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MORE 2024 Election Voting Recommendations from CultureWarrior.net

Posted by :admin On : October 26, 2024
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Category: America, Archives, Government, Worldview

The following are ADDITIONAL recommendations as a follow-up to my last article on CultureWarrior.net:

Candidates for Political Office:

Oklahoma Congressional District No. 2 – Josh Brecheen – Republican (Rogers County and eastward to state line)

State Representative District 74 – Mark Vancuren – Republican

Tulsa County Clerk – Michael Wallis – Republican

Retention of Justices on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals:

YES – Justice James R. Huber (District 2-Office 2) – Appointed 2023 by Governor Kevin Stitt – Republican

NO – Justice Bobby Bell (District 5-Office 2) – Appointed 2005 by Governor Brad Henry – Democrat

YES – Justice E. Ray Mitchell, III (District 6-Office 1) – Appointed 2002 by Governor Frank Keating – Republican

??? – Justice Brian Jack Goree (District 6-Office 2) – Appointed 2012 by Governor Mary Fallon – Republican

Retention of Justices on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals:

Yes – Justice William J. Musseman (District 1) – Appointed 2022 by Governor Kevin Stitt – Republican

??? – Justice Scott Rowland (District 4) – Appointed 2017 by Governor Mary Fallon – Republican

NO – Justice David B. Lewis (District 5) – Appointed 2005 by Governor Brad Henry – Democrat

The above recommendations do not cover all 2024 elections locally and throughout Oklahoma. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. If you are voting on candidates, judges, or other issues not shown above, it is highly recommended that you look at the platforms of the party to which the competing candidates belong to find the one that most closely reflects biblical values and a Christian worldview. If it is a judge that is seeking office or asking to be retained in that office, research their original party affiliations, their judicial records, and such other information as may be available. Then as a general rule, vote for the political candidate, judicial candidate, or issue that most closely aligns with biblical values and a Christian worldview.

Larry G. Johnson

October 25, 2024

Election 2024 – Decisions that will determine America’s destiny for decades

Posted by :admin On : October 23, 2024
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Category: America, Archives, Government, Worldview

2024 Election Voting Recommendations from CultureWarrior.net

The following recommendations reflect the worldview and mission of CultureWarrior.net as expressed at its founding in March 2013:

The mission of CultureWarrior.net is to participate in the redemption of culture in all institutions of American life through sharing the truth of the biblical worldview that is the heart of the American cultural vision upon which the United States was founded.

Given the choices presented in this election ballot, the following recommendations come closest to upholding biblical standards of order, justice, and freedom of a nation and its citizens:

Candidates for Political Office:

President & Vice President – United States: Donald J. Trump and J. D. Vance – Republicans
Oklahoma Congressional District No. 1: Kevin Hern – Republican
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner: Brian Bingman – Republican

Retention of Three Supreme Court Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court:

NO – Justice James G. Edmondson – Appointed 2003 by Governor Brad Henry – Democrat
NO – Justice Noma Gurich – Appointed 2011 by Governor Brand Henry – Democrat
NO – Justice Yvonne Kauger – Appointed 1984 by Governor George Nigh – Democrat

State Questions:

NO – State Question 833 – Creation of public infrastructure districts within municipalities
YES – State Question 834 – Only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote in Oklahoma elections

The above recommendations do not cover all elections being held in Oklahoma. If you are voting on candidates, judges, or other issues not shown above, it is highly recommended that you look at the platforms of the party to which the competing candidates belong to find the one that most closely reflects biblical values and standards. If it is a judge that is seeking office or asking to be retained in that office, research their original party affiliations, their judicial records, and such other information as may be available. Then as a general rule, vote for the political candidate, judicial candidate, or issue that most closely aligns with biblical values and a biblical worldview.

