Do We Really Need to Put Prayer Back in School?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard fellow Christians say “Our country started going downhill when they took prayer out of school” or “We would be better off if we put prayer back in school.”  I’m an American patriot and an evangelical Christian.  But I don’t agree with the idea that we need to put prayer “back” in our public schools.  Before you grab the pitchfork, let me explain.

Yes, at one point we did have prayer in government-run schools.  In fact, we had official prayers before lunch in my elementary school.  And yes, the Supreme Court decided that mandatory, teacher-led prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.  And finally, I agree that our public schools have taken a turn for the worse over the last few decades.

Yet none of that convinces me that prayer in public schools is necessary, or even beneficial.  First, there’s no evidence of cause and effect; no one has any proof that the decline of our schools was caused by banning mandatory prayers.  Second, who decides the prayers to be recited?  For instance, if a Roman Catholic parent wants their child to say a Hail Mary, that’s their free choice, but I don’t necessarily want my child to be forced to pray that particular prayer.  Finally, there’s the theological issue: prayer is a deeply personal communication with God which, in a mandatory school setting, would become either offensive to those who disagree with the standardized prayer (both Christians and non-Christians) or be so generic that it serves no purpose.

Let me be clear: I’m simply saying that mandatory prayer in government-run schools is not the answer to turning people back to God.  Instead of prayer in schools, we need God in schools.  Not mandatory religious classes or daily devotionals at the start of school (where we run into the same problems as mandatory prayer).  How do we get God in school?  We take Christ with us when we go to school.  Christian students, teachers, administrators, and staff can—and should—take Christ (who lives within them) to school each day.  We can model Christ.  We can speak about Christ to others (with gentleness and respect).  We can pray together or alone.   We can identify others who are lost and hurting, and show them the love of Christ. 

Our school-age children need the Good News of Jesus Christ.  But we can’t trust that to the government, a mandatory teacher-led prayer, or some generic religious class.  It takes a lot more work than that.  In short, it takes all of us Christians doing a lot more than we’ve been doing the last 50 years. 

Christians and Sin

We recently went on a mission trip and had a great time.  As anyone who has worked on missions knows, the ones doing the work are actually the ones affected the most.  We met some folks very different from us in many respects, but they shared with us a love for Christ.

One curious observation crept up during our stay there.  Many of the local folks had a great profession of love for Christ.  They were not afraid to share their faith.  And yet a few of these same folks didn’t “walk the talk.”  They were living with someone to whom they weren’t married.  Or had children out of wedlock without rectifying the situation.  Or had “wives” that they weren’t supporting.  In other words, they were not yet mature enough in Christ to recognize and remedy the sin that held them.  To me, it seemed strange that a person who proclaimed Christ as Lord of their life could simultaneously live so blatantly with sin.

And yet, don’t we see the exact same thing in our own communities?  Maybe in our own lives?  We tend to accommodate certain sins.  We don’t want to face up to the very sin that holds us most closely.  Which sin?  I guess it depends on the person.  For some, it may be pornography.  For others, maybe the inability to get through the day without a beer.  Sex outside marriage.  Bigotry.  Gluttony.  Homosexuality.  Self-centeredness.   The fact is that we all sin, but as Christians we shouldn’t willfully indulge in any persistent sin.  We aren’t perfect, but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to sin.

The point is, if we are maturing as Christians, we will be on the lookout for any sin that keeps us from becoming all that God wants us to be.  And we need to help those we love to face up to any sin that grips them, too.  That doesn’t mean harping on their sin or breaking off our friendship with them, but it does mean gently and respectfully making them aware.  And always doing so in love.

Must Christians Attend Church?

Want to hear an astonishing statistic?  Surveys show that around 78% of Americans claim to be Christian, but only about 18% attend church services.  My first thought was “if 78% of Americans are Christians, where are they all hiding?”  But then a more serious question popped up: must a Christian attend church?

I already can hear some of my fellow Christians: “Of course they need to attend church!  We’ve gotta fill those pews!”  But one thing needs to be clarified right up front: if “attending church” means going to a special building to observe rituals, listen to some entertaining music, and suffer through a sermon, then no, church attendance isn't necessary.  Being a spectator in such a setting isn’t biblical at all.

