Guilty

Hi lovely readers! I'm Ninja4theKing!

Recently I decided I wanted to start an account for the Christians (and hopefully soon-to-be Christians) on this site. I want to write stories that draw inspiration from Christian music and movies. I hope that I will help spread God's love and encourage others, because everyone needs some encouragement.

This story was inspired by the movie God's Not Dead 2. It comes out on April 1, so I haven't seen it yet, but I have seen previews, so I get what it's about. If you can, go watch it next month. I definitely will! I also drew inspiration from the song "Guilty" by Newsboys. Their new album was released yesterday, when I wrote this (I haven't checked it out much but I probably will later), so I think my timing is pretty good. Anyways, I hope you guys like this story! Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ninjago, the Bible verses, or the inspiration for my story.

Enjoy!

"Heads up!"

Jay turned around at the sound of one of his students' voices. "What do you -" He was cut off as a spitball hit him, sticking to his blue shirt. He sighed. "Johnny, was that you?"

A kid at the back of the class snickered, giving his friend a high five.

Jay crossed his arms. "Now, Johnny, do I need to send you to see Mr. Wu?"

"Sorry, Mr. Jay," Johnny apologized. "It won't happen again."

"You know it will," Jay said. "But don't worry. I can't tell you how many spitballs I launched at my teachers back in the day."

The class laughed in unison.

"Besides," he continued, "Wu's not here anyway. He went to meet up with Lloyd somewhere. For the next two weeks, we have a stand-in principal, Mr. Stanley."

A girl spoke up. "Hey, I know who he is. He used to work at my old school."

"It's a small world, Anna," Jay observed. "Which is kind of an oxymoron, considering how big the world actually is."

"What's an oxymoron?"

Jay laughed. "Ask Mr. Kai," he said. "I teach history, not english. Which reminds me, we'd better get started on today's lesson." He picked up a book from his desk and started flipping through the pages. "Hmm, let's see…" He stopped on one of the pages. "Ah, here we are. 'The Big Bang Theory.'" He shook his head quickly. "Wait, what?"

"This sounds cool!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Isn't that how the world was made?" Anna asked.

Jay scanned the pages, frantic. "Wait, I can't teach this! This is all wrong."

"It's in the history book," another student pointed out. "It must be true."

"It's not," he argued. "It goes against God's word." He slammed the book down on the desk and instead reached for a smaller one. He looked through it for a minute and started writing on the whiteboard. "New lesson: Creation 101," he said. "With words from the Creator himself."

"Mr. Jay," Anna said, "isn't it against the school code to skip the curriculum?"

"Yeah," Johnny added, "and it's against the law to teach about God in school."

Jay's jaw dropped. "What?" He asked, shocked.

"It's right here," Johnny told him. He pulled up a web page on his phone. "'Section 47BS: Teaching based on religion is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted.'"

"Let me see that," Jay ordered. He looked at the screen, and his heart sank. "Well, I can see why this is Section 47BS, because this is BS." He walked back to the front of the class and stood in silence. After a few moments, he sat down in his chair and picked up the smaller book once again. He opened it to a random page and read the words in his head. "This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9)." Jay nodded and stood up once again. "Alright," he said. "Forget the laws of man and the rules of the school. There's only one law I have to live by, and if following it means breaking the others, then I want to be guilty."

He opened his Bible to Genesis and began teaching his class the truth about how the world was created. "The first verse in God's book is this: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'"

As he spoke, the door to the classroom opened, and a man walked in quietly.

Jay continued speaking, not noticing the man. "See kids? The world was created by God, not some stupid 'bang.'"

"Very interesting, Mr. Walker," the newcomer spoke up, making the blue ninja jump.

"Principal Stanley!" He exclaimed. "What brings you to my humble history classroom?"

Stanley tilted his head. "History?" He repeated. "It doesn't sound like you were teaching history, Jay. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it appears you were not only violating the school code of conduct, but also breaking the law. Am I wrong?"

Jay stared at him, frozen. "Um, n-no…" He stammered.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in," Stanley said.

Jay's blue eyes widened. "You're not?"

"Of course not," Stanley replied. He smirked. "As long as you correct your mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple," he told him. "Tell your class that this isn't true." His grin widened. "Tell them that God is dead."

Jay stared at him, his heart beating at the speed of lightning. "I-I can't do that," he said.