Changing a Liberal Oklahoma Supreme Court

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs was founded in 1993 by Dr. David Brown, an Oklahoma City orthopedic surgeon and longtime board chairman of The Heritage Foundation, arguably the most important conservative think tank in America. OCPA’s values and worldview are wholly biblical. For several years the OCPA has published a legislative scorecard to grade Oklahoma lawmakers on how they voted on legislation related to OCPA’s principles of limited government, free markets, personal responsibility, individual initiative, and strong families.[1]

Unlike political candidates for office, the OCPA grades the judiciary differently. The conservative principles by which judiciary candidates are graded are based on how well they interpret the laws in their role as a judge. To score well, the principal standard by which justices are graded focuses on how well justices fulfill their role as the interpreter – not maker – of the law. This is the foundational principle underlying the work of all judges in the United States and was recognized from the nation’s beginning. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, appointed by President John Adams, wrote in Marbury v. Madison, “It is emphatically the providence of the judicial department to say what the law is.” In other words, it is not the court’s role to say what the law should be.[2]

OCPA ranked the current Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices by their conservative judicial votes:

Douglas Combs 14% (2011) Gov. Brad Henry – Democrat
Yvonne Kauger 18% (1984) Gov. George Nigh – Democrat
Noma Gurich 18% (2011) Gov. Brad Henry – Democrat
James E Edmondson 21% (2003) Gov. Brad Henry – Democrat
Richard Darby 28% (2018) Gov. Mary Fallon – Republican
James B. Winchester 57% (2000) Gov. Frank Keating – Republican
John Kane IV 80% (2019) Gov. Kevin Stitt – Republican
Dustin P. Rowe 82% (2019) Gov. Kevin Stitt – Republican
Dana Kuehn 85% (2021) Gov. Kevin Stitt – Republican[3]

Please note that the top three justices with the highest scores were all appointed by conservative Governor Kevin Stitt, and Governor Frank Keating’s appointment leans conservative. So where is Governor Mary Fallon’s conservative appointment? The next governor following the end of Governor Stitt’s two terms in 2026 must be a conservative Republican, not just a Republican in Name Only (RINO), e.g. Oklahoma Attorney General Gertner Drummond. With the election of another conservative governor following Governor Stitt, it is possible to establish a conservative majority in the Oklahoma Supreme Court over the next six years.

The importance of conservative courts is illustrated by Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices to the United States Supreme Court during his first four-year term. Given the magnitude of the extreme opposition from many segments in American culture, it was an undeniable miracle that occurred through God’s divine intervention.

Larry G. Johnson
October 23, 2024

Sources:
[1] “Supreme Court justices ranked by conservative judicial votes,” Tulsa Beacon, September 19, 2024, 1.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “How did the Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices rule on Cases?” Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, https://ocpathink.org/judicialscorecard (accessed 10-23-2024)

Shepherds for Sale – Megan Basham

Posted by :admin On : August 25, 2024
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Category: Archives, Culture Wars, Evangelical Church, Progressivism

Ms. Basham’s subtitle for her book presents the essence of the book’s contents: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda.

Megan Basham is a published author and culture reporter for the The Daily Wire. She is a frequent contributor to the Morning Wire, one of the top ten news podcasts in the United States. She has written for WORLD magazine, the Spectator, the Wall Street Journal, First Things, National Review, and the Telegraph. Even before the book was released on July 30, 2024, the podcasts interviews and speaking engagements discussing the contents of the book stirred considerable of controversy and backlash from several evangelical church leaders and organizations about whom she wrote. However, the truth of the facts, narrative, and conclusions presented in the book are supported by extensive research and meticulous documentation (53 pages containing 640 endnotes in the 319 page book).

In her book Basham identifies well-funded forces outside of the church that set out to change American evangelical churches with regard to their biblical beliefs that stood in the way of achieving political change within American culture. Those power brokers include George Soros, members of the Obama administration, the founder of eBay, and a host of other wealthy and/or influential left-wing organizations and individuals. Through their secular, well-funded foundations, think tanks, non-profits, non-governmental organizations, as well as left-leaning federal government agencies and complicit national media, the progressive left deliberately devised campaigns to infiltrate and dramatically influence well-known individuals and organizations in the American evangelical church: nationally-recognized faith leaders, Christian media, universities, megachurches, nonprofit organizations, para-church organizations, and entire denominations and their subsidiaries.

Why is the left so determined to influence the American evangelical church and its associated organizations? The reason is found in a quote from Basham’s Introduction.

