Steve Chalke’s ‘faith academies’ – the claims and the reality
The Herald newspaper in Scotland has revealed that one of Scotland’s most homophobic Christians, Brian Souter, owner of the Stagecoach bus company, has spent half a million pounds sponsoring a city academy in Grimsby.
The Academy is being run by Oasis Community Learning – headed by the silver-tongued evangelist, the Rev Steve (faith-based welfare) Chalke. Stagecoach's accounts reveal that the transport company is funding the Oasis Academy Wintringham, a school catering for 1,100 pupils.
OCL paid £2m to help run the school in Grimsby, a project boosted by £500,000 from Stagecoach, which went towards the building of a gymnasium. The Souter Charitable Trust (SCT), which is the tycoon's personal vehicle for good causes, is also making funds available to the Oasis Trust, an integral part of the Oasis stable that co-ordinates its Christian work.
The Herald reports that one reason Souter may be anxious to fund Oasis can be found in the school board's sex and relationships policy, which states: "The Oasis Community Learning Board will not permit the promotion of homosexuality."
Souter, a member of the Church of the Nazarene, rose to prominence in 2000 when he personally funded a campaign to oppose the abolition of “Section 28”, legislation that was intended to outlaw the promotion of homosexuality. The then Labour-led Scottish Executive, as well as the SNP, backed repeal of the law on the grounds that it was discriminatory.
An Oasis spokesman said: “We were involved in raising the money in partnership with the local authority and the education department. Stagecoach were also part of the partnership.”
When the NSS’s Executive Director appeared on the BBC Radio 4 education programme The Learning Curve with Steve Chalke this week, Mr Chalke dodged questions about his schools’ sex education policies, but under pressure admitted that they were biblically based.
Mr Chalke claimed that “What the Bible talks about or the Koran talks about are common sense.”
Libby Purves, the presenter, interjected: “But Steve, that’s not fair. To say biblical equals common sense – it’s terribly unfair. It says my point of view is the point of view.”
Chalke then claimed that the values of self-respect, faithfulness and thinking through the implications of your actions “all arise out of the Judeo-Christian text which is adhered to by the Muslim and Christian communities.” (I wonder if the ayatollahs are aware of this? – Ed.)
Keith Porteous Wood said: “Mr Chalke likes to present himself and his schools as the epitome of fairness and moderation. This all proves that they are no such thing. They are evangelical in nature, which is not what schools are supposed to be about. If ever a slogan was made for Steve Chalke it's ‘Schools are for Teaching Not Preaching’.”
14 November 2008