The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

February 23, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Case of Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms reports that Iranian authorities’ reaffirmed a death sentence for Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani for the sole reason of his refusal to recant his Christian faith.  This action is yet another shocking breach of Iran’s international obligations, its own constitution, and stated religious values.  The United States stands in solidarity with Pastor Nadarkhani, his family, and all those who seek to practice their religion without fear of persecution—a fundamental and universal human right.  The trial and sentencing process for Pastor Nadarkhani demonstrates the Iranian government’s total disregard for religious freedom, and further demonstrates Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens.  The United States calls upon the Iranian authorities to immediately lift the sentence, release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion.  The United States renews its calls for people of conscience and governments around the world to reach out to Iranian authorities and demand Pastor Nadarkhani's immediate release.

About Chris Ruddell: I'm an Associate Pastor in the United Methodist Church and I serve as a trustee for Saint Paul School of Theology, with campuses in Kansas City, MO and Oklahoma City, OK. I'm also the author and creator of Church Tech Blog, at www.churchtechblog.org

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"The German Reformer, Martin Luther, taught that prayer should be living, powerful, strong, mighty, earnest, serious, troubled, passionate, vehement, fervent and ardent.

"Luther described prayer as: “The hardest work of all – a labour above all labours, since he who prays must wage almighty warfare against the doubt and murmuring excited by the faint-heartedness and unworthiness we feel within us…that unutterable and powerful groaning with which the godly rouse themselves against despair, the struggle in which they call mightily upon their faith.”

“Audacious prayer, which perseveres unflinchingly and ceases not through fear, is well pleasing unto God,” wrote Luther. “As a shoe maker makes a shoe, or a tailor makes a coat, so ought a Christian to pray. Prayer is the daily business of a Christian.”

Since 1973, “God bless America” has become a traditional benediction for presidential pronouncements. On April 30 of that year, President Richard Nixon addressed the nation concerning the Watergate scandal. He ended his denial of involvement with “God bless America and God bless each and every one of you.”

But do citizens of this nation really want God to “bless” America? Jimmy Carter, arguably one of the most outspoken Christian presidents, never used the phrase. And perhaps, based on the teachings of Jesus, for good reason.

Christ’s most famous and familiar sermon uses the word “blessed” nine times in the Matthew version. But it’s doubtful if presidents and politicians have His definition of “blessed” in mind.

In Luke 6:20-22, Jesus teaches:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!”

Luke’s version also includes corresponding “woes” to each blessing:

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:24-26)

No politician running for President of the United States or small-town dog catcher would get elected on that platform! And yet when Jesus says “blessed,” He means something far different than political campaign slogans.

So what’s the point? Actually, there are two:

1. Jesus’ kingdom is upside down

Christ shocked His listeners by claiming that the least shall be greatest, the last shall be first, humble yourself to be exalted, die to live, become childlike to become spiritually mature, love your enemies…Jesus took the religious world’s cherished beliefs and turned them upside down, inside out, and backward.

So while politicians would like to see the United States reign as the richest, most powerful country in the world, the Lord of all may have other desires.

Could the recent recession with record unemployment and foreclosures be a “blessing” that causes the nation to turn to its Provider? Was the national mourning that followed the evil and godless terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 a blessing as a nation searched for healing? Are Americans being blessed by a loving Heavenly Father because their enemies express their hatred with “Death to the infidels” and homemade bombs?

Are those completely upside down, inside out, and backward ways to view the challenges facing this country? Indeed!

2. Jesus’ kingdom is universal

While He was born of Hebrew heritage and came specifically as a Jewish Messiah, Jesus was no jingoist. He ministered to Roman army officers, Samaritan and Greek women, and announced He had other sheep (Gentiles) in His flock.

In fact, as Jesus talked to Jewish religious leader Nicodemus, He announced, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The Greek word cosmos used in this verse means more than just “the world,” but everything in creation – not just Jewish males.

In Revelation 7:9, John reports, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.”

Is it possible that God wants to bless all nations? Indeed!

