| Seven Daily "National News Prayer Alerts" for the Week of 8 – 14 Aug 2010: |
Victory! New York Judge OK’s "Jesus prayers" Sign free petition praising 4 pro-Jesus heroes. — You made a difference AGAIN for Jesus’ name. In breaking news this week~ donors to The Pray In Jesus Name Project scored another victory for the right to pray in Jesus’ name~ as Federal Judge Charles Siragusa ruled it’s OK for city councils to allow pastors to pray "in Jesus’ name" to open public meetings in New York State. I had personally faxed legal advice and Supreme Court precedent quotes last year to Greece NY Town Supervisor John Auberger~ who specifically took our advice by hiring the Alliance Defense Fund to defend the town’s rights~ when they were sued by atheist complainers at Americans United to stop pastors from praying "in Jesus name." We won again! Please sign our free petition praising 4 heroes (including Auberger) who have defended the right to pray publicly~ especially in Jesus’ name!We now add New York to the growing list of states we’ve scored victories for the right to pray in Jesus’ name~ including Pennsylvania~ Ohio~ Indiana~ Oregon~ Oklahoma~ California~ Virginia~ and the U.S. Congress. Joel Oster~ senior legal counsel for Alliance Defense Fund~ said his group was pleased by the decision. "I think the judge recognized the irony that Americans United for Separation of Church and State wanted the town to tell clergy how and to whom to pray~" he said. In the judge’s 83-page decision~ the judge specifically cited the exact same cases we cited in our letter to Supervisor Auberger~ especially our quotes from Lee v. Weisman~ the Supreme Court case which said the Government cannot enforce "non-sectarian" prayer content nor exclude "sectarian" prayers.And then please DONATE so we can continue to fight and win these battles around the country~ like we’re now doing in North Carolina.
The Evening Prayer Weekly National News Alert
1. Sunday 8 Aug 10 One Minute Prayer: Let Us Pray. Almighty God~ thank you for answering our prayer from 18 August 2009~ and defeating the enemies of religious freedom at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State~ by issuing a great court decision by federal Judge Charles Siragusa~ who supported ADF and Supervisor Auberger~ saying it’s OK for pastors to pray “in Jesus name” before city council meetings in Greece New York. The judge issued an 83 page ruling~ citing many Supreme Court precedents~ allowing pastors to obey Colossians 3:17~ whatever we do in word or deed~ we do it all in Jesus Name~ Amen.
**Listen below! And call & ask your local Christian radio station to broadcast this 60-second prayer many times throughout the day on Sunday~ 8 Aug 10. Download MP3: (ChapsEP080810Sun.mp3) ACTION ALERT! DON’T JUST PRAY~ FAX ALL 535 CONGRESSMEN! Please 2. Monday 9 Aug 10 One-Minute Prayer: NYC Panel Approves Mosque At Ground Zero Let Us Pray. Almighty God~ we pray You give victor to the ACLJ as they appeal the unbelievable callous choice of NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission that voted 9-0 to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center~ clearing the way for a 13-story Islamic mosque near ground zero. Lord this mosque will be a sign of idolatrous Islamic triumph over America and disrespect the memory of the 2~996 victims of 9/11. From Psalm 108:13 we proclaim that with God we will gain the victory~ and he will trample down our enemies~ in Jesus Name~ Amen.
**Listen below! And call & ask your local Christian radio station to broadcast this 60-second prayer many times throughout the day on Monday~ 9 Aug 10. Download MP3: (ChapsEP080910Mon.mp3) ACTION ALERT! DON’T JUST PRAY~ FAX ALL 435 CONGRESSMEN! Please select~ sign~ and WE WILL FAX all 435 Congressmen to protect our Chaplains’ right to pray "in Jesus name~" and stop burning Bibles.
Five Republicans Voted to Confirm Elena Kagan to Supreme Court Let Us Pray. Almighty God~ we pray you forgive our nation for approving radical feminist and lesbian Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court~ by a 63 to 37 vote~ including five liberal Republican Senators – Richard Lugar (IN)~ Olympia Snowe (ME)~ Susan Collins (ME)~ Judd Gregg (NH) and Lindsey Graham (SC). Lord~ today we confess Proverbs 29:2~ “When the righteous increase~ the people rejoice~ but when the wicked rule~ the people groan.” Father~ encourage your children now~ who are groaning from the injustice and disdain for life and marriage of this wickedly radical activist judge~ in Jesus Name~ Amen.
