Two Haitians try to reach survivors in a toppled hotel. Photo: UN Development Program, Flickr

Pat Robertson generated outrage last week when he said he believes Haiti’s problems stem from a pact the nation made with the devil in 1804, but his remarks aren’t unique among evangelical Christians, even in Minnesota. While not all subscribe to the view that Satan is to blame for last week’s devastating earthquake, some say Haiti’s salvation will only come about if its inhabitants abandon their Vodou religious practices and turn to Jesus Christ.

Adoration Church in Savage, Minn., has close ties to Haiti. Over the last few years, the church has partnered with Minnesota Teen Challenge to create Haiti Teen Challenge. The arrangement is facilitated by Craig Sulentic, who is on the Adoration Church Leadership Team and the MNTC board of directors, and is now the president of the Haiti Teen Challenge Board.

“Craig connected the dots and asked Pastor Dan [Schmitt] and Adoration to consider joining forces to help MN Teen Challenge with their leadership training center,” Adoration’s Web site says. The site, which praises the partnership with MNTC, attempts to get to the root of Haiti’s problems:

This former French colony overthrew their French slave owners through the only successful slave uprising in modern history and the nation of Haiti was born. While the revolution against slavery was commendable, the manner in which it was achieved was deplorable. On August 14, 1791, a group of houngans (voodoo priests), led by a former slave houngan named Boukman, made a pact with the Devil at a place called Bois-Caiman. The founding fathers and others present vowed to exterminate all of the white Frenchmen on the island. They sacrificed a black pig in a voodoo ritual with hundreds of slaves drinking the sacrificial pig’s blood. In this ritual, Boukman asked Satan for his help in liberating Haiti from the French. In exchange, the voodoo priests offered to give the country to Satan for 200 years and swore to serve him. On January 1, 1804, the nation of Haiti was born and thus began a new demonic tyranny.

MNTC has distanced itself from Adoration’s claims.

Spokesperson Eric Vagle told the Minnesota Independent, “We absolutely do not hold to those views on Haiti.”

Another example of an evangelical view of Haiti’s problems comes from the Minnesota Family Council. John Helmberger, the chief executive officer of MFC, wrote on the organization’s blog that Haiti must become a Christian nation in order to thrive. Helmberger notes a column by New York Times columnist David Brooks, where Brooks asserts that a culture change is needed to tackle pverty in Haiti. While Brooks doesn’t insinuate that evangelical Christianity is the answer, Helmberger responds that it is:

One is that there is probably no more stark illustration of the profound impact a people’s worldview can have on them economically, socially, culturally, and spiritually than the contrast between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with which it shares the island of Hispaniola. Haiti has been chronically impoverished and resistant to improvement since long before last week’s earthquake, and New York Times columnist David Brooks correctly points to the dominant voodoo religion as a cause. Why make plans or try to improve yourself or your community if your life and your society are at the mercy of capricious spirits that may negate your efforts on a whim? But the truth is that Haiti needs more than relief. It needs redemption and transformation. Haitians need to be delivered from the false and destructive spirituality that has held them and their nation in bondage for two centuries and made them impervious to change or improvement. They need to be “delivered… from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of [God's] beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). They need to be “transformed by the renewing of [their] minds” with the truth of the gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2).

Within a day of its first appearance that blog post was deleted.

(Click on the image to see larger version)

Tom Prichard, president of MFC, explains its removal:

The post … was a response to an op/ed piece by David Brooks in NY Times. Brooks piece was viewed as insensitive to the Haitian people as they struggle with this incredible tragedy. We felt our commenting on the same topic at this time might come across as insensitive as well. Now is a time for compassion. This is a time to reach out and help the Haitian people rather than try to address the historical, social conditions of the country.

MFC also removed two other posts that seemed to defend Robertson’s comments — or at least criticized his critics: “Pat Robertson, Haitian earthquake, “A Curse”, and media bias” and “Haiti disastrous earthquake. What did Pat Robertson, Danny Glover, and the White House say about it? What would Jesus say?” are still on Google’s cache.

