After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death. (Rated PG-13)
Sound of Freedom is a true story film that exposes the darkness of child trafficking. A federal agent saves a boy from traffickers, but his sister is still captive. He embarks on a dangerous mission, risking his life to free her from a fate worse than death.
Jim Caviezel stars in the movie “The Sound of Freedom” which was blacklisted by Disney and yet still became an unlikely box office hit.(Photo courtesy of Angel Studios)
While working for the government, Tim Ballard saw how much more was needed in the fight against child trafficking and exploitation across the world. In 2013, he and a team of former government operatives left the security of their careers to accomplish the work of empowering rescuing children by founding a private foundation – Operation Underground Railroad. Sound of Freedom is based on some of the first operations.
The Sound of Freedom focuses on a high-stakes drama, showing Ballard (played by The Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel) and his partners working with local government officials in South America to lure pimps and pedophiles and rescue the children in their clutches before it’s too late.
Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal industry in the U.S., second only to the drug trade. There is an estimated 49.6 million people in human trafficking, of which 27.6 million are in forced labor or sex trafficking.
The movie does not hide from its faith-based roots. The refrain, “God’s children are not for sale,” reminds us that the rights and dignity of human beings derive from GOD.
The film has been the talk of the town due to the controversy surrounding it. The film’s distributor, Angel Studios, announced Sound of Freedom’s theatrical release comes more than five years after the film’s completion.
Even though the film only just hit cinemas July Fourth, development on the script started all the way back in 2015. It was shot three years later, during which time a distribution deal was made with the 20th Century Fox movie studio.
But when the Disney-Fox merger went ahead, Disney shelved the project. What ensued was an alleged battle for the filmmakers to set Sound of Freedom free.
Jim Caviezel stars in the movie “The Sound of Freedom” which was blacklisted by Disney and yet still became an unlikely box office hit. (Photo courtesy of Angel Studios)
According to Angel Studios CEO and Co-Founder Neal Harmon, the film’s director spent over a year before Disney released the rights to the film. After that, COVID hit, and another three years passed.
Sound of Freedom shocked the box office on on its opening weekend with its No. 1 opening day finish, beating Disney’s latest Indiana Jones film.
Actor Jim Caviezel comments, “Schindler’s List was a very powerful weapon, but it came fifty years too late. This film (Sound of Freedom) is now, this is exposing it now during that time. And I believe that is probably why it is easier to get an actor to do a movie fifty years later. There’s no controversy.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Mark Chapter Nine, “If anyone causes one of these little one-those who believe in me- to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
View the video trailer for the “Sound of Freedom,” produced by Angel Studios below(2:37 min)
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO – Next month special elections will be coming to the Buckeye State as a prelude to this Fall when voters decide whether the abortion of babies is a constitutional right. In a Post-Roe era, social conservatives in the bellwether state are laying the groundwork to defeat radical Anti-Life efforts to re-write the state’s Constitution.
In Issue 1, Ohioans will vote August 8th whether to raise the approval threshold to amend the Ohio State Constitution to 60% of the vote instead of the current fifty-percent plus one. Issue 1 will also require any initiative petition proposing to amend Ohio’s Constitution be signed by at least 5% of the electors of every county instead of in just half of Ohio’s counties. Faith leaders are encouraging their congregations to vote “Yes” for Issue 1.
Ohioans will decide Tuesday, August 8th whether to raise bar to amend State Constitution. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“As lead clergymen representing 124 diverse congregations, we believe the bar should be raised if a special interest group wants to amend the charter of our state,” says Pastor Bruce Philippi, one the clergy co-signers. “This coming November 2023 election, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU will propose enshrining the murder of unborn babies into the Ohio Constitution and also enshrining underage minors to obtain gender-changing hormones and/or to mutilate their bodies thru surgery without parental consent. It will not stop there. In future election cycles, amendments to legalize the gateway drug marijuana, and the repeal of election integrity laws are also expected. Our firm conviction is that now is the time to safeguard our vulnerable State’s fundamental principles. ”
The clergy wrote in their open letter, “Unlike the U.S. Constitution, our Ohio Constitution can easily be changed. This bare minimum threshold of fifty-percent plus one vote encourages the Secular Left to constantly bring defeated issues back before voters with more financial backing until they eventually pass. For comparison, the U.S. Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as 75% of state legislatures to formally ratify an amendment.”
According to the National Archives Foundation, of the more than 11,000 proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution throughout the nation’s two centuries of existence, only 27 constitutional amendments have been ratified. In contrast, the Ohio Constitution has been amended an astronomical 172 times.”
“Article 1 Section 7 of the Ohio Constitution states religion, morality, and knowledge, are essential to good government. As the abortion industry tries to transform our Ohio Constitution into an erasable white board, may Ohio voters raise the bar on August 8th to protect our Constitution and preserve our rich heritage. Vote Yes for Issue 1.”
Open letter signed by 124 Ohio clergymen across 17 counties
Elder James DeWeese, a former common pleas court judge, included his name with the other clergymen. He comments, “Amending the Ohio Constitution to add a right to abortion or any other absolute right automatically overturns any legislation to the contrary. Consequently, the Heartbeat Bill which took so much effort to pass and any other parental notification regarding abortion would be thrown aside by such a ballot amendment in November. Our Constitution ought not to be so easily amended. The idea that Issue 1 undermines ‘one person, one vote’ is deceptive. Issue 1 has nothing to do with voting rights; nothing changes how votes are counted.”
The open letter referenced Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who said government has been instituted, “because the passions of men will not conform to the dictate of reason and justice without constraint.”
“Proverbs 19 says ‘The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.'” says Pastor Walter Moss, a Pro-Life activist and another of the letter’s clergy co-signers. “Changing the State Constitution should be a slow process that moderates the intense passions of people in order to provide long-term stability to our system. In other words, the bedrock document our state’s laws are based on should not change at a whim’s notice.”
Several of the clergy co-signers of the Issue 1 open letter also advocated for election integrity in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
After the 2008 Great Recession hit and Ohio was struck with a $900 billion state budget deficit, voters the following year approved a constitutional amendment by a slim 53-47% margin. In a knee-jerk reaction, voters gave two predatory businesses a casino monopoly. Previously four state constitution casino initiatives had been defeated.
The clergy wrote, “Article 1 Section 7 of the Ohio Constitution states religion, morality, and knowledge, are essential to good government. As the abortion industry tries to transform our Ohio Constitution into an erasable white board, may Ohio voters raise the bar on August 8th to protect our Constitution and preserve our rich heritage. Vote Yes for Issue 1.”
“If a 60% threshold is good enough for the Ohio Democrat Party to amend their party constitution (Article 4, Section 1), than I think a sixty-percent threshold should be good for the Ohio State Constitution,” Pastor Philippi remarked.
Listed clergy co-signers have congregations located in (17) counties throughout Ohio: Richland (73), Crawford (10), Trumbull (9), Knox (6), Ashland (5), Morrow (4), Wayne (4), Stark (3), Mahoning (2), Coshocton (1), Huron (1), Licking (1), Lorain (1), Marion (1), Medina (1), Portage (1), & Warren (1).
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says inProverbs 19, “It is not good for a soul to be without knowledge. He who sins hastens with his feet. The foolishness of a man twists his way, and his heart frets against the Lord.”
View video (30 second duration) below produced by Protect Women Ohio, a coalition of concerned family and life leaders, parents, medical experts, and faith leaders in Ohio:
MANSFIELD — Effective July 4th, House Bill 33 establishes operating appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025, ending on June 30th, 2025. Senator Mark Romanchuk was one of the sixteen state senators to sponsor the Bill. The impact of House Bill 33 is already being felt in Mansfield.
“This is a major victory for families in Ohio,” says Dr. Cy Smith MCS Superintendent. “Finally, after decades of lobbying, every student in Ohio will be eligible for a scholarship to attend the school of their choice.
Dr. Cy Smith of Mansfield Christian Schools. (Photo courtesy of Mansfield Christian)
This has been made available because of the passage of H.B. 33, new legislation, which has expanded the voucher program. Students can attend any private school regardless of their location. Every family will qualify for a scholarship.
“Regardless of where you live, your family income, or the report card of the local school district. Sending your children to a private school is now an option for everyone. We are so thankful to our legislators, both locally and statewide, who supported this bill and diligently worked with us to make this happen.”
The expansion will allow parents to finally access the best educational fit for their child, Smith said. This is a pivotal opportunity that has come at the perfect time for those interested in private education. The state budget goes into effect immediately, so all students are eligible for a scholarship this upcoming school year.
“We anticipate that for Christian families in our area who have been unable to access Mansfield Christian because of financial commitments, choosing an education that aligns with their Christian values will be a high priority this fall,” school officials noted in a press release.
“Regardless of where you live, your family income, or the report card of the local school district. Sending your children to a private school is now an option for everyone. We are so thankful to our legislators, both locally and statewide, who supported this bill and diligently worked with us to make this happen.”
Dr. Cy Smith, Superintendent of Mansfield Christian School
“Christian families have tremendous concerns about what their children are learning in school and without the cost barrier, we anticipate that many parents will investigate a well-established, high-quality, private school like Mansfield Christian for their children.”
