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The life of a preacher's kid, also known as PK's, is not always easy. This is especially
true if the preacher is a high profile one. Take the case of Franklin Graham for example.
The young man was less than 24 hours old when he received a Western Union telegram that
said "Welcome to this sin-sick world, and to the challenge you have to walk in your
daddy's footsteps."
Graham Franklin is the son of television evangelist Billy Graham. Franklin had a tumultuous childhood
growing up in the church. His rebellious ways fell to the straight and narrow path of Christianity
at the age of 22. This led him to the helm of his father's mighty empire.
The now 60 year old preacher recently gave an interview and said "I love my parents,
but there came a time where I couldn't let my parents live my life."
Others' stories do not always have such a happy ending. Some PKs fall victim to the
conflicting views of morality and their own identity. Not all of them fall into the church.
Atheists Friedrich Nietzsche was the son of a Lutheran minister and Condoleeza Rice was
born to a Presbyterian minister. Others fall and fall hard.
For example, no one knows for sure what issues led to the suicide death of pastor Rick Warren's
27 year old son Matthew. Many speculate that the pressure of being a high profile PK was
a contributing factor. The problem is great enough that a support system has been put
in place to help PKs cope with their life's stresses.
Preacher's Kids International's stated goal is to help those that grew up in the parsonage
by use of conferences and retreats. Son of infamous televangelists Jim and Tammy Fay
Bakker, Jay Bakker can identify with what Matthew Warren and others may have been experiencing.
Many are in a deep state of depression driven by the pressure to conform and the freedom
to be a child. Jay recently said that "You start to feel like you're a prop, because
you know that, behind the scenes, mom and dad fought on the way to church".
For many PKs, it is a struggle between rebellion and obedience. The Fox network has even created
a reality show to capitalize on the situation. The show airing on the Lifetime channel is
title Preacher's Daughters. It chronicles the internal struggle teenage PKs experience
when dealing with the opposing views of piety and promiscuity.
The outwardly conservative Fox network has been criticized for the show's almost exclusive
focus on *** temptation. Others who are critical of the network have stated that the
show exploits teenage PK's social problems for dramatic affect.
Christian Conservatives have been beating their drums against a perceived threat to
their freedom of religion by the American military. The threat does not exist, but that
doesn't matter to religious zealots like Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann and other
members of the far right.
The ultra-right wing Republican has started a fundraising operation that seeks donations
to her campaign to "continue fighting for religious liberty" for our troops. The false
meme spread by Bachmann and conservative web sites Breitbart.com and MrConservative.com,
claim that the military may court martial Christian soldiers for their faith.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen
released a statement for the Department of Defense seeking to debunk the speculation.
He stated that "The U.S. Department of Defense has never and will never single out a particular
religious group for persecution or prosecution... The Department makes reasonable accommodations
for all religions and celebrates the religious diversity of our service members."
The issue exploded after Fox News contributor Todd Starnes wrote about a meeting in the
Pentagon concerning harassment and tolerance for belief. The conservatives feel threatened
by the demand for a clear line separating government policy and religious faith. One
of those attending the meeting was Mikey Weinstein.
Mr. Weinstein is an outspoken advocate of a firm separation of church and state and
is founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. He has countered these conservatives
claims and has threatened Michele Bachmann with a lawsuit for "propagating complete and
utter lies".
Recent years have seen the advancement of secular ideals which has led the Pentagon
to clarify and develop policies that better address neutrality. These policies frighten
conservative Christians like Michele Bachmann who fail to understand the value of separating
faith from government.
The American Military officially says it is OK to "Evangelize" but not OK to "Proselytize"
Religion within the armed forces. Oddly enough, according to the dictionary, both of these
words have the same meaning.