The Pressure To Conform

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Romans 12:1-2

Recently, I had the honor of giving the Invocation, or the opening prayer, for the Legislative Session of the Illinois House of Representatives.  Standing on the floor of the House, with all of its beautiful restorations was impressive.  The very large portraits of Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln looking down on those elected to conduct the people's business was a bit sobering, and yet, historically reassuring.  

Of course, I was very thankful for my own Representative's gracious invitation.  But mostly, I thanked God for allowing me this great opportunity.  Given the facts that the last time I was in that room, I was eleven years old and that I had only been saved for about a month then -- I didn't want to waste this once in a lifetime opportunity now!

Minutes before being taken to the floor of the House Chamber, I was led to the Office of the Clerk where I was handed a very official looking letter embossed with the Seal of the State of Illinois, and addressed to me as a "Confirmation of Invocation" letter.  I was asked to sign it in recognition of its contents.

Honestly, I wasn't too surprised by the body of the letter. However, I was disappointed.  Let me share with you the main paragraph:

"Please be advised the federal courts have placed certain restrictions on the practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer.  To comply with those court decisions, prayers must be non-sectarian and must not be used to proselytize or advance any one faith or belief or to disparage any other faith or belief.  Further, prayers should not make reference to religious figures that are unique to any one religion, or make any other denominational appeal.  In recognition of the diversity of religious faiths in the General Assembly and in the State of Illinois, we ask that you respect these judicial decisions and the numerous different faiths practiced by our members and constituents."

My mind raced...  and the pressure to conform began to build.  

If signing this letter meant that I would not mention or pray in the name of Jesus, then I would not sign it.  Case closed!  That was not even an issue for me.  I felt no pressure to conform there.

I'm not sure which lawyers drew up these "restrictions" of "the free exercise of religion", but as I read it, I realized that it was designed to pressure people practicing substantive prayer in the public arena.

The pressure I faced came from another quarter:  would I be signing in agreement to pray a certain way, all the while knowing that I would not be honoring my own agreement?  In other words, would my signature reflect dishonest intent on my part?  Would I be lying?  

As the clerk stepped away into another office, giving me time to read the letter in it's entirety, there was a unique pressure to conform.  Not an overt pressure by any one individual, but an overt pressure nevertheless.

Non-sectarian prayer?  Well, I only pray to One God who has revealed Himself to mankind in three Persons:  Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.  While historically defining Independent Baptists as a denomination is inaccurate, I was not there to advance any denominational causes.

The thought of a "non-sectarian prayer" is ridiculous.  Would we not expect a Muslim to pray to Allah, a Jew to pray to Almighty God, and a Christian to pray in the name of Jesus; even in the public square?  Of course we would!  The restriction of praying a vague prayer to a vague deity renders the restriction and the prayer to be pointless.  And, maybe that is the ultimate goal.

Now came the line, "...prayers should not make reference to religious figures that are unique to any one religion..."  How was I going to deal with this?  

Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and therefore, God Himself.  The Scriptures clearly teach that and I believe it.  Jesus tells His children to come to the Father in prayer on the basis of the authority of the Son.  That's what it means to pray in Jesus' name.

However, Jesus isn't unique to "any one religion."  Islam teaches that Jesus is a prophet.  Many religions believe Him to be a teacher.  Some religions, even some atheists, recognize Him as a good man.  

Thanks for the legal loophole.  Pressure removed.

With my signature, I acknowledged their "restrictions" to our "free exercise of religion", and I chose to ignore them.  By the grace of God, I will not conform to this world. 

I had no intention of purposefully offending anyone, but the truth of who Jesus really is and what He did will always be an offense and a stumbling block in this day and age.  The Bible says as much in 1 Corinthians 1:18-23.

May you and I always stand for Jesus Christ in truth and love.