King's Schools

Last updated

King's Schools
Crista - King's High School 01.jpg
Location
King's Schools
Shoreline
,
WA

United States
Information
TypePrivate Christian
MottoInspiring hearts and equipping minds to serve God for His glory.
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
Established1950
Color(s)Red and white
MascotKnight
Website http://www.kingsschools.org

King's Schools is a private Christian school, serving preschool through 12th grade, located in Shoreline, Washington, United States. It is the largest single-campus Christian school in the state, and is part of the CRISTA family of ministries.

Contents

History

King's was founded in 1950 by Mike and Vivian Martin. [1]

Academics and athletics

98% of King's High School graduates pursue higher education following graduation. The high school offers 11 concurrent college credit courses through a partnership with Northwest University.[ citation needed ]

The school's cheer team won the 2024 USA Spirit Nationals competition. [2]

Controversy over anti-LGBTQ stance

In September 2019, it was revealed by the Seattle Times that King's Schools (and their parent organization Crista Ministries) had hardened their stance on acceptance of homosexuality at the school. [3]

Some teachers believe this policy required them to disavow same-sex relationships, both on the job and in their personal lives. [4] It further required that they teach that homosexuality is "a result of the failure to worship God," a belief that has little to no biblical support. [3] Once notified of this policy, some teachers left the school. [5] However, non-disclosure agreements prevented many of them from speaking about the issue and the impact on the school. [6] Megan Troutman, an English teacher who left as a result of the new policy, noted that she "cannot, in good faith or conscience, teach in a place that creates policies that negatively impact an entire section of the student population... I could not be complicit in a policy that could harm or ostracize any student." [6]

As a result of these actions, some families left the school because they did not support or did not want to fund an organization they perceived to be discriminatory. [5] It was expected that many more teachers and families would follow suit, raising questions about the direction that doctrinal direction that King's School would take, with many concerned over extreme right-wing influences. [7] Comments on social media and other platforms indicated an increasing divide between groups supporting King's anti-LGBTQ stance and those opposing it. [8] [9] Much of the blame for the new policy was attributed to Jacinta Tegman, the new CEO of Crista Ministries. [6] Tegman was formerly the executive director of Sound the Alarm, which sought to use political action to repeal gay marriage as well as legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. [10] Tegman's effort, Referendum 65, ultimately failed as she was unable to obtain enough signatures to place it on the ballot. [11]

Related Research Articles

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This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Family Association</span> American nonprofit organization promoting fundamentalist Christian values

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Opposition to legal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people exists throughout the world. LGBTQ rights opponents may be opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality; laws permitting civil unions or partnerships or supporting LGBT parenting and adoption, LGBT military members, access to assisted reproductive technology, and access to gender-affirming surgery and gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender individuals.

"Gay agenda" or "homosexual agenda" is a pejorative term used by sectors of the Christian religious right as a disparaging way to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalization of non-heterosexual sexual orientations and relationships. The term originated among social conservatives in the United States and has been adopted in nations with active anti-LGBT movements such as Hungary, Uganda, Russia and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Singapore</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Singapore have evolved over the decades. Same-sex sexual activity is legal for both males and females; for men it was officially legalised in 2022 after being de facto decriminalised since 2007, and for women it was always legal. Prior to 2022, same-sex sexual activity between males was de jure illegal under the British colonial-era Section 377A of the Penal Code. The law had been de facto unenforced for decades. In February 2022, the Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court reaffirmed that 377A cannot be used to prosecute men for having sex with other men, and that it is "unenforceable in its entirety". Transgender rights in the country are also progressive in the region, which included Singapore being the first country in Asia to legalise sex reassignment surgery in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in the United States</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crista Ministries</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws in the United States</span> Current and former laws limiting discussion of LGBTQ topics in public schools

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The LGBTQ grooming conspiracy theory is a far-right conspiracy theory and anti-LGBTQ trope alleging that LGBTQ people, and those supportive of LGBTQ rights, are engaging in child grooming and enabling child sexual abuse. Although the belief that LGBTQ individuals are more likely to molest children has no basis in fact, this stereotype has existed for decades in the United States and Europe, going back to before World War II.

References

  1. "Our History". CRISTA Ministries. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. Katzman, Gabe (February 21, 2024). "Shoreline high school cheer team wins national competition". KOMO. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Teachers quit in protest over what they consider anti-gay policy at Christian school in Shoreline". The Seattle Times. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  4. "Seattle-area teachers resign over policy considered anti-gay". KOMO. Associated Press. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Grande, Alison (September 10, 2019). "Teachers, students leave King's Schools over anti-gay religious beliefs". KIRO. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 "Teachers are quitting a Christian school which teaches children that homosexuality is 'unnatural'". PinkNews. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  7. Bollinger, Alex (September 9, 2019). "This Christian school is getting more anti-LGBTQ. So teachers are quitting". www.lgbtqnation.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  8. Facebook. "King's Schools is Anti-Lgbt+". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)[ self-published source ]
  9. Faith and Freedom Net. "CRISTA Ministries and King's High School Labeled "Anti-Gay"--Teachers Quit".
  10. "Local News | Effort to repeal state gay-rights law gathers momentum from pulpit". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  11. Washington Secretary of State. "History of Referendum Measures". www.sos.wa.gov. Retrieved September 10, 2019.

47°46′07″N122°21′11″W / 47.76861°N 122.35306°W / 47.76861; -122.35306