Christian Heritage Academy
Encyclopedia
Christian Heritage Academy (CHA) is a private Christian school located in Del City, Oklahoma
. Established in 1972, CHA instructs its students in an American Christian philosophy of education through the Principle Approach methodology. Enrollment includes students from grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve. Enrollment is open to students of all races. The students are residents of the Oklahoma City
metropolitan area.
is based on the Principle Approach developed by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie Slater". This ethnocentric approach to education states that "the pinnacle of classical education was reached in [the United States of America]...two centuries ago". The Principle Approach concept of "Providential History" maintains that "God commands us to make nations Christian" nations, that only "Providential history is true history" as taught by the Principle Approach, and that "the failure to teach Providential history has led to the secularization of America".
Of Native Americans
it claims that they "occupied but did not possess the land" echoing R.J. Rushdoony
and other Christian dominionists
. In spite of evidence that indigenous tribes in North America had a history and civilization for thousands of years, CHA maintains the expansion of the American Empire across North America because it "was not designed to give birth and development to a new civilization but to receive one ready-made" and that it invited colonization through Manifest Destiny
... "it seems to invite the European race, the people of progress, to new fields of action, to encourage their expansion throughout its entire territory."
It also carries the following quote from Alexis de Tocqueville
:
German geographer Friedrich Ratzel
visited North America beginning in 1873 and saw the effects of American manifest destiny. Later German publicists misinterpreted Ratzel to argue for the right of the German race to expand within Europe; that notion was later incorporated into Nazi ideology, as Lebensraum
American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 as a part of its curriculum and maintains that "It will equip you for Christian leadership, strengthen your vocabulary, give you an edge in communicating your view and become your foundation for thinking and reasoning Biblically. This tool can be the turning point for you to be more effective in communicating Christian principles used in government, economics, and marketing or for your student to clearly understand how the Bible has influenced every area of life". Also, it is taught that for one "to understand principles of liberty, one must return to the thought and writings of those whom God used to establish the first Christian constitutional representative Republic the world has ever known".
Ironically, in his early years Noah Webster himself was a proponent of the American ideals of "liberalism" and "tolerance" but in 1808 he became a convert to Calvinistic orthodoxy, and thereafter became a devout Congregationalist who preached the need to Christianize the nation. Webster grew increasingly authoritarian and elitist, fighting against the prevailing grain of Jacksonian Democracy. Webster viewed language as a tool to control unruly thoughts. His American Dictionary emphasized the virtues of social control over human passions and individualism, submission to authority, and fear of God; they were necessary for the maintenance of the American social order.
, much of which is based upon the program school Headmaster Josh Bullard has created entitled "Created for Purity". To help illustrate "what type of gift you want to give your future spouse" one of the program's exercises includes fathers presenting their daughters with two "purity rings"
. One ring symbolizing virginity is "wrapped in white" representing a "pretty white package" that "they could give their spouses" which is then contrasted by the father "pulling another gift out of his pocket, which was tattered and torn". Fathers are then told to explain that this torn and tattered package "which still contained virginity, but it was “beat up, battered and had been around the block.” Finally, Fathers can explain that "You can give them this pure, white gift, or you can give them the tattered one...that you can always be like the pure, white gift, but once you’re tattered, you can never go back to being like the pure gift.”
The prescribed method of Courtship
vs. Dating is taught in the classroom. Sexual purity is required as part of the code of conduct and is taught by the faculty.
and a string of Supreme Court decisions, reduced the effectiveness of the busing
policy.
to speak about their work during a Wednesday night service. In spite of the fact that neither of The Gablers had any college degrees, and neither attended secondary education for more than a year they were very active in school textbook issues in the state of Texas and made great strides in restoring that state’s public education system from the historical revisionism that they and many others saw in their students' curriculum. Neal Frey, who worked with the Gablers since 1972 and now runs the organization, said "that Mrs. Gabler’s larger public role was deceptive. "Mr. Gabler wore the pants in that family, and Mrs. Gabler wanted it that way". The Gablers identified the changes that had come over the teaching of history as generation after generation of textbooks had the Christian founding of America expunged from them. They claimed that America was losing its Christian heritage because children were never introduced to it in schools: "Allowing a student to come to his own conclusion about abstracts and concepts creates frustration. Ideas, situation ethics
, values, anti-God humanism - that's what the schools are teaching. And concepts. Well, a concept will never do anyone as much good as a fact". During the service, pastor Boydstun sensed a mission to provide education within a Christian setting for the students of southwest Oklahoma City. After further discussion, the church established a committee to investigate the feasibility of a Christian school and later to began the development of the school program.
