FOR NEW BLOG FROM RNC GO TO http://faithandaction.blogspot.com/

IF YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR MY NEW BLOG PLEASE GO TO http://faithandaction.blogspot.com/

MOVING MY BLOG!

I'm moving my commentary from this address to a new one. Thinking Olympics? Please go to http://faithandaction.blogspot.com/ to read about our risky mission to China.

VIDEO FROM 35,000 FEET!

Check out my video post from 35,000 feet above Moscow. (The other Moscow, of course!) Somebody very important to my ministry makes a surprise cameo appearance . . .

http://gallery.mac.com/robschenck/100524

Rob

Rev. Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

Faith and Action

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

LOTS OF "STUFF" GOING ON!

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

There's so much "stuff" going on around here there isn't time or space to write about all of it, but I thought you'd appreciate something of an overview. I know you pray for this ministry, carry a concern for it and generously support it, so here's your well-deserved briefing:

Our team is feverishly working on these projects during the summer months--

1) The big "Ten Commandments" Supreme Court case. I use quotation marks because this case is really not a Ten Commandments case at all. That is, the real question is on free speech, specifically by a municipality. This case out of Utah involves a challenge to the city of Pleasant Grove that displays a Ten Commandments sculpture in one of its city parks. Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice and a long-time friend to my brother Paul and me will argue the case. We handle this type of thing quite differently, though, then do legal groups like the ACLJ. Jay must rightfully argue this on the strict meaning of the law. We'll get that in, too, of course, but we use these legal platforms in another way. As you know, Faith and Action isn't a legal firm (like the ACLJ or Liberty Counsel) and we aren't a lobby group like CWA Action or the Family Research Council. We are an evangelistic outreach--proclaiming the Gospel and biblical truth to those in public office. So, we use these platforms to telegraph important truths and prophetic messages from Scripture and historical Christian moral instruction.

(A little side note: I recently helped host a forum that included one of the more outstanding Supreme Court justices. During his remarks the Justice said he takes the kind of brief we are submitting very seriously and tries to give them careful attention. Nice to know.)

2) Just as we're wrapping up the case with the Ten Commandments, another big one is brewing. Atheist activist Michael Newdow argued for the second time against the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last year. They're expected to announce their decision on it any day. I pray I'm wrong, but I expect they'll once again strike down "Under God" as supremely illegal. (After all, that's what a court means whenever it declares something "unconstitutional," which I expect the Ninth Circuit to do on the Pledge, as they did in 2002. Remember, the Constitution is the highest law of the land. Whatever doesn't comport with the Constitution in the eyes of any court violates the highest law of the land, making it "supremely illegal.") We're preparing our team to respond with a news conference at the Supreme Court within hours of the decision. We're also working with a strategy group on a legislative response from the Congress affirming "Under God" as a permanent part of the Pledge and taking away jurisdiction from the courts so it can stay that way. (You may find this legal report on the record of the case interesting: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1196762679367) I should also mention that we're working with the White House to have the Medal of Freedom conferred on 98-year old Dr. George Docherty, the minister who preached the famous 1954 sermon "Under God" that in part led to the insertion of the phrase into the Pledge.

3) In these waning days of the present administration, it's important to work on as many strong Christian appointments to office as possible. For strategic reasons, I can't tell you which ones we're working on, but we are prayerfully and diligently working on a few! Please pray with us that the right people will be placed into the right offices. (Like Joseph in Egypt, they'll be needed during a future famine!) This is not easy work--lots of phone calls, E-mail, letters, faxes, meetings, networking, etc., etc--and all this is extracurricular!

4) We've officially launched what has been until now our "unofficial" internship program, training up a new generation of missionaries to Capitol Hill! We have had interns work in our ministry center before, but to be honest, they've been more like office assistants. Our current intern is our test case for an actual mentorship. I'm still a young guy at 49 (!), but I won't be forever. If the Lord gives this nation a little more time, we'll need solid young people to take up the mantel. Please pray for this side of our work. It's more important than ever!

5) Speaking of young people, I'll be with a bunch of them next week. Wednesday, June 25 - Saturday, June 28, I'll be at Creation East '08, the largest, longest running Christian music festival of its kind in the world. Founder Harry Thomas is a member of our Faith and Action board and a very close friend. He specifically asked me to bring a pro-life message. I've entitled it "Juno's Moment," for a scene in the wildly popular youth film Juno. It's the story of a 16-year old girl who is pregnant and seeks an abortion. As she's entering the "clinic," she encounters a pro-life classmate who tells her, "Your baby has fingernails." That's the moment that changes Juno's life. Well, you can see where it's going! We'll also have a booth in the artists' tent from which we'll broadcast live on National Pro-Life Radio.Net (http://www.nplr.net/) I'll interview some of the nearly 100,000 young people who will be there about their attitudes on the Sanctity of Life, the upcoming elections and more. Be sure to join in!

6) Never one to waste a day, I'll step off the platform at Creation on Saturday afternoon and into a waiting car to zip off to the airport and fly to Florida where I will speak at the terrific Calvary Chapel South Orlando on Sunday morning. I've known Pastor Charles Nestor II since he was a little boy. (His dad, Charles I--I love how royal that sounds--is one of my closest buddies.) In fact, "Pastor Charles" (as the younger is known) was an intern at our church up in Buffalo, New York, all those years ago. During that time he lived in my basement--a trauma that no doubt still haunts him! Anyway, Calvary Chapel South is a great church. If you're within driving distance of Orlando on Sunday, June 29, come on by!

7) In addition to all the "regular" ministry stuff we do (and there's plenty of that), I have my other responsibilities: As chairman of the Committee on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance (I have a board meeting for that coming up in July and I'll speak at the annual convention in Branson, Missouri); I'm also on the board of the Nobel Prize nominated Institute on Religion and Public Policy. President Joseph Griebowski, who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Marywood University, has asked me to serve as the first Senior Fellow for Domestic Religious Liberty Issues. I'm honored and if, after being properly vetted I pass, I do plan to accept. My other board memberships are also ramping up demands on my time and attention: The National Pro-Life Religious Council, the Council for National Policy and the biblically faithful Methodist Episcopal Church USA. As you can see, I need to trim back, so please pray with me on which ones go. I love them all, so it's a tough call, but something's going to give over these summer months!

