Showing posts with label Tony Perkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony Perkins. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog - Jordan’s King Abdullah II welcomes Evangelical Christian Delegation.


DELEGATION-King-grouppicture


Jordan’s King Abdullah II welcomes Evangelical Christian Delegation at Palace in Amman. Leaders thank King for advancing peace, fighting terrorism, caring for refugees & protecting Christians.

by joelcrosenberg
AMMAN, JORDAN, November 8, 2017 – His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday welcomed a delegation of American Evangelical Christians at Al-Husseiniya Palace in the capital city of Amman. The meeting capped three days of meetings between Delegation members and senior government officials; Evangelical, Catholic and Muslim leaders in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; and a moving visit to the Zaatari Refugee Camp near the Syrian border.
After similar successful meetings last week in Cairo with President el-Sisi, senior Egyptian Cabinet Ministers and religious leaders – both Islamic and Christian -- as part of a regional tour, the Delegation flew to Amman on Sunday to build bridges of friendship and understanding with Jordanian leaders.
Delegation members expressed their appreciation for King Abdullah II’s impressive efforts in advancing security and stability, and for his compassion and that of the Jordanian people. They also expressed gratitude for the King’s consistent efforts to foster dialogue and understanding among various faith communities.
“His Majesty King Abdullah II is America’s most faithful Sunni Arab ally, and a man of peace,” said New York Times best-selling author Joel C. Rosenberg, an Evangelical and a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who convened and led the delegation. “When my wife and I met with His Majesty last year, he asked us to bring a Delegation of Evangelical Christian leaders back to Jordan and we readily agreed. Nowhere in the Arab world are Christians safer than in Jordan. By God’s grace, the King has created an oasis of stability amidst a sea of fire. This is a model of moderation the American people need to know more about.”
DELEGATION-Jordan-LunchWithKing
On Monday evening, the Evangelical leaders met with His Royal Highness Prince Hassan, brother of the late King Hussein and grandson of the late-King Abdullah I, the nation’s first monarch. The Prince, who brought several Catholic leaders with him, shared personal anecdotes of the early years of the country and leadership qualities he has observed in his brother and grandfather. He spoke of “the Jordan ethic” of hospitality and compassion that has resulted in the accommodation of so many refugees. It was a special and, at many points, humorous evening that was a blessing to the Delegation.
The Americans were able to experience the “Jordan ethic” first-hand during a visit to the Zaatari Refugee Camp near the city of Mafraq that provides housing for 80,000 Syrian individuals and families. Since 2011, Jordan has taken in some two million refugees, making up 25 percent of the national population and accounting for one-fourth of the national budget. Despite no oil wealth and limited resources, Jordan is providing these refugees humanitarian support, jobs and educating their youth in order to reduce their vulnerability to recruitment into extremist ideology.
“I believe God is blessing Jordan because they have been so generous to the poor and the suffering,” said Rev. Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council. “And while I’m grateful the American people are doing more than any nation in the world to help Jordan financially during this crisis, it’s critical that the rest of the world stand with the people and leaders of Jordan in their hour of need.”
On the first day of their visit, the group was briefed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt.-General Mahmoud Freihat, and other senior military officials at Jordan’s Central Command headquarters.
The Delegation was also received by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who expressed his deep appreciation of Washington’s generous financial and military support of the Kingdom, and President Trump’s commitment to reach a comprehensive Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. They also discussed how to expand Christian tourism to Jordan, which has many Biblical sites, including the Baptismal Site of Jesus, Mount Nebo, Petra, and cities of the Decapolis.
“King Abdullah and President el-Sisi are to be applauded for exemplifying moderation and stability in a neighborhood scarred by intolerance and war,” said former congresswoman Michele Bachman. “These men are courageously confronting the forces of terror and extremism. They’re committed to their nation’s peace treaties with Israel. And they want to work even more closely with the United States to advance peace in the region. These are impressive leaders and they need our America’s appreciation and full support.”
In a separate meeting, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, His Excellency Imad Fakhoury focused on the critical economic and financial challenges facing Jordan. The wars in Iraq and Syria and the resulting refugee crisis are placing enormous pressure on the nation’s budget and host communities across the country. He, too, expressed appreciation for the continued U.S. aid to Jordan supporting national reform and development programs resulting from the Syrian Crisis.
On the final day of their visit, the Delegation visited the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS). They met with Major General (ret.) Imad Maayah, president of the Evangelical Synod of Jordan; Dr. Imad Shehadeh, the JETS president; Captain Emad Kawar, the seminary’s board chair; and three dozen Jordanian Evangelical pastors and ministry leaders for a roundtable discussion about how to strengthen the Church in Jordan. The Delegation was deeply appreciative of the opportunity to meet with their brothers and sisters, listen to their prayer requests, and hear their hopes and dreams for the future.
Members of the Delegation to Jordan hosted by Joel C. Rosenberg included former U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Center; Mario Bramnick, senior pastor of New Wine Ministries Church in Florida; Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team; Dr. Jim Garlow, senior pastor at .Skyline Church in California; Larry Ross, founder of A. Larry Ross Communications in Texas; and Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader in Iowa. (Also joining us were several wives and two of my sons, Jacob and Jonah.)
PHOTO #1His Majesty King Abdullah II (center, wearing red tie) takes a group photo with our delegation of American Evangelical Christians at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman.
PHOTO #2: His Majesty King Abdullah II (center, head table) hosts a discussion with American Evangelical Christians. To his left is Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. To his right is his chief of staff.
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joelcrosenberg | November 8, 2017 at 8:43 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: https://wp.me/piWZ7-8BI