, a director of the Ocean Spray
Corporation and founder of Plymouth Rock Foundation, whose Plymouth Rock Seminars were foundational to the school’s philosophical development; Miss Katherine Dang, then the principal of the Chinese Christian Schools of San Leandro, California
, and teacher at the pilot school in Hayward, CA under the direction of CHA development contributor James B. Rose; and Mrs. Ruth Smith of Pilgrim Institute. All of these friends provided counsel and advice to the school as CHA developed its program and became one of the leaders in the American Christian History movement (see Dominionism
).
On October 20, 1978, CHA sponsored its first American Christian Teachers Seminar. During the seminar, faculty of CHA shared the Principle Approach and the American Christian Philosophy of Education with representatives from other Christian schools within Oklahoma. As of 2010, CHA remains the only Principle Approach school in Oklahoma.
for his Oklahoma Republican pre-primary rally.
As of 2009, CHA along with other private schools, will not be forced to move "up" in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association division classifications.
As of 2011, CHA was categorized as an OSSAA 2A Football Program, with an enrollment of 216 secondary students.
. The right wing Evangelical and socially conservative political
group called the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ was founded by the late D. James Kennedy but folded shortly after his death in 2007. Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma is also a CHA football coach and the facilitator of the CHA North satellite which resides at the Fairview Baptist Church location in Edmond, Oklahoma. Pastor Paul Blair started an initiative to create a similar social and political action group called "Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ" and after some success took over the former Center for Reclaiming America for Christ now known simply as Reclaiming America for Christ with the full support and blessing of Coral Ridge Ministries although they are no longer associated.
Pastor Paul Blair's association with Reclaim America for Christ started with an association with John Birch Society
member, politically right wing Evangelical activist, and former Oklahoma Congressional candidate Charlie Meadows, who during a breakfast meeting decided to form "Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ" with Blair. Pastor Blair along with John Birchers Clark Curry, and George Wallace founded Clouds Over America
, a similar organization to educate pastors.
Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ hosts several conferences each year including their "70 Weeks to Save America" conference which hosted speakers such as former Christian Heritage Academy Headmaster and current Ambassador Ralph Bullard as well as Dr. Rick Scarborough, the President of Vision America
, and disgraced and court-martialled Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt. During the "70 Weeks to Save America Conference" Blair said "In the last 40 years, the moral values in America have plummeted from The Andy Griffith Show to Brokeback Mountain". He considers himself a “Patriot Pastor” and is also a member and enthusiast of Christian Dominionist Chuck Baldwin’s “Black Regiment Pastors”.
Other controversial right wing speakers have included William G. Boykin
who has been the subject of several internal investigations before his retirement, Janet (Folger) Porter (founder of Faith 2 Action and advocate for proclaiming death certificates for every child aborted, and Peter
LaBarbera who has boycotted McDonalds for "encouraging young homosexuality."
Gov. Mike Huckabee
Ambassador Alan Keyes
Del City, Oklahoma
Del City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 21,332 at the 2010 census....
. Established in 1972, CHA instructs its students in an American Christian philosophy of education through the Principle Approach methodology. Enrollment includes students from grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve. Enrollment is open to students of all races. The students are residents of the Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
metropolitan area.
Principle Approach
CHA's curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
is based on the Principle Approach developed by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie Slater". This ethnocentric approach to education states that "the pinnacle of classical education was reached in [the United States of America]...two centuries ago". The Principle Approach concept of "Providential History" maintains that "God commands us to make nations Christian" nations, that only "Providential history is true history" as taught by the Principle Approach, and that "the failure to teach Providential history has led to the secularization of America".