**Listen below! And call & ask your local Christian radio station to broadcast this 60-second prayer many times throughout the day on Tuesday~ 10 Aug 10. Download MP3: (ChapsEP081010Tue.mp3)
ACTION ALERT! DON’T JUST PRAY~ FAX 535 CONGRESSMEN! Please select~ sign and WE WILL FAX your petition to all 535 Congressmen – Stop ENDA & keep men out of ladies bathrooms! 4. Wednesday 11 Aug 10 One-Minute Prayer:
Gay Judge Overrules 7M Voters~ Legalizes Homosexual “Marriage” Let Us Pray. Almighty God~ we are outraged at the reportedly sod omite federal Judge Vaughn Walker who ruled against 7 million California voters and overturned the California Constitution which defines marriage as Jesus did~ between one man and one woman. Solomon said in Proverbs 18:5 that it is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice. We agree the sod omites are wicked and pray God gives justice to the innocent voters. Bless the courts with wisdom in future appeals~ and stop the advancement of evil~ in Jesus Name~ Amen.
**Listen below! And call & ask your local Christian radio station to broadcast this 60-second prayer many times throughout the day on Wednesday~ 11 Aug 10. Download MP3: (ChapsEP081110Wed.mp3) ACTION ALERT! DON’T JUST PRAY~ FAX 535 CONGRESSMEN! Please select~ sign and WE WILL FAX your petition to all 535 Congressmen – Stop ENDA & keep men out of ladies bathrooms! 5. Thursday 12 Aug 10 One-Minute Prayer: New Jersey Supreme Court Rejects Homosexual “Marriage” Let Us Pray. Almighty God~ thank you for the New Jersey Supreme Court which rejected a request from six homosexual couples who wanted to redefine marriage against the teaching of Jesus~ who said marriage is between one man and one woman. We also thank God that the union of husband and wife is a reminder that Christ is the head of the Church~ as the husband is the head of wife in Ephesians 5:23~ and watches after her and protects her. Give victory and wisdom to conservatives in all 50 states like you did in New Jersey~ in Jesus Name~ Amen. **Listen below! And call & ask your local Christian radio station to broadcast this 60-second prayer many times throughout the day on Thursday~ 12 Aug 10. Download MP3: (ChapsEP081210Thu.mp3) ACTION ALERT! DON’T JUST PRAY~ FAX ALL 535 CONGRESSMEN! Please select~ sign~ and WE WILL FAX all 535 Congressmen to protect troops from open homosexual aggression; keep "Don’t Ask~ Don’t T ell." Radio Archive RadioWeek1-7aug10Can’t read this? It’s also here: https://prayinjesusname.org/radio/radioweek1-7Aug10/
Pray in Jesus’ Name org fights NC General AssemblyPray in Jesus’ Name org fights NC General Assembly Amanda Greene — Star News Online There’s a new dog in the fight to defend a chaplain’s right to pray as he or she chooses in the North Carolina General Assembly. I got calls last week from an organization called Pray in Jesus’ Name. It’s lead by Virginia-based Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, an evangelical Protestant Navy chaplain who was honorably discharged three years ago after he wore his Naval uniform to a protest against the general policy that chaplains aren’t to say sectarian prayers. Klingenschmitt is joining a fight in Raleigh over the dismissal of a Baptist chaplain Rev. Ron Baity in the NC General Assembly after he ended a prayer in Jesus’ name. Following his Navy ouster, Klingenschmitt created a new organization, Pray in Jesus’ Name, dedicated to defending the rights of chaplains who pray sectarian prayers. Now, he’s taking the fight to Raleigh, snowing legislators with thousands of faxes protesting the firing of Rev. Baity of Winston-Salem. Klingenschmitt said in the next few weeks some 170,000 individual faxes will hit offices while the legislators are on their summer breaks. “Everywhere the government tries to stamp out the name of Jesus, the people will rise up,” Klingenschmitt told me in a phone interview. “This gives the people a voice. People are frustrated, and they want to communicate with their legislators on this issue.” The chaplain sees this as an election issue that he plans to press representative to recognize sectarian prayers in the General Assembly. In North Carolina, for now, precedent isn’t in his favor. […] Generic prayers to God are allowed – though the practice of praying in Jesus’ name has wide cultural acceptance in local government meetings across the state. What are your thoughts? Should chaplains in the General Assembly be allowed to pray in Jesus’ name? Select Here and Sign — FAX Petition for Christians Jailed in America for talking to Muslims about Jesus
A Challenge Over PrayerA challenge over prayer As a former Navy chaplain, I’ve led petition campaigns and helped get such “Jesus-bans” reversed in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Oregon, Oklahoma, California, Virginia, and for military chaplains. Now in one day, we got 1,000 petition-signers to N.C. legislators, which I’m faxing to all 120 representatives and 50 senators; and up to 170,000 fax petitions are flooding Raleigh. Articles 13 and 14 of the N.C. Constitution protect citizens’ “inalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience.” The Fourth Circuit specifically authorized rotating diverse prayers, including “Jesus.” As Justice O’Connor wrote in Turner v. Fredericksburg: “The Establishment Clause does not absolutely dictate the form of legislative prayer. In Marsh, the legislature employed a single chaplain . the legislature in Simpson allowed a diverse group . to give prayers at open meetings. Both varieties of legislative prayer were found constitutional.” Will the people of North Carolina rise up to defend free speech, free religious expression, and stop Hackney from censoring prayer content? Or can one man really silence the masses and ban Jesus Christ?
