The California Megachurch Pushing Public Schools to the Far Right

The Daily Beast ^ | September 4, 2023 | Kate Briquelet & Decca Muldowney

[Fiji Hill]

Outside the California State Capitol last month, a fitness trainer turned school board president fired up the crowd at a parental rights rally, telling them they were all fighters in “a spiritual battle” for their kids and must answer the call from God.

Sonja Shaw, who was elected to the Chino Valley Unified School District board of education last November with an assist from a local megachurch and its Christian nationalist pastor, didn’t equivocate in naming the enemy: state Democratic officials who are challenging her right-leaning policies—and drafting laws that hinder book bans and protect teachers from harassment.

Other right-leaning school boards across the state have followed Chino Valley Unified’s lead.

But in Chino Valley, the school board’s new direction appears to be spurred on by a man behind the curtain: Shaw’s megachurch pastor Jack Hibbs. Indeed, three of the board’s five members belong to his church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.

[Fiji Hill]

The Rev. Jack Hibbs is one of Southern California's leading Christian conservatives. Thousands of people attend his church every Sunday, causing traffic jams on local streets. I have attended several of his services, and several friends of mine regularly attend. He is not afraid to discuss social issues in his sermons. His church, the Calvary Chapel of Chino Hills, also offers ballot harvesting services during election seasons.