The Public-Schooled Christian

Sometimes, talking about Jesus in school feels weird. Not many other people talk about Him. Are we allowed to mention Him in school assignments and share His story with our classmates? Even though it is allowed, it can feel like we’re breaking an unspoken rule when we do so.

Religion, politics, and things of the sort seem to be forbidden topics at school. And they are, in a way—teachers aren’t allowed to give their opinion on those topics in the classroom. But that doesn’t mean we as students can’t. 

In school, we can pray. We can mention God in our assignments and projects. We can openly share the Gospel with people.

However, those things feel unnatural sometimes, at least to me. School isn’t always welcoming to Christian ideas, so we tend to stay away from talking about them. But talking about Jesus shouldn’t feel unnatural or uncomfortable. 

Religion and social issues have come up more in class as I’ve gotten further into high school—especially in social studies and English classes. In my speech and debate class, we have been assigned to give a speech on a controversial topic. In my English class, we are discussing morality and God because of the book we are reading.

Religion is going to be brought up in school. What will you say when it does come up?

It makes it easier to talk about my faith when someone else does, too. I felt comfortable mentioning God in an answer to a question in English class because someone else talked about God in his answer. If you talk about God, chances are, others will follow. 

Christians sometimes stay away from talking about their religion in school. It’s a wonderful thing that we share the gospel with people by loving them. We shouldn’t argue and try to convince others of our opinion on every topic—that isn’t Christ-like. But controversy isn’t something to be avoided at all costs. 

Being a light means living like Jesus has changed us. It can also mean speaking and completing our school assignments like Jesus has changed us. 

I’m not saying we should be ultra-spiritual. We don’t have to bring up Jesus in every conversation, but He shouldn’t be void of our conversations if He is the center of our lives. 

If your life’s goal is to become a pro basketball player, and you spend the majority of your time trying to get better at basketball, whether that be through lifting weights, practicing basketball, or learning about it, wouldn’t you talk about basketball a lot?

But my life goal (and yours, I’m assuming) is to glorify God and become more like Jesus every day. I try to spend as much time as I can learning more about Him and living for Him, though that goal doesn’t always get met. It makes sense that He would make His way into my conversations, too.

Even if we don’t mention Him outright in our conversations, what we believe because of Jesus should influence the way we speak. He is why we don’t swear. He is why we go out of our way to encourage others. He is why we have joy.

Here are some practical ways we can talk about or share our faith at school:

Have you ever been in a conversation where people are discussing what they believe? Last year, the people at my lunch table held very different opinions from me. They disagreed with decisions that I thought were great—like the overturning of Roe vs. Wade… and they talked about it at lunch.

I think they could tell I didn’t agree with them because of the way I was silent in those conversations. I’m glad I didn’t try to argue with them, because it wouldn’t have represented Jesus well. Instead, I tried to love them while not joining in their conversation. 

But if they had asked me my opinion, I would have explained what I thought. And if they asked me why I held that opinion, my answer would have been simple: because of the Bible. 

Have you ever been in a conversation like that or been asked your opinion? It can be a way to share your faith and what you believe. 

At the end of the week, we usually talk about what we’re doing on the weekend. Maybe when someone asks you what you’re doing this weekend, you respond, “I’m going to church.” Maybe you’ll meet a fellow believer and they’ll ask you what church you go to. Or maybe you’ll plant curiousity in a nonbeliever. “What is church like?” they might wonder. 

In school assignments, we display a Christian worldview in our answers to questions. English class has many discussions and questions about morality in it. We don’t have to talk about Christianity, but our answers to these questions will always be based on our worldview—what we believe as Christians.

Maybe you ask a friend of a different religion what they think about Jesus. That is something I did last school year, and it ended with the girl saying that she had always wanted to see what church is like.

Maybe you share the gospel with someone. This is a simple but hard thing to do. Sharing the good news displays how much you love Jesus and can spark curiosity in someone. 

Or maybe you simply talk about Jesus with a fellow believer—whether that be at school or somewhere else. If we’re not comfortable having gospel-centered conversations with other Christians, how will we become comfortable having those conversations with nonbelievers?

Maybe you read the Bible, whether a physical copy or one on your phone, during your free time at school. Not only can this help keep you focused on Christ throughout the day, but it can also spark conversation.

Maybe you pray at school. This doesn’t have to be an eyes-closed, formal prayer. All prayers are impactful, whether they be a blessing before eating lunch, a prayer for a friend, or a quick plea to do well on that science quiz you have next block. James 5:16 says that prayer has great power as it is working.

We are allowed to talk about our faith in school. I want to become more comfortable with it than I am now.

How can you be a light or have a gospel-centered conversation with someone this week? The smallest thing can make a difference.