Baptists Target Public Schools For Evangelism.

A Southern Baptist Convention mission agency has joined forces with an organization that promotes religious clubs in public schools as a way to convert America's schoolchildren to fundamentalist Christianity.

The SBC's North American Mission Board will give financial support to First Priority of America in what has been termed a "strategic alliance."

First Priority is one of the largest groups in the nation that seeks to form fundamentalist Christian clubs on secondary school campuses. Under the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, students may create such groups as long as they are "student run" and meet during "non-instructional time." Critics say First Priority is skirting the law by finding student volunteers and then controlling them from outside the school.

First Priority places a strong emphasis on proselytism. Clubs are urged to follow a four-week rotating plan published by the organization. During "Seek Week," club members are urged to make public professions of their faith and try to win converts in school.

"I believe this strategy is God-breathed, and that it is destined to become our most important approach to winning teenagers to Christ on school campuses," Richard Ross, a youth ministry consultant for the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board, told the Baptist Messenger.

The Southern Baptist denomination, taken over by a fundamentalist faction in 1979, has become increasingly associated with aggressive proselytism. It has approved a resolution supporting conversion outreach to Jews. This year the SBC scheduled its annual meeting in Salt Lake City and focused on converting Mormons.

First Priority was launched in Alabama in 1992 by Southern Baptist evangelist Benny Proffitt. There are reportedly more than 3,000 First Priority clubs operating nationwide. Although the movement claims to be "multi-denominational," its theology is fundamentalist Christian in outlook.