Gay marriage opponents seek protection from harassment

WorldNetDaily

Lawsuit seeks safeguards from ‘gay’ harassment

A California organization that promoted a successful ballot measure last fall to protect traditional marriage now is challenging the constitutionality of a state campaign finance law used to harass and threaten supporters of the initiative.

The Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of ProtectMarriage.com to protect financial contributors to the Proposition 8 campaign from retaliation.

Personal information about individuals who gave a little as $100 in support of Proposition 8 has been made public under the campaign law, resulting in threats and intimidation from advocates for homosexual marriage, the lawsuit said.

“Putting the names and employers of the people who supported Proposition 8 on the Internet for anyone to see has caused serious problems,” said James Bopp Jr., the lead attorney for Prop. 8 supporters. “No one should worry about getting a death threat because of the way he or she votes.

“This lawsuit will protect the right of all people to help support causes they agree with, without having to worry about harassment or threats,” he said.

Read the full article HERE.

Female minister to give inaugural sermon

For the first time in American History, a woman will deliver the sermon at the traditional National Prayer Service the day after the Presidential Inauguration.  The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced that Rev. Sharon Watkins has been selected for this honor.  Rev. Watkins is the general minister and president of Disciples of Christ, a 700,000 member Christian denomination.

The National Prayer service is an American Tradition that dates back to the inauguration of the first U.S. President.  The event takes place at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and will feature prayers and hymns delivered by various and diverse religious leaders.  Rev. Watkins will deliver the main sermon – the keynote of the event.

Read an article on this story HERE.

Inaugural prayer in Jesus’ name?

Marcus Yoars – Ministry Today

The drama surrounding Rick Warren’s forthcoming invocation at President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremony just won’t subside. After being maligned by both gay-rights groups and evangelicals for accepting Obama’s invitation, the Saddleback Church pastor is now being grilled on whether he’ll offer his prayer in the name of Jesus.

“I’m a Christian pastor so I will pray the only kind of prayer I know how to pray,” Warren stated last week in a written response. “Prayers are not to be sermons, speeches, position statements nor political posturing. They are humble, personal appeals to God.”

Read the full article HERE.

Atheists sue to remove ‘God’ from inaugural

Carol Cratty – CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A number of atheists and non-religious organizations want Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony to leave out all references to God and religion.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington, the plaintiffs demand that the words “so help me God” not be added to the end of the president’s oath of office.

In addition, the lawsuit objects to plans for ministers to deliver an invocation and a benediction in which they may discuss God and religion.

An advance copy of the lawsuit was posted online by Michael Newdow, a California doctor and lawyer who has filed similar and unsuccessful suits over inauguration ceremonies in 2001 and 2005.

The new lawsuit says in part, “There can be no purpose for placing ’so help me God’ in an oath or sponsoring prayers to God, other than promoting the particular point of view that God exists.”

Newdow said references to God during inauguration ceremonies violate the Constitution’s ban on the establishment of religion.

Newdow and other plaintiffs say they want to watch the inaugural either in person or on television. As atheists, they contend, having to watch a ceremony with religious components will make them feel excluded and stigmatized.

Read the full article HERE.

Proposition 8 battle still raging

In the November elections, the citizens of the State of California voted in favor of ballot Proposition 8 by a margin of 52% to 48%.  This proposition changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman – effectively eliminating the legal right of same-sex couples to marry in California.  Proposition 8 captivated the nation’s attention both before and after the election.  Now, as 2009 approaches the legal battle for Proposition 8 is still raging on both sides of the issue.

Recently, California State Attorney General Jerry Brown filed an 111 page brief asking the California State Supreme Court to invalidate the voter-approved state Constitutional ban on gay marriage.  Brown claims that “the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification.”  This move surprised many citizens and legal experts alike because it appears to conflict with his legal duty to uphold the state’s laws.  Furthermore, when the results of Proposition 8 were revealed last month Brown said he planned to “defend the proposition as enacted by the people of California.”

Attorneys for the Protect Marriage coalition filed opposing arguments calling Brown’s argument “an astonishing theory” and stating that he is “failing to protect the will of the voters as the law instructs him.”  The Protect Marriage brief also claims that the court does not have the legal authority to invalidate the voter-approved Constitutional amendment stating that the law “commands judges – as servants of the people – to bow to the will of those they serve.”

The Protect Marriage coalition is also taking their campaign a step further.  They are petitioning the State Supreme Court to annul the estimated 18,000 gay marriages that were officiated since June 2008 – when the Court ruled them permissible.  The coalition argues that Proposition 8 is brief and clear stating that “only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” with “no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions, or exclusions.”  Attorney General Brown argues that Proposition 8 was not written to be retroactive and that the existing gay marriages should remain valid.

Some analysts say that if the California State Supreme Court strikes down Proposition 8 they expect to see a legal effort to recall justices who vote against the measure.

Special AR Report: Apostolic Ministry Responds to the 2008 Presidential Election

The Apostolic Report is privileged to feature responses to the recent presidential election from a group of influential Apostolic Pastor’s and leaders. We appreciate these men for the time and energies that they expended to benefit all of us with a broad range of sound Biblical principals, wisdom, and opinions. It is our prayer that you are blessed by these opinions, please take time to leave a comment of thanks to these men for their contributions.  (Contributor: Michael C. Roach)

Please click on the picture for the article from each contributor.

David K. Bernard is the founder and senior pastor of New Life Church. He is also superintendent of the South Texas District United Pentecostal Church and president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He has earned a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas, a master of theology from the University of South Africa, and a bachelor of arts in mathematical sciences and managerial studies with high honors from Rice University. He is currently a doctor of theology candidate in New Testament at the University of South Africa. He is an ordained minister of the United Pentecostal Church International.

 

Robert W. Martin is pastor of the Voice of Pentecost in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he has served since 1991. Elected General Superintendent of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ in 2007, he previously served the organization as Assistant General Superintendent (2001-2007) and as General Youth President (1987-2001). A former teacher, Pastor Martin received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana – Monroe).

 

 

Gregory K. Riggen is pastor of New Life Pentecostal Church in Olathe, KS. In addition to being an author he served as the Kansas District Sunday School Director and Newspaper Editor. In May, 2002, he was elected as the District Secretary, a position which he held until March of 2004. At that time, he was elected as Superintendent of the Kansas District UPC, a position he held until May 2007. He has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Human Relations Commission for the City of Olathe. Riggen received his Th.B. from Texas Bible College in Houston. With a 4.0 average, he was valedictorian of his graduating class.

 

Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D. Dr. Wilson is the founding pastor of The Rock Church in Sacramento, Ca. He is also founder of Apostolic School of Theology, formerly College at The Rock, author of several books, and adjunct faculty member of Patten University (Oakland,CA). He serves on the Executive Counsel of the World Wide Pentecostal Fellowship and was speaker and director of Harvestime International Radio Ministry for the UPCI (1979-1981). He has earned a Doctorate of Education from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Master of Arts in Religion from Vanguard University, Bachelor of Arts in Bible, and Theology from Christian Life College.

What is an ‘Obamagelical’?

Beliefnet, a spiritualitiy website, has surveyed Evangelical Christians who voted for Barack Obama and labels those voters ‘Obamagelicals.’

According to the Beliefnet findings, 25% of white evangelicals for Obama.  58.7% of these Evangelicals believe that “the Bible is divinely inspired but not everything in it is the literal word of God.”  The “Obamagelicals” support gay civil unions and are far more supportive of gay marriage.  While the group would like to see the number of abortions reduced, they do not believe that the repeal of Roe v. Wade is the answer.  Instead, they support better sex education and contraception.

David Brody, Christian Broadcasting Network’s Senior News Correspondent, believes that these findings evidence a rift in the Evangelical block of voters.  Conservative Evangelicals, according to Brody, are “shaking their head wondering how anybody calling themselves an ‘Evangelical’ could support civil unions.”  Brody predicts that this new group of Christian Obama supporters could “very well be the ones with access to The White House and thus a loud soapbox for their emerging views.”

Click here to view the Beliefnet survey.  Click here to read the full story at the Brody File.

Virginia UPC Church Vandalized; Vandal in Custody

Apostolic Faith United Pentecostal Church in Gainesville, Virginia, was vandalized on October 25th.  An arrest has been made, and 23-year-old Daniel M. Jackson purportedly vandalized 12 homes, 7 businesses, and Apostolic Faith UPC.

Bro. & Sis. Chamberlain

The graffiti included anti-McCain messages, obscenities, the number 666 and a pentagram.  According to authorities, the messages were not politically motivated and do not qualify as hate crimes.  Some do not agree.

According to Samuel Chamberlain, pastor of Apostolic Faith UPC, the rain on the evening of the vandalism helped with the removal.  The pastor was able to have the messages cleared away before most of the congregation saw it.  “There’s no excuse for it, quite frankly,” concludes Bro. Chamberlain.

Jackson is being held without bail on 21 counts of misdemeanor destruction of property.

Click here to read the full story.

How the Faithful Voted

President-elect Barack Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 presidential campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day. Among nearly every religious group, the Democratic candidate received equal or higher levels of support compared with the 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry.

Click HERE to see full statistics on votes by religious affiliation and church attendance.

