wfn.org | Rights of Christian Students Affirmed by US Supreme Court

[APD <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

June 28, 2001
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
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Rights of Christian Students Affirmed by U.S. Supreme Court

Washington, D.C., USA.   Members of a Christian youth club can 
meet after-hours on public school property without violating 
the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, 
the United States Supreme Court ruled June 11.  

The decision represents a win for "fundamental fairness," says 
Mitchell Tyner, an associate general counsel for the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church. The Adventist Church last year filed a "friend 
of the court" brief in support of the Good News Club. "We felt 
this was a case with widespread implications for Christians in 
the United States," explains Tyner, who says that local Adventist 
churches have sometimes been refused the use of public school 
facilities made available to other community organizations. 

"The Adventist Church has been a longstanding advocate for proper 
boundaries between church and state," Tyner adds. "We believe the 
state should not endorse religious activity, either explicitly or 
implicitly." But he says the Establishment Clause of the United 
States Constitution "does not mandate hostility toward religion. 
It is a basic issue of fairness that religious groups have 
access to public facilities on the same basis as other groups."

The Good News Club dispute began when Milford Central School 
authorities refused to allow a Christian youth group to use 
school facilities after-hours, arguing that to do so would imply 
an unconstitutional endorsement of the club's religious 
activities.  In its six to three decision, the Supreme Court 
said that by "denying the Club access . . . on the ground that 
the Club was religious in nature, Milford discriminated against 
the Club because of its religious viewpoint" thus violating the 
Free Speech Clause of the United States Constitution.

"Not surprisingly, not everyone is pleased with the result," says 
James Standish, an attorney and director of legislative affairs for 
the Adventist Church worldwide.  

He notes that one organization has gone so far as to state that 
the court's ruling "means aggressive fundamentalist evangelists 
have a new way to proselytize school kids."Standish says this is 
a distortion of the facts, and points out that "only children 
whose parents signed a consent form approving their child's 
involvement with the club could attend its meetings."