(Jesus said) "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12

According to reports, the 15-year-old Wisconsin boy, a Christian boy, was asked to write an article for his school newspaper.

The article of this Christian teen was to speak against same-sex couples adopting children, while another student was to take the opposing point of view. Both positions were published in the school newspaper.

When a male couple who had adopted a child saw the article against homosexual adoptions, they complained to the school administration. An apology was immediately sent out -- an apology which said the lad's article had been disrespectful and bullying.

Next, the student was called in to the principal's office. Without his parents being notified, the boy spent hours with the man in authority. During that time he was told he was ignorant; he was told he should write an apology and was informed he could be suspended for bullying.

Now if this story is true -- and a fair number of articles indicate that it is -- it's difficult to calculate the number of things which have gone wrong.

• A boy who used Scripture to fulfill an assignment is being penalized for his personal position. That's a violation of freedom of speech and religion.

• That article which ran in the school paper has been censored in the name of political correctness is a violation of freedom of the press.

• Those in authority who are charged with preventing bullying have used their position to bully someone in an inferior position. That is a violation of school rules.

I doubt if the lad feels he is being blessed because -- like the prophets -- he has been persecuted. More likely, he feels he is a victim, who has been told to discount his conscience and that which he has been taught.

It is a sad moment in our nation's history when constitutional rights are set aside and replaced by political correctness.

This is why we need to pray for this student and others, who are boldly taking a stand and who -- like Peter and John -- say, "We must obey God rather than men" (see Acts 5:29). We need to pray that Christians may come together and ask, "Why must we accept that which is against our faith and no one need respect that which we believe?"

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant us young men and women who, in their time, may cling to the cross and proclaim the Savior's salvation to a world which doesn't want to hear. This I pray in my Savior's Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 39-40    Matthew 21:23-46

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