Can They Do That?

A Christmas challenge from Dr. Bill Bray...

DRIVING past a local Wendy’s Restaurant during Advent, my young passenger read the sign out loud in mocking amazement:

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

“Hey, can they do that?” asked my young post-modern friend in shocked indignation.

He is a child raised in the local public school system where expressing one’s faith is not just impolite—but considered anti-social and bigoted. Keeping Christ in Christmas is against the rules. When someone does, it is considered disruptive at the very least.

“Why not?” I asked in amazement. “This is a free country!”

“Well,” said my sputtering young friend, still offended by the public expression of the Christian message at Christmas. “This is a public place isn’t it? Aren’t there laws against that kind of thing?”

“No,” I said shaking my head in wonder at how an otherwise intelligent, college boy could have been so brainwashed against religious freedom.

“Have you ever heard of the First Amendment?” I said, trying to keep my sarcasm under control.

“The U.S. Constitution guarantees us freedom of press, speech and religion. The owner of that restaurant must be a Christian and he has a right to put up anything he wants to on his sign board.”

A strained silence suddenly grew between us.

I suppose he was thinking what a crazy old religious nut I was. First Amendment or not, didn’t I understanding how offensive and wrong it is to assert a religious sentiment like that in public—especially in this sophisticated town dominated by the University of Virginia? Didn’t I know how old-fashioned my reasoning was...so un-cool...so wrong?

He said nothing out of respect for my age I guess—but he didn’t have to! I knew he thought I was just an old curmudgeon without a clue.

Meanwhile, I was thinking my own thoughts...very dark thoughts about how far we have strayed from our religious roots and basic freedoms. And I was terrified that here was a good-looking, intelligent young man who felt that a Christian didn’t have a right to promote the idea that Christmas in about Christ’s incarnation into a lost world. I pitied him but I was a bit terrified at how firmly he had accepted the popular surrender of our religious freedom.

I resolved right then and there that we have been silent too long. It is time again to openly witness about Jesus, to provide a winsome but bold and unashamed witness for our Lord. We have let a whole generation go by without sharing the Gospel. We have surrendered Christmas and other opportunities do evangelism way too easily.

The worst thing about the takeover the American education by secular humanism is not that it teaches atheism, evolution, sexual promiscuity and the tolerance of anti-Christian lifestyles. That’s bad enough, but the worst thing is that it teaches intolerance of people who have any kind of faith – but most of all, anyone who has faith in Christ.

It not only allows the teaching of bigoted, untested and unproven theories about science and the Bible, God and life itself, but it disallows free debate that presents religious beliefs and viewpoints on these ideas. Secular education, now protected by the courts, shuts down Christian commentary, opinion and witness. Now this attitude toward faith is spreading to business, entertainment, the media, the military, pop music, the university and even the public square.

American public education is not just teaching academic knowledge and skills – they are propagandizing a world view of intolerance against people of faith, the churches, the Christian family, and even God himself.

No wonder Christian children need Christian education. We have to get our children out of the secular school systems, especially in the K-12 years...and even in pre-school. Those are the years when they form prejudice against people of faith.

If we don’t rescue them from the anti-faith system, we’re allowing them to grow up into anti-Christian bigots. Our government schools have created a modern American culture that forbids expressions of faith. Therefore we have to deliberately exercise our freedoms. Those of us who have faith must have the courage and wisdom to assert it or lose it.

Paul said it in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

God is the author of our religious freedom and one of our best resolutions for the New Year is that we deliberately assert that freedom every chance we get both in the USA and around the world.

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