Although the United States Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools during the early 1960s, Christians answer to a higher power and many are rejecting court-ordered secularism.
A recent incident in Coweta County Georgia has pitted the Faith and principles of a high school football coach against the secular state. Coach John Small was recently cited for participating in open prayers with team members, a common practice that mentors do when guiding young people in sports. But an anti-Christian group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint directed at the sports leader.
The group claims the student-led prayer violates the youths’ Constitutional rights under the First Amendment. Many see the controversy as Free Speech rights being pitted against a separation of church and state argument. The school district has issued a directive that reportedly states, “Representatives of the school cannot participate in any student initiated / student led prayer or worship while acting in their official capacity.”
Given that the coach acted only in support of his players’ Faith and did not organize or require the prayer session, this appears to be another assault on good Christians and their beliefs. However, people of Faith continue to pursue Christianity despite these legal edicts.
Christians vs Courtrooms
In the Bremerton School District across the water from Seattle, assistant high school football coach Joe Kennedy led players and other coaches in a locker room prayer from 2008 to 2015. He would also conduct a prayer gathering at the 50-yard line after the contests. His inspiring speeches drew students, coaches and parents alike. The school board told him he had to stop. Kennedy petitioned for a religious exemption based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The compromise was that he could pray at the 50-yard line after everyone left. In other words, alone.
Like the Georgia coach, Kennedy rejected the conditions and restarted his 50-yard line gatherings, welcoming others to participate in a celebration of Jesus Christ. He was suspended with pay and not rehired after his contract expired. But Kennedy has taken the legal system head on. Filing a lawsuit that points out that his First Amendment Rights were being violated, the case landed in the 9th District Court of appeals. This is the same court that repeatedly halted the president’s travel ban until being overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A panel of five judges claimed that Kennedy had no First Amendment right to pray in August. The widely regarded secular court’s ruling seems, once again, to be at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2006, the high court stated that public employees enjoyed speech on matters of public concern as long as they didn’t impede the “effective and efficient fulfillment of its responsibilities to the public.” A post-game 50-yard line prayer certainly should pass muster.
The Double Standard Of Kneeling
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford recently pointed out in an interview that the nation has a troubling double standard on its doorstep. God-loving coaches are often fired or not rehired for participating in prayer sessions. But, political protests such as the kneeling during the national anthem have not been met with directives to cease. That seems at odds with the U.S. Supreme Courts guidance on the limits of free speech.
“We can’t say to one football coach, you’re fired if you kneel in silent prayer at the end of a game, but to a player, if you kneel in protest at a game, you’re celebrated,” he reportedly said. “We’ve got to be able to determine where we are as Americans on that. If we’re going to honor all free speech and all free exercise of religion, we ought to be able to honor that universally.”
Christian Flocks Swell
Despite the more than 50-year ban on religion in schools, Christians continue to reject secular authority in a similar fashion to Jesus Christ. When you consider that Jesus was considered a radical for bringing the Word of God to the masses, so are Christians of this age.
Student ministries have expanded exponentially and are prevalent in tens of thousands of schools. Christian clubs continue to sprout up in the face of a curriculum that has removed religious study and values from the education of young people.
Just as it was with Jesus, the Word of God will spread and opponents cannot stop it.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
