Young Life, the evangelical youth ministry embedded within the UVA Basketball program, just got a big check from our MAGA governor, Glenn Youngkin.
“Young Life represents the very best of what happens when we invest in our youth,” said Youngkin, who visited the Young Life camp in Rockbridge County on Monday to present an oversized check representing his salary for the third quarter, because a guy with a net worth in the $450 million range doesn’t need a measly $43,750.
As if this Young Life outfit, a multimillion-dollar evangelical Christian ministry based out in Colorado Springs, needs the money.
These Young Life folks position themselves as the underdogs, telling the world, on the About page of the ministry’s website, that their humble mission is to “introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith,” which seems innocent enough.
Do two minutes of research on the Google machine, and you’ll learn that Young Life has faced criticism for its policy of not allowing LGBTQ+ students to volunteer or take leadership roles in its organization, and for formally treating homosexuality as a “lifestyle” that is “clearly not in accord with God’s creation purposes.”
You’ll also learn that Young Life pressured a 30-year volunteer to quit her post because she refused to take down a Facebook post showing support for the gay teenage son of a friend.
And then, as is the case with a lot these days, there are the allegations that, “for decades,” the ministry actively covered up, “complaints of sexual assault and harassment involving members, staff and volunteers,” and Young Life has also been under investigation by the federal EEOC for alleged racial discrimination.
I’m not supposed to tell you about all of that, of course.
What I’m supposed to do is, tell you about what a great guy our governor is for giving a check to a plucky group that, according to its 2023 tax returns, generated $492 million in revenues, to spread its narrow-minded version of Christianity.
“For over 80 years, this organization has been building relationships with youth and showing them God’s love. Their work reaches kids from all backgrounds. This donation reflects our belief that every young person deserves to know they are valued and loved,” Youngkin said.
Well, OK, Mr. Governor, not exactly “kids from all backgrounds,” and if you really believe that “every young person deserves to know they are valued and loved,” and this is who you’re giving your money to, there’s strike two.
ICYMI
- UVA Basketball: Odom hires evangelical to serve as ‘director of culture’
- I’m the bad guy for pointing out the obvious with the UVA Basketball culture hire
How this ties into UVA Basketball: you may remember the announcement back in May by the new coach, Ryan Odom, that he had hired a guy named Michael Crowder to be his “director of culture formation and alumni engagement.”
Crowder, a 2014 UVA alum, came to the basketball program from a stint at Longwood, where he worked under the head coach there, Griff Aldrich, who employed Crowder under the job title “managing director–culture formation and program development.”
Per a press release from UVA Athletics, Crowder hooked up with the Longwood Basketball program in 2020 after serving in a mentorship role with the team while also working with Young Life programs in Southside Virginia.
I’m sure Michael Crowder is a super nice guy.
I’ve not met him, but one of our freelancers got to know him when Crowder was leading a ministry group at his high school, and vouched for him.
Super nice guy, but there’s a million people more suited for a spot on Ryan Odom’s staff than a super nice guy whose background is heavy with his work for an evangelical ministry that has, let’s just say, issues.
But hey, 32.7 percent of the U.S. adult population voted for a guy who sells Bibles with his name on them for sixty bucks a pop.
That’s why our basketball staff has a non-basketball guy directing culture, why the UVA Board of Visitors pushed Jim Ryan to fall on his sword, why Glenn Youngkin was in Rockbridge County the other day, engaging in performative politics.
Another word for the performative politics, of course, is bullsh*t.
That’s what all this is: bullsh*t.
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Chris Graham
