United in Prayer

Americans are an eclectic lot. Although rich diversity is among the nation’s tremendous assets, it also contributes to factions that unnecessarily alienate and divide the citizenry. The National Day of Prayer is an ideal opportunity to set those differences aside and come together with a collective, unified voice.

The 56th Annual National Day of Prayer took place Thursday, May 3. The theme for this year, “America, Unite in Prayer,” was based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, which states: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

“A prayerful spirit has always been an important part of our national character, and it is a force that has guided the American people, given us strength, and sustained us in moments of joy and in times of challenge,” President George W. Bush said in the this year’s proclamation from the White House. “On this National Day of Prayer, we acknowledge God’s grace and ask for His continued guidance in the life of our nation.”

Although the National Day of Prayer was established in 1952, when President Harry Truman signed it into law, the first request for such a day pre-dates the nation itself. In 1775, the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. Roughly a century later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, too, called for a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer.” In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May.

The National Day of Prayer has great significance for the United States as a nation. It enables contemporary generations to recall and to teach the way in which America’s founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. National Day of Prayer stands as a call for everyone – across all walks of life – to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for the leaders and His grace upon the citizens as a people.

Furthermore, the unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning. This year’s “Prayer for Our Nation” was written by Dr. Charles R. Swindoll.

2007 Prayer for Our Nation

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.

In these unsafe days,
You remain all-powerful and able to protect;

In these uncertain times,
You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;

In the unprecedented events we’re facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.

Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial
. . . our need for Your forgiveness is constant
. . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound
. . . our love for You is deep.

We ask that You guard and guide our President
and all who serve the people of these United States.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.

We also ask that You unite us as truly “one nation,
under God.” May genuine humility return to our ranks.

And may that blend of integrity and humility
heal our land.

In our Lord’s name we pray,

Amen.

Source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net

On Second Thought

The state of Pennsylvania is allowing a Christian college and a coalition of faith-based, non-profit service organizations to use government-funded job placement services after previously denying the request.

Geneva College and the Association of Faith-Based Organizations (AFBO) had been denied access to the state’s job placement services, which are funded by the federal government. State and federal officials said they were concerned about violating a governmental “non-discrimination policy” that prohibits listing of religious staffing requirements.

Geneva College is a four-year private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Penn. The Association of Faith-Based Organizations, based in Springfield, Va., works to protect religious organizations’ constitutional right to staff and select members on a religious basis.

Prompted by a lawsuit last December, the federal government and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have conceded that “the policy did not apply to Geneva College or AFBO’s members, and they will no longer be prohibited from posting job listings.”

Government officials, both state and federal, must recognize the constitutional right of religious organizations to hire employees who share their beliefs and values. This right is as central to a faith-based organization’s mission as other qualifications are to non-religious businesses. It shouldn’t take a court order, or threat of one, to enjoy the guaranteed protection of Constitution.

source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net

A Cause for Celebration: SCOTUS Respects Life!

Pro-life advocates across America are rejoicing, and with good cause. In a 5-4 ruling announced Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the nationwide ban on partial-birth abortions. This victory is significant because the court’s decision moves the nation a step closer to respecting every life as sacred.

The decision comes roughly five months after oral arguments were presented before the justices Nov. 8, 2006, in two cases challenging the baby-killing ban (Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood). The highest court in the land confirms what advocates for life have been proclaiming for the past four years: Congress and President Bush have the authority to forbid butchering a baby seconds before he or she can take in the first precious breath of life (click here to read the Supreme Court’s opinion).

Partial-birth abortion is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited. Now it is. This monumental accomplishment would not have been possible without passionate activist citizens, commitment from federal lawmakers to preserve life – and a leader in the White House with enough courage to firmly stand for what is right.

Click here to thank President Bush for his unwavering support for the right to life.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is the best news we’ve heard from the high court in decades,” said Pastor Rod Parsley, who was at the White House in 2003 to witness President Bush signing the partial-birth abortion ban into law. “That the unnecessary and barbaric practice has been legal was a national tragedy. Fortunately, the justices have taken a small, but important step toward restoring some sanity and humanity to our nation’s culture of life.”

The procedure at issue involves partially removing an alive – but unborn – baby from its mother’s womb, then crushing or cutting the tiny skull so that death occurs before the child leaves the birth canal. Clearly, partial-birth abortion is nothing less than infanticide.

For years, abortion mills have insisted that women had a “constitutional right” to kill their offspring in this fashion. Such an argument was outlandish, and in an opinion penned by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court wisely rejected that notion.

Of course, in the landmark Roe v Wade ruling that made abortion legal, the Supreme Court did indeed say that the 14th Amendment grants women a qualified right to terminate a pregnancy. This week’s ruling opens the door to reversing the troublesome 1973 decision that led America down a dark, murderous path.

In a concurring opinion, Justices Clarence Thomas and Anotnin Scalia indicated that they were prepared to consider a challenge to the 34-year-old Roe v. Wade decision.

