Rep. Michele Bachmann will be headlining a fundraiser in November for controversial ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide (YCRBYCH).
Based in Annandale, Minn., the group has made a name for itself as an anti-drug Christian punk rock band that organizes motivational student assemblies to bring Christ to public schools. But over the last several years, parents and school administrators have complained that the ministry misrepresents itself, claiming that the group is not transparent about its Christian mission.
This is actually a fairly common problem in public schools. Groups represent themselves one way and end up spreading the word of jeebus once they get all the kids together in the auditorium. One motivational speaker that I know of has a totally christian mission theme, but promises to do no religious stuff whatsoever in the school. And he keeps his promise. but he also publicizes his web site heavily and guess what….
Why does this story remind me of this movie?
Have you read the breakthrough novel of the year? When you are done with that, try:
or Paperback
*Please note:
Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
punk rock for jesus?
ewww. if that’s not missing the point of punk, I don’t know what is. the only “christian punk” that’s acceptable is Irish Punk!
and on another note, sneaking evangelism into schools is fucking vile.
Punk Christians? But I thought Bachmann was against everything PC…
So they’re like straight-edge?
Whoa, be careful. You may offend some straight edgers (if any actually exists anymore). Straight edge was ‘created’ in the early 80’s, pretty much by Minor Threat, a group that was in no way christian. In a time when the punk movement was literally killing itself with heroin, Ian Mackaye sought to make music with the anti-establishment roots of Punk without the need of drugs and alcohol. He succeeded, though the band fell apart fairly quickly (although the comp minor threat is considered a classic in the first wave punk rock genre). Ian went on to form Fugazi, a more indie, less abrasive band, with the same general message
Don’t confuse being straight edge with being Christian. My daughter is almost as rabidly atheistic as me but was straight edge for years (she now allows herself a few drinks occassionally).
Does anyone have any evidence that this assemblies have any useful effect on kids? Are they of any use at all even if they manage not to veer into religion?
I have hazy memories of some kind of Ted Nugent multi-media circus that inspired much eye rolling and sarcasm when I was in high school. I think I also saw at least one professional football player work off his community service by pointing out that drugs are bad. Of course maybe I just wasn’t their target audience. They did not rate as adults I took seriously.
They weren’t any more effective in a religious context either. I was religious and still am, and usually left things like that with burning desire never to be associated with those nut jobs.
Yeah, I agree, the two are NOT the same, but the Christians have co-opted the ‘style’ of straight edge, which is something that christianity does well.
In my opinion, no. At leased not with high-school aged. Most high schoolers already have at leased started to realize what their beliefs are, and I think something like this only makes those who have already been absorbed into the christian view feel that there is something ‘cool’ about it. That’s my opinion, based off my experiences in high school (graduated in 03, so it wasn’t that long ago). Granted I was never in the ‘religious’ crowd…
Christian rock has been around for a long time. Never are considered legitimate artists, luckily (with the exception of bands like Creed, that came on the scene as new-aged rock band [horrible], that later showed their true colors). One of my favorite parodies, is the South Park where Cartman starts a christian rock band to try to go platinum, only to find that christian albums can only go frankincense and myrrh
They’re claiming that “blue and white helicopters” regularly make threatening dive-bombing gestures at them while they’re en route to Republican conventions.
Seriously ?
In the words of Bart Simpson: “Everyone knows all the best bands are affiliated with Satan”