A guest commentary by Sonja Dalton
From IR Editor: A thus-far unaddressed perspective on the District 214 controversy concerning offensive passages in the high school students' required reading list is the lack of interest demonstrated by local pastors. Sonja Dalton, who was present at the meeting's start all the way through to it's 1:30 AM Friday morning decision, expresses her disappointment that area pastors ignored what is happening within their communities.
After fifty conservative churches were contacted in the district, not one sent a pastor or staff member to speak at the meeting, she writes:
Two so-called "Christian" ministers came to Thursday night's District 214 school board meeting...to speak in favor of books with vulgar language, graphic violence, and explicit sex, including masturbation, male homosexual rape, and even drunken public sex with a dog.
Sonja shares more . . .
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"Reverend" Julie Denny-Hughes of Countryside Unitarian Universalist Church in Palatine (http://www.ccuu.org/ministers.html was about the 10th speaker of the evening. She spoke of the individual freedoms we have in the USA, including freedom of religion without government interference, and said that government (including public schools) has a different job to do. Her comments made it clear that she believes there is a separation between private and civic life, that we must compartmentalize our faith. She boldly condemned Leslie, advising her to leave her religious convictions at home and "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's." (Never mind that Jesus was speaking of paying taxes and not of surrendering our children and their education to the state).
Seth Moland-Kovach is the Youth and Family Pastor for Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. He spoke not only to commend the teachers who selected these books, but specifically spoke in praise of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (the most egregious of the books in question) and The Things They Carried.
Who takes spiritual advice from people like this? But more importantly, ...
Where were the other pastors, elders, and youth ministers of District 214?
There are over 50 conservative or evangelical churches in the district, with parents and children directly impacted by this issue, but not one of their pastors or elders or even a youth minister showed up to speak in defense of our children - not one!
Instead I found myself having to clap for a Muslim doctor who endured until 1 am awaiting his opportunity to defend his children against offensive, vulgar, pornographic materials. As he left the room, we thanked him for speaking; he hung his head and said, "I'm glad someone agrees with me."
I found myself having to clap for an atheist who cared enough to stay until the very end, speaking third from last, to say that the government doesn't have a right to impose obscenity and smut on citizens and to advocate for an opt-in program rather than the current opt-out policy.
Where were the men who are supposed to speak for me and for those of like faith? Where are those ordained to lead the flock and to lift up God's standard in this community? How can we evangelize if we don't care enough to show up, to be salt and light at the school board meeting? The passionate disciples of secular humanism cared enough to organize and coach and stay to the end.
Where were the men of God?
