Source: The Baltimore Sun

On April 3, 2003 The Baltimore Sun reported that "a Frederick County minister was barred from giving the opening prayer in the Maryland Senate yesterday after he refused to do so without invoking the name of Jesus - and violating the body's guidelines for public prayer... The move revived a debate over the invocations that begin each legislative day and whether the prayers should include references to Christianity or other specific religious deities... After several prayers early in the session included Jesus Christ, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller called on lawmakers and clergy to ensure that all prayers remain ecumenical in nature and respectful of all faiths."