I was annoyed at the Lakeview-Fort O cheerleader brouhaha, but I could not articulate my annoyance until this morning at the breakfast table.  Then I realized what annoyed me.  I sent the letter below to the editor of the T-FP on October 2 and it appeared October 3.
–
Jeff
I have a neat solution for the cheerleaders who want to display Bible verses on the football field at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe:  Re-cast the verse into their own words and omit the citation of chapter & verse.  This retains the “inspirational” nature of the verse and does not bring religion onto the high school gridiron.
I suspect they won’t do it, though, because holding aloft Bible verses in a secular setting is not about inspiring your friends.  It’s all about triumphalism, and what good is waving the flag if no one knows you are waving the flag?  When you can’t rub everyone’s nose in it, the exercise is not nearly as much fun.
This episode is evidence of a cultural change.  Southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia is not the isolated sleepy backwater place it once was.  People with new ideas, different habits and broader visions are comin’ to town.

I was annoyed at the Lakeview-Fort O cheerleader brouhaha, but I could not articulate my annoyance until this morning at the breakfast table.  Then I realized what annoyed me.  I sent the letter below to the editor of the T-FP on October 2 and it appeared October 3.  It was published the next day.

I have a neat solution for the cheerleaders who want to display Bible verses on the football field at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe:  Re-cast the verse into their own words and omit the citation of chapter & verse.  This retains the “inspirational” nature of the verse and does not bring religion onto the high school gridiron.

I suspect they won’t do it, though, because holding aloft Bible verses in a secular setting is not about inspiring your friends.  It’s all about triumphalism, and what good is waving the flag if no one knows you are waving the flag?  When you can’t rub everyone’s nose in it, the exercise is not nearly as much fun.

This episode is evidence of a cultural change.  Southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia is not the isolated sleepy backwater place it once was.  People with new ideas, different habits and broader visions are comin’ to town.