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Faith Leaders Pray for Trump in Oval Office - CBN News; "Blowing Up the Internet" - Charisma News

prayingoverpotus
Faith Leaders Pray for Trump in Oval Office, Enjoy 'Open Door' at White House


CBN News 07-12-2017


About two dozen evangelical leaders spontaneously prayed with President Trump in the Oval Office Monday during a day-long "listening session" with the Office of Public Liaison.

Johnnie Moore, a former senior vice-president at Liberty University, posted pictures of the prayer time Tuesday night on social media but emphasized that it was more than just a photo op.
"It shows a substantive relationship between the evangelical community and this administration," he told CBN News.

Moore said faith leaders are enjoying frequent access to officials throughout the Trump administration and explained: "We enjoy an open door, not just in the Eisenhower Building, but in the West Wing."
The West Wing includes the Oval Office where the president works, as well as the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room and the Roosevelt Room. The Eisenhower Executive Office building is located right next to the West Wing and houses other White House staff.
Jennifer Korn, special assistant to the President, organized the meeting, but the prayer time was an unexpected bonus, Moore said. "When the West Wing became aware that we were on the property, they invited us over to spend a few minutes," he said.
He described the president as "in wonderful spirits" as did Tony Suarez, executive vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
"It was so relaxed," Suarez told CBN News. "Just like friends getting together."
Other leaders in the room included Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council (FRC); Pastor John Hagee, founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio; Paula White, senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida; former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann; Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition; Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas; Jim Garlow, senior pastor of Skyline Church in La Mesa, California; Rodney Howard-Browne, senior pastor at the River at Tampa Bay Church, Mike Evans, the founder of Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, and Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte and others.
Moore acknowledged that the Trump administration has not organized a specific office for evangelicals, unlike the Obama administration which created the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships or the Bush administration which oversaw the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives. Moore said the current relationship, however informal, has provided more access.
"While there is no formal office," he said, "we actually think we're enjoying a much more substantive relationship."
After the meeting, Perkins told FRC supporters that he's found the Trump administration to be "genuinely interested and responsive to the concerns of the evangelical community" and added that after 14 years in Washington, D.C. "I am more optimistic that we can change the course of this country."
Leaders at Monday's day-long session described discussing a wide variety of issues with administration policy makers. Moore said they included religious liberty and criminal justice reform. Perkins mentioned foreign policy and Israel.
Suarez said the group prayed for a number of policy matters including Trump court nominations that have yet to be confirmed. Suarez said he's most concerned about a lack of action on immigration reform but added "I don't blame the White House. I blame Congress."