Robertson, too, has found it necessary to revisit, if not recant, his initial statements about Haitians. Robertson, via his Christian Broadcasting Network company, released this statement late last week:

On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.

The insinuation that some Haitian religious practices are to blame for Haiti’s problems are not new. In fact, many religious writers have used Haitian poverty and corruption as evidence that Vodou is “demonic” and that the nation has made a pact with Satan, often minimizing the impact of colonialism and the tendency for other nations to meddle in Haiti’s affairs.

Today, 96 percent of Haitians are Christian (80 percent Catholic, 16 percent Protestant), according to the CIA Word Factbook, which also notes that “roughly half” of the population practices Vodou.

The arrangement raises questions about the constitutional separation of church and state, and some experts say the state has overstepped its bounds in contracting with Teen Challenge.

In 2001, the Minnesota Legislature approved a funding increase of 46 percent for Teen Challenge and authorized another in 2005, capping payments at $700 per unit. Experts say those funding increases create the impression that the state favors the treatment center which is closely affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a pentecostal Christian denomination.

“To me, I think, that the legislature is setting special rates for a pervasively sectarian organization is enough to make that funding unconstitutional,” said Alex Luchenitser of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “You have clear favoritism and endorsement of a religious program.”

Religious character “inseparable” from treatment

Beyond perceptions of legislative favoritism is the question of how the state got involved with a religious ministry in the first place. The answer goes back a decade and involved two years of legal wrangling between Hennepin County and Teen Challenge.

In early 2000, Teen Challenge, Hennepin County and the Department of Human Services began a discussion about contracting with Teen Challenge to provide chemical dependency treatment services to county clients.

According to some 1,300 pages of documents obtained by the Minnesota Independent, that arrangement hit a few snags along the way as Hennepin County looked for a way to contract with a pervasively Christian program.

“I will tell you that Teen Challenge has been consulting with us for the past couple years and that there seems to be no way for them to separate the treatment from the Christian orientation and beliefs,” Peg Murphy, former program manager of Hennepin County’s Chemical Health Division, wrote in a letter to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office. “Because Hennepin County’s standard contract language precludes funding for ‘religious training or services,’ we do not intend to negotiate a contract with Teen Challenge in the absence of authorization from your office.”

She urged the county attorney to offer an opinion before county officials could negotiate a contract.

In early 2000, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar approved the arrangement, presumably under the doctrine of “beneficiary choice,” giving Teen Challenge the go-ahead to submit an application.

The county rejected requests by the Minnesota Independent to obtain a copy of that opinion, citing the documents as “privileged.”

Klobuchar would go on to help secure a federal earmark for the program as U.S. Senator in 2008 along with former Rep. Jim Ramstad. And the organization has secured the support of a number of other elected officials. First Lady Mary Pawlenty was a past member of the board of directors, and Gov. Pawlenty has donated a large sum of campaign funds ($85,892) to the program. Rep. Michele Bachmann donated $9,200 in campaign funds related to the Tom Petters Ponzi scheme scandal, but Teen Challenge later returned the “tainted” funds.

“Beneficiary choice” means a client has a choice between a secular and a religious treatment program, and the client can pay money given by the government to the treatment of their choosing. In other states, the system works with vouchers, which Minnesota doesn’t use. Instead Teen Challenge gets paid a flat rate multiplied by the number of clients in its care who receive state assistance. It’s that rate that the Minnesota legislature voted to increase in 2001 and 2005.

Luchenitser said that the “beneficiary choice” arrangement that Hennepin County set up with Teen Challenge may be legally problematic.

“What’s clear is that this funding has to be completely under the control of the individual,” he said. If the money is not part of a voucher system, he added, then there isn’t a true choice of program, only “approved” programs that the county contracts with, such as Teen Challenge.

