Common Core is Rotten to the Core, Part 3 (final)

May 25, 2013 By

Common CorePart of the joy of teaching is being able to innovate and adjust to the needs of individuals and different learning environments.

The question teachers must ask themselves is this: Is a system that relies totally on the ability of every child to pass multiple tests in a given school year going to offer time and opportunities for innovation? 

These tests will be used to determine teacher pay raises, the amount of funding each school receives, what kind of job each student will be able to obtain when his/her education is completed, among other dubious purposes.  Who believes that teachers will not be forced to teach to the test in order to ensure the best scores for the school, the teachers, and the district?

More importantly, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are being used as a tool to usurp control from the school districts of our state as well as our state Department of Education in favor of a national, one-size-fits-all system controlled from Washington, DC.

Furthermore, the requirement that the states link their student databases – containing as many as 400-500 data fields  per student or teacher – to a national database controlled by the Center for Education Statistics. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Romeike Family Told To Go Back To Germany – Face Losing Kids

May 24, 2013 By

RomeikeAs one might have expected, the Obama administration has denied the appeal of the Romeike family for asylum in the U.S. in order to have the right and freedom to home school their children. They left their home in Germany because, under current laws, it is illegal to home school and the Romeike’s didn’t want their children in state-run schools learning concepts that are opposed to their religious beliefs.

Whether or not you agree with the decision is not the issue here. (I would commend this article from Eugene Volokh for an interesting perspective.) What is really at issue is the erosion of parental rights in the area of their children’s education as the government continually seizes more power and takes greater control in the realm of education.

To be clear, I absolutely support the right of the Romeike family to home school their kids and believe they should be granted asylum – even if temporarily – in order to fulfill this desire. If the Obama administration sees no need to deport illegal aliens, even those that have committed crimes, I see no credible reason at all to deport this law-abiding family seeking to live peacefully while educating their kids.

These are parents that only want to protect their kids from the godless lessons they teach in German public schools. Every parent has an inherent desire to protect their kids and do what they believe is best. As the Romeike’s recently stated when they found out what was being taught and that it was against their religious convictions and the Bible, they only wanted to protect their kids: [Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Professor’s Intelligent Design Class Sparks Controversy

May 23, 2013 By

A university professor teaching a physical science elective in which he touches on intelligent design and spirituality as it relates to science is causing controversy. The Freedom From Religion Foundation finds it to be a violation of the “separation of church and state” clause that does NOT exist in the constitution and is sounding the alarm. But another professor, an atheist, is defending the class:

“Academic freedom is the issue here, and professors have to have the right to teach unpopular, controversial issues, even from an ignorant perspective…The first amendment does not apply; this is not a course students are required to take, and it’s at a university, which students are not required to attend. It’s completely different from a public primary or secondary school. A bad course is an ethical problem, not a legal one. It’s also an issue that the university has to handle internally.” While I may not agree with everything the professor said, I think his premise is correct. In the marketplace of ideas professors should be allowed to address these issues without being attacked. Otherwise it’s no longer free speech and religious freedom, it’s political correctness and totalitarian rhetoric. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Landmark Religious Freedom Case Could Be Coming

May 22, 2013 By

A case that could be one of the most significant in recent decades for religious freedom could be coming to the Supreme Court. The court has agreed to review the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway. This is a case in which the Supreme Court could once again support the right of town council’s to open their meetings in prayer. With such a ruling the religious freedom of every American would once again be reiterated by the court in the public sector, despite the efforts of some to eradicate such rights. A recent article quoted FRC’s Ken Klukowski:

“It is likely that the town of Greece will prevail before the U.S. Supreme Court in this case, and a victory for them will be a victory for all Americans of faith and for the Constitution itself…Given that the Court has looked approvingly to legislative prayer dating to the Founding, it is likely that the Court will not only affirm prayer but significantly strengthen the religious liberty rights of Americans in public life and the public square.” We hope the court indeed sees it this way and rules in favor of history, tradition, and freedom. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Common Core is Rotten to the Core, Part 2

May 22, 2013 By

Common CoreUntil the end of the Vietnam War, we stood out in the world – no, we were the envy of the world – when it came to education in the late 50s and early 60s.

Unfortunately, the “liberation” of the country during the youth rebellions of the 60s began the real ideological push to make the “collective” more important than the individual.  With few exceptions, this trend toward “collective thinking” has continued to the present.  Along with it, the standings of our education system (at least the public schools – has been in almost continuous free-fall from those “top of the heap” days long past.  It is not coincidental that during this same time period, the Word of God was removed from our classrooms.

So, why are we always trying to re-invent the wheel and come up with a new gimmick to spark student interest in learning when we had a winning formula that could be linked to today’s technology to launch us back to the top tier status that we yearn for?  Could it be that there are other motivations at work here?

Let’s look at a few of the significant players.  Stephen Paine was at the helm of West Virginia’s Schools when five states were selected as “innovators” to begin the process of creating these new standards.  This effort has its roots back as far as 2005, but really got going in about 2007.   Immediately following the state’s adoption of the CCSS in May 2010 (fully a month before the final version of the standards was made public) Paine left West Virginia to take a position with McGraw-Hill, a publisher of education textbooks and other educational material.  He has since left that position to take the helm of another education advocacy group that stands to benefit from implementation of CCSS. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Great Commission Politics: Time for the Church to Act

May 19, 2013 By

take actionThroughout history, we as a society have been branded by the passion in our hearts. We continually see periods in history where the heart dictated how the culture would flow. From times of creativity to great despair, Eras are shaped and defined by the hearts of people.