Just some thoughts and questions before you post a bumper sticker or join in the chorus of “God bless America.” His idea of “blessing” may involve poverty, hunger, mourning and slander – which He will “work together” to conform everyone “to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:28-29) And He wants that “blessing” for every nation, tribe, people and language.

So while it would not be politically correct, it would be more biblically correct for politicians to end their speeches with “God conform to the image of your Son America.”

James Watkins is a humorist and author and contributor to 24 books and over 2,000 articles on social and spiritual issues.

You’ve probably heard the term “url”. It is that line of letters that follow “http” on the Internet. Well, it is also called “the address”. What is your address on the Internet? If you have a blog, web site, or are a member of any social media platform like Facebook and Twitter, you have an address on the web.

If you are on Twitter, you can think of that as a real address. If people want to “meet you” they click on your username and “visit” your address, but what do they find when they get there? Many people write “Christian” as the first thing about them in their Twitter profile, but many seem to have fallen into a trap.

Some of us fall into the temptation to preach at people. Oh, sure they will find people who like “You tell them!” sermons, However, only blasting people for bad behavior or only quoting Scripture at people is a distortion of Christian proclamation.

Even if it weren’t, only following other Christians on Twitter would be a mistake. Imagine for a moment a congregation made up of preachers only. That would be pretty silly wouldn’t it, if all the preachers were all together in one building and not spread out?

Twitter is not a pulpit. Social media does not work that way. As you’ve probably heard, no one is interested in what you think until they think you are interested in them. However, thinking of your Twitter address as a church building and yourself as someone who wants to invite people in, this is a much better way of approaching your role of being part of a Christian presence on Twitter.

Think of it as Narthex, Sanctuary, Pulpit, Educational Wing, Fellowship Hall, and Service Project, and you, as the person who runs the account, are Greeter, Worship Leader, Preacher, Teacher, Host, and Servant Leader.

· Narthex: Each Christian on Twitter welcomes the Twitter public not only into their address, but also what it means to be a Christian. We provide a warm welcome with what we say, how we say it and what we don’t say. Christians who use more negative words than positive and complain more than they promote only confirm the already negative biases of unchurched people. At times the content matter of your message may be serious, but otherwise, be cheerful and winsome. Twenty percent of your messages can be lighthearted banter.

· Sanctuary: I like to go to You Tube and enter the names of my favorite classic hymns, praise music, classical and jazz music and share them on Twitter as well as Facebook. I figure whatever is a nice break for me and a chance to think of higher things must do the same for others.

· Pulpit: Since you are talking with people and providing non-judgmental content, you will earn a chance to say what you think about how things ought to be. You can even be political, but be careful. More importantly, place Scriptures in the mix. We know that God’s Word does not return void. The thing is to mix it up. I see myself as a Christian disk jockey of sorts, and you can have fun too. Scripture also says something about pulling out treasures new and old. Share the best of our tradition and whatever your own particular favorite things are, other people are bound to enjoy them also and will thank you for it. Above all, mix in a presentation of the Gospel several times a day, doing so clearly and in simple terms.

· Educational Wing: Twitter is made for sharing links to your congregation’s web site and any other ministries you participate in or are partial to. This alone makes Twitter worth the time you will put in on it. Our congregation’s web site http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/ received 325,000 hits December, 2009, but had over 520,000 hits Dec. 2010 and the only thing that changed was my having 25,000 more Twitter followers and Facebook friends to whom I sent links. I think the forty percent increase is due to linking through social media and you would have the same happen to your congregation’s web site if you learn to use social media effectively.

· Fellowship Hall: Once you become familiar with people you will have many people share a little bit of their lives with you. It really is amazing. Google “Jeremy Rifkin empathic civilization” and view the entertaining and informative video. I agree that God made us oriented toward relationships. People who think that “cyber-friends” are somehow less than real are missing the point. Of course we should devote ourselves to family, neighbors, the people who inhabit our reality, but people and therefore relationships are no less real if they are not physically available to us.

