Academy District 20 (D20) residents have a right to know who is influencing their school board candidates. Central to this concern is the Culture Impact Team (CIT) at Church For All Nations (CFAN) in Colorado Springs, an organization deeply rooted in Christian nationalist ideology, explicitly designed to mobilize churches into political activism.
The Origins and Mission of CFAN’s Culture Impact Team
The Culture Impact Team model originated from the Family Research Council (FRC), a national conservative Christian organization led by Tony Perkins. FRC’s CIT program explicitly instructs churches to establish teams to influence politics according to biblical principles, effectively turning congregations into political action committees.
At CFAN, Pastor Mark Cowart, who is also the former director of the School of Practical Government at Andrew Wommack’s Charis Bible College and serves on the board of Wommack’s Truth and Liberty Coalition, leads the CIT along with constitutional activist Ken Davis, who is notably the chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, the Colorado ambassador for Rick Green’s Patriot Academy and the Biblical Citizenship Instructor for David Barton’s WallBuilders, Administrator Linda Taylor, and Education Director Anne Porter. Their stated mission is to “educate, equip, and mobilize the church and community on issues affecting faith, family, and freedom,” promoting “Biblical citizenship” and active political engagement.
Moody, Waldrep, and Payne’s Dangerous Ties to CFAN’s CIT
Three current Academy District 20 school board candidates, Brian Moody, Eddie Waldrep, and Susan Payne, received explicit endorsements from CFAN’s Culture Impact Team. This is alarming for several reasons:
- Brian Moody openly aligns with the rhetoric promoted by CFAN’s CIT, expressing patriarchal and conservative views that may shape school policies concerning curriculum and student safety. His connection to CIT underscores a willingness to push controversial, religiously motivated positions into public education.
- Eddie Waldrep has publicly echoed CIT positions, notably aligning himself with narratives of censorship and radical opposition to inclusive educational policies. His participation and endorsement from CIT indicate his active embrace of this dangerous blend of religious and political activism.
- Susan Payne’s association with CFAN’s CIT aligns her candidacy with an organization actively mobilizing against secular and inclusive education. Payne’s policy stances and her affiliation with Moms for Liberty further compound the concern about religious extremism entering D20’s school board governance.
These endorsements reveal that Moody, Waldrep, and Payne are not merely passive recipients of CIT support. They actively align themselves with CFAN’s goals of reshaping local governance according to a narrow, religiously conservative agenda.
Real-world Impact: CIT’s Influence on School Policy
CFAN’s CIT has demonstrably influenced local politics, notably in the 2023 D20 school board election where CIT-aligned candidates, including Derrick Wilburn, successfully won seats. Wilburn explicitly coordinated with CFAN and other evangelical churches to mobilize voters.
Once in office, candidates like Wilburn began advocating policies closely aligned with CFAN’s conservative agenda, promoting vigilant parental oversight of teachers and curriculum, and pushing ideologically driven policies on library book censorship and anti-LGBTQ+ positions.
This precedent clearly illustrates the potential risks associated with Moody, Waldrep, and Payne’s CIT endorsement. If elected, their policy decisions may similarly reflect CIT’s extremist agenda, prioritizing religious ideologies over academic integrity, student safety, and educational inclusivity.
Why This Matters for D20 Families
Community members who value transparency, educational excellence, and inclusive policies should carefully consider the implications of electing candidates who actively court endorsements from organizations committed to religious nationalism and partisan extremism.
The stakes for Academy District 20’s future could not be higher. It’s critical for voters to understand the explicit connections between these candidates and CFAN’s Culture Impact Team, and what it means for public education in our community.