Ethnocentric Concepts of Principle Approach
Ethnocentric concepts include that "God created each continent for a specific purpose", with "unique characteristics", that "the tropical climates of the southern continents would have 'lulled man to sleep'" and that by contrast the northern continents and its people "incites man to action; it challenges him to labor." Thus the "northern continents" are called "the continents of history", specifically, "Europe" as the "continent of development". According to their philosophy, it is here "religion, science, languages, the Gospel, math, mankind. (sic) These originated in Asia, were developed in Europe, and saw their greatest fulfillment in the propagation of America". Australia is merely the "continent of antiquity", "Africa- continent of animal life", "South America- plant life", and Asia "the continent of origins".Ethnocentric and Racist Publications by CHA
In CHA's "God Fashioned the Continents for His Story" publication, CHA poses the questions "Are there physical signs of the intentional hand of Providence? If the Lord truly has foresight (which He does), and if He planned the story that would unfold on earth (which He did), then wouldn’t it make sense that He would create the continents to oblige?" Claiming that "America fits into that plan" it states that America can clearly be found in the Bible, and that "His design should point to the work of Christ in human history-- the story of liberty." God is seen as a "Master Painter" who is putting together the continents with a purpose, thus Asia, Europe, and North America are described as having been "admirably prepared" as opposed to South America, Africa and Australia which are relegated to their plant, animal, and wildlife.Of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
it claims that they "occupied but did not possess the land" echoing R.J. Rushdoony
Rousas John Rushdoony
Rousas John Rushdoony was a Calvinist philosopher, historian, and theologian and is widely credited as the father of Christian Reconstructionism and an inspiration for the modern Christian homeschool movement...
and other Christian dominionists
Dominionism
Dominionism is a term used to describe politically active conservative Christians that are believed to conspire and seek influence or control over secular civil government through political action, especially in the United States, with the goal of either a nation governed by Christians, or a nation...
. In spite of evidence that indigenous tribes in North America had a history and civilization for thousands of years, CHA maintains the expansion of the American Empire across North America because it "was not designed to give birth and development to a new civilization but to receive one ready-made" and that it invited colonization through Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
... "it seems to invite the European race, the people of progress, to new fields of action, to encourage their expansion throughout its entire territory."
It also carries the following quote from Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution . In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in...
:
- Although [North America] was inhabited by many indigenous tribes, it may be justly said, at the time of its discovery by Europeans, to have formed one great desert. The Indians occupied it without possessing it. The whole continent seemed prepared to be the abode of a great nation yet unborn.
German geographer Friedrich Ratzel
Friedrich Ratzel
Friedrich Ratzel was a German geographer and ethnographer, notable for first using the term Lebensraum in the sense that the National Socialists later would.-Life:...
visited North America beginning in 1873 and saw the effects of American manifest destiny. Later German publicists misinterpreted Ratzel to argue for the right of the German race to expand within Europe; that notion was later incorporated into Nazi ideology, as Lebensraum
Lebensraum
was one of the major political ideas of Adolf Hitler, and an important component of Nazi ideology. It served as the motivation for the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, aiming to provide extra space for the growth of the German population, for a Greater Germany...
Principle Approach's Use of Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary
This method of education views modernity as suspicious stating that modern dictionaries propagandize students. In order to circumvent the secularization of students, it uses Noah Webster'sNoah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 as a part of its curriculum and maintains that "It will equip you for Christian leadership, strengthen your vocabulary, give you an edge in communicating your view and become your foundation for thinking and reasoning Biblically. This tool can be the turning point for you to be more effective in communicating Christian principles used in government, economics, and marketing or for your student to clearly understand how the Bible has influenced every area of life". Also, it is taught that for one "to understand principles of liberty, one must return to the thought and writings of those whom God used to establish the first Christian constitutional representative Republic the world has ever known".
Ironically, in his early years Noah Webster himself was a proponent of the American ideals of "liberalism" and "tolerance" but in 1808 he became a convert to Calvinistic orthodoxy, and thereafter became a devout Congregationalist who preached the need to Christianize the nation. Webster grew increasingly authoritarian and elitist, fighting against the prevailing grain of Jacksonian Democracy. Webster viewed language as a tool to control unruly thoughts. His American Dictionary emphasized the virtues of social control over human passions and individualism, submission to authority, and fear of God; they were necessary for the maintenance of the American social order.
Courtship & Sexual Purity
Christian Heritage Academy also draws focus to human sexualityHuman sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, much of which is based upon the program school Headmaster Josh Bullard has created entitled "Created for Purity". To help illustrate "what type of gift you want to give your future spouse" one of the program's exercises includes fathers presenting their daughters with two "purity rings"
Purity ring
Purity rings are worn as a sign of chastity. The practice originated in the United States in the 1990s among Christian-affiliated sexual abstinence groups....
