Rod Stone: The Prayer

 
Source: The following message from Tim Wildmon, AFA President, is an unabridged copy of the January 2012 ACTION newsletter that arrived in my mailbox on January 6, 2012.

Dear AFA partner,

Secularists in America are angry at Christians. Not all Christians, but Christians like you and me, who strive to live our faith outside the four walls of the church.

There was a time in our nation when no one would have taken offense to a public expression of faith in Jesus such as prayer at a football game or a Nativity on public property. But now … well, things have changed.

Today a stand for Jesus is often labeled as extreme and Christians are marked as fair game for public mockery.

Take the case of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

You might think the critiques of Tebow’s performance would be limited to the football field. But you’d be wrong. Tebow has become the whipping boy of anti-Christian secularists. Why?

Tebow is a stellar athlete who won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. He’s good-looking, polite, and respectful. You’d think all of America would love him.

But apparently many don’t. You see, Tim Tebow is known for his stand for Jesus Christ on the field and in media interviews. Throughout his football career he has written Scripture references in the eye black he wears on his face during games. He has spent summers on the mission field. He’s made it clear that he is a virgin and will remain so until he marries.

Tim Tebow doesn’t act the way the world wants him to act. And because he doesn’t, he is attacked, mocked, and ridiculed. George Weigel of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. explained why:

“Tebow is a target of irrational hatred, not because he’s an iffy quarterback at the NFL level, or a creep personally or an obnoxious, in-your-face, self-righteous proselytizer. He draws hatred because he is an unabashed Christian, whose calmness and decency in the face of his Christophobic detractors drive them crazy.”

You see, those who want to tear down what’s left of our nation’s moral fabric are waging a war against those who stand for Christian values like the sanctity of human life.

At a NARAL Pro-Choice America event, Housing and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius came right out and told a pro-abortion audience, “We are in a war.”

Consider these other recent examples of how anti-Christian bias is growing in our nation:

Frank Turek: A friend of AFA, Turek had led a number of well-received leadership training seminars at Cisco, a worldwide Internet technology company. Although the issue of homosexuality is not mentioned in the seminar, Turek was fired after a homosexual manager complained about Turek’s book “Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone.”

Jennifer Keeton: Augusta State University (Georgia) expelled Keeton from its graduate counseling program for refusing to attend sensitivity training and mix with men and women at homosexual events. She had also submitted a term paper in which she wrote that it would be hard for her to work with homosexual clients.

Viki Knox: School officials in Union Township, New Jersey, launched a full-scale investigation fo the special education teacher after homosexual activists attacked her for posting comments critical of homosexuality on her personal Facebook page.

Ken Howell: The University of Illinois fired him because of an email he sent students prior to an exam. The class was titled “Introduction to Catholicism and Modern Catholic Thought.” Prof. Howell’s pre-exam email read: “Sexual acts are only appropriate for people who are (biologically) complementary, not the same.” A student called the email “hate speech” and the school fired Howell.

And anti-Christian bias is not limited to the gay agenda. Our friends at the Family Research Council offered this list of recent attacks on Christians and Christian symbols.

New Jersey: A university hospital coerced nurses to assist in abortions.

Utah: A federal court ordered the Utah Highway Patrol Association to take down crosses commemorating fallen officers.

California: Marines at Camp Pendleton were challenged to take down a