Faith on the 50-Yard Line: Coach Kennedy’s Victory for Religious Freedom

Coach Joseph Kennedy’s story is one of faith coming head to head with an opposing secular culture, resulting in a legal battle that has significantly reshaped the landscape of religious freedom in the U.S. Kennedy, an assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington State, began a personal tradition of kneeling at the 50-yard line to offer a brief, silent prayer of thanks after each game. At first this practice went on unnoticed, but when pointed out to school officials, they were wary of violating the Establishment Clause. He was asked to make his prayers less visible or cease them altogether. Initially, Kennedy complied by praying off the field, but he felt this compromised his faith.

Convicted to stay true to his commitment to God, Kennedy resumed his tradition of praying at the 50-yard line after the games, escalating the situation and ultimately leading to his placement on administrative leave and eventual non-rehiring, ending his tenure at Bremerton High School. This sparked a legal battle with Kennedy suing the district with the help of First Liberty, claiming violations of his First Amendment rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion.

The case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, journeyed through the legal system, with lower courts initially siding with the school district by applying the Lemon Test, a long-standing metric for determining Establishment Clause violations. The three parts of the Lemon Test mandate: the primary purpose must be secular, religion must not be promoted or inhibited, and that there be no excessive entanglement between church and state. This test has been widely used in court decisions, the Lemon Test being cited in hundreds of decisions since its determination in the 1971 Lemon Case. It is one of many ways Christians have been wedged out of the public sphere and our expression stifled.

Kennedy appealed his case, and in a landmark decision in 2022, Justice Neil Gorsuch led the Court to overturn the Lemon Test, deeming it obsolete. The Court introduced a new framework based on historical practices, emphasizing that Kennedy’s prayers were personal expressions, not coercive or school-endorsed, thus protecting his right to religious expression.

This ruling signified a pivotal moment for Christians seeking to assert freedom of religion and positively influence our nation for Christ. The demise of the Lemon Test, established in 1971 by Lemon v. Kurtzman, removes a significant barrier which often stifled religious expression in public spaces by enforcing a stringent standard under the Establishment Clause. By replacing it with a historical understanding, the Court has ushered in a new era reflecting a more authentic interpretation of our founding principles.

This decision was a revival of religious freedom, affirming that individuals like Coach Kennedy can engage in personal religious activities without legal repercussions. This has opened a door for Christians to take back ground, forging new ways of expressing our faith publicly, as well as revisit old cases that can now be overturned. The end of the Lemon Test was overdue, as it often misinterpreted the separation of church and state, marginalizing religious expression in public life. In a world where Christians have been continuously ceding ground to the secularists and worshippers of the state, it is time to finally change from a defensive posture to one of advancing our beliefs and faith, infusing our society with them.

In that sense, this was more than a legal victory; it’s a profound call to action. Without the Lemon Test, we now have a broader platform to assert our religious freedom, to pray publicly, to witness, and to serve. Coach Kennedy gives us an example for boldly living our faith in the face of strong, institutional opposition. I encourage fellow Christians to draw inspiration from Coach Kennedy’s story and our newly affirmed legal standing, to boldly step forward, and advance His glory and kingdom in every aspect of our lives, both privately and publicly.