Recently, the City Manager of Carlsbad, California, forbade a chaplain from invoking the name of Jesus in their prayers. Supposedly, the order would have allowed any other name but Jesus. A chaplain could have used Allah, Jehovah, etc., just not Jesus. Of course, this is unconstitutional and won’t even pass muster in the 9th Circuit. It will be overturned. However, in the meantime, the chaplain refused to take part in a Police Academy graduation. He has, of course, secured legal counsel.
Many may remember that I recently shared thoughts on our practice of saying “In Jesus’s Name” at the end of a prayer. First, I do not see it as a magic formula. Neither is it like “Simon says.” I shared that because years ago, I witnessed some Christians take offense when a fellow believer prayed but, for some reason, left off that final part. Of course, nothing requires us to say any such thing. Praying in Jesus’s name is a heart condition and not a matter of verbal formula.
So, do I disagree with the chaplain? Nope. I think the chaplain was right to refuse to take part. I would have done likewise. Almost thirty years ago, the principal of our local school asked me to do the invocation for an upcoming graduation. Before I accepted, she quickly asked, “Is there any way you could pray without saying ‘in Jesus’s name’?” I looked at her for a second, and I’m sure she could read my face. She displayed significant discomfort at what she had just said. She quickly apologized. She decided not to have an invocation, so it dropped there.
Here’s how I handle it: If someone asks me to pray, they do so because they know I am a pastor, so I always accept. But I refuse if they inject any rules (what can’t be said or must be said). It is then up to them to decide if they want me. Of course, the Carlsbad, California case is a matter of a government official trying to sideline certain religious practices. That is different. Take them to court.
But so far as I can tell, there is something else to look at. The chaplain expressed his rights by refusing to take part. It does not appear that he got angry or demanded anything. There is a time to take legal action. There is a time to back away. We should be wise about which is appropriate. I did not pursue action because even the principal decided it was inappropriate. She decided no one would open with prayer. In Carlsbad, any prayer but one mentioning Jesus would have been welcome. This is very different.
We are called to stand up for Jesus. But we are also called to be gentle and wise.