8) Finally--for now--we're gearing up for the annual Reese RoundTable, a forum named for our friends, the intrepid soul-winning culture warriors Bernie and Lee Reese. The RoundTable gives us a unique platform to address the hard things in an otherwise politically correct town. This year will be particularly dicey because the forum will be held practically on the eve of the elections. We're prayerfully looking at a red hot subject but I can't tell you what it is quite yet. Stand by!

We'll, I've hardly gotten through the list but I've probably exhausted your patience. I just want you to see that we don't sit on our hands around here. We're busy doing the Lord's work because that's what you've sent us here to do! Speaking of . . . I better get back to work!

Your grateful missionary to Washington, DC,

Rob Schenck
Faith and Action
http://www.faithandaction.org/
109 2nd St., NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-546-8329

REQUIEM FOR RUSSERT

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

The big news here in Washington is the sudden death of journalistic luminary Tim Russert, NBC Washington bureau chief and host of Meet the Press. He was just 58 years old—seems so young to me now.

While I’m sure Tim was on the other side of me on many political and perhaps even moral issues, there were a few commendable facts known universally about him. In this town he enjoyed a rare reputation for loving his faith and his family above anything else.

I just heard Howard Fineman of Newsweek magazine musing on live television that if he’d ever consider converting from being Jewish to Catholic, it would be because of Tim Russert. “He was a great fisherman for his faith.” Even more impressive from Fineman was this, “Tim was the kind of guy who never pursued false gods, he pursued the real one.”

Hmm.

There is, in fact, endless commentary on Russert’s devout faith—and that’s saying a lot. Almost 90% of Washington journalists claim no religious affiliation or involvement. Russert was the opposite. He was faithful in his church attendance and was unashamed of it.

Perhaps the reason I feel as surprising as I do about this otherwise “mainline journalist” is because he was so “Buffalo.” As you may know, I grew up in Buffalo, as Tim did. Buffalo has a pronounced culture—a way of being. It wasn’t just his accent; it was his worldview and his values. He was down-to-earth and blue collar. Those are the people that filled my world back home.

Perhaps I’m getting caught up in the romance of the moment, but I feel saddened by this loss. Russert was sincere, warm, friendly and consummately civil. He was a true professional but didn’t seem overly impressed with himself. He loudly championed the family and quietly championed his Christian faith. Too bad we never heard anything from him on the sanctity of life because he lived life so well.

American journalism will be poorer for Tim Russert’s absence. My prayers go out to his wife, son and father—and to all those who loved him.

Rev. Rob Schenck
Faith and Action
http://www.faithandaction.org/
109 2nd St, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-546-8329

A WORD ABOUT CHURCHES

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

One of the great joys I have in this post is traveling to churches around the country, sharing what God is doing behind the scenes here in our nation’s capital. Sometimes I’m the guest preacher, sometimes a speaker for a missions convention or other special event, and sometimes I simply sit down with the pastor or missions committee members to explain the mission of Faith and Action and how it compliments the ministry of the local church.

Local churches—congregations—or parishes—whatever you want to call them—are vital to Faith and Action’s success. First, it helps us to get exposure. Much of what we do here in Washington is much too sensitive to broadcast widely. We need to “contain” the information that could compromise our access to important people and places.

One way to limit exposure is by restricting my report to a local congregation, again by way of preaching or speaking to a church group. (Maybe you’ve been present in a service when I’ve awkwardly asked the sound tech to stop recording, just to be sure delicate information doesn’t travel too far!)

Prayer support is another reason I spend so much time with local churches. Prayer is our lifeline. We depend completely on the prayers of God’s people. I know it’s been the intercession of the saints that has resulted in so many open doors on Capitol Hill, so many open hearts and minds among our elected and appointed officials, and so many extraordinary opportunities to adavcne the Gospel of Christ in the halls of government. (Prayer has also literally saved our lives—I’ll blog about that some day.)

Volunteers and donors are another reason. We need help here—from stuffing envelopes to doing missionary work among federal judges! Right now, we especially need basic help—a plumber, carpenter, electrician, painter, plasterer and a water sealant expert! Our buildings are over 100 years old and they’re showing their age! (If you’re licensed in these trades and could give a week of your time in exchange for a bed and dinner each day, give Peggy Birchfield of my office a call at 202-546-8329, extension 103!)

The local church is where we also meet virtually all of our high-end donors. Our ministry is built on a three-legged stool: Individual support (average annual gift to Faith and Action is $27 per year!), churches (most send monthly support, although more and more are sending it quarterly or annually) and major donors ($1000 or more per year).

My ministry visit to a church is generally the start of all three of these vitally important lifelines:

--I go to the church to preach or speak and an initial offering is received for Faith and Action. Then (as I always pray will happen) people will be burdened to support us and will take our literature to find out how. Almost without exception, a few people, often just one or two couples, will tell me they want to be part of our work in a special way, including an unusually high level of financial support. I generally spend personal time with these folks praying with them, answering their questions and explaining in great detail how and why we do what we do on Capitol Hill.

As you can see, the local church is fertile ground for us. And all this isn’t even to mention how refreshing it is for me to get “outside the Beltway” to get my mind and soul recalibrated!

You can help Faith and Action by introducing us to your pastor and church. If I’ve already been to your church, maybe it’s time for a return visit. If I haven’t been to your church, perhaps you’d take on a project to get me invited! I love to preach. In the course of a year I’ll be in just about every Christian church imaginable. Several pastors from leading churches of every denomination have put very generous words in writing about my ministry. (Often pastors want to know what their colleagues are saying about me before they take the risk of inviting me to their pulpit!)

Here’s are a few helpful hints in talking to your pastor about Faith and Action and me:

1)      Faith and Action is an independent Christian missionary outreach. We are NOT a lobbying group and we are NOT partisans. (We do not favor a political party.) We are NOT litigators—that is, we don’t sue people in court.

2)      We ARE evangelists, proclaiming and demonstrating God’s Truth to our nation’s top government officials.

3)      Our core values are the Sanctity of Life, the Sanctity of Marriage and the Public Acknowledgement of God.

4)      We are independently audited each year and an elected board of trustees governs us.

5)      Our volunteers and supporters come from virtually every Christian tradition.

6)      We have been a legal entity for 25 years and have spent the last 15 of those years on Capitol Hill.

7)      Our ministry center is located right across the street from the Supreme Court, one block from the US Capitol and ten minutes from the White House! We’re right in the center of the action!

