Recruiting for Jesus

In Australia, NSCP guidelines proscribe proselytising, but it's hard to know what actually goes on. Scripture Union encourages their chaplains to get kids into out-of-school activities, where they are removed from teacher or parental scrutiny. For example:

• “The good news is that God is doing some incredible work through the ministries of SU Queensland. School chaplaincy, camps and missions are exposing thousands of young people and children to the good news of Jesus every year.” (SU News, June 2006);
• “We intentionally make opportunities to present life-giving messages that invite children to respond positively to Jesus. Our approach is urgent because children will, by their nature and because of the world in which they live, turn away from God unless they are evangelised and nurtured.” (Scripture Union International, 2005);
• “Last year alone, over 2500 kids went on SU Queensland camps where many committed their lives to Jesus for the first time.” (2006 Scripture Union newsletter).

As the Rationalist submission points out, most chaplains are not qualified for much of the counselling work they do. In their submission to the Review of the NSCP, the Australian Psychological Society expresses severe concern (PDF 330KB) about this: "When chaplains work outside this role [of spiritual and religious guidance], the risks to both students and schools are immense and will ultimately result in significant costs both financial and human."

The Society also says there is "clear evidence schools chaplains are engaging in duties for which they are not qualified ... that church organisations and ministries are supporting school chaplains in their boundary violations ... and that the government is complicit in encouraging dangerous professional behaviour by funding school chaplains independently of other services carried out by professionals who are both qualified and registered."

This can get serious when they deal with kids at risk of self harm. For example, one chaplain reports:

• "in the last week I've got two grade 5 kids on suicide watch (ACCESS Ministries, 2009)

Perhaps the most vulnerable group is teenagers wondering about their sexuality. In a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee regarding the Marriage Equality Bill 2009, GenR8 Schools Ministries says they “utterly reject and repudiate” the assumption that homosexuality should be regarded as “acceptable sexual behaviour”. One can only wonder what sort of counselling chaplains provided by this organisation would provide.

Simon, as a party we should not be naïve about this move by a well organised, well funded, international organisation to get to the hearts and minds of young Australians. Individual chaplains may be well meaning themselves but the movement is contrary to a progressive values such as tolerance, separation of church and state, and commitment to reason and evidence rather than the superstition and bigotry of a bygone era.

I implore you to take a stand against the creeping social divisiveness that organisations like these are seeking to bring back in Australia.

Yours in despair,

Dr Meredith Doig
meredithdoig@gmail.com
Member, St Kilda branch
1/6 Pilley St
St Kilda East 3183