As a pastor and coach, I let my athletes pray if they want — and support those who don’t

I have thought a lot about the role prayer should play in high school sports.

I’ve been a pastor for 13 years. Currently, I serve at the Christian Church in Philadelphia, located in Chestnut Hill. Last year, I began coaching football at Bensalem High School. As a seminarian at Palmer Theological Seminary, I volunteered with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where we helped to lead and disciple Christian athletes throughout their various seasons.

So I have some thoughts about the recent Supreme Court decision regarding prayer’s role in sports.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court sided with Joseph Kennedy, a former football coach in Bremerton, Wash., who wanted to pray at the 50-yard line after each game, and invited other players to join him. The school district where he worked had objected, saying it didn’t want it to seem as if the school were endorsing any one religion. This is understandable: The goal of public education is to foster a safe and inclusive environment for all who attend and participate.

That being said, of course I believe it should be legal for the coach to be able to pray before or after the game. It is a slippery slope that we risk if we say someone cannot pray, whether it is praying as a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu, etc. The right to practice our religious beliefs is one of the great aspects of our nation. However, just because we have the right to do something doesn’t mean we should not be mindful of the rights of others.

I believe in the God of the Christian Bible. But in my capacity as the head football coach of Bensalem High, I choose to let Matthew 6:6 guide me: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

This past season, a group of players asked if we as a team could pray before games. I agreed with the request but was clear and adamant that this time of prayer was purely optional, and insisted that it take place before the game, and in the locker room. The kids who choose to pray go in a separate room, but I don’t go with them. As the head coach, I stay with the kids who don’t want to pray to a Christian god. I always want every member of the team to feel supported — both as players and as young men.

Yes, the kids know I am a pastor. The kids know what I believe. But when I put that whistle around my neck, we all must be on the same page, collectively working as a unit to achieve our goals. I want the kids who don’t choose to pray to the God of the Bible to know that we respect their beliefs. While some kids choose to pray to a Christian god, I insist to the others that they can pray to a different god, or offer a Jewish prayer, or a Muslim prayer, or no prayer at all. That’s absolutely fine with me. We can sit in silence or talk — whatever they want.

“I want the kids who don’t choose to pray to the God of the Bible to know that we respect their beliefs.”

So while I support the Supreme Court’s decision, and have created a space for Christian prayer for my team, I never want any player to feel forced to participate, or to feel as if they don’t have space to pray to a different god, if they choose. I was disturbed to learn that some of Kennedy’s players said they felt pressured to participate, and worried that they might not get as much playing time if they didn’t.

In my view, it is wildly inappropriate for me to ever pressure my players to believe what I believe or pray how I pray.

I have nothing against prayer in high school sports. But I believe it should be done in private, off the field, promoting the mutual respect that a public school setting demands. While I support coach Joseph Kennedy’s decision to offer a prayer for his students after a game, the pictures show a huge number of players, gathered in front of the audience at the 50-yard line, all praying to a Christian god. That, to me, risks alienating others in a public institution.

For me, as a pastor and Christian, prayer is a vital aspect of my life. As a football coach at a public school, I believe it’s important that it is practiced with sensitivity and understanding of others.

The Rev. Alexander G. Houston is the pastor at the Christian Church in Philadelphia and the football coach at Bensalem High School.