June 2003

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Christian colleges and public colleges each "have real strong points, and some of them have vulnerabilities," Education Secretary Rod Paige told Baptist Press in early April. "But you know, all things being equal, I'd prefer to have a child in a school where there's a strong appreciation for values, the kinds of values that I think are associated with the Christian communities, so that this child can be brought up in an environment that teaches them to have strong faith, and to understand that there is a force greater than them personally." The remarks (and Baptist Press's original report, which suggested that he was talking instead about elementary and secondary schools) sent some calling for Paige's resignation. "This is the Taliban approach to education," said U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.). "Tolerate no others because they are 'heathens.' " Paige later said the views were personal and have "no connection to how I perform my duties," but he stood by the remarks.