Jenks Journal Article August 24, 2006 by Don Diehl.
So you've heard about the Bible being banned from public schools, right? "Not true," says area resident Bob Heath who heads up a national organization called "Kids for Christ USA." As students start back to class in area schools this month, Heath is ready to help parents and students organize Bible Clubs in their schools in the Tulsa-Jenks-Broken Arrow area. .
Heath helped start nearly three dozen such clubs in Tulsa in 2001, and the model is now being used from New York to California. This year he will assist other parent-student groups in Jenks as well as help students launch new clubs where the Bible is studied and its principles practiced..
Kids for Christ USA has seen thousands of children not only come to know Jesus, but have learned during the weekly meetings how to share their faith and Christian lifestyle with friends and family members..
But Heath also is on another mission - to rid the myth that the Christian faith must stop at the schoolhouse door. If that was true, Heath says, then not only has the Bible been banned but constitutional rights as well. .
"We hear a lot about how Bible reading, prayer and witnessing was removed from the public schools, but its a lie," he said. "The year I was born: 1963, was the year that one of the greatest media spins in history began," he said. "That is the belief that the Bible and prayer were removed from the schools.".
Heath says that people are not clear on the difference of two words - mandatory and voluntary. He said that the 1963 ruling deals with government mandating school prayer, but even though there may be objections, voluntary prayer, carrying and studying the Bible and other expressions of faith are not only to be allowed, they are protected..
In 1963, Heath said he has learned, Madeline Murray-O'Hare won the right for her son and others to opt out of mandatory Bible reading and prayer. "That is a far cry from the media spin and intimidation we have bought for 43 years," he said. "It is time we in the church begin to publicize the truth and stop propagating this lie. Heath said the result of the "spin" has been catastrophic because the Bible and prayer is removed from the lives of many of America's children. .
"I remember vividly feeling like I would be suspended if I even admitted being a Christian, let alone shared my faith with a friend," Heath said..
According to the Family Research Council, the 1984 Equal Access Act (EAA) requires schools to grant religious student groups the same rights and privileges as nonreligious student groups. Though some Christian organizations have been challenged for hosting Bible clubs in public schools, Heath said he hasn't received any significant opposition. He said he spoke with a representative of the American Center for Law and Justice in the developmental stages of KFC to make sure he was on solid legal ground. .
If you'd like to get involved with KFCUSA, contact Heath at 918/902-2442 or at
