Parent Complains After Missouri District Hires Evangelist

[pstokely]

Source: AP

A southwest Missouri public school district won't invite an evangelist back as a motivational speaker after complaints he veered off-topic by talking about faith.

The Bolivar School District hired Bob Holmes to speak to students about substance abuse, bullying and suicide prevention in February, the Springfield News-Leader reported . The district paid $800 to Holmes for the presentation at a Bolivar High School assembly. The evangelist is associated with the Agape Baptist Church of Stockton.

A parent alleges Holmes discussed his faith and invited students to listen to "part two" of his message at a Christian event at a Stockton school.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2018-04-25/parent-complains-after-missouri-district-hires-evangelist

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they probably didn't think anyone would complain being in fundie filled SW MO when they hired the preacher

[keithbvadu2]

1. Evangelical part 2 message

Evangelist Trump supporter... supported by Trump

Acton Bowen bragging about himself

https://heavy.com/news/2018/04/acton-bowen-alabama-arrested/

"God had given me a large level of influence over the next generation"

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Evangelical part 2 message

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210515043

Evangelist Acton Bowen, 37 years old, has some child molestation charges against him currently pending. Now he’s got seven more charges.

He faces two counts of second-degree sodomy, two counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes and three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, according to jail records.

[The Genealogist]

2. Bolivar is about 25 miles north of me

This doesn't surprise me a bit. Par for the course for the Ozarks. I'd guess the parents that complained about it will receive death threats and other forms of retaliation.

[pstokely]

3. they probably didn't expect anybody to complain being in a fundie bubble

since he wasn't Hindu or Muslim

[The Genealogist]

4. I'd guess few people up there would bat an eye about things like proselytizing in a public school

Bolivar is home to Southwest Baptist University, of which Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri was president for a few years back in the 1990s. It is a very homogeneous town.

[TlalocW]

5. Who would have suspected

That given a captive audience, an evangelist would start proselytizing?

TlalocW