run by "secular humanists" and the like and are "out to get your children".

Of course, part of it too is because the same public university systems increasingly condemned are increasingly realising--just as you pointed out--that many dominionist correspondence-school curricula have serious shortcomings.  I've written on the problems with the A Beka curriculum in particular (part 1 and part 2), the group Rethinking Schools has done an exhaustive report, and in particular Dr. Frances Patterson has done an entire book on the subject of how dominionist "homeschool" and correspondence-school curricula are used primarily for indoctrination rather than education; the University of California school system has already specifically ruled that the top three dominionist "homeschool" curricula packages are educationally insufficient for students entering its system and will not admit students who have been educated solely with those packages.

by dogemperor on Mon Jun 19, 2006 at 08:28:24 AM EST
Parent





Children are our most important mission field, and the overwhelming majority of Christians have made the government school system their children's teacher. Thanks DumpsMate for availing us such helpful Get Adobe Certification Exams Dumps with so many latest questions along with correct answers!

by katemiddleton on Tue Dec 31, 2019 at 04:34:35 AM EST
Parent


...at least this option will require them to become involved in their community which will include actually talking with and listening to others on the public school board.

Hey, they could end up educating themselves in the process.

by Tenoch on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 12:02:46 PM EST

This assumes that they are teachable.

When these people organized to takeover the Southern Baptist Convention, they terminated everyone who disagreed with them.

by Mainstream Baptist on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 12:56:52 PM EST
Parent



When it comes to academic learning then it is a kind of writing that has its own methods. The primary purpose of these essays is to urge readers to a specific topic and purpose. The scholars emphasize that these essays are very effective in teaching the critical thinking skills of students. Tell me about online dissertation writing services now. The successful learner develops a clear argument and defends it with tangible reasons through a creative and demonstrative process.

by Archie24 on Fri May 08, 2020 at 04:02:19 AM EST

It's because reading books by you aid pupils to get to know about lessons in a good way. It is found that many students love to read books during the holidays. He told me about pendrago as it was good for learning. Good brain needs books like swords need a whetstone. Reading helps students to become active and active. It is a common belief among many teachers around the world that students love their learning by reading rather than writing essays.

by Duffrt on Sat May 09, 2020 at 06:21:30 AM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (374 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (195 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (110 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (250 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (64 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (176 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (156 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (329 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.