"Well, I suggest you get over yourself. Or would you rather we take this to court? Never before in the history of Ninjago has a lowly teacher like yourself won a lawsuit like this. Every single one of them lost their job and never again worked in the industry," he growled. "But you wouldn't know that, because clearly you don't teach history after all."

The ninja thought for a minute, trying unsuccessfully to fight his feelings of panic. He steadied himself and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stanley," he said. "I'd rather stand with God and be judged by the world, than stand with the world and be judged by God."

Stanley narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he replied. "Have it your way. I look forward to seeing you in court. Good day, Mr. Walker." He exited the classroom, slamming the door behind him.

Jay sat in the courtroom, unable to control his nerves. What have I gotten myself into? He wondered. What if I don't win? I'd lose my job…I love this job…

"Jay, are you okay?"

He looked up to see Nya sitting next to him, her brown eyes wide with concern. "Um, yeah," he replied. "Just nervous, that's all."

"Afraid of losing your job?" She asked.

"I guess," Jay said. "But that's not what really matters. I don't care that much if I lose this case...I just don't want God to lose."

Nya smiled. "God doesn't lose," she reassured him. "If He wants you to win, you'll win, without a doubt."

"I'm lucky to have you, Nya," Jay told her. "You're a great lawyer, and an even better friend."

"Aww, Jay," she said, "thank you. But it's not me who's gonna win the case. You should be thanking God. He's the best lawyer you could ask for. He always wins in the end."

"But He hasn't won this case for me yet," he reminded her.

"So?" Nya said. "He will. Ever heard of faith?"

Jay looked down. "It's harder than it seems."

"Believe me, I know," she agreed. "You know me, Jay. I give up on something the second I realize I can't do it. I don't like having things done for me - I want to do everything myself. Trusting God to handle my problems for me is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. But it's well worth it. You'll see."

"I just don't want to let Him down."

"You've done your part," she told him. "He's using you to prove His power, and you're letting Him. You're willing to give up this part of your life for Him, because He gave His life for you."

He nodded. "You're right," he said.

"All rise for Judge Johnson."

Everyone stood up as the judge entered the room and made her way to her podium.

"Thank you," she said. "Let's begin today's case: The State vs. Jay Walker." She looked through the case files. "Ah. A teacher discussing God in his class. Haven't seen one of these cases in a while." She set the papers down and looked to Stanley. "Mr. McIntyre, please present your case."

Stanley stood up. "Three days ago, I strolled into Mr. Walker's classroom and heard him teaching his class that God created the world. The history curriculum clearly includes discussion of the Big Bang Theory, which Jay stubbornly refuses to teach to his eighth grade students. Instead, he decided to read them an ancient fictional storybook."

Nya jumped up. "It's not fiction!" She protested. "Everything in the Bible is just as accurate as today's history books, if not more so. It just seems made up because God's power is unreal!"

Judge Johnson banged her gavel. "Order!" She yelled.

Nya sat down, frustrated.

"That's why you shouldn't give a law degree to a girl who's barely out of high school," Stanley teased. "Anyway, Jay deliberately broke the school rules as well as Ninjago law. I even gave him a chance to change his actions, but he refused."

"Is this true, Mr. Walker?" The judge asked.

Jay nodded. "Yes," he replied. He stood up with newfound confidence. "I'll obey the law if I can, but I follow my King first. Anything that goes against His word goes against my values, and I won't sacrifice what I stand for."

"Good answer," Nya said.

Stanley rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! You can't put your own personal opinion over the law. You're insignificant, Jay Walker. Your 'values' are nothing compared to the rules of the state."

"Enough!" The judge continued with the trial. "Miss Smith, what do you have to say in your client's defense?"

Nya stood once again. "Jay did break the law," she said. "But he broke a rule that violates an even longer standing human right: the freedom of speech. This has been part of the Code of Ninjago for hundreds of years, whereas the new law against teaching religion in school was only introduced a few months ago." She looked to the jury. "So tell me, how is it fair to institute a law that violated one already in effect? And a basic human right, at that!"

"There's nothing in the new law against talking about religion," Judge Johnson told her. "However, religion is not something that should be taught in schools."

Jay spoke up. "But my students are young. They're influenced so much by this world. Why can't I be a light for them?"