And the state sets the rate of reimbursement, not the client, which creates a constitutional problem when the Legislature decides to give a religious program “a raise,” he said.

“Government should not influence how much money goes to a specific provider,” especially when its a religious provider, Luchenitser said. “It puts the force of government authority behind it,” which he characterizes as an endorsement of religion.

While the County Attorney’s office gave the program the green light, problems continued to plague the fledgling arrangement because of MNTC’s religious nature. The county’s contracting department raised a red flag in 2001 about the evangelical treatment center’s hiring practices: Teen Challenge said it would only hire Christians who adhered to a statement of faith and a code of ethics.

“Minnesota Teen Challenge is a residential Christian discipleship program dealing with adolescents and adults with life-controlling issues, and is a para-church ministry operating under the authority of the Assemblies of God denomination,” the group’s statement of faith begins (PDF). “Our purpose is to train individuals (students) in our program to be disciples of Jesus Christ.”

That statement also states that “whether a person is preparing a meal, writing a computer program, or generating a financial statement” for the organization, that person must “be an effective witness for Christ.”

It requires all employees to pray for the program and may be called upon “to minister to program students” with their testimony.

In MNTC’s code of conduct, all employees are required to attend church and to pray. They are prohibited from viewing pornography or being in a romantic relationship with someone of the same sex.

Hennepin County took issue with those employment practices and rejected Teen Challenge’s application because it violated the county’s ban on religious discrimination. The county said that MNTC could resubmit the application with a new affirmative action plan.

Finally a compromise was reached: Teen Challenge limited the practice to executive, leadership, pastoral, and counselor positions.

Teen Challenge’s chemical dependency program manager Cecilia Winsor explained the news in an email to the county’s senior planning analyst, Michael Miller.

“There are certain ‘ministry’ positions which will have religious requirements to them, and those positions will only be filled by people who can perform the job,” she wrote (PDF). “A Muslim would not be considered for a Pastoral Counselor position, but would be considered to work in our Accounting [Department], for example.”

According to state records (PDF), Teen Challenge requires 21 of its 40 employees to be Christians.

Some of those job descriptions highlight the close connections to Pentecostalism. The executive director’s position description says that the director must be “approved by the Assemblies of God and endorsed by the National Division of Home Missions.”

The National Division is now called Assemblies of God U.S. Missions, and its mission is “to equip, empower and encourage the Assemblies of God to evangelize America.”

Teen Challenge International, Inc., of which Minnesota Teen Challenge reports to monthly, is one of the six ministries that make up the Missions.

MNTC HQ in Minneapolis. Photo: Andy Birkey, MnIndy

Last December, after the Minnesota Independent ran an article about Minnesota Teen Challenge and the federal earmark the Christian drug treatment center is receiving, the group wrote in to challenge the Independent’s characterization of their programs, as well as that of Huffington Post health reporter Maia Szalavitz.

But a review of documents obtained by the Minnesota Independent from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Hennepin County calls into question the merits of MNTC’s complaints.

MNTC took offense to the link made between the national Teen Challenge program and Minnesota Teen Challenge. In our Dec. 2008 story, we reported on testimony at a 2001 congressional hearing by Teen Challenge Executive Director John Castellani, who said all faiths are welcome to participate in the programs. For instance, some Jews come out of the program “completed Jews,” he said, in reference to a conversion to Christianity. Minnesota Teen Challenge distanced itself from that statement — along with the national organization.

“Minnesota Teen Challenge is a leading and respected treatment center in Minnesota, part of a large network of Teen Challenge centers across the United States,” MNTC’s Rich Scherber wrote to the Minnesota Independent and the Huffington Post at the time. “Each program is independently controlled and autonomous in operation and methodology. As such, it is entirely improper to attribute alleged incidents and practices at one center as being common to all.”

