A sad day in New York City

So it has just been announced that the Supreme Court will not hear the case about churches worshiping in schools. Story here.

It's a difficult thing, to be asked to leave a place you've called home. I can understand the discomfort that some have with churches in public schools; however, I fail to see any sort of harm it might do. As Caleb Clardy (pastor of Trinity Grace Brooklyn) pointed out this past Sunday, all of these churches are paying rent (albeit well below market value) to the school district. Certainly schools can always use even a little bit of extra income. Another point to be made is that I don't see how churches being allowed to use schools can in any way be seen as a government endorsement of religion. I in fact don't see how this isn't discrimination, as we are merely a public group who wishes to use an available space. Clearly the auditorium was not in use on Sundays, as we were granted the right to use the space. Now it will just sit there.

I do believe that the vast majority of judges operate in good faith and try to interpret the law as best they can (I'm assuming this case is no exception). And, perhaps if I had a better understanding of the intricacies of constitutional law in this country, I might even agree with the judges who upheld the city's right to evict the churches, if only on a legal basis. Still, this is a difficult ruling to swallow.

All of that said - God is faithful. Trying times can often push us to be better, more prayerful, more reliant on his good grace and less so on ourselves. I am learning that very thing in this, a very difficult financial time for me, and I am certain that churches in New York will also discover this to be true.