On Monday, speaking from the Museum of the Bible in Washington, President Donald Trump gave a clear and timely promise. He promised that under its renewed leadership, the Ministry of Education will ensure that no student or teacher is punished for praying in public schools.
In a time when so many Americans are worried about the moral direction of education, this kind of clarity is not only welcome, but also much too late.
As president of a Christian university, I see every day how prayer is the lives of students. I have seen them turn to God for wisdom, for peace and for courage, not because someone told them, but because they were free to do that.
President Donald Trump speaks at a hearing of the religious Liberty Commission in the Museum of the Bible 8 September 2025 in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
When students are allowed to bring their entire self, including their faith into the learning environment, education becomes a bit deeper. It will be formation. And that should not only be limited to private institutions.
Forgive me, but I was wrong with school prayer
President Trump clearly said: “To have a big nation, you must have religion. “He’s right. The power of our country is always comfortable on the moral basis of its people. When that base erodes, everything that is built on it is character, citizenship, even freedom itself.
For far too long, schools have misunderstood the first amendment. The expression “separation of church and state” has been abused to push prayer and religious expression out of public life. Students have told that they cannot pray during lunch. They cannot bend their heads for a competition. They cannot mention their faith in a speech.
Many school managers are not hostile to faith, just afraid to exceed a legal line. But the law has always been clear: personal, voluntary prayer is not only permitted, it is protected.
President Trump’s proposal is not about forcing religion in the classroom. The point is to protect freedom to express it. Students have the right to read the Bible, to organize prayer groups and talk about their faith as long as it is not disturbing or compelling. These rights do not disappear at the door of the school building. If there is something, they are most needed in the places where our young people are formed for the future.
We see all what happens when schools lose their moral center. Removing prayer and faith from public education did not lead to a more neutral environment. It created a vacuum. And in that vacuum, confusion and fear have grown.
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Students are handed over every ideology under the sun, but they are not invited to consider the truth that the American experiment has formed in the first place. Prayer does not solve every problem, but it bases the soul. It reminds us that we are not alone and that our lives have a goal outside of ourselves.
The land is solid from a legal perspective. The Supreme Court has made it clear that both teachers and students have the right to personal religious expression. The recent case of Kennedy v. Bremerton confirmed that even public employees can pray privately, as long as it is not officially endorsed by the school. The protection is even stronger for students. The federal government has the right to ensure that these constitutional rights are not ignored or refused.
At the same time, this guidance comes at a time when the federal Ministry of Education is being reduced. That makes this step even more important. It tells the country that religious freedom is not a second -class right. It is fundamental. And it deserves active protection, no passive tolerance.
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President Trump’s promise is not just about prayer in schools. It is about restoring the place of belief in public life. He is right to say that our children should not be ashamed of their beliefs. Religious freedom does not threaten democracy. It strengthens it. If we want to raise young people with character and conviction, we cannot ask them to check their beliefs at the door.
Let the students pray. Let the teachers lead with integrity. Let public schools be placed again where truth, character and freedom are not only taught but lived. The danger for our schools has never been prayer. The real danger pretends we don’t need it.
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