URGENT CALL FOR PRAYER AND ACTION: American Pastor Saeed Abedini (32; who had been helping underground Christian churches) will face a trial in Iran for his Christian faith in just days. After sustaining painful beatings in Iran's brutal Evin Prison, he has been told that he "will hang" for his "faith in Jesus." [On Monday, Jan. 14], for the first time, his Iranian attorney was able to see the charge brought against him. He will be tried by one of Iran's notorious "hanging judges." While the U.S. State Department has stated it has "serious concerns" about the imprisonment of Pastor Saeed, an American citizen, it has yet to call for his release. The ACLJ is working aggressively for his freedom, urging Members of Congress, the State Department, and the United Nations to take action to secure this persecuted Pastor's freedom. SIGN THE PETITION to save Pastor Saeed today. - http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-iranian-abuse-imprisonment
A SPECIAL NOTE: TODAY marks 5 days before the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision that spearheaded the legalizaion of the abortion of the unborn in America. I am in the midst of a 40 day period of prayer and (limited) fasting to honor the memory of the over 55 million ! unborn that have been murdered and the tens of millions of their mothers, fathers, and siblings who have been victimized by this great American Holocaust.
CHALLENGE: If you have not already determined it, please CALL YOUR PASTOR and ask you that, as a pro-life church (which I trust yours describes itself), how will yuor church recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday NEXT SUNDAY, Jan. 20th, as will thousands of other pro-life churches in America. If he says he has no plans to do so, ask him why not. Please let me know what you learn.PLEASE PRAY: 1.) For the girls/women each day contemplating an abortion; the abortionists and their staff; the crisis pregnancy centers seeking to serve the women facing unplanned pregnancies. 2) For the passage of even more state laws that will effectively help to limit the number of abortions being performed. 3.)The defunding of Planned Parenthood that performs over 300,000 abortions (about 1/3 the toal) for profit and still receives almost 1/2 billion dollars in federal tax dollars. 4.) That one day America might finally pass a constitutional amendment promoting the Sanctity of Every Human Life - in effect oulawing both abortion and euthanasia. 5) For churches/Christians being pro-life- not just claiming to be but demonstrating it conclusively by their actiions.
"Restoring the Value of Life" - watch a great 5-min. video and sign a petition. http://www.restoringthevalueoflife.org/?utm_source=Impact+e-Newsletter&utm_campaign=96d3f2a4b3-Impact_Newsletter_1_11_2012&utm_medium=email
"F.A.Q." - Confused and looking for answers? Find answers to some of the questions that are asked most frequently about abortion and regnancy at - http://www.restoringthevalueoflife.org/index.php/f-a-q/
[NOTE The following commentary (and the links to two other articles) is a further, Christian response to yesterday's post about the pastor being forced to step away from participating in the President's inauguration this past week.]
Inaugurating a New Era - A Benediction for Post-Christian America"-by: John Stonestreet, January 16, 2013, http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/21244
Inauguration day is fast approaching. But a different kind of inauguration has already taken place.
Last Friday on BreakPoint, I suggested that we must face the facts that we are now in a new era: the post-Christian America that Francis Schaeffer, Chuck Colson and many others predicted would come.
I was referring then to Hobby Lobby facing millions of dollars in fines for refusing to obey the HHS mandate. If any further proof is needed, last weekend’s broo-ha-ha over who’s praying at the presidential inauguration is exactly that.
A rock-solid evangelical pastor who has mobilized thousands of young people to campaign against human trafficking was invited by the White House to give the benediction at the inauguration. But within hours, a small handful of homosexual activists hit the roof, because the same pastor, years prior, had the gall to say in a sermon that homosexual activity was sinful. Thoroughly tarred with the “hater,” “bigot,” and “anti-gay” labels, this pioneer for human rights, Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church, respectfully stepped aside.
Whether Pastor Giglio did so proactively or was responding to heated pressure from the White House isn’t exactly clear.
One thing’s for sure, Giglio’s now oft-quoted sermon on homosexuality was prophetic. He warned that the [homosexual] movement would do anything necessary to make sure the homosexual lifestyle becomes accepted as a norm in our society and is given full standing as any other lifestyle.
And today, in the media, in popular culture, in politics, it has that full standing.
And its acceptance was lightning quick. Remember, just four years ago another evangelical pastor, Rick Warren—who has made his position on homosexual behavior also quite clear—prayed at Barack Obama’s first inauguration.
So today, we find ourselves in a situation where, as Al Mohler wrote, historical, biblical Christianity is clearly “out of bounds.” The question is, what now? There’s no doubt, as my friend Gabe Lyons blogged, that Giglio was the victim of bullying by homosexual activists. He called on the President to remind them that freedom of conscience—I would say freedom of religion—is the first right of every American.
Over at the CNN belief blog, Matt Anderson suggested that conservative Christians should embrace a certain dispassion when it comes to politics. His specifics seemed a bit muddled to me, but he rightly said that when we suffer injustice, we ought not display panic-driven anger as if our future depends on political acceptance.
Owen Strachan’s response, which I’m fully on board with, was that being truly “gospel-centered” includes “grief and protest against sin and injustice.” Strachan writes that the Bible does not commend “a kind of imperturbably equanimity in light of suffering, persecution, and the usurpation of our rights . . . The biblical leaders [like Paul in Acts] defended themselves vigorously, knowing like Moses did that God himself was behind their call for justice.”
Pastor Giglio stepped aside to avoid any further controversy. He wrote to his church, “My greatest desire is that we not be distracted from the things we are focused on…seeing people in our city come to know Jesus, and speaking up for the last and least of these throughout the world.” And there’s no doubt he’ll do just that. But part of me wishes he had not stepped away from the inaugural benediction.
Despite controversy or recriminations, Christians must stay in the arena, engaged in public life. Our posture in the midst of these divisive issues is important, but so is our presence. It’s distracting, some say. The real task is to preach the Gospel. That’s missing a very important point, one that Owen Strachan states clearly: Christian teaching is not a barrier to the Christian gospel. The God who designed sexual wholeness is the same who designed redemption for all who find themselves broken, sexually or otherwise.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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'Does “Gospel-centrality” Mean Christians Don’t Protest or Get Frustrated?'
January 14, 2013, Owen Strachan, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2013/01/does-gospel-centrality-mean-christians-dont-protest-or-get-frustrated/
"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been . . . ? - What the Louie Giglio Controversy Means for Christians''; By: Gina Dalfonzo: January 16, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/entry/12/21258
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