. One ring symbolizing virginity is "wrapped in white" representing a "pretty white package" that "they could give their spouses" which is then contrasted by the father "pulling another gift out of his pocket, which was tattered and torn". Fathers are then told to explain that this torn and tattered package "which still contained virginity, but it was “beat up, battered and had been around the block.” Finally, Fathers can explain that "You can give them this pure, white gift, or you can give them the tattered one...that you can always be like the pure, white gift, but once you’re tattered, you can never go back to being like the pure gift.”
The prescribed method of Courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
vs. Dating is taught in the classroom. Sexual purity is required as part of the code of conduct and is taught by the faculty.
Standards of Conduct
According to the CHA Standard of Conduct, each student is expected to honor the agreement both in school and out of school. "The school, therefore, expects each student to maintain Christian standards of courtesy, kindness, morality, and honesty. The school further requires each student to refrain from profanity, indecent language, gambling, cheating, sexual immorality, stealing, the use of any type of tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and pornographic materials, and from participation in unlawful, violent, or destructive acts." The Standard of Conduct agreement "should be understood that this is a joint agreement between the school, the parent, and the student. It should be obvious to the parent that the school will enforce these standards. It should also be obvious to the school that the parent enforces these standards while the student is associated with CHA during the school term and the summer".Dress Code
Christian Heritage Academy has a very comprehensive Dress Code which has been simplified in recent years and is different for both sexes and for elementary students and secondary students. An abbreviated version is available online, however those wishing to have access to a copy must request one to be delivered in person upon appointment. According to their website, "CHA’s dress code policy is intended to serve as a tool to accomplish these specific goals: 1) to create a learning environment free from distractions and 2) to encourage/train students in exercising individual responsibility and Christian self-government."Historical Context & Foundation
According to the Christian Heritage Academy website, the school began in 1972 with a vision of Sunnyside Baptist Church and its pastor, Harry Boydstun. Prior to the school's founding, demographic changes in primary education were taking place in Oklahoma City and in other cities across America. In the 1971 Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of busing to end school segregation and dual school systems. The federal courts began mandating that enrollment be racially balanced in the public school systems and be achieved through the forced busing of elementary students. Many parents were alarmed that the public schools were being radically reorganized and their children would be transported miles across town to be taught in some other place than their neighborhood schools. The movement of large numbers of white families to suburbs of large cities, so-called white flightWhite flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
and a string of Supreme Court decisions, reduced the effectiveness of the busing
Busing
Busing may refer to:* Busing, the use of road vehicle designed to carry passengers* Desegregation busing in the United States* John Busing , American football strong safety...
policy.
Influence from the Gablers
In the spring of 1972, Sunnyside Baptist Church invited Mel and Norma GablerMel and Norma Gabler
Melvin Nolan Freeman Gabler and his wife, Norma Elizabeth Rhodes Gabler were campaigners against public school textbooks which they regarded as "anti-family" or "anti-Christian"....
to speak about their work during a Wednesday night service. In spite of the fact that neither of The Gablers had any college degrees, and neither attended secondary education for more than a year they were very active in school textbook issues in the state of Texas and made great strides in restoring that state’s public education system from the historical revisionism that they and many others saw in their students' curriculum. Neal Frey, who worked with the Gablers since 1972 and now runs the organization, said "that Mrs. Gabler’s larger public role was deceptive. "Mr. Gabler wore the pants in that family, and Mrs. Gabler wanted it that way". The Gablers identified the changes that had come over the teaching of history as generation after generation of textbooks had the Christian founding of America expunged from them. They claimed that America was losing its Christian heritage because children were never introduced to it in schools: "Allowing a student to come to his own conclusion about abstracts and concepts creates frustration. Ideas, situation ethics
Situation ethics
Situational ethics, or situation ethics, is a Christian ethical theory that was principally developed in the 1960s by the then Episcopal priest Joseph Fletcher...
, values, anti-God humanism - that's what the schools are teaching. And concepts. Well, a concept will never do anyone as much good as a fact". During the service, pastor Boydstun sensed a mission to provide education within a Christian setting for the students of southwest Oklahoma City. After further discussion, the church established a committee to investigate the feasibility of a Christian school and later to began the development of the school program.