RadioWeek25-31jul10Can’t read this? It’s also here: https://prayinjesusname.org/radio/radioweek25-31jul10/
Jesus Guideline DecriedJesus guideline decried News Observer Some lawmakers’ offices have received faxed petitions asking members to reverse what critics call a ban on “the forbidden name of ‘Jesus'” during prayers in the state House. Earlier this week, House Speaker Joe Hackney named a committee of legislators to review the guidelines for prayer in the House chamber after a guest chaplain complained he was asked not to refer to Jesus. The Rev. Ron Baity of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem said he declined to give a nonsectarian prayer at the opening of a House session in late May. He gave the prayer he intended to give, but was then told his services were no longer needed, Baity told media outlets. Hackney’s office received a 180-page faxed petition Tuesday filled with signatures of people who say a prohibition on prayers “in Jesus name” is unconstitutional. “Jesus is not an illegal word, the Bible is not a banned book and evangelistic speech is not a crime,” said the letter, signed by Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt of The Pray In Jesus Name Project, a Colorado-based group. Hackney spokesman Bill Holmes said at least one other House member had also received the fax. The eight-member bipartisan committee will review guidelines for prayers in the chamber. […] SELECT HERE — Sign PETITION to oppose ELENA KAGAN, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE whom CBS News reported to be a lesbian. Former Navy chaplain petitions for religious freedom in NC HouseFormer Navy chaplain petitions for religious freedom in NC House Andrew Meredith – The Examiner While religious freedom is a cherished privilege in America~ it does not go without its challenges from time to time. Such a challenge recently arose when North Carolina Speaker of the House Joe Hackney dismissed pastor Ron Baity (Berean Baptist Church~ Winston Salem) from his week-long duty of opening the NC House with a word of prayer. What was Pastor Baity’s crime that warranted this dismissal? He prayed. In Jesus’ name. Former U.S. Navy Chaplain Gordon "Chaps" Klingenschmitt has organized a petition to send to the members of the North Carolina House and Senate~ opposing the dismissal of Pastor Baity because of his use of Jesus’ name. Klingenschmitt […] has fought a number of battles for freedom of religion and has won similar cases in Pennsylvania~ Ohio~ Oklahoma~ Oregon~ California~ and Virginia. Klingenschmitt stated that at best~ Pastor Baity was denied his God-given right to be treated respectfully~ and at worst~ he was denied his First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion. The legislatures~ say Klingenschmitt~ "have the power to permit diverse prayer~" and whenever they try to ban the name of Jesus~ they essentially "establish a unilateral anti-Jesus policy." In a recent interview I conducted with him~ Klingenschmitt stated that he is hopeful of the outcome of this case. He quoted a 76-85% approval rating in every case he has won in the past. While Klingenschmitt is not pursuing the matter legally~ he is taking the "legislative angle~" pressuring members of the House […] He believes that his petition will make the North Carolina legislature realize that "people will not vote anti-Jesus" or for candidates whom they see as promoting an anti-Jesus agenda.
