1) The War on Christianity Rages Like...an Alabama Church Fire 2) Some in Congress Want to Blame Their Corruption on the People 3) The Values Voters' Contract with Congress
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The War on Christians and the Values Voter in 2006
Vision America presents an important conference in our nation's capitol with featured speakers including:
Senator Sam Brownback, Senator John Cornyn, Congressman Tom DeLay, Congressman Todd Akin, Congressman Louis Gohmert, Rod Parsley, Ron Luce, Gary Bauer, Alan Keyes, Phyllis Schlafly, Laurence White, and Janet Folger
You will also enjoy challenging panel discussions, prime accommodations, special packages, legislative briefings, and more.
The War on Christianity Rages Like… An Alabama Church Fire
Today is the day that America called burning nine churches a college “prank.”
There were three arrests yesterday in the case of the string of church fires in Alabama. The law enforcement officials should be thanked for what appears to be a job well done. Despite the arrests, there is something about this matter that really concerns me.
Everywhere I turn in the media I see attempts to turn this horrendous crime against Christianity into a mere “prank.” Every news outlet from Fox to CNN has reported this as a teenage “prank.” Let’s get something straight here: rolling a house with toilet paper is a prank, torching nine churches is NOT a prank.
Consider the trail of destruction: Ashby Baptist Church in Brierfield was destroyed, Pleasant Sabine near Centreville was destroyed, Rehobeth Baptist in the Lawley community was destroyed, Old Union Baptist at Brierfield was fire damaged, Antioch Baptist at Antioch was fire damaged, Morning Star Missionary Baptist off County Road 20 in Boligee was destroyed, Dancy First Baptist Church off Highway 17 near Aliceville was fire damaged, Galilee Baptist Church in the Panola community was destroyed.
All nine were Baptist churches, all nine were broken into, and the early reports were that the fires began at the pulpits where the word of God was preached.
It appears that some are relieved to learn that the torchees are young college students who apparently were not wearing hoods on their heads or bearing swastikas on their arms. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said the church arsons did not appear to be “any type of conspiracy against organized religion” or the Baptist faith. With the arrests, he said, “the faith-based community can rest a little easier.”
With all due respect to the Governor, this was a “conspiracy” of three individuals planning these horrendous crimes together, and it was committed against “organized religion,” namely nine Baptist churches. Why the desire to minimize the crimes? Why the desire to deny the obvious facts?
Perhaps some are relieved that these fires were set by college students. I am not. What does it say about our culture when we are relieved to learn that this crime against Christianity was committed by three boys that look like they could be our sons?
I for one want to know what possessed these boys to get into their SUV and drive at night to nine Christian churches, to kick in the doors, to walk to the pulpit where the word of God is preached, to torch the place, to drive off, and to then go to another church and do the same thing, again, and again, and again, nine times.
This is not a prank and we should not be relieved. Instead, we should examine ourselves, our culture, and our Nation and we should ask God why our college boys are torching our churches.
The War against Christianity is raging across this nation like an Alabama Church Fire. Some want to minimize this war, others want to explain it away. I will do neither. We must understand the times and we must have the courage to look at the facts and respond accordingly. I hope you can join us at the “War on Christianity” Conference where we will discuss these issues in depth and will help you defeat this War against all that we hold dear.
Some in Congress Want to Blame their Corruption on the People
Congress is considering imposing costly and burdensome restraints on the free speech rights of grassroots organizations that in some cases will silence the People that keep Congress accountable. In a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Times, our friend Richard Viguere, describes these so-called “lobbying reform” bills:
“Only a Congress addicted to power would try to blame its internal corruption problems on too much citizen participation in politics. Addicts often blame others for their addictions. Congress is no exception, based on several legislative proposals to 'fix' its own internal ethics problems.
“Congress' ethics problems involve money and gifts for political favors, a reflection of Congress' addiction to power. Rather than curing the cause of corruption, proposed lobbying reform bills would regulate 'grassroots lobbying.' That's the term given to citizen involvement in matters of public policy, and it is the antithesis of corruption in Washington. Grass-roots lobbying involves multiple rights protected by the First Amendment speech: the ‘press’ via the U.S. mail and the Internet, petitions, and fostering associations of citizens.”
People like you and me and even those that we disagree with have every right to assemble together, to speak out, and to tell our elected leaders what we believe. It is wrong for some members of Congress to shift the blame and attempt to punish us for the corruption of a few of their colleagues. Let Congress discipline those within their ranks that are corrupt, and let them pass legislation that legitimately addresses the problem, but let them not restrict the free speech rights of Americans.
The Values Voters’ Contract with Congress
I told you last week about the Values Voters’ Contract with Congress and many of you went to the new ValuesVoter.org site and signed up. Thank you so much.
I am amazed that we have seen a historic group of leaders join together on a common Contract with Congress. I believe that one of the keys to the continued success of the values voters will be our ability to join forces on common action items. I believe that now is the time to join forces and promote this common Contract.
It is important to remember that in America, we do not create our own values. Rather, we recognize that we are endowed by our Creator with value and as our Declaration of Independence makes clear, we get our American values from Him. Without God, we cannot succeed, but with Him I believe that we cannot fail.
If you believe in the principles of our founding and desire for Congress to apply those principles to our present laws, then I ask you to join us in signing the Values Voters' Contract with Congress.
