While he doesn't push his Christian faith on his team, he does make sure they attend Sunday services as a team and quietly encourages them to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
"I do not directly get involved in their spiritual walks with Christ, but indirectly. Through positive reinforcement, devotionals before practice and games and, hopefully by my example, I encourage them to have a relationship with our heavenly Father," McConathy said.
These are the words a basketball coach at a state university.
"I look at this job as a call to coach much like a missionary being called into the field," McConathy said. "God has put me in a position to influence a lot of people and I take that very seriously"
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The University is Northwestern State University. It is not a private college. Presumably Northwestern State University is funded by the state of Louisiana where obviously the 1st Amendment and the establishment clause carries little weight.
The fact that Baptist Press would publish the article on their web site and brag to world about the star shows that they have no reservations about using state resources to pursue private religious agendas.
I am no lawyer but this case looks real simple to me. Requiring students to attend a religious service as a team is out of bounds. I don't see how anyone could defend the practice.
My question is how could this have gone on a state college.
What kind of a state is Louisiana and are they a part of the USA?