Good Morning all,
Saw this in one of my news feeds (Christian Post) after worship yesterday. A Seattle pastor, Pastor Matthew Meinecke. won a significant legal battle with the city of Seattle over his sharing of his faith publicly in the summer of 2022. He had been arrested for reading from the Bible and handing out faith based literature at a pro-abortion rally. He received some monetary compensation but the big win was that the city had to acknowledge that they were in the wrong for suppressing speech, his first amendment rights.
It reminded me of another story I had followed closely. While pastoring in Augusta I was asked to help coach the high school football team. We prayed before practice every day and before games. We made it perfectly clear that it was strictly voluntary and you didn’t have to join us. In 2015, Joe Kennedy, a Washington state high school football coach, lost his job for praying on the 50 yard line after games. After the game, he would go to mid-field and take a knee to pray. It was just a solitary activity at first but then students started joining him. The school district asked him to stop because it gave the appearance of school sanctioned prayer and that as a coach students may feel coerced into joining him. He refused saying it was his right to do so and that any action by students was clearly up to them. It took seven years of legal battles but in 2022 the Supreme Court ruled the Bremerton School District violated the coach’s rights, saying prayers amounted to private speech and could not be restricted by the school district. Here is a quote from Coach Kennedy:
“As I have demonstrated, we must make a stand for what we believe in,” he continued. “In my case, I made a stand to take a knee. I encourage all Americans to make their own stand for freedom and our right to express our faith as we see fit.” (emphasis mine!)
As the percentage of Americans who feel their faith is highly important to them continues to dwindle and the number of those who feel their faith is “somewhat important” or not important increase, we can be sure that we will see more and more opposition to faith-based activities in public spaces. And if we don’t raise up a generation that is prepared to take their faith serious, we are failing the Great Commission to go and make disciples. I was greatly encouraged though last Thursday. I am coaching on my grandson’s middle school football team where he is an 8th grader. Before the 7th grade team took the field one of the players gathered the team around and asked them to kneel in prayer. I think every last player joined him. There is hope.
This week I will be in the office on Wednesday morning and then again on Thursday morning. Today we have a follow up doctor appointment for Sherry. Thursday morning I will be in the office after a morning meeting at Lawrence Elementary school.
Should the opportunity to stand strong for your faith arise, remember that Jesus has not given a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7 NLT)
Praying that God blesses your socks off this week!
P.R.