Faith Leaders' Visit to Oval Office Is Blowing Up the Internet




President Donald Trump and Evangelical Faith Leaders
President Donald Trump prayed with a group of evangelical faith leaders Monday afternoon at the White House. (Facebook photo)
The lead story, as of this writing, on the Drudge Report website is a photograph taken by Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of a prayer circle for President Donald Trump held earlier this month in the Oval Office.
The photos from the event are now blowing up the internet.
The prayer meeting was held Monday following a gathering of the president's evangelical advisory group at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House. Pastor Jim Garlow wrote about the experience—and his own special moment—in a post on Facebook that evening:
Okay. This hit me funny. A group of us were in meeting at the EOB—next to the White House. Unexpectedly Jared Kushner showed up. Then Vice President Mike Pence showed up. And he said President Trump wanted us to come to the Oval Office. We did. We were gathered around President Trump, seated at his desk for an official photograph. VP Pence saw me take out my phone, saw the look on my face that I so wanted a pic with my phone. The VP reached out his hand (not a word was said) took my phone, took the picture, handed the phone back to me!! I could not believe it. I just had a picture taken of me/us with the President—taken by the vice president of the United States!!! Am I the only person in the world to experience that ??
Garlow didn't post his photograph because he said he wanted to get permission from the White House before doing so. Tuesday evening, however, Howard-Browne posted his own photograph to his Facebook page, along with the following description:
Yesterday was very surreal for @ahowardbrowne & I. 30 years ago we came from South Africa to America as missionaries. Yesterday I was asked by Pastor Paula White-Cain to pray over our 45th President—what a humbling moment standing in the Oval Office—laying hands and praying for our President—Supernatural Wisdom, Guidance and Protection—who could ever even imagine—wow—we are going to see another great spiritual awakening #ovaloffice #westwing #whitehouse #washingtondc
He also posted several other photos from the Oval Office visit. Click here to see them all.
Highlight after all these years of fighting for America—standing in the Oval Office with President Donald J.Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and Pastor Paula White and other Faith Leaders—listening to our great President talk about America—Great Job Mr President—Great Job #ovaloffice #westwing #whitehouse #washingtondc
PS thank you to Pastor Paula White for making a dream come true
Late Tuesday night, Garlow posted his own photo, along with the following description:
As I shared, a group of us (Faith Leaders) met with President Donald Trump yesterday. He was warm & so responsive. A total delight. And ... what is amazing, as I reported yesterday, this picture was taken on my cell phone by Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States! (He saw my desire for a picture on my cell phone, stepped up to me, took my cell phone, without saying a word, took four pictures & handed the phone back to me!). Am I the only person in history to have a photo with the President- taken by the Vice President?!? An amazing moment.
White-Cain hasn't posted anything about the prayer meeting on either her personal or ministry social media platforms. But another of the president's evangelical surrogates during the 2016 presidential campaign did. Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas posted what he described as the "ultimate selfie," along with the following comment:
Always an honor to visit with our great President Donald J. Trump! Forget #FakeNewsMedia. Donald J. Trump is energized and determined to #MAGA!
Howard-Browne's photo drew the attention of the UK's Daily Mail newspaper, which wrote an article about the prayer meeting. That, in turn, his what caught internet news aggregator Matt Drudge's attention. 
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Thursday, January 19, 2017

Evangelical Faith Leaders Plan to Hold a 'Special Inaugural Prayer Event' - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

President-elect Donald Trump
A number of evangelical faith leaders are going to gather in Washington, D.C., Thursday to pray for the new administration. (Reuters photo)

Evangelical Faith Leaders Plan to Hold a 'Special Inaugural Prayer Event'

BOB ESCHLIMAN  CHARISMA NEWS
Also on Thursday afternoon, evangelical faith leaders from around the country are going to gather in Washington, D.C., for a special prayer event.
Dr. Jim Garlow and Pastor Dan Cummins of Skyline Church in San Diego, Calif., and The Jefferson Gathering—a weekly worship service held for members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers, are leading the event with support from Tony Perkins of Family Research Council and David Barton of Wallbuilders. Additionally, Mike Evans of Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem will also take part.
The event will begin at noon EST at Greater New Hope Baptist Church, located about a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It will be a time of worship and prayer to thank God for what He has done.
A description of the event states:
This "Special Inaugural Prayer Event" will focus on prayers for the nation, Administration, the Cabinet, Congress and Appointees, racial unity and for millennials. Masters of ceremonies for the event will be Jim Garlow and Audrea Taylor. Those participating include Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jody Hice and leaders including Bishop Melvin Brown, Dan Cummins, James and Shirley Dobson, Bishop Harry Jackson, James Robison, Samuel Rodriquez, Alveda King, David Barton, Robert Morris, Judy Wade, Michele Bachmann, Jentezen Franklin, Charles Huang, Ralph Reed, Ronnie Floyd, Robert Jeffress, Tony Perkins, Jonathan Cahn and others. Worship for the event will be lead by Josh Garlow.
Stephen Amerson, who frequently sings at Jefferson Gathering services, will perform during the pre-inauguration prayer service.
Following the prayer service, beginning at approximately 1 p.m. EST, participants will have an opportunity to hear from Israeli members of the Knesset and U.S. members of Congress. They will be discussing the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and there will be a Genesis 12:3 call to "bless Israel." 
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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Conservative Icon Phyllis Schlafly Goes to be With the Lord - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