But state documents show — in MNTC’s own words — that they aren’t so autonomous. The treatment center maintains compliance with the National Teen Challenge, is accredited by the National Teen Challenge, reports monthly to national headquarters and uses the National Teen Challenge curriculum in its programming.

According to the documents, the position description for the MNTC’s administrative assistant includes “prepare and submit monthly National Teen Challenge reports.”

Another position description, for the director of programming, says that the director will “ensure MNTC is in compliance with… National Teen Challenge.”

And a history document submitted to Hennepin County as part of its contract with the county says that MNTC is “certified” by the national headquarters. “Minnesota Teen Challenge was incorporated in 1984 as a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) and is part of a network of 400 Teen Challenge centers worldwide, which are certified by National Teen Challenge in Springfield, Missouri. Thus, Minnesota Teen Challenge is engaged in a national and international effort to rehabilitate individuals with drug, alcohol, and other life controlling problems.”

And in MNTC’s Affirmative Action Plan submitted to Hennepin County, the document states that the philosophy and background are based on the National Teen Challenge’s founders: “The Teen Challenge program began in 1958 in New York as a result of David Wilkerson, a Pennsylvania minister’s work with New York gangs. The program is based on religious and spiritual guidance. For additional information on Philosophy and background, see Philosophy of Teen Challenge by Dave Batty, Teen Challenge Therapeutic Model by Douglas Wever, History and Philosophy of Teen Challenge by Frank Reynolds, and Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson.”

On the National Teen Challenge website, it lists curriculum that is “taught in every residential center” [emphasis theirs], which is called “Group Studies for New Christians.”

The Group Studies for New Christians classes are fundamental tools in the process of developing a deeper relationship Jesus Christ. The 14 classes teach Biblical principles and give the tools to apply them to the student’s lives. While these courses are designed with new believers in mind, they are a great refresher for those who are more mature in their faith. These classes provide practical hope for living in today’s society.

Among the topics discussed in the curriculum: How Can I Know I’m a Christian, A Quick Look At the Bible, Successful Christian Living, Christian Practices, Obedience to God, How to Study the Bible, and Spiritual Power and the Supernatural.

Minnesota Teen Challenge's headquarters in Minneapolis' Elliot Park neighborhood. Photo: Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent

A former crack user says she kicked her addiction because she found Jesus at Minnesota Teen Challenge. A man says that God healed his liver after a prayer service at the Christian drug treatment facility. While its clients sing its praises — some claiming it saved their lives — should such an overtly religious program be receiving taxpayer funding? According to state records, MNTC has gotten more than $2 million from the state of Minnesota in order to run its faith-based chemical dependency treatment centers.

The overtly evangelical nature of the program raises questions about the constitutionality of the large amount of state money flowing into the program. Teen Challenge has received $2,388,947 in state funding since 2007, mainly from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, according to the state’s new Transparency and Accountability Project website.

Teen Challenge has been in the spotlight recently because of concerns about the separation of church and state — and, specifically, the program’s receipt of federal funding. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in June requesting the department halt federal grants to Teen Challenge.

“In providing these grants, the U.S. Department of Justice is unconstitutionally aiding religion,” the complaint read.

But while much attention has been paid to the program’s federal funding, its receipt of state funds has largely flown under the radar.

Chuck Samuelson of the Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said the program has the appearance of running afoul of the constitutional principle of church-state separation. “Everything they talk about is about God in relation to the program,” he said. “That’s a lot of [state] money.”

Samuelson said ACLU-MN has been looking into the drug treatment center, but it’s difficult to prove whether Teen Challenge is misusing state dollars.

“We don’t have data that is supportable in a court of law,” he said. “What we don’t have is anybody with direct knowledge of the program to come forward.”

Eric Vagle, Teen Challenge’s communications director, acknowledges the religious nature of the treatment centers but says state money is kept separate from evangelical programming.

