Eternally loyal

Eternity.biz has posted their defence of ACCESS Ministries CEO Dr Evonne Paddison after her comments regarding Victorian Special Religious Education and School Chaplaincy were exposed by Mike Stuchbery.  There are a number of points Eternity raise in their article, including:

“The article refers to a talk given three years ago by CEO, Dr Evonne Paddison, at the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion national conference in Melbourne.”

While this is true, ACCESS Ministries Mission and Objectives have not changed in that time, and I doubt the syllabus and guidelines surrounding Special Religious Education have changed considerably either.  This speech clearly  enunciates the CEO’s (and therefore ACCESS Ministries) attitude toward their access into public schools and the services they provide.

“Dr Paddison told Eternity her talk was not intended for a broad audience and does not constitute a breach of the guidelines.”It was meant for church leaders and it’s been taken completely out of context. It doesn’t reveal the motives of our role as ACCESS ministries. I was speaking as Evonne Paddison, not reflecting ACCESS ministries policy.”

I am certain this presentation was “not intended for a broad audience” as it reveals the CEO’s primary reasons behind their mission within the public schools of Victoria.  I may grant that Dr. Paddison “speaking as Evonne Paddison”, but I do not think this makes any functional difference.  Dr. Paddison revealed her personal motivations for providing Christian Religious Instruction to Primary school children, and an army of Chaplains.  I find it difficult to believe these deeply felt theological reasons have no effect on the work ACCESS Ministries perform.

“Dr Paddison says ACCESS ministries doesn’t seek to convert children, but to show them the love of Jesus.”

There is a vast difference between telling children what Christians believe, the rituals performed, and what the festive celebrations (including the widely popular Easter and Christmas) actually symbolise compared to “showing them the love of Jesus”.  The later seems much closer to the definition of “conversion” to me.

“We have the opportunity to go in and teach children about the Christian faith; it’s discipling in that sense. Discipling means to learn, to teach. We teach them about Christianity and we do no more than that. We do not ask children to make faith commitments, we actually think that would be wrong to do in that context.”

Except she admits in the very same speech:

“To minister to students is a cross cultural mission, and much of our thinking about ministry and schools has had the goal that our students will be contacted converted and disciple in order to lift them up with the local church and become part of the home sponsoring church. ” (24:17)

“They need to be challenged individually and corporately with the word of God and they need to respond to it. They desperately need a relationship with the Lord Jesus, and to be in a faith community.” (41:08)

“My view is that we have every opportunity to create new congregations through our schools ministries, as we do this we have the responsibility to fulfill the great commission of making disciples.” (46:40)

“What really matters is seizing the God-given opportunity we have to reach kids in schools. Without Jesus, our students are lost.” (52:12)

“Two sisters in their early 20s spoke of the impact of CRE on their lives. They came from an unchurched family, but at CRE, Christian religious education, they heard of God’s existence and his love for them. They love the stories and they pester their parents to take them to church! The parents really didn’t want to do this, but eventually they gave in. The children came to faith, and later so did their parents.”  (31:26)

While Evonne may not be “asking children to make faith commitments”, they are certainly highly encouraging them to sponsor local churches, have a “relationship with the Lord Jesus”, and to fulfil the great commission – which refers to Matthew 28:18-22 where Jesus instructs his Disciples:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Tell me you can follow those instruction and not be trying to covert people.

Tweet