Phyllis Schlafly, the matriarch of the American conservative movement, passed away Monday night at the age of 92. (Reuters photo)

Conservative Icon Phyllis Schlafly Goes to be With the Lord

BOB ESCHLIMAN  CHARISMA NEWS
There are few who, in their lifetime, have done more to advance the conservative, founding principles of America than Phyllis Schlafly.
Monday, the 92-year-old grassroots activist and organizer, who had dedicated more than 70 years in public service passed away at her family home in Saint Louis, Mo. The Eagle Forum, which she founded to advance a Christian, pro-family, pro-life agenda, made the following announcement.
An iconic American leader whose love for America was surpassed only by her love of God and her family, Phyllis Schlafly, an indomitable pro-family grassroots advocate and organizer, was 92 years old. Mrs. Schlafly was preceded in death by her beloved husband Fred and is survived by six children along with 16 grand and 3 great grandchildren.
Phyllis Schlafly spent an astounding 70 years in public service of her fellow Americans. Her focus from her earliest days until her final ones was protecting the family, which she understood as the building block of life. She recognized America as the greatest political embodiment of those values. From military superiority and defense to immigration and trade; from unborn life to the nuclear family and parenthood, Phyllis Schlafly was a courageous and articulate voice for common sense and traditional values. She authored 27 books and thousands of articles. She spoke tens of thousands of times across the United States.
Her joy in life was evident to all through her smile and wit. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Among the first to respond to the announcement was Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who said he had just spoken with Schlafly directly a few days prior to her passing. He said:
"Phyllis Schlafly is a conservative icon who led millions to action, reshaped the conservative movement, and fearlessly battled globalism and the 'kingmakers' on behalf of America's workers and families. I was honored to spend time with her during this campaign as she waged one more great battle for national sovereignty. I was able to speak with her by phone only a few weeks ago, and she sounded as resilient as ever. 
"Our deepest prayers go out to her family and all her loved ones. She was a patriot, a champion for women, and a symbol of strength. She fought every day right to the end for America First. Her legacy will live on in the movement she led and the millions she inspired."
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins was also among the very first to respond to Schlafly's passing. He noted that she would be remembered most for her "courageous leadership in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds."
"With the political establishment, the media, and academia all arrayed against her, she organized a grassroots movement that not only stopped the Equal Rights Amendment but became the foundation for the pro-life, pro-family movement we have today," he said. "I have little doubt that the political and cultural landscape of America today would have long ago been devoid of true conservatism if not for her leadership. She never surrendered her principles and she never gave in to intimidation.
"Her love for God and this country drove her to fight for the Constitutional principles that founded this nation. We honor Phyllis for the lessons that she taught us all. I'm proud to have stood alongside her for faith, family and freedom."
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, was among the many American politicians who was influenced at an early age by Schlafly's seminal work, A Choice, Not an Echo, a book that launched the conservative grassroots political movement. He later had a chance to develop a personal friendship with her.
"She was brilliant, tough, tenacious, and driven by absolute adherence to principle and not to personalities," he wrote in a statement on social media Monday night. "I will miss her personally, but the conservative cause has lost its matriarch. And there is no one even close to replacing her. God bless you Phyllis, for changing the world!"
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins was among the many conservative women influenced by Schlafly, and later became a close personal friend of the constitutionalist icon. She told Breitbart News on Monday night that Schlafly was one of her personal heroes and mentors, who "inspired millions to the fight against abortion and the disastrous Equal Rights Amendment which would have made abortion a constitutional right."
"Phyllis is the reason the Republican Party is a pro-life party," she said. "Phyllis will be missed yet her legacy will live on through my generation and in the young women who are fearless in the fight for the lives of the preborn and their mothers on their campuses and in their workplaces and communities."
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Friday, May 27, 2016

