Now teaching Christian doctrine at a church school is 'extremist'. Move over Monty Python.
David Robertson looks at the so-called ‘extremist’ teaching that has
caused Christian Charity CrossTeach to be banned from conducting assemblies in a
Church school
Are you sitting comfortably in your ‘safe space’? Do you have your
‘trigger’ alarm ready? Then we shall begin. There is a shocking story coming out
of darkest Kent. The Christian equivalent of an Islamist madrasa is being set up
in a normal decent English school, teaching children hateful and extremist
ideology.
These extremists have been spouting hate, abuse and according to one
small group of parents, causing their children to be "exposed to potentially
damaging ideology”.
One concerned parent shared their trauma with the
press:
“No one minds Nativity plays and Bible stories but considering most of
the parents at the school aren’t practising Christians I think the feeling is
that it’s all too much.”
Another told The
Guardian the shocking news that her son had been told “Men
can’t marry men”.
It really is quite disgraceful that a Church of England school should be
teaching such extremist Christian doctrines. Before we know it Kentish boys and
girls will grow up into full-grown terrorists, waging Christian Jihad throughout
the length and breadth of the land!
Sadly this is not a Monty Python sketch. This is modern ‘tolerant,
rational’ Britain today. No one expects the ‘Secular Inquisition’ – but don’t
worry they will be coming to a school, media studio, workplace near you – if
anyone is stupid enough to try to teach the Christian faith as Christ taught
it.
Now don’t get me wrong – I have been to some naff school assemblies in my
life; the kind that convinces you as a Christian that clergy should be banned
from schools for life! But it appears that what was going on here was not that –
nor was it the hell fire and brimstone stuff of urban legend. It is a Christian
Charity called ‘CrossTeach’ who are a respectable and accredited organisation, a
member of Affinity, who has been banned. This group has enjoyed a good
relationship with the school for many years.
The local vicar, Rev Giles Walter, who has been involved with the school
for 24 years, issued a statement: “The behaviour of this small group of parents
has hurled a hand grenade into a previously happy and harmonious environment.
They seem determined to drive mainstream Christian teaching out of our Church
school: and it is they and not ourselves who should be charged with extremism
and non-inclusiveness.”
The head teacher of the school wrote to parents refuting all the
allegations made against CrossTeach and commending them for their good work.
Furthermore the ‘evidence’ provided by the campaigners was taken from assemblies
which had nothing to do with CrossTeach. Nonetheless the head teacher gave in to
the small group of parents and has banned CrossTeach from being involved in
assemblies.
What does this tale of the Secular Inquisition incident tell us about
modern Britain today? There are several lessons we should take on
board.
1) We truly live in a dumbed down culture, which is ignorant of, and
prejudiced against, its own roots. You would think that parents,
who choose to send their children to a Church of England school, might have the
intelligence to work out that the Church of England is (allegedly) a Christian
organisation that teaches the Christian faith. Perhaps the group of parents
hadn’t read The 39 Articles or the Book of Common Prayer? They certainly don’t
know the Bible. “No one minds nativity plays or Bible stories”. Really? Like the
story of the birth of Jesus where all the baby boys in Bethlehem were
slaughtered? Or that lovely one about Noah in the ark with all his animals,
while most of humanity was wiped out in a flood? Or the nice one about Jesus
being nailed on a cross while smiling beatifically down and singing “always look
on the bright side of life”? Or am I getting confused here?
2) The real extremists are the small minority of secularist
atheists. They are the militants who want to exclude everyone who
does not agree with their ideology. The irony is that in the name of tolerance
and diversity they will not tolerate anything that diverts from their ideology.
They don’t mind religion. They are after all ‘for freedom of religion and
freedom from religion’. The trouble is that
the latter takes priority and so the Church is permitted as long as it is
equivalent to a knitting club or a Trekkie society. Anytime they even get a
whiff of something Christian they are ‘triggered’ and demand that they should be
protected. The snowflake secularists have truly taken over the
asylum.
3) There is a patronising and dangerous ideology that is being used to
teach our children. Education used to be about teaching
children how to
think. Now it is about teaching them what to think. And nothing must be
allowed to deviate from that. Instead of education our schools are being turned
into centres of social engineering where the secular Brave New World is
indoctrinated into our children. Our children are being taught that marriage has
nothing to do with gender. And now they are being taught Queer theory; that
gender either doesn’t exist, or has nothing to do with biology, or is ‘fluid’.
Now there’s a really harmful and dangerous ideology!
4) Those of us who warned that the introduction of Same Sex Marriage
would quickly move from being a permissive to being a prohibitive decree have
been proven right. The
Guardian helpfully informed its readers that: “faith schools
must still adhere to Department for Education guidelines regarding fundamental
British values, including equality and non-discrimination in matters such as gay
marriage, as well as respect and tolerance for other faiths.”So there you have
it. Something that didn’t even exist ten years ago is now a ‘fundamental British
value’! Of course The
Guardian and our liberal elites don’t mean what they say about
non-discrimination. They are all for discrimination against those
who hold to the traditional view of marriage on which Western Civilisation has
been based for the past 1,500 years. It cannot and must not be
taught.
I wonder what other ‘fundamental British values’ will be discovered in
the next decade? Good job that so little history is taught! (Of course children
should not be taught history either, if the criteria is ‘we cannot teach what
might cause upset’ – there are a few bloody battles that would be off limit.
Biology could suffer too. English literature? You’ve got to be careful with that
too. An American school district has just banned To Kill A Mocking Bird because that
might cause upset!).
5) The Church only has itself to blame – we have far too
often taught such a watered down, wet version of the Bible that anytime a hint
of the real thing surfaces, cries of “that’s not nice” echo through the echo
chambers. Even in this instance, although CrossTeach were vindicated, they have
still been excluded. My heartfelt plea is when will someone stand up to the
bullies?
Jesus wept. Christ wept over Jerusalem. We must weep at the insanity that
is gripping the UK, of which this incident is only the tip of the iceberg.
Christ’s sternest warning was for those who would harm any of “these little
ones”. Maybe its time for the Church to reflect the priorities of the Christ who
said “let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them”? Maybe for the
sake of the children we should come out of our own comfort zones and challenge
the new State-imposed fundamentalist doctrines that cause so much harm. If we
are to be accused of extremism, then let's make sure that it is the kind of
extreme and courageous love that Jesus showed. Whatever the
cost.
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