"You can't force them to believe something, Walker," Stanley said.

"I'm not forcing them to do anything! It's their choice, one hundred percent. I just want to help them make the right one. I would never make them do anything. I love those kids!"

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Walker," the judge told him. "But your job is to educate your students about the history of the world, not to teach them about your religion. You're a history teacher, not a youth pastor."

"But you can be," Stanley taunted. "When you get fired from your teaching position!"

Judge Johnson banged her gavel. "Mr. McIntyre, that's enough!" She turned back to Jay. "But being serious here, it's not your right to teach the Bible in your class."

"With all due respect, Judge, the Bible is about the history of our world," Nya pointed out. "Sure, it all happened long before most of the events commonly taught in school, but it's our history all the same."

"You can't prove that, Miss Smith," the judge said. "There's little to no evidence to support your claim."

"Then how did the First Spinjitzu Master get his power?" Nya asked. "I can tell you, it was no 'big bang.'"

"There's no evidence that he was even real," Judge Johnson countered.

Nya smiled. "But that's the first lesson in the history books," she reminded her. "We can't prove that he existed. Natural disasters could have constituted for the division of Ninjago, and the swords and mech the ninja used to defeat the Overlord could have easily been planted by someone else. We can't even be certain that Sensei Wu didn't just make the whole thing up, any more than we can know that the stories from the Bible were true. We weren't there, so we don't know. But that's where faith comes in. We believe these stories, enough so to teach them to the world. If we can share one thing we believe, why can't we share the others?"

"Because…" Judge Johnson trailed off. "I don't know," she conceded. "You make a very valid argument, Miss Smith."

Jay and Nya looked at each other, excited.

"Not so fast!" Stanley objected. "Regardless of what anyone believes, nothing should be taught in schools unless it can be proven true. So don't add more myths to the lesson book. Take the current ones out!"

"Don't you believe in the First Spinjitzu Master?" Jay asked.

"I don't believe in anything that I haven't seen," Stanley replied.

"What about the rest of the history books? Do you believe those stories?"

Stanley snorted. "I don't know. But I'm not going to try and get them removed. I'd lose any chance of ever being a principal again."

"So, you won't stand up for what you believe," Nya said, "you'll just prosecute others for doing what you're afraid of?"

"I told you, I don't believe in anything!" He argued. "And putting these ridiculous ideas into these kids' heads is not okay! God doesn't exist, so don't tell them that He does. They shouldn't accept that!"

The courtroom was silent for a moment. Then, without warning, Johnny stood up from the audience. "God's not dead," he stated.

Alice stood next to him. "God's not dead."

The rest of Jay's class stood together. "God's not dead."

Every member of the audience followed suit. "God's not dead."

Nya and Jay stared in awe.

"Well, Mr. Walker," Judge Johnson said, smiling. "It looks like you have influenced your students after all. In the case of The State vs. Jay Walker, I hereby rule that the defendant is...not guilty!"

The audience cheered, and Jay and Nya hugged each other excitedly.

"We did it!" Jay exclaimed. "We won! We actually won!"

"What did I tell you?" Nya said. "If God is for us, who can stand against us?"

"Of course, Stanley McIntyre will no longer be permitted to work in any school district," the judge continued. "I also revoke the ban on teaching religion, and declare that stories from the Bible will be added as mandatory parts of the history curriculum. God's not dead!" She banged her gavel one last time, and the case was closed.

"Well, would you look at that?" Nya observed. "You not only won your case, but now because of you more and more people will have the chance to learn about God!"

Jay smiled. "You were right, Nya," he said. "God was using me as a light after all."

Nya nodded. "He allowed us to win for Him. This victory is His!"

"But even if we had lost, I'm glad I stood with him," Jay said. "For Him, I'm not afraid to be guilty."

I hope you liked this story. Remember that God works in mysterious ways, and his approval is much more important than that of the world. Stand by him, because he will never leave you. Sometimes it's not easy, and that's okay. He will love you no matter what. But he gave so much to us, so the least we can do is try and make him happy.

Please review! If you want to share this with your friends - especially if they are going through something like this - that would be awesome! Also, if you have any requests, or just want to chat, feel free to PM me :) I'll update my bio soon, so please check it out if you're curious.

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. More stories to come soon!

- N4TK

#God'sNotDead