The scholarship amount varies on a sliding scale. Everyone receives some level of funding which is a big win for all families. Families with income at or below 450% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or a family of four with a total household income of $135,000 is eligible for the maximum amount. Families with incomes above the 450% qualify at a prorated amount.
Tuition at Mansfield Christian is just below the voucher amount in the high school and just above the voucher amount in grades K-8. Whether it is a family that has sacrificed for years to make Christian education a reality, or a family new to Christian education, this guaranteed financial help is an incredible blessing for everyone and is essentially an answer to prayer for so many, school officials stated.
“We are anxious to meet families that are aligned with our mission and prioritize the biblical worldview.”
Limited openings are available. Interested families should contact the Admission’s Director, Stacy Craner, at 419-756-5651 ext 239 or craner.stacy@mcsflames.org. To begin the application process as soon as possible visit www.mcsflames.org and click “Apply Now.”
Mansfield Christian School was founded in 1961 to partner with Christian families and their churches to educate their children. The school’s academics are rooted in a biblical worldview that equips students to pursue excellence in everything and to live and serve as spiritually mature followers of Christ.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Proverbs 22, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
View the video below of a virtual tour of the Mansfield Christian Campus. (Duration 6 minutes)
LEXINGTON — Education or indoctrination? The culture war continues to heat up in the classroom. In school, students are always learning new things by heart, and in some cases without the parents’ consent. This past spring, parents attended a Lexington School Board meeting complaining their son was instructed to participate in a religious ritual during school hours.
Images of kachina dolls. (Photo courtesy of Jesse Walter Fewkes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
“On the week of February 13th, 2023, our eleven-year-old son was instructed by his fifth-grade teacher during Social Studies class to make a kachina doll,” Amie Mutti told the Lexington School Board. “This is no ordinary doll. These dolls were used by Native Americans as sacred idols.”
According to a handout given to the students, ‘kachina dolls are a likeness of Hopi spirits and each Hopi spirit is thought to have special powers, like healing the sick, providing rain for crops, protecting children, and carrying dreams to heaven.’ Mutti compared her son’s classroom experience to a teacher instructing students to pray the rosary during class.
“In other words, the children were told by the teacher to make a kachina doll, give their doll a name, and to write about what special powers their doll had,” says Mutti. “To go further, the lesson plan states, ‘These dolls were used in ceremonies to teach children about the beliefs of the tribe and the gods. Clearly they are not toys.”
John Monaghan, Senior Litigation Counsel for the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) stepped in to the fray by writing a letter to the Lexington School Board. “The law does not support the School’s compulsion of student’s speech under these circumstances,” Monaghan wrote. “Accordingly, the School’s decision presents a matter of great constitutional concern to the ACLJ. The instruction to make the doll interferes with the Mutti son’s First Amendment rights as a student.”
“Parents were never notified beforehand about this in-class project,” Mutti went on to say. “Students were never given the opportunity to opt out of the project. In our faith tradition, the Scriptures say not to make any graven image or likeness of anything in heaven above or earth below. Not only are we not to make idols, our faith tradition says we are not to bring idols into our homes. After the students completed their project, they were told by the teacher to take their dolls home.”
“Our faith community adheres to a Hebrew phrase, ‘Ein keloheinu,’ that states, ‘There is no god like our GOD.’ So you can see when innocent children are coerced to create dolls made in the likeness of spirits, this is in direct conflict with our Biblical faith tradition. This pagan ritual is an attack on our faith and has no place in public schools.”
Rabbi William Hallbrook, Ontario Sar Shalom Center
According to 3313.601 of the Ohio Revised Code, “No pupil shall be required to participate if contrary to religious convictions of either the pupil or the pupil’s parent/guardian.” Additionally, “No board of education of a school district shall adopt any policy or rule respecting or promoting an establishment of religion.”
In January 2022, parents sued the State of California and were successful in permanently removing the “In Lak Ech Affirmation” from state curriculum. This state mandate previously allowed public schools to force students in Ethnic Studies to chant to the Aztec deity of human sacrifice named “Tezcatlipoca” to help students become “warriors for social justice.” This same deity is also connected to cannibalism.
Mutti has already spoken to the Lexington School Board before. “This is the fourth time we have had issues; the problem is systemic. Whether it was a teacher requiring my third-grade son during class to bow to the ‘sun god’ and use ‘devotional praying hands’ in front of his heart, or whether it was another teacher ridiculing my sixth-grade son for not participating in classroom yoga, all this has been during Mr. Secrist’s watch, who was Assistant Superintendent at the time.”
Rabbi William Hallbrook of Ontario Sar Shalom Center. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Some people are scratching their heads concerning Secrist’s family background. Secrist’s wife is a certified yoga instructor employed by a local elementary school outside the district to teach yoga. She self-identifies as “The Catholic Yogi” and is also affiliated with Mind, Body, Align, a business which holds seminars training educators to incorporate Eastern Religion and Social Emotional Learning in the classroom.
In 2020, Rabbi William Hallbrook, along with clergymen representing over one hundred congregations, put forty school districts on notice after reports were confirmed several schools were incorporating Eastern Religion into classroom activities. “There is no room for classroom indoctrination; we even had an atheist publication out of Chicago agree with our position. I like the previous Superintendent’s response (Mike Ziegelhofer) when we brought this infringement to his attention. He addressed the issue swiftly.”
The Ontario Sar Shalom Center Rabbi commented, “The Mutti family is very active in our congregation. Our faith community adheres to a Hebrew phrase, ‘Ein keloheinu,’ that states, ‘there is no god like our GOD.’ So you can see when innocent children are coerced to create dolls made in the likeness of spirits, this is in direct conflict with our Biblical faith tradition. This pagan ritual is an attack on our faith and has no place in public schools.”
With a prominent First Amendment law firm sending a correspondence to School Administration and a formal complaint made with the School Board, the student’s parents have received nothing back in writing from the School Superintendent. Apparently parents are at the bottom of his totem pole.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Deuteronomy Chapter Seven, “The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire…Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.”
America’s national security depends on the quality of our education system, particularly our universities. Across America, our universities are developing innovations that will preserve our prosperity and national power. However, as we grapple with the multi-faceted China challenge, they also represent a huge area of vulnerability, which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been quick to exploit.
Regent University Dean Michele Bachmann
In a 2019 report, the State Department showed evidence of a systematic CCP campaign directed at U.S. universities, designed to “threaten academic freedom, misuse access to world-class institutions, and seize research to enhance the PRC (Peoples’ Republic of China) military.” While policy-makers have rightly focused on the threat from CCP-FUNDED Confucius Institutes, PRC influence on our universities is both broader and deeper.
For example, according to the State Department, since the 1970s, the CCP has used Chinese Students and Scholars Associations “to monitor Chinese students and mobilize them against views that dissent from the CCP’s stance. That directive has not changed.” Other forms of CCP influence on universities include: direct university-to-university partnerships; suborning scholars to bring valuable, federally-funded research back to China; and direct CCP grants to U.S. universities. The top 10 list of recipients of CCP funding is a who’s who of elite schools, from Harvard at 138.77 million to Arizona State at 44.12 million.
As the U.S. pursues vital national security research, these extensive CCP ties complicate our efforts. Arizona State is an illustrative example. In congressional remarks on March 28, Senator Mark Kelly strongly argued that the new Irregular Warfare Center, designed to combat unconventional threats from China, Russia and other peer competitors, should be hosted at Arizona State. In his words: “It is clear to me that it is time to move forward with Arizona State University and ensure that the IW Center can deliver on its promise for DOD and the nation.”
While ASU closed down its Confucius Center under DOD pressure, it: ranks number 10 in the nation in grants from CCP sources; retains extensive ties with several Chinese universities; touts its ability to place Chinese nationals into highly influential careers; and has an active Chinese Students and Scholars Association. To be sure, ASU is far from abnormal.
In a 2019 report, the State Department showed evidence of a systematic CCP campaign directed at U.S. universities, designed to “threaten academic freedom, misuse access to world-class institutions, and seize research to enhance the PRC (Peoples’ Republic of China) military.” While policy- makers have rightly focused on the threat from CCP-FUNDED Confucius Institutes, PRC influence on our universities is both broader and deeper.
Regent Dean Michele Bachmann
Even many universities in the nation’s capital, such as George Washington University, have equally extensive ties. Still, this example highlights the complex challenge CCP influence on our universities poses for national security. On one hand, organizations like the Irregular Warfare Center will need university partnerships to accomplish their mission to keep America safe. On the other hand, widespread, systematic and malign CCP penetration of universities makes it much harder to ensure a high level of security for this vital national security effort.
Four immediate steps can be taken to address this security risk. First, the House Select Committee on China should prioritize investigation of CCP influence on universities. The State Department and FBI have released helpful documents, but a one-stop congressional report, along with a public hearing, would spot-light this vitally important issue.
Second, the federal government should thoroughly assess its university partnerships, with particular attention to protecting vital national security research from falling into the hands of the PRC.
Third, state governments should discontinue any relationships with the PRC or its affiliates that might unduly influence state university systems and K through 12 education. Under Governor Youngkin, Virginia has taken steps to distance itself from PRC influence, from a TikTok ban for government phones to the Governor’s recent opening of a trade office with Taiwan. Ensuring that our educational institutions are free of CCP influence is a logical next step.