· Service Project: All kinds of things are made possible through linking people and resources and the Internet is making good works around the world accessible to all. You can draw people into your congregation’s mission, people who live near you and people who live who-knows-where.

In the next issue I’ll give practical advice on how to best be part of the Christian presence on Twitter. In the meantime you can visit my web site devoted to social media http://www.soundshoremedia.com/. You can contact me through it as well as read helpful blog posts on Twitter and other social media platforms. I will be more than happy to mentor you through the process of learning to use these tools to become more effective in telling your story on the Internet.

(You can also look at the second article in the series on that website.)

Friends of Madagascar Mission is a young organization with deep roots in the mission work of Madagascar. We are an exciting organization with some new approaches and commitments to how mission is accomplished in the 21st Century. More

ICC Note:

Raymond Ibrahim reports in the algemeiner that “The beginning of the New Year saw only an increase in the oppression of Christians under Islam, from Nigeria, where an all-out jihad has been declared in an effort to eradicate the Muslim north of all Christians, to Europe, where Muslim converts to Christianity are still hounded and attacked as apostates.” Ibrahim’s series, titled ‘Muslim Persecution of Christians,’ is published each month to document cases of persecution – whether it be general discrimination, arrests, or murder – committed by Muslims in majority Islamic countries, Asia and the West.

By Raymond Ibrahim

2/12/2012 Islam (Algemeiner) – The beginning of the New Year saw only an increase in the oppression of Christians under Islam, from Nigeria, where an all-out jihad has been declared in an effort to eradicate the Muslim north of all Christians, to Europe, where Muslim converts to Christianity are still hounded and attacked as apostates. According to the Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year”; in our life time alone, he predicts “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.”

An international report found that Muslim nations make up nine out of the top ten countries where Christians face the “most severe” persecution. In response to these findings, a Vatican spokesman said that “Among the most serious concerns, the increase in Islamic extremism merits special attention. Persons and organizations dedicated to extremist Islamic ideology perpetrate terrible acts of violence in many places throughout the world: the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria is but one example. Then there is the climate of insecurity that unfortunately in some countries accompanies the so-called “Arab spring”—a climate that drives many Christians to flee and even to emigrate.”

Categorized by theme, January’s batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity of anecdote.

APOSTASY

Iran: A Christian convert who was arrested in her home has been sentenced to two years in prison. Previously she endured five months of uncertainty detained in the notorious Evin prison, where the government hoped she would come to her senses and renounce Christianity. She was convicted of “broad anti-Islamic propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures and action against national security.” Likewise, Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani continues to suffer in prison. Most recently, he rejected an offer to be released if he publicly acknowledged Islam’s prophet Muhammad as “a messenger sent by God,” which would amount to rejecting Christianity, as Muhammad/Koran reject it.

Kenya: Muslim apostates seeking refuge in Kenya are being tracked and attacked by Muslims from their countries of origin: An Ethiopian who, upon converting to Christianity, was shot by his father, kidnapped and almost killed, is now receiving threatening text messages. Likewise, a Ugandan convert to Christianity is in hiding, his movements severely restricted since “the Muslims are looking to kill me. I need protection and help.”

Kuwait: A royal prince who openly declared that he has converted to Christianity, confirmed the reality that he now might be targeted for killing as an apostate.

Norway: While out for a walk, two Iranian converts to Christianity were stabbed with knives by masked men shouting “infidels!” One of the men stabbed had converted in Iran, was threatened there, and immigrated to Norway, thinking he could escape persecution there.

Somalia: A female convert to Christianity was paraded before a cheering crowd and publicly flogged as punishment for embracing a “foreign religion.” Imprisoned since November, “the public whipping was meant to mark her release.” She received 40 lashes as hundreds of Muslim spectators jeered. An eyewitness said: “I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away.” Likewise, “Somali Islamists arrested a Muslim father after two of his children converted to Christianity” and fled. He is accused of “failing to raise his sons as good Muslims, because “good Muslims cannot convert to Christianity.”

