Prayer is at the center of local fight to be decided in state Superior Court

In Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, the First Amendment is getting a workout during the winter, as two lawsuits over the Lord's Prayer and council members' invocations at public sessions of the governing body are being hard in state Superior Court next week.

At that time, a judge will decide whether to temporarily block the prayers while the court decides the issue. Prayer supporters believe this matter is "political correctness run amok," while opponents are sure this is a case of individual rights being trampled. This local fight has picked up enough inertia that it drew a New York television crew to the governing body's Nov. 30 session.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to multiculturalism, diversity, social justice and religious tolerance. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.