The church has always played a major role in shaping the hearts of mankind. Whether recognized by popular culture or not, the church will always be referenced for moral conduct and action. The church throughout the world has always been a “barometer” for how society would react and flow. When pressure and struggle comes, the world looks to the church to see how to navigate. I’m thankful that God has continually given grace to church leadership to carry this weight and responsibility.  We may not always have every answer, but God has protected our posture in the midst of turmoil.

For the last few years, it seems like the bride’s involvement in society has been shifted to becoming spiritual police. We run to the scene to defend the hurting and to right the injustice. We have become the first responders. This is a vital facet of what we are as a church, but in no way the only facet. Whether we realize it or not, this has created a defensive body. We are definitely called to bring help and healing in times of need, but somewhere a long the line, defense has become our identity.  We are always anticipating the next move and how to defend against it to protect the whole.   [Read more...]

About Guest Blogger

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Common Core is Rotten to the Core

May 18, 2013 By

WV Common CoreMore and more over the past few months, opposition to the state-led Common Core State Standards (CCSS), being introduced in 46 states and the District of Columbia over the past two years, has been building.  Not only are the CCSS inferior to several states’ existing educational performance benchmarks, but they leave enough wiggle-room for manipulation of those standards to meet non-academic expectations of some state educators.

And herein is one of the most insidious aspects of the way the CCSS are being implemented.   A case in point is the State of West Virginia.  In our state, “Standards for 21st Century Learning” is the euphemism selected, possibly to avoid public scrutiny that the state is even using CCSS.  At least that is the way it appears to many.

In fact, a prominent member of the WV State Senate stated in a meeting I attended in March 2013 that WV was not part of the CCSS.  Additionally, the Senator alleged that WV would never connect its student database – some of it terrifyingly personal and identifiable to the individual student – to a national database of such information currently being supervised by the Center for Education Statistics (Department of Education).

The Senator’s statement notwithstanding, CCSS was quietly adopted by unanimous vote of the WV Board of Education (WVBOE) in May of 2010, fully a month before the official version of the CCSS was released by the owners of the standards, and included a commitment to connect to the databases.  That process is 50% complete so far. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Must Read: Brief Article on the Original Meaning of the Establishment Clause

May 16, 2013 By

Jerry Newcomb has written a must read article briefly explaining the original intent and meaning of the establishment clause of the Constitution along with the phrase “separation of church and state.” (Note: the phrase “separation of church and state” appears nowhere in the Constitution, Bill of Right, or Declaration of Independence.) In the article, Newcomb states: “A lot of times when the pro-religious freedom side fights back, we win. (That’s because the Constitution and history are on our side.) But that takes a lot of courage and energy. And many people would rather just go with the flow and turn the other cheek, which is understandable. Yet over time, we find our liberties being chipped away piece by piece.”

He goes on to wonder why the church isn’t more involved in helping to preserve the religious freedom and liberty of our great country. I concur. After all, if religious freedom is lost, who is it that will be most harmed? The obvious answer is all those serving in full-time ministry. So why aren’t more pastors, Christian teachers, and other ministry people more concerned that their livelihood is being threatened? I confess I am completely baffled by this question and corresponding reality. Click here for original article.

 

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Why the IRS Targeting of Conservative Groups is a Concern for Us All

May 14, 2013 By

Maybe you’ve heard of the most recent scandal to hit D.C., (in addition to the Benghazi scandal). Then again, maybe you haven’t. In case you missed it, the IRS is being accused of intentionally targeting conservative groups for extra auditing scrutiny. Specifically, it has been rumored that the IRS went after groups that opposed Obama’s re-election in 2012 and the abuse of power may have started as early as 2011. The reason this is, as members of Congress are saying, chilling, is that it is a direct affront to free speech and religious freedom.

It is this kind of abuse of power and infringement of rights that the Family Policy Council of West Virginia seeks to curb in Charleston. It’s absurd to think that such abuses are not happening in our own state, and we aim to be the “watchmen on the wall” keeping an eye out in order to sound the alarm when it happens. Just this year we sounded the alarm on language in discrimination bills that would have infringed on the religious rights of many West Virginian’s. While we don’t have much control over what happens in Washington, other than our election votes, we are able to be more involved in Charleston and promise to stay alert. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Professor Believes Historical Christian Martyrdom is False

May 14, 2013 By

A professor at Notre Dame is gaining fame for her new book in which she claims many of the stories of Christian martyrdom from the early period of the church are actually exaggerations and untrue. She claims to be a practicing Catholic and “expert in Christianity,” and that this book is not an attack on faith, but on historical inaccuracies. But it’s easy to see how something like this could minimize the persecution of historical Christians while simultaneously encouraging greater persecution of Christians world-wide. And with the amount of persecutions Christians are facing at the hands of Muslims, communists, and others world-wide presently, encouraging greater persecution is not desirable. A recent article reports:

“…advancing some bold claims, the professor holds that the so-called “Age of Martyrs” was, at least in part, fictional. This was the time-frame before Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the fourth century — a period during which many allege that believers were brutally murdered by Roman authorities. Stories are often told today of the plight that these individuals faced. But Moss believes that many of these narratives were exaggerations used to push back against heretics, to inspire believers and to gain support for church funding.” We continue to defend religious freedom in West Virginia, and seek greater freedom for Christians world-wide. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts