Middleton “Jesus Lunch” Draws Protesters’ Ire

MacIver News Service | April 19, 2016

[Middleton, Wis…] A weekly “Jesus Lunch” held in a park near Middleton High School since 2014 drew protests on Tuesday after the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a complaint to the Middleton-Cross Plains School District superintendent.

The lunch, originally just a few moms bringing lunch to their kids and sharing Biblical philosophy, has grown to include hundreds of students since its inception.

Protesters objected to the proximity of the park to the school and say the religious orientation of the lunches intimidates and harasses non-Christian students.

Beth Williams, one of the lunch’s organizers, told the MacIver Institute that no student is forced to attend, and students can eat but skip the religious portion of the lunch if they choose. But the Freedom From Religion Foundation says the meals are an attempt by adults to lure minors into a captive audience where they can promote their personal religious views.