Knightly News

New Upper School Division Head Dan Binder welcomed students back to campus. Read the message he shared in the first Chapel gathering of the 2025/2026 academic year.

Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’

Good morning.  I’m Mr Binder, the Head of Upper School, and I’d like to welcome all of you to the new school year.  For those of you returning, it’s great to have you back with us again.  And for those of you who, like me, are just starting their time at this school, I want to say that we are honored that you and your family have chosen to join this community.  It’s a very special place, and we are richer, stronger, and better for having you with us.

I’ll start by introducing myself.  I grew up in and around New York City, and after college and grad school, I moved to Houston Texas, where I taught religion for a while. Then I spent a few years working as a dean at a great school in Arkansas.  And when Dr Steakley called me and invited me to come here, to Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, I jumped at the chance and said yes.  That was about three months ago, and I haven’t looked back.  I feel compelled to explain myself a bit, though, and to do that, I want to take a look at the passage from the Gospel of Mark assigned for today in the Lectionary.

In this passage, a man, a father, brings his son to Jesus’s disciples, his closest followers.  Now, the son is possessed by a demon, the story tells us, and the disciples are unable to help.  The man then goes right to Jesus and begs for help.  Jesus says to the man “All things can be done for the one who believes” and the man replies – cries out, the text says – “I believe!  Help my unbelief.”

And then Jesus, as he does so many times in the Gospels, casts out the demon and heals the boy.

Now there are many ways that people have read this story.  Certainly we can think about it in terms of God’s ultimate power over evil, or how we should tend to those among us who are sick or vulnerable, or maybe even in terms of appropriate and less appropriate ways to ask for help.

But for me, what sticks out here is the man crying out “I believe!  Help my unbelief.”

This seems like a paradox to me, something that contradicts itself.  This man says he believes, but he also says that he unbelieves.  What is going on here?

Well, what does it mean to believe?  Some dictionary definitions suggest that it means to accept something as true or correct or real, like someone might say that they believe in ghosts or reincarnation.  Other definitions suggest that to believe is to be fully confident that a future event will come to pass, like “I believe the Tigers will win the national championship this year.”  And of course, there’s the very hard question of God - what does it mean to believe in God?  On that last one, I encourage you to talk with Father Patrick or Chaplain Duncan.  Clergy folks love that question.  

But this man doesn’t specify what sense of the word he’s using, exactly, and Jesus doesn’t demand an explanation, so perhaps it doesn’t matter.  Because when I hear that man say I believe, help my unbelief, I feel like I know what he means.  I think he’s dancing around a contradiction that I’ve felt almost every day of my adult life.

Like I said before, I’ve spent years working in schools, and they’ve all been Episcopal schools with missions and values very much like the one we’re in today.  And I have to say that I believe in the mission and values of the schools I have worked at, and I believe in the mission and values of this one.  I believe in the work we do together, students, faculty, staff, all of us.  

I believe!  But help my unbelief.

I believe that we are all here because we want to learn, to grow, to respect and love another and be respected and loved ourselves.  I believe that our fantastic academic and extracurricular programs here are a great way to do that.  I believe that this is the kind of community where all of us can move a bit closer, every day, to seeing and revealing the image of God in ourselves and in one another, the image in which we are made, and that we do that best when we are together.

I believe!  Help my unbelief!

When the man in the story says that, I remember that I believe in this school.  But I also remember that it can be hard, really hard, to feel that belief sometimes.  The fact of the matter is, high school is hard.  Your classes will be challenging.  Your friend group will have drama.  Your team will almost certainly lose a competition.  You will miss a step or flub a line on stage.  There will be moments when you feel embarrassed, when you feel the sting of failure, when you taste the fear that comes with all great challenges.  And not just students, I’m talking about teachers too!  We all have that nagging feeling sometimes, we will all make mistakes and fall short.  That is, I think, how we can understand the man’s unbelief.  Even in the presence of Jesus, believing that his son will be healed, this man has this bit of anxiety, of unease, of knowing that things can go sour.  

And he asks Jesus to help his unbelief.  And Jesus gets it.  Jesus knows, because Jesus is fully human.  

This unbelief – it’s human.  It’s normal.  And it goes hand in hand with belief, always and everywhere.  This is a phenomenal school.  It’s also sometimes a hard place to be.  This is a strong, very strong, community.  It can also, maybe, feel lonely.  This is a place of faith, hope, and love.  But we all know that there will be moments of doubt, fear, and sadness.

Now I want to be clear here.  Today is the first day of a new school year, and for all of us in this chapel, it is the beginning of a tremendous opportunity to grow, to get better, to move further towards our common goal of college preparedness and a life of purpose.  And I know that isn’t an easy thing.  

My prayer for us today is that we all may work together and support one another, God willing, to believe in this school, in ourselves, and in one another.   Even when – especially when – it’s hard.  The man in our story believes - but he needs Jesus to help his unbelief.  Likewise, none of us here can do this alone, no matter how much we believe.  We will need one another, this week, this month, this whole year.  We believe, but we must collectively help our collective unbelief.

I believe in this school and the work that we do, and I believe in you.  That’s why I’m here.  And, simply because you are here, I know that you and your families also believe in this school.  And I know that this school, and this community, and you - I know that you’re worth believing in.

I believe.  Help my unbelief.  I believe.

Amen.

Welcome back, Knights! Share your hopes for the new school year in the comments section below.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.