The Wisconsin high school where Natalie Rupnow killed at least two people and injured six others prides itself on its commitment to Christian values — including not believing in evolution.
The $10,000-a-year Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, went into lockdown Monday after Rupnow opened fire before turning the gun on herself, leaving a gruesome scene on campus.
The horror is a far cry from the school’s promotion of pure Christianity, which forces its students to adopt an originalist view of the world, including belief in Old Testament myths such as the Garden of Eden.
Under a ‘Statement of Faith‘, published by the school, states: ‘We believe that human beings were created by an immediate act of God and not by a process of evolution.’
The stated ‘core values’ of the hyper-religious school are based on Scripture, such as a ‘biblically integrated education program’ and the development of students into ‘disciples’.
“We believe that Scripture is the word of God, infallible, and the basis of all truth,” the school claims. ‘We integrate the Bible into all aspects of the curriculum and extracurricular activities.’
The school’s director, Doug Butler, makes clear the institution’s commitment to Christianity, saying he has a “vision of providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment” for students.
“Our reliance on the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the basis for all we teach is an integral part of who we are,” he wrote on the school’s website.
Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where Natalie Rupnow killed at least two people and injured six others, prides itself on its commitment to Christian values — including not believing in evolution.
Students seen on the grounds of Abundant Life Christian School after Monday’s shooting
The school’s Statement of Faith states: “We believe that human beings were created by an immediate act of God and not by a process of evolution.” Director Doug Butler is pictured
Abundant Life’s commitment to spirituality in its educational program seemingly extends to all aspects of campus life, from athletics and sports to the arts and charity work.
The founders of the school, opened in 1978, “felt strongly that God was calling them to establish an academically excellent school that would proclaim the lordship of Jesus Christ.”
In the school’s ‘Statement of Faith’, its leaders impose on their students an originalist interpretation of the Bible, including belief in the ‘truth’ of both the Old and New Testaments.
“We believe that the Bible, consisting of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, was given by the inspiration of God and is the inerrant Word of God in its original manuscripts,” the statement reads.
‘We believe that people were subjected to trials in the Garden of Eden to test their loyalty to God. Under trial, they lost their holy state by voluntarily violating God’s positive commandment and yielding to the temptation of Satan, became alienated from God, and became physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually corrupt.”
The school also says it provides students with “spiritual training,” starting in kindergarten.
“Education in God’s holy word is essential to our spiritual growth,” they say. “We strive to help students understand the Bible and apply it to their daily lives.”
It comes as Rupnow comes under scrutiny as police search for a motive for her mass shooting, after it was revealed police were investigating a ‘manifesto’ written by the teenager.
Jeff Rupnow shared a photo of one of his daughters being encouraged by her father to handle and fire guns. Mr Rupnow shared a photo (above) on Facebook at a local shooting range in August
Police confirmed they spoke with Jeff Rupnow (pictured) and other family members, who were cooperative
It is unclear when the photo was taken, but Mr Rupnow did confirm that the photo was of his ‘child’. He added, in response to a friend’s comment, that he and his daughter joined a local gun club this spring and “we’ve loved every second of it!”
As police and internet sleuths search for answers to the tragedy, it was revealed that Jeff Rupnow, the alleged shooter’s father, shared a chilling image of his daughter practicing at a shooting range in a T-shirt similar to that of the Columbine school shooters.
The father posted the photo to his public Facebook page in August, showing his daughter pointing a shotgun at a clay pigeon while wearing a black top with the name of the band KMFDM on it.
Columbine killer Eric Harris was infamously seen wearing a KMFDM T-shirt prior to the 1999 Colorado high school massacre in which thirteen were murdered. The massacre is often seen as a turning point in the era of American school shootings.
It’s unclear if Natalia is an only child, but Jeff called his daughter “kiddo” in the post and spoke proudly of the child’s skill with the gun.
When a friend asked Jeff if it was his daughter in the photo. He replied, “This spring I joined the NBSC (North Bristol Shooting Club) and we have loved every second of it.”
The NBSC – or North Bristol Sportsman’s Club – is a gun club in Sun Prairie, a suburb of Madison. The alleged membership of the Rupnows has not yet been confirmed by the club. DailyMail.com has approached the NBSC for comment.
Observers noted that Rupnow’s daughter appeared to be wearing a T-shirt of the German industrial rock band KMFDM, which was especially revered by Eric Harris (pictured) and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
The 1999 Columbine school shooting is often seen as a turning point in the era of school shootings in America, with many would-be student killers idolizing the perpetrators.
Rupnow arrived at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on time Monday and retrieved the gun about three hours into the school day, officials said. The first 911 call reporting an active shooter came in shortly before 11 a.m
Police, who identified Rupnow as the shooter on Monday, are still investigating the motive behind her rampage. Officers raided the family’s home and searched a manifest she may have left behind.
The details come amid online speculation about Rupnow’s gender identity after Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes made waves by claiming that whether or not she is transgender is “not important at all” to the shooting investigation.
Barnes also raised the possibility that Rupnow’s parents would be charged, following the capture of James and Jennifer Crumbley earlier this year, which opened the door to prosecution of parents who were school shooters.
Barnes said at the press conference on Monday: ‘We also want to look at whether the parents may have been negligent. And that is a question that we will have to answer together with our Public Prosecution Service.’
Police investigate as emergency vehicles parked outside Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday
Police walk outside Abundant Life Christian School after the shooting
Shortly after the mass shooting occurred, police said they believed the attack was premeditated, and a source told CNN that Rupnow had “faced challenges and expressed some of them in writings, which they are now reviewing.” ‘.
Barnes continued at the press conference, “There is a document currently circulating on social media about this shooting, but we have not verified its authenticity.”
Rupnow was present from the start of the school day Monday and eventually opened fire on a study hall full of students from several grades, Chief Barnes said.
Investigators believe Rupnow used a 9mm handgun to carry out her attack, a law enforcement official told AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, and it was not clear whether the victims were targeted, Barnes said at a news conference Monday.
“I don’t know why, and I feel like if we knew why, we could prevent these things from happening,” he told reporters.
Barnes added that police were speaking with the shooter’s father and other family members, who were cooperative, and that teams were searching the shooter’s home.
“The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe at this time that they have committed a crime,” Barnes said, before expressing empathy for her father.
‘He also lost someone. And so we’re not going to rush the information, but we’re going to take our time and certainly do our due diligence.”