Does it really sound like a good idea for a school to invite a youth evangelist to hold a prayer rally? It did to Larry Stinson, principal of New Heights Middle School in South Carolina. He invited B-SHOC (Bryan Edmonds), a Christian rapper and Christian Chapman, a youth evangelist, to hold what was essentially a Christian prayer rally to promote Christianity to the student body.
What's more, people in town don't understand what the problem is, thus displaying both a complete ignorance of the law and an appalling attitude towards others' liberties.
The video showed children waving arms rhythmically as a Christian rapper called B-SHOC performs on stage in a darkened gym. The rapper is seen joking earlier in the footage about how "too much fog" at a rehearsal for the same event triggered a school fire alarm. On the recording, B-SHOC openly muses whether firefighters might show up and whether they might be "churchgoers, Jesus lovers."
The school's Facebook page deleted its link to the video of the event, but comments in support of the principal were posted on it, with the comment, "Keep standing up for what you believe, and never let them knock you down. Keep it up! We love you."
Source: WISTV
The link to the video isn't the only evidence of what really went on that has been deleted.
A one-paragraph report on the school's web site, apparently written by a student who is identified as a "Hawk News Team Correspondent," called the event a "worship rally" with strobe lights and music. The school's mascot is a Hawk.
"The students were all stirred up and captivated by B-SHOC's mesmerizing light show. While performing, lyrics on the screen got the kids singing and rapping about Jesus," the report said. It added Chapman "brought a powerful message to which the middle school students could easily relate. Before the day ended, 324 kids had either been saved, or had recommitted their lives to the Lord."
Within hours of inquiries Wednesday from The Associated Press, the report was removed from the school web site, as were separate links it contained to web sites for B-SHOC and Chapman.
It honestly looks like there's been an organized, deliberate effort to cover things up. If so, that would tell us that people involved know full well that what they did was illegal, that they shouldn't have done it, and that they can get into a lot of trouble if they are actually held accountable.
Rodney Nicholson, pastor of High Point Baptist Church in nearby Pageland, S.C., posted on the school's Facebook page, "I cannot understand for the life of me why some are making such a big case out of all of this!"
"Those who did not wish to attend had an alternative option! There is something wrong when you can talk about sex, drugs, pregnancy, and any other subject in school except for Christianity!" Nicholson wrote.
Well, maybe people have a problem with a government school hosting a Christian prayer rally because the government doesn't have the authority to single out Christianity for that kind of special, favorable treatment. I'll bet Rodney Nicholson would have a problem if the school hosted a Muslim evangelist and singer promoting Islam to the students -- and he'd be right to be upset, too.
What's more, the presence of alternatives would be irrelevant. It's irrelevant if the school invites a Christian evangelist and it's irrelevant if the school invites a Muslim evangelist. Why? Because even with some sort of "alternative," the school is still promoting some particular religion over others. That's illegal -- and judging by the extent to which school officials appear to be deleting evidence of what happened, I think they all know it was illegal.
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