“The program services that are funded through the government are non-religious in nature, and while we do offer religious programming, it is not funded by government dollars and clients voluntarily choose to participate,” he said.

“It is important to note that a number of studies suggest that spirituality can play an important part of the recovery process for many people, and therefore most treatment programs have some sort of spirituality component to them.”

Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, sees the program differently.

“Teen Challenge is a program that should not be receiving state money,” he said. “It requires people who participate to convert to Christianity.”

Luchenitser says that the constitutionality of the program depends on the payment process through the state. He noted that court decisions have made voucher payments — state money given directly to the client to choose a treatment service — legal. Minnesota doesn’t use the voucher system and instead reimburses counties that pay Teen Challenge in a fee-for-service system. The state mechanism for that system is the Consolidated Chemical Dependency Treatment Fund (CCDTF).

State authorities conducted an analysis of CCDTF (pdf) in 2006, which described the payment structure:

The payment system is on a fee-for-service basis, but counties, within state-wide guidelines, determine which clients need treatment, and which provider will serve the client. Two thirds of all CCDTF admissions were referred by government social service and criminal justice agencies.

The report acknowledged that the county authorities who choose the treatment centers to provide services aren’t always looking at federal standards for treatment programs. Therefore, faith-based programs, such as Teen Challenge, don’t get carefully vetted.

County monitoring does not assure that certain Federal requirements regarding spending practices are met, and whether performance is adequately monitored. With the CCDTF accounting for 45% of the treatment market share, the county contract can be a powerful tool for change regarding providers that have not yet linked the most modern science to their program design and operation.

Because Teen Challenge is licensed by the state — and has been since 2001 — and is listed as a service provider for Hennepin County, the treatment center will continue to receive state funds in the future.

God is Teen Challenge’s treatment strategy

While MNTC’s Vagle says state funds don’t go to evangelical programming, most of the language about the program — coming from its managers, Web site and clients — references the transformational power of Jesus Christ, as opposed to chemical health and behavior therapy. A glowing review of the program by the Alexandria Echo Press tells of Carlos, Minn., resident Nikol Foss, who sought treatment for crack addiction. Her probation officer recommended Minnesota Teen Challenge, but she rejected the suggestion, saying she wanted nothing to do with a Christian drug program. She eventually relented and signed up.

“I was going to be tough,” she told the paper. “I wasn’t going to let Jesus into my life, but I’d take the treatment.”

But it didn’t work out that way. “I decided that if I accepted Jesus, it was going to be better, so I accepted Jesus,” she said. “I was happy immediately.”

Pastor Rich Scherber, executive director of the program, used similar language when he took Minnesota Teen Challenge’s message of healing to the Minnesota State Fair this summer. During a live show there by Christian talk radio station KKMS, he spoke of the “perfect storm” last fall when the economic recession reduced donations and a scandal involving Tom Petters wiped out a foundation that supported a large chunk of Teen Challenge’s programs.

“God has helped us. I mean, we are operating in the black, not in the red,” he said. “That’s what Teen Challenge is all about. God is working miracles at Teen Challenge.”

Scherber said that Christian teaching is one of two keys to Teen Challenge’s success: “Number one, the Christian approach,” he told KKMS listeners. “That’s by far… The Bible says that any man that be in praise, he’s a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” The other key Scherber says is the fact that the residential treatment lasts longer than the typical 28-day program.

Scherber brought a number of current and former clients on the KKMS show to tell their stories of transformation through Jesus Christ.

Jim, who had a history of abusing alcohol, heroin and pain killers, said, “We have healing [prayer] services at Teen Challenge and God healed my liver.”

“He came into Teen Challenge and God healed his liver,” said Scherber. “What the doctors have said is that he is a walking miracle.”

The KKMS host chimed in to say, “God has blessed the socks off this guy!”

Heidi, a current client at Teen Challenge, also claimed that finding God at Teen Challenge helped her kick a cocaine and heroin addiction. “I was at a low point… and ended up going to a secular drug treatment program,” she said. “When I came out I started using again. It didn’t do what Teen Challenge did for me.”

