I don’t know that he was saying never pray publicly, just don’t do it if you are only doing to be seen doing it.
Even so, that is what they were doing; or if it was not, it is unclear that it was not. Which makes it a bad idea either way and means it still is relevant.
It is unclear to YOU. It is not unclear to person doing the public praying or to God. If I pray publicly and my motivation is unclear to You, I am still going to pray. I know my real motivation and so does God.
Let me be clear about “publicly.” There is a difference between you praying and being in a place where people see you do it, and doing it with the intent or in the knowledge of people watching or else calling other people to do it in a non-worship setting.
Calling fellow believers to pray in a setting among them is different from calling anyone and everyone via social media or television broadcast.
Sorry but asking for prayer via social media or television broadcast doesn’t seem wrong to me(unless done disingenuously).
Everything Paul Ryan does is disingenuous.
mayhaps. But I am not a mind reader.