REPORT FROM SUDAN

I'm writing to you from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the most expansive country in Africa and the world's geographically largest Muslim country.

Our delegation of five from the Institute on Religion and Public Policy is being treated exceedingly well. We are here by official invitation of the Sudanese government; they could not be more polite, gracious and accomodating hosts. This country demands to be re-examined in light of recent changes. Part of my purpose in joining this delegation is to see for myself what is happening here, rather than rely on old news and out-of-date perspectives.

We've had several high-level meetings and are scheduled to visit with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir Thursday. This will be after we tour the deeply troubled Darfur region Monday and Tuesday.

I was surpised to find many Christians serving in government here. Although an officially Islamic state, Christians fill important positions. A power-sharing agreement also mandates that certain seats go to Christian believers.

Please pray for us and especially that God will grant to me the right words at the right time. No restrictions have been placed on us--and today we spoke with our hosts about spiritual things. There are churches here and we will visit several this Sunday. I will bring back with me startling news--and an even more startling invitation to Christian leaders to come to this country soon! (Details to follow my return home.)

Thank you for praying and making this historic mission possible. More later . . .

MOSES AND PHARAOH REDUX

I am scheduled to leave today for a 10-day mission to the Sudan and its western region of Darfur. As you may have seen in the news, things are quite delicate there after recent events brought further tension to the area. Please pray God's will be done in the scheduling of this mission. I amstanding by as I type for word on whether or not it is a go.

Most Americans have a difficult time understanding what is happening there. We hear words like genocide, ethnic cleansing and sanctions, but few really know what led to this tragic state of affairs and what solutions there are to it, if any at all.

Well, I’m among those who have been deeply troubled and confused. So, I was pleased to receive the invitation of Joseph Griebowski, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, to join both their board of directors and this delegation to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

As far as I know, I am the only Evangelical in both assignments. As a member of the board of the Evangelical Church Alliance and chairman of its Committee on Church and Society, I am looking forward to bringing an Evangelical perspective to talks with the top governmental officers in Khartoum, including President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Bashir is blamed by many for the slaughter of tens of thousands in the South and the brutal rape and maiming of many more. Not only so, but Bashir and his government are widely faulted for doing nothing to ensure the security and well-being of some 2.5 million displaced refugees who are terrorized by militia groups sympathetic to the Khartoum regime.

So far, criticism and sanctions from outside have done nothing to resolve what is probably the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world. So, when Mr. Griebowski and his organization were invited to meet with Bashir and his top leaders, he wisely accepted.

I liken this mission to Moses who was told to go directly to Pharaoh and deliver God’s message to the potentate. I don’t know if I’ll have that opportunity, but if I do, I will take it. With the U.N.’s absolute ineptitude, the unwillingness of other countries to intervene (including our own) and the uselessness of bureaucratic “process,” it seems time to try a whole different angle.

No doubt many will criticize the Institute and those of us who meet with the people many Darfur watchers blame for this modern-day holocaust. But the Word of the Lord is powerful, and the Rod of God omnipotent. I believe God is in this mission and my friend Joe and the Institute are right in seizing a unique moment.

After meeting with all the top-level Sudanese officials, we will tour the Darfur region and see it for ourselves. My wife, Cheryl, said she sees a life-changing experience for me on the horizon, not unlike the one I had 24 years ago when I toured the miserable inhabited garbage dumps outside Mexico City. That epiphany led me to make a 2000-mile fundraising and awareness trek from the border with Canada to just across the border with Mexico. The result was the launch of Operation Serve International. Though it’s been ten years since I’ve been directly involved in this fine ministry that I had the joy of founding, it remains a huge part of my heart and soul.

Cheryl also lists the more recent Christian Friendship Mission that came from my first encounters with another African nation, Morocco.
I don’t know what may come from the visit to Sudan and Darfur, but it will certainly be something. The Scriptures say in Proverbs 3:27-28, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
“Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.”
God will want us to do something for these suffering souls or He wouldn’t send us over there. We will make that offer to the Sudanese. It will be up to them whether or not to accept.
Please pray for our delegation. This will not be an easy nor comfortable assignment for any of us. I look forward to reporting to you what happens.

For now, you can get more details in our article on the trip. Thank you for praying—and many, many thanks to those who gave financially to make the trip possible. We haven’t raised the full amount of $4000 yet, so if you’d like to plant some spiritual seed in the soil of Sudan, you can give a special gift at our website. We still have 24 hours to collect the balance of $1500. You can make your tax-deductible contribution here.I’ll be back to tell you how the Lord moved in hearts and minds!

HEADING FOR HELL

Read on to the end for an explanation to the title of this post.

It’s been a very busy time around here—thank you to those who sustain us by your prayers! I must constantly remember Gideon because it seems our army at Faith and Action is so small to take on so much. But as the (now old) Gospel song says, “Little is much when God is in it!”

I was one of the first in the country to speak out in support of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace. I had met Gen. Pace some years ago when our Thursday morning breakfast group hosted him. He’s a good, God-fearing man and—needless to say—an excellent military leader. To pan him for saying what we all instinctively know—that homosexual conduct and adultery are immoral—is the height of absurdity.

I thought one of the greatest shames visited on this nation was the forcing of Gen. Pace to back down in a genuflection to the media idols in this country. (I must admire him for not actually apologizing!) He did what his bosses obviously ordered him to do. (I think Defense Secretary Robert Gates is one of the worst picks the President has ever made.) Nonetheless, the General did it with strength and panache. (You’ve heard me say that here in Washington, you must be—as Jesus said—wise as a serpent. I say, sometimes downright snaky!)

Well, the Pace brouhaha kept us consumed for a week as I put out statements, did endless interviews and held a news conference in front of the White House.

I’ve also had my own little stink-a-poo going on as the Washington area affiliate of “American Atheists” has come after me and our Ten Commandments display in front of the ministry house here on the Hill. They’re badgering the Government of the District of Columbia to try and force a review of the legal opinion that settled our right to display God’s Word. Keep in mind these atheists are the folks whose slogan is “Stabbing Religion in the Neck with a Screwdriver.”

Imagine what would happen to us if our slogan was “Stabbing Atheism in the Neck with a Chiseled Cross!” We’d be in front of a judge right now! (Relax Jeff and Jeff, our duty is to pray for you and to love you in Christ—and that doesn’t include stabbing you anywhere—except perhaps in your conscience!)

Speaking of stabbing—and to turn quite serious (and to explain the title of this post)—as you know for years now there’s been a terrible slaughter going on in Darfur, the southern region of the East African country of Sudan. In just a few days, I will leave for the Sudanese capital of Khartoum where I will join a delegation of U.S. religious leaders under the auspices of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP). The IRPP was founded and is headed by my good friend Joseph Griebowski, who is not only a man of deep Christian faith but is also a genius. Joe’s organization was recently nominated for a Nobel Prize and deservedly so. (Incidentally, it was Joe who introduced me to Morocco and was the catalyst for our Christian Friendship Mission there.) In Sudan we will meet with President Bashir, virtually every top Sudanese official and religious leaders from Muslim, Christian and even Jewish communities—all in an effort to bring pressure on Sudan to allow a peace initiative to protect the 2.5 million displaced persons in the South.

Please pray for us. I’ve ministered in 37 countries of the world, including some at war, but this is the most difficult and challenging foreign mission I have ever undertaken. Even more so, please pray for the millions of victims of this terrible violence.

If you can, please listen (or now, watch) my weekly missionary field report, Faith and Action Live, for March 21. I report on the big change in reception for our annual Passover / Easter outreach among members of Congress. There’s an ominous turn-for-the-worse here. You need to know about it. God help us!

Over and out! - RS

DOES HOMOSEXUALITY HAVE A CURE?

“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:22-23 NKJV)

The Debate over homosexuality was reignited this week by the comments of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace and the blog musings of well-known Southern Baptist theologian Albert Mohler.

General Pace said to the Chicago Tribune he personally believes homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral. Dr. Mohler wrote:

“Christians must be very careful not to claim that science can never prove a biological basis for sexual orientation. We can and must insist that no scientific finding can change the basic sinfulness of all homosexual behavior. The general trend of the research points to at least some biological factors behind sexual attraction, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This does not alter God's moral verdict on homosexual sin (or heterosexual sin, for that matter), but it does hold some promise that a deeper knowledge of homosexuality and its cause will allow for more effective ministries to those who struggle with this particular pattern of temptation. If such knowledge should ever be discovered, we should embrace it and use it for the greater good of humanity and for the greater glory of God.”

He went on to recommend that should a chemical “cure” be found for homosexual orientation, Christians should embrace it.

Wow! Talk about the perfect storm. The President’s top uniformed military advisor and a well-known Baptist seminary president in the same week!

I responded to the General’s pronouncement in two statements and during a news conference in front of the White House.
(See http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/553152465.html, http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/240692485.html,
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/725042500.html.) I responded to Dr. Mohler in an interview with the Washington Post’s Lynne Duke, who asked me specifically if I agreed with his proposition (that there may be a biological cause for homosexuality) and his hypothetical cure, the application of a hormone patch to a pregnant mom’s abdomen.

My conversation with Ms. Duke lasted about 30 minutes. My guess is if she uses anything I said in her article, it will be one or two lines long. That’s always my frustration with the media, friendly or otherwise. They play to the average American’s attention span, which isn’t very long.
Doubtless, whatever is printed will cause trouble for me from one side of the argument or the other, as did a previous interview I granted with the Post a year ago. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/14/AR2005061401531.html.) Back then, reporter Alan Cooperman took great license with what I said and constructed a non-reality—that is the appearance of a partnership between me and pro-homosexual advocates.

