Prayer in the Public Schools

If last weekend was any indication of what is in store with our current series, I am jacked up about the next 8 weeks!

Have you ever thought much about the role of prayer in public schools? It is a hot button issue that has been highly debated for quite some time.

It wasn't until the early 1960's that prayer in public school was "outlawed" by a new interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the history of the U.S. includes prayer and Bible readings in all sorts of public places, including schools. In 1782, the United States Congress passed the following resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools."

What about the role of prayer in colleges? Did you know that of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636 and our very own Duke University in 1924. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, (John 17:3); and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3)."

Things sure have changed in our public school and universities.

What did Jesus say about prayer? What does the Bible teach us about public prayer and how should the Christian’s prayer exist in the pluralistic culture in which we live. Those are just a few of the issues we will consider this Sunday we look at the Confrontational issue of prayer in public schools.

Can’t wait to see Sunday,