Roy's Rock

"Roy's Rock"

On the night of July 31, 2001 Roy Moore, the newly elected Chief
Justice of the State of Alabama, ordered a massive stone carving of
the 10 Commandments installed in a prominent place in the Supreme
Court Building in Montgomery.

"Roy's Rock" weighed 5,280 pounds. Its installation was filmed by
Coral Ridge Ministries, a Christian group that later sold videotapes
of the proceeding.

Judge Moore justified his extraordinary act by claiming that the 10
Commandments were the moral foundation of American law and needed to
be on permanent display as people came into court. Thousands of
demonstrators stood on the courthouse steps to support Roy and his Rock.

Was he right? Not in the view of every other judge who considered
Roy's claim. Roy was ordered to take the rock out of the courthouse.
When he refused he was removed from office by the other judges of
Alabama.

What is going on here? Many Americans sincerely feel its important to
post Christian symbols in public places and to require prayer in
public schools. Are they right? What can Christians do to live their
private values in the public sphere?

This Sunday at 9:45 Doug Trant and I begin to tackle the thorny
question of what Christians can and cannot do to live Christian lives
in public places in America. To tip my hand, I confess that I am much
more concerned about teaching our kids to pray at home than I am about
requiring them to pray at school.

Come join us, as we look at Roy's Rock and discuss its implications.

Charles