Holiday Restoration Campaign

What will happen if our nation forgets the messages portrayed in our holidays? Many of our children are learning only the secular side of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. They never understand that these traditional holidays teach important lessons about Christianity. 

The problem goes beyond how Christianity is treated during the holidays. Even the mention of God is now suppressed in many classrooms. Both teachers and students are uncertain about their rights of religious expression. Many feel that the law forbids any discussion of God or even praying privately over their lunch. 

The Holiday Restoration Campaign is designed to help correct misinformation and restore accurate teaching of the religious nature of these traditional American holidays. 

Join us in restoring the real reasons for the seasons for public school children. 

An Easy Way to Proclaim the Truth

Gateways to Better Education has published unique materials that open the eyes of educators regarding what the law actually says they can do in the classroom to commemorate religious holidays. The information is packaged in non-threatening holiday cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 

Each 8-page card uses a lighthearted story to show the teacher that teaching about the holidays is legal, and that it is good education for the children. Each card also contains different legal documentation and lesson plan ideas for the teacher to use. By the end of the school year, the teacher will have a better understanding of religious expression and accommodation in public schools. 

Our goal is for every Christian parent to give the cards to their children's teachers. We have found that by the end of the last Christian holiday of the school year (Easter), many of the hearts and minds of educators have opened to the idea of teaching the truth behind each holiday.

Three Powerful Elements Combined in Each Card

Persuasion: Each card is designed to convince educators that teaching about the holiday is a good thing to do.

Documentation: Legal quotes and documentation assure educators that teaching about the holidays is legal.

Action: Each card contains lesson plan ideas to show educators how to teach about the holiday.

How the Campaign Works

The goal of our campaign is to have as many Christian parents as possible give cards to their children's teachers. Also, more and more teachers are purchasing the cards for themselves and for other educators. They find the legal documentation and lesson plan ideas very helpful and reassuring. 

Some of the benefits include:

• More Christian parents will make personal contacts with teachers and administrators.

• Parents, by reading the cards themselves, will learn what the law states about the rights of religious expression in the classroom.

• Teachers and administrators will see the size of the religious community by the sheer number of cards they receive.

• More children than ever before will learn the truth about the religious nature of the holidays.

• Schools will become more open to religious expression and accommodation.

Here's How to Get Started

Parents can purchase our holiday card for their children's teachers and later follow up with them to ask what they thought about the card. Teachers can purchase cards to share with like-minded colleagues. Click HERE to shop.

Teacher-Reacher Packets are also available for parents. They make it easy for you to have a year-long outreach to your child's teacher. The packet contains a set of three holiday cards (1 Thanksgiving, 1 Christmas, 1 Easter), two note cards, a parent-teacher conference checklist to improve communication, and a prayer sheet for recording school-related prayer requests. Quantity discount prices are available. 

To learn how to promote the Holiday Restoration Campaign in your church, call Gateways toll free at (800) 929-1163, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). Gateways has promotional materials available and can offer advice and support.

What Others Are Saying

"The Holiday Restoration Campaign gives teachers and administrators the encouragement and documentation they need to support religious expression and accommodation in their schools. I'd love to see this happen in every school district in America!"
Josh McDowell,
Campus Crusade for Christ

"I've examined these cards carefully and, clearly, they do not violate any constitutional rule or regulation whatsoever."
Judge William Lawless,
Former Dean of Notre Dame Law School

"The cards had a tremendous impact. They just made our Christmas at school!"
Judy Johnson,
A mom from Novi, Michigan

Other holiday resources: Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.

St. Patrick's Day - Something You May Not Know

Apostle to the Irish/ The Real Saint Patrick

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland.

It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish -- yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd..... 

Six Years a Slave

Who was the first person to go on record against slavery? Here’s a little known fact that kids won’t learn in school (unless you change that): according to historian Thomas Cahill, the first person in history to write against slavery was Saint Patrick. Both his Christian faith and experience led him to do it. 