Finally, our university administrators must step up to the plate. Many of the threats we face in the academic arena would be neutralized if American universities spent half as much time and effort on combating CCP influence operations on their campuses as they do promoting woke ideology through their diversity, equity and inclusion offices.
America’s world-class universities are the envy of the world, and can and should be the engines of our success in countering the China challenge. By protecting them against malign CCP influence, we can ensure that this promise is realized, and preserve a legacy of freedom, prosperity and national competitiveness for the next generation.
Michele Bachmann as the Dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University.She was formerly U.S. Congresswoman representing Minnesota’s Sixth District.
In 2023, Pastor Russell Stanford, along with 135 lead clergy, call on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel Capital. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
SHILOH — One would think they were walking in the streets of the Holy Land as clergy gathered on Thursday morning at Village Hall to discuss the City of Jerusalem. At a time when an astronomical increase in anti-Semitism is seen around the world, a conjunction between the State of Ohio and the Star of David could be traced over the Buckeye Bible Belt on May 18th, Jerusalem Day.
Previous attempts have been made to make Ohio the first state in the nation to have their legislative body recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli Capital. However, clergymen are now jumping on board issuing a joint statement Thursday.
Pastor Dr. Ricky Branham calls on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognizeJerusalem as Israel’s Capital. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“With the OSU Student Senate unwisely passing its first-ever Israel divestment resolution recently, we as faith leaders representing one-hundred-thirty-five diverse congregations in the Buckeye State are responding and calling on the 135th Ohio General Assembly to pass a concurrent resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided, eternal Capital of Israel,” Pastor Russ Smith said.
“As the words of Psalm 137 ring out to this day, ‘If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill!”
The clergy believe the current Administration and federal government agencies are positioning the United States in opposition against Israeli sovereignty.
Elder Roger Eggeman commented Thursday, “With the Biden Administration interfering in Israeli elections and domestic policy, and dispatching the FBI to conduct an ill-conceived investigation of the Israeli Defense Forces, the Nation of Israel must be forewarned: the actions by the Biden Administration indicate America is no longer a trustworthy ally. The Star of David is not ‘another star on the American flag.’ It is Israel’s moral right to self-governance; the GOD of Abraham has promised He will be their shield.”
“We applaud our local officials for recognizing the 75th anniversary of the rebirth of the nation of Israel. As their official proclamations indicate, Israel continues to be a present-day miracle. It is our hope our state lawmakers go further to acknowledge Israeli sovereignty.”
Pastor Dr. Ricky Branham
Pastor Russell Stanford added, “Despite the current boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, and constant barrage of United Nation condemnations, there is no denying this tiny nation of Israel, made up of only eight thousand square miles has become one of the world’s top innovators in medicine, technology, agriculture and cybersecurity.”
“As the United Nations’ General Assembly commemorates Israel’s Independence Day by calling it “a catastrophe,” and as the U.N. votes to take Israel to International Court for its so-called occupation of its own sovereign land, may Israel be reminded that whoever sows injustice will reap calamity.”
The clergymen quoted the Bible saying, “Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder gives history of ties between his community and Shiloh, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
The clergy also pointed out that the 130th Ohio General Assembly formally declared ten-years prior, “Israel has been granted its lands under and through the oldest recorded deed, the Old Testament, a tome of Scripture held sacred and revered by Jews and Christians.”
Listed clergy co-signers of the joint statement have congregations located in (15) counties throughout Ohio. Counties with the most congregations represented include: Richland (82), Crawford (9), Ashland (8), Trumbull (8), Knox (5), Wayne (5), Huron (4), Morrow (4), Stark (3), Warren (2), Licking (1), Lorain (1), Mahoning (1), Marion (1), & Portage (1).
This week, nine mayors and three Boards of County Commissioners gave formal acknowledgement of Israel. Mayors from Mansfield, Ashland, Bucyrus, Shelby, Ontario, Butler, Shiloh, Crestline, and Chesterville gave proclamations recognizing the seventy-fifth anniversary of the rebirth of the modern State of Israel. County Commissioners from Ashland, Morrow, and Richland Counties also followed suit.
“We applaud our local officials for recognizing the 75th anniversary of the rebirth of the nation of Israel,” said Dr. Ricky Branham. “As their official proclamations indicate, Israel continues to be a present-day miracle. It is our hope our state lawmakers go further to acknowledge Israeli sovereignty.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Isaiah Chapter Sixty-two, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till He establishes, and makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.”
View slideshow below of the clergy press conferencethat took place outside Shiloh Village Hall on Jerusalem Day.
Mansfield City Councilman Reverend El Akuchie of Godsfield House of Prayer closes press conference with prayer. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Lead clergymen from 135 congregations hold press conference on Jerusalem Day. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Dr. Ricky Branham of Willard Ripley Chapel speaks on Jerusalem. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder gives history of ties between his community and Shiloh, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Dr. Ricky Branham calls on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel Capital. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Russell Stanford calls on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel Capital. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Russ Smith of Shiloh Wesley Evangelical speaks on Jerusalem. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Elder Roger Eggeman calls on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel Capital. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Russell Stanford of All Believers in Christ Church speaks on Jerusalem. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Russ Smith calls on Ohio lawmakers to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel Capital.(Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Elder Roger Eggeman of Ontario Sar Shalom Center speaks on Jerusalem. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Reverend El Akuchie of Godsfield House of Prayer prays to close press conference. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Clergy press conference at Shiloh Village Hall representing 135 lead clergymen from 15 counties. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder gives proclamation recognizing Israel. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Art Kennard of Shelby Maranatha Christian prays for Shiloh Mayor. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
View video below of clergy press conferenceproduced by Frontlines Ohio. (Duration 24 minutes)
Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder with Israel proclamation.
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — The Nation of Israel has an exceptional history that has withstood the test of time. Why would millions of people from around the world leave their homes to come to a desert wasteland to live? How do these people manage to turn a land more than eighty-percent desert into one of the largest food and flower exporters in the world? Why do incredible achievements in science, medicine, and new technologies occur in Israel in greater concentration than anywhere else?
A consensus of leaders in the Ohio region: nine mayors and three Boards of County Commissioners, all share common ground recognizing the achievements and rebirth of Israel. Mayors from Mansfield, Ashland, Bucyrus, Shelby, Ontario, Butler, Shiloh, Crestline, and Chesterville recently gave proclamations recognizing the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. County Commissioners from Ashland, Morrow, and Richland Counties also followed suit.
Commissioner Cliff Mears representing the Richland County Board of Commissioners with Israel proclamation.
“Since its establishment seventy-five years ago, the modern State of Israel has rebuilt a nation, forged a new and dynamic society, and created a thriving economic, political, cultural, and intellectual life for its people despite the heavy costs of war, terrorism, and unjustified diplomatic and economic boycotts against the people of Israel,” says Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder.
In 1997, the Village of Shiloh formed a sister-city partnership with Shiloh, Israel, andin 2008, Israeli dairy experts visited a nearby Mennonite farmer Floyd Zimmerman in northern Richland County as part of an Ohio-Israeli Agricultural Initiative sponsored by the Negev Foundation according to Reeder.
For seven decades, the United States and Israel have maintained a special relationship based on shared democratic values, common strategic interests, and moral bonds of friendship and mutual respect
Local officials noted that Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, mobile hospitals, and other emergency supplies to help victims of disasters around the world. Israel has also absorbed millions of Jews from other countries and fully integrated these immigrants into Israeli society.
“Both Israel and Ohio are prosperous states comprised of immigrants, with representative-democratic forms of government, sharing exceptional histories, with Israel known as a high-tech startup superpower, and both Israel and Ohio sharing common bonds in agriculture, life sciences, and aerospace.”
Morrow County Commissioner Jon Mason
“The desire of the Jewish people to establish an independent modern State of Israel is an outgrowth of the historic kingdom of Israel established in the land of Israel three thousand years ago, with the City of Jerusalem as its capital,” the Morrow County Commissioner Board wrote.
Morrow Commissioner Jon Mason added, “Israel and Ohio are prosperous states comprised of immigrants, with representative-democratic forms of government, sharing exceptional histories, with Israel known as a high-tech startup superpower, and both Israel and Ohio sharing common bonds in agriculture, life sciences, and aerospace.”
In 2016,Ohio became the fourteenth state in the nation to pass anti-BDS legislation and continues to be one of the top holders of Israeli bonds for any governmental entity in the world.
Morrow County Commissioners: Tim Siegfried, Jon Mason, & Tim Abraham with Israel proclamation.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners pointed out in their proclamation that their board in 2017 authorized the investment of $200,000 in taxpayer dollars for Israeli bonds at the request of leading clergymen from forty congregations. Additionally, in 2021 the Israeli Prime Minister personally thanked thirty-three area clergymen for their commitment to invest in Israeli bonds. Since that time, Richland County has increased its investment in Israel bonds to a total of $900,000.
Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson mentioned that Hilik Bar, the Israeli Knesset Deputy Speaker, became the first foreign parliamentarian to address the Ohio State Legislature and was given the “Key to the State of Ohio” in 2015; an honor only three others have received. “Later in 2018, the Deputy Speaker visited Ontario, Ohio to thank the area for its support of Israel, resulting in the North Central Ohio region receiving recognition from Israeli media with headline: ‘Does Rural Ohio Lead the World in Love of Israel?’ the Ontario Mayor said.
