{"id":8892,"date":"2010-10-03T13:08:12","date_gmt":"2010-10-03T18:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/?p=8892"},"modified":"2010-10-02T20:11:45","modified_gmt":"2010-10-03T01:11:45","slug":"on-public-prayers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/10\/03\/on-public-prayers\/","title":{"rendered":"On Public Prayers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

From CT:<\/a> (I\u2019ve clipped three; more responses can be found at the link.)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think should be done in public prayer? Use \u201cin Jesus\u2019 name\u201d or not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The North Carolina General Assembly is reviewing its policies on guest chaplains after Winston-Salem pastor Ron Baity was told he could not pray in Jesus\u2019 name. Meanwhile, the group Atheists of Florida is suing the City of Lakeland over its opening invocations \u201cin Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d Several governmental bodies around the country are facing similar fights.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is unequivocal demand that Christians not be ashamed of the Son of Man. So we can\u2019t disguise that aspect of who we are; and really, if the government wants to integrate religion into its processes \u2014 there\u2019s no such thing as generic prayer. It\u2019s not superstition, it\u2019s not magic \u2014 it\u2019s talking to God. I don\u2019t think we can be asked to set aside our Christian distinctives, because then it\u2019s not really prayer. We\u2019re just sort of window-dressing, moral and theological window-dressing for the function of the state, and I think that does harm to the mission of the church. On the flip side, Christians should do whatever they need to do to demonstrate the lordship, supremacy, and uniqueness of Christ. And if that\u2019s unacceptable in whatever public function it is, then Christians should respectfully bow out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, author,\u00a0Brand Jesus<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn public praying, I think Christians attempt to be as hospitable as they can, knowing there are people from other faiths there. On the other hand, we pray in Jesus\u2019 name, whether we mention Jesus or not. So whether Jesus\u2019 name is mentioned, we do have to pray in Jesus\u2019 name. That would mean when I pray a public prayer, I want to sound like a Christian, and I\u2019m not offended if somebody comes up and says \u2018Gee, that was a Christian prayer.\u2019 I think, \u2018Well, you know I\u2019m a Christian.'\u201d<\/p>\n

William Willimon, bishop, North Alabama conference of the United Methodist Church<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Christians happen to be in settings where they\u2019re not gathered together specifically as Christians \u2014 for instance, on the floor of the House of Representatives \u2014 then I think they should not pray in Jesus\u2019 name. In that kind of setting, while I\u2019m sure that it\u2019s quite possible to offer sincere prayer in Jesus\u2019 name, I think the temptation to offer that kind of prayer for insincere reasons is far too great to make it legitimate. The fact is that in certain parts of the country, in certain very large parts of the country, to very large numbers of Americans, a politician praying explicitly in Jesus\u2019 name is like, \u2018Oh, hey, I\u2019m going to vote for that guy because he prays in Jesus\u2019 name.\u2019 \u2026 It can end up devolving into almost a logo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan Malesic, author,\u00a0Secret Faith in the Public Square: An Argument for Christian Identity<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From CT: (I\u2019ve clipped three; more responses can be found at the link.) What do you think should be done in public prayer? Use \u201cin Jesus\u2019 name\u201d or not? The North Carolina General Assembly is reviewing its policies on guest chaplains after Winston-Salem pastor Ron Baity was told he could not pray in Jesus\u2019 name. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1733],"tags":[376,2225],"class_list":["post-8892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prayer-and-formation","tag-prayer","tag-public-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\nOn Public Prayers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From CT: (I've clipped three; more responses can be found at the link.) What do you think should be done in public prayer? 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