When Faith and Culture Does Not ClashWhen Faith and Culture Does Not Clash Larry Menyweather-Woods — The Examiner One of the oldest questions which remain first on the American agenda since the birth of the American experiment is what is the role of faith in the New Republic? The United States Constitution pursuant to the Fifth Article of the original Constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances (Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Volume 2, p. 939). Ratification of the article over 150 years past remains a most simple but controversial part of the American experiment which brings derision in our Nation. The State of North Carolina joined the circle which closes the imagination and throws gasoline on the fire by adding “make-up rules” prohibiting a religious group from exercising their Constitutional let alone theological right in a public assembly they have been invited to share faith with culture. The Constitutional article is quite clear on two points: (1) faith, and not just acknowledged “institutional” faith, but personal faith, cannot be prohibited by the Federal or State government; and, (2) all beliefs, should be or ought to be acknowledged, recognized, even those who are agnostic, atheists, deists, whatever faith one holds too, real or perceived. […] Praying in Jesus’ name has been successfully outlawed by several States, but many of those same States who had previously granted permission to ban, e. g., Pennsylvania, , Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, California, and Virginia, have since had the bans overturned (Christian Newswire (2010 July 13). Jesus banned from prayers by North Carolina Speaker of the House). The person who orchestrated this new major to restore to people of faith and non faith is former Navy Chaplain, Gordon James Klingenschmitt, founder and leader of The Pray in Jesus Name Project. His purpose is simple, restoration of Constitutional and God-given rights of the first Amendment fore stated earlier in this article guaranteeing neither the State nor Federal government prohibit the free exercise of religion, regardless of what that belief is or fits in the grand scheme of the American political agenda (https://www.prayinJesusname.org). Speaking with Pastor Klingenschmitt through the technology of Skype, I was impressed by his sincerity and the personal sacrifice he made not to make a “name” for himself, but a sacrifice if not supported by his family would have allowed Satan to destroy his courage, determination, and true patriotism manifested by his willingness to put his faith and commitment to the Kingdom of God ahead of self-protection over something which many would be of little significance in the cultural wars we are engaged which characterizes the faith as a true sign of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer considered the sign of “cheap grace” in Cost of Discipleship. His struggle impacts all who believe regardless of being a person of traditional faith or no faith. Putting in the terms who really the derisions of the Constitution, if Pastor Klingenschmitt, whose commitment to the Kingdom has resulted in severe lost and many who proclaim to be doing the same thing But whose action create the rift between faith and culture (e.g., writings on Christian Newswire with misinformation or misleading information, Christian groups who have missed the point of the First Amendment being for all religions and not selective few.) Though I have often disagreed, this is one matter, when administered fairly, brings equality to a society, a culture, which stands diametrically-opposite and causing severe problems society. Sign the petition found on the web site https://prayinjesusname.org so that all may be expressions of the republic nature of a democratic society. The Church has always led the way, let us all, warriors of our different faiths, and manifest the true spirit which has not been revised by revisionist personalities who believe in making the truth a lie. By agreeing with the petition will that take away one’s freedom, NO! It is the exercise of the freedom, God-granted, constitutionally determined words of the First Amendment. When I was growing up in this Nation during the era of Jim Crow, I heard words and saw improper use of the Constitution and saw the horrendous action of a silent Church who when awaken spoke truth to power! When did praying in Jesus’ Name become illegal for NC ministers?When did praying in Jesus’ Name become illegal for NC ministers? Kimberly Harvey — The Examiner Saturday, your Spiritual Living Examiner sat down to chat via telephone with former US Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt. You may remember former Chaplain Klingenschmitt from the headlines in years past. The Navy did not renew his contract when it expired because he prayed in Jesus’ name, rather than offer up a neutral prayer, as was the policy of the Navy at that time. Former Chaplain Klingenschmitt fought back. Congress agreed with him and overturned the ban. Since that time, he founded The Pray in Jesus Name Project, a national religious speech organization that has successfully overturned “Jesus bans” in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, California; and, most recently, Virginia. SLE: Chaplain Klingenschmitt, tell us how you are now? CK: It was 3 years of struggle. But, we have now overturned the “anti-Jesus” ban in 7 states. SLE: What are you doing now? CK: I founded the Pray in Jesus’ Name Project (https://prayinjesusname.org/). I am currently an evangelist with this ministry. SLE: What makes you interested in North Carolina at this time? CK: North Carolina Speaker of the House Joe Hackney recently fired Dr. Ronnie L. Baity of Berean Baptist Church in Winston Salem, (http://www.wpipbereanradio.org/) from his volunteer invocation [prayer] appointment for including Jesus’ name in his prayer before the NC state legislature and he contacted me for help. SLE: I’ve never been kicked out of anything before. Tell me what happened. How does getting kicked out of the House of Representatives work? CK: The process is this: After the first day, Pastor Baity pre-submitted his invocation in writing to the Speaker of the House Joe Hackney’s secretary. The secretary reported the prayer in Jesus’ Name to Speaker Hackney and Speaker Hackney fired Pastor Baity. SLE: When did this happen? I never heard much about it locally. CK: The week of May 31st [2010]. SLE: What can the average person sitting at home do to help? CK: Go to the website (https://prayinjesusname.org/blog_post/show/64), and sign the free petition. SLE: I thought online petitions were not valid. CK: We have a special process. All comments are printed and sent by fax to all 120 representatives and to all 50 senators. A thousand people signed it the first day. 170,000 faxes are landing in Raleigh right now. And we hope that the speaker listens to the voice of the people and reverses his anti-Jesus ban on prayers. SLE: What else can our readers do? CK: Call your own [local] representative and ask that prayer in Jesus’ Name be re-instated [(919)-733-4111)]. SLE: How can someone reach you to speak? CK: Through my website. I would love to come to North Carolina to speak or to attend a rally! […] RadioWeek18-24jul10Can’t read this? It’s also here: https://prayinjesusname.org/radio/radioweek18-24jul10/
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