ACLU Alleges School Talks by Christian 'Santa' Are Church-State Violation
by Jim Brown
December 8, 2003
(AgapePress) - During this holiday season, a Christian pastor dressed as Santa Claus is turning the attention of public school students in Kansas to the birth of Jesus Christ. Pastor Gregg Childress of Overbrook (Kansas) First Christian Church bears a striking resemblance to a popular figure among children. "I look exactly like Santa," he says, "so as you can imagine, it's not anything for me to put the red suit on, because I'm the spitting image then. "
Childress takes advantage of the uncanny likeness, attending elementary school assemblies and visiting pre-K through third-grade classrooms to talk with students about the true meaning of Christmas.
The minister says he usually engages the youngsters in conversation, asking questions of individual children in a class. At some point Childress asks, "Who can tell me why we really celebrate Christmas?" And he says "Sometimes we get other answers at the same time ... but somebody will always talk about 'Yeah, it's Jesus' birthday,' and I say, 'Yeah, that's exactly right.'"
The Santa-impersonating pastor emphasizes the traditional truths of Christmas, as celebrated in many cultures at many times from the birth of Christ to the present. His talks are general and educational, but tend to point out that, despite the secular meanings that may have been superimposed upon it, December 25 has a religious meaning at its heart. "Historically we've set aside that time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ -- the whole world," Childress says.
The youth speaker also uses these visits as opportunities to discuss with the enthralled students the importance of making good decisions, such as staying away from cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. "I love children, and I hate to see children eventually make bad decisions," he says.
According to Childress, talking to children in the holiday costume has a big impact "because here's Santa Claus, and he's telling them, 'Hey here's some things not to do.' And I think they have a tendency to listen to Santa. It's just neat."
But the Douglas County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sent a complaint letter to the School Board of the Baldwin, Kansas, public school district, claiming that by permitting Childress to make his Santa appearances, the school district is violating the separation of church and state.
The ACLU urged the district to investigate not only the schools' allowance of a Christian minister dressed as Santa to discuss the true meaning of Christmas, but also their referral of students apparently needing guidance to Christian resources, and giving Christian "missionaries" access to students in after-school programs.
