Trump gets it: Prayer isn’t the problem. Silencing it is

On Monday, speaking from the Museum of the Bible in Washington, President Donald Trump issued a clear and timely promise. He pledged that under his renewed leadership, the Department of Education will ensure no student or teacher is punished for praying in public schools. 

In a moment when so many Americans are worried about the moral direction of education, this kind of clarity is not only welcome but long overdue.

As the president of a Christian university, I see every day how prayer shapes the lives of students. I’ve seen them turn to God for wisdom, for peace and for courage, not because anyone told them to, but because they were free to do so. 

President Donald Trump speaks at a hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

When students are allowed to bring their whole selves, including their faith, into the learning environment, education becomes something deeper. It becomes formation. And that should not be limited to private institutions alone.

FORGIVE ME, BUT I WAS WRONG ABOUT SCHOOL PRAYER

President Trump put it plainly: "To have a great nation, you have to have religion." He’s right. The strength of our country has always rested on the moral foundation of its people. When that foundation erodes, so does everything built upon it, character, citizenship, even freedom itself.

For far too long, schools have misunderstood the First Amendment. The phrase "separation of church and state" has been misused to push prayer and religious expression out of public life. Students have been told they can’t pray at lunch, they can’t bow their heads before a game, they can’t mention their faith in a speech. 

Many school administrators are not hostile to faith, just afraid of crossing a legal line. But the law has always been clear: personal, voluntary prayer is not only allowed, it is protected.

President Trump’s proposal is not about forcing religion into the classroom. It is about protecting the freedom to express it. Students have the right to read the Bible, to organize prayer groups, and to speak about their faith as long as it is not disruptive or coercive. These rights don’t disappear at the schoolhouse door. If anything, they are most needed in the places where our young people are being shaped for the future.

We are already seeing what happens when schools lose their moral center. The removal of prayer and faith from public education did not lead to a more neutral environment. It created a vacuum. And in that vacuum, confusion and anxiety have grown. 

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Students are being handed every ideology under the sun, but they are not being invited to consider the truth that shaped the American experiment in the first place. Prayer does not solve every problem, but it grounds the soul. It reminds us that we are not alone and that our lives have purpose beyond ourselves.

From a legal perspective, the ground is solid. The Supreme Court has made it clear that teachers and students alike have the right to personal religious expression. The recent Kennedy v. Bremerton case affirmed that even public employees may pray privately, as long as it is not officially endorsed by the school. For students, the protections are even stronger. The federal government has every right to make sure these constitutional rights are not being ignored or denied.

At the same time, this guidance comes at a moment when the federal Department of Education is being scaled back. That makes this move even more significant. It tells the country that religious liberty is not a second-tier right. It is foundational. And it deserves active protection, not passive tolerance.

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President Trump’s pledge is not just about prayer in schools. It is about restoring the place of faith in public life. He is right to say that our children should not be made to feel ashamed of their beliefs. Religious liberty 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 faith at the door.

Let the students pray. Let the teachers lead with integrity. Let public schools once again become places where truth, character and freedom are not only taught but lived. The danger to our schools has never been prayer. The real danger is pretending we don’t need it.

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