Tony Perkins: Obama Is Making His 'Final Drive to Fundamentally Transform America' - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS


Tony Perkins: Obama Is Making His 'Final Drive to Fundamentally Transform America'

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, is warning Americans that President Obama is now engaged in a "final drive to fundamentally change America"—and not for the better.
He released an official statement Thursday applauding 11 states for suing the federal government over the president's transgender mandate to public schools. He said the president's locker room and bathroom decree "sacrifices the privacy and safety of children."
"In President Obama's final drive to fundamentally transform America, he has pushed aside the concerns of parents and schools, the privacy and safety of students, and ignored the boundaries of his constitutional power," he said. "If the White House can dictate the policies for every school locker room, shower, and bathroom in America, what could possibly be beyond its reach?"
FRC released an ad earlier this month calling out Obama for skewed priorities (see the ad below):
While ISIS is infiltrating America...President Obama seems confused about human biology.
While Russia taunts our military...President Obama is fighting for men to access to women's locker rooms.
While Iran and North Korea fire ballistic missiles...President Obama is demanding grown men have the right to use women's bathrooms.
Who knows what's next? President Obama could issue an executive order wiping out single gendered bathrooms in national parks...or in federal buildings...or tell the TSA to stop requiring those who fly to declare their biological sex.
Perkins also noted the "scores of state leaders" who are standing up to Obama's "unilateral redefinition" of federal law.
"It is now time for Republicans in Congress, who have the constitutional authority as a coequal branch of government, to support these state leaders and bring the imperial White House under control," he said.
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Saturday, September 19, 2015

The House votes to defund Planned Parenthood


The bills now move to the Senate. (Reuters)


The House votes to defund Planned Parenthood


On Friday, the House of Representatives passed two pro-life bills, including a measure that would defund Planned Parenthood for one year unless it stopped performing abortions.
 The House passed Rep. Diane Black's Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 on a 241-187 vote. Two Democrats voted in favor of the measure; three Republicans voted against it.
The House also voted in favor of Rep. Trent Franks' Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection bill, 248-177.
"Planned Parenthood takes half-a-billion dollars each year from struggling taxpayers to use in its abortion franchises nationwide, which do not provide full-service medical care for women," said Dr. Charmaine Yoest, the president and CEO of Americans United for Life. "Real healthcare respects life." 
""We thank the bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives for removing taxpayer funding to this scandal-ridden organization and redirecting those funds to the thousands of full-spectrum health clinics," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, agreed. "The next step is to add this measure to the short-term budget resolution that forces the Senate to vote again on redirecting tax dollars away from Planned Parenthood."
Recent undercover videos featuring shocking footage of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the dismemberment and harvest of fetal organs for money helped spur many Congressmen to support the legislation, which would impose a moratorium on funding the abortion provider.
"In light of the troubling Center for Medical Progress videos, the U.S. House made the right call in suspending that level of investment so that women and girls' healthcare needs will be met in a safe environment," Yoest said.
The second bill imposes tougher standards for abortionists that make no effort to save the lives of babies born alive during botched abortions.
"One of the most disturbing discussions in the undercover videos are cold, calculating conversations on the part of top Planned Parenthood officials who discuss the kind of money they can make from babies who die during an abortion, but because their bodies remained intact, their parts are worth more money," she continued. "A humane society makes it clear in our laws and in our culture that a child born alive deserves protection. I commend the members of the House for standing up for the most vulnerable among us."
Dr. Yoest testified on Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health, about troubling legal issues raised in the undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood's trafficking in infant body parts.
To read her testimony and to see AUL's legal analysis of the issues raised, click here. To learn more about the health risks of abortion for all women, click here.
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Saturday, September 5, 2015

Judicial Tyranny: Why Kim Davis May Not Be the Last

Todd Starnes explains why Kim Davis may not be the last.Judicial Tyranny: Why Kim Davis May Not Be the Last


