(Note: The views expressed in this blog are entirely my own. They are fluid, subject to change over time, and quite possibly entirely wrong. I tend to disagree with myself on a regular basis. However, at this time of writing, I suspect that I am right. Feel free to build on my opinion, disregard it, or disagree; just be polite in the process – DEREK)
have to be honest, I’ve started and stopped work on today’s post probably ten times already. I wanted to write something to distance myself from the offensive parade of strident religious voices that have been spewing junk-theology, judgment, confusion, and lies about God – yet again – but then I hit “delete,” unable to bring myself to give the subject the time of day.
I’m in a quandary, so I guess I’ll just write my way through it and let the chips fall where they may.
GOD BANNED FROM SCHOOL? This is a response to the sentiments expressed by conservative “Christian” radio host Bryan Fischer (American Family Association) and others that, “God could have protected the victims of this massacre (Newtown), but didn’t because God is not going to go where he is not wanted….”
But, I want us to be clear on this, GOD HAS NEVER BEEN FORCED OUT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The assertion God has been effectively expelled from school is a lie, a distortion that attempts to play on people’s fears and emotions in the wake of another horrifying tragedy. Don’t believe it; stop passing on those ridiculous emails; and please don’t buy the lie that God is that calloused, or that easily manipulated.
TIPPING POINT: So I think I’ve reached a tipping point when it comes to holding hands and singing “Kum-bah-ya” around the Christian campfire. The bottom line, for me, is this growing realization that, sometimes, I’m not sure we’re even talking about the same God anymore.
You see, I honestly don’t recognize the religion these people are pushing. I am a disciple of Jesus; I call myself a “Jesus-Follower,” and I invest the majority of my creativity and my writing life to further my commitment to be what the 1st Century believers referred to as “A Follower of The Way.”
It is my joy to talk about Jesus and to invite others to follow him too, and it’s my prayer that these posts contribute something to your journey – as a challenge, as an encouragement, or as an inspiration.
TIME TO DRAW THE LINE: If I were to be classified under any resource heading, I’d like it to be “Derek Maul: Contemporary Christian Thinker.”
So today, after years of thinking, conversation, and writing in this area, it’s time to say I believe there’s a clear distinction between “Following The Way of Jesus” and the fundamentalist hard-line religion espoused by the folk who like to leverage tragic events (such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings) by blaming them on people who disagree with their narrow interpretations of scripture.
I don’t know the God they’re talking about. And I think it’s important that those who are curious about becoming followers of Jesus, or who want to understand more about this “Life-Charged Life,” are clear that I’m not even remotely on the same page.
TRY JESUS: Jesus’ invitation is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind;” and to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said everything else that’s important “hangs on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40).
And Jesus makes this promise, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28). That is so true; it’s true in my experience, and I know it’s true in our public schools.
– DEREK
Well said. Two thoughts. 1) I, too, am annoyed that people suggest God is being kept out of schools. And I don’t think God can be kept out of anyplace – and many of the most amazing Christians work in public schools – many out of a sense of calling. However, (and this could open a Pandora’s box) it is frustrating that the religious free speech of teachers and employees in all sorts of places in America is discouraged. This is especially true for teachers who could contribute much to the current and future dialogues regarding faith. I tend to think that many who 2) Like you, I don’t recognize the God that some religious folk in America claim to follow in the name of Jesus. But I don’t think I can give up listening to the Fundamentalists or for that matter the militant liberal Christians who are using these tragedies in a similar way, albeit for a different political agenda. Because Jesus shows up in unlikely places.
You are right about continuing to listen, and that Jesus is always showing up in unexpected places. Gotta love his style!
Well said and thank your on-going posts. Merry Christmas to you and Rebekah!
And to you, Tom. Peace and promise and blessings
I disagree that God is alive and well in the public school.
Now there may be student groups who still pray and worship, granted.