Zanzibar: After being robbed, a Muslim convert to Christianity called police to his house; they discovered a Bible during their inspection. The course of inquiry immediately changed from searching for the thieves to asking why he “was practicing a forbidden faith.” He was imprisoned for eight months without trial, and, since being released, has been rejected by his family and is now homeless and diseased.

CHURCH ATTACKS

Azerbaijan: A pastor has been threatened with criminal proceedings following a raid on his church during Sunday service. Earlier, he was told that “a criminal case had been launched over religious literature arousing incitement over other faiths,” and was pressured by authorities to leave the area, which he did, traveling great distances each week to lead church services.

Egypt: Before a bishop was going to inaugurate the incomplete Abu Makka church and celebrate the Epiphany mass, a large number of Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood members entered the building, asserting that the church had no license and so no one should pray in it. One Muslim remarked that the building would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital.

Indonesia: A sticker on the back of the car of a member of the beleaguered Yasmin church saying “We need a friendly Islam, not an angry Islam,” distributed by the family of the late Muslim president, prompted another Islamic attack on the church: scores of Muslims “terrorized the congregation and attacked several church members.” Since 2008, the congregation has been forced to hold Sunday services on the sidewalk outside the church and then later in the home of parishioners. Not satisfied, hundreds of Muslims later searched and found the private home where members were congregating and holding service and prevented them from worshiping there as well: “It crosses the line now. The protesters now come to the residential area, which is not a public place.” A new report notes that anti-Christian attacks have nearly doubled in the last year.

Nigeria: Soon after jihadis issued an ultimatum giving Christians three days to evacuate the region or die, armed Muslims stormed a church and “opened fire on worshippers as their eyes were closed in prayer,” killing six, including the pastor’s wife. Then, as friends and relatives gathered to mourn the deaths of those slain, “Allahu Akbar” screaming Muslims appeared and opened fire again, killing another 20 Christians. Several other churches were bombed, and seven more killed.

Pakistan: Enraged by the voices of children singing carols at a nearby church, Muslims praying in a mosque decided to silence them—including with an axe: “The children were preparing for mass to be celebrated the next day which was a Sunday. The loud cheers became terrified whimpers when suddenly four men, one of them with an axe, barged into the church. The men slapped the children, wrecked the furniture, smashed the microphone on to the floor and kicked the altar. “You are disturbing our prayers. We can’t pray properly. How dare you use the mike and speakers?” (Islam forbids Christians from celebrating loudly in church, banning bells, microphones, etc.) Also, a center owned by the Catholic church for 125 years, and used for “charitable purposes”—it housed a home for the elderly, a girls’ school, a convent and chapel for prayer—was demolished, after it was discovered that its land is worth much money; in the process, demolition workers destroyed Bibles, crosses, and a statue of Our Lady.

Zanzibar: Muslims destroyed two churches: one was torched, while the other demolished—all to yells of “Allahu Akbar.”

[Full Story]

Anti-government protesters attend the funerals, in snowy weather, of those killed during clashes with government troops in earlier protests against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, February 18, 2012.

“Lifestyle Politics”

You owe it to yourself to read “The Politics of the Accomodation,” a lament by devout liberal Catholic Michael Sean Winters who has suddenly found his eyes opened to the truth about the Obama Administration and, in general, the social politics of the political Left.  He concludes:

I confess I no longer understand Obama. He did not go to the mat to end the Bush tax cuts for the super-rich. He did not go to the mat for comprehensive immigration reform. He did not go to the mat to close Guantanamo Bay. He did not go to the mat for Card Check. He did not go to the mat for a public option in the health care reform. But, he went to the mat over the principle that a Catholic college or charity or hospital is not really religious.

… I am simply not interested in a Democratic Party that is so beholden to the fundraisers at Emily’s List, so consumed with lifestyle politics, that it is willing to thumb its nose at those working class voters who really do care about social justice and for whom that care is a part of their religious beliefs. And, if liberals no longer care about a robust defense of the First Amendment, well, then, we do not deserve the presidency.