She continued, “I know now that it’s for [sic] this time, this time that I’m at Teen Challenge. I’m learning about God, I’m learning about Jesus.”

“I know that I have victory in Christ. Thanks to Teen Challenge I’ve been learning about God,” she said.

Virtually every testimonial on the program’s Web site by current and former clients of Teen Challenge say they kicked their addictions because of God, and a number say they converted to Christianity while in the program. For example, “Craig,” a current Teen Challenge client, said, “When the [District Attorney] recommended Teen Challenge, he told the judge he was tired of sending me to jail, because I came out worse every time. But Teen Challenge isn’t just a drug program. It’s a discipleship program. Because of Christ, I have new heart… and I don’t ever want to hurt people again.”

Directors and staff members aren’t shy about calling the program a ministry. Kirk Noonan, news editor of the Pentecostal Evangel, the official publication of the Assemblies of God, spent a weekend at Minnesota Teen Challenge in November 2007 and described the religious curriculum of the program (PDF).

In the television room we gather for the nightly devotion, which is part pep talk, part town hall meeting. With Bibles in hand we hear a devotion. This is perhaps one of the most important routines the residents are developing. “Staying in the Word will keep you grounded,” a staff member tells us. “Having a daily devotion is critical to your success both in here and after you graduate.”

Noonan writes that every Sunday, Teen Challenge clients sing in the Minnesota Teen Challenge choir. They are required to, since “every resident is a member.”

“The choir’s chief purpose is to share the ministry of Teen Challenge and gain support for the program,” Scherber told Noonan. “When we go out and sing, people see good fruit and they want to invest in this ministry. Nearly 85 percent of our budget is raised by the choir.”

The choir’s music is overtly Christian with a style that “varies greatly, ranging from contemporary gospel songs such as, ‘This is How it Feels to Be Free,’ to worshipful hymns like, ‘I Was Made to Worship You.’”

“We license faith-based organizations all the time”

The state did not respond to the Minnesota Independent’s requests for details about how taxpayer money is being spent by Teen Challenge and how the state vets and licenses chemical dependency programs.

But, in 2004, state officials talked to the Star Tribune for its coverage of President Bush’s faith-based initiatives and his push for charitable-choice initiatives, including Teen Challenge.

“We license faith-based organizations all the time,” Donald Eubanks, director of chemical health for the state Department of Human Services at the time, told the paper. “We do not dictate treatment philosophy at all. We make sure that when people choose that form of treatment that they are aware of what they are getting.”

The charitable donations, totaling $284,000, are spread among ten different nonprofit groups. The most significant beneficiary: Minnesota Teen Challenge, which received roughly $85,000 from the governor. As previously reported by MnIndy, the organization has been criticized for purportedly using taxpayer funds to spread its Christian message.

Other recipients include Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund ($30,000), Minnesota Military Family Foundation ($30,000) and the Starkey Hearing Foundation ($25,000). The latter was started by Bill and Tani Austin, prominent GOP donors who two years ago hosted a fundraiser featuring President Bush at their home in Eden Prairie.

Pawlenty split the political funds, totaling $290,000, between three GOP organizations: the Republican Party of Minnesota ($204,000), the House Republican Campaign Committee ($40,000) and the Senate Victory Fund, $40,000.

The letter (PDF) cites a December 2008 Minnesota Independent report about a Department of Justice earmark secured by former Rep. Jim Ramstad in support of MNTC’s Know the Truth program, an educational program held in schools and churches featuring program graduates.

“[B]ecause the Know the Truth program is a recruiting tool for MNTC’s thoroughly religious drug treatment program, the DOJ is supporting an inherently religious activity,” the group’s letter said. It also noted that MNTC only hires Christian staff for the program.