But as far as school sanctioned and endorsed activities centered on religion, prayer time, whatever, that’s gone. The closest I see is a moment of silence, the Pledge mentions God, (even our original Pledge of Allegiance didn’t, it was an act of McCarthyism, and not a true heartfelt sentiment)
But neither do I buy the argument that God could have protected those kids but didn’t because He wont go where He is not wanted.
No, he could have protected those kids had He wanted to. He, for whatever Gods reasoning, simply didn’t want to.
Do you know what would have been a tremendous pro-God event? You know what would have driven droves of people to God? You know what could have ended the age old question in favor of God?
Each time the trigger was pulled having the hammer fall on an faulty primer, every bullet a dud. THAT would have been a bonafide miracle. Not some two thousand year old rumor of a miracle.
I wish that had happened, Tim.
I appreciate you, my friend, and empathize with the turmoil surrounding the writing of such a … beginning … of this discussion. For my part, I will help continue this dialogue.
Looking forward to it, Adam….
By this fundamentalist logic, I guess God wasn’t welcome in the Amish school in PA that suffered a shooting some 6 years ago. Hmm…
Been a more than a few church shootings…If God not there…then where?
Hmm…
Rational and purely analytic thought on the basis of evidence would suggest…?
Hi, Derek,
Even when I went to heavily Jewish student body public Great Neck South High School on Long Island, religion hadn’t been expelled thoroughly. You know I was Roman Catholic way back then. In my pants pocket I carried my set of Rosary beads and whenever I felt the need I used them in school with a hand in a pocket. It was my way of praying in private, with my pocket being my closet. It worked! Prayer is a state of mind. God may well allow evil to rear its ugly head to expose the theological total depravity of the human existence and to tell us that without Him, we are all truly lost. Just keep Jesus in the center of our lives!
Peace and Blessings, Henry
I agree with you totally. To think that we can put any kind of human limits on God is to have a totaly wrong understanding of God. God is always with us – be it in school or the depths of Sheol. But I have a different concern that has come from this that perhaps you might address in a new post. I hear to much said since the incedent in Newtown that an armed populace – even armed school teachers – would prevent these terrorist attacks from occurring. So I have tried to recall when in my memory this may have happened. As far as I can recall the only time it ever happened was when Doc Holliday and Wyatt Erp (or was that Mat Dillon) stopped the James Boys at the OK Corral and saved Dodge city. (Or was that just an Urban Myth?)
Certainly worth talking about, Earl.
Mr. Earl,
There are many many instances where a citizen lawfully armed has stopped crime. Not since the days the OK Corral? (Holiday/Earp Brothers vs the Clayton brothers gang, Tombstone Arizona) There are thousands of examples of this.
This one specifically:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_High_School_shooting
The principal retrieved his pistol from his car. Perhaps if he had had it on his person he could have done ever more to prevent what happened.
Anyways, Its not the only example…you’ve got to look for them….because:
You wont usually hear/read about it in the mainstream (liberal and leftist) media. It doesn’t promote the agenda to disarm America. They don’t want to give any impression that gun ownership is anything but bad.
And by the way…The Clayton’s were carrying guns in a gun-free-area: the city limits of Tombstone.
Hey I have an Idea, Lets get heroin and cocaine off the streets and make them illegal!!
Why does anyone need a car that goes faster than 75 mph? lets ban those too.
I don’t think that anyone who is saying that “God has been banned from schools” actually means that our omnipresent God has literally been forced to remove His presence from anywhere. What they mean is that our society has restricted the teaching and expression of the traditional Judeo-Christian world-view, including God and Christian ethics. The evidence of of this restriction is widespread and undeniable.
While I think the statement “God has been banned from schools” is theologically sloppy and too sound-bite-ish, it conveys the truth that the expression of authentic Christianity in the public square and in institutions is under more and more official and unofficial restriction each year. Expressions of faith that used to be acceptable are now banned, including the teaching of Judeo-Christian morals.
This trend was evident even back in my High School days 30 years ago and has accelerated since then. Examples abound.
