Winning One For The Grinch

For teachers in the Plano School District, the last days of school before this year's holiday break became more dangerous than even their most watchful administrators could have imagined. Apparently, metal detectors were taking care of the guns and knives pretty well, but candy cane pens almost got through to some of the kids, and may still.

Why the fuss over a nicely decorated school supply? Because the pens in question (a) carried an explicitly Christian message and (b) were to be distributed at a class holiday party and not where stuff like this is supposed to be left, for students to pick up as they choose. The parents of the child carrying the contraband were reported to be "heartbroken" that public schools are becoming God-less places, at Christmas and at other times besides, and a conservative Christian outfit that calls itself the Liberty Legal Institute is challenging the District's grinchiness on First Amendment grounds.

Since this school district only recently coughed up $400,000 to settle another free speech lawsuit, it is probably fair to surmise that its leaders have a lot of work ahead getting school policy written up right. Somehow, existing policy statements are not doing what they are supposed to do. And there will continue to be trouble in the Model City if Plano citizens are left as much in the dark as they may be now about witnessing to their faith in a religiously pluralistic school community.

In the meantime, an eight-year-old boy was all of a sudden put in a very vulnerable position, having to spread the word of Christianity on behalf of his conscientiously religious parents long before he is able to make a decision of faith on his own. And he was supposed to do it surrounded by weary school personnel facing one lawsuit if they caved on the issue, and another if they didn't. My guess is that the grown-ups in this otherwise very silly scenario will all be able to take care of themselves. I am less sure that the child will.

And so, what I've been praying for these past few days is that, somehow, frightened teachers and administrators will still be able to nurture this little guy toward an age-appropriate understanding of what James Madison, et.al., were really fighting for over 200 years ago. It wasn't for the right to drop a testimony of faith on the desks of a captive audience --- especially of innocent children --- or to slip something religious into their hands when they weren't looking. Nor was it for the right of parents to make their children do their own religious bidding.

It is easy for Christians to wax nostalgic at this season of the year about nativity scenes long gone from city squares, carols long unsung in school classrooms, and prayers long silenced at civic events. It is pleasant to remember growing up among people who permitted, encouraged, and enjoyed all three. What made it all possible, though, was the silent suffering of the small handfuls of other folks in our communities whose religious orientations were not permitted to count. Empowering their descendents is worth soft pedaling the Christmas cheer --- and de-religifying the candy cane pens --- any day.

Not too long ago, I found myself in a fairly heated conversation with a good Christian friend about Islamic Fundamentalism, and the stridency with which the movement proclaims the sovereignty of Allah over all of human history. What got my friend's blood pressure up was his fear that these guys were going to start pushing the "Koh-Ran" into everybody's face whether they liked it or not. My own systolic rate took a leap for the worse as I tried to convince my friend that Fundamentalist extremists speak for the Muslim world no more accurately than they do for the Christian. He was not convinced on that particular point, but he did acknowledge something important nevertheless. He admitted that he might be a little off center condemning the Muslims while insisting that we ought to reinstate Bible reading every morning over our schools' intercoms.

By all present indications, the Plano candy cane caper may not be sorted out anytime soon. Whatever the final outcome may be, though, there will still be a little boy out there who deserves to experience the joy of faith and of Christmas on his own terms, and not just on those of his parents and his school district. Merry Christmas, Jonathan, and a pen-less one to the rest of you, too.