In June of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court vindicated the actions of a brave Christian man who refused to go quietly in the face of persecution for his faith. If you recall, Coach Joe Kennedy exercised his American right to kneel and pray at midfield after a football game, win or lose. There was no coercion on his part to require anyone else to join him, though many chose to do so. He was abruptly fired by the local school board when he simply refused to stop doing what the First Amendment of our Constitution clearly allowed and that was to exercise his faith without fear of retaliation. Several years and many court dates later, SCOTUS chose the Constitution over tyranny and agreed, reinstating Coach Kennedy’s God-given right to pray silently at midfield as well as his job. How America needs real men like the good coach who are not afraid to stand for their rights and for Christ.
Many of us court watchers said at the time that his case was a watershed case. In fact, it very well may be one of those cases that become a bedrock for protecting our precious freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. The right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech go hand in hand. When free speech is infringed upon, it tends in our day to be speech that involves religion, particularly that arising from Christian tongues. If nothing else, Christianity has been the conscience of a nation that so sorely needs to have one at this point in history.
There have been additional ripples from this momentous ruling that have further cemented these most precious freedoms. Thankfully, the great state of Texas, which just happens to be my home state, has taken the ruling in the Kennedy case to a legislative level. Just recently, the Texas State Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony on a bill (SB 965) filed by State Senator Tan Parker (R) from Flower Mound, aimed at safeguarding the rights of school district and charter school employees to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty. What this proposed legislation does is to ensure that teachers and other state employees are protected in prayer and other exhibitions of their faith unless there is an infringement that is deemed “necessary to further a compelling state interest” and is “narrowly tailored using the least restrictive means to achieve that compelling state interest.” While this phraseology perhaps gives the state of Texas some wiggle room in enforcing the protections set forth, this legislation is certainly a breath of fresh air in a stale environment. SB 965 is now pending in committee following the hearing. Again, the vast state of Texas that gave us the Alamo is hopefully leading the way for the rest of the nation.
At Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), our American rights of freedom of religion and speech are hills that we are prepared to die upon as Christian citizens. It is these rights that form the cornerstone for the free exercise of our faith not only in our sanctuaries but in the marketplace as well. When they are infringed upon, persecution often follows. In fact, when Vice President JD Vance called out Europe for transgressing the right of free speech of its citizens, particularly that of Christians, he highlighted a real-life problem that arises in those countries primarily because there is no protection provided by a Bill of Rights like that embedded in our Constitution. That is precisely the reason that it is so important for Christ’s church to be adamant in protecting these precious liberties so wisely set out by our founding fathers.
At the same time, we recognize the need for Christians to not only be wise but also winsome, in the pursuit of our rights. There is an old adage that says that very few folks can be bludgeoned into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why it is so important for us to proclaim our Christ in a way that is effective but not intrusive or mean-spirited. My new friend, Barry Meguiar of car polish fame, has authored a wonderful book titled Ignite America, and I commend it to you. In the book, he sets a great paradigm for Christian interaction with the marketplace when he simply calls on Christ’s followers to speak and act in such a way that we help those whom we encounter each day move just a little closer to the Lord. We do that with prayer coupled with the utmost concern for the well-being of people and with kind intentional actions.
There is a coming revival in America. Our government has no right to infringe upon its effects. However, Christians also have the obligation to stoke the fires of faith by consciously pointing our precious nation to the Gospel, the only truth that matters. My prayer is that we will make it a priority not only to protect our freedoms but also to use them intentionally and effectively as well.
After a successful career as a lawyer and judge, Judge Phil Ginn retired as the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District in North Carolina. Throughout his 22-year judicial career, he had the privilege of holding court in almost 50% of the county seats in North Carolina. Currently, Judge Ginn serves as the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (ses.edu) and is a regular contributor to Christianity.com and The Washington Times. Judge Ginn has also been featured on Fox News, CBN, Newsmax, Decision Magazine, The Christian Post, Townhall and many others.
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