However, the New Testament emphasizes that it is essential for Christians to participate in a community of believers.  We are considered a family, and as such we are to meet together.  Why?  Well, for many reasons, including:

• To enjoy the fellowship of other Christians and God (1 John 1:3). 
• To continue the working out of your salvation.  I mentioned in an earlier post that salvation is an on-going process.  Sanctification does not occur only in quiet times alone; it also happens (maybe primarily happens) with other Christians, especially those who teach and evangelize (Eph 4:11-16).
• To serve others as a member of Christ’s earthly embodiment (1 Peter 4:10).
• To be held accountable by church leaders (Hebrews 13:17) and to help and hold accountable each other (1 Thess 5:14-15).

We also follow the examples of Jesus and the early church in meeting together regularly.

What about someone who says that they can meet God better while they are alone fishing?  No doubt, that can happen.  I meet with God on a tractor as I work in the fields.  But He meant for us to meet him individually and corporately.  He designed the church and designated it as the assembly of His followers, capable of destroying the very gates of Hell.  To desire only a one-on-one relationship with God separate from other believers is to desire something God never intended.

Will going to church save you?  Nope, no more than going to a garage will make you a car.  But participating in a healthy church will help you grow as a disciple and equip you on your mission from God to create other disciples.

Having trouble finding a healthy church?  We’ll tackle that in an upcoming post!

Church Warning Signs

We know from Scripture that God loves the church and works through it.  At the same time, we know that the church is made up of imperfect humans, which is why it is a long way from being heaven on earth!

If we want to imitate Christ and love the community of believers, we need to be aware of when we are heading off track.  Guys a lot smarter than me have come up with warning signs for various aspects of church: Thom Rainer, Larry Osborne, and Ed Stetzer, to name a few.  But I’d like to offer what I consider a few basic symptoms of an unhealthy church from a radical Christian perspective, in no particular order:

- Giving the church building a higher priority than the people inside (or outside) the building.  Wouldn't it be great if our “business meetings” focused on the real business of God—making disciples and reaching the lost and hurting—rather than about things with no eternal consequences.  Is the new carpeting, flashing sign out front, bigger and better sound system, or memorial plaque more important than the Great Commission?

- A mentality of “come and see” rather than “go and be.”  A church is not about a pastor preaching a riveting sermon, musicians delivering a good show, youth ministers leading a cool program, or groups putting on extravagant Easter pageants, Christmas plays, 4^th of July fireworks, or any of the other shows we love so much.  Rather than being entertained, are people being transformed and then going out to help and heal others?

- Fellowship = Food.  When the word “fellowship” is mentioned in your church, is it followed by the word “meal?”  Many churches even have “fellowship halls,” which translates into “dining areas.”  Christian fellowship is much more than a potluck meal or shaking hands on Sunday mornings.  It means we have conversations with one another that go beyond “peace be with you” or “pass the beans.”  It means remembering one another in prayers and in deeds.  It means each of us invests wholeheartedly into the lives of our fellow believers.  And as for outsiders: remember that folks aren’t looking for a friendly church; they are looking for friends.

- Services, activities, and programs are on cruise control.  Is your church in a rut?  Are you going through the same exact motions each time you meet?  Is this year’s church calendar basically a duplicate from last year’s?  When was the last time you tried doing something different, reaching people who are different, or stepping outside your comfort zone?  Maybe it’s time to let the Holy Spirit guide you, instead of following tired traditions “the way we’ve always done it.”

- Lack of vision.  How can a church know what God wants it to accomplish, here and now?  How can it know what God wants it to become?  Here’s a radical concept: ask Him.  If your church hasn’t gone through the tough process of communally seeking exactly what His will is for your particular church, then it will either chase after the latest fads (often playing copycat of other churches) or become immobilized.

- Lack of relevance to outsiders.  Let’s say we are on a mission trip to a village where no one speaks English.  The villagers want to read God’s word.  Would we hand them an English-language Bible and wish them the best?  Not so smart.  But we do the same kind of thing here in the US when we insist cultures bend to our Christian subculture.  Do we force 21^st-century Americans to read only an Elizabethan-English Bible translation (King James only)?  Do we use “church-speak” that they don’t understand (“lay it all on the altar,” “hedge of protection,” etc.)?  Do our Christian symbols mean anything to non-Christians?  We never compromise the gift of God’s truth, but sometimes we might need to put it in different wrapping paper.

- Only talking the talk.  Lots of churches talk about the need to pray more, read the Bible more, reach out to the lost more.  But Jesus didn’t tell us to talk about these kinds of things… He told us to do them (and He set the example by doing so Himself).  Does your church “support missions,” yet seldom actually send people on mission?  Is church simply that place you go to on Sunday (and maybe Wednesday evening)?  Have you heard about the many spiritual gifts, but seldom see them in action? 

