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June 8, 2006
Volume 2, Number 22
1) The Texas Republican Convention Should Encourage all Christians
2) Marriage Amendment Fails...Now What?
3) Vision America Launches Missourians for Truth Campaign
4) Rick Scarborough Debates Barry Lynn over Gay Marriage
5) Final Request
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The Texas Republican Convention Should Encourage all Christians
More than fifteen years ago many Texas conservative Christians decided that sitting on the sidelines and complaining about the plight of Texas politics wasn’t productive. Led by such stalwarts as Susan Weddington, David Barton, Dr. Steven Hotze, Mike Richards, Dan Patrick, and a host of others, Christians began getting involved in politics, taking their Biblical values with them. They in turn, began exhorting others to join them. The results have been encouraging.
While I have never been a delegate to a State or National Republican Convention, I have attended a few. Several years ago I was invited to pray at the Texas Republican Convention while I was still Pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearland, Texas. While attending the Convention I was invited to attend a prayer meeting at 6:00 AM in the morning. To my shock and amazement, hundreds of delegates were assembled for a prayer and praise service that exceeded most such services I have attended in churches over the years.
This past week the Republican State Convention met in San Antonio, Texas. I was invited to speak at a Values Voter Rally at 8:30 PM in the Menger Hotel, across from the Convention Center. Once again, to my great delight, hundreds gathered to hear a Gospel artist sing and a Baptist Minister speak. As I spoke about the importance of Christians being salt and light in the moral and civil arena, the crowd erupted in applause several times and at the end, they stood to applaud.
As I left, I bowed my head and thanked God that many Christians are getting it! We are the Church and in America, we are the Government. Tell me, how do you separate the two without removing all Christian influence from the public arena?
By the way, Texas, while far from perfect, continues to lead the way for most states in passing legislation that reflects Biblical values. Every state-wide office holder is pro-life and the majority of both state houses are also pro-life. When Christians show up it makes a difference.
Marriage Amendment Fails...
Now What?
As expected, the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment failed. I am grateful to our President for his clear statement in favor of the Amendment in the eleventh hour, I lament that he did not speak out sooner. It seems we only hear such remarks in even numbered years. (Around elections) Still, thank you, Mr. President.
While many of us worked hard for its passage and millions of Americans voiced their desire to see it passed to their Senators, the vote didn’t even approach the numbers needed to move it out to the states for ratification.
In spite of the insidious lie advanced by liberal Senators and the national press, American citizens, in overwhelming numbers want marriage to be protected. The press keeps citing polls that say the country is evenly divided. If ever we needed proof that polls can be designed to reflect a desired end, this issue provides it. The only poll that matters is the polling booth, and in every state where a State Marriage Amendment has been put before the people, they have overwhelmingly approved it.
Senators Kennedy and McCain both made light of those who say marriage is in trouble, advocating ‘States Rights…let the states decide!” they ranted. They were both being willfully ignorant or out right lying to the American people, as they know that states have decided this matter in favor of marriage over and again, only to have some liberal Federal judge impose his superior morality and knowledge on the people. We must have this amendment if marriage is to survive.
So, what do we do? We remember this vote next time the Senators who opposed this amendment, come up for reelection, and we vote them out. Failure to do so is not an option for those who believe that marriage was ordained of God to be the union of one man and one woman.
For those who do not, where does the madness stop? After homosexual unions, who’s to say polygamy is wrong? Or child/adult marriages? Or man and animal? Those propositions are no more outrageous than was homosexual marriage to our grandparents 30 years ago.
Vision America Launches
Missourians for Truth Campaign
I will be in Jefferson City, Missouri today to initiate an effort to register and mobilize thousands of Christians to vote their values in the fall elections. Missourians are faced with an effort to make Missouri the center of the human cloning debate as millions of dollars are being poured into the state to pass a constitutional amendment to ban any prohibitions against cloning embryos for the purpose of harvesting the stem cells for medical research.
Vision America will be sponsoring a series of Pastor briefings around the state as well as hosting rallies to inform voters of the clear ethical and moral issues involved in this Orwellian debate that could further move America away from the God of life and mercy and toward the point of no return for our civilization, as man continues to attempt to displace God and create his own truth. Please pray for and support our efforts in this important cultural battle.
Rick Scarborough Debates
Barry Lynn over Gay Marriage
This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of once again going head-to-head with my chief counterpart on the other side of the culture war, ACLU Board Member and Executive Director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Rev. Barry Lynn. We debated the Marriage Protection Amendment on Barry’s national radio and internet broadcast. While at times the debate was contentious as we hold opposite views on practically everything, and I believe the views that Barry Lynn holds will destroy this country if he and his legion of lawyer/allies prevail, all in all it was a fair discussion of what is at stake. (Of course, I was right and he was wrong!)
I find Barry to be a very engaging human being. Recently I sat in a circle of less than twenty people for two days, with Barry. On the second day, we sat next to each other and I found him to be warm and personable. He jokingly asked me if they (AUSCS) had sued me lately. (A sobering question because they specialize in harassing effective preachers.)
While I like him as a person, I believe the views he holds will invoke grave consequences for him in the end, and as a Pastor I am burdened for him and pray for him as I work to dispel the darkness he brings to the great moral debates of our day. Please join me in praying for him. I am convicted that I spend far more time confronting my adversaries than I do praying for them. There is a place for both strategies.
Final Request
Beloved friend,
If you have read this far down in our weekly report, clearly you have a kindred heart for what we are trying to accomplish. For that reason, I would like to appeal to you to prayerfully consider a special donation to Vision America this week. We recently lost a major grant which was given for one year and came to a conclusion in May. I have had to reduce staff and cut back much of our activities to try to make ends meet.
We have been working hard to keep the priority mission front and center: to mobilize Pastors into the moral and civil arena, which is why I am traveling as I write this report, but I really need people to come alongside and partner with us.
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