Patrick was born in the 4th century to Christian parents who were Roman citizens in Briton. As a boy he was kidnapped and become a slave for six years in Ireland. He prayed daily that God would rescue him, and eventually he escaped and returned home. But he felt God calling him to return to Ireland with the Gospel. 

By the end of his life he had baptized over 120,000 Irishmen and established 300 churches. Within his lifetime, or shortly thereafter, the Irish slave trade ended – the result of a transformed people. St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, the day of his death) is the honoring of a Christian for his missionary work. Unfortunately, the true history of Patrick is seldom told in schools today. But, you can change that simply by telling the real story.

Resources:

• Here’s a 2-minute video from the History Channel you can show in class.

• Here’s our Gateways Minute (video) on St. Patrick’s Day.

• St. Patrick – Catholic Online

• How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill

Misconceptions Regarding Teaching About Holidays (Q&A)

Is equal time necessary?

Q:The principal at my child's school says that if they teach about Christian holidays, they must give equal time to teaching about all holidays. How can I respond?

A:The truth is, no court has said equal time must be given to all the religious holidays. You can find a reasonable guideline for deciding which holidays to emphasize and how much time to devote to them by answering two questions: 

1. Which religion or religions have had the most influence in shaping American culture? 

2. Which religions have a prominent influence in the local community? 

How much time is spent on each holiday should be determined by its relevance and influence in American culture and the local community. While avoiding slighting any religion, teachers should not leave students with the impression that all religions have had an equal impact on American culture. 

The issue is one of proportionality. Fair does not always mean equal. For instance, a first-year teacher teaches the same number of students and has the same workload as a 25-year veteran. But, the rookie will not receive equal pay for equal work. She will receive compensation proportional to her years of service. Yet, that is considered fair.

Q:What about the principal's comment that if they teach about the religious nature of Easter or Christmas some students will feel left out?

A:This goes back to the issue of helping students gain an honest understanding of American culture. Teachers should never denigrate anyone's religious beliefs. But, neither do they need to withhold significant cultural information about America regarding religion. Christian beliefs in America have a major impact on such things as our political debates, our social values, and our legal system. Students of any faith are impacted by these beliefs whether or not they agree with them. A good education for all students needs to include accurate information about the major religion in America. While the lessons can be creative and engaging, using art, drama, literature, and music, they should not be devotional or worshipful.

Questions? 

If you have a question for Gateways to Better Education, we offer two options: 

1. If you have an urgent issue that needs an immediate response, we recommend that you call our Advisory Line at (949) 586-KIDS (5437), 

2. Send us an email containing your question. 

Movies in the Classroom

It is quite common for schools to show PG movies to students without getting permission from their parents beforehand. This can be a troubling issue for parents who turn to Gateways to Better Education for advice on how to deal with it. 

A friendly visit with the teacher or school principal is always the best first step in any attempt to dissuade a school from showing questionable movies. If this doesn't work, there are legal issues you can point out to the administrator. 

We recently contacted the Permissions Department of Buena Vista Films, a division of Disney. According to a spokesman for the department, the school would need a public performance license in order to show any Disney film for any reason other than directly related to the curriculum. For example, if students were learning about Lewis Carroll's books, the teacher could show Alice in Wonderland without obtaining a special license. It would not be permissible to show the video just for entertainment. 

It is reasonable to assume that other studios have similar restrictions and requirements. 

Parents concerned about schools showing students entertainment videos as substitutes for academic work (whether G, PG, PG-13, or R) can alert the school principal to the illegality of the activity. 

National Free to Speak Campaign

Overview

Gateways to Better Education and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have teamed up to help churches equip families with information on students' and teachers' freedom of religious expression in their public schools.

Two important things will happen because of your church's involvement. YOU WILL:

Equip your students and congregation. Gateways has created a pocket-sized pamphlet entitled Free to Speak. It quotes the U.S. Department of Education statements clarifying seven important religious freedoms on public school campuses. There are 50 pamphlets in a set.
Bring clarity on the issue for local school officials. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has created a detailed letter and stands ready to send it to school officials you designate. They have donated their time to the campaign by offering to send this letter to one school official for every set of pamphlets you order for your church, Sunday school, Youth group, or campus Bible club. You will be able to designate the schools as part of your ordering process. (Your name will not be mentioned in the letter.)