Copies of the area proclamations will be sent to the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. and transmitted to authorities in the State of Israel. This coming Thursday, a clergy press conference has been scheduled by the faith community. Clergymen from over one hundred congregations are expected to make a joint statement on Jerusalem.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysSecond Chronicles Thirty-Six, “In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus King of Persia to make a proclamation through his realm and also to put it in writing…”
View the slideshow below of government officials at the municipal and county levels recognizingthe rebirth of modern Israel.
Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker (on right) pictured with Councilman Reverend El Akuchie and Israel proclamation.
Shelby Mayor Steve Schag with Israel proclamation.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller with Israel proclamation.
Richland County Commissioner Cliff Mears with Israel proclamation
Anniversary cake at celebration in Crestline, Ohio.
Crestline Mayor Linda Horning-Pitt with Rabbi Bob Bauer and Israel proclamation.
Bucyrus Mayor Tim Reser with Israel proclamation.
Shiloh Mayor Rick Reeder with Israel proclamation.
Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice with Israel proclamation.
Butler Mayor Wes Dingus with Israel proclamation.
Morrow County Commissioners: Tim Siegfried, Jon Mason, & Tim Abraham with Israel proclamation.
Chesterville Mayor Paula Bowman with Israel proclamation.
Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson signing Israel proclamation.
View the video below entitled “Against all Odds” produced byWilliam McKay,American Trademark Pictures. This documentary film recounts numerous incidents in the history of modern Israel where miraculous outcomes confound even the skeptic.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller pictured with his wife State Rep. Melanie Miller (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
ASHLAND — It can be said this year the forty-second annual Ashland County Prayer Breakfast was focused on the family. Almost six hundred people met at Ashland University’s Convocation Center in the six o’clock hour put on by the Ashland County Ministerial Association.
The keynote speaker, Danae Dobson, said the nation is in need of a revival and encouraged everyone to remain in prayer regarding “the woke ideology seeping into the educational system, and indoctrinating our precious kids.” Danae Dobson is the daughter of Psychologist James Dobson, Founder of Focus on the Family, Family Research Council and Family Talk.
On Thursday, keynote speaker Danae Dobson spoke at the Ashland County Prayer Breakfast; she has authored twenty-four books. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Danae’s mother, Shirley Dobson, served as Chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer (NDOP) Task Force between 1991-2016.
“Sixty-four million babies have been aborted. We have removed God from the public square and prayer from public schools. And the Supreme Court changing the definition of marriage, which, God himself ordained as between one man and one woman,” Dobson said. “Our nation is in peril and it seems to be worsening with each day.”
“Our nation is in peril and it seems to be worsening with each day. Even so, we must remain consistent and pray for this nation and our leaders.”
Danae Dobson, book author & keynote speaker
After Dobson’s address, nine people led prayers for military veterans, national and state leaders, local elected officials, social service workers, law enforcement officials, education leaders and clergy.
A number of dignitaries attended, including Ashland Mayor Matt Miller, his wife State Representative Melanie Miller, and Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice.
This past March, NDOP Chairman John Bouquet and his wife visited the Asbury Revival in Wilmore Kentucky where ongoing prayer occurred among college students. “We met people from both the East Coast and West Coast that were praying with radical humility and participating in authentic worship into the early morning hours.”
Ashland County Prayer Breakfast continues to be one of the largest NDOP observances in the state. The pastor hopes to see the same unity in believers at Ashland University. There was certainly solidarity at the crack of dawn Thursday morning.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter Five, “Pray fervently in righteousness and avail much.”
View the slideshow below of the 42nd Ashland Prayer Breakfast commemorating the National Day of Prayer. (Photos provided by Jimmi Delay Photography)
NDOP Chairman John Bouquet pictured beside his wife and Danae Dobson, (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller pictured with his wife State Rep. Melanie Miller (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Almost six hundred gathered to observe the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Almost six hundred gathered to observe the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Almost six hundred gathered to observe the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice participated in the the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Almost six hundred gathered to observe the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Keynote speaker, Danae Dobson, said the nation is in need of a revival. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
Almost six hundred gathered to observe the National Day of Prayer at the Ashland University Convocation Ctr. (Photo courtesy of Jimmi Delay)
MANSFIELD — There were no cases of ‘road rage’ in downtown Mansfield early Thursday evening. Local congregations are circling their wagons and coming together to pray for the welfare of their nation; while they still have one. Believing that GOD is not asleep at the wheel, the faithful are convinced adversity is actually unifying the Body of Christ.
At least seventeen area churches participated in Thursday’s National Day of Prayer march. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“It was really a great night tonight to have so many churches meet together with one purpose,” says one of the event coordinators Amanda Nichols. “This evening’s downtown march was the culmination of a vision given twenty years ago. The Bible tells us to wait patiently saying, to ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
The march began at the five-way light where Marion Avenue meets Park Avenue West, and ended at Central Park Gazebo. Mansfield Police Department provided security and traffic control. Total distance of the parade was three quarters of a mile.
“This evening’s downtown march was the culmination of a vision given twenty years ago. The Bible tells us to wait patiently saying, to ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Amanda Nichols, Ark Empowerment Center
Mansfield City Council President David Falquette gave a proclamation recognizing National Day of Prayer, and Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice briefly spoke.
“It is fitting and proper to give thanks to GOD by observing this day in Mansfield when all may acknowledge their blessings and express gratitude for them, while recognizing the need for strengthening religious and moral values in our City,” said Council President Falquette.
Mansfield City Council President David Falquette reads city proclamation. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
In addition to Mansfield Police Chief Keith Porch, Common Pleas Court Judge Steve McKinley, Lexington Mayor Brian White and Mansfield City Council members Aurelio Diaz, Kim Moton, and Reverend El Akuchie were in attendance.
Pastor Mark Pierce led those in attendance in the “Godsfield Anthem.” Leading prayer for different arenas of society included clergy: Aaron Williams, Mark Meyer, Lori Mabiala, Joe Nichols, and Larry Rawls. John Allen, Amanda Nichols and Donna Akuchie also prayed.
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Elder Roger Eggeman closed the NDOP vigil with the Aaronic blessing in Hebrew for participants. Scottish bagpipes followed the benediction.
According to Pastor and City Councilman Reverend Akuchie, the Mansfield faith community has a reputation of engaging societal problems, like the recent spree of crime. “I believe praying with one heart and one purpose gets the Heavenly Father’s attention. Having something like this tonight is one way to make our streets safer.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter Five, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
View slideshow below of 2023 NDOP march in downtown Mansfield.
Sar Shalom Center begins march with the blowing of shofars. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Sar Shalom Center begins march with the blowing of shofars (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Sar Shalom Center participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Sar Shalom Center participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pro-life message at National Day of Prayer March (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Clay Memorial Lutheran participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Madison Fusion Church participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
The River Church participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Lexington Fusion Church participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
A march on Park Avenue West in downtown Mansfield took place for National Day of Prayer(Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Mansfield Paradise Church participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Book of Life Church participates in prayer march(Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Southside Christian Church participates in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Ark Empowerment Center participated in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
A march on Park Avenue West in downtown Mansfield took place for National Day of Prayer (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Ark Empowerment Center participates in prayer march(Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Ark Empowerment Center participated in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
A march took place on Park Avenue West in downtown Mansfield for National Day of Prayer (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
LifeWise Academy bus drives in prayer march (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Event emcee Scott Saunders of 90.7 Shine FM(Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Event emcee Scott Saunders of 90.7 FM Shine (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Mansfield City Council President David Falquette reads city proclamation (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Dave Rentzel calls for prayer (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Dave Rentzel calls for prayer (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Musicians from Ontario Potter’s House prepare for worship (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Over 700 participated in the NDOP march. At the end of the march, many remained for prayer vigil at Central Park Gazebo (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Area residents march to commemorate 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court opinion. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
MANSFIELD — Local believers in the the Body of Christ will be putting their faith to their feet this coming Thursday. Instead of a traditional lunch time meeting for prayer for the observance of the National Day of Prayer, attendees will be ‘walking in faith’ in a prayer march. Churches will be marching, dancing, floating, and praising their way to the Mansfield Square.
The parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4th at the five-way light where Marion Ave. meets Park Avenue West, east of the “miracle mile.” Parade participants who have registered will assemble an hour beforehand. As the marchers reach their destination at Mansfield Central Park, a worship time at the Gazebo on the Square will follow.
“Imagine what can happen when we all lift Jesus up in the streets. How that will impact our community,” says Pastor Paul Lintern of Godsfield. “If your not involved yet I encourage you to get involved. Line the streets with your family and congregations. Let’s praise the Lord together.”
Pastor Lintern helped coordinate the March of Prayer meetings involving area churches this past spring.
The parade will be three quarters of a mile long from the start of the parade to the destination Mansfield Central Park. Mansfield Police Department will be providing security and traffic control.
“Imagine what can happen when we all lift Jesus up in the streets. How that will impact our community. If you are not involved yet I encourage you to get involved. Line the streets with your family and congregations. Let’s praise the Lord together.”