So, let me revisit the whole matter again. It is of paramount moral importance. Here are my positions on all these questions, namely:

Do I believe, as Dr. Mohler apparently does, that we may soon discover a biological contributor to same-sex sexual attractions?

Would such a discovery change my opinion of the moral nature of homosexuality?

Do I endorse Dr. Mohler’s hypothetical use of a medical treatment to “fix” a pre-born child’s sexual orientation?

I will begin by going back to last year—in fact, almost two years ago—when I started reading through the research material on investigations into animal and human same-sex sexual behavior. That led me to correspond with one of the top genetic scientists in the world. (He will remain nameless to protect his job.) Believe me, if I can ever disclose who he is, you will see just how qualified he is to opine on this. One of his peers told me, “If you want to know more about genetics than he knows, you need to go to God.”

It happens this revered scientist is also a born-again, Evangelical Christian. He told me it will be only a few years before a gene affecting sexual orientation is identified. Now, before anyone goes apoplectic, he also said this gene will only pre-dispose the carrier toward certain sexual behavior, it will not pre-determine that behavior. My scientist contact explained that sexuality is extremely complex and depends on many factors.

As a result of this information (and much more that I read) and now Dr. Mohler’s commentary on sheep studies, I am convinced that IN SOME PEOPLE, biological factors such as genes, hormones or other anatomical and bio-chemical contributors COULD play important roles in making THESE PEOPLE vulnerable to homosexual SIN.

Note my use of the word SIN. The Bible is quite clear, the Christian church has consistently taught, and virtually every major religion holds that sexual activity between persons of the same sex is WRONG; it is contrary to God’s moral law for human beings and to nature. In my book, Ten Words That Will Change A Nation, on the Ten Commandments (revised and updated version due out soon), I point out homosexual sex is a form of adultery—a behavior explicitly prohibited, whether homosexual or heterosexual in nature. (See Exodus 20:14.)

My answer then to the first question is a cautionary, yes; cautionary because it is still largely hypothetical. The evidence points there (as Dr. Mohler notes), but it is not yet concrete.

On the second question, about the moral nature of homosexual behavior, my answer is an unequivocal, no. Such a discovery of a biological contributor to same-sex attractions does not change the nature of homosexual behavior from immoral (or sinful) to moral (or righteous.) The Bible clearly condemns sexual intercourse of any kind between persons of the same sex. (See Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27.) In both these cases, however, the proscription is on the actual behavior—the acts. Temptation, while it is rooted in our sinful nature, is not immoral or sinful in and of itself. But neither is it normative or Godly:

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:13-15 NKJV)

My point here is that some persons will be especially vulnerable to certain sinful desires or temptations, while others will not. According to St. Paul’s instruction in Romans 7, as I quoted at the beginning of this post, there is no doubt there is a physical dimension to sin and temptation. It may be hormonal, it may be genetic, it may be some other bio-chemical or even anatomical anomaly, but it expresses itself physiologically. That shouldn’t surprise us. But this biological factor might explain why some people have persistent temptations no matter how much prayer, discipline, counseling or spiritual experiences they may have. As one great Christian leader has said, “Once a homosexual, always a homosexual.” (I know some will refute this and will convincingly testify to an actual change in sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. I don't doubt that. But in many, temptations toward the same sex persist in spite of subsequently happy heterosexual lives, marriages and sexual experiences.)

On the last question about a possible future “cure,” I am much more cautionary. Again, I believe we will discover in the near future that sexuality is one of the most complex aspects of human nature. There will never be a quick, easy, strictly physical “cure” for sexual disorders and dysfunctions, hetero or homo. I’m convinced we will learn that spiritual, psychological, relational, experiential and environmental factors all combine with biological factors to produce certain human sexual proclivities and predilections—as is no doubt true of ALL human behaviors. Ultimately, of course, such dysfunctions are linked to the Fall and our resulting sinful state and consequent alienation from God the Creator. The cure for that underlying cause has already appeared. As we sing in Toplady's great Hymn:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee, Let the water and the blood from Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power.

I think we need to be extremely careful and prayerful about any attempt to physically change a nascent child. This comes dangerously close to violating the sanctity of human life. There is the question of the science itself, its long-term affects, its unintended and unpredictable consequences. And there is the question of INTENT. And here lies the rub: In the end it is intent that matters most. If our intent is to help a child develop normally and to enjoy a life designed by God for his or her happiness in service to the Lord and to His moral will--and there is a reasonable and demonstrable possibility of doing so with limited risk, then we should pursue it. On the other hand, if the intent is to experiment on a child, manipulate him or her, or change them in some way simply for our enjoyment, that is immoral and must be rejected.

None of this is simple, but then mankind is the crown of God’s creation, made in His image, and is therefore enormously complex by design.

I don’t know a lot about this right now, but what I do know is we must prayerfully have this conversation NOW so we are not caught off guard in the near future, ill-prepared and unable to give critically important spiritual, biblical and moral insight into whatever discoveries are made, and whatever proposals or actions follow.

Let’s all keep praying, reading and talking; talking, reading and praying.

Thanks to Dr. Mohler for keeping the conversation moving forward!

ATHEIST ACTIVIST EXPLAINS MEANINGLESS REMARK

ATHEIST ACTIVIST EXPLAINS MEANINGLESS REMARK

Before I write anything else, I want to give the atheist activist I referred to in my last post a chance to clarify his statement to me regarding the recent Supreme Court case on President Bush’s Faith Based Initiative programs.

I mentioned to you that I ran into this man last week as he returned from staging a protest against public funding of faith-based programs in front of the US Supreme Court. I also noted that when I asked him how he felt the case would go, he conceded it would likely be a winner for our side. In response to my report, the same activist wrote me a blistering E-mail saying, among other things, “When you approached me on the street, I had just come from our demonstration on the steps of SCOTUS(Supreme Court of the United States). I was not privy to the proceedings inside and I certainly was not expressing a legal opinion. My one-liner was nothing more than humorous, self-effacing cordiality. It doesn't seem possible the (sic) it could have been mistaken for anything beyond that.”

I attempted to respond to him, but his E-mail address was rejected twice. So, hoping you’re still reading Rick, here’s what I tried to send to you:

Hi Rick! Thanks for taking time to read my blog and respond. I plan to reflect on your comments in my next posting, but I need to get something straight: Did you or did you not give me your honest opinion in that remark? If it was not honest, but simply a cordiality to placate me, should I say that? I took you to be a straight-forward guy who would give me your true opinion.

I also respect you as a savvy player in this consequential high-stakes game. You guys are sharp, determined, articulate, shrewd and committed to your cause. You know what you’re after and you’re (to quote Hillary) “in it to win!” I don’t know about you, but I see this as a struggle for the very soul of our American—and even broader human civilization. That’s no small thing. Let’s not be naïve. This is bigger than the Civil War and even more bloody—if you consider every human life to be as valuable as another.

So, pardon me for making more of your conciliatory statement than you wanted me to, but I am neither your apologist nor your publicist. If you mean to be sure to be taken in a certain way, only say so and I will respect that. I will now report your taking umbrage at my interpretation of your comment, but I must wonder if you’re being honest with yourself. Again, if you didn’t mean what you said, just say so.

Incidentally, I’m grateful to God that we’re now doing battle with you guys and not the old guard who spit on us, punched, scratched and kicked us. (Back in ’92, they even urinated on us!) For your civility, I say thank you. While we will always have very sharp disagreements and different interpretations of one another, we can—and I am determined to—remain civil.

Thank you again for sharing your feelings with me. Be assured of my constant prayers for you.

Respectfully,

Rob Schenck

That being said, let me say I still believe what I heard in Rick’s words, his tone of voice and our eye contact, was a concession. But, he can speak for himself and is invited to do so by posting at this blog.

Speaking of speaking, last week I attended CPAC—the Conservative Political Action Conference. These are the hard-core conservative activists and (according to even the liberal Washington Post) a very important constituency within the Republican Party. That’s why leading presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback and Rudy Giuliani appeared there. I had a great time spending most of the hours with our colleagues and friends, Pat Mahoney and Jay Sekulow, among others--including Sean Hannity. (Jay was busy talking up Mitt Romney, whom he is supporting.)

I have said all along that Sam Brownback is—and remains—the gold standard on our three key principles of the Sanctity of Life, the Sanctity of Marriage and the Family and the Public Acknowledgement of God. But, I must also say the most impressive campaign organization at the conference was Mitt Romney’s—and that extends nationally. Perhaps that’s why Romney won First Place in the straw poll (mock election) held during the event. The pro-abort, anti-family values, not-much-on-religion Giuliani came in Second (Egad!) and Sam, the champion of all that is good, came in Third. It’s clear if moral conservatives are looking for someone with a capacity to win, Mitt comes out on top.

On the other side, it appears Hillary is staging a no-holds-barred campaign against formidable challenger Barack Obama. You probably saw on the news both attended recent Civil Rights commemorations in Selma, Alabama. Pat Mahoney and I visited there not long ago and marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the one made so infamous by the brutal attacks against marchers on "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965. I was only seven years old, but I can remember the television coverage of that awful event. I believe it contributed to my formation as an activist. The odd thing is neither Barack Obama nor his family experienced any of that. He was born to a highly educated white mother and African father. He was raised by white grandparents in Hawaii and later graduated from Harvard where he served in the prestigious post of editor to the Law Review. I must wonder if the senior leaders of the civil rights movement have any attitudes about that.

