Dan Secrist is the Senior pastor at Faith Assembly of Lacey, Washington, and for over 35 years, participated as a chaplain in the Washington State Legislature. Secrist's problem is that state officials complained about the prayers he has delivered at the legislature while there has been public criticism of legislators who walked out while a Muslim delivered a prayer. That, according to Secrist, is a double-standard when it comes to tolerance.

Dan Secrist just doesn't get it. You see, Secrist is not shy about saying that:

Jesus put an exclusive claim on truth. And if tolerance becomes the new truth, then there is no such thing as truth. Each person makes up his own moral code, and everyone else is supposed to be OK with it. Nobody’s opinion can be superior to another. Nobody can be incorrect. But Jesus was very exclusive when he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). He said there was such a thing as absolute truth. He said he personified that truth. He claimed to be the only expert.

If a chaplain like Secrist delivers such a message to a legislature, there is a problem. Public funds, public time, and public resources cannot be used to tell public servants and elected officials that only one religion — and possibly not their religion — is valid. It isn’t intolerant for a government official to tell Secrist that such prayers cannot be delivered at the legislature, but it is intolerant for supporters of prayers to walk out simply because they are delivered by the clergy of a religion not their own.

Problems like this are inevitable when the government gets involved with official prayers and official government chaplains. Either the prayers are generic enough that the only complaints come from minorities which no one cares about (like atheists and pagans) or they are specific enough to please a minority of Christians — thus excluding large numbers of other believers.

 

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Government Chaplains