Is there a Satan Club in your child’s public school? There very well could be. Here’s a little background and advice on how to be an active parent in protecting both the souls and constitutional rights of your children.

Child Evangelism Fellowship at the Supreme Court

Back in 2001, the United States Supreme Court heard a case by the name of Good News Club v. Milford Central School District. This case was brought because a school district refused to allow Child Evangelism Fellowship to hold their Good News Club® in schools in its district. The school district mistakenly thought that having religious clubs on school property was some sort of violation of the separation of church and state or an endorsement of that religion by the school.

The Ruling

The Supreme Court ruled that the school district must give the same accommodations to a Good News Club as to any other club. For example, if a chess club gets to use a classroom and meet immediately after the last bell, the school couldn’t restrict a Good News Club from having that same access just because the Good News Club has a religious perspective. That would amount to discrimination based on a religious viewpoint and would be a violation of First Amendment rights to free speech and free practice of religion. The First Amendment says the government may not prohibit the exercise of these freedoms.

Now, the First Amendment also says the government may not establish a particular religion and force people to practice it. So, the school district’s attorneys argued that having a religious club on public school property could lead children to believe that the school or government was somehow endorsing a particular religion. SCOTUS considered that argument and concluded that there is a greater danger that children will get the idea that they may not speak about God on public property than there is a danger that kids will think the school is endorsing a particular religion. With parents’ permission, children are allowed to attend a variety of clubs that are held at the school, including religious clubs.

Child Evangelism Fellowship was pleased with the victory and has been able to help many school districts around the United States understand that they must allow the Good News Club to have the same access as other clubs. This SCOTUS ruling also helped to win another District Court ruling which clarified that teachers may also volunteer in Good News Club (Wigg v. Sioux City School District).

The Satanic Temple’s Pushback

Now, here’s where it gets sticky. The Satanic Temple was upset to see the Good News Club having less resistance, so to make a point, they decided to start their own “Satan Clubs” in public schools. Choosing a school with a Good News Club, the Satanic Temple would insist that permission slips for a Satan Club be made available to the children under that same freedom of religion umbrella. Of course, when an active parent sees that a Satan Club is being hosted at the school, they get upset and go to the school board. The board can’t allow one and not the other, so the Satanic Temple hopes that this will force the school to shut down all clubs and thus get rid of the Good News Club. Or even, to put pressure on the Good News Club to leave in exchange for the Satan Club to leave also, thus solving the school’s problem of angry parents.

How to Be an Active Parent Against This Ploy

So, here’s the advice. What can you do as an active parent to combat strategies like this when it comes to protecting your freedom of religion in school?

1. Call Their Bluff

The best strategy as an active parent is to call the bluff of those who would oppose you. Sure, start a Satan Club. It’s a free country. See how many other active parents give permission for kids to attend or see how well it’s run and how long it lasts. It won’t take long for people to realize that their track record is dismal and what the club really stands for. They will say that they don’t teach kids about Satan; that it’s more about humanism and so-called “tolerance,” but their actions and underhanded tactics only expose them to be deeply intolerant of the beliefs of others when it aligns with Biblical truth.

2. Don’t Let Your Guard Down

While a Satan Club in your child’s school likely won’t do well, it’s still no reason to dismiss concern as an active parent. Besides this overt attempt to win the hearts of kids over to the dark side, there are many more insidious attempts of corruption that can happen beneath the surface. Kids may feel that going to a Satan Club has a cool, naughty, rebellious novelty about it. And even if the content taught, itself, seems innocuous, attending as a child will wear down inhibition towards attending a truly Satanic event or organization when older. 

The Satanic Temple may claim to be a “religion” of irony -- one created solely to mock hypervigilant Christians, while preaching a message of humanism. But the Satanic Temple also had an 8,000-pound statue made of Satan with two elementary-aged children looking up adoringly. So, judge for yourself whether their clear attempt to appeal to children is one born from truly good intentions, or to weaponize and  manipulate children against Christian values.

3. Get Involved

Deceit is the calling card of Satan, and the best defense is a good offense -- one that’s steeped in positive support for the values you do want to uphold as an active parent! Even if you don’t have children of your own in public school, I encourage you to help out in a Good News Club®. The best way you can help support a Good News Club is to encourage your church to adopt one.

By banding together as active parents and teachers in our communities, we can help protect the right for kids to learn about Jesus in public schools -- regardless of the ploys others might throw at us.

Fred Pry is the Acting Vice President of Administration at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), the most impactful child evangelism ministry in the world, reaching over 25 million children with its face-to-face ministry in 2023. Fred joined CEF in 2003 as director of a local chapter in Pennsylvania before being appointed state director of Virginia. Later, he was invited to lead USA Ministries, and since 2024 he has been serving in the role of Acting Vice President of Administration and providing further leadership to the organization as one of CEF’s executive staff.

Image: Good News Club