Three Lawrence churches are cooperating to produce and distribute 5,000 free copies of a videotape  aimed primarily at Kansas University students  that is intended to raise questions about the long-held American doctrine of separation of church and state.

The 45-minute video, called “True Separation,” also seeks to educate viewers about the Judeo-Christian principles that it says form the spiritual foundation of KU and the United States.

“The goal of it is to expose the fallacies that people believe about the separation of church and state and to inform them about the godly heritage of KU, Lawrence and our nation,” said the Rev. Paul Gray, senior pastor of Heartland Community Church, 619 Vt.

The video tries to help viewers understand the specific legal and historical details of how the United States came to adopt a doctrine that regulates the influence of religion in public life.

In addition to reaching KU students, backers of the video also created “True Separation” with an eye toward the parents of children in Lawrence public schools.

“One outgrowth of this misinterpretation (of the separation of church and state) is historical revisionism  removing our spiritual heritage from textbooks,” Gray said.

“We want this video to get parents to start looking at their kids’ textbooks and to be aware their kids are not being taught the whole story.”

“True Separation” was in the final stages of editing earlier this week.

Gray said he hoped the video would be ready to distribute to students, through Christian campus ministries at KU, during the school’s Hawk Week.

Beliefs of founding fathers

Congregations that have offered financial support and volunteers for the video project are: Heartland Community Church; Mustard Seed Christian Fellowship, 700 Wakarusa Drive; and Victory Bible Church, 1942 Mass.

The cost of the project was $12,000. Gray estimated Lawrence individuals and organizations also made about $30,000 of in-kind contributions in the form of donated services and equipment.

The video grew out of a discussion, initiated last spring by Gray, among pastors who belong to the Lawrence Association of Evangelicals, a group that meets monthly for prayer and planning purposes.

Members of the organization were enthusiastic about the idea of creating a video that would explore the religious roots underlying KU and the nation.

The Rev. Pieter Willems recently viewed a rough cut of “True Separation” and thinks it accomplishes its goal.

“It presents a view that has been somewhat obscured  that regardless of where our nation is now, the foundations of the United States were very strongly Judeo-Christian,” said Willems, senior pastor of Mustard Seed.

“I think it’s good exposure for a typical student who’s coming in (to KU) that will make them dig a little deeper into what our founding fathers did believe.”

‘Gripping and compelling’

In the video, written and acted out by local volunteers, a professor asks students in a KU pre-law class to prepare for a mock trial in which they will debate the merits of the separation of church and state.

The case before the court is whether or not KU’s official seal  which depicts Moses kneeling before a burning bush and has a Latin inscription taken from the Bible  is appropriate for a state university.

The video follows a character named Josh, who has been chosen to serve as judge for the mock trial, as he researches the legal precedents and historical background supporting the arguments on both sides of the case.

The basis for the plot is taken from actual events at KU.

In September 1999, the KU chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union asked school administrators for an explanation of the university seal.

The group said it was acting on behalf of students who had questioned the seal’s religious implications and whether its use violated a constitutional ban on the establishment of a state-sponsored religion.

KU officials contended that the seal stands for the scholar’s search for wisdom.

After an exchange of letters with the administration, the ACLU dropped the issue. No complaint was ever filed with the courts.

In the video, the mock trial is played out by pre-law students portraying various historical figures from KU and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The outcome of the trial  and a resolution of the deeper issues at hand  is left for the viewer to decide.

“True Separation” fades to black after the student serving as judge announces he has reached a decision.

Gray is excited about the final product.

“Some things in life you pour your heart into, and you hope it’s going to be good. This turned out way better than I hoped. It’s just very gripping and compelling,” he said.