Assemblies of God Superintendent Issues Post-Election Statement

Dr. George O. Wood, presiding Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, has offered a post-election statement, which was recorded on 27 October, before the election took place.  Wood says that the statement was intentionally recorded prior to the election because “our responsibilities as Christians transcends politics, and we must be who we are regardless of who wins.”

The statement offers his commitment to leading his organization in prayer and good citizenry.  He notes that New Testament Christians were not even involved in politics but understood their mission to be “salt and light” in the world.  He asks members to keep perspective and encourages them to be more interested in winning souls than winning elections. 

Wood says that believers can “hold to our views without being unkind” and can encourage positive discourse.  He asks Christians to be motivated by love and concludes:  “Let the real campaign begin.  Let’s win America for Jesus.”

Click here to view Dr. Wood’s statement.

Bishop T.D. Jakes Issues Congratulatory Statement for President-Elect and Sen. McCain

Bishop T.D. Jakes has offered his congratulations to President-Elect, Barack Obama, and to Sen. John McCain “who fought the good fight until the very end.” 

Jakes calls Obama’s run “a historic campaign” and asks God to bless and strengthen Obama “as you embark on this historic journey.”

Click here to read the full statement.

It’s Praying Time: Christian Leaders Urge Believers to Pray for Obama

Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.  Despite the fact that an estimated 74% of white evangelical Christians voted for Sen. John McCain, many Christian leaders are urging believers to earnestly pray for our future president.

While many conservative Christians are not enthusiastic about Obama’s adminsitration, they see the election as a “wake-up call” to Christians who have been lax in their prayer and social activism.  Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, a friend of George Bush who supported Barack Obama’s campaign said, “Our disagreement with the leaders in charge does not give us a license to not pray for them.”  Caldwell also noted that Obama has recently become more conservative in his views on abortion.

Jane Hansen, president of Aglow International, a charismatic women’s organization, says that they will continue to pray for “support for the nation of Israel, and hte appointement of U.S. Supreme Court Justices.”  She is encouraging Aglow members to pray that Obama will “make those decisions with wisdom and a desire to seek righteousness.”

The article does note that marriage amendments, banning gay marriage, passed in all three states where it was on the ballot, which proves that American’s are still socially conservative.

Pray for the USA!  Click here to read the full story.

AR Poll Results – 2008 Presidential Election

 

Below are the results of our 2008 Presidential Election poll.

Why we vote on Tuesday

 

You’ve studied the issues and cast your ballot. Now all that’s left to do is bide your time until the results start coming in for John McCain and Barack Obama. To help you in that effort, we present the following article from Yahoo. Continue reading for a few election fun facts for your brain-candy pleasure.

 
Why do we vote on a Tuesday… in November?

The short answer: We used to be a nation of farmers. 

The long answer: Congress chose November because the harvest was over and the weather wouldn’t be bad enough to prevent people from traveling.

As for Tuesday, people used to have to travel overnight to their polling location. (In 1845, horse was the preferred method of transport.) In an effort to avoid religious days of rest, Congress chose Tuesday, leaving Monday and Wednesday as travel days. Tuesday was voting (and horse-resting) day.

No Yalies, Bushes or Clintons on the ticket

This is the first election since 1980 that a Bush or a Clinton hasn’t been on the ticket.

This will be the first time in 40 years that Yale will not have one of its former students on the ballot as president or vice president. Not since Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew battled Hubert H. Humphrey and Edmund Muskie in 1968 has Yale been shut out.

Election Day freebies

Did you know that a series of national vendors are giving stuff to voters? They are. Who knew that the “I Voted” sticker was worth more than the pride of knowing you cast your ballot?

Starbucks is giving away a tall cup of brewed coffee on the house. (I guess that means my beloved chai latte is still on me.)

Between 5 and 8pm, Ben and Jerry’s is celebrating democracy by giving away a free scoop of ice cream.

Krispy Kreme is giving away a star-shaped doughnut with “patriotic sprinkles” to anyone wearing an “I Voted” sticker.

Campaign comes to churches on final Sunday

On the final Sunday before Election Day, volunteers for both presidential candidates fanned out to churches in competitive states, congregations bused worshippers to polls to vote early and a battle of wills erupted in church parking lots over the distribution of political literature.

Taking political messages to places of worship carries risks. Churches can lose their tax-exempt status if they take positions for or against a candidate directly or indirectly.

Officials with both the John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns said their efforts are careful to keep churches out of trouble, but it’s hard to know whether lines are crossed in such large-scale operations.

The McCain campaign recruited church members to pass out literature, take part in peer-to-peer phone banks and participate in the Republicans’ final 72-hour get-out-the-vote machine that began Sunday, said Bob Heckman, the campaign’s director of conservative outreach.

Read the complete story