… As I say, I no longer understand President Obama. I was not party to the discussions within the administration on this issue, so I don’t know who said what, or what arguments were made. But, from the outcome, we can conclude that the President never stopped the conversation to say, “We can’t do that!” By “that” I mean pick a fight with the leaders of the largest religious denomination in the country. By “that” I mean not ignore First Amendment concerns, even if it limits the reach of a policy he very much wishes to pursue. By “that” I mean decide, in effect, that the freedom of religion is now only a freedom to worship.

The essay comes by way of Deacon Greg, whose own commenters are always extremely insightful — “The Democratic Party, once the natural ally of socially aware Catholics, has now prioritized “lifestyle politics” over the traditional social justice issues.”

And there you have it.  “Lifestyle politics.”  The belief that individual happiness, which is to be achieved by pursuing the desires of our own mortal flesh, is the ultimate trump card in the morality debate.  The belief that if you promise pleasure and self-fulfillment and further promise to make it all as free from responsibility, consequences, and plain old fashioned guilt as possible, you have carte blanche to stamp out as many other freedoms and liberties as you choose – all in the name of “fairness,” “equal access,” and “justice” of course.

Naturally this course of action is accompanied by an almost Orwellian reworking of the concepts of fairness, equal access, justice, and the greater good by the intelligentsia, promulgated through the media-entertainment complex.

I believe this is what we are seeing with regard to the current debate over whether or not the government has the power to force churches (or anyone for that matter) to pay for contraceptive and sterilization procedures that they believe violate the tenets of Scripture.

The mission of Planned Parenthood, founded by a woman whose life was dedicated to mainstreaming the use of contraception and abortion as the primary method for ending poverty and reducing the number of mentally and physically handicapped among the population, has largely been redefined in popular culture (and in the Democratic party’s populist platform) as “women’s health.”

Now most of us with common sense recognize that there are circumstances where certain drugs prescribed for women will interfere with their reproductive system.  We also understand that in certain situations, pregnancy could result in a situation that is threatening to the life of the mother (a circumstance that personally affected us).  No one with genuine authority, not even the Roman Catholic Church, teaches that it is “God’s will” to refrain from taking medication or using contraception in those kinds of circumstances.

However, voluntary use of contraception, particularly by single women, is an elective decision and is no more a “health” issue than cosmetic procedures or any other elective medical treatment.

But now, if you question the compulsory provision of “free” contraception imposed by government fiat, you are “opposed to women’s health” and are further denounced as an extremist who wants to “ban contraception.”  More broadly, if you decline to ally yourself with the Planned Parenthood organization in any capacity, you are now branded as an enemy of women and an obstructionist to the pursuit of the public good.

I should also note the misleading language being used by supporters of the contraception rule.  Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, recently summed up her support for the rule by declaring, “Nurses, janitorial staff and professors who work at colleges and universities that do not currently cover birth control will get access to contraception.”  Huh?  We’re really supposed to believe that employees of religiously-affiliated organizations never had access to contraceptives?  We’re really supposed to believe that nurses and college professors are not bright enough to know that they can go to their doctor and, after a physical examination, ask for a prescription?  Or that those with qualifying low incomes do not know that they can already receive those services from Planned Parenthood and pay as little as $9 a month for generic birth control pills?

We heard the same rhetoric during the healthcare reform debate; apparently, unless the government mandates the provision of a service for “free” or at a greatly reduced cost, the masses do not have “access” to it.

Likewise, supporting the traditional definition of marriage or supporting the right of churches and clergy to refuse to perform the sacrament of marriage in situations that violate their religious teachings is now considered “hate” on par with the Jim Crow segregation of a half-century ago.

One of the standard memes of modern liberalism is, “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the Bible.”  Obviously this is false.  When fascism comes to America, it will be cloaked in “justice” and laid upon a foundation of “fairness” and “the public good.”

Lots of good quotes in this, including: "One of the standard memes of modern liberalism is, “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the Bible.” Obviously this is false. When fascism comes to America, it will be cloaked in “justice” and laid upon a foundation of “fairness” and “the public good.”