Pastor Paul Lintern
Participants are encouraged to contact Reverend El Akuchie of the Richland Community Prayer Network at 419-571-2790 or Amanda Nichols of Project One at anicholsprojectone@gmail.com
Line-up and festivities will began at 5:30 PM at 2 Marion Avenue (Saint Luke’s Point of Grace), With the parade starting at 6:30pm headed down Park Avenue to the Central Park Gazebo where we will continue with worship and prayer. Organizers are encouraging marchers fom local congregations in the Body of Christ to pass out treats and Bibles to the crowd on the route.
Scott Saunders will be emceeing the gathering at the Gazebo and several elected officials will be giving proclamations. In addition, select faith leaders will be leading prayer for the community and music will be provided by Ontario Potter’s House.
The National Day of Prayer (NDOP) is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman. It is estimated that over two million people attended more than thirty thousand observances at state capitols, county courthouses, and city halls last year.
This year’s Mansfield National Day of Prayer observance is sponsored by the Richland Community Prayer Network, Godsfield, and Project One.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter Five, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Remember in the not-so-distant past when kids went to school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic? As parents across the country shockingly discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic, these foundational skills are no longer a priority in many public schools. Instead, some teachers have been using classroom time to indoctrinate, not teach, our precious youth.
As a result of these troubling public school trends, parents are now much more engaged in their local school board meetings. This is so despite the way in which these concerned parents have been wrongfully portrayed. In a September 29, 2021, National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter to President Biden, for example, the NSBA shamefully compared parents who shared their concerns at school board meetings to domestic terrorists. And on October 4, 2021, the United States Department of Justice issued a similarly offensive memo.
Marshall Goldman, ACLJ Legal counsel
We as parents must not be intimidated by these outrageous tactics. Generally speaking, public school board meetings are viewed as limited public forums. This means that “the state may restrict expression so long as the restriction (a) does not discriminate against speech on the basis of viewpoint and (b) is reasonable in light of the purpose served by the forum.” McBreairty v. Sch. Bd. of RSU22, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 128353, at *16 (D. Md. July 20, 2022) (emphasis added) (internal citation omitted).
In McBreairty, for example, Mr. McBreairty spoke at several school board meetings because he was concerned about numerous school-related issues, including inappropriate books in the school library. Id. at *5. Following his school board appearances, Mr. McBreairty received a letter from the school board counsel explaining that he was temporarily prohibited from entering school property for purposes of attending any school-related meeting or function. Id. at *9. In response, Mr. McBreairty filed a complaint “along with his emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.” Id. at *11. Here, the district court ruled in Mr. McBreairty’s favor and determined, in part, that he had a “fair likelihood of success on his as-applied challenge that the School Board’s restrictions violate[d] his First Amendment right to free speech.” Id. at *28-29. Although this ruling is just one initial step in the litigation process, it demonstrates that parents do have a voice and cannot be silenced merely because of their particular viewpoint.
Importantly, the ACLJ has written a legal memo which provides a general overview of parental rights in education. In fact, the ACLJ has been involved in this area of law for decades and has handled many cases involving public school-related constitutional matters.
In this regard, our memo notes that the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed, almost a century ago, that parents have a fundamental liberty interest in the care, upbringing, control, and education of their children. The Court later emphasized this in Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 232 (1972): “The history and culture of Western civilization reflects a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children.”
the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed, almost a century ago, that parents have a fundamental liberty interest in the care, upbringing, control, and education of their children. The Court later emphasized this in Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205, 232 (1972): “The history and culture of Western civilization reflects a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children.”
Marshall Goldman, ACLJ Legal counsel
Despite these bedrock principles, we point out in our memo: There has been a century long battle between parents’ right to direct their child’s upbringing and education, and public schools’ right to determine curricula in the best interest of the children they serve. While today’s parents still have a fundamental right to the “custody, care, and nurture of their child,” the courts have increasingly upheld that it is the schools’, not the parents’, right and responsibility to determine curricula and other school matters.
This essentially means that parents can choose the school in which to enroll their children, but once public school is selected, parents have very little say in curricular decisions. In Swanson v. Guthrie Indep. Sch. Dist., 135 F.3d 694, 699 (10th Cir. 1998), the court, for example, stated that, “parents simply do not have a constitutional right to control each and every aspect of their children’s education and oust the state’s authority over that subject.”
We further explain that: A school’s choice of curriculum does not violate parental rights despite parental objections if the curriculum is reasonably related to a legitimate educational purpose. . . . Rather, details such as the school curriculum, school hours, discipline, exam schedules, the hiring and dismissal of teachers, the availability of extracurricular activities, school dress codes, and so forth, are generally under the control of state and local authorities.
We also point out that court decisions “addressing religious liberty challenges to public school curriculum materials have been unfavorable where the parents claim that the materials violate their religious beliefs.” For example, in Parker v. Hurley, 514 F.3d 87 (1st Cir. 2008), the court wrote, “[p]ublic schools are not obliged to shield individual students from ideas which potentially are religiously offensive, particularly when the school imposes no requirement that the student agree with or affirm those ideas.”
Despite such rulings, we note in our memo that, where students are coerced “into verbally affirming the truth of something that violates the student’s religious convictions, a First Amendment claim may be successful.” In Wood v. Bd. of Educ., No. GJH-16-00239, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136512 (D. Md. Sep. 30, 2016), for example, the court held that the Plaintiff stated a First Amendment claim where she alleged that the school required her daughter to profess the five pillars of Islam and to write out faith statements of the religion.
We also explain the greater the coercion on students to profess beliefs that violate the student’s conscience, the greater the likelihood that the offending school requirement could be successfully challenged in court. By contrast, situations involving mere exposure to offensive materials would be better handled by initiating and maintaining an open dialogue with school administrators on the issue.
We also briefly discuss the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. § 1232h, which is a federal law, and which reinforces the parental right to know and be informed about their children’s education by giving parents the authority to inspect all instructional material.
We conclude by noting that parents currently have no constitutional right to remove their child from objectionable classes, even if the parents’ objections stem from their religious beliefs. However, many states have enacted “opt-out” laws that permit parents to remove their children from various kinds of public school classes.
Please also keep in mind that parents can serve as grassroots catalysts for educational reform and should consider running for school board and becoming involved in school policy decision-making. After all, every parent has a constitutional right to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” and therefore active participation and even zealous advocacy before school boards is not only allowed but encouraged in our constitutional republic. We must stay engaged for the sake of our children.
Marshall H. Goldman serves as Senior Litigation Counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice where he works on both domestic and international matters. We are dedicated to defending your constitutional rights and have been providing assistance and legal representation, at no cost or charge, for decades. If your rights are being violated in this area, please contact us at ACLJ.org/HELP.
MANSFIELD — This week the Ohio Ballot Board cleared ballot language to allow Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom to begin collecting signatures to place an amendment on the November 2023 ballot. The constitutional amendment would endanger the health and well-being of both women and children, and would remove any requirements for abortion mills that normal healthcare facilities would have to follow.
Pastor Walter Moss, President-Elect of the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio (RLACO) says the amendment has nothing to do with healthcare. “Abortion is the leading cause of death in the world. We look forward to exposing the dangers of this radical amendment being pushed on Ohio by fringe groups like Planned Parenthood and ACLU. If passed, this amendment would wipe out thirty years of important pro-life laws including the Heartbeat Law and Down Syndrome Abortion Ban.”
Under Ohio law, anti-life groups must collect four hundred-fourteen thousand signatures statewide, or ten percent of the votes in the last governor’s race across at least forty-four of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties. The deadline for the amendment to make the Nov. 7th ballot is July 5th.
The proposed constitutional amendment would not only allow anti-lifers to embed abortion into the state constitution, it would also deny parents the right to any intervention on behalf of their children that would discourage their child from obtaining any medical procedure involving the human reproductive system, from abortion to sex-change surgery.
“This proposed amendment would strike down parental notification laws for abortion,” says the Stark County Pastor. “I am also very concerned basic health and safety protections for women would also be wiped out. This amendment would make Ohio home to painful late term abortions right up until the ninth month of pregnancy.”
The approved amendment language would amend Article 1 Section 22 of the Ohio Constitution and say “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on: contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion,” and “the State shall not directly or indirectly, burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with, or discriminate against an individual’s voluntary exercise of this right or a a person or entity that assists an individual exercising this right.”
“Since anti-life activists do not control any of the three branches of government in Ohio, they are hoping to do what Michigan did by changing the state constitution. If Ohioans allow this amendment to become enshrined into the state constitution, their elected representatives in Columbus will be powerless to pass any statute that would undo the damage. GOD’s people cannot fall asleep at the wheel, we cannot sit this one out.”
Pastor J.C. Church
Pastor Moss’ RLACO will be hosting town halls for churches and civic groups to encourage Ohioans to speak up, speak out, and be visible in opposition of this abortion amendment. This week Protect Women Ohio, a coalition of concerned family leaders, parents, medical experts, and faith leaders from Ohio, began an advertising campaign on the abortion amendment.
It is assured the proposed amendment will meet resistance from faith leaders. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court decision, one hundred-sixty lead clergy from twenty-two counties in Ohio called for a complete ban on abortion saying, “moral clarity surrounding the unborn should be strengthened by eliminating legislative loopholes.” Historically, clergy in the region have advocated for the lives of unborn babies with Down Syndrome and supported the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Over one hundred clergy this past fall endorsed pro-life candidates running for State Supreme Court; all three candidates won.
“Since anti-life activists do not control any of the three branches of government in Ohio, they are hoping to do what Michigan did by changing the state constitution,” says Pastor J.C. Church. “If Ohioans allow this amendment to become enshrined into the state constitution, their elected representatives in Columbus will be powerless to pass any statute that would undo the damage. GOD’s people cannot fall asleep at the wheel, we cannot sit this one out.”
2023 March for Life in Bucyrus, Ohio . (Photo courtesy of Greg Jevnikar)
“The abortion industry profits off organ harvesting and is aiding and abetting sex trafficking. This year alone, nearly one million preborn children nationally will suffer gruesome deaths by dismemberment, lethal injection, or denial of the nutrients they need to live. The abortion industry exploits the broken bodies of these children, and vulnerable women and girls for power and profit.”
Both clergymen agree, with ultrasound technology and undercover investigations, the anti-life agenda has been exposed and is more concerned about money than about its public image.
According to Pastor Church, a Crawford County Pastor, “Planned Parenthood’s insatiable lust for money knows no boundaries. They do not care if our state goes backwards in time with this proposed amendment to the Dark Ages. This barbaric amendment will make Kermit Gosnell’s house of horrors look like child’s play. Unfortunately, I have to tell my grand babies that ‘Yes, there are such things as monsters in this world.’ This election is all hands on deck. This is a matter of good versus evil.”
On November 7th, Ohio families can only hope this story has a good ending.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Jeremiah Chapter Three, “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you…and I will give you pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
View video advertisement produced by Protect Women Ohiobelow addressing the Ohio abortion amendment. Protect Women Ohio is a coalition of concerned family leaders, parents, medical experts, and faith leaders in Ohio. (Duration 30 sec.)
EAST PALESTINE — Concerns still exist about air and water impacted by the release of toxic chemicals during February Third’s derailment and controlled burn of a Norfolk Southern train in Columbiana County. Relief efforts in the region this past weekend saw North Central Ohio with boots on the ground. With the migration of contamination in the groundwater table unknown, many in the surrounding areas with private wells need bottled water.
On Saturday, donors from at least nineteen churches in Richland County dropped off bottled water and other relief supplies at Ontario Abundant Life Tabernacle which were delivered to the disaster area the next day. According to Pastor Dave Rentzel, local churches combined their feet with their faith.
Train goes by as volunteers unload truck of supplies from Richland County, Ohio (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“Richland County churches donated at least $3,600, contributed cleaning supplies, and also provided four pallets of bottled water to the disaster-stricken area. The Church is supposed to be the hands and feet of Christ. We should all be Good Samaritans to people in need, especially our neighbors in East Palestine. This is just the right thing to do.”
Checks were made to support the Christ-based non-profit “The Way Station” in Columbiana County which is helping to distribute supplies to those in need. Last week, Ohio clergy called for a season of prayer for East Palestine, giving a prayer proclamation.
“As lead clergymen representing one hundred-fifteen congregations across Ohio, we believe the Heavenly Father can heal the land,” Pastor Rentzel declared. “We also believe Norfolk Southern Railway has a moral obligation to clean up to the best of its abilities the derailment site and surrounding areas adversely impacted by the hazardous chemical release.”
“There is a lot of unresolved fear and anger in this town (East Palestine). But this is a resilient people. I still believe GOD has a redemption plan for this community. GOD is large and in charge and He can heal the land.”
cowboy Dave Graham
The emergency relief supplies were sent to Brittain Motors, a local business half a mile from ground zero along the railroad tracks at 57 East Martin Street. Supplies from the staging area are also being taken to Darlington and Negley, Pennsylvania, two communities downwind from East Palestine. The delivery of supplies one hundred-twenty miles away was eye-opening for some.
“What was striking to me, for a catastrophe of this magnitude, there was only a local relief response during our visit” says Amie Mutti, who was a part of the Richland County team delivering relief supplies on Sunday. “We spoke to people downwind of the site in Pennsylvania who are in the shadow of East Palestine; they are impacted too. I was expecting to see big white tents from the Red Cross, and FEMA emergency centers established onsite but there were none in sight.”
Presently the East Palestine disaster does not qualify for traditional FEMA aid. While the community has not suffered extensive property damage, the local economy has been hamstrung by the drop in property values and the negative impact on the agricultural industry. At least forty-three thousand fish and aquatic species have died in nearby waterways as a result of contaminated water. The effects to human health are still not known at this time.
Cowboy Dave Graham volunteers at a drop off station located at Brittain Motors on East Martin Street in East Palestine. “Cowboy” sleeps overnight onsite in a tent. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“I saw fear, anger, and exhaustion in the residents’ eyes that we spoke to. These citizens are faced with making some of the biggest decisions of their lives and their childrens’ lives and none of them that we spoke to felt they had enough information. Sampling protocols are still being discussed. Obtaining the services of independent testing agencies is still a challenge,” says Mutti, a Torah Teacher with Ontario Sar Shalom Center.
Another person Mutti’s team met in East Palestine was a volunteer worker who lives twenty minutes away from Richland County in adjacent Knox County. Dave Graham, known as “Cowboy Dave,” is an experienced disaster relief missionary from Fredericktown who has spent the last five weeks in East Palestine. As a volunteer worker, he has been overseeing the arrival of supply deliveries from private groups around the nation. He sleeps onsite in a tent at night.
This is not Cowboy’s first rodeo. He has done disaster relief for communities damaged by tornadoes and hurricanes. “I have seen the set up and planning that goes into disaster response and I am shocked at how very little there is for the people of East Palestine,” he says. “There is a lot of unresolved fear and anger in this town. But this is a resilient people. I still believe GOD has a redemption plan for this community. GOD is large and in charge and He can heal the land.”
Pastor George Lewis (center) drops off check donation at the Abundant Life Tabernacle on behalf of Shelby Temple of GOD. Pastor Lewis has a brother-in-law who resides in East Palestine. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“There are forty-eight packs of water for a pallet. On a weekday, we go through fifteen to twenty pallets of water each day. If it wasn’t for this delivery from Richland County, we would have been out of bottled water today by 4 pm this afternoon (Sunday),” Cowboy says.
The clergy wrote in their prayer proclamation that “the Bible is very practical and specific about the stewardship of land, and instructs individual persons and communities to corporately pray to the Heavenly Father, to publicly repent from sin, to pay full restitution to aggrieved parties, and to make every effort to bring reconciliation.”
“Providing emergency supplies is a practical way to help East Palestine,” Mutti says. “But what this community (East Palestine) really needs is a move of GOD where men and women of faith rise up to the challenge. Truth be told, they could also use a few more cowboys.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin First John Three, “But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of GOD remain in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
View slideshow below of Richland County delivery of emergency relief supplies.
The Christ-based nonprofit “The Way Station” in East Palestine, has responded to the crisis in East Palestine by providing food, clothing, water, hygiene products, diapers, cleaning supplies, and gift cards to those in need. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Cowboy Dave Graham lives in Fredericktown, Ohio in Knox County and volunteers to assist with disaster relief efforts throughout the nation. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Dave Parsons brings relief supplieson behalf of Mansfield Zion’s Refuge congregation. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Toxicologists are conducting health screenings to check residents as a result of the toxic train wreck. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
New stone has been brought in to replace contaminated soil from the chemical spill and explosion. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
East Palestine First Church of Christ opens its doors during the week for disaster relief. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
On March 9th before a U.S. Senate Committee, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw apologized for the Feb. 3rd train derailment that exposed East Palestine and surrounding region to toxic chemicals. He said he is determined to clean up the community. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor LaMont Lindsay brings relief supplies on behalf of Madison Book of Life congregation. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Mobile air monitoring units are registering air quality levels of bad/very bad according to local reports. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Pastor Chad Hayes brings relief supplies on behalf of Mansfield Caeserea Baptist. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Railway disaster makes headlines in East Palestine news stands (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
View video below about East Palestine-based “The Way Station” produced by News Nation (5 minutes duration).
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — on February 3rd a Norfolk-Southern train with one hundred-fifty rail cars caught on fire and continued for twenty miles before crashing in the eastern Ohio community of East Palestine. Approximately twenty rail car tankers carrying hazardous chemicals were involved in the derailment.
A “controlled release” led to the explosion of these deadly chemicals into the air, water, and soil. The total impact on human health on immediate and surrounding areas remains unseen. As the world is watching this tragedy unfold, a group of clergy from various denominations across the state responded with a prayer proclamation and call to action.
Pictured are clergy co-signers of the prayer proclamation for residents of East Palestine, Ohio: Pastor Dave Rentzel, Pastor Christopher Thomas & Pastor Dan Barker. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“As lead clergymen representing one hundred-fifteen congregations across Ohio, we believe the Heavenly Father can heal the land,” said Pastor Dave Rentzel. “We also believe Norfolk Southern Railway has a moral obligation to clean up to the best of its abilities the derailment site and surrounding areas adversely impacted by the hazardous chemical release.”
Pastor Christopher Thomas added, “We are calling people of faith to pray for the welfare of the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, for an ecological turnaround, and for the donation of relief supplies to the community and region. May GOD vindicate them; as our state motto declares, “With GOD, all things are possible.”