This trend has consequences, including the cheapening of human life. This is one reason that I make it a point to speak up about Christ. If all Christians were vocal about their faith, in a respectful manner, people would not have the impression that Christ-followers were a fringe “crazy” sliver of society, and being a Christian would be considered more common than eccentric.
I’m glad you are a positive witness. What’s needed is more clear messages of grace and mercy, and less political opportunism in the guise of faith.
“All would be right if God had not been banned from our schools.” .wow…I saw God’s presence when the teacher protected her young students from the gunman and was shot..she gave her very life for them.. when the other teachers lovingly calmed their young charges…and when this community with God’s grace reached out to each other..
.I taught high school English for many years and prayed for my students every day…in my car on the way to school, during the day when I had a difficult time with one of my classes or a student….I saw students performing acts of kindness toward their fellow students across racial, social, religious barriers….I saw the love and dedication of teachers every day…if we teach our children love, acceptance, peace, then they lift up those values and carry them into the classroom each day..we model Christ’s teachings for our children, then they pass those principles on…God is alive and well in our schools…which God is the question?? The Jewish God? The Muslim God? The Christian God. And, if this God, then which one? The southern Baptist God, the Lutheran God, the Catholic God or the far right God? This is why we have separation of church and State..
We can bring our faith into our schools, into our workplaces, into our daily encounters…we live our faith..wherever we are…and by doing so, God is present..
God…wow, just knowing or learning of God at an early age I see where so much half-truth emails have generated a ‘god’ of ‘group think’ or ‘group following’…not a GOD as I seem to have a faith in. It seems ‘this’ god has been put in a box and box followers are keeping GOD in the box…a box that does not allow one to ask God questions, does not allow God to go anywhere…this is not GOD, it is the ‘box’ of God and this box is something ‘new’ I feel came from a monster of communication. When communication errors come from abuse of the famous ’emails’ as well as what I call “the church of the e-mail”…it is through this ‘religion’ I believe has been the “wolves in sheep clothing” box church. GOD help us…GOD give us the knowledge to know the difference between boxes and between GOD of the Universe and GOD of Love and yes, a mysterious and GREAT God of us ALL! Thanks Derek….Blessings to you.
Derek, I agree with comments by Ken Murphy. Judeo- Chistian beliefs, world and local views, have been and are today, everyday, being restricted in public schools and in American society in general. Politics have played a part in these restrictions. As Christians we should be more vocal, in a respectful manner; “speak the truth in love.” I guess many disciples just want to use the “John the Baptist” manner instead. Gray.
Good to “see” you here, Gray. I pray that you are well.
Thanks for your comment.
No argument here that there’s a lot of not-so-subtle persecution out there. My issue (in the “God has not been expelled” post is more with the huge distance some of these “evangelists” have strayed from the teachings of Jesus. They do such harm to the Gospel, and make it difficult to have any kind of a positive public conversation about faith.
– DEREK
Derek,
Thank you for this post. I too have been frustrated for many years by such claims of God being kicked out of the schools. Your are right to point out it is bad theology. It is also a distortion of Supreme Court decisions on Church State relations. I would recommend people reading the book “That Godless Court?” by Dr. Ronald Flowers who explores the Supreme Court decisions regarding Church – State relations from the founding of our country up until the 1990’s when the book was written. There is a lot more accomadating of religious practice in our country than many want admit, because what the Supreme Court has prohibitted is the practice of using government instutions to “establish” particular religious traditions that in effect evoke a religious commitment.
I do find it interesting that in all my history classes until I was in seminary, I was never taught about the establishment of religion that existed in eleven of the thirteen colonies before adoption of the Bill of Rights. In many of those colonies which had an established religion such as Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Episcopal to name a few, it was against the law for a person practice another Christian tradition or even miss worship on Sunday morning. If they violated these laws the punnishment was to be fined for the first offense, placed in the public stockade for the second offence, and be hung until you were dead for the third.
Good comment, Ken. You point out some consistently frustrating issues!
– DEREK