Possible Merger of NEA and "Moderate" Churches

EthicsDaily.com ^ | February 5, 2007 | Bob Allen

[achilles2000]

The head of the nation's largest teacher union hailed a summit meeting for clergy and educators initiated by the Baptist Center for Ethics an historic first step toward building bridges between public schools and people of faith...."Many of you in your pulpits, sometimes your greatest detractors may be your board of trustees or your deacons," Weaver addressed ministers. "What we are saying is if in fact we can help you, select some of us to be on your deacon board or trustee board. We will solicit you, perhaps, to run for school board. We will solicit you to help with members of Congress."

[achilles2000]

The story essentially announces a potential merger between the NEA and the Jimmy Carter/Bill Clinton Baptists (scroll down for more on that if you are unfamiliar with this development). Among other things, Reg Weaver is offering associate membership in the NEA and possible support for members of these churches in school board races. In return Weaver is looking to have NEA members placed on boards of deacons and elders (the church ruling bodies) and to have them lobby Congress and other legislatures with the NEA to get more money and power. This is likely to spread across the "moderate" church landscape. If you consider the public policy positions the NEA has taken, the combination of liberal evangelicals and the NEA is both hilarious and alarming.

FROM "THE CONTINUING COLLAPSE"

Jimmy's and Bill's Really Terrific New Kind of Christianity

Unlike most conservative Christians, who implausibly insist that their schools are "different" and that their nine year-olds are little salt shakers sprinkling salt all over in their public schools, Liberal Christians believe that everyone should hand their children over to the government schools for the "common good". From EthicsDaily.com, the publication of the Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton Baptists:

Christians should support public education not as mission field for conversion, but out of a commitment to the common good, Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics told a Thursday gathering of educators and clergy exploring ways to build more meaningful relationships between churches and schools.

Thus, while we must admit that the promoters of a version of Christianity best described as liberalism with holidays may have, shall we say, an eccentric view of the "common good", at least they don't engage in the utterly mendacious blather of the typical evangelical pastor about how Christian children serve in the government's schools as missionaries.

Not content later on in the article with describing our highly trained education professionals as Hebrew slaves being asked to make bricks without straw, the Baptist Center for Ethics' Mr. Parham, without naming names, continues by taking a jab at Al Mohler and yours truly:

One seminary president, Parham said, supports a movement within the Southern Baptist Convention that labels public schools and "the enemies of God" and "dark and decaying places." The president, Parham said, has stated, "I believe that now is the time for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from the public schools."..."Calling public schools dark and decaying places bears false witness against public schools..." http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=8489

To combat the scourge of false witness bearing against the government's schools, the Baptist Center for Ethics helpfully provides worship materials for supporting government school teachers and administrators. http://www.ethicsdaily.com/static.cfm?mode=curricula_publiceducation_resource

Jimmy and Bill are rumored to been commissioned by the BCE to design an updated golden calf in the shape of a public school that will soon be made available impartially to liberal and conservative pastors. This will complement the public school worship liturgy quite nicely.

THE TRAGEDY OF OUR UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS

Speaking of our highly trained education professionals being forced to make bricks without straw:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public school teachers earned $34.06 per hour in 2005, 36% more than the hourly wage of the average white-collar worker and 11% more than the average professional specialty or technical worker.

As it turns out, the famously successful Detroit schools are at the top of the "bricks without straw" heap:

Metro Detroit leads the nation, paying its public school teachers, on average, $47.28 per hour. That's 61% more than the average white-collar worker in the Detroit area and 36% more than the average professional worker. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009612

Apparently, despite giving the Detroit public school Hebrew slaves so much straw, Detroit schools are now "at the boiling point":

Leaders of the Detroit Federation of Teachers vowed Thursday to recall the president of the school board as community tensions grew surrounding a plan to close 52 schools and a much-criticized candidate pool for superintendent

The 52 schools represent 20% of Detroit's schools. Over the last 8 years Detroit has lost 51,000, or roughly one-third, of its students, and the future looks bleak for Detroit's highly trained Hebrew slaves:

The district has seen a massive exodus of students over the past eight years -- more than 50,000 or nearly a third of its population. State funding, which is based on attendance, has also fallen sharply -- so much so that the district borrowed more than $200 million in 2005 to stay afloat. A record number of kids left the district this fall -- nearly 12,600 -- after the teachers strike. And the district projects it will have fewer than 100,000 students by 2008. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/SCHOOLS/701120393/1003/METRO

The economic consequences of the diaspora from Detroit's schools are striking:

And with the flight of each child, the district watches another $7,500 walk away. All told, the state is spending nearly $380 million a year to educate Detroit children elsewhere. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070115/SCHOOLS/701150362

As I have noted before, few things distress our highly educated education professionals as much as students who leave and take their "straw" with them. In Michigan, even a $224 per student drop in funding (out of about $9,000 per student) would plunge 20% of districts into fiscal crisis. http://www.ednews.org/articles/7445/1/State-cuts-could-push-20-of-school-districts-into-the-red/Page1.html

[achilles2000]

bump

[festus]

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public school teachers earned $34.06 per hour in 2005, 36% more than the hourly wage of the average white-collar worker and 11% more than the average professional specialty or technical worker.

As it turns out, the famously successful Detroit schools are at the top of the "bricks without straw" heap:

Metro Detroit leads the nation, paying its public school teachers, on average, $47.28 per hour. That's 61% more than the average white-collar worker in the Detroit area and 36% more than the average professional worker. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009612

Facts really have a way of getting in the way of a good liberal sky is falling rant eh ?

[American Quilter]

"Step into my parlor," said the spider to the fly.

What was it Lenin said about public education? Something like "Give me your children for five years in a public school and you'll never get them back."

[YOUGOTIT]

Moderate Church means one of unchristian pro terrorist heathenism. Or words to that effect.

[XR7]

Thus, while we must admit that the promoters of a version of Christianity best described as liberalism with holidays may have, shall we say, an eccentric view of the "common good", at least they don't engage in the utterly mendacious blather of the typical evangelical pastor about how Christian children serve in the government's schools as missionaries.

Rimshot!

[achilles2000]

Personally, I prefer the "liberalism with holidays" characterization ;-)

[achilles2000]

bump

[StormEye]

"Reg Weaver is offering associate membership in the NEA and possible support for members of these churches in school board races. In return Weaver is looking to have NEA members placed on boards of deacons and elders (the church ruling bodies) and to have them lobby Congress and other legislatures with the NEA to get more money and power. This is likely to spread across ..

Of course there are no seperation of church and state issues here that the
leftists/Liberals/DemonRATS constantly whine about.

[lilylangtree]

Amazing!

[weegee]

Wonder what the ACLU will say about this. Oh wait, these are libs partnering. Nevermind.

[popdonnelly]

The NEA is the reason kids don't learn. It's an adjunct of the Democratic Party.

[theBuckwheat]

Public schools are an integral part of government. In some cases school districts have the power to levy taxes, and even when spending almost $10,000 per pupil per year, which they claim is not enough. God calls says that when a church moves to intertwine its affairs with that of a state, it commits spiritual harlotry.

But this illuminates the effect of both parties ideology. It is not based on principles, it is based on power. Such a merger would disqualify any church from receiving God's blessing.

"No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24

Members of this church who object to this merger had either better reclaim control of their organization, or they will have no other choice but to go elsewhere.

[achilles2000]

The CBF/BCE is looking to create a large denomination by positioning itself as the "government school-friendly" denomination. This, they hope, will lure the well paid government school administrators and teachers out of other churches to provide the new denomination with a big financial and political base.

[achilles2000]

The CBF/BCE is looking to create a large denomination by positioning itself as the "government school-friendly" denomination. This, they hope, will lure the well paid government school administrators and teachers out of other churches to provide the new denomination with a big financial and political base.

[achilles2000]

The CBF/BCE is looking to create a large denomination by positioning itself as the "government school-friendly" denomination. This, they hope, will lure the well paid government school administrators and teachers out of other churches to provide the new denomination with a big financial and political base.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

...select some of us to be on your deacon board or trustee board...

yeah, and we'll let the pedophiles teach the childrens Sunday schools too...?

/s

[rusureitflies?]

This is how you pollute a septic tank.

[ApplegateRanch]

Such a merger would disqualify any church from receiving God's blessing.

Considering the churches involved, they are probably more interested in the government's ble$$ing$ anyway.