Sunday, October 2, 2011
Worship service at a public middle school
On September 1, 2011, a Christian rapper known as “B-Shoc”(Bryan Edmonds) performed at New Heights Middle School, an under-performing public school in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Following his performance, Christian Chapman, a Christian pastor, was brought on stage and performed an “altar call,” during which he preached and encouraged students to commit their lives Jesus Christ. Video footage was taken and shows that both Edmonds and Chapman were clearly preaching their faith to these students. In the video, Edmonds stated, “Because of this, people in public schools are going to get to know who Jesus Christ is. And that’s what I’m excited about.” Additionally, Chapman preached, “A relationship with Jesus is what you need more importantly than anything else.” Chapman also posted various messages on his twitter page which display his intent to increase the amount of school students “giving their lives to Christ.” This situation immediately received attention from the American Civil Liberties Union as they have launched an investigation alongside the school principal to determine whether or not the concert/assembly was a First-Amendment violation. Click here to view the article, and here to view the video post.
Clearly, there is an evident issue at stake, as an assembly overtly advertising a Christian message was permitted to occur at this public school. Although no law suits have been filed, this demonstration has the potential to head in that direction, especially considering the numerous Supreme Court cases which have occurred in response to prayer and worship in public schools (the author’s refer to a 1985 Supreme Court ruling which overturned prayer in an Alabama school district). Chapman and Edmonds have the right to express their religious beliefs, but holding an assembly in a public school where their views were pressured and encouraged among the student body is extremely controversial. As mentioned by the author, this incident violates the First Amendment as religious neutrality was breached in this assembly.
Although many people (including a student who stated, “They touched the lives of some very important people — our youth. The overall experience was astounding”) saw the event as a positive occurrence, there were numerous implications that Chapman and Edmonds failed to recognize. The fact that the administration could permit a Christian worship service to occur in the school gymnasium during school hours is a clear violation of the separation of church and state. The anti-establishment clause has clearly been violated, and Chapman and Edmonds should not have been permitted the right to conduct a worship service this public school setting. They have the freedom to share their beliefs with others, but certainly not at a public school. As indicated by his Twitter posts, Chapman has a clear motive where he has made it his goal to obtain as many converts as possible. Allowing Chapman access to a public school student population is unfairly advantageous for him since his beliefs are unwillingly being inflicted upon a secular crowd in an institution where learning is the primary focus and religious neutrality is demanded (by federal law). Giving Chapman this opportunity is completely unconstitutional. Chapman has every right to express and share his religious beliefs, just not in a public school. Additionally, during this assembly, Chapman performed an “alter call.” This was a visual display where kids were asked to stand up if they chose to commit their lives to Jesus. Unfair pressure was placed on the students who did not want to line up because they chose not to “turn to Jesus.” Again, this is completely unconstitutional and should not have occurred. Before any work can be done to fix the internal academic issues, the school must put some serious effort into fixing the errors they just made. Yes, the message evoked by Chapman and “B-Shoc” may be positive and encouraging to some students, but holding a worship service in a public school is illegal by all means as it is a direct violation of the First Amendment. This type of assembly should never be permitted to occur again in any public school in South Carolina as well as the rest of the nation.
0 Responses to “Worship service at a public middle school”
Post a Comment