- Relying on someone other than Christ.  Is there someone or some group in the church that holds veto power over everything the church does?  Maybe it’s a pastor, an elder, or a deacon.  Maybe it’s one or more of those folks who have been in the church for many, many years and hold undue influence.  Obviously, there has to be a leadership structure in church (preferably one that empowers all its members).  But if one person or one group is squelching the work of the Holy Spirit, then that person or group is doing something Christ would not do.  This can be a delicate issue, but a tell-tale sign is if someone pushes an agenda that is unbiblical.

- Measuring the wrong metrics.  How does your church measure success?  Tithes?  Attendance?  Building-fund growth?  Those are decent measurements, but they are secondary.  How many lives are being changed by Christ?  How many members are becoming servant-leaders?  How do we fare in outside assessments?  How many people are connecting through small groups?  How many disciples are making disciples?  Those metrics are tougher to gauge, but the real reason we don’t measure them is because we are afraid of what they might tell us.

This list of warning signs isn’t complete, but it’s a start.  If your church has one or more of these signs, it’s not doomed to failure, but probably warrants a deeper look.

Early Church

My last post ended with the question, “What if the church looked like the church of Acts, instead of the churches lining our streets today?” 

We are so out of whack that nowadays that is a radical concept.  But what if we did model today’s church on the early church—like the church we see in the book of Acts.  Of course, we need to adapt to cultural and technological changes that took place over 2,000 years and nearly 7,000 miles.  But the principles shouldn’t change.

So what did that early church look like?  In the epistles, the letters are addressed to the church in Corinth, the church of the Thessalonians, etc.  In each case, the church consisted of all the believers in and around the city.  The churches met in homes, where they prayed, studied Scripture, took communion, and enjoyed love feasts.  They took care of one another, sharing what they had as it became necessary. 

But the church was not only a gathering; it was also a scattering.  Christians went out to non-Christians, sharing the good news of Christ and helping those in need.  The New Testament doesn’t mention many by name, but we do have examples such as Stephen, Tabitha, Joseph, Philip, etc.  These new Christians didn’t rely on their leaders to go outside their community and reach the lost and hurting—they did it themselves (guided by the Holy Spirit, of course). 

Is there anything wrong with having a building that’s dedicated to worship?  I don’t think so.  What about paid staff, or programs, or business meetings, or custodians, or building funds, or stovepiped ministries?  All these things can be good.  But doesn’t it seem like something is off kilter when these eat up so much of the church’s time and treasure?  What would the early church think about our obsession with these things?  More importantly, what does God think?

Next: Some signs your church may be in trouble.

What Is Church?

Over the next few posts, we’re taking a look at what has gone wrong with the church in the US.  Why is church attendance shrinking while the population is growing?  Why are younger generations shying away from church?  Why aren’t churches the avenue for so many who seek spiritual answers?

We can tell something is horribly wrong just by listening to how we refer to church.  We call people “church-goers.”  We have events “at the church.”  Christians “go to church” on Sundays.  Sometimes we are “late for church.”  We can remark about how beautiful a church is.

Our language shows that our whole concept of church is wrong.  A church is not a building.  A church is not a place (nope, not even a “hallowed place”).  Church is not something we do.  It isn’t something we give money to, renovate, attend, or skip.

The Greek word we translate as “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia.  Ekklesia means a group of people who have been called out for some purpose.  In one sense, the church is universal, consisting of all the people of God.  But in a practical sense, the church is the local community of believers.  And for what purpose have they been called out?  To worship the Lord and make disciples.

It seems that far too many of our churches in America today have missed the whole idea of being a community of believers.  Take a gander at all the different groups that call themselves churches today.  Some are trapped in traditions.  Others act like a sanctified social club.  Some are modern-day Pharisees, condemning everyone outside the walls they erected.  Others are hives of programs, neglecting discipleship. 

We have churches that are known for their children’s program, or their youth group, or their senior citizen meals, or their soup kitchen.  Of course, these are all good things, but they aren’t what a church is called to be. 

What if a church took seriously its obligation to be a true community of believers.  A community that took care of its members.  A community that loved and worshipped Christ, and whose members loved each other.  A community whose members were effectively discipled, and everyone was expected to do what most churches hire professional clergy to do.  A community where outsiders are not only warmly welcomed, but actively sought after and loved on.  A community whose business/council meetings focused on reaching and helping people, instead of wrangling over money for buildings and programs.  A community where disciples made new disciples.

In short, what if the church looked like the church of Acts, instead of the churches lining our streets today? 

More to follow….