Around 32 percent of the U.S. electorate describe themselves as evangelical, and the vast majority of that group leans right. Among Americans who describe themselves as conservatives, Protestant evangelicals are the single largest religious group by 23 points…

Look at any issue that represents a key priority for progressives, and you will find that even when all other major demographics have signed on, Christians, and evangelicals in particular, represent the most formidable roadblock. Whether it’s the LGBTQ movement, climate changed, or illegal immigration, again and again, polling research shows that evangelicals still stand as a fortress in the way of the political left. Indeed, they often stand in the way of the political right as well, earning the ire of many GOP…[1]

In the early 2000s, foundations funded by secular billionaires began to speak earnestly, if not very openly, about how to take down this fortress.[2]

In 2010, one of those progressive left-leaning foundations issued a report targeting the roadblock they faced in advancing the agenda of the gay lobby. But rather than continuing to unsuccessfully oppose churches in their stance against homosexuality, they would need to undermine their biblical stance again homosexuality, and that change must be instigated by the leadership in the American evangelical church and affiliated organizations. The report stated, “LGBTI organizations need to appropriate Christian values for a progressive rights agenda.”[3] (emphasis added by Basham) Eventually, in addition to politically advancing the LGBTI agenda, the progressive infiltrators used these tactics in advancing climate change, illegal immigration, the #MeToo Movement to include #ChurchToo, Critical Race Theory, Covid-19 propaganda, and hijacking the Pro-life Movement and Christian media (e.g., Christianity Today).

Megan Basham’s book tracks and courageously reports the efforts and successes of the progressives in the infiltration of their non-biblical agenda into the hearts, minds, and pulpits of many evangelical leaders and pastors. In a section titled “Wolves, Cowards, Mercenaries, and Fools,” Basham writes:

The question is: Why have so many well-known evangelical institutions and leaders in recent years started promoting causes that no plain reading of Scripture would demand, like lobbying for fossil fuel regulations or dismantling white privilege, while issues that unequivocally call for Christian clarity find them silent and stymied? When the guy who created the Christian children’s program VeggieTales starts arguing that evangelicals should take a more “nuanced” position on abortion, and when successive presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention say the Bible only “whispers” about sexual sins, something is badly off in mainstream evangelicalism.[4]

Basham identifies many others individuals and organizations who have been influenced by the progressive left’s agenda and have strayed from the biblical foundations in recent years. The following list contains only a fraction of the people and organizations identified by that Basham in her book:

Francis Chan, Francis Collins, J. D. Greear, Bill Hybels, Tim Keller, Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Russell Moore, Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Evangelical Climate Initiative, Evangelical Environmental Network, Southern Baptist Convention, Ethics and Religious Liberty commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, National Association of Evangelicals, Charisma magazine, Christianity Today.

In 1984, theologian Francis Schaeffer published The Great Evangelical Disaster, in which he wrote of his concern that evangelical groups were accommodating and surrendering themselves and their churches to the spirit of the age. He wrote:

Here the gospel has been reduced to a program for transforming social structures. This is the Marxist line. It does not mean that those who take this position are Communists. But it does mean they have a complete confusion of the kingdom of God with basic socialistic concepts. In back of this stands the Enlightenment idea of the perfectibility of man if only the cultural and economic chains are removed.

But think further what this means theologically. What has happened to the fall and sin? Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA) seem to be saying that changing economic structures is the means of salvation for modern man since only this deals with the basic “cause of the disease.” Ironically their program is not radical enough! The basic problem is that of the fall and sin and heart of man. The basic problem is much deeper than social structures, and by not recognizing this, ESA ends up with an understanding of salvation which is very different from what the Scriptures teach.[5]

Written forty-one years ago, Schaeffer’s prescient warning has been ignored by the majority in 21st century American evangelicalism which is surrendering to the Great Apostasy described by the Apostle Paul. This great falling away was prophesied to be fulfilled at the end of the last days just before the catching away of the church by the Lord. Every sign of the times now points to the fact that the world is nearing the end of the last days of the Church age which is to be concluded by the rapture or catching away of the Church, both living and dead.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.[ (emphasis added) [2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. NIV]

The “rebellion” (Gk apostasia), which literally means “departure,” “falling away” or “abandonment,” must come before the rapture of the church occurs and before the antichrist is subsequently revealed. The rebellion that occurs within the church will have two dimensions:

• Theological apostasy – People turning from and rejecting part or all of the true and original teachings of Christ and the apostles as recorded in the New Testament.