Approximately one million pounds of vinyl chloride, a flammable chemical linked to brain, liver, lung, and blood cancers, and three other hazardous chemicals were initially reported in the rail car tankers when twenty of the derailed rail car tankers were set on fire. Shockingly, after telling residents to return to their homes, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the presence of three additional chemicals in the rail cars, including the carcinogenic ethylhexyl acrylate.
While local residents are still experiencing eyes and throats that burn, these citizens are requesting independent testing agencies to test their homes. However, only a private contractor hired by a Norfolk Southern Railroad Company has been appointed to test households, and testing on the condition homeowners waive their right to litigation against Norfolk Southern. Skeptics of the cleanup are quick to point out this same testing contractor paid by the railroad company found air quality samples in the area of the train derailment and nearby residential neighborhoods ‘consistently showing readings at safe levels for contaminants of concern.’ Believers also have another take on the tragedy.
“The Bible is very practical and specific about the stewardship of land. It instructs individual persons and communities to corporately pray to the Heavenly Father, to publicly repent from sin, to pay full restitution to aggrieved parties, and to make every effort to bring reconciliation.”
Pastor Dan Barker
According to Pastor Dan Barker, whose church is forty miles from ground zero, “The Bible is very practical and specific about the stewardship of land. It instructs individual persons and communities to corporately pray to the Heavenly Father, to publicly repent from sin, to pay full restitution to aggrieved parties, and to make every effort to bring reconciliation.”
All three clergy agree that the Bible addresses ecological miracles, describing supernatural accounts where Moses turned bitter waters sweet (Exodus 15), where Elisha healed a spring of water so that no more death came from it (2 Kings 21), and where Jesus took five loaves and two fish to feed the thousands.
The clergy prayer proclamation also described examples of GOD’s track record for healing the land that bring hope.
“Contemporary examples of healing the land include villages in the Fiji Islands during the 2000’s where on or around the same time repentance from idolatry, and reconciliation among different clans occurred, robust yields of mango and papaya were experienced, a resurgence of fragile coral reefs was confirmed by scientists despite failing reef health globally, and a tributary near the village of Nuku on the island of Viti Levu affiliated for decades with blindness and infertility from arsenic instantly became potable,” the clergy wrote.
“Moreover. when clergy publicly repented and began combating drug addiction and corruption in the 2000’s, not only did Manchester, Kentucky experience a social political renewal, the local community’s quantum leap also included an ecological turnaround where the water supply rebounded, the area became home of the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River, and biologists claimed the area had simultaneously become more hospitable to deer, turkey, fish, and even black bear after a century-long absence.”
Faith leaders hope redemption can come to areas adversely impacted by the explosion in East Palestine. Clergy co-signers of the proclamation are from thirteen counties throughout Ohio including Richland (74), Ashland (8), Crawford (7), Morrow (5), Trumbull (5), Huron (4), Wayne (4), Knox (2), Stark (2), Licking (1), Lorain (1), Mahoning (1) & Warren (1). Clergy in Richland County have scheduled a shipment of emergency relief supplies to leave for East Palestine on Sunday, March 12th.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Second Chronicles, “If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Click to view video produced by CBN News on ecological turnaround and revival in Manchester, Kentucky. (5 min. length)
ONTARIO — With boots on the ground, churches and ministries in East Palestine have become beacons of light providing hope and support to residents during the toxic train wreck disaster that occurred February 3rd. A mobilized faith community is serving as donation centers, food pantries, and even as railway assistance centers. But those on the frontlines need help.
The Way Station has responded to the crisis in East Palestine by providing food, clothing, water, hygiene products, diapers, cleaning supplies, and gift cards to those in need.
The Way Station is leading relief efforts in East Palestine and can be reached at 330.888.9814. (Photo courtesy of the Way Station)
The Way Station exists as a community resource for families and individuals in need; its food pantry, monthly food distribution, job training, support groups and emergency assistance are just a few of the ways the nonprofit reflects the love of Christ.
Local faith leaders are coordinating efforts to assist residents in East Palestine and surrounding areas.
“We are encouraging purchases of bottled water and checks to be made to The Way Station. Cleaning supplies and air & water purification products can also be donated,” says Pastor Dave Rentzel.
According to the Pastor, for drop-off of disaster relief supplies, truck(s) will be stationed in the parking lot of Ontario Abundant Life Tabernacle between 12:00-6:00 PM on Saturday, March 11th. Abundant Life Tabernacle is located at 1085 Bedford Blvd in Ontario, Ohio. The truck(s) will leave the next day for East Palestine. Trucks have been donated by the local Dearman Moving & Storage
Purchases of bottled water and checks can be made to The Way Station. Cleaning supplies and air & water purification products can also be donated. For drop-off of disaster relief supplies, truck(s) will be stationed in the parking lot of Ontario Abundant Life Tabernacle between 12:00-6:00 PM on Saturday, March 11th. Abundant Life Tabernacle is located at 1085 Bedford Blvd in Ontario, Ohio. The truck(s) will leave the next day for East Palestine.
Churches are encouraged to collect supplies throughout the week and then deliver the supplies on Saturday, March 11th to Abundant Life Tabernacle.
“We want to thank Dearman Moving & Storage for providing the transportation to haul these disaster relief supplies. This really is a community effort,” says Pastor Christopher Thomas. “Our faith community has a legacy of assisting those in need and now is the time to love our neighbors as ourselves. We never know the day when we too will be in need.”
In 2021 when the morale of the law enforcement was low nationwide, fourteen local congregations raised funds to support the County Sheriff’s Department and police departments in Mansfield, Ontario, Lexington, Bellville and Butler.
Image shows plume of the toxic ash from the East Palestine explosion. (Photo courtesy of NOAA)
A study conducted by the Richland Community Prayer Network (RCPN) in 2018 of fifty-eight local Bible-based churches found between the years of 2014-2017, they supported missions to an astounding ninety-three different nations around the globe. This generosity occurred when the area was listed as the seventh most economically-challenged metropolitan region in the nation.
Both pastors say the local tradition of giving needs to continue to help those impacted by the East Palestine train derailment. They say this disaster could have happened to any community with a railroad. Even areas downwind and downstream are adversely impacted.
Financial donations can also be mailed to The Way Station at P.O. Box 449, Columbiana, Ohio 44408
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Matthew 25, “The righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Clear Fork students gather for "See you at the Pole" prayer gathering (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
MASSILLON — A former English teacher claims she was forced to quit her job after she claimed that it violates her religious beliefs to use students’ preferred pronouns.
Vivian Geraghty, 24, filed a federal court lawsuit against Jackson Memorial Middle School, Principal Kacy Carter, Superintendent Christopher DiLoreto, and Curriculum Director Monica Myers. The Christian public school teacher filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer after it forced her out for refusing to support gender-confused children in their “social transition” by using their chosen pronouns and names.
Jackson Memorial Middle School in Massillon, Ohio is being sued for telling a teacher to ‘set her religious convictions aside.; (Photo courtesy of Screenshot)
“One student also asked to be referenced with pronouns inconsistent with the student’s sex,” the lawsuit stated. Yet, Vivian Geraghty appeared to follow the same policy that Principal Carter himself stated he followed – to avoid using someone’s pronouns if it conflicted with their actual sex.
When the teacher asked Principal Carter how to handle this situation, the principal himself said “his own practice was to refrain from using any pronouns to refer to students who express gender identities inconsistent with their sex.” The lawsuit also noted that Carter “was initially unable to tell Ms. Geraghty exactly what her obligations were.”
Myers, the curriculum and instruction director for the district, soon after joined Carter and Geraghty in a meeting. Myers told the teacher she must “set [her] religious convictions aside,” and then Principal Carter order her to write up a resignation letter, effectively firing her.
The defendants “continue to maintain a Policy requiring teachers to participate in the ‘social transition’ of students who express a ‘gender identity’ inconsistent with their sex by using names and pronouns consistent with the ‘gender identity’ and inconsistent with the students’ legal name and sex,” according to the lawsuits. Myers and Carter effectively fired Geraghty by forcing her to resign over her decision to not comply with the policy due to her religious beliefs.
“Jackson Local School District officials require their teachers to immediately and personally validate a child’s gender transition even if doing so violates their religious beliefs, conscience, or sound judgment.”
Tyson Langhofer, ADF Senior Counsel
“Jackson Local School District officials require their teachers to immediately and personally validate a child’s gender transition even if doing so violates their religious beliefs, conscience, or sound judgment,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom.
“Increasing evidence suggests that this approach may lead adolescents to unnecessarily pursue dangerous medical interventions like puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, or life-altering surgeries. Vivian treated every student with equality and respect, and it was unlawful for school officials to terminate her employment simply because she wanted to avoid using her voice to validate ideas that violate her faith and jeopardize her students’ wellbeing.”
“Ms. Geraghty also believes she cannot affirm as true those ideas and concepts that she believes are not true,” the lawsuit states. “Doing so, she believes, would violate biblical commands against dishonesty and lying.”
The English teacher objects to supporting students who are still developing in beginning the process of embracing gender ideology and transgenderism. She opposes “social transition” efforts and does not believe it is honest to refer to a female student with male pronouns nor a male student with female pronouns, the lawsuit states.