In any case, the big feature of this campaign stop for both the Clinton and Obama camps was the unseemly quoting of Scripture and singing of hymns as jousting weapons. This competition for the prize of “most religious” is degrading to the candidates and to the rich history of the black church. Any charges by the Democrats that Republicans politicize faith (and too many of them do) is nullified by their own Elmer Gantryism on the campaign trail.

While I'm in a critical mood (a constructive one, I hope), let me say in summary that I'm very concerned our conservative movement maintains a Christian conscience. I'm deeply troubled by signs it's slipping. Without a Christian conscience there will be no morally qualitative difference between liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. I, for one, am not interested in investing in a morally banckrupt movement.

This is all I have time for now, be back later . . .

Will Jesus’ Tomb Bury Christianity on Capitol Hill?

The atmosphere here on Capitol Hill is growing more and more hostile toward the people of God as the new congressional leadership hunkers down for a long siege against religion. The new secularists on the Hill see religion as a threat to their political agenda and philosophy—and boy, are we feeling the heat!

Now comes another boost to embolden the enemies of faith. Filmmaker James Cameron (of Titanic fame) has partnered with a discredited investigative journalist and self-proclaimed Indiana Jones to make a Discovery Channel documentary purportedly proving Jesus never rose from the grave.

In a recent New York news conference to hype “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” Cameron and his business partners displayed what they claimed were stone boxes (called ossuaries) that once contained the bones of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ “wife.” They say the boxes were part of a larger find that included other bone boxes for Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his “son” Judah.

Amazingly, the story follows closely novelist Dan Brown’s fictitious tale The Da Vinci Code, later made into a blockbuster film staring Tom Hanks. How amazingly “coincidental” that this supposedly colossal story would break just as we approach Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection. Of course, it’s Mr. Cameron’s intent to cast doubt on that pivotal event for Christians.

I’ve done a lot of interviews on this subject during the last week. I talked about it on my Faith and Action Live missionary field report, too. I’ve also posted a lot of material about it on our Faith and Action website. (www.faithandaction.org) While it doesn’t intersect precisely with our mission on Capitol Hill, the story most certainly affects it indirectly. Here’s how: Since the change in congressional leadership and—as many believe—the specter of a Democratic White House in ’09, the anti-Christian sentiments here have exploded exponentially. This kind of attack—especially by Hollywood—suggests to the secular elite that Christian cultural moorings are giving way. They’re looking for anything that will help “finish us off.”

I did all I could to demonstrate this story is not what it appears to be. It’s a farce, and I proved it by presenting the facts. To my utter amazement, two days after I launched my first response, none other than the Washington Post agrees! Today reporter Alan Cooperman had a headline story on page A3 entitled, “’Lost Tomb of Jesus’ Claim Called A Stunt.” Believe it or not, I’m urging my circle of friends to read and distribute this article—it’s the best yet at debunking this story. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022600442.html)

Thank you Mr. Cooperman for an excellent expose of this modern-day circus sideshow!

Just before I went on the Internet today, I dashed across the street to the Supreme Court where the justices heard arguments for and against President Bush’s program on Faith Based Initiatives. US Solicitor General Paul Clement (a believer) argued for the President and the Administration in support of funding faith based social programs. Outside the courthouse I caught up with my good friend Jay Sekulow who was very involved in this case. He felt it was a winner for our side. I later saw my erstwhile nemesis, Barry Lynn, of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He seemed resigned to a loss. I affectionately slapped him on the back and told him (with tongue in cheek), “Barry, you’ve got to keep the faith!” I told the same thing to a representative of the Beltway Atheists who agreed it was a loser for him and his fellow religion haters. (This was the guy who authored his group’s slogan, “Stabbing religion in the neck with a screwdriver.”) I always treat these guys with the love of Christ, as St. Paul said, “Heaping hot coals on their heads.” More importantly, we love them in Christ, waiting for that breakthrough moment when their soul cries out for Living Water!

Last item of the day: After public comments I made about Governor Mitt Romney’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), one of our Faith and Action supporters—a member of the LDS himself—invited me into a dialogue on things religious. I took him up on it and spent more than an hour with him this afternoon. It was a delightful exchange. I learned a lot about LDS beliefs that I didn’t know previously. I’ve also been invited to a gathering where Utah Senator Orin Hatch will talk about his journey of faith in the LDS church. In both my teaching and practice of evangelism I have always asserted that gaining a hearing begins by listening. I figure it’s my turn to listen this time. After this experience, I’ll speak. Pray for me in this worthwhile endeavor. It’s our mutual intention not to try and proselytize one another, but simply talk to each other candidly. While I have enormous theological differences with the LDS, they are at the same time our allies in the struggle to reclaim moral sanity. So, if nothing else, I will come away with a better comprehension of what LDS people are all about. More on this as it moves along.

For now, I’m over and out!

MET WITH ROMNEY AND MCCAIN

Another hiatus since I’ve posted, but I’m determined to do more writing and posting. So, bear with me, I’m working on it!

Since I wrote last, a lot has happened. I’ve been to Florida twice. (I know, someone’s got to suffer!) Down and back for ministry in a new church in the Sarasota area: The Fellowship of Believers. What a warm and wonderful group of people! They were enormously generous in every way. Outside what I do here in Washington, DC, visiting and ministering in churches is one of the things I enjoy most. I love being with God’s people, sharing the vision of Faith and Action, and encouraging Christian Americans by reporting how God is answering their prayers for our nation’s leaders. If you’d like me to visit your church, please approach your leadership and ask them if I may come and give your congregation a first person missionary field report from our nation’s capital! (For more information, contact Allyson Black, our director of supporter relations at allysonblack@faithandaction.org or call her at 202-546-8329, extension 104.)

While on my second trip to the Sunshine State, I hosted a lunch for new and old friends. We call these “Family Circles” because that’s exactly how I feel about our growing network of Faith and Action supporters—we’re family! Watch your E-mail for notice of an upcoming Family Circle breakfast, lunch or dinner in your area. The next Family Circle is a dinner in Lewes, Delaware, near Rehobeth Beach this Saturday, February 24. Again, contact Allyson Black for more information.

It was also on this second trip south that I participated in a private meeting with two of the top ’08 presidential contenders, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Arizona senator John McCain. I’ll talk about those interesting conversations on today’s Faith and Action Live! (You can listen to my special report at www.faithandaction.org, "Radio Archives" on left-hand menu.) On other fronts, I ministered in the new and burgeoning Calvary Chapel South Orlando, pastored by Charles Nestor III, son to our long-time friend and colleague Dr. Charles Nestor of Lakeland. This is one great father-son duo!

(In case I’m confusing you on schedules, I had been down to Florida the weekend of Feb 10-11 for the visit to Fellowship of Believers church, returned to Washington for meetings, then flew back down for a full schedule of activity, Feb 14-19.)

I had a delightful but bitter-sweet surprise while I was in Sarasota on the second round. You may recall my sad odyssey among the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, last October following the tragic murder of five Amish schoolgirls. Many of our Faith and Action supporters were connected to that awful event because of how tight the Lancaster County community is, and because of family and business relationships. I spent nearly a week up there visiting the homes of both the shooter and the victims. It was a life-changing experience for me. You may have caught my telling of the story on Larry King Live, among other shows.

In any case, one of our Sarasota supporters told me the grandparents of seven-year old Naomi Rose Ebersole, one of the youngest of the Lancaster victims, keep a winter home in an Amish enclave of Sarasota. The grandparents, whom I had met in Lancaster on the day of their granddaughter’s funeral, heard I was in the area and invited me to visit with them, which I did. They told me of their pain, how the Lord is helping all of them heal, and showed me pictures of their beautiful little Naomi Rose. They went on to thank me profusely for the prayers sent in by Faith and Action supporters. We had printed out a selection from among the thousands that were sent to us by E-mail. We then placed them in binders that were later circulated among the victims’ families. Please continue to pray for these lovely people.

While I’m urging you to watch for things, do watch for upcoming articles and E-mails on our most recent struggle to maintain the display of the Ten Commandments in front of our ministry center here on Capitol Hill. A group called the “Beltway Atheists” has filed a complaint with the Government of the District of Columbia. They claim the government erred in issuing its legal opinion that we have a right under the First Amendment to display the Commandments. In spite of the Beltway Atheists’ motto, “Stabbing religion in the neck with a screwdriver since 2005,” they were granted a hearing before a DC government commission. The founder of the group told the commissioners I was required to obtain a permit for the sculpture in our garden. I responded by quoting the letter to us from the District of Columbia clearly stating that due to the First Amendment issues involved we are not NOT required to obtain such permits. There was no convincing them. The chairman has called for a continued investigation. Please pray—this is the same commission that voted against our display of the Commandments five years ago. So, the beat goes on.

There’s a lot more to tell you, but I’m sure this is all you can stand for now!

God bless—and I WILL be back.

THOUGHTS ON CANDIDATES AND ATHEISTS WHO STAB RELIGION IN THE NECK

Thoughts on Campaigns, Candidates and Athesists Who "Stab Religion in the Neck with a Screwdriver!"

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Sorry, but it’s been a frenetic roller coaster these last two weeks. 12-hour days with interspersed ministry travel have sidelined me. But, I’m back!
The question I’m asked most these days is, "So what d’ya think of the campaigns and the candidates?" The second most asked is, "What about this Barack Obama?" I have answers for both.

As far as the campaigns, they are way too early. Campaigns distort reality. Too often, candidates say and do so many things during their campaigns that are not meant to benefit the country, but simply win the prize. Much of what we see at campaign stops, hear in interviews and read in essays and op-ed pieces have nothing to do with who the candidate really is or what he/she intends to do once in office. For this reason, I don’t think excruciatingly long campaigns serve the nation well.

