The Village Square presents God Squad - Seeking High Ground In The School Wars

Join us for a special God Squad at Night: our final God Squad gathering for the season! This God Squad will be held at St John’s Episcopal Church on Thursday, April 18th at 5:30 pm. We will be hosting a wine and cheese reception before the program, from 5:30 pm-6 pm, and will have heavy appetizers to enjoy during the 90-minute program. Bring friends, bring family: it’s going to be a special God Squad.

Who decides school doctrine?

In a culturally, religiously and racially diverse society like ours — with a single public school system designed to educate America’s children — maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the culture wars have Officially Hit Our Schools. When you clear away the noise, at the core of the struggle is this: what should our schools teach our children—and who decides? Long ago, secular school systems took religious education out of schools, but conservative parents are now seeing a “woke” moral worldview on the rise in the classroom—one that conflicts with lessons they want their children taught. And liberal parents watch aghast as history is whitewashed, books are banned and teachers are asked to do a job that seems increasingly impossible. Speaking of educating the next generation, each side in this schoolhouse brawl is acting badly—with alternating anger and contempt—modeling behavior we can hardly think is good for our children to watch? And if we can’t get it together, it will be our children who lose the most. How can America’s pluralistic ethics find a true home in our schools?

This one’s a big one, with lots of gnarly roots (so we’re saving 90 minutes for the conversation, all while we’re having a season finale shindig so we’re all in a good mood).

Interested in digging in deeper into this serious conversation ahead of this program? We’d love to support politically diverse conversations in small groups if there is interest. Contact Liz at liz@villagesquare.us.

Joining us for this God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Joseph Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, and Betsy Ouellette Zierden former Pastor at Good Samaritan UMC, Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church, Latricia Scriven of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, and Stefanie Posner of Temple Israel.

About The Village Square: Founded 17 years ago in Tallahassee, The Village Square is building the town hall of the 21st century across societal divisions that are tearing communities apart.