A pastor from Arkansas was recently accused of violating the Constitution for holding a Bible study during a high school football camp.
The controversy began when Konnor McKay, who is the pastor of Waldron Pentecostal Church of God in Waldron, Arkansas, was invited to speak at his alma mater’s football camp, where he played back in high school.
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McKay took to Facebook to sum up his time at the camp:
“I prayed God would bless it so I know he did!” he wrote. “What an awesome awesome honor it is to serve God! We as a community should jump on board with Coach Bates and his coaching staff and support this program on the rise!”
Today, I had the honor of sharing the word of God with several high school football teams from around our area…
Posted by Konnor McKay on Wednesday, June 13, 2018
He gave a Bible-based message on the value of teamwork, which drew the attention of the anti-Christian legal group, Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“I shared with them the importance of teamwork. … That’s what I felt in my heart to share,” McKay said.
FFRF is a nonprofit that educates people on “nontheism” and urges society to turn from religion.
When the group caught wind of McKay’s speech, they deemed it a “constitutional violation,” and asked that the school district “not allow its football program to be used as a captive audience for evangelists.”
FFRF sent a letter to Waldron High School’s superintendent asking for the school to not promote religion ever again.
They called McKay’s speech at the camp a violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which essentially prohibits Congress from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion.”
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FFRF not only demanded that religion not be mentioned ever again, but demanded that the school “ensure that its athletic programs will not be used to promote religion in the future.”
Annie Laurie Gaylor, the Co-President of FFRF also took a stab at the incident, referring to McKay’s motivational speech as “brainwashing.”
“Parents send their students to football camps to become better players, not to be brainwashed. Public school students should not have to pray to play,” Gaylor said.
On Saturday McKay joined “Fox and Friends” to discuss the incident, which he insisted did not violate the Constitution.
“I know what it’s like to be where these players are at,” he explained. “I know what it’s like to be a high school football player and I felt that it was important to know the value and importance of teamwork. So I came that morning and I shared with them the importance of teamwork and I shared with the kids that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. And that’s what I felt on my heart to share with them,” McKay explained.
“This is another example of this group from Wisconsin that goes out-of-state seeking school districts across the country that they can bully and intimidate,” Michael Berry, a First Liberty attorney who is representing McKay, told Fox. “Waldron, Arkansas is just another example.”
You can watch the clip below:
Pastor Under Fire From Nonprofit for High School Football Devotional https://t.co/dp9DDpp7Wi pic.twitter.com/jFRUTTLTHJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 8, 2018
(H/T: The Blaze)