On Sept. 1, Joe Kennedy, an assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington state, went to the 50-yard line after a game, knelt on one knee and prayed silently for 10 seconds.

Five days later, he hit the showers, resigning from the job he had gone to the Supreme Court to regain. In a 6-3 decision in June 2022, the high court said Mr. Kennedy’s First Amendment rights were violated when the Bremerton School District ordered the former Marine not to pray in public after games.

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Mr. Kennedy spoke with The Washington Times hours after his resignation letter reached Paul Theriault, the school’s head coach. He cited family concerns and a lack of support from the school district’s officials following his return to the gridiron.

Defending masculinity a ‘Herculean’ task, actor who played Hercules says

If anyone knows what a Herculean task is, it’s actor Kevin Sorbo, who portrayed the mythological superhero on television for years.

But the actor and Christian also knows a lot about “the importance of masculinity,” and he’s written a new children’s book, “The Test of Lionhood,” to explain it.

According to The Times’ Valerie Richardson, Mr. Sorbo wants to help “boys to become boys and let girls be girls, and let them decide what they want their lives to be about when they get old enough to make a decision on their own.”

‘Outsourcing’ children’s spiritual development will hurt kids, evangelical researcher says

It’s understandable: Raising kids today is a time-consuming effort. But leaving your children’s spiritual development to “experts” outside the home is a recipe for future problems, an evangelical Christian researcher said.

According to George Barna, who leads the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, more than 90% of parents say they lack a plan for their child’s spiritual development. That’s despite research indicating children begin to develop their worldview between 15 and 18 months. By age 13, their way of making sense of life and its issues “is largely in place,” he reported.

This worldview crisis, he said, has led to half of all teens in the category of “don’ts,” people who don’t know if there is a God, don’t believe in His existence or “don’t care one way or the other.”

Pro-life group can demonstrate at Fresno abortion clinic, California AG concedes

Closing nearly two years of litigation, California Attorney General Rob Bonta settled with a pro-life group whose right to demonstrate at an abortion clinic next door to its Fresno office was under threat from a 2021 law safeguarding vaccination sites.

Right to Life of Central California has a parking lot adjacent to one for Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility, which is also linked by a common sidewalk. SB 742, which was intended to protect COVID-19 vaccination sites, was invoked in the pro-life battle because Planned Parenthood dispenses a vaccine to prevent HPV infections.

The pro-life group said the law infringed on its free speech rights, something Mr. Bonta’s settlement conceded.

Alabama governor wants answers about ‘sexually suggestive’ books for kids

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey wants the state’s library service to answer questions about allegations of “sexually suggestive” books being available in the children’s sections of local libraries, Ms. Richardson reported this week.

The Republican governor asked Alabama Public Library Service director Nancy Pack to explain why the books were made available “without adequate means of parental supervision.”

“Parents are saying, if our children and youth are going to encounter these books at all, it should be because of a considered family decision, not the whims of a local library,” Ms. Ivey wrote.

In our opinion

Greg Laurie: Ask ‘who to turn to’ in face of tragedies such as Maui’s wildfires

Pastor Greg Laurie is known to millions through this year’s “Jesus Revolution” movie and his Harvest Church crusades in Anaheim, California. The church also has had a congregation on the Hawaiian island of Maui for many years, and Mr. Lauire has been a regular visitor since the 1970s.

He returned after the recent wildfires that devastated Lahaina, killing at least 115 and probably many more who are listed as missing.

But instead of asking, “Why did God allow this to happen?” Mr. Laurie says the better question is, “Who do we turn to in times of trouble?” The answer: Jesus, whom the Bible calls “the God of all comfort” in 2 Corinthians 1:4.

Hallowell: Cancel culture ‘mob’ under fire from ‘surprising’ roster of Hollywood stars

Has “cancel culture” — in which folks are blacklisted over controversial or counter-cultural opinions — reached a dead end?

Columnist Billy Hallowell raises the question, noting: “It seems there’s a growing wave — even among some surprising Hollywood elite — against cancel culture and toward a more reasonable approach to disagreement and divergent opinion.”

He notes A-list actress Jennifer Aniston saying she is “so over” cancel culture, while comedian Chonda Pierce argues that canceling “does a blatant disservice to comedy.”

Spencer: Follow Apostle Paul’s lead in confronting political climate

As the 2024 political season looms on the horizon, Christians shouldn’t let divisions keep them from being “all things to all people” in evangelistic outreach, columnist James Spencer says.

While it’s almost impossible to avoid major issues, the question is whether our expressed opinions on a given topic might block people from hearing the Christian message.

“There are a number of legitimate reasons to engage in politics. However, none of those legitimate reasons overshadow our fundamental mission of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20),” he writes.

Ask Dr. E: Can’t we all just get along, like the ‘COEXIST’ bumper sticker says?

Those bumper stickers urging all of us to “COEXIST,” spelling the word out with various religious symbols, represents “feel-good nonsense,” columnist Everett Piper says in response to a reader’s question.

“All religions are not equal. They can’t be because they don’t make equal claims,” he writes. “Pretending that we all agree does not make it so, especially when we don’t.”

Podcast: Turning America Around, from a Christian CEO

In the Higher Ground Podcast this week, Billy Hallowell discussed how Christian commitment can help reverse the course of America’s decline, something he discussed with veteran corporate CEO Dennis Allen, author of “The Disciple Dilemma: Rethinking and Reforming How the Church Does Discipleship.” Times Reporter Valerie Richardson also joins him to discuss the latest issues in society.