GET STARTED NOW 

Here's a simple way to equip your congregation, and impact your local schools with just a two-minute pulpit announcement:

1. Put a Free to Speak pamphlet in each church bulletin.

2. Honor and pray for the educators in your congregation.

3. Have stacks of the Free to Speak pamphlet in your church foyer for people to give to students, teachers, and friends during the week.

4. Let them know that because of your church's participation, school principals in your local schools will be receiving a six-page letter from ADF clarifying students' and teachers' freedom of religious expression.

For example, if your church has 200 people in its worship service and 30 students in its children's and youth programs, we recommend you order one for each bulletin (200), 100 extra to place in the church foyer, and 10 for each student to give away at school (300), for a total order of 600 pamphlets (12 packets of 50 pamphlets. You can, then, designate twelve school officials to receive the special letter from an ADF attorney. (Note: if another church in your community designates the same school official that you select, we will have ADF send the letter to a nearby school official who has not yet been selected. This will avoid duplication and expand the impact of the campaign.)

Here's what you do next to promote greater religious liberty in the schools in your community!

Order Your Free to Speak pamphlets now and designate which school officials you want to receive the letter from the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Download an easy-to-follow manual for promoting religious freedom in your church and community. CLICK HERE.

Give to help the campaign reach more schools. If you don't want to order pamphlets yourself, donate to the National Free to Speak Campaign and we will send pamphlets directly to teachers for you. Working with a national teachers' prayer group, we have identified 80,000 Christian public school teachers. For every donation of $30, we can donate 50 pamphlets and send the ADF letter giving more detail about religious freedom in public schools directly to a teachers' on-campus prayer group. 

What Others Are Doing

An attorney from Arlington, Texas, (with 63,000 students in the local schools) wrote:

“My church placed Free to Speak in each church bulletin. I then led the congregation in prayer and was in the church foyer after the service to answer questions from students and their parents.” 

A school board member from Florida promoted Free to Speak to her pastor who, in turn, “ordered the pamphlets and asked everyone even remotely involved in the public schools to take a handful!”

“(In our church) we recognized our educators, both active and retired. We then had a retired educator speak about the changes he had experienced in the school system concerning our religious rights. He then prayed especially for our educators. We handed out the Free to Speak pamphlets after the service to everyone as they were leaving, making sure the teachers received extra copies to hand out at school.

FAQs

1. The Free to Speak pamphlet focuses mainly on students. What about teachers’ freedom of expression?

Of the seven points quoted in the pamphlet, one addresses teachers’ freedom to meet with colleagues for prayer and religious discussions during their free time (such as lunch). As part of the campaign, the letter written by the Alliance Defense Fund (and sent to the school officials you choose) answers six questions commonly asked about teachers’ rights.

2. Can I get a copy of the letter the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sends to school officials?

You can designate yourself as one of the people to receive the letter when you order your Free to Speak pamphlets.  

3. Where can I find the names and addresses of school officials in my community?

Most schools and school districts have web sites with the information.

4. How should I distribute the pamphlets?

Churches, civic groups, social clubs, and youth organizations are natural places to distribute the pamphlets. If you distribute them through your church you can place one in each bulletin and have extras in the foyer. We recommend that you get ten copies to each student (elementary and secondary) in your church. Encourage them to keep one and give nine to classmates and teachers.  

5. Do I need permission to distribute the pamphlets at school?

Students can give the pamphlets to people at school just as they would in any other personal communication. However, mass distribution (for instance, in the hallways) may be subject to school policies regarding distribution of any flyers on campus.

6. Is the National Free to Speak Campaign an attempt to proselytize in public schools?

The Free to Speak pamphlet focuses on the protection of privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination. The pamphlet contains no religious message. To order pamphlets, click here.

Eleven Religious Liberties

U.S. Department of Education Guidance (January 2020)