“I write separately to reiterate my view that the court’s abortion jurisprudence, including Casey and Roe v. Wade, has no basis in the Constitution,” wrote Justice Thomas. Those words are sweet music to Christian ears!

Several state legislatures are working on abortion prohibitions that eventually could result in a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, which in 1973 was brought on behalf of “Jane Roe,” Norma McCorvey. McCorvey has since joined the multitude of Americans who ardently oppose abortion.

Bible believers have good reason to anticipate an end to the culture of death that has fostered permissive attitudes toward killing innocent unborn babies.

Click here to thank President Bush for his unwavering support for the right to life.

Source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net

United in Prayer

Americans are an eclectic lot. Although rich diversity is among the nation’s tremendous assets, it also contributes to factions that unnecessarily alienate and divide the citizenry. The National Day of Prayer is an ideal opportunity to set those differences aside and come together with a collective, unified voice.

The 56th Annual National Day of Prayer took place Thursday, May 3. The theme for this year, “America, Unite in Prayer,” was based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, which states: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

“A prayerful spirit has always been an important part of our national character, and it is a force that has guided the American people, given us strength, and sustained us in moments of joy and in times of challenge,” President George W. Bush said in the this year’s proclamation from the White House. “On this National Day of Prayer, we acknowledge God’s grace and ask for His continued guidance in the life of our nation.”

Although the National Day of Prayer was established in 1952, when President Harry Truman signed it into law, the first request for such a day pre-dates the nation itself. In 1775, the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. Roughly a century later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, too, called for a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer.” In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May.

The National Day of Prayer has great significance for the United States as a nation. It enables contemporary generations to recall and to teach the way in which America’s founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. National Day of Prayer stands as a call for everyone – across all walks of life – to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for the leaders and His grace upon the citizens as a people.

Furthermore, the unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning. This year’s “Prayer for Our Nation” was written by Dr. Charles R. Swindoll.

2007 Prayer for Our Nation

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.

In these unsafe days,
You remain all-powerful and able to protect;

In these uncertain times,
You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;

In the unprecedented events we’re facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.

Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial
. . . our need for Your forgiveness is constant
. . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound
. . . our love for You is deep.

We ask that You guard and guide our President
and all who serve the people of these United States.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.

We also ask that You unite us as truly “one nation,
under God.” May genuine humility return to our ranks.

And may that blend of integrity and humility
heal our land.

In our Lord’s name we pray,

Amen.

Source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net

Seeing is Believing

When an expectant mother casts her eyes on an image of the thumb-sucking bairn nestled in her womb, it’s difficult to deny the truth – the bundle in her belly is a living, breathing baby. Knowing this, protectors of the preborn are pushing to make it easier for any woman considering an abortion to first look at an ultrasound picture of the little one whose life depends on her mercy.

Click here to ask Congress to pass the Informed Choice Act.

Click here to sign the CMC petition

According to statistical research, a woman is 80 percent more likely to change her mind about an abortion if she has information that encourages her to reflect on the procedure ahead of time. For this reason, the Center for Moral Clarity supports the Informed Choice Act, H.R. 223, which would authorize the federal secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to nonprofit organizations for the purchase of ultrasound equipment.

Passing this bill would enable clinics nationwide to provide free examinations to pregnant women – and give them a peek through the window to the womb.

Along with funding grants for purchasing ultrasound equipment, the Informed Choice Act would:

• Require clinics to show the visual image of the fetus from the ultrasound examination to each pregnant woman with a general anatomical and physiological description of the fetus;
• Give each pregnant woman the approximate age of the embryo or fetus;
• Provide information on abortion and alternatives to abortion, such as childbirth and adoption, and information concerning public and private agencies that will assist in those alternatives.

“If we are to regain our equilibrium as a society, if we are to rescue our children from a downward spiral of violence, then we must recover our founding ideals,” said Pastor Rod Parsley. “We must resensitize ourselves to the dignity, integrity and sanctity of life by upholding it at every opportunity and in every situation. People matter.”

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in April upholding a federal ban on ghastly partial-birth abortions has invigorated people who love and revere the sanctity of human life. In addition to the Informed Choice Act pending in Congress, a variety of state legislation seeks to include ultrasounds as a prerequisite before a mother could kill her developing offspring.

South Carolina, which is the only state in the nation to recognize a fetus as a person, also could become the only state to require a woman to view an ultrasound before getting an abortion. Several other states are considering laws that would make ultrasounds available but would not make looking at them mandatory.

Of course, as much as the partial-birth ruling has motivated Bible-believing Christians, it has provoked abortion proponents. So it was no surprise that Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., wasted no time in reintroducing the Freedom of Choice Act, a measure to put a woman’s right to have an abortion in federal law.

In order to protect and preserve any rights, courageous leaders – in the press, in medicine, in law, in politics and in the church – have always recognized that they had to protect the fundamental rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Contemporary Christians can do no less.

Click here to ask Congress to pass the Informed Choice Act.

Source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net