Posted on 05/30/2002 11:52:00 PM PDT by Sabertooth
"Jesus loves the little children," the classic Christian ditty goes, "all the children of the world." All of them except the one whose mom works as a stripper.
That seems to be the moral of the story of nude dancer Christina Silvas, whose 5-year-old daughter was recently expelled from kindergarten when the school found out about her mother's stripping. A single mom, Christina danced at a gentlemen's club in Rancho Cordova, California to pay the $400 monthly tuition at Capital Christian School, operated by one of America's biggest Assemblies of God churches. School officials declared stripping violated the "Christian Commitment/Philosophy" Christina signed when she enrolled her daughter, and they gave the 24-year-old an ultimatum -- stop stripping or we'll stop teaching your daughter.
Christina and the private religious school eventually reached an accord. She consented to stop dancing for the last three weeks of her daughter's school year, and Capital Christian will allow the girl to finish kindergarten. Christina did not, however, say she wouldn't pose for Playboy.
When we learned about this tale of lack of Christian charity, we tracked Christina down. She had no qualms about our offer to pose, and she was soon on a plane to Playboy headquarters in Chicago. During a break in her shooting, we chatted with Christina and asked her to strip down the controversy for us.
Playboy.com: Once your daughter is finished with kindergarten, will you return to dancing?
Christina Silvas: That's not my intention, but I have not closed that door.
PB: Does the club want you back?
CS: The club can't wait for me to come back. They said that if I decide to return they'll throw me the biggest welcome back party the city has ever seen.
PB: When you were dancing there, did you ever see anyone from the church or the school at the club as a patron?
CS: Absolutely.
PB: How many?
CS: What goes on at the club stays at the club, so I can't comment about that.
PB: Rick Cole, the church's senior pastor, said God thinks stripping is demeaning. Do you agree?
CS: I think it's demeaning to have a day care raise your child while you're working.
PB: So he is off the mark?
CS: I don't feel that anything I did brought anything negative to my daughter.
PB: Cole is implying that stripping is a sin. Do you see it that way?
CS: It's definitely a difficult job, but the reason I was doing it was to provide the best life for my daughter that I possibly could, and I don't believe that is a sin.
PB: As a Christian, has this whole episode tested your faith?
CS: Life is a test. I believe that in that line of work you definitely have to be a strong individual. You use that occupation or it uses you.
PB: And you used it?
CS: Yes I did, and I think my strength of character to do that came from God.
PB: Your dancing was a sacrifice for your daughter. Do you think God was pleased with your sacrifice?
CS: I believe God sees our heart and looks at why we are doing what we are doing as opposed to solely our actions, and I believe that my actions were absolutely honorable. I was trying to provide for my daughter. I didn't have the luxury of looking for something else to do. It was very sudden that the financial responsibility of providing for my daughter fell onto my shoulders, and this was the first opportunity that seemed like it would help me accomplish my goals.
PB: How shocked were you when you found out about the expulsion?
CS: I was absolutely, totally, completely shocked. When I received the phone call that they were expelling my daughter based on my occupation, I did not believe it.
PB: Has this traumatized your daughter or has she been shielded from all of this?
CS: I have shielded her as much as I could. She caught a glimpse of the news and asked why her school doesn't want her to come back. I immediately reassured her that everybody loved her and that everything was going to be OK.
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CS: She is an extremely intelligent child. I've sacrificed almost six years to be the best parent I can be and I fully believe she has the foundation to overcome any obstacle. PB: Will your daughter return to Capital Christian for first grade? CS: No. I was deeply disappointed with their actions throughout this entire situation. PB: Did you enjoy dancing at the club? CS: It was an extremely positive experience. It helped me accomplish the goals that I think are important, which is spending time with my daughter and providing the best that I can for her. PB: Was it fun, though? Did you enjoy doing it? CS: I enjoyed the challenge of it, of doing the best job I could. PB: Did you have a certain style or a signature move? CS: I was good with the pole. Everyone asked if I was a gymnast. PB: When this story broke, it was reported that people were coming forward to offer you other jobs so that you would not be violating church policy. Has anything panned out? CS: I want to take the next three weeks to find myself and my daughter a new church to attend, a new school for her to go to next year and hopefully a new occupation. PB: What would you like to do? CS: I have many interests. I got straight As in high school and great grades in college, so I have unlimited possibilities and opportunities. PB: Why pose for Playboy? CS: Before all of this happened, I was extremely interested in posing. I have the utmost respect for the entire company, and I believe posing for Playboy is the American dream for a woman. PB: What do you think the church's reaction will be to your posing? CS: I think they will believe that my intentions throughout this entire process were for self gain and that I had evil intentions. But I can't help what other people believe. I can't change other people's thoughts. PB: Are you prepared for the fallout? CS: I am. I have to live my life for me. I can't live my life for the public or the church. |
CS: I was good with the pole. Everyone asked if I was a gymnast.
CS: ... I have to live my life for me.
What do I think?
Well said and well reasoned. Thank you for taking the time.
(Modesty does refer to more than clothing. And pole dancing probably doesn't fit that definition, either.)
The above is from the article that started this thread.
I don't know, did she admit it was a problem, or did the church give her an ultimatum as stated. I don't think we will ever know the truth, and in this case it really doesn't matter. This whole thing is a non-issue and I can't believe I have spent anytime at all on it.
...or, what's his name...uh...Jesus something.
Wrong.
From a previous post regarding this controversy:
Just the facts, Jack.
Silvas said she had hidden her job from school officials until this week, when a parent learned that she was part of a radio station's "calendar girl" promotion and called the church. The church checked the station's Web site, which led to Silvas' stripping connection."I've always been extremely sensitive to the fact that a lot of people, especially those in the church, wouldn't agree . . . so I kept it to myself," Silvas said. "And now everybody knows."
We won't ever know everything that happened, but we certainly won't know the truth if we rely on the leftist media, which has been less than diligent in relating the way that the church offered to help her find a Christian job. Here's a bit of the actual contract she signed, as detailed in WorldNetDaily:
As a requirement for admission, parents of prospective students must sign a "commitment" to support the philosophy of the school. That philosophy, in part, reads: "Emphasis is placed on learning about God and the truths of God's Word in relationship to man and his world; recognizing that the way to God comes through personal faith in Jesus Christ; and Christian maturity comes by application of the truths of the Bible in all areas of life." In signing the document, parents agree to maintain a "partnership" with the school "regarding the standards and criteria of a Christian learning structure that involves the entire family."
Playboy either is deliberately lying, or Silvas is lying to them. I am not sure who has less credibility.
and in this case it really doesn't matter. This whole thing is a non-issue and I can't believe I have spent anytime at all on it.
It IS a non-issue. But the media couldn't resist a struggling single mother stripper vs. the Big Bad Uptight Church story, and here we are. Thankfully, the church stuck to its guns through all the heat, and all the shame falls on Silvas alone.
"...for if we live, we live for the Lord... Rom. 14:8a
When applying the plumbline, one can easily discern her position in Christ. I pray she will repent and walk in the light.
SM admitted on O'Reilly that she was going Commando more than once in Sunday School?
Funny how you fail to note that it was the Church that brought order and learning to the world in the first place. It was the Church that established the universities.It was also the literal belief in the Scriptures, which describe the earth as a "sphere", that caused some men who fanatically believed in the truth of the Bible ("Godaholics" as Hemingway's Ghost put it) to challenge the conventional wisdom of the more 'enlightened' who believed in a flat earth.
Do you?!
LOL!
"Others mocking said, 'These men are full of new wine.'" Acts 2:13
I am pleased to be accused of such a thing.
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