#673 (10/17) Are Christians Forced To Be At Odds With Their Public Schools?

URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS:

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."

Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]  

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST- Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"-  CBNNews.com,  Aug 14, 2013  http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/  - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.] 

Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world

PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.

- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him

- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ

- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans

- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.

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"Faith-Friendly Public Schools - We Can Make a Difference,"; By: Eric Metaxas|Breakpoint.org: October 16, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/23597?spMailingID=7178633&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=93370270&spReportId=OTMzNzAyNzAS1  



Public school students still enjoy a wide range of religious freedom -- even in the classroom. We just need to educate the educators about it.

A few weeks ago, an elementary school teacher in Tennessee told her class to write about someone they idolized. Ten-year-old Erin Shead decided to write about God. “I look up to God,” she wrote. “He will always be the #1 person I look up to. I love him and Jesus. Jesus is His earthly son.” But Erin’s teacher told her that she could not write about God—and that her paper could not remain on school property. Erin had to start over. Reluctantly, Erin then wrote about Michael Jackson. Yikes.

After the incident made the news, Shelby County Schools issued a statement saying “no laws or district policies allow teachers to limit students’ expression of religious beliefs in their personal classwork. This was a regrettable misunderstanding, and we as educators must learn from it.” Bravo! I’m glad the school district corrected the misunderstanding. Because too many teachers mistakenly think that their classrooms somehow need to be religion-free zones. That’s simply not true.

Eric Buehrer of Gateways to Better Education—a ministry to Christian parents and educators in public schools—points out that many teachers are not only afraid to talk about religion themselves, but they even stop students, like Erin, from exercising their constitutionally-protected right of free speech. It’s not that teachers are necessarily hostile to Christianity. They are just tremendously misinformed and afraid of getting in trouble.

However, students’ religious liberties are clear. The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidelines for the past 18 years that clearly explain that students in our public schools have the right to express their faith in their assignments. They can witness to their classmates, read their Bibles at school, and yes, they can pray.

The majority of Christian families send their children to public schools. So it’s time we begin helping our schools become more faith-friendly places. And that can begin with Christians already in the system. For example, Emily was a first-grader in Southern California. As Christmas approached, her teacher told the students to bring their favorite holiday books, and she would read them to the class. But when Emily brought her Bible so the teacher could read about the first Christmas, she was told the Bible wasn’t allowed at school. This came to the attention of a district school administrator, who just happened to be a Christian. So he initiated a district-wide retraining of all the elementary teachers regarding students’ religious liberties and how to properly address religious holidays.

Eric Buehrer points out that instead of looking at our schools from an “us versus them” perspective, we should say, “We are them! We’re the teachers, the principals, the school board members, and even the superintendents! The problem is,” says Buehrer, “too many Christians are uninformed about exactly what can be done in schools and how to do it appropriately.”

But here’s the good news: Gateways to Better Education now offers a School Improvement Checklist. It focuses on religious and academic freedom. And it helps schools become places where students feel the freedom to express their faith and learn about the Bible and Christianity. It provides a list of exactly what school policies should be in place and what practices are permissible in the classroom. [check out websites listed below]

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
Takeaction_Faith-Friendly Public Schools: We Can Make a Difference - Next Steps
        Because religious freedom in public schools has been a battleground for years—many war-weary educators, parents, and concerned citizens have become confused over what is legal.   Thankfully, Gateways to Better Education gives clarity to this issue with their School Improvement Checklist. Please pass this commentary on to other parents and teachers through your social network.  Help others learn the truth about religious freedom in the public school system.

The School Improvement Check List - http://www.gtbe.org/news/index.php/5/107.html
Gateways to Better Education website - http://www.gtbe.org/