Everything your pastor needs to know about Faith and Action or about inviting me to the church can be found at our website (www.faithandaction.org). One thing to keep in mind: Most pastors don’t want to be pressured into having a guest they don’t know. (This is understandable, as one of the pastor’s primary responsibilities is to protect the “sheep.”) Instead of insisting the church should invite me, try to show how such a visit will compliment the pastor’s own ministry and satisfy the needs of the people of the church. I’ve met thousands of pastors and the majority of them care deeply about taking care of their flock. Yet, if enough people in the congregation want the kind of message and information I bring (which is also hopeful and uplifting), and you can demonstrate how Faith and Action can meet that desire, I’ll probably get the invitation from your pastor to come!

Arranging a visit for me to your church is really helpful to Faith and Action. Please prayerfully, sensitively and urgently work on this with your pastor and home church!

If you have any questions about this, write me at revrobschenck@faithandaction.org.

Blessings,

Rev. Rob Schenck

Faith and Action

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

FIRST VIDEO BLOG POST!

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

I decided to go with a video blog today because I'm on the road in Columbus, Ohio, being hosted by the wonderful people of Christian Assembly on Karl Road. I've been coming and going from this church for 20 years and it never gets old! (Of course, that's how I feel about them. You'll have to ask them how they feel about me!)

If you're within driving distance of Columbus, come out to join us:

Christian Assembly

4099 Karl Rd. Columbus, OH 43224

614.261.8440 I speak at a nearby Christian school this afternoon at 2:00 (Tree of Life Academy) and then at the church tomorrow for a forum on the upcoming presidential election. But the big day is Sunday when I give the message and missionary field report at the morning service, 10:00. Check out their website at www.christianassembly.com. Hope to see you at Christian Assembly, Columbus! Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials, Rev. Rob Schenck Faith and Action www.faithandaction.org 109 2nd St., NE Washington, DC 20002 202-546-8329

CALIFORNIA COURT ORDERS "CALIFORNICATION"!

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

"And tidal waves couldn't save the world
From Californication."

-- From "Californication" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

My play on words is actually a hijacking of an album title by the alternative rock-pop band Red Hot Chili Peppers. (They released "Californication" in 1999.) Not only couldn't tidal waves save the world from what four justices of the California Supreme Court did yesterday when they ordered their state to issue so-called "same-sex marriage" certificates, but the act itself is, in fact, the beginning of a tidal wave. This decision is far more significant and consequential than the more predictable (and unappealing) but similar ruling of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. California is the largest state in the Union. In this case, the majority of the Justices are Republican appointees. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a Republican and has promised to obey the order. As one court watcher observed, this has completely changed the legal--and I'd add, political--landscape when it comes to same-sex marriage.

Now, before you jump to conclusions and accuse me of simply gay bashing, please read my reflections on homosexuality and homosexual relationships soon to be posted at my other blog: www.faithandaction.blogspot.com. I think you'll be surprised. For now, though, this posting deals with the California Court's opinion and its consequences there and around the country. So, I continue:

What the Court did in this case was redefine "marriage." Marriage is universally understood to be a ritual formalization of the intimate complimentarity between a man and a woman with a view toward procreation and / or the raising of children. Children need male and female role models to understand how human beings and human society work. Of course, as Christians, we understand and believe strongly that this is God's will and design, and that anything else is violative of this rule. You don't need to go that far, though. Marriage as between one man and one woman has been practiced by virtually every civilization since time immemorial. Its supreme benefit to individuals, to families and to culture is undeniable. The severely negative consequences of ignoring or deliberately rejecting conventional marriage and family structures is painfully obvious and can be seen from the anguish of plural families around the world to the single-parent homes of innercity neighborhoods in the U.S.

Marriage is not a legal arrangement of convenience. It is a recognition that men and women are different and in that difference improve one another. They each bring unique contributions that are uniquely strengthened and maximized through the marriage covenant and subsequent marital relationship. There are some things men do better than women and many things women do better than men. I know absolutes aren't in vogue but there are some things men can only do and some things women can only do. (Think anatomy here!) So, what four judges did in this opinion was to engage in a grand exercise of pathological denial. They said two men or two women can have exactly the same relationship that a man and woman can have. That's patently false.

A tidal wave (more correctly, a tsunami) can be powerfully destructive to anything in its path. The ruling of the California Supreme Court on same-sex marriage is a cultural tsunami, but here's a little fact of earth science: The backwash of a tidal wave is more powerful than its initial swash. A tidal wave-tsunami deposits material when it comes ashore, but its backwash removes more material than it deposits. The California Court's tidal wave decision awaits the inevitable backwash of the citizenry. As was the case in Hawaii a decade ago, when citizens there reacted to a similar court opinion by passing an airtight constitutional amendment preserving traditional marriage, this California ruling may just be the Big Wave moral conservatives have been hoping for!

More later . . .

Rev. Rob Schenck

Faith and Action

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

THE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Last night I had the time of my life. No, it wasn’t some swank soirée on the Hill with movers and shakers—it was a night with the worn and weary men of the Central Union Mission.

The “mission men” have long and tragic stories. They wear those stories in the deep crevices of their leathered faces and in their rumpled clothing. Many of them suffer from alcoholism, drug addictions, violence and mental illness.

My responsibility was to preach their evening service in the chapel. It’s a bit of a raucous group, but only because of half the men. These are the ones who “call out” to the preacher in typical black church style, or yell and even complain. The others keep silent—utterly silent—and stoic or asleep.

I’ve gone to the mission before and I’ll do it again for two reasons:

One is, the Lord commands it (see Matthew 25:36). He instructs us to visit those in prison. The “mission,” of course, is only sort of a prison—but a very gracious one. Of course, anyone can leave if they wish. Some are put out prematurely for flagrantly violating the stipulated rules upon entrance. Yet, for the most part, the mission is a tough-love, regimented environment for broken human beings. Some feel trapped there because they have no other recourse.

Second is because I love being with these guys. They often have intriguing life stories and I collect those stories like stamps! (Others have sagas you don’t even want to ask about!)

Suffice it to say, the Central Union Mission is a wonderful collection of humanity that is delightfully transparent, genuine and humble. In other words, they are “real people.” The world is made up of a lot of pompous, pretentious people impressed with themselves, so, it does me good to get out with the “real people” and continue to experience the world from their perspective.