This Side of the Pulpit » The World, Theology » President Harrison Goes to Washington

President Harrison Goes to Washington

February 16th, 2012 | Add a Comment

Matthew Harrison, President of the LCMS spoke to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today regarding the HHS decision to mandate contraception and abortificant pharmaceuticals for all heath care providers or insurers. Below is the transcript of his opening remarks. You can also find links to the video of the testimony, including questions and answers and other information at the LCMS Website.

“Mr. Chairman, it’s a pleasure to be here. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a body of some 6,200 congregations and 2.3 million members across the U.S. We don’t distribute voters’ lists. We don’t have a Washington office. We are studiously non-partisan, so much so that we’re often criticized for being quietistic.

“I’d rather not be here, frankly. Our task is to proclaim, in the words of the blessed apostle St. John, the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all our sin. And we care for the needy. We haven’t the slightest intent to Christianize the government. Martin Luther famously quipped one time, ‘I’d rather have a smart Turk than a stupid Christian governing me.’

“We confess that there are two realms, the church and the state. They shouldn’t be mixed – the church is governed by the Word of God, the state by natural law and reason, the Constitution. We have 1,000 grade schools and high schools, 1,300 early childhood centers, 10 colleges and universities. We are a machine which produces good citizens for this country, and at tremendous personal cost.

“We have the nation’s only historic black Lutheran college in Concordia, Selma. Many of our people [who are alive today] walked with Dr. King 50 years ago on the march from Selma to Montgomery. We put up the first million dollars and have continued to provide finance for the Nehemiah Project in New York as it has continued over the years, to provide home ownership for thousands of families, many of them headed by single women. Our agency in New Orleans, Camp Restore, rebuilt over 4,000 homes after Katrina, through the blood, sweat and tears of our volunteers. Our Lutheran Malaria Initiative, barely begun, has touched the lives of 1.6 million people in East Africa, especially those affected by disease, women and children. And this is just the tip, the very tip, of the charitable iceberg.

“I’m here to express our deepest distress over the HHS provisions. We are religiously opposed to supporting abortion-causing drugs. That is, in part, why we maintain our own health plan. While we are grandfathered under the very narrow provisions of the HHS policy, we are deeply concerned that our consciences may soon be martyred by a few strokes on the keyboard as this administration moves us all into a single-payer … system. Our direct experience in the Hosanna-Tabor case with one of our congregations gives us no comfort that this administration will be concerned to guard our free-exercise rights.

“We self-insure 50,000 people. We do it well. Our workers make an average of $43,000 a year, 17,000 teachers make much less, on average. Our health plan was preparing to take significant cost-saving measures, to be passed on to our workers, just as this health-care legislation was passed. We elected not to make those changes, incur great cost, lest we fall out of the narrow provisions required under the grandfather clause. While we are opposed in principle, not to all forms of birth control, but only abortion-causing drugs, we stand with our friends in the Catholic Church and all others, Christians and non-Christians, under the free exercise and conscience provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

“Religious people determine what violates their consciences, not the federal government. The conscience is a sacred thing. Our church exists because overzealous governments in northern Europe made decisions which trampled the religious convictions of our forebearers. I have ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War. I have ancestors who were on the Lewis and Clark expedition. I have ancestors who served in the War of 1812, who fought for the North in the Civil War – my 88-year-old father-in-law has recounted to me, in tears many times, the horrors of the Battle of the Bulge. In fact, Bud Day, the most highly decorated veteran alive, is a member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

“We fought for a free conscience in this country, and we won’t give it up without a fight. To paraphrase Martin Luther, the heart and conscience has room only for God, not for God and the federal government. The bed is too narrow, the blanket is too short. We must obey God rather than men, and we will. Please get the federal government, Mr. Chairman, out of our consciences. Thank you.”

Possibly Related posts:

1. Whose Obligation?
2. Yes, They are with Us
3. Health Care and our Christian Witness
4. Is "Liberty" Christian?
5. Let’s Hope it Works

Written by Christopher Hall

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Filed under: The World, Theology