One primary goal of Prepare the Way Ministries is to remove stumbling blocks out of the way of believers. The phrase "prepare the way" is used in all four gospels when talking about John the Baptist and references a Scripture in Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD.” In the original Hebrew, “prepare the way” literally means to remove stumbling blocks. A
nother reference for the phrase "prepare the way" is found in Isaiah 57:14, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove every stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
Stephen J. Williams was born in 1966 in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Ithaca, New York and Cupertino, California. Before becoming a disciple of Christ in 2001, his life revolved around swimming and singing--he qualified for the 1984 and 1988 Olympic trials in swimming and attended the University of California at Berkeley on a swimming scholarship. He graduated with a degree in economics and worked as an economic consultant before pursuing a teaching career. Stephen spent ten years teaching in the Cupertino Union School District. After becoming a Christian, he became increasingly aware of current hostility towards Judeo-Christian values in our public schools and culture. Despite his commitment to honor policies against proselytizing in school, he was censored by the administration from using primary source documents with Christian references. He was prevented by his principal from teaching a lesson using the Declaration of Independence, William Penn’s “Frame of Government” and Samuel Adam’s “The Rights of the Colonists," because "the district honors separation of church and state in school." With the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, he filed a federal court case in November of 2004. The case gained national media attention with articles appearing in The New York Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, Associated Press, and The New Yorker Magazine, among others. Stephen and his lawyers did interviews on the Hannity and Colmes news program (including the “Take Back America” tour), as well as several national radio talk shows. The case was settled out of court in the summer of 2005 and a written policy was put in place that allowed primary source documents with Christian references to be used in Cupertino classrooms. Surprised by the lack of awareness within the body of Christ about the level of hostility towards a Christian worldview in public schools and society, as well as the role Christianity played in shaping our country, Stephen felt led to start Prepare the Way Ministries. Having been on the front lines in the Church/state battle and having spent ten years immersed in the public school system, he offers a unique perspective in his Speaking Topics on the subtle ways, and not so subtle, the culture can erode a biblical worldview. He gives practical advice for Christians on how to exercise their rights in the area of Church and state, navigate through an increasingly secular society, as well as uphold a Christian worldview. Click here to see some video footage of the court case and more information on the ministry:
http://www.preparetheway.us/About-Us