Because I don’t have a lot of money to give away (beyond my tithe, outgoing missionary support and my own little outreach project to a homeless woman at the Union Station rail depot), I try to offer something of intangible value to these men, but something that will last forever. I offer them God’s love through His Word as I preach it. More importantly, I give them respect and acknowledgment of their human dignity because they are made in the image of God.

What does it really cost us to show a person respect? A deferential handshake, a “Sir,” or “Madam,” a simple compliment: “You’re looking good my friend!” “Man, what a handsome smile you have!” “With that voice, you could sell anything. That’s worth money, man!” “God bless you, Sir!”

When somebody’s used to being blown off, ignored, insulted, demeaned, treated like a child or as if they don’t matter or don’t even exist, these simple verbal affirmations go a very, very long way.

Last night, one man, a disabled Viet Nam vet, cried when I addressed him as Sir and thanked him for donning the uniform and risking his life in service to our country and me as a citizen.

Earlier in the evening, as I had made my way over to the mission, my cab driver had asked, “Why would you go there?” It was clear he thought it highly unusual—maybe even improper—for a man in a coat and tie from Capitol Hill to go to such an unseemly place.

“Because Jesus is there,” I explained. Then I gave him a preview of my sermon. For my text, I took St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5 – 10. Part of that passage reads, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

I told the cab driver, and later the men in chapel, “When I read these verses, I think of the lady at the US Supreme Court I call my ‘Kitchen Mama.’ She cooks up the best eggs you’ll ever eat, but she’ll never have a title beyond ‘cook.’ She’ll never wear a fancy robe, sit on a high mahogany bench or have reporters and photographers chasing after her, but she’s more like Jesus Christ than the Chief Justice of the United States. The Bible says Jesus emptied himself of his reputation and took on the form of a servant. That’s where you’ll find Jesus, among the servants!”

I got much more out of last night than I know those men did. A visit to a mission, especially after a day on Capitol Hill, centers me spiritually and in every other way.  I love the Central Union Mission!

All this has made me think about the mentally ill homeless lady outside Union Station. When I passed her yesterday, she looked up from the broken magnifying glass she uses to read discarded newspapers and said, “Hi, Honey. You got anything for me today?”

She always asks so innocently. (Don’t worry, I’ve shed all my naiveté about homeless people—there are most certainly victims and victimizers among them. I have an almost airtight method for identifying the con artists, but that’s for another blog post.)

This time I said what I always do, “Of course, Madam, you’re my favorite spiritual partner.”

“How’s that?” She responded this time with a big smile.

“Because Jesus said there’s two things that really matter. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and the second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. When I take care of you, my neighbor, it’s like loving God Himself, and I like to do both.”

“Thank you, baby,” she said matter-of-factly, putting the $5 bill I gave her into her frayed bag. Then she went back to reading.

Of all the stuff I experience here with presidents, members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices, the men at the mission and the lady at Union Station bring me closest to God. They are the things that keep me focused and centered.

Gotta’ go now—I’m taking a small group to the Chinese Embassy to pray for the victims of the recent earthquake. Please pray our presence and our words will be a witness to this atheist communist regime—and more importantly—a sign of God’s love in Christ for the Chinese people!

 

Back later . . .

 

Rev. Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

Faith and Action

109 2nd Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

HELPING A FRIEND

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

You may have been with us last November for the 25^th anniversary of our ministry. It was a very special occasion for my brother, Paul, and me.

Among the guests that evening were Charles and Belinda Nestor, long-time friends, soul mates and allies. (He was the minister in the wheelchair who spoke so eloquently.) Paul and I met Charles and Belinda when he was pastor of a church in Niagara Falls, New York, near where we grew up. A short time later, Charles was elected president of the organization I served back then, a church-sponsored residential program for recovering drug addicts. We’ve worked together on one thing or another ever since.

When Cheryl and I accepted the call to minister in the nation’s capital, we moved to Manassas, Virginia, almost 40 miles from Capitol Hill, principally because Charles and Belinda lived in Manassas. By then he was pastor of the burgeoning Manassas Assembly of God, one of the truly great churches in the Washington metropolitan area.

Charles and Belinda helped my family and me immensely as we settled into a strange and extremely demanding place. They offered encouragement, love, prayers, information and money—yes, lots of money! (And we needed it—we arrived here in Washington from Buffalo, New York, and were in constant sticker shock over everything from the cost of a house to the cost of dry cleaning!)

A great sadness came when Charles, who had long suffered from multiple sclerosis, was forced to retire by his disease. They went to Florida, which had always been a second home to them.

By then I was so used to having Charles by my side whenever we had a big event or challenging situation in Washington, that I was disoriented by his absence. I missed him terribly. Over time, we would see each other once or twice a year, but it would never be like it was before.

Charles has done so much for me over the 31 years we’ve known each other. He has a brilliant mind, is a consummate preacher and is a terribly realistic guy with both feet planted firmly on the earth. (Well, not really anymore—MS has forced those feet to be firmly planted in a wheelchair.)

Charles is now the Senior Fellow for Public Policy at the National Clergy Council, the group my brother and I helped to form in the late 1980’s. From that “platform,” Charles now gives sharp, biblically informed insight and commentary on the crucial issues of our day. He does a lot of media; maybe you’ve seen him lately.

In any case, it’s now my turn to help Charles. Life has become much more complicated and difficult for Charles and Belinda as his MS has advanced. She is no longer able to help manage his weakened body. He’s had a number of falls that have become more and more dangerous with each episode.

One of the solutions to Charles' deteriorating physical condition—and one both he and his therapists have demonstrated will improve his life, his health and his ministry productivity—is a specially equipped van. Transportation in an electric wheelchair is problematic. Getting in and out of a conventional vehicle is downright dangerous for him. Knowing this, Manassas Assembly of God, the church he served so well for so many years, has raised $20,000 toward the nearly $50,000 cost of this equipment. I want to match their $20,000 so we can speed Charles toward the van he needs.

Will you help me help Charles and Belinda in their urgent need? If each of our supporters gave just $1 to the cause, we’d actually exceed the goal. Of course, as you and I well know, that won’t happen. Not everyone will, or even can, participate. So, would you kindly make up the difference? Would you make a tax-deductible contribution right now online at our website—www.faithandaction.org—of maybe $30, $50, even $100 or more? If you simply add $1 to any amount you give (e.g., $31, $51, $101) we will immediately know you want it to go to Charles' van (it's like a code) and your money will go 100% toward the purchase of this much-needed vehicle.

