After Beating ACLU, Former Coach Enters Political Arena
by Allie Martin
August 30, 2004
(AgapePress) - A Christian activist from Ohio is running for a spot on that state's school board. Former high school football coach Dave Daubenmire filed as a candidate for the 9th District spot earlier this month.Daubenmire, who runs Pass the Salt Ministries, made headlines in the late 1990s when he was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for praying with his football team before games at London High School in Madison County, Ohio. Fighting for his First Amendment rights, he eventually prevailed in the lawsuit and left coaching to pursue full-time ministry work.
Now Daubenmire will be running for a position on the very same state school board that once conducted the investigation into his activities while he was with London High School. By running, he hopes not only to make a difference in Ohio's education system, but also to encourage other Christians like himself to seek a voice in public debate.
It is important, Daubenmire asserts, for Christians to play a part in the political process. "I believe that the great battlefront of the future lies in the public school sector," he says, "and I think it's time we got a Christian voice in that position. So that's why I've thrown my hat in the ring, and we'll see what happens in November."
The former football coach points out the biblical mandate to engage evil influences on culture, citing the Matthew 16:30 assurance, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." He says people of faith have avoided political battles too long.
"The mandate to win some of these battles fall at the feet of the Church -- not the Republican Party, not the Democratic Party, not conservatism -- but rather at the feet of the Church," Daubenmire says. "And I believe as we engage these battles, engage these gates and take on the enemy, in the face of opposition, I believe God gives us unbelievable victories."
Pass the Salt Ministries works to encourage and equip Christians to play an influential role in the culture war and to mobilize them to be salt and light in the world. The organization's website notes that Daubenmire left a position coaching a high school to move into "the job of coaching God's team" in a ministry committed to bringing believers together across denominational, racial, and economic lines to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.
