Last week I thoroughly enjoyed free agency for pro football. I admit it – I’m a little addicted. But speaking of football, not all the news last week was good. Joe Kennedy, a former high school football coach who in 2015 lost his job for public prayer, lost another court decision. His story is one example of the ongoing battle for religious liberty.
The ability to freely exercise our faith in the U.S. continues to be under attack.
NEWS
Quick background: Joe Kennedy, a former high school football coach from the State of Washington, was fired in 2015 for praying after games, which included some students. According to Mr. Kennedy, before he coached his first game, he made a commitment to God that he would give thanks for the opportunity to be a football coach and for his players, which was inspired after he watched the movie “Facing the Giants.”[1] This brief prayer in the middle of the field after each game began in 2008. Although he started by himself, he was quickly joined by members of his team and frequently by some on the opposing team.[2]
After several years, the school district became aware of it. Subsequent to an investigation, they wrote a letter in September 2015 prohibiting Coach Kennedy from any religious expression with students, including prayer, and restricting any individual prayer by him to be in a location physically separate from students.[3]
I understand the desire to protect children from those who may seek to influence them with their own religious beliefs. I wouldn’t want someone attempting to influence my kids.
That said, this news story raises some serious issues:
1. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: In my opinion, the decision by the school district is a direct infringement on the coach’s religious rights. He started this behavior on his own volition, for his own benefit. He shared that his conviction was to thank God for the opportunity. Any reasonable person would recognize his primary purpose was for himself, not to influence the minds of others, including minors. No player was required to join. Perhaps an alternative to firing the coach would have been to notify the parents of the players and then let them decide whether to allow their children to participate.
2. SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE: The first amendment of U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from making a law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, an interpretation of the first amendment has come to mean that an organization connected in any way to the government must be secular. I am not a constitutional lawyer, but I don’t agree with this interpretation. The first amendment protects the free exercise of religion; it does not require secularism to rule the land. Secular atheism is not a default/neutral position. Atheism is one three major worldviews; and similar to theism, makes major claims about life’s most important questions. If we are going to take a strict stance separating religious discussion from any organization affiliated with the government, then no professor of a college that receives governmental money should share their perspective on religion. Despite the fact that college students are no longer minors, they are easily influenced and college professors need to abide by this parameter. Am I recommending this course of action? No, I support a free exchange of ideas. But I want consistency. If Christianity is not allowed to be discussed in any government-related area, then neither should atheism. There are eternal consequences to false beliefs.
3. PHILOSOPHY & MORAL VALUES: As mentioned above, I understand protecting children from religious influence; but, why does it stop with explicit religious material? There are other philosophical ideas or moral values that influence our children that should not be taught in schools, because they may directly or indirectly pertain to religious beliefs. For example, in my opinion, sex education should not be instructed in schools. The bottom line – schools should provide education for purely academic subjects.
4. MOTIVATION: According to Judge Milan Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit in San Francisco), Coach Kennedy was more interested in public fame than religious motivation. Judge Milan wrote: “Kennedy’s attempts to draw nationwide attention to his challenge to the District showed that he was not engaging in private prayer.”[4] With all due respect, how does the judge know Coach Kennedy’s motivation? I think it is insulting for the judge to question the coach’s intentions. Furthermore,the request of the school district is contrary to the commands of the Bible. Consider Jesus’s directive to His followers to be willing to demonstrate their faith publicly:
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)
This does NOT mean that Christians seek to show their faith for the sake of attention. Obviously that is the wrong motive. Rather, Jesus commands His followers to be a light for the world. If the coach would have given into the school board’s request to stop his practice and go pray in private, it may have been contrary to Jesus’s command above.
We will all stand before the Lord and give an account for our life. Where is your light? Is it hidden under a basket or placed on a stand?
RELIGION
When I mentioned this story to my wife, she immediately referenced Daniel in the Bible. She’s right! Quick refresh on the account of Daniel and the lion’s den.
Sometime in the six century B.C., government officials who were jealous of Daniel went to King Darius of Persia and convinced him to issue a decree that prohibited prayer to any god or person, other than to him. The Bible verse below records Daniel’s reaction to this new law:
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Daniel 6:10 NIV)
What was Daniel’s response when he learned of the decree? To continue to pray to God, “…just as he had done before.” We know the rest of the story. Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den, but God protected Daniel.
While Joe Kennedy was not thrown into a lion’s den, he did lose his job for public prayer. As someone who has gone through a period of unemployment, I can say that is no small thing. I applaud the former coach for his commitment to God.
Frankly, we need more Christians who are committed to the Lord. Consider the strong words Jesus spoke to John concerning a church with lukewarm Christians:
'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelations 3:15-16 NAS, emphasis added)
May we as Christians not be lukewarm, but rather committed to the Lord regardless of the pressures of society.
Summary Point:
As Christians, we are commanded to be the light of the world – sharing God’s truth with grace and respect and living out our faith in public.
[1]https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/football-coach-joe-kennedy-prayer-sideline-fighting-game [2]https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/football-coach-fired-prayer-school [3]https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BremertonSchoolDistricttoCoachKennedyLetter.pdf [4]https://www.foxnews.com/us/washington-state-hs-coach-fired-over-post-game-prayers-loses-ninth-circuit-court-round
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