Doors Open
By September 1, 1972, Christian Heritage Academy opened its doors as a new private Christian elementary school in south Oklahoma City, meeting in the facilities of Sunnyside Baptist Church but separately incorporated. It was one of the first of such schools in the area. The school was small, having only 200 students in the first year. Toward the end of the first year, Ralph Bullard was hired as headmaster.Dr. "Pat" O'Brien
In its second year, the school began to expand upward through the grades. In that year Dr. Mayme Lee “Pat” O’Brien came to the school as elementary principal. Dr. O'Brien brought with her the wisdom and insight of her many years of Christian school administration. Among her contributions, Dr. O'Brien wrote and directed both the Resurrection Story and the drama of the children of Bethlehem. Performed first in 1974, the Christmas play and the Easter program have become defining school traditions. Dr. O'Brien also wrote many of the systematic Bible courses taught during much of the school's history and established a strong phonics program in the elementary grades. Dr. O'Brien served at CHA until her retirement on January 24, 1983, after which Dr. Cynthia Bower stepped in as elementary headmaster.Influence of Popular Right Wing Dominionists
Ralph Bullard’s first meeting with Dr. O'Brien led him to adopt the school’s educational philosophy — The Principle Approach to America’s Christian History, Government, and Education. In her office he saw two reference volumes: Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America and Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History. Remembering these titles, he ordered a set for the school. Under the influence of these key texts, Christian Heritage Academy came to enjoy many years of association with R.J. Rushdoony associates and former Christian Scientist Miss Verna M. Hall and Miss Rosalie I. Slater, the authors of the books and officers of The Foundation for American Christian Education in San Francisco, California, and later with many other friends and associates in the work: Mr. John Talcott, member of the right wing Evangelical Council for National PolicyCouncil for National Policy
The Council for National Policy , is an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States...
, a director of the Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray may refer to:* Spray from the ocean* Ocean Spray , a group of fruit growers* Ocean Spray , by the Manic Street Preachers* Holodiscus discolor, a type of flowering shrub...
Corporation and founder of Plymouth Rock Foundation, whose Plymouth Rock Seminars were foundational to the school’s philosophical development; Miss Katherine Dang, then the principal of the Chinese Christian Schools of San Leandro, California
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
, and teacher at the pilot school in Hayward, CA under the direction of CHA development contributor James B. Rose; and Mrs. Ruth Smith of Pilgrim Institute. All of these friends provided counsel and advice to the school as CHA developed its program and became one of the leaders in the American Christian History movement (see Dominionism
Dominionism
Dominionism is a term used to describe politically active conservative Christians that are believed to conspire and seek influence or control over secular civil government through political action, especially in the United States, with the goal of either a nation governed by Christians, or a nation...
).
School Grows
In the midst of philosophical development, the school was growing. At its founding, CHA enrolled students in the first through eighth grades. Thereafter, a kindergarten was added and one upper grade each year until the school had a complete high school program, graduating its first senior class in 1977. Two senior traditions were established with the first graduating class: The American Christian Heritage Tour of the cities of Boston, Plymouth, Lexington, Concord, and Salem, Massachusetts taken in the spring before graduation and the unique graduation ceremony which CHA adopted, in which each graduating senior is individually recognized and lauded for their positive character qualities and impact within their class.On October 20, 1978, CHA sponsored its first American Christian Teachers Seminar. During the seminar, faculty of CHA shared the Principle Approach and the American Christian Philosophy of Education with representatives from other Christian schools within Oklahoma. As of 2010, CHA remains the only Principle Approach school in Oklahoma.
Establishment of a Christian Philosophy of Athletics
Once a high school program was established, it was not long until it became obvious that athletics would not only be important, but also would be a venue in which the school would be viewed by many others outside the school. A Christian philosophy of athletics was written to guide the athletic development of students and to reflect Christian values on the playing field and in the stands. CHA's philosophy of athletics is as follows: Since we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ, let us conduct ourselves in word and action just as Christ would conduct himself. Therefore, all that we do, we will do with a total release of our mental and physical abilities and our emotional energies towards our performance, having in mind that Christ is our only audience. Concerning our attitude towards players and fans of the opposing team, we will strive "to love our neighbor as ourselves" and "do unto them as we would have them do unto us."Establishment of a Home School Satellite Program
In the early days of the home school movement, Dr. Cynthia Bower taught phonics classes to groups of home school moms in the summer, and the school began providing the service of annual achievement testing. The school’s philosophical stand has always been that parents are primarily responsible for the education of their own children. Believing this, CHA developed programs to equip parents to teach and to give them educational support. Out of this was born the Home School Satellite Program. The emphasis of the program has always been on preparation of the parent to teach, but there have been opportunities for students to participate in some school events and/or classes. Many of these students have found their way into the CHA day school program because of this association.World Missions Emphasis
While reading about the current state of Christian education, Ralph Bullard noticed that suggestions for what Christian schools should do seemed shallow to him. He discussed his findings with Tom Elliff, the senior pastor of First South Baptist Church and a patron of the school. As they tried to answer the question, “What are we educating them for?” one of the answers was, “We are educating them to reach out to others, not just at home but abroad.” This led to an emphasis on missions, not just with money and local help but actually working with missionaries outside the United States. Since 1988, many students at CHA have participated in an annual mission trip to Mexico. There has also been one trip to Russia and two to Brazil.Hosting Pat Buchanan, Presidential Candidate
In 1996 CHA hosted then Presidential candidate Pat BuchananPat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
for his Oklahoma Republican pre-primary rally.
