Defend Your Faith Devotional for KidsSample

Day 5: Can I Share My Faith at School? 

Have you heard stories of kids getting in trouble for sharing their faith in Jesus at school? As unfair as it sounds, these reports are often true.

Maybe you’ve heard people say the separation of church and state prevents you from telling other students about Jesus. That’s not true. The separation of church and state protects your legal right to live out your faith. But there’s a right way to show your faith in school. For instance, in the United States:

• You have the right to pray silently or quietly before a test, your lunch, or whenever else you want to pray. You do not have the right to pray out loud whenever you want, especially when you’re supposed to be quiet (like during a test).

• You have the right to talk about Jesus with other students at recess or in the lunchroom. You do not have the right to break school rules to tell others about God. Shouting in the library or talking about God when your teacher is speaking will get you into trouble.

• You have the right to read your Bible at school. You can read during free time, lunch, or recess. You don’t have the right to read it when you’re supposed to be doing schoolwork. 

• You have the right to use Christian-themed notebooks and school supplies and to wear religious-themed clothing. But you can’t break your school’s dress code if it prohibits messages on clothes.

• You have the right to start a student-led Christian club. You just have to follow the same rules of other student-led clubs, such as having a teacher sponsor or meeting at specific times. You don’t have the right to harass other students to join your club or to interrupt instruction time to tell others about the club.

Defend Your Faith

Do all your rights to tell kids about Jesus at school surprise you?

When it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus, you have a lot of rights . . . and a lot of responsibilities. God wants you to be His witness close to home and spread out from there—and school is a great place to start. 

When you tell others about Jesus and follow the laws, you become a powerful witness. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). You shouldn’t break the rules to share your faith. Know your rights; then live powerfully for God.