I can’t thank you enough for helping me to help a friend. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Well, this is hardly laying down my life, but I would for Charles if I could. Raising some money is cheap in comparison.

Once we get the van for Charles, I’ll send you a photo of him in it!

Thanks for taking this request prayerfully and seriously.

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

 

Rev. Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

Faith and Action

109 2nd Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002

ALL OVER CREATION!

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Well, not exactly all over Creation, but I will be at Creation—Northeast, that is. If you’ve been there, you know Creation is the biggest, best and oldest Christian music festival in the world. If you haven’t been to Creation—you need to go! Make this year your year to be at Creation!!

You actually have two choices: Creation ’08 Northeast (where I’ll be, in Mount Union, Pennsylvania) and Creation ’08 Northwest, in Moses Lake, Washington. (I call Moses Lake’s gorgeous gorge the Grand Canyon in miniature!)

Creation co-founder Harry Thomas is a great friend to Paul and me, and a trustee of Faith and Action. Harry and his wife Margery are two of the most wonderful people in our universe. Besides being a talented musician himself, Harry is a retired pastor, missionary leader and Christian humanitarian—building orphanages and schools in Ghana and Haiti, and singularly boosting Compassion International’s child sponsorship program to exponential levels.

The Creation festival lasts four days, Wednesday, June 25 – Saturday, June 28, with an optional Sunday morning worship for stragglers who stay on. Creation is fabulous—but rustic--very "outdoorsey!" It’s a true camping experience. As you crest a hill outside the tiny hamlet of Mount Union, PA, you suddenly come upon a gigantic open field that always looks to me like a Christian refugee camp. (But much cleaner—yes, there are modern showers and bathrooms.) More and more people seem to be bringing RV’s. If, like me, that’s your style of camping, Creation can accommodate your machine.

In any case, I hope you’ll at least come on Saturday because that’s when I’m doing my seminar. This year I’ll address the sanctity of life in a session entitled, “It Has Fingernails!" I'm aiming it at young people (the vast population group at Creation) but more mature adults will like this message, too.

My seminar's at 3:00 in the afternoon and lasts about 45 minutes. I’ll also have a booth in the artists’ area (though I am hardly an artist) where we’ll feature the official launch of two new weblogs: revrobschenck.com and paulschenck.com. While this blog will continue to deal mostly with happenings here at Faith and Action, “revrobschenck.com” will allow me a forum to fully explore deeper subjects. My prayer is you’ll be helped and even delightfully surprised by what you find there. It’s not up and fully operative yet, but you can get a look at the framework at www.revrobschenck.com.

Please check out all the reports on recent Faith and Action events at our website: www.faithandaction.org. There’s been a lot going on lately. And, if you happen to be a pastor in town for Watchmen on the Wall, please come by today (Friday, May 9) at any time, 9-9, for a quick tour of our ministry center and a conversation about what’s going on behind the scenes—especially with the presidential campaigns and at the Supreme Court. (Which, of course, is just across the street, so you can see that, too!)

OK, I’ve typed enough. Please pray for us—these are very intense days in Washington. We’re grateful for your partnership and support!

Your Missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

Faith and Action

109 2^nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

STILL ALL WRIGHT ALL THE TIME!

Rev. Rob Schenck, your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, reporting:

Until Rev. Jeremiah Wright came to Washington, I was busy doing the following:

- Working the National Bible Reading Marathon on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol

- Developing legal strategies for the two big cases surrounding the public display of the Ten Commandments and the impending ruling against “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

- Continuing our efforts at ministering to the Supreme Court justices

- Prayerfully framing my talk for next month’s huge Creation Music Festival in Mt. Union Pennsylvania where I’ll speak on the Sanctity of Marriage

But now, in the Post Wright world everything is overshadowed by his much too memorable theological and polemical thunder. (Though all the above projects continue apace.) Jeremiah Wright has indeed taken the country by storm. He was the leading news story for more than a week, an absolute eternity by journalistic measure.

I have received hundreds of E-mails on Wright and his liberation theology. Dozens of reporters, editors and producers have called me. I’ve done several interviews about both for television, radio and print media.

Of course, if this were simply about theology the story would have quickly been relegated to the dusty, musty halls of academia. What’s really keeping this story alive is the question surrounding Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s relationship to Wright. This is a legitimate question, but for me it takes a little bit of a different turn.

I do think this is all about theology, the church and specifically, the black church. From my vantage point, these are the things that really matter. Partisan politics is predictably tempestuous, rancorous and filled with combat. Any weapon is fair to use, including one’s church affiliation, but for me, the critical questions are what Wright actually preaches and teaches and how that affects those formed under his religious tutelage.

I explore a lot of this in a series of recorded phone conversations with experts on the subjects of theology and the black church. They are posted at http://www.faithandaction.org/ and http://www.nationalclergycouncil.org/. (More installments will go up soon.) Please listen to these brief exchanges; I think you’ll find them enlightening.

As far as what we will do going forward on this: 1) We will continue to track and expose Reverend Wright and liberation theology, 2) We will continue to counter this “poison” (as one African-American scholar called it) and 3) We will continue to put forward the positive message of Christian faith.

My essay, “Why We’re Concerned About Wright and His Theology” (again, at http://www.faithandaction.org/ explains the reasons behind giving so much attention to this subject. Please read it and pass it along to concerned family, friends and fellow church members.

While I’m on this, let me set one thing straight: I do not disrespect Jeremiah Wright. He is an obviously intelligent, accomplished individual who is extraordinarily savvy about dealing with the media. He is also a man my senior in years and in ministry experience, so I will continue to be be deferential and civil in my challenges to him. I will also pray for him, his family and all those affected by him.

I do believe Wright is wrong. (I love that play on his name!) He is wrong on his understanding of God, the Christian faith and biblical religion. He is also supremely wrong on the paramount moral issues: The Sanctity of Life (he is for wholly unrestricted abortion and passionately defends Roe v. Wade) and the Sanctity of Marriage (he performs so-called “same-sex” weddings).