In a similar case last year, Shawnee State University settled and paid a Christian Philosophy Professor $400,000 in damages and attorneys fees after disciplining him for using the wrong pronoun when addressing a transgender student who wanted to be referred to as a female.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Romans Chapter Two, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse themon that day when , according to my gospel, GOD judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
COLUMBUS — Administrators and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers across the state of Ohio are revealing that bans on the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) will not stop them. Some employees at Columbus-area schools even revealed to Accuracy in Media’s investigators several of their deceptive tactics for sneaking in CRT indoctrination.
“You can pass a bill that you can’t teach Critical Race Theory in a classroom, but if you did not cover programming or you didn’t cover extracurricular activities or anything like that, that message might still get out,” Matthew Boaz, executive director of DEI at Upper Arlington Schools, told AIM investigators on hidden camera video. “There will be a way.”
Upper Arlington Schools DEI Officer Matthew Boaz (Photo courtesy of Accuracy in Media)
Despite Republican lawmakers’ efforts to put forth bills barring schools from teaching children CRT, these educators have made it clear that they will find ways to force it in. House Bill 616 would have prohibited the “teaching or providing training that promotes or endorses divisive or inherently racist concepts.” However, it did not advance out of Ohio’s House.
Even if this bill had moved forward or even been signed by the governor, it is clear that these school administrators would have worked around it.
Boaz isn’t the only one with an affinity for deceiving parents about their children’s education. According to Hilary Staten, an administrative assistant for Groveport Madison Schools, “We had some parents that do not fully understand. So, you know, it is when we trick them, you know,” Staten said.
A new solution may be available, however. This month, Ohio Senator Sandra O’Brien introduced the Enact the Parent Educational Freedom Act. The bill, SB11, would greatly expand school choice in the state. The measure would do this by expanding eligibility for the existing Educational Choice scholarships. Further, the bill would increase the income tax credit available to cover homeschooling expenses.
“You can pass a bill that you can’t teach Critical Race Theory in a classroom, but if you did not cover programming or you didn’t cover extracurricular activities or anything like that, that message might still get out, there will be a way.”
Matthew Boaz, Upper Arlington Schools
With administrators admitting that CRT is non-negotiable in state-run schools, this new legislation provides an avenue for parents to educate their children in suitable private institutions or even through homeschooling.
Boaz admitted to investigators that he tells people CRT is not in his school’s curriculum. “You did not ask about the conversations in the hallway,” he said. “Those conversations are happening,” he assured. “Absolutely, but you know, when people ask us questions, we answer their questions. But, yes, we absolutely have those conversations going on.”
Boaz is confident that he’ll be able to handle concerned parents who eventually find out about the way CRT is being implemented. “I mean, that will probably get discussed in seventeen classrooms before somebody actually brings it in here,” he boasted. “And then we will deal with it.”
Melissa Klosterman-Lando, director of employee relations and human resources at Bexley City Schools, echoed this confidence. “We would find parameters from which we could, absolutely,” she told AIM investigators. Klosterman-Lando was referring to the school’s plans for still incorporating CRT into learning if bills banning it are signed into law.
Hilary Staten, Administrative Assistant for Groveport Madison Schools (Photo courtesy of Accuracy in Media)
Some of the ways these educators implement CRT include calling it by another name. One of these is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
On camera, Staten agreed that she believes SEL is a good way to sneak CRT into classrooms. “With the federal funds that got awarded … for the pandemic, we put a social worker and a guidance counselor in every single building and we incorporated a lot of materials that were focused on the social, emotional wellbeing,” she explained.
Another way schools are passing off CRT is through Newsela. The online education platform is notably connected to the Left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as revisionist historian Howard Zinn, and the debunked New York Times 1619 Project. AIM has found Newsela’s use in countless classrooms across the country already.
“We use Newsela in a couple of different capacities,” Staten said. “We use it for not only some of our like core content, so our social studies uses it. But we use it as a supplement for language arts also.”
Boaz explained to AIM’s investigators that he plans to implement his DEI goals under the nose of parents by revealing it in bits and pieces. “They’re not going to be supportive if I lay out everything we’re going to do,” he divulged. However, if he introduces one concept at a time, he claims people will not realize just how much he is doing.
As these administrators have demonstrated, bills combatting CRT will not stop them. Instead, embracing school choice has become the only viable step forward for parents. AIM’s investigation into Columbus, Ohio educators reveals just how deceptive they’re willing to be, and why the newly introduced Enact the Parent Educational Freedom Act is necessary.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Matthew Chapter Eighteen, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
View the video below produced by Accuracy in Media of an undercover investigation of Columbus area public school administrators. (7:18 min. length)
LEXINGTON — A recent wave of sex businesses have closed in North Central Ohio and are falling like dominos. Three sex businesses have closed in the region over the past two years. While the doors of strip clubs are closing, the doors of the church appear to be opening. One women who formerly owned two strip clubs has stepped across that threshold.
“My husband Steve and I both needed a church to go to and we stumbled across Fusion Church in Lexington,” says Donna Holbrook. “We love the atmosphere and the people. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit is there and that is important to us. In April 2019, we gave our lives to the LORD. But while we were transferring and doing all these things, we still owned two gentlemens’ clubs. So when we gave our lives to the LORD, our hearts changed.”
Donna Holbrook is a former sex club owner who encountered Christ in 2019 and then shut down her two exotic dance clubs in 2020-21. Holbrook is now a professional realtor and church member at Lexington Fusion Church. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
“Prior to going to church, we were reaching out to these girls (dancers) and helping them get back into college; we found them jobs in order to get them out of the clubs. We bought clothing and food for the girls and had a Bible at each of our clubs. These girls (dancers) would be like, ‘What are you doing with a Bible in this kind of place?’ I know this is not normal, but that is what we did. We were not there to make money, we were there to save souls. This was our heart: to be inside the clubs and helping the girls get out.”
Holbrook said she even worked with the human trafficking task force to get a trafficker apprehended when the trafficker came into one of her clubs. It was after this time she and her husband came to Christ.
“I met a few of the dancers and some of her bartenders Donna brought to our Church,” says Lead Pastor of Fusion Church Terry Garrett. “Our congregation treated them just like we would have treated any other first-time guest at Fusion. The last thing they needed, was to think they had a scarlet letter over their head. Our goal is to create a space for them to grow in their relationship with Christ and to let the Holy Spirit bring conviction.
“I still have the girls coming to me-they are managers of stores and restaurants and they thank me for loving them and showing them what Jesus is about. Some of them have even given their lives to Jesus.”
Donna Holbrook
“Sometimes good leadership challenges people to step away from something separating them from God. There was a moment when I asked Steve and Donna if it was getting hard to manage two gentlemens’ clubs as they were growing closer to the Lord. They told me it was more difficult and that they had been feeling like it was time to sell their two clubs. One of the ways a person knows if they are growing in Christ is if things that were formerly acceptable that are outside the boundaries of Scripture are no longer acceptable; that is the essence of sanctification.”
Donna explains, “Eventually my husband and I realized the winds were changing for us. GOD was beginning to shift us. The doors did shut for both places, and my husband passed away from an illness. I did a career change over to a realtor. It was all GOD.”
Holbrook closed the doors of Country Time Gentlemen’s Club that she started in 2014 and sold the property at 10498 OH-231 on May of 2020. Today the business is a Mexican Restaurant called “La Fragua.” The following year she closed Showtime Gentlemen’s Club located at 2921 Crider Road near Mansfield and sold the property. Today the property is owned by Ronks’ Towing Company.
“I still have the girls coming to me-they are managers of stores and restaurants and they thank me for loving them and showing them what Jesus is about. Some of them have even given their lives to Jesus,” says Holbrook.
Pastor Terry Garrett, Lead Pastor at Lexington Fusion Church speaking to his congregation. (Photo courtesy of Lex Fusion Church)
Pastor Garrett comments, “One of the biggest things our congregation did for those who knew what was going on was they did not talk to her about her background, they just kept loving Donna and her husband, and supporting them in their spiritual walk. We felt like in the LORD’s timing, GOD would lay it on their heart that a change needed to happen.
“I told my leadership team about it the minute I found out they owned the two strip clubs. We recognized GOD was already working in their lives. We did not need to put our hands on it-we just need to continue to love the Holbrooks, and to model the Scriptures to them. The Holy Spirit did the work. I do not know that many of our congregants even knew about their (Holbrooks) background until after they shut down the clubs. Donna is now a new creation in Christ. “
If you have information on a sex trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Isaiah Chapter Sixty-Two, “The LORD has anointed me to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
View the slideshow below of Donna Holbrook’s spiritual transformation from sex club owner to disciple of Christ.
Donna Holbrook with her newlywed husband Steve in 2005. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
Donna Holbrook with her husband Steve. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
Donna Holbrook getting baptized in 2019 with Lexington Fusion Church staff behind her. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
Donna Holbrook closed the first of her two exotic dance clubs located at Nevada, along the Crawford & Wyandot County lines on May of 2020. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
Donna Holbrook closed the last of her exotic dance clubs near Mansfield in Richland County, Ohio on May of 2021. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
View the video testimony of Donna Holbrook below. (Length 2:52 min.)
