Zan Tyler Recipient of the 2014 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award
COLUMBIA, S.C., Dec. 3, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Frontline Ministries, Inc., and the Exodus Mandate Project announced at the 20th Anniversary banquet the selection of Mrs. Zan Tyler as the recipient of the 2014 Dr. Robert Dreyfus Courageous Christian Leadership Award. Chaplain and Mrs. E. Ray Moore presented the award. Established by Frontline Ministries, Inc., in 2007, this award is presented annually to honor and recognize Christian leaders who have exhibited moral courage through their unique contribution to the Church by advancing Christianity in the culture and life of the nation. This contribution may run counter to the prevailing culture of the Church and society.
In 1984, Zan and Joe Tyler found themselves in a quandary when their local school board denied their initial application to homeschool. The SC State Superintendent threatened Zan with jail. They spent the next 8 years fighting for the rights of SC homeschoolers in the legislature, in the judicial system, and in the court of public opinion. They homeschooled their three children through high school.
Zan founded the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) in 1990 and served as its president for ten years. She co-authored the book Anyone Can Homeschool with Dr. Terry Dorian in 1996 and authored 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential in 2005. In 1988, the governor of South Carolina awarded Zan the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor. Zan recently served as the national grassroots director for ParentalRights.org and as the Homeschool Editor and resource consultant for Lifeway.com.
Zan is currently the director of Apologia Press, and her goal is to develop and publish Bible-based resources that will empower parents for homeschooling: "My passion at Apologia is to bring the best possible authors and resources into the lives of homeschooling parents."
Zan derives deep joy from speaking to and encouraging homeschooling parents across the country and around the globe. Zan is a popular online columnist, and her articles appear in a variety of publications.
Chaplain Moore noted, "Zan Tyler's life as a speaker, writer, advocate and homeschooling mother was born more than 30 years ago with a sense of God's calling. We are thankful she heeded that call in the midst of great adversity. Her actions all those years ago have impacted SC homeschooling families and are still impacting them today."
Dr. Dreyfus, a prominent retired Florida dentist and inventor of a device to relieve neuromuscular pain for dental use, served as president of the Florida Dental Society of Anesthesiology. He has more than 45 years of volunteer work on behalf of family values and K-12 Christian education in Florida and now serves as the Florida state coordinator for the Exodus Mandate Project.
Chaplain Moore noted that the 2014 award is the eighth to be awarded. Past recipients include: Thomas C. Pinckney, M.A., Brigadier General USAF Ret. and Bruce N. Shortt, J.D., Ph.D. (2007); Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., president of the National Home Education Research Institute (2008); Gena and Paul Suarez, publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (2009); Geri and Bob Boyd, Issues in Education radio ministry (2010); Alice Moore, 1974 WV textbook protester (2011); Joyce and Eric Burges, National Black Home Educators (NBHE) (2012); Dan Smithwick, Nehemiah Institute (2013).
Contact information for Frontline Ministries, Inc.: Chaplain E. Ray Moore (Lt. Col.), USAR Ret., President, Frontline Ministries, Inc. and the Exodus Mandate Project, PO Box 12072, Columbia, SC 29211, email:
exodusmandate@gmail.com, 803-714-1744,
www.exodusmandate.org.
Photo available upon request.