• Moral apostasy – People who have abandoned true faith in Christ may still claim to believe the right things and to accept the Bible’s teaching, yet they reject God’s moral law and standards. By doing so they corrupt and embrace the deception.[6]

The facts, narrative, and conclusions presented in Shepherds for Sale – How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda is abundant and undeniable evidence of the great theological and moral apostasy within a large majority of the leadership of the American evangelical church, many of whom have become wolves, cowards, mercenaries, and fools.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:
[1] Megan Basham, Shepherds for Sale – How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda, (New York: Broadside Books, 2024), p. xviii.
[2] Ibid., p. xix.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., p. xxi.
[5] Francis Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, (Arcadia, California: Focus on the Family, 1984),
[6] Donald C. Stamps, Commentary and Articles, Fire Bible: Global Study Edition, New International Version, Ed. Donald C.Stamps, (Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers International, 2009), pp. 2322-2323.

A Time to Preach, a Time to Pray, and a Time to Fight!

Posted by :admin On : August 5, 2024
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Category: American Church, Archives, Culture Wars, Evangelical Church

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807) was a 30-year-old pastor and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1775, Muhlenberg preached a message on the Christian’s responsibility to be involved in securing freedom for America. The text for his sermon came from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” He closed his message by saying: “In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight.”

Thereafter, he threw off his clerical robes and revealed the uniform of an officer in the Revolutionary Army. That same afternoon, he and 300 men marched to join General George Washington and his troops. Muhlenberg became the Colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment where he served to the end of the war, during which he was promoted to the rank of Major General.[1]

Muhlenberg’s Regiment was just one of many formed by pastors from across the colonies who arose and lead their congregations into the battle for freedom. Unlike today, the church during the revolutionary era served as the center-point for political debate and discussion on the relevant news of the day. Today’s church leaders have all but lost that concept of leading their congregations in a Godly manner in all aspects of their worldly existence and are afraid to speak out against the progressive agenda that has dominated our political system for the past century. The Church and God himself has been under assault, marginalized, and diminished by the progressives, secularists and socialists/Marxists, from both within and without the Church. It is time for church leaders and laypeople to stand up for our Lord and Savior and to protect the freedoms and liberties granted to a moral people in the divinely inspired US Constitution.

In his book Letter to the American Church, Eric Metaxas identifies several reasons—and excuses—for the silence of many pastors and Christian leaders in American evangelical churches. One of those reasons goes as follows:

The American Christians of our time have taken to using the term “the Gospel” in a new way, as though by doing this they hope to set religious and theological issues apart from all else, as though this were possible. And so now, when may American church leaders shrink from taking a particular stand, they often say that they are doing so “for the sake of the Gospel” that we will not contest these things. They say, that we will assiduously avoid taking sides in these terribly divisive “culture wars,” and will even more assiduously avoid being identified with any political party or candidate is manifestly out of bounds.[2]

This attitude or mindset has infiltrated even some of the most stalwart Christian evangelical denominations over the last 100 years. I wrote of one such denomination in Culturewarrior.net on February 23, 2024.

On February 7-8, 2024, one thousand Assemblies of God pastors gathered at the “1000+ AG Lead Pastor Connect” conference in Miami, Florida. This gathering was designed for lead pastors from the largest one thousand churches among the thirteen thousand plus AG churches in the United States. John Maxwell was the featured speaker, and the core of his message to the pastors was “to avoid politics, because it is polarizing.” Maxwell’s message created a firestorm among the faithful inside and outside of the denomination.[3]

At least one Assemblies of God pastor took Maxwell’s message to heart. In a recent sermon he spoke of the blasphemous portrayal of da Vinci’s iconic painting of the Last Supper with live performers in drag clothing representing Christ and His disciples. The scene was viewed by a worldwide audience during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics. The following is the pastor’s recommended response to the blasphemy:

Here’s what we need to do in my opinion as believers. We need to pray that light will show from heaven. We can get mad and we can raise a fist and shake it, and there are some things that make us mad. And I don’t have any problem with getting mad about stuff. That’s okay, but the solution is not found in our anger. The solution is found in our prayers. (emphasis added)

In other words, according to this Assemblies of God pastor, we are to remain silent (except in our prayers) and not speak out or take action.

