Choir Barred from 9-11 Event; Jesus Barred from Prayer
- Faith-based Deal in Jeopardy
- Ministry Calls for Revival in American Churches
- School District Bars Gospel Choir from 9-11 Event
- Court Rules City Can't Invoke Jesus in Prayer
- Annual See You at the Pole Set for Sept. 18
Faith-based Deal in Jeopardy
The Washington Times has reported that a crowded legislative schedule and the approaching elections are threatening passage of a bill that is part of President Bush's faith-based initiative.
Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and others are working to reach agreement that would allow Senate-floor action on the bipartisan bill - which would increase the tax benefits of donating to faith-based or community charities. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican, said Monday he told Mr. Santorum, "the next two or three days were critical. If we couldn't work out an agreement, that probably time was going to pass it by."
Santorum - who is co-sponsor of the bill with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman - has been trying to ensure that each party will offer only one amendment to the bill when it hits the Senate floor, allowing it to be completed in a few hours. According to the Washington Times, while some have agreed to this strategy, others are opposed to limiting amendments. Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, does not want any limits. "We don't want to limit the amount of amendments," Reed spokesman Adam Bozzi said. "We think this deserves a full and fair debate, not two hours."
One Senate Republican aide said there have been repeated Democratic objections to language clarifying that a charity cannot be rejected for a federal grant simply because it has religious icons on its premises, religious language in its chartering documents or religious qualifications for its governing board members.
If the bill passes the Senate, said the Times, House Republican leaders could insist on their more comprehensive bill, forcing a conference. Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein said that if this happens, the bill is a "dead duck" this year.
Ministry Calls for Revival in American Churches
As millions of Americans stopped yesterday to remember the victims of 9-11, at least one ministry is praying for revival in American churches, according to Mission Network News. Life Action Ministries' John Myers claims the terror attacks last year had little lasting impact on the spiritual well being of the church. That's why the ministry is preaching repentance, brokenness, humility, and forgiveness.
Myers explained. "If we can really preach those truths from God's word, God's spirit can take those things, apply them to the life of the believer and, as they're obedient unto God then we really believe we'll see an impact in the church and the life of the believer."
School District Bars Gospel Choir from 9-11 Event
On Monday the Seminole County School District of Florida barred a school gospel choir from singing that evening at a 9-11 memorial service because the event was held at a church. According to WorldNetDaily, the event was a patriotic service to remember those who died on Sept. 11 and was attended by elected officials and judges.
The district does not want to make the matter a constitutional issue, school district attorney Ned Julian told WorldNetDaily. "The bottom line is it's a curricular decision, and the [district] staff and principals have a right to make decisions as to what will and will not be taught in classes and what activities students in classes of a public school system will and will not engage in," he said.
"It doesn't make logical sense that they would have a gospel choir, but the gospel choir couldn't sing at a church," said Mathew Staver, featured speaker at the 9-11 service and an attorney whose nonprofit legal defense group, Liberty Counsel, plans to file a lawsuit against the district.
In response, Julian cited a memo from a Washington D.C. law firm that says, "We think the heritage of black gospel music is worthy of study and performance apart from its religious message."
Liberty Counsel will file a federal lawsuit if the district does not reverse its policy barring the choir from churches, said Staver. "If we're not able to get any satisfaction by the end of the week, we will send out another letter giving a specific time frame in which they will need to respond," he said.
Court Rules City Can't Invoke Jesus in Prayer
A California appeals court ruled on Monday that state legislative bodies cannot begin meetings with prayers invoking the name of Jesus. Reuters has reported on the decision, which came in a lawsuit over a 1999 meeting of the Burbank council that began with a minister giving thanks to God "in the name of Jesus Christ."
Writing for the panel, Judge Katherine Doi Todd argued that "the expression of gratitude and love 'in the name of Jesus Christ' was an explicit invocation of a particular religious belief. According to Reuters, the invocation conveyed the message that the Burbank City Council was a Christian body and from this it could be inferred that the council was advancing a religious belief."
Juli Scott, chief assistant city attorney for Burbank, said she and the council members were disappointed by the Second District's decision and would likely appeal a second time. Scott said that the opinion would force Burbank to censor what religious leaders were allowed to say or prevent them from naming certain deities, which in some cases would invalidate the prayer entirely.
According to Reuters, the suit was brought by two men who were in attendance at the Burbank meeting, including Jewish Defense League head Irv Rubin. Attorney Roger Diamond, who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, was jubilant, shouting "praise the Lord!" when reached by a Reuters reporter. He added that his clients were not "anti-religion" but were convinced that prayer belonged in churches, temples and mosques and not in government.
Annual See You at the Pole Set for Sept. 18
Lifting up their prayers for America, its leaders and its youth, students throughout the United States will join together around their school flagpoles on Wednesday, Sept. 18 for the 13th annual See You at the Pole (SYATP), a grass roots prayer event that began in Texas in 1990. Students will gather around their school flagpoles at 7:00 a.m.
During the past 12 years, millions of young people have lifted voices, bended knees and joined hands to pray for their schools as part of See You at the Pole - National Day of Student Prayer, asking God to bring moral and spiritual awakening to their campuses and their countries.
"Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down" is the 2002 See You at the Pole (SYATP) theme, quoting from Isaiah 64:1-2. The prophet's cry for God to reveal himself and "make His name known" is echoed in the fervent spirit of many teenagers as they have gathered for See You at the Pole over the years.
In 2001, barely a week after the terrorist attacks on America of Sept. 11, more than 3 million young people met for SYATP in all 50 states of the U.S. Many prayed passionately for the nation in crisis. There were also reports from countries on six continents, including Australia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, S. Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Puerto Rico, S. Africa, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
There is no financial requirement for involvement in See You at the Pole events. Everything necessary for students to plan and promote a successful SYATP is available free at www.syatp.com. Church congregations nationwide plan to show support for See You at the Pole by sponsoring special "Campus Challenge Sunday" commissioning services Sept. 14-15, the weekend before See You at the Pole. Participants will recognize and pray for Christian students and educators.
Originally published September 12, 2002.
