‘Evangelicals are recruiting in our schools’
CONCERNS have been raised about an evangelical group visiting primary schools whose brand of Christianity has offended some parents and led to them pulling their children out of a planned show.
Preachers from OAC Ministries have visited dozens of schools in south Wales, and say they are simply educating pupils in what Christians believe.
But one mother of two, who did not wish to be named, said: “We’re withdrawing our kids from one of their puppet shows at our primary school because my friend’s children were upset at home that their atheist parents weren’t going to go to heaven.”
She also pointed to tweets and retweets by Pete Hodge, a Cardiff-based OAC preacher who opposes same-sex marriage, transgender rights and abortion. One retweet said: “Trump signs order protecting freedom for opponents of abortion, gay marriage”.
The mother said: “It is totally inappropriate for this group to be conducting assemblies or classes in schools without parents’ knowledge. I don’t want them in the school at all because I think it’s divisive. Who wants to tell their fiveyear-old child they have to miss a funny puppet or painting show with their friends?
“If evangelical Christian parents want to take their children to creationist church services that is up to them, but this group’s presence in state schools goes way beyond the ‘statutory minimum’ of an obligation for collective worship of a broadly Christian nature.
“On the OAC Wales website they talk about their reach into schools, accessing young children who wouldn’t otherwise go to church or hear the ‘gospel’.
“One of the videos on their website shows the speaker telling young children the ‘true story’ of Noah’s ark, ‘which happened several hundred years after God made the world and everything in it’. He talks about heaven being a great big party and how it would be a very wise decision for them to put their faith in God. These creationist evangelicals clearly hope to recruit our children and it is totally wrong they are given a platform in our state primary and secondary schools.’
Steven Harris, branch director of OAC Wales, said “OAC are invited by head teachers into many schools all over the country to explain to pupils what Christians believe and what the Bible says. Our assemblies are designed to inform and educate pupils to give them a greater understanding of the Christian faith. Current legislation makes it mandatory for all schools to have a daily act of collective worship where the majority of the acts of worship over the term must be wholly or mainly Christian in character and OAC is invited into schools in order to help them fulfil their obligations.
“OAC is an interdenominational organisation and our workers come from a wide variety of Christian backgrounds. Due to this diversity our workers have a variety of views with regard to secondary issues within the Christian faith but all agree with the central tenets of the Christian faith, which are love, mercy and grace. OAC workers share in schools the core Christian belief of God’s love for the whole world. In schools, OAC workers focus only on these central tenets of the Christian faith in order to educate pupils as to what the majority of Christians believe.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said: “As is the case across England and Wales, Cardiff schools have a legal obligation to hold daily acts of collective worship. Schools and governing bodies need to ensure that the views and values of visitors are appropriate to the context of the school, and to the age of children. Cardiff Council will work with schools and governors to make sure this is the case.”