However, Erwin Lutzer implores Christians to be bold, speak out, and take action in the face of evil.

“Whether in Nazi Germany or America, believers cannot choose to remain silent under the guise of preaching the Gospel…we must live out the implications of the cross in every area of our lives. We must be prepared to submit to the Lordship of Christ in all ‘spheres’.”[4]

Yet, as we live out the implications of the cross in every area of our lives, we must understand that the culture wars in which we soldier for Christ are not about maintaining the American dream however one may define it. Rather, the culture wars are about restoring the biblical understanding of truth in all spheres of our national life. To do so one must speak the truth in the face of lies, stand on biblical principles when others compromise, and take right actions in spite of consequences. A hostile culture, an adversarial government, and a culpable legal system will extract a price from those that dare to oppose them. What is accomplished by such opposition when it seemingly brings only hardship, suffering, and defeat? “Suffering communicates the gospel in a new language; it authenticates the syllables that flow from our lips…It is not how loud we can shout but how well we can suffer that will convince the world of the integrity of our message.”[5]

What would the giants of the Christian faith have to say about silence and inaction “for the sake of the gospel”?

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) – His background, experiences, and powerful words in defense of truth speaks far louder than the din of lies shouted by egalitarianism’s Ministry of Truth and its toadies including spineless politicians, the corrupt media, universities in name only, complicit mega-corporation billionaires, ranting Hollywood leftists, self-proclaimed “intellectuals,” and many corrupt voices and false teachers in the church. Solzhenitsyn wrote:,

In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it (evil) will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers . . . we are ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.

The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.[6]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) – Bonhoeffer knew well the cost of silence in the church when faced with evil in the public square. His ardent faith and boldness in confronting evil cost him his life by hanging on the personal orders of Adolf Hitler. He called silence when faced with evil what it was…sin.

We have been silent witness of evil deeds; we have been drenched by many storms; we have learnt the arts of equivocation and pretense; experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open…Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough, and our honesty with ourselves remorseless enough, for us to find our way back to simplicity and straightforwardness?[7]

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil, God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.[8]

Franklin Graham – Graham said, “Those who are afraid to address moral issues are no better than those who commit transgressions.”[9] The truth of his powerful words is confirmed in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (emphasis added) [NKJV] In his commentary on this verse, In his commentary, Donald Stamps describes the ultimate destination of the cowardly.

The “cowardly” are those who lack faith in God and who fear the disapproval and threat of people more than they value loyalty to Christ and the truth of his Word. Their personal security and status among others on earth mean more to him than faithfulness to God. The “cowardly” include the compromisers among God’s people who give up the spiritual light and do not overcome evil.[10]

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) – The following quote is often attributed to King, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

However, the quote appears to be a paraphrase of a more complex thought he uttered during a sermon in Selma, Alabama, on March 8, 1965, the day after “Bloody Sunday,” on which civil rights protesters were attacked and beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

“Deep down in our non-violent creed is the conviction there are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they’re worth dying for…The cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit…A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”[11]

Eric Metaxas – In his 2022 book, Letter to the American Church, Metaxas captures the essence of how the church has become silent in the face of evil.

…those who behave as though there is really nothing to worry about, who seem to think—as such prominent pastors as Andy Stanley and others do—that we ought to assiduously avoid fighting these threats and be “apolitical” are tragically mistaken, are burying their heads in the sand and exhorting others to do the same …Do we not realize that no good ever can come of such silence and inaction, that human beings whom God loves suffer when His own people fail to express boldly what He has said and why they fail to live as He has called them to live?[12]