MNTC received $235,000 this year for the program at the request of Ramstad and Sen. Amy Klobuchar and is one of nine programs targeted by the Americans United complaint.

“In providing these grants, the U.S. Department of Justice is unconstitutionally aiding religion,” the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United’s executive director, said in a statement. “There’s no reason why organizations that evangelize or that discriminate in hiring on religious grounds should ever receive a penny from the government, let alone millions of dollars.”

That simple point seems to be eluding Minnesota Teen Challenge (MNTC), the faith-based drug treatment program which secured a federal earmark in early 2008 arranged by Rep. Jim Ramstad and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, for its “Know the Truth” program which aims to prevent drug use.

Operating close to the border of church and state, the group’s members are unrealistic if they think their work is not going to get attention.

Klobuchar’s deputy chief of staff, Andrea Mokros, explains the senator’s role in requesting the earmark. “The Senator joined several members of the state delegation, including Jim Ramstad and Keith Ellison, in submitting the request for a Minnesota program to prevent drug abuse. As a former prosecutor, she has long been concerned about the impact of drug abuse on both individuals and the community, and she has worked with a range of groups that work to prevent and treat drug addiction.”

MNTC officials were upset by my coverage of their public statements, publicly available employment application materials and publicly available information about their ties to the national organization that spawned the local operation. Maia Szalavitz, a Huffington Post writer with expertise in traumatized youth, also wrote about the Ramstad earmark. While Szalavitz and I published similar articles on the same day, we haven’t ever communicated with each other.

In response, MNTC executive director Rich Scherber sent a nearly identically worded letter to both the Minnesota Independent and the Huffington Post.

The point of my article was not to suggest that MNTC was not successful or beneficial, as Scherber implies. Rather it was to point out the overtly religious nature of the organization and that the program has historically been controversial. In the interest of brevity, I left some examples out. For instance, MNTC’s stance on Halloween verges on the comical (“Halloween is a day set up totally for Satan … The more people who go out dressed as demons, ghosts, witches and goblins, the more glory Satan receives”). Scherber’s claim that the Holy Spirit told an MNTC bus driver to avoid the 35-W bridge on the day of its collapse in August 2007 is touching but, let us say, unverified.

I don’t question that faith-based programs can be very effective for those that share the programs’ faith. Faith is a huge motivator in people’s lives. I think MNTC has been very effective for the clients it serves. However, I don’t think it’s appropriate for judges, prosecutors or public defenders to suggest the program as an alternative to jail. (Szalavitz, by the way, vehemently disagrees with MNTC’s claims about its success rate).

I also wrote about a local media report that points to the possibility that Know the Truth staff have discussed their religious conversions in relation to their recovery at a local church. That’s not a bad thing in itself, except the Know the Truth program is paid for by people who don’t share that religious faith. Were those Know the Truth representatives telling the same stories in public schools? Scherber didn’t address the issue in any complaint letters.

At least one Twin Cities school has decided to pass on MNTC’s offer to appear. Know the Truth had a presentation scheduled at South High School in Minneapolis next month. The school canceled the appearance after tightening the restrictions on outside groups that speak at the school, a concerned parent told the Minnesota Independent.

One thing is clear. The pressure to keep a positive public image is important to MNTC at this time. As the group’s Web site acknowledges, MNTC invested money in Fidelis Foundation, an institution created by Christian philanthropist Tom Petters, who is now under investigation for organizing a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors such as the Fidelis Foundation. MNTC lost a lot of money and Klobuchar’s proposed earmark will certainly help ease the burden a little. What else could explain sending form letters to every media outlet that runs an article critical of the organization?

Correction: The article previously read, “According to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s Web site, the senator is requesting (PDF) an additional $500,000 this year — a sum that would more than double the program’s budget.”

The document on Klobuchar’s site is for fiscal year 2009, although the document itself does not indicate as such. She requested the same earmark as Ramstad. Additional money is not being requested for FY2010.