Barack Obama’s inexplicable long and continued close association with Wright will keep interest in liberation theology alive for a long time to come. Should Obama win the presidency, it will light Wright’s afterburners. The result will be an ever-greater interest in his peculiar brand of theology and ultimately a wider embrace of it—including here on Capitol Hill. This takes Wright, his black liberation theology and his ultra-liberal church from a religious sideshow to the religious main stage.

The concerns of others about Wright and the danger of his theology have led to some unlikely back-room conversations among Christian leaders concluding it would be better for Democrat-leaning Evangelicals, Catholics and other religious conservatives to vote for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming primaries. The reasons they give me for saying so: She doesn’t help propel Wright to national religious stardom and his heresy with him.

I never thought I’d hear pro-Hillary talk in religiously conservative circles, but I am now. I think I’m having a Roger Poger upside down day!

Be back . . .

Rev. Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

PASTORS APLENTY!

Your Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

I’m writing to you on Thursday instead of Friday because tomorrow will be too intense of a day to be posting. We will host our first “Preachers’ Circle” at the    "O. House." It is designed as an intimate, but exhaustive experience for the pastors of our supporting churches, so they can gain exposure to all the elements of our work on Capitol Hill. This time some 16 ministers and their spouses will spend an entire day with us, doing what we do , seeing what we see and experiencing what we experience day in and day out! At the same time, they’ll have unique access to unique people and places. Here’s an overview:

We’ll begin our day with a discussion in the Wright Parlor of the O.House featuring Dr. Jim Hutson, the premiere American historian on the so-called “separation of church and state.” Here’s Jim’s bio from the Library of Congress website:

 

“James H. Hutson received his Ph.D. in History from Yale University in 1964. He has been a member of the History Departments at Yale and William and Mary and, since 1982, has been Chief of the Library's Manuscript Division. Dr Hutson is the author of several books among them: John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution (1980); winner of the Gilbert Chinard Prize, 1981; To Make All Laws: The Congress of the United States, 1789-1989 (Washington and Boston, 1989-90; 4th edition, Washington, 1990); The Sister Republics: Switzerland and the United States from 1776 to the Present ( Washington, 1991; 4th edition, Washington, 1998); Religion and the Founding of the American Republic (5th printing, Washington, 2000).”

 

It doesn’t mention Jim’s latest book, Church and State: The First 200 Years (Cambridge University Press). It’s the best treatment of this subject on the market. I highly recommend it to you. Don’t be afraid of it; Jim writes comfortably for the layman. “Church and State” is one of the most contentious fault lines in our American civilization, so we’ve got to get it right. That’s what this session for preachers will be all about.

After the discussion, we’ll go over to the Library of Congress itself and get a special VIP tour of areas not generally accessible to the public. (I can say no more!)

From the Library of Congress, we’ll go to the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, near the White House, where each guest minister will be invited to mount the famous pulpit where Peter Marshall once preached—and where Dr. George Docherty delivered his famous “Under God” sermon while Dwight Eisenhower was in attendance. It was that sermon, atop a years long petition drive by the Knights of Columbus, that gave us the phrase “under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance.

After New York Ave Pres, we’ll make a brief stop at the White House for a group photo, then, go on to the U.S. Capitol for lunch and a prayer meeting led by U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black. You read it right: There is a prayer meeting held under the dome of U.S. Capitol! Senate Chaplain Black is a good friend and precious Man of God. (I had the pleasure of conferring the honorary doctor of divinity degree on Chaplain Black during a joint convocation of the National Clergy Council and the Methodist Episcopal Church USA.)He loves the Lord and has faithfully served Him since a teenager. Chaplain Black is the first military man to occupy this post (he's a retired Navy admiral and former Navy Chief of Chaplains) and the first African American congressional chaplain.

Following the prayer service, we’ll go across the street for an officially escorted VIP tour of the US Supreme Court. As you know, this is our primary mission field, and I want these ministers to get a good look at it—up close and personal!

Finally, we’ll gather for debriefing at the ministry center and enjoy a leisurely dinner at one of the nearby Capitol Hill haunts. It’ll be a full day!

If you think your pastor would enjoy one of these “Preachers’ Circle” events, please put us in touch. Have your pastor write to us at info@faithandaction.org and request information.

Watch for my End-of-Week Round-Up tomorrow. It’s been a very full five days—wait till you hear what’s happened. We are anything but bored!

Thanks for all you are to us--and all you do for us. You are God’s lifeline from heaven to this ministry!

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rev. Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

109 2^nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

 

 

READY TO DEFEND PLEDGE AS SOON AS IT'S ATTACKED

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

For almost six years, Faith and Action has been busy defending the two most cherished words in our Pledge of Allegiance, "Under God." You may remember way-back-then, I personally (and gently) confronted notorious atheist activist Michael Newdow at a meeting we both attended in the National Press Club building here in Washington. 

Newdow had just won his case at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The judges ruled the Pledge's two-word phrase violated the so-called "separation of church and state." During that encounter,  Newdow asked me why I thought we needed to confess that our nation is accountable to God. "Because I don't trust you, Michael, and you don't trust me. We must appeal to a moral authority greater than ourselves." He offered no rejoinder.

I'd say the same thing to Newdow now. As an atheist, Michael puts his ultimate trust in humans and human agencies. I don't. Sinful people will fail and so will the governments they establish and operate. The only safety from our our own proclivities toward evil is our confession that we need God. That's what "Under God" in the Pledge is all about. This rationale is woven into the history behind the insertion of these great words. That happened in 1954 when the God-fearing United States stood in stark contrast to the God-denying Soviet Union. Our country wanted to make abundantly clear that our world view was distinctly and diametrically opposite to a Communist-Humanistic worldview. I have a paper copy of the February 8-12, 1954 Congressional Record reflecting the fascinating debate behind this move, but I can't find it online. (If you know of a link, please send it to me at info@faithandaction.org--thanks!) It's really worth examining the original reasoning offered by congressional sponsors.

As you know, we've already been out front on this, making a case for why the people of the United States must continue to acknowledge God in the Pledge. The Ninth Circuit could come down with its decision on Newdow's second case any day. To protect the Pledge as it is now, a new law has been drafted and will be proposed the instant that the Pledge is threatened. We're part of the working group that drafted the legislation.

