Source: The Washington Post

On April 13, 2003 The Washington Post printed and editorial by William J. Bennett stating that "in an editorial on Thursday titled 'Preacher Paige,' The Post joined a chorus of voices criticizing recent comments made by Secretary of Education Rod Paige on Christian values in education... But it is this very crusading secularism that has served to undermine the consensus about basic principles of virtue that existed in the public schools before the reign of the modernist creed took over. Indeed, the very idea behind the creation of the American common school -- the forerunner to today's public school -- was to keep our society together based on common virtues, many of them Christian. The new theology and creed has sought to stigmatize the virtues curriculum as well as to eliminate any vestige of religious influence in teaching reliable standards of right and wrong. And this should not stand... Paige should in no way resign, recant or back down from his statements. His boldness in expressing his beliefs is characteristic of the leadership qualities that have merited him his current role. These qualities are, in fact, among the same Christian values Paige referenced admiringly. He is a good man with a good point of view, and we all know where that notion of good comes from."