My solution to the problem of public prayer

Prayer on public occasions and in public gatherings is becoming more and more of a problem in our diverse society, at a time when most folks of whatever theological persuasion would probably agree that we need prayer more than ever.

In my humble opinion, public prayer has gotten a bad name because certain groups have abused the practice, making it an opportunity to proselytize for a particular brand of Christianity. Others of the Christian persuasion, not to mention the Jew or the Moslem citizen, our neighbor or perhaps us, suddenly become aware that they are being insulted rather than prayed over.

Admittedly, it is difficult for the Christian not to pray 'in Jesus' name'. The Scripture says that if we ask anything in Jesus' name, God will give it to us (John 16:23).

There is nothing magical about this, if you understand that the concept of 'name' has less to do with a moniker and more to do with one's 'good name'. That is, what you stand for, your honor, and so on. What Jesus stands for means everything to the Christian, as the gospel writer John points out.

And that is, that the Creator God loved us so much that he showed up in person– in the person of Jesus– and took a chance on rescuing us from the mess we have gotten ourselves into. You remember: John 3:16? The verse we all learned when we were five, even though we had no idea what it meant? (If you missed out, it is often referred to as a key to the whole Scripture.) But 'us' includes all of us.

So here is my solution. Let us close our prayers with 'To God be the Glory, Amen', remembering that there is one Lord, God and father of us all, whose love is not limited to one group. The Latin, 'Deo gloria,' would work well also.

The words of an old gospel song come to mind:

To God be the Glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son...

–Fanny J. Crosby, 1875 (Frances Jane Crosby Van Alystyne, 1820-1915, American teacher, poet, and 'Gospel Song' writer. Often referred to as "blind" hymn writer Fanny Crosby, she was blind from the age of 6 months and is known for the writing of over 8,000 hymns.)

Or remember the starry night when the heavens exploded with a 'multitude' singing angel song:

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, goodwill among people. &ndash Luke 2:14

So let us not outlaw appropriate public prayer. (Professed atheists will just have to take their chances– if they are smart they will realize we need all the help we can get.)