I expect the Ninth Circuit to indeed strike down the Pledge again as unconstitutional. At the moment it does, we will ask you to contact your members of Congress to urge them to pass this new law protecting the phrase "Under God. " Please stand by for details! I'm also asking you to ask your pastor to have a sermon ready. Pastors should be poised and informed to preach on this at the very next opportunity and to make statements from the pulpit and to the media in support of keeping the Pledge as it is. You should also call into your local radio talk shows and offer your opinions as well as write a letter to the editor of your local paper If we're going to save this vital part of our national life, there must be a hue and cry in the land!

I will discuss all of this with a special group of church leaders who will gather at our ministry center next week. Our guest will be America's foremost authority on the so-called "separation of church and state," Dr. James Hutson of the Library of Congress. Dr. Hutson has done unique, original scholarship on the subject and has a new book out, Church and State: The First Two Centuries, published by the prestigious Cambridge University Press. (We'll have the book available at our website shortly.) This is not a stuffy, scholars-only tome. It's a short paperback and a very readable, easy-to-understand examination of this very important subject. If you're looking for a truly authoritative resource on "Church and State," one that cannot be dismissed as "religious right" propaganda, get Dr. Hutson's book! (Pastors who attend our "Preachers' Circle," April 10-12, will get a complimentary autographed copy. For details contact Elizabeth Sowers at my office, 202-546-8329, extension 107.) We'll post an edited video of Dr. Hutson's talk to the "Preachers' Circle" after the event.

FYI: I'm posting this blog on Sunday, March 30. My friend, Jay Sekulow, the top lawyer and director at the American Center for Law and Justice,  E-mailed me a few minutes ago announcing he expects some big news at the Supreme Court tomorrow morning, March 31. The Court met Friday in conference to discuss two Ten Commandments appeals Jay is handling. (Friday Conferences are the highly secretive sessions when the Justices talk about possible cases without anyone else present in the room.) Both cases basically amount to lower court orders requiring government approval of opposing displays. While the direct affect would be to allow atheistic and other counterpoints to Ten Commandments displays, Jay and his legal team argue this would ultimately lead to the absurd conclusion that government would have to allow the Statue of Liberty to be "balanced" with a "Statue of Tyranny." 

I'll have breakfast with Jay in the morning at the Supreme Court, then we'll wait for "orders" to be handed down. If the Court does agree to hear one or both of these cases, I'll be back to this blog to explore them more fully and suggest more ways for you to get directly involved. For now, please watch and pray!

Back later . . .

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rob Schenck

www.faithandaction.org

Faith and Action

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

 

PRAYING IN THE US CAPITOL

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Today began for me the best way it could, offering a prayer in the United States Capitol. It was even nicer than that, though. I gave the prayer at the breakfast meeting that has met weekly in the Capitol for 35 years. You may recall it was this group of God-fearing Americans that was unceremoniously shown the door after the ascendance of the current congressional leadership. It took prayer and hard work to get us back in, but we are indeed baaaaaack!

What added insult to injury in the sudden eviction was the fact that many of these breakfast group members are true American heroes. They stormed the beaches of Normandy, landed at Inchon, flew missions over North Vietnam, tested our best weapons, fought in both Gulf Wars. To a one they are decent, caring, loving and enormously generous people. Yet, because they are perceived as benighted anachronisms they were dumped out on the street and told not to come back.

Well, it's a hopeful sign they couldn't be kept out. Yet not a one is a bit haughty about it. Instead, they are to a man and a woman grateful--deeply grateful to God and to this country that they can meet each week under the dome of US Capitol. Not a bitter word has been spoken in the group. They're just quietly going about their business. Each breakfast meeting begins with the Pledge of Allegiance "to the Flag . . .of the United States of America . . . and to the Republic for which it stands . . .one nation UNDER GOD . . ."

The Pledge is always followed by a prayer. Most often the prayer includes heartfelt thankfulness for everything good: family, friends, freedom and the men and women in uniform who for our benefit do what few of us would ever do.

Yeah, it was a great start to the day today. It wasn't hard for me to pray for this group; the words of gratitude always come naturally.

I'm off to Austin, Texas for tomorrow and Wednesday. Be back to tell you all about it.

Blessings,

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rev. Rob Schenck

Faith and Action

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS EVANGELIZED!

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, reporting:

That's right: Just before their Easter break, each and every member of the United States Congress--435 members of the house of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate--received a hand-delivered packet of materials from Faith and Action that included a full explanation of the Christian Gospel. You can see exactly what was in the packet at our website.

We hand-delivered these materials because it's really the only way to get them through to the actual recipients. Mail to congressional offices has always been fraught with problems, but since 9-11, it's almost assured that mail like ours will not reach its destination. First, it's routed off-site to a military base where it's tested for dangerous substances or enclosures. If it ever makes its way out of there, it's received by staff who use an essentially "cut and paste" process to respond. (Depending on the nature of the originating correspondence, young staffers generally pick from a menu of prepared sentences or paragraphs pertaining to the matter at hand.) Packages and printed materials are more often than not discarded.

Hand-delivery by-passes both of these steps. Generally, the package is received by the front-desk clerk and routed directly to the in-office sorter who in turn routes it directly to the member's desk. (In Capitol Hill lingo, a member of Congress--either a representative or senator--is generally referred to simply as "a member" or "the member.") Our congressional contacts confirm most of the packets do land where intended. The acknowledgment letters we eventually get from members every year indicate that, too. We'll soon post whatever notes we receive this year at our site. Some of them can be quite touching.

Over the years we've only had a few members of congress refuse the Easter / Resurrection packets--and the same goes for the similar deliveries we make just before Christmas. For the most part members are at least cordial if not enthusiastic. Our next delivery will be the Christmas package in early December. (It's not too early to pray for it's success!)

Not much more to tell you today because we were on the same Easter break as Congress last week. (Do check out the soon-to-be-posted article at our site on Rev. Pat Mahoney's success in defeating the rule banning Stations of the Cross at certain federal buildings. God bless Pat for taking on another limitation to our religious liberty!) The Easter break is one of the few luxuries our staff enjoys. Otherwise, during normal times, everyone works very hard for long days. Of course, we're back in full swing starting today. I leave tomorrow for meetings in Texas and return Thursday for the big planning session on this year's U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon. More on that later this week . . .

Thanks for praying. Thanks for helping. Thanks for being a friend of this ministry!