OSSAA Lawsuit
In 2007 CHA went to court against the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association, heard in the United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. In "Christian Heritage Academy v. Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Ass’n, 483 F.3d 1025 (10th Cir. 2007)" CHA filed this action after years of OSSAA failing to accept CHA as a member in their athletic association, "claiming, in pertinent part, that defendant Oklahoma Secondary School Activity Association's ("OSSAA's") membership requirements for nonpublic schools violated the Equal Protection Clause". "For athletics, OSSAA determines athletic divisions, sets eligibility rules, and holds state play-offs and championships". Although one of the judges described CHA's argument as a "doctorinal morass" OSSAA's decision was remanded.As of 2009, CHA along with other private schools, will not be forced to move "up" in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association division classifications.
As of 2011, CHA was categorized as an OSSAA 2A Football Program, with an enrollment of 216 secondary students.
Association With Reclaiming America For Christ
CHA's association with "Reclaiming America" and "Reclaiming Oklahoma" center around the controversial Rev. Paul Blair, football coach at CHA since 2008, former OSU and NFL football player, who is currently the pastor at the Fairview Baptist Church, in Edmond, OklahomaEdmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
. The right wing Evangelical and socially conservative political
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
group called the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ was founded by the late D. James Kennedy but folded shortly after his death in 2007. Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma is also a CHA football coach and the facilitator of the CHA North satellite which resides at the Fairview Baptist Church location in Edmond, Oklahoma. Pastor Paul Blair started an initiative to create a similar social and political action group called "Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ" and after some success took over the former Center for Reclaiming America for Christ now known simply as Reclaiming America for Christ with the full support and blessing of Coral Ridge Ministries although they are no longer associated.
Pastor Paul Blair's association with Reclaim America for Christ started with an association with John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
member, politically right wing Evangelical activist, and former Oklahoma Congressional candidate Charlie Meadows, who during a breakfast meeting decided to form "Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ" with Blair. Pastor Blair along with John Birchers Clark Curry, and George Wallace founded Clouds Over America
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
, a similar organization to educate pastors.
Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ Conferences
Reclaim Oklahoma for Christ hosts several conferences each year including their "70 Weeks to Save America" conference which hosted speakers such as former Christian Heritage Academy Headmaster and current Ambassador Ralph Bullard as well as Dr. Rick Scarborough, the President of Vision America
Vision America
Vision America is a conservative American Christian organization founded in 1994 by Baptist pastor Rick Scarborough, which describes itself as formed to "inform, encourage and mobilize pastors and their congregations to be proactive in restoring Judeo-Christian values to the moral and civic...
, and disgraced and court-martialled Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt. During the "70 Weeks to Save America Conference" Blair said "In the last 40 years, the moral values in America have plummeted from The Andy Griffith Show to Brokeback Mountain". He considers himself a “Patriot Pastor” and is also a member and enthusiast of Christian Dominionist Chuck Baldwin’s “Black Regiment Pastors”.
Other controversial right wing speakers have included William G. Boykin
William G. Boykin
Lieutenant General William G. Boykin was the United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He has played a role in almost every recent major American military operation, serving in Grenada, Somalia, and Iraq. He is currently an author and teaches at Hampden-Sydney College,...
who has been the subject of several internal investigations before his retirement, Janet (Folger) Porter (founder of Faith 2 Action and advocate for proclaiming death certificates for every child aborted, and Peter
LaBarbera who has boycotted McDonalds for "encouraging young homosexuality."
Heritage Banquet
Notable Heritage Banquet speakers include:Gov. Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
Ambassador Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...