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:
[1] William J. Federer, America’s God and Country, (Coppell, Texas: FAME Publishing, Inc. 1996), p. 460.
[2] Eric Metaxas, Letter to the American Church, (Washington, D.C.: Salem Books, 2022), pp. 10-11.
[3] Larry G. Johnson, “Silence in the Face of Evil-The Modern American Evangelical Church,” Culturewarrior.net, 2-23-2024, https://www.culturewarrior.net/silence-in-the-face-of-evil-the-modern-american-evangelical-church/
[4] Erwin Lutzer, When a Nation Forgets God, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2010), p. 33.
[5] Ibid., pp. 120-121.
[6] Solzhenitsyn, AZ Quotes. https://www.azquotes.com/
[7] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Letters and Papers from Prison Quotes,” goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1153999-widerstand-und-ergebung-briefe-und-aufzeichnungen-aus-der-haft (accessed June 29, 2018 (accessed June 29, 2018).
[8] 20 Influential Quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” Crosswalk.com. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/inspiring-quotes/20-influential-quotes-by-dietrich-bonhoeffer.html (accessed June 29,
2018).
[9] Mario Marilla, “Politics in the Pulpit?” Mario Marillo Ministries, February 12, 2024. https://mariomurillo.org/2024/02/12/is-he-right/ (accessed 2-22-2024).
[10] Donald Stamps, Commentary on Revelation 21:8, Fire Bible: Global Study Edition, New International Version, Gen. Ed. Donald Stamps, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC,
Copyright 2009 by Life Publishers International, Springfield, Missouri), p. 2565.
[11] “Did MLK Say ‘Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent’?” Snopes, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mlk-our-lives-begin-to-end/#:~:text=Similarly%2C King never uttered the statement%2C “Our lives,every year on Martin Luther King%2C Jr. Day%3A (accessed 8-4-2024).
[12] Metaxas, Letter to the American Church, p. 51.

Vote for Brandon Shreffler – Owasso Public School Board – April 2, 2024

Posted by :admin On : April 1, 2024
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Category: Archives, Education

Many who receive this email may not live in the Owasso Public School District. So why should you read its message? This recommendation is based on a principle that should be applied when voting on candidates for a school board position in any district in which one may reside, and it is this principle upon which I have based my recommendation.

This principle states that it is the citizens of a school district, not the elected members of the school board, ultimately determine the moral values and standards to be taught to the children in that district. In other words, a school board’s actions, policies, and practices must reflect the moral values and standards of that community. This issue has been at the heart of many highly contentious meetings between school boards and the parents and other citizens of communities across America.

Owasso School Board Election – Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The two men who are competing for the Owasso School Board position appear to differ on this principle. Either Brent England (20-year incumbent) or Brandon Shreffler (challenger) will occupy this school board position for the next five years.

The positions and promises of both candidates appear similar. Both men stress the need to lobby the state legislature for more money for more buildings and programs for the school system. Also, both promised to make bullying a top priority if elected. In February 2024, bullying became an issue that caused the City of Owasso and the Owasso Public Schools to receive national attention from the White House, various governmental officials, national news media, and the homosexual lobby and its defenders as a result of an incident at Owasso High School.

Mr. England made the following comments with regard to bullying:

“There’s a lot of interest now in trying to eliminate bullying, and that’s going to be an ongoing discussion,” England said. “Yes, I want to eliminate bully;…it’s something that needs to be addressed. What the answer is, I really don’t know right now. I think we’re really going to need a lot of public support behind those decisions, and I’m hoping we get that support.”[1] [emphasis added]

Mr. Shreffler mirrors England’s efforts with regard to bullying.

“We’ve had issues in our personal family with bullying in the district. My kids are friends with other kinds with parents that had similar issues with bullying in the district, so obviously that’s my main reason to run.”[2]

Like England, Shreffler offers no solutions to eliminate bulling at Owasso Public Schools. When solutions are sought, it is likely that the Owasso School administrators will use materials from the United States Department of Education, National Education Association, various organizations promoting homosexuality and its agenda, and similar left-wing progressive socialist organizations. The solutions offered invariably will not be representative of beliefs and desires of the citizens of local communities across America.

The issue is the same as discussed above: The citizens of a school district, not the elected members of the school board, ultimately determine what is reflective of community morals and standards and that includes what and how the children in that district will be taught. There is a difference in how the two candidates view this principle.

Mr. England chooses sovereignty of the school board

Mr. England chooses sovereignty (supreme power) of the school board in making decisions, policies, and practices regarding what and how the district’s children are taught.