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rev. Rob Schenck

Faith and Action

www.faithandaction.org

109 2nd St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

202-546-8329

CLINTON SQUEAKS ACROSS DEMOCRAT FINISH; REPUBLICAN MCCAIN SHARES NIGHT WITH ROMNEY

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Last night was described as the political Super Bowl. If it was, it was the strangest of games: Four—arguably five—winning teams!

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton came in first with Barack Obama a hare’s breath away. They remain neck and neck, but I still contend she’s the establishment’s pick and it’s just a matter of time. Of course, as always, I could be very wrong.

On the Republican side, John McCain was challenged by second-place winner Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee came in third taking states and delegates.

The real story here is not the candidates who won, but the voter turn out. Democrats out-voted Republicans 2 to 1. If that trend continues, it portends a Hillary or Barack victory in November and the most pro-abortion, anti-traditional marriage, anti-acknowledgment of God administration imaginable come January, 2009.

The counts so far:

The winning Democrat needs 2,025

Clinton 825

Obama 732

The Republican needs 1,191

McCain 615

Romney 268

Huckabee 169

I’ll be back with my analysis.

Rob

NEW TWISTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

Once again, I’m writing to you from above the clouds at 34,000 feet. My brother, Paul and I are on our way back from Manchester, New Hampshire, where you know what is going on. As you’ll see in my audio and video postings, we’ve spent the last 30 hours in the Granite State watching . . praying . . . and reminding everyone we came in contact with just how consequential this primary vote will be.

The big surprise, of course, was the plummeting of Hillary Clinton from the presumptive Democratic nominee to a presumptive second-place loser. One poll (if you can believe polls) had her down by 13 points. In a minute I’ll give you my take on this from a spiritual perspective, but let me report just a little more:

From what we all saw on the ground, Barack Obama’s people were super-charged. They were bright-eyed, visibly excited, jumping up and down and very, very optimistic about their candidate. On the other hand, Hillary’s people were subdued, at times grim and resigned to her loss. At one dinner sitting, several of her top advisers inexplicably gravitated to our table. These were former top officials in her husband Bill’s administration. They wondered aloud by just how many points she would lose to Obama. (That’s not something any supporter wants to think about.) It took my brother’s gentle but prophetic confrontation of the Clintons’ track record on the paramount moral issues to convince them we were not prospects for their much needed 11th hour support!

(Oddly, I discovered I had more than a couple of mutual acquaintances with these folks. We didn’t get into it because of other things, but two of them told me they are involved in Bible studies in Washington that I have visited. Some day I’ll ask them how they square that with Hillary’s platform.)

I’ll admit now I never saw Hillary’s tumble coming. I had previously evaluated Obama as a shooting star who would go off with a bang but quickly flame out. After talking last year with top-ranking Democratic Party leaders, I was convinced there were so many Hillary IOU’s the Party would never turn on her. I’m beginning to think I was wrong.

There are two ways to view this from my perspective: 1) Hillary is getting her comeuppance (and God is a part of that), and / or 2) Obama, whose policies I believe would be in greater conflict with biblical principles than Hillary’s would be, is a judgment from heaven. Immoral leadership is an instrument God uses to chasten a people.

On the Republican side, the big surprise remains Mike Huckabee, but he’s expected to place only third in New Hampshire. The same network of fundamentalist leaning Evangelicals is not available to him in New Hampshire. Home-schoolers are divided, unlike the situation in Iowa. A lot of New Hampshire home school families are Roman Catholic and have different tastes, including for Ron Paul. That leaves a toss-up between John McCain, who doesn’t appear to me to have any vital faith, and Mitt Romney, who, while LDS, most certainly does.

All this is to say why we gathered with our good friend and frequent ministry partner, Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, for a beautiful prayer service Sunday night. Our host was Pastor Gary Hamilton of the First Assembly of God in nearby Aurora, New Hampshire. His worship team led in a beautiful time of praise and many visiting and local Christian leaders exhorted the crowd and led in prayers. My brother Paul led the prayer for the all the candidates. It was not recorded, so I thought you’d like to read it:

“Lord God, men and women strive for high public office for many reasons: only you know their true motives and intentions. In each one is a mixture of willingness to serve others and ambition for power. We bring before you each candidate - Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal, progressive. We pray that he, or she, will turn to you for guidance and wisdom. We pray that he or she will acknowledge you as the source of knowledge and goodness. We pray that he or she will defend the sanctity of human life and the dignity of each person - from conception to natural death. We pray that he or she will uphold the sacredness of the marriage of man and women as you ordained it. You have said that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. In this primary election - help the citizens of New Hampshire to rely on their knowledge and consciences well formed by your word, in casting their ballots for the leader who will rely on you and not his or her personal ambition. Let us too heed your admonition not to rely on our own strength or prowess, but to say 'The Lord has given us this victory.'” In Jesus' name. Amen.

Before I took to the pulpit to close the gathering, I surveyed the room and was struck by the breadth of diversity among those that ministered that night. There was Starr Parker, the African-American woman who has lead in so much social development. Joining her was Norma McCorvey, the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade and now tireless pro-life evangelist. And young people—lots of young people—from all over the country who have taken up the cause of calling America back to God and ending the horror of abortion. A troop of them presented a deeply moving “human video” (a drama in mime set to music) that left everyone speechless.

I reserved my time to commend Pastor Hamilton for his courage in hosting such a meeting. A lot of pastors—and maybe most—would have been afraid to do so. I led in a prayer that God would multiply Pastor Hamilton’s number. With 30 million Evangelicals and millions more Roman Catholics and other Christians of conservative moral conviction in this country, the Lord has his forces in place. The challenge is in their doing the right thing. Pastors have a lot to do with whether people feel comfortable—or even responsible—to engage the political process. A lot of pastors stay away from the topic afraid of either alienating prospective church members or being bullied by the ACLU. May God give us pastors bold as lions who will challenge and equip their people to be salt and light!

I will not be endorsing a candidate for many reasons, but I did urge the people gathered in Manchester to take their responsibility seriously. They thanked me for it.

Today the people of New Hampshire will vote for who they want to represent their party in the presidential race. The net result will likely be fewer candidates next week. This is the process that’s winnowing out the field. As we narrow our focus we can say more about those who remain. Please pray God’s will be done in today’s important phase of picking our next president.

We will keep watching—and, more importantly—praying!

Your grateful missionary to elected and appointed officials,

Rev. Rob Schenck