Law & Courts

Southern Baptists Decline To Take Up Call for Public School Exodus

By Mary Ann Zehr — June 23, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A proposal that the Southern Baptist Convention urge Christian parents to remove their children from public schools didn’t get the support it needed to be considered for a vote last week at the convention’s annual meeting.

T.C. Pinckney, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general from Alexandria, Va., who had pushed the measure, said he doesn’t plan to give up trying to persuade Southern Baptists to opt for home schooling and private Christian schooling instead of public schools that he sees as hostile to Christian beliefs.

Mr. Pinckney said in an interview last week that he plans to submit a similar proposal to the convention next year. “We will not fold our tents and tuck our tail between our legs and sneak away,” he said.

Numbering 16.3 million, Southern Baptists make up the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Some 8,700 representatives gathered for religious services and to vote on church matters at the meeting, held June 15 and 16 in Indianapolis.

The resolution sought by Mr. Pinckney and co-author Bruce N. Shortt, a Houston lawyer and home schooling father, called public schools “Godless” and “anti-Christian.” It criticized such schools for “teaching that the homosexual lifestyle is acceptable.” (“Vote Sought on Public School ‘Exodus’,” May 26, 2004.)

In its rationale for urging parents to remove their children from public schools, the proposal said: “It is foolish for Christians to give their children to be trained in schools run by the enemies of God.”

Amendment Defeated

Calvin R. Wittman, the chairman of the 10-member resolutions committee for the convention, told the assembled Southern Baptists last week that the committee had unanimously decided not to bring Mr. Pinckney’s resolution up for a vote before the convention.

He explained to the attendees that the committee members felt that parents—and not the denomination—should be the ones to decide where to send their children to school, according to John Revell, a spokesman for the convention.

But Mr. Pinckney made sure that the church representatives, which Southern Baptists call messengers, had a chance to consider the matter at the annual meeting. As an amendment to another resolution, which criticized the secularization of American society, he proposed urging Christian parents to choose home schooling or private schooling for their children.

Messengers discussed that amendment for about 20 minutes, according to Mr. Pinckney, before voting it down.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Law & Courts What Trump’s Trans Athlete Ban Means for Schools and States
Some athletic groups responded quickly to the executive order on transgender participation in athletics, while lawsuits are expected.
6 min read
President Donald Trump introduces guests as he speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump introduces guests as he speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Law & Courts Are Religious Charter Schools Legal? The Supreme Court Will Decide Soon
The court's ruling could fundamentally alter the line between church and state in education.
5 min read
The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024.
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted review in a potentially landmark case about whether a state may, or even must, include a religious school in its public charter school funding program.
Susan Walsh/AP
Law & Courts Legal Fights Highlight Clashes Over Transgender Students’ Pronouns in Schools
A federal court weighs the case of a teacher who refused to use students' chosen names and pronouns, as similar questions arise elsewhere.
9 min read
John Kluge, a former Indiana teacher, pictured in an undated photo.
John M. Kluge is an Indiana teacher who was dismissed for refusing to use transgender students' chosen names and pronouns.
Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom
Law & Courts Can Parents Opt Kids Out of Reading LGBTQ+ Books? The Supreme Court Will Decide
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a school district's policy of refusing to let parents opt out their children from LGBTQ+ storybooks.
3 min read
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
A view of the Supreme Court in the afternoon on April 19, 2023, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP