Contact: George Pytlik, 360-306-5960

MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- The veiled threat by the principal of a school in Virginia that his staff could face termination by helping Christian students is another example of how our culture is being increasingly secularized, says the author of a distinctive new study on the biblical book of Daniel.

The principal of Wilson Middle School in Fishersville, VA threatened his faculty that they could lose their jobs if they were involved in helping students set up a Fellowship of Christian Athletes club in the school. In part, the principal's emailed message to his staff said, "Be as religious as you want when you're not in your official role as a teacher. Your official role as a teacher starts anytime you're involved with students. Please check with me or your attorney if you need clarification so I can avoid termination proceedings for those of you that don't believe me or wish to test this concept."

"This is just another of many recent cases showing how North American culture is pressuring evangelical Christians to distance themselves from their faith," says George Pytlik, the author of 'Daniel: God's Messenger to Our Times,' a book designed to inspire people to read God's Word and live a pure faith.

"Just as in the world Daniel lived in, genuine faith in God is under seige in America today. The example set by Daniel and his friends for living a pure biblical faith is more relevant for our culture than ever before," claims the author.

Pytlik explains that Daniel, as a teenager, was taken forcibly from Jerusalem to Babylon, the heart of a pagan empire, and deprived of everything he had, including his name. Yet he and his friends not only held strongly to their faith in this hostile environment, but set such a great example that the king declared them 'ten times better' than all the other learned men of the kingdom. Even when faced with certain death, they refused to give in to intimidation or threats, but kept their faith pure.

"Look at the result," says Pytlik. "The fourth chapter of Daniel is the testimony of a changed life written by not only a Gentile -- amazing in itself -- but by the Gentile king of a pagan empire! And not just any empire, but the one that destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple to the ground, and took the Jewish people hostage. Daniel's unwavering faith had an incredible impact," he continues. "It's a message we should all take to heart in these times, particularly young people, who face more intense attacks on their faith than any other group."

Pytlik's book, "Daniel: God's Messenger to Our Times" is a detailed study of Daniel written in a casual, easy-to-read format. "My goal was to bring the Bible to life," says the author, "so that anyone would be inspired to read Scripture and discover how relevant it still is to each of us." The book is available from Amazon.com or any bookstore, ISBN 9780578054551.