In Mr. England’s statement above, notice that we (the board) “…are really going to need a lot of public support behind those decisions, and I’m hoping we get that support.” Implicit in this statement is that the Board of Owasso Public Schools will make those decisions with regard to designing and establishing policies and programs to eliminate bullying. However, it is evident that public input is not required, needed, or wanted by the administration of OPS. Just give them the money and support their decisions. [emphasis added]

If anyone doubts that the OPS Board and administrators vigorously oppose parental and community involvement in the decision making at OPS, I refer them to the considerable efforts of the Board and Superintendent in the fall of 2022 to shut down parental and community involvement in their efforts to have significant amounts of pornographic materials removed from the libraries and classrooms at OPS.

Following a school board meeting where a vocal parent opposed the presence of pornographic materials in school libraries and classrooms, the Superintendent with board acquiescence banned the parent from access to the school property. After the parent obtained legal counsel, U.S. District Judge John F. Heil issued a temporary restraining order on November 1st 2002 that prevented the Owasso school district from barring parent’s access to the campus. Heil wrote, “While it is true that injunctive relief is an extraordinary relief, this Court finds that the First Amendment is an extraordinary right, deserving of extraordinary relief.”[3]

The Owasso school board subsequently met on November 9th and altered the parent’s ban so it was no longer tied to his interaction with board member Brent England. Instead, the ban was kept in place because of parent’s interaction in the parking lot with Art Haddaway of the Owasso Reporter. Subsequently on November 14th, Judge Heil converted the restraining order to a temporary injunction that prevented Owasso Public Schools’ efforts to ban the parent from attending school board meetings, dropping off and picking up his children from school, and attending parent-teacher conferences and other extracurricular activities. The judge noted that it “is clear” that Owasso’s ban was “substantially motivated as a response to Plaintiff’s criticism of the Board’s decision and his petition for a redress of grievances” which is protected under the First Amendment.[4]

Mr. Shreffler chooses “Parent and Community Engagement”

Whether or not Mr. Shreffler embraces ultimate sovereignty of the community in matters relating to the education of its children, his campaign mail piece at least tips his hat toward parent and community involvement with the school board.

“Parent and Community Engagement: Fostering strong partnerships to ensure a collaborative effort in education, keeping the door always open for feedback and ideas.”

Are you a “domestic terrorist” because you want the policies and practices of your local school district to reflect the moral values and standards upon which America was founded?

On October 4, 2021, the Biden administration through Attorney General Merrick Garland sent

“…a memo to the federal law enforcement agency directing it to coordinate with the nation’s 14,000 school districts. This action comes after the Biden administration received a plea from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to protect schools from the ‘imminent threat’ of parents sending ‘threatening letters and cyberbullying’ school officials. The association considers such activities to be akin to ‘domestic terrorism’.”[5] [emphasis added]

The Biden administration and its Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. have taken the position that parents challenging boards should be considered “domestic terrorists.” If you don’t agree with this administration’s assessment, you can push back with your vote on April 2nd or whenever the next school board election is held in your school district.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Art Haddaway, “Owasso school board president faces challenger in April 2 election,” Owasso Reporter, March 22, 2024. https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/owasso-school-board-president-faces-challenger-in-april-2-election/article_e439d7c2-e7c9-11ee-a1d3-57d049df4510.html (accessed 3-29-2024).
[2| Ibid.
[3] Burt Mummolo, “Owasso parent banned from school grounds after asking for pornographic book to be removed,” KTUL Channel 8, October 17, 2022, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/owasso-parent-banned-from-school-grounds-after-asking-for-pornographic-book-to-be-removed/ar-AA134R0f (accessed 11-7-2022).
[4] Ray Carter, “Court prevents Owasso school from banning parent critic,” Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, November 2, 2022, https://www.ocpathink.org/post/court-prevents-owasso-school-from-banning-parent-critic (accessed 11-7-2022).
[5] Robby Soave, “A.G. Merrick Garland Tells FBI To Investigate Parents Who Yell at School Officials About Critical Race Theory” reason, October 6, 2021. https://reason.com/2021/10/06/ag-merrick-garland-fbi-critical-race-theory-parents-schools-domestic-terrorists/ (accessed 3-31-2024).