American Dispatch, by Todd Starnes
Pastor Rick Warren once told me the fight for religious liberty would become the civil rights issue of our generation.
On Thursday, Pastor Warren's prophetic words were fulfilled at the hands of the United States Government.
It happened in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where Judge David Bunning ordered U.S. Marshalls to arrest Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky.
Mrs. Davis is a devout Christian who refused to issue gay marriage licenses. She claimed that doing so would violate her religious beliefs.
Davis is represented by the public interest law firm Liberty Counsel. The firm's attorneys asked the court to accommodate her beliefs by simply removing her name from the licenses.
But Judge Bunning refused to do so. He refused to accommodate her religious beliefs—and ordered U.S. Marshals to take her into custody.
I truly believe Judge Bunning wanted to intimidate Christians and send a very clear message—that resistance to same-sex marriage will not be tolerated—doing with the gavel what Bull Connor tried to do with dogs and fire hoses.
Christian leaders, among them Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, urged Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to call a special session of the legislature to enact emergency protections for religious liberty.
"Religious liberty in America is in grave danger," Perkins warned. "This will, in effect, establish a reverse religious test barring those who hold biblical views of marriage from positions of public service. Such a religious test by proclamation or practice is wrong."
But Gov. Beshear refused to do so—blocking the door to the statehouse much like Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocked the door to the schoolhouse in defiance of racial integration.
"The United States Supreme Court has spoken and same-sex marriage is now legal in Kentucky and the rest of the United States," Beshear wrote in a statement.
Critics of Mrs. Davis, on both the right and the left, argue that public officials cannot pick and choose which laws to uphold.
But what law—what specific law—did Mrs. Davis violate? Where is the law that mandates Mrs. Davis issue a marriage license?
That's a question Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee raised to his supporters in a recent letter.
"That simple question is giving many in Congress a civics lesson that they never got in grade school," Huckabee wrote.
"The Supreme Court cannot and did not make a law," he continued. "They only made a ruling on a law. Congress makes the laws. Because Congress has made no law allowing for same-sex marriage, Kim does not have the Constitutional authority to issue a marriage license to homosexual couples."
However, there used to be a federal law on the books called the Defense of Marriage Act. And President Obama directed his administration to ignore the law. I don't seem to recall a federal judge throwing the president in the slammer.
Judge Bunning's act of judicial tyranny troubles me because it sets a standard for what could become an all-out assault on people of faith.
The great German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
Gov. Huckabee has decided to not only speak—but to act.
The governor, himself a Baptist preacher, issued a clarion call to the nation—much like those great preachers of the civil rights era. He urged Christians of all colors and all faiths to join him in Kentucky on Tuesday to send a message to our government that we will not be silenced, no matter the cost.
But history has taught us that sometimes words are not enough. Sometimes to right a wrong, we must take action. We must be willing to consider the cost. We must be willing to stand up to judicial tyranny.
Is it possible that a new generation of preachers and politicians could find their voice on Tuesday?
Perhaps one day, students of history will read not only letters from a Birmingham jail, but letters from a Kentucky jail.
Perhaps.
But no matter what happens we must hold firm to a central truth that one day Kim Davis will overcome. And one day we shall overcome.
Todd Starnes is host of "Fox News & Commentary," heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is God Less America.
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Friday, September 4, 2015

With Kim Davis Ruling, Is Government Working to Ban Christians From Public Service?

With Kim Davis Ruling, Is Government Working to Ban Christians From Public Service?


Are Christians at risk of losing their religious liberty?
Are Christians at risk of losing their religious liberty? (Reuters)
Today we are witnessing what the four dissenting Supreme Court Justices warned of in the Obergefell decision: religious liberty in America is in grave danger.
While five justices on the Supreme Court created this dilemma, it is incumbent upon Congress, and in this case legislators, to ensure orthodox religious beliefs are accommodated. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear could solve this court-created conflict by immediately calling for a special legislative session and establishing statutory accommodations for clerks like Kim Davis. 
Ultimately, this is about more than same-sex marriage licenses in Kentucky. It is about the ability of Christians and other religious people to serve in positions of public trust. If this is not resolved in a manner that accommodates the orthodox religious beliefs of Clerk Davis, this will, in effect, establish a reverse religious test barring those who hold biblical views of marriage from positions of public service. Such a religious test by proclamation or practice is wrong.
Now a court is jailing someone over this because the governor failed to act. How hard is it to change a simple form to remove her name from it? Isn't that worth doing to keep someone out of jail because of what they believe? Governor Beshear must call for a special session of the legislature and grant an accommodation to Kim Davis.
If governors and legislators thought this threat to religious freedom would go away, the jailing of Kim Davis proves them wrong. The time to protect and accommodate religious liberty is now.
Tony Perkins is president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council. 
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