That being said, there is a silver lining in this otherwise dark cloud: We each have time to do serious research. We can find out who these people really are, what they really believe and what their track record has been. With the Internet, it’s easier than ever.

I chose to start this scrutiny with Barack Obama for a number of reasons. He was the first to aggressively attempt to engage the Evangelical community, of which I am a part. He was also the first to boldly invite a public conversation on religion—something I think is more than worthwhile. I took him up on the invitation; you can read what I discovered about his religious identity at www.faithandaction.org. (Scroll down to my article, "Barack Obama: Sheep or Goat?") There are, of course, so many more candidates and prospective candidates to explore. This weekend I meet in a closed door session with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, an apparent front-runner among GOP candidates. Governor Romney’s Mormon faith, reported spotty track record on moral issues and only recent conversion to the sanctity of life and marriage demand intense investigation. I plan to ask him the hard questions. Still, he holds great potential.

On the top moral issues, only one contender has a spotless history: Kansas senator Sam Brownback. I’ve known Sam for some time. He’s a champion for all things that really matter. He defended human life, the integrity of the family and religion in the public square long before it was a way to get Sunday talk show gigs. He’s the real deal. The problem with Sam is whether a senator can be elected (they’re the least favorites) and whether the party will back him. He’s always marched to a different drum. Sadly, that can hopelessly handicap him. But, as he told me before he went public, "I just felt God wanted me to do this, whether I win or not." I’ve felt from the beginning Sam’s role is as prophetic witness to Truth, no matter who emerges as the frontrunner. I told the Washington Post, Sam’s greatest contribution will be to anchor the morality of the Republican Party. That will be critical, particularly with Rudy in the race—a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual political ally. Notwithstanding, his commanding presence during 9-11 just may carry him across the finish line.

Giuliani is a case all his own. I lived in New York, my parents are both New Yorkers (Dad from Manhattan; Mom from Brooklyn), and I visit the Big Apple routinely. New York is unlike anywhere else in the U.S.—and Rudy is unlike any other politician. I’m not sure he can make it work for those reasons, but it’s his personal relationships and personal morality that concern me most. I must give the point to Barack Obama for admitting he was untruthful when he claimed early on that his religious beliefs didn’t affect his policy decisions. He "came clean," so-to-speak, when he confessed that in fact they did animate both his ideas and actions. Ruddy should tell us what animates him.

All this goes for all the candidates—democrats, republicans, independents, socialists, greens and whoever else we may have out there by the time things really rev up. For Christians, what matters most is exactly what matters most: The paramount moral issues. We need to do diligence and exhaustively research what these candidates have said and done on the three biggies: Sanctity of Life, Sanctity of Marriage and the Public Acknowledgement of God. If the candidates don’t have these points of the moral compass straight, all their other equations and trajectories will be off. You can’t navigate the complex roads of life, individually or corporately, with faulty vectors.

Do your research carefully and prayerfully. Go on the Internet and find original source material: 1) The words of the candidates themselves, 2) Their voting records, 3) What other close observers have written about them, and 4) What their friends and enemies say about them. Then pry for wisdom, which God promises to give you "liberally."

I was at a lovely church this past Sunday and a woman said to me, "I watched Barack Obama with his beautiful wife on Oprah Winfrey, and they seemed so nice and beautiful. He just seemed like someone we could get behind." Good looks, intelligence, charm, bright smiles and good humor make for a pleasant seat-mate on a long flight, but it doesn’t necessarily make a good chief executive for the most powerful nation on earth. We shouldn’t elect presidents for their charisma and star-power. We need a chief executive who understands and is utterly committed to the Constitution of the United States that secures those God-given rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the first of which is "Right to Life."
Hillary, of course, needs to commentary. She’s an all-too-well-known quantity, and she ain’t changing.

Honorable (or dishonorable) mention goes to some others: Arkansas governor Mike Hukabee, a good guy with no name recognition. Same can be said for California congressman Duncan Hunter. On the Dem side, runners include Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, the highly unusual Rep. Dennis Kusinich of Ohio, Sen. Joseph Biden. There are others I can’t remember. If you can’t either, it probably says a lot about their chances.

It’s going to be a long road—I fear a nearly intolerably long road—to November, 2008, but let’s use it wisely. I’ve already met and talked with three of the candidates, and my aim is to meet face-to-face with all of them. I’ll let you know what I find.

On a related matter: The counter assault against those of us who publish the facts has begun and it’s ugly. One of our own close allies is the subject of a clever slander and libel attack on the popular YouTube.com. Somebody with a little tech-savvy concocted a video clip taken from a long-ago news conference, mimicked his voice and has him obscenely insulting a national Christian leader. Unless you really study it, you can’t tell whether it’s for real or not. Of course, I’ve known this person for many, many years and know full well he never said such a thing and never would. This is just one diabolically ingenious way of discrediting us before our "truth-telling" even begins.

In my next post, I’ll tell you about the newest attack against our Ten Commandments display in the front garden of our ministry house across the street from the Supreme Court. This time it comes, believe it or not, from the "Beltway Atheists," whose slogan is "Stabbing religion in the neck with a screwdriver since 2005." What’s even more incredible is that the Government of the District of Columbia has granted them a number of private meetings and just recently a public hearing on their complaint against us.

Just imagine an organization with a slogan, "Stabbing gay people in the neck with a screwdriver since 2005."

God help us—and He will!

Back later.

LEFTIST SECULARISTS SETTLE INTO CONGRESS

The so-called “People for the American Way” (PFAW) routinely cites my brother Paul and me on their nasty “Right Wing Watch,” suggesting we are dangerous extremists. But for every finger PFAW points, there’s three pointing back at them: They are unabashedly pro-abortion, anti-traditional marriage and utterly Godless.

Yesterday, Faith and Action program director Dane Rose and I spied PFAW president Ralph Neas in the US Senate dining room. He sported a huge Cheshire Cat grin. No doubt why; with all the top PFAW Hall of Fame senators now in firm control of the upper house, his long frustrations are over. While Neas previously criticized “the right’s” influence on the majority, there will be no such standard applied to the left. In Neas’ view of the world, the left can do no wrong. The left is always “right.” God help us.

Speaking of God helping us, He certainly has through you. Many of our friends responded generously to our appeal for prayers and financial contributions to steel ourselves for the assaults that have already begun. As I told you in a recent E-mail release, it began when a group I meet with weekly in the US Capitol was thrown out. Bear with me while I give you the whole story:

This Thursday morning breakfast club has been meeting in the US Capitol for 35 years. It is made up of some of the best “God and Country” people in Washington. Sponsored by a different senator each year, the club exists for mutual fellowship and to honor the US Capitol Police for its service to our nation. We begin each meeting with a prayer. (As the club's de facto “chaplain," I'm often privileged to deliver it.) Then we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, someone gives a two-minute “Flag Talk” on a patriotic theme, and we listen to a guest speaker. (Among our speakers we've had everyone from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Supreme Court justices to best-selling authors.) I joined the club five years ago after one of its prominent members invited me as a guest. I later ended up a speaker, and finally as a board member.

Among our club members are numerous heroes. For example, long-time member and retired US Army general Mil Roberts. His harrowing story of storming the Normandy beaches as a 19-year old makes the film Saving Private Ryan look like Disney pap.

As a hail of bullets rained down on Mil, he waded through waters filled with soldiers drowned after their own inflatable life-belts turned them upside down with 60 pounds of gear on their shoulders. Once on the beach, he hid under the bodies of dead comrades, disassembled his sand-encrusted rifle, cleaned and reassembled it, then emerged to fire back, scale a severe bluff with his hands and zigzag his way behind enemy lines where he did a lot of good for America and a lot of damage to the Nazi enemy.

Now Mil and the rest of us are out in the cold. We’re in a sort of exile after California Senator Dianne Feinstein took charge of the Rules Committee that dictates use of US Capitol venues. Our club used to meet in a small private dining room just inside the east Senate entry to the Capitol building. No sooner had the libs taken charge than we were expelled. Ostensibly, the room was needed for other events. But our scouts have confirmed the room has been dark and empty since our eviction.

The old-timers in the group know this is punishment for our leaning conservative. As I said, it’s a “God and Country” bunch. While all of them are not traditional Bible-believing Christians, many are and the rest are good church people. They pray, love their spouses, kids and grandkids and they adore our country. Most have risked their lives to protect our freedoms and some bear the scars of it. Yet, they’re not Ralph Neas’ type, and, after-all, he’s now a king-maker!

The assaults against those who pray to God and love our country don’t stop at the US Capitol door, however. The ascendancy of the Left has emboldened every radical secularist in Washington. The “Beltway Atheists” I told you about back when we first installed the monument of the Ten Commandments in front of our ministry center have returned with a vengeance. I’ll wait till another day to give you all the details. Suffice it to say, they see a new opportunity to nullify our legal victory to display the Commandments in front of our building and they are acting on it; more on this in a future blog.

These are the reasons we really need your prayers and help. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been in office only a few weeks and it seems all h*ll is already being loosed. We’re up for the fight. The battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s. (See I Samuel 17:46-48.)

This coming week will be a very busy one. Watch for my summary next Friday—it’ll be a doozey!

MAKER OF “FRIENDS OF GOD” NO FRIEND OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Alexandra Pelosi, 36-year old daughter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, fired a cheap shot across the bow of the Good Ship Evangel last night in her HBO special, “Friends of God.”

My brother and I were placed on display for a few seconds during Ms. Pelosi’s extravaganza. She caught us at our annual National Memorial for the Pre-born and a forum in the US Senate my brother did on human embryonic stem cell research. Don’t be impressed. We were lumped together in the sideshow with the Christian Wrestling Federation, Christian miniature golf and a Christian Elvis impersonator.

Ms. Pelosi did many pre-release promotional interviews assuring she only wanted to produce an unbiased examination of the people so few “Blue State” worldviewers like her know anything about. What she delivered was a caricature not far from 1930’s Hollywood blackface and mammy stereotyping or even Nazi propaganda shorts on Jews as vermin.

On the surface Ms. Pelosi and her partner HBO hold Evangelicals in bemused contempt, subtly and relentlessly ridiculing us. While picking the most simple and colorful among us, somehow she missed profiling figures like Yale educated scholar James Hutson, Ph.D., chief of manuscripts for the Library of Congress, former TIME bureau chief David Aikman, Ph.D. (who speaks four languages fluently, among them Mandarin) or the brilliant genetic scientist Francis Collins M.D., Ph.D., the first to map the human genome; Evangelicals all--but apparently beyond Ms. Pelosi’s biased blinders.

It’s what oozes out from between the lines of this visual screed that so deeply troubles me. The message seems to be, “These people are really strange and backward and they have lots of political power. Strangeness and power equal danger. We can’t let people as strange as these have political power.”

Of course, Ms. Pelosi the filmmaker can hold any opinion she wants about anyone or any group. But when her last name matches that of the third most powerful elected leader of the most powerful nation on earth, you have to worry if it’s “like mother, like daughter.” Should the senior Pelosi hold the same prejudicial bigotry of the younger Pelosi, that despisement will inevitably seep into her public policy. Now that would be indeed be dangerous for us all.

Watch “Friends of God” with prayerful caution. While viewing, it might be good to keep your Bible open to Matthew 5:11-12:

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (NKJV)

BIG WEEK A BIG UP, BIG DOWN!

The week surrounding January 22 is always the busiest of our year. Since 1995, my brother, Paul and I, have been marking the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision by engaging in a variety of pro-life observances. Not all are mournful. The National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers, a service Paul and I inaugurated here on Capitol Hill 13 years ago, is now one of the premier indoor life-giving and life-affirming celebrations held in the Washington. This past Memorial was one of best ever—an SRO crowd poured out the doors of the largest venue in the Senate side of the US Capitol complex. Thanks to the prayers of many (and notwithstanding the new pro-abortion leadership in Congress) no one even attempted to shut us down, as they have in previous years.

Still, everyone involved with the Memorial is concerned about the future of the event. We stage it in the US Capitol complex to put it near those who must hear its message about the sanctity of our God-given Right to Life. The service is now in the hands of the National Pro-Life Religious Council (NPRC), and I have no doubt the NPRC will come to the attention of some pro-abort senator. The rules allow any US senator to shut down an outside program—even as it’s in progress. It doesn’t help that the chairman of the rules committee, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, who approves the use of US Capitol venues, is not only pro-abortion—he’s running for president! (He’ll be looking for all the points he can score with the abortion crowd.) So, keep up your prayers for us! By the grace of God we dodged the bullet this year, but we can’t predict what may come next!

On a related topic, with this new congress in place, we will have our work cut out for us promoting the Sanctity of Life, the Sanctity of Marriage and the Public Acknowledgement of God. While we will all hear unending blather about “finding common ground” on abortion, gay rights, etc, don’t be fooled. As I was quoted in a national AP newspaper story this past week, Christ said we must be as clever as serpents, yet harmless as doves. (I told the reporter, with this new Congress, “We may need to be downright snaky!”) You and I will need to be prayerfully discerning in the days ahead. Both parties know they can’t get anything done—and they can’t get their candidates elected—without the support of at least a slice of the Evangelical and traditional Catholic electorate. So, they’re busy learning our language. Professional coaches and handlers have been hired to “connect with the religious market.” Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing.

On the upside of this past week, the annual National Memorial Service is like a great big family reunion for lots of us. Paul and I see many friends, allies, pro-life leaders and heroes whom we almost never see during the course of our busy lives. We also hear some of the greatest preaching. Fr. Frank Pavone once again “rang the bell”—as the old time preachers say. One of our stalwart Pentecostal brothers said, “Man, that preaching was so good, I just about converted to Catholicism on the spot!”

No such conversions happened, though. Instead, we had a wonderful showing of Christian unity as clergy from virtually every Christian faith tradition participated: Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Congregationalist, Episcopal (the Bible kind!), Evangelical, Holiness, Independent, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian and Reformed. Paul and I were nurtured in our Christian faith within an interdenominational fellowship reflecting all these kinds of Christians, so he and I feel very much at home in this supremely ecumenical setting. (A word about this sometimes suspect term, ecumenical: It literally means the “whole house.” I use it as applying to whenever and wherever God’s household comes together.) If you’re around us long enough, you know Paul and I (and our ministry) appreciate the whole Body of Christ, in all its different forms. We don’t ask anyone to comprise anything, but we can put aside doctrinal disputes to get the Lord’s work done—and often we must. If you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9), you are saved, and we can join our hands with yours as part of the extended family of God!

Back to the week—and weekend: More of the upside came as I talked with numerous pro-life leaders from across the US and around the world. Real progress is being made in many places—mostly on the state level—in bringing moral sanity and Biblical Truth to American culture. Though sadly we now have pro-aborts in charge of everything on Capitol Hill, that’s not true on the state level. Still, there is a very steep hill to climb as Roe still reigns. But I was encouraged to hear in detail from so many who are learning how to be rock climbers! I talked with one legal expert doing extensive research on state Supreme Court judges and justices. That research was offered to me to help with our state-by-state strategy. Many good state-level pro-life measures are shot down by these judges. If we can expose them for who they are and what they will do on the bench, they can be easily picked off in elections. It’s not hard to defeat a state judge because not many people even know they run for office. A few votes can make a huge difference.

On the downside, I learned even more details about the gruesome ways the abortion industry persists in this country and is expanding. While many abortion mills have been put out of business—and many aging abortionists are not being replaced by the younger (and morally enlightened) medical professionals—doctors you never dreamed of are doing more and more abortions quietly in upscale hospitals. Worse, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA), that so many of us rejoiced over when it was passed two years ago, hasn’t been enforced once because of ambiguities in the law and turf battles in the government agencies charged with investigating such crimes. (BAIPA mandates that babies who survive late-term abortions must be given emergency medical care instead of being left to die or be “euthanized.”) There have been a number of grotesque episodes of these live births ending in death with virtually no prosecutions.

Finally, I can’t give you any details, but I must urge you to look at what is happening in the tiny country of Belgium. I visited Belgium some years ago while preaching across Europe. Lying behind its quaint façade is a diabolical resurgence of Naziesque practices. European society has always had an Achilles’ heel for morally reprehensible eugenics—the culling of “inferior” humans to produce a master race. It appears that ghoul has raised its hideous head again. According to eyewitness reports, Belgium physicians are now “euthanizing” disabled babies without permission of the parents. (Not that it could be justified if they did secure such “permission.”) Its enough that Belgium babies are being snuffed out in a supremely immoral, misguided, repugnant and criminal way—but add to that how many of our top government officials are now looking to Europe as a model of where they want our society to go. Are we headed back to the death chambers?

OK, enough of the downers. Back to the upside: If you marched with us this Monday or saw the photos, you know this was a record year for young people in Washington. We heard from two at our National Memorial and tens of thousands took part in the March for Life. And, more and more good people of means are joining in the fray as well, providing much needed resources for the fight for Life. Sunday night we honored two of them: Stephen and Michael Peroutka; attorneys, brilliant minds, committed Christians and extraordinary philanthropists. The Peroutka brothers give hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to pro-life causes. We linked up with our friends at the Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts from New Hampshire to grant Stephen and Michael honorary doctoral degrees in the humanities at a gala held at Georgetown University. After all, the Right to Life is the greatest of all human rights; champions of Life deserve some hooplah! As I asked a congregation while preaching the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday sermon that same morning, “What do other rights matter to a dead person? Does free speech matter to a dead baby? Does healthcare matter to a dead baby?” (You should soon be able to hear that sermon online. Watch for it.)

You’ve probably had as much as you can stand of this by now, so I’ll quit typing. Starting today, I’m going to replace my live weekly Internet report with audio and video postings on our website. Check it out this week. I’ve got a lot more information to give you, plus a full report on what’s happening on access to the US Capitol.

Oh, and I’ve got to tell you, my colleague, ally and friend, Pat Mahoney, has an amazing story. It’s inspiring and a real side-splitter. We’re going to record it on video and post it at our site. Keep checking in for it. OK, truly, I’m done.


Be back . . .

BARBARIANS AT THE GATE!

The new congressional leadership with Speaker Nancy Pelosi leading the charge is looking to steal, pillage and destroy what tiny gains have been made by pro-lifers. Speaker Pelosi started by declaring open season on the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable. In the first 100 hours--not days--she rammed through legislation on human embryonic stem cell harvesting. (Spawning human children to devour them for medial experimentation--what many said was an exaggeration of the early pro-life movement--has now come to pass.) Thank God we have a president with the moral courage to veto it. (Some see it not as courage but as political cynicism. Whatever it is, I'll take the outcome.)

Like the South's dreaded Pine Weevils, the new leaders of the House have a ravenous appetite for young seedlings and, if left unchallenged, will do as much damage to humans as a plague if locusts does to crops. Let's call it a plague--and call on God to lift this plague in His mercy!

Speaking of calling on God and His mercy, this coming Monday we gather for the National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers. This beautiful service involves clergy from virtually every Christian denomination and is the only indoor fully dressed worship service held in the US Capitol complex. My brother and I launched "The Memorial" (as we affectionately call it) thirteen years ago. Today, several groups co-sponsor it, including the National Pro-Life Religious Council.

The Memorial is first a solemn rembrance of all victims of abortion: the babies, their moms AND their dads. People forget it takes a mom and a dad to make a baby. It goes without saying that babies are the principal victims of this uniquely American holocaust. (To get a feel for its scale and horror, just read the dissenting opinions in the first US Supreme Court case on partial birth abortion, Stenberg v. Carhart.) But there are secondary victims of the abortion holocaust. You might call them "collateral damage." These other victims include the babies' moms, damaged in their souls and often their bodies. Dads are also hurt by abortion; most often by being demoralized into thinking a little money earned, borrowed or stolen, will get them out of being a father. But some dads' hearts are simply broken by the judges who have historically ruled dads have absolutely nothing to say about the murder of their unborn progeny. They must sit by and simply cry. And on and on the suffering goes: grandparents robbed of their grandchildren, a society poorer for "getting rid of a problem," rather than challenging our humanity and generosity. All this is not to mention the affront to a holy God that loves His creation--especially the crown of it.

So, we will gather on Monday morning, January 22 (the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade) at 8:00 AM in the auditorium of the US Senate Dirsken building immediately opposite the US Capitol in Washington to mourn these losses and beg God's mercy; to ask Divine favor in bringing and end to this American holocaust. And just in case you think it's not worth it (because, after all, it's been 34 years), remember: it took more than 75 years to end the sin of slavery in this country! But you need to know that this service is not at all a funeral. It ends as a grand celebration of God's precious Gift of Life. We rejoice to see in faith the day when all of God's Human Creation is honored for bearing His image!

Please join us this coming Monday, January 22, 8:00 AM here in Washington. (Check our website for details on travel, parking, mass transit, security questions, etc.) The service is timed so you can get to the annual March for Life and other pro-life events that day. If you just absolutely cannot be here, logon through your computer to listen to (and maybe even watch) the service. National Pro-Life Radio (NPLR) will be live streaming the entire service. (I don't know if it will be audio only or audio / video.) You can get to NPLR via our website (www.faithandaction.org). Click on the logo at the upper left corner.

PS Don't miss my live missionary field report tomorrow: Faith and Action Live! I'll give you the whole scoop on what I saw and heard from Nancy Pelosi up close and personal during an internal, "no-pro-lifers or conservative Christians welcome" briefing. She didn't want me there, but I was there none-the-less. It was another one of those miraculous, "How did I get here?" moments! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17, 12:00 noon, EST. Tune in again using the link at our website, www.faithandaction.org, upper left corner. (You can also download it later and listen at your convenience.)

Be back . . .

THE 110TH CONGRESS IS ALREADY A DOOZIE!

Sorry I’m a little late posting today. I’ve been laser-focused on finishing an article about political celebrity Barack Obama. Please check it out on our website: www.faithandaction.org. I’m actually writing this post at about 20,000 feet on my way to Charlotte, North Carolina. The promised five-day a week 110th Congress is out of business today because of—yes— a football game (Ohio State v. University of Florida). So much for so much political rhetoric!

Actually, I don’t think much of newly minted Speaker Pelosi’s pledge of five-day congressional work week. Why? Because keeping people away from their families is anti-family. Remember that representatives, unlike senators, must remain close to their small districts back home. They’re elected every two years. This was the Founders’ way of keeping them close to the people. The House of Representatives is called, “The People’s House.” They’re not supposed to settle into a comfortably distanced, insulated and isolated Washington bubble. House members were to be the citizen politicians: full-time moms, homemakers, farmers, small businessmen, teachers, doctors. After their short duty to our country, they would return to the regular life of an average citizen.

It doesn’t quite work that way nowadays. Still, the best House members do live with their families in their communities and commute to Washington. (Far fewer senators do; the exception being family-oriented ones like our friend Sam Brownback!) To come to work, these home-grown, home-based public servants leave their spouses, kids, aging parents, fields and herds, shops, students and patients typically for three days a week. That’s enough of a separation, as far as I’m concerned. Now just in case you think that’s too cushy of a schedule, keep in mind that when they’re here in Washington, representatives are often working sun-up to sun-down. The Sabbath was made for man, Jesus said. And husbands, wives and kids need Mom or Dad home for at least three to four days a week.

Commuting on Sunday afternoon for a Monday work start and a Friday night return isn’t healthy for anyone—but most especially for marriages and families. For all your talk of the joys of parenting Speaker Pelosi, this is a bad idea for families!

While I’m on Speaker Pelosi, last week I attended an “interfaith prayer service” for the inauguration of the 110th, but at times it seemed more about Speaker Pelosi than about God or the rest of the Congress! We even had to wait to acknowledge the Lord until the Speaker made her late and grand entrance. She remained the centerpiece, reading the Gospel portion. She chose Mark 12:28-34 because it was the reading in her church on the Sunday that Hurricane Katrina hit. She said its reference to care of neighbor was a sign to her of what we should be doing. But I think its reference to love of God above all else was a sign to her and all of us of what should really matter to this new congress and to our country.

An FOB (if you don't remember, thats the acronym for Friend of Bill--Clinton, that is) and now congressman, Rahm Emmanuel, the man who engineered the Democrat come-back, read Deuteronomy 10:12-22. Another sign, to be sure.

Still, I can’t complain too much about the service's overall content. It was a little like the old Methodist services I remember from the church where I was saved. The only jarring interruption was the reading from the Koran by freshman congressman Keith Ellison. (He of the recent "swear-in-on-the-Koran" controversy.) The irony in it, though, was the passage’s pronounced reference to God’s creation of mankind from "a single pair,” “male and female.” So much for the liberal “gender construct” argument. This is that loopy fiction popular on so many college campuses. It goes something like, “There's no such thing as male or female. We’re all on a continuum. Some people are more male than female, or more female than male. But gender is a subjective perception, not an objective reality.” Obviously these social engineering profs haven’t taken any gross anatomy courses!

If there was any use in that Koran reading, I hope it was to remind the 110th that there is a difference and a complementarity between men and women that is recognized and made sacred in holy matrimony—between “male and female.”

Anyway, the one person in the “congregation” who seemed supremely uncomfortable singing Amazing Grace (keeping to the words, “a wretch like me”) was Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, whom I met and attempted to engage in conversation. He wasn’t interested, withdrawing a cold, weak handshake after I told him who I was.

Still, ending the whole thing with How Great Thou Art, and fixing my eyes on the enormous gold-leafed words above the altar, “CHRIST HAS DIED, CHRIST HAS RISEN” actually left me edified. The Word of God was read, the name of Jesus was invoked and those whose hearts were pure did worship Him. “Wherever two or more are gathered” He is in the midst. I felt His presence, as Supreme Judge and Merciful Savior.

I pray the words, the prayers, the hymns and those emblazoned pronouncements above the altar come back to haunt Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Dr. Dean and the rest as they pursue defying the very One they pretended to do homage to last week!

Back later . . .

A Super-Sized Year Coming Right Up!

I’m back in the saddle after a very welcome respite over the Holy-days. Of course, respite may not accurately describe it. Between Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year, there wasn’t much time to relax! Still, the time spent in worship and prayer and with friends and family was refreshing.

Beginning today, all of us at Faith and Action go full speed into the new challenges in front of us. This week I attend a prayer service for the incoming Congress and a “meet-and-greet” with incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Pray for me that God will give me the right word in due season.

Of course, along with navigating the rough seas of a pro-abortion, pro-same-sex “marriage” Capitol Hill, we will also meet head on the effort to convince traditional Christians that these former radical secularists have now “got religion.” Within the next few days I will publish on our website a comprehensive expose on the left’s religious point man, Barack Obama. Please watch for it.

The calendar is full of all our regular outreach programs, many of which you’re invited to participate in. Details will be posted on the events page of our website. Please check there often. They include this month’s National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers, followed by our annual Prayer and Strategy Summit in February. Then there’s the Resurrection Season / Easter banner ministry and Congressional Outreach and the Annual US Capitol Bible Reading Marathon coupled with the National Day of Prayer (NDP) events. You may recall that Faith and Action is the only ministry to lead an NDP service on the steps of the US Supreme Court, where until we challenged it, the past policy was to summarily arrest anyone caught praying anywhere on the Court’s property. Not any more!

The summer will feature our second annual Reese Roundtable on Capitol Hill, a thought provoking forum designed to turn the hearts and minds of our elected and appointed officials to the Lord.

This year, in place of the usual autumn programs, we will focus on our 25th Silver Celebration Anniversary. That’s right, in spite of my brother’s and my baby faces ;-) , we’ve actually been teamed up in ministry for a quarter century this November! It was 25 years ago that we formed our joint ministry organization, P&R Schenck, Associates in Evangelism, Inc., the parent of all our outreach ministries. We will celebrate this important threshold all year long, but it will culminate in a gala event on November 17 at the Renaissance Hotel on 9th Street here in Washington. Our good friends Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice and legendary entertainer Pat Boone will be our special guests. (Jay argued our successful and historic 1996 Supreme Court case, Schenck v. Pro-choice, and Pat helped launch us when he appeared at our first fundraising banquet 22 years ago!)

We’ll complete the year with our normal Congressional Christmas Outreach and Advent banner ministry, together with Operation Nativity and the newly launched Nativity Project, returning the Christ to Christmas in private and public settings, respectively. Added to this will be an entirely new national effort to get Christians to adopt and celebrate Hanukkah—the biblical Feast of Dedication. This story of the righteous Jews reclaiming their culture from the pagan Syrian-Greeks is highly relevant for Christians today. (Not to mention the fact that Jesus himself observed the eight-day festival!) I’m particularly excited about this new dimension of our work because, as you know, my brother and I grew up lighting the Menorah and listening to the retelling of the great story of Judah Maccabee and his band of Jewish brothers!

So, as we gear up for a busy year of proclaiming God’s Word in a new and more difficult environment in the nation’s capital, we’ve hoisted a new standard: “Faith and Action: Now More Than Ever!”

Be back later with more news you can use . . .

THE COST OF FAITHFULNESS

This was a very big week for my wife, Cheryl and me personally. Our home church voted to sever ties with its denomination, and that’s never an easy thing.

You may have seen the news reports on the seven (more correctly, eight) churches that discontinued their affiliation with the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (PECUSA). Yes, you may be surprised; Cheryl and I have attended an Episcopal Church for the last eight years. That may come as a shock to some, but let me tell you the story:

As you probably know, I have been in itinerant preaching ministry for 25 years. On average, I preach in a different church somewhere in the country about every other week. That means I don’t see my own church very much. And, I can’t really get very involved in my own church’s activities because of the all-consuming demands of my own evangelistic ministry on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in the US and around the world. (It’s funny; I remember being told years ago that Billy Graham didn’t attend a church on Sundays when he was home because he could never get settled into one. His wife Ruth has been a life-long Presbyterian, and decided to stay so even though Dr. Graham is a life-long Baptist. She just wasn’t going to let his crazy life affect her routine. Now I understand those things.)

Anyway, eight years ago Cheryl and I came to the same conclusion as the Grahams. I maintain my membership in two fellowships: The Evangelical Church Alliance (America’s oldest association of Evangelical clergy) and the old line Gospel-preaching, Bible-teaching, holiness Methodist Episcopal Church USA. (Not affiliated in any way with the liberal United Methodist or Episcopal churches.) Because I am gone so much and can’t be involved in a local home church, Cheryl and I prayerfully decided that because she can and is always deeply involved in our home church, she would make the pick. She found Christ the Redeemer, a biblically faithful, soul-saving, Gospel-centered Episcopal congregation meeting right in the very school where Cheryl practices as an occupational therapist for disabled children.

“CTR,” as the church is affectionately known, is a mission congregation of the historic Truro Church in nearby Fairfax, Virginia, a leader among Evangelical Anglican congregations. Truro is famous for two things: Its Gospel-centered life and ministry—and one of its past vestrymen (or board members): none other than our first president, George Washington! Truro and its pastor, newly consecrated Anglican Bishop Martyn Minns, has led the way in severing ties with the apostate and ultra-liberal Episcopal Church. The process was accelerated after the so-called consecration of an actively homosexual Episcopal bishop a few years ago. Truro voted to break ties with the Episcopal Church this week. With them went Falls Church, another great Bible-preaching and teaching congregation pastored by the well-known Evangelical preacher John Yates. (Together, these two churches represent about 4000 attendees.) A number of smaller churches, like my own, rounded out the eight who decided to stand with the historic Gospel and reject the New Age heresy adopted by the PECUSA.

Yesterday I released a statement commending the eight churches that severed their ties with PECUSA. (You can read it at www.earnedmedia.org. Scroll to Sunday, 12-17 releases.) In it, I pointed out that both the ordained and lay leaders of these churches have exhibited extraordinary spiritual courage and integrity, largely because they put at serious risk their properties (worth millions of dollars) and, even more so, their reputations. This is Christ-like leadership. Remember, Jesus emptied himself of everything to obey God’s will.

Most of these eight churches will now align themselves with the biblically faithful Anglican Church of Nigeria, through its American missionary presence called the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). Yes, I said “missionary presence.” It’s ironic that America, once the greatest force for missions on the planet, now needs missionaries from Africa! (I remember years ago when the Koreans began sending missionaries here. I thought then, ‘this is a picture of our future if we continue to abandon our rich Christian history!’)

The liberal Episcopal bishop of Virginia, Peter Lee, has vowed to wage war against these dissenting churches. He has threatened to take their properties and other assets to punish them. Lee says that what has happened amounts to “Nigerian churches occupying Episcopal buildings.” How ironic—the liberal US church that for decades touted itself as a champion of people of color and of poor developing countries is preparing to now evict them from what the American liberals view as belonging to their rich, white denomination! (I’ve always appreciated how God makes the machinations of those who resist Him look so foolish!)

O to God that we would have more faithful churches like these eight that would put aside concerns about denominational ties and building titles in favor of remaining true to God’s Word! The days ahead won’t be easy for any of these churches or pastors; the assault will be tremendous. But when it’s all over—that is, when they stand before God in heaven—they will know they did the right thing.

Check out our website this week—there’s lots of new things going on here. If nothing else, please read my article on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. I think you’ll agree with me that Christians ought to be celebrating this feast as much as Jews.

Back with you later . . .

The wind is kicking up!

I received a call early this morning from our ministry team member on the ground in New Jersey. I’ve been telling you about our state-by-state strategy for taking a prophetic witness of biblical Truth to the nation’s state supreme courts. New Jersey is an example of why this strategy is so badly needed. The highest court there has ordered—yes, I said ordered—the legislature to accommodate same-sex couplings.

As an illustration of the egregious violation of the separation of powers—that is, checks and balances—New Jersey’s judicial branch has just plain bullied the state’s legislative branch. Think about that: The judges have instructed the representatives of the people to pass law that the people do not want. What?

While I’d have to dismiss any notion that immoral law is bad law (which, of course, I strongly believe), I could still get around to understanding the courts striking down an existing law as unconstitutional and letting the legislature—that is the people—wrestle with how to resolve it. But ORDER the duly elected representatives of the people to create new law that no one asked to create? It’s nothing short of tyranny.

I can’t help but think it was for less than this that we staged a revolutionary war against Britain. I’m not calling for another revolution like that one, but I do think it’s time we use every lawful option to clean up the cesspool. The judiciary has become inebriated with power, and, sad to say, weak legislators are all too happy to comply and pass the buck: “I wudda’ done the right thing, ya’ know? But the judge ordered it and wattya’ gonna do?”

Try standing up for the Constitution—even if it is the state constitution! (Incidentally, for good or for bad, it is “settled law” now that the Bill of Rights applies to the states.) This is why constitutions exist. They are a rigid framework that doesn’t allow despotic impulse and fancy to overrule the law.

Well, now that I have that off my chest, I can tell you about some other kinder and gentler things:

We are, of course, entering that wonderful season of the year called Christmas. We’re doing all we can to positively exploit it for the advance of the Gospel—which is what the Christmas story is all about. We put up our Christmas Advent scripture banner at the beginning of this month. It’s Micah 3:1, “Behold, He is coming.”

Advent, of course, means “to come.” So, the verse fits. Christmas celebrates the first coming of Christ in the form of the Suffering Savior. The Second Advent will celebrate his arrival as King. Christmas looks back at the First Coming and forward to the Second Coming. But Christmas isn’t the only holiday to be celebrated at this time of the year. There’s another “Festival of Lights” (more correctly, “Feast of Dedication”) that is lesser known, but was part of Jesus’ life and ministry, and, I believe, ought to be part of our own. For the sake of intrigue, I’ll leave it a mystery for now, but tell you I’ll talk about it this Wednesday on my live missionary field report. (Every Wednesday, 12:00 noon EST, on Live365.com, but you can link at the top left corner of our website, www.faithandaction.org) Tell your family, friends and fellow church members to listen in! You’ll be surprised to learn how relevant this obscure holiday is to the struggle that every Christian is engaged in, at least in the West.

One final word, this on the continuing Rick Warren / Barack Obama flap: I hope you saw my full statement. My criticism for Rick’s invitation to share his pulpit with the rabidly pro-abortion senator must be taken into context. You can read it on our website. The brouhaha hasn’t abated yet. Apparently, Newsweek Magazine’s website published an interview with Rick Warren’s wife, Kay, who is the driving force behind the Purpose Driven couple’s laudable AIDS relief work. When asked specifically if my criticism was a surprise to her, she said, “A bit.” I’m not surprised that she was surprised, even if it was just a bit. I guess I’m more disappointed. She said maybe she was a bit naïve. I guess I am, too. I thought that the Warrens of the world would be better informed.

That revelation of Kay Warren’s naivety, coupled with a conversation last night among members of my wife Cheryl’s and my regular home group (a Bible study, prayer and discussion group that meets in our family room every other Friday), left me resolved to do something more substantial about all this. A woman we know and admire greatly said she saw Obama in the Saddleback pulpit and thought, “Finally, a good Democrat we can get behind.” Egad! Couldn’t be less true!

Watch in the days ahead for more about Sen. Obama and his religious history, philosophy and company he keeps. While he’s been detailed to court the Evangelicals especially, and perhaps hoodwink all Christians of conscience in this country, he is anything but a biblically faithful believer!

Well, that’s all for now. I do realize there is a lot more to write you about, so I may begin posting more often. This is an emerging communication medium for me, so please bear with me as I learn the ropes.

Oops, the final final: Congress has finally left town. Washington is always a windy place, but it was particularly gusty as members carried out a whirlwind of last-minute debates, delivered speeches and passed legislation—then bolted. (As a spooky reminder they were leaving, a fierce Nor’easter blew by our building, snapping the bolts that held our Christmas banner on our building! We’re replacing them now.)

In my final analysis, this Republican led Congress of the last 12 years has accomplished things no other Congress would have even attempted, but it fell far short of what they should have done. With virtually all three branches in the hands of Republicans, we all rightfully expected to be much further down the road toward reclaiming moral sanity. That failure is inexcusable: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

I will give kudos to the Senate: They confirmed two of the best justices we have had since Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were seated. (Those are relative kudos to be sure.) The new Senate, especially with Sen. Patrick Leahy as chair of the Judiciary Committee, will not do that again. We must pray!

Be back later . . .

NEW LEASE ON THIS BLOG!

Ever since that stunning reversal by the Federal District of Columbia on their order for us to remove the Ten Commandments monument from the front of our ministry house here on Capitol Hill, I’ve wondered what I should write about in this blog.

My original intent in starting “The Ten Commandments on Capitol Hill” was to keep you informed on the battle so you could pray and act with us until we achieved victory. As I’ve said countless times, I wish I were always God’s Man of Faith and Power for the Hour, but I’m not. I thought we’d have a very long, complicated and expensive fight in front of us—but, praise God, I was wrong! When the DC legal department rendered its official opinion that we could keep the display-- just three weeks after they threatened us with $300 per day fines and possible forced sale of our property--I wasn’t sure what to do with this forum!

As you’ve picked up, I’ve played around with various issues of the day. Now, though, I’ve settled what to do with “The Ten Commandments on Capitol Hill.” I’ll use this space to fill you in on everything else that goes on around here. In other words, there is plenty of ministry work, prayer, controversies, developments, interesting people, and events connected with our missionary outreach to elected and appointed officials that never makes it into an E-mail, a newsletter or the media. You’ll never see a headline on any of this, but it is all as important as anything else we do.

So, beginning this week, each Monday I’ll post these “happenings” here. Sometimes, they will be as juicy as any scuttlebutt coming out of this town; other times it will be as boring as paperwork in a cubicle. But it will always give you the complete picture of what it takes to keep a strong Gospel witness of Biblical Truth flowing among the most powerful people in the most powerful city of the most powerful country on earth.

What I do hope and pray is that this blog will be a forum for us to communicate back and forth with each other. I admit it will take some reorientation and discipline for me, but beginning this week, I commit to reading everything you write back to me at this space. So, please WRITE BACK! Even if it’s just a one-liner—or even a one-worder!

If you’ve followed this site at all, you know for a period of time I had only one writer—and he wasn’t terrible friendly! (I’ve got to tell you though, I’ve come to appreciate Jeff Wismer of Beltway Atheists. He’s been by our ministry house and he’s actually quite a nice and enjoyable guy. I’m praying that he has one of those life-changing lapses when he doubts for just a moment his otherwise smug self-confidence! All said with great affection, Jeff!)

Today I’m headed to a meeting of Evangelical chaplain endorsers for the military. These are the people that the Department of Defense (DOD) looks to for certification that a minister is fit for service to our military men and women. As you know, there’s been quite a controversy over military chaplains ending their prayers in the name of Jesus. This particular group of chaplain endorsers (made up of civilian church leaders) has worked prayerfully and wisely behind-the-scenes to deal with this intolerable restriction on Christian chaplains. (As far as anyone knows, no other religious group has been forbidden from invoking the name of their respective deities.) While other chaplain endorsers have caved in to the politically correct spirit at the DOD (even large Evangelical organizations and denominations have cowed to the intimidation), this group has remained quietly resolute. I’ll be pleased to be with them.

I expect too, that today I’ll still be dealing with more ruckus over my criticism of Rick Warren’s hosting of rabidly pro-abortion senator Barack Obama. If you haven’t read my statements on this, please do so. They can all be found at either our website, our sister site http://www.nationalclergycouncil.org/ or http://www.earnedmedia.org/. It’s important to note that my criticism was never aimed directly at Rick or the great work he has done and is doing. The media wanted it to appear that way, but it was never the case. I have only criticized Rick’s choice of Obama. Why not a pro-life Democrat? (There are actually a few!)

In between these two biggies, I’ll meet with our staff to plan three enormously important initiatives:

1) Our imminent Christmas outreach to Congress. This year we’ll hand-deliver to all 535 members (435 representatives, 100 senators) a personal letter, a special Christmas Gospel tract, a book dealing with spiritual and moral integrity in leadership and two tickets to see the film The Nativity. (See our upcoming web article and E-Notice.) It may not look like it on the surface, but these activities require an enormous amount of work. Just imagine arranging hand-delivery of a pile of materials to 535 offices anywhere, some of them occupied by very hostile recipients. Then complicate it by a factor of 100 for the multiple layers of security in place since 9-11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks. It surely doesn’t make it any easier!

2) This Thursday we launch our second year with Operation Nativity (coordinated by my long-time friend and ministry partner, Dr. Charles Nestor of http://www.thetruthmatters.com/), a call for Christians in America to display nativity scenes (some prefer to call them “crèches”) on their front lawns, porches, balconies or in a prominent window for passers-by to see. We kick it off by placing our own Nativity Display on the front lawn of our ministry house across the street from the US Supreme Court, one block form the US Capitol and ten minutes from the White House. More than one senator and Supreme Court justice has been observed to stop and contemplate Jesus lying in the manger amidst Joseph, Mary, the Magi and angels! This year, we team up twice by adding another long-time friend and partner, Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, who is spearheading The Nativity Project, an effort to keep Christ in public “holiday” displays. Pat and I will hold a news conference to encourage individuals, churches and other groups to secure permits from their local and state governments for a Nativity at their town or city hall, county seat building or state capitol. Watch http://www.faithandaction.org/ for more info.


3) Our upcoming National Memorial for the Pre-born and their Mothers and Fathers, January 22. (Same day as the annual March for Life. It’s timed so you can do both.) This unique gathering affirming the Sanctity of our God-given Right to Life is in its 12th year on Capitol Hill. It is a fully-dressed worship and preaching service—the only one held inside the US Capitol complex. Dozens of clergy from every major denomination participate and hundreds attend. My brother, Paul, and I started it when we first arrived. You may know the story: We held the first Memorial in a liberal church just a few blocks from where our ministry house is now located. We rented the building, but when the liberal pastor and leaders learned what we were doing they were scandalized. I was hauled in front of their board along with my ministry team members. We were excoriated for being intolerant, bigoted, and anti-woman for having a pro-life meeting in their sanctuary. The whole thing was ironic; my team was a veritable rainbow of humanity: men, women, young, old, white, black and Asian. (Not to mention my Jewish heritage!) Their side was a phalanx of middle-aged white males. Still, we got the lecture. When it was finally over, I was told by the church’s board chairman, “We are a tolerant church. We have pro-life and pro-choice people, gays and straights, liberals and conservatives. But we find your position on abortion untenable.” I responded respectfully and asked for clarification by saying, “Let me get this straight. You are so tolerant, you find us intolerable. Is that correct?” He flatly said, “That’s correct,” then told us to find another location for the next year. No kidding. Thank God he did—we’ve been inside the U.S. Capitol complex ever since!

The rest of this week will be taken up with meetings on the Hill, end-of-year communications with our support team made of up of you and people like you all over the country (we have the last of our quarterly conference calls tonight—if you want in, just make a contribution of any amount at our website and you’ll receive an invitation), and finally, a big move. We have a much larger ministry team than we had this time last year, and it means we’re going to be relocating people between our two buildings. That’s never easy. I’ll be vacating the room that I’ve worked out of for six years. I dread the breaking down and setting back up, but I’ll still have a front-window view of the Chief Justice’s chambers across the street!

Before I go—don’t forget this Wednesday: Faith and Action Live! Your live missionary field report from Capitol Hill, 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM. You can link to it from our website. (Top left hand corner of the screen.) I’ll talk more about the Saddleback Church flap and what Obama’s outreach to Evangelicals means for the ’08 presidential race.

That’s all for now—please write with your comments, questions—and, Jeff—your criticisms, accusations and insults!

Blessings for now!

RICK WARREN BROUHAHA

I guess I caused quite a stink yesterday when I joined other Christian leaders in challenging Saddleback Valley Community Church pastor Rick Warren's speaking invitation to Sen. Barack Obama.

I will make perfectly clear that I do not object to Pastor Warren's admirable attempt to bring disparate voices to the table to ameliorate worldwide suffering from HIV/AIDS. I do applaud his ministry efforts and pray for his success. What I object to is his selection of Sen. Obama.

The problem here is Pastor Warren's political naivety. I've been on Capitol Hill for 13 years. There is no doubt in my mind that this is simply about Barack Obama getting a photo of himself in the pulpit of one of the largest, best known and widely acclaimed EVANGELICAL pulpits in the country.

Notwithstanding Pastor Warren's response to my call for a public statement distancing himself from the Senator's policies on abortion, there is little he can do now to stop the above from happening. As long as Barack Obama appears in Rick Warren's pulpit, the majority of the public will only know that "Barack Obama spoke at Rick Warren's church." In the average person's mind, that equates to "Rick Warren endorses Barack Obama."

In view of Rick Warren's burden for reducing childhood deaths do to disease, poverty and war, many of us who support these efforts are perplexed about why he can't see that Barack Obama's abortion policies result in the largest numbers of child deaths in the world!

I appreciate Pastor Warren's response to our call for clarification, and I continue to be prayerfully enthusiastic about his highly effective evangelistic and Christian humanitarian endeavors. But I maintain that he is being deliberately exploited and will only cause confusion in the Body of Christ should he proceed with the Senator's invitation.

By the way, for those who think rescinding such an invitation is mean-spirited, let me assure you Sen. Obama can take it. National politics is a brutal sport and those who survive and make it to the top have very thick skin. There are plenty of people Obama won't be photographed with or even be seen with in this town. He dishes it out; he can certainly take it. It goes with the job.

As for me. I am praying that Rick Warren will do the right thing and that Sen. Obama's heart and mind will be changed on abortion as his heart is changed by Christ.