The writer of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher, doesn’t pull punches. He said, “Whatever has been is what will be again, and whatever has already been done is what will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun.”
And this isn’t the first year we’ve heard of graduation speeches by valedictorians being shredded and the speaker told to stand down because of incorporating statements of faith. So what’s different? This year a high school graduate, Elizabeth Turner, fought back.
Elizabeth’s principal reviewed the draft, as is the custom, and highlighted a portion of it. She told Elizabeth she couldn’t have religious content in her speech. I’ll give the principal some slack, she probably did not know she was violating federal law doing that. But in the back of my mind, I keep hearing, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”—especially when the ignorant one is in a position of authority.
But this principal told Elizabeth, “[Y]ou are representing the school in the speech, not using the podium as your public forum.
We need to be mindful about the inclusion of religious aspects. These are your strong beliefs, but they are not appropriate for a speech in a school public setting. I know this will frustrate you, but we have to be mindful of it.”
Elizabeth turned to First Liberty Institute for help, who sent a letter to the principal informing her that federal law permits private religious speech at school events. Such speech is “not subject to the Establishment Clause.” The letter demanded that Elizabeth be able to give her speech as written. The school Superintendent Shawn Vondra checked out the speech as written and said the “speech content is absolutely appropriate.”
Here is the portion that the principal felt should be deleted:
For me, my future hope is found in my relationship with Christ. By trusting in him and choosing to live a life dedicated to bringing his kingdom glory, I can be confident that I am living a life with purpose and meaning.
My identity is found by what God says and who I want to become is laid out in scripture. Whether we want to admit it or not, not one of us can be certain of how our lives will unfold, but we do know that trials will come. The reality of this is that we face an unpredictable future, and while we are making all these plans to prepare, ultimately none of us are promised tomorrow, making it all the more important to make today count.
Praise God for young people of faith who do not cower before flawed authority. Praise God for parents who raise such a faithful daughter. Praise God for legal defenders like First Liberty Institute. I know standing up for your faith is not really something “new under the sun,” but it is not today’s norm. Let’s commit to making a statement of our own faith public as Elizabeth did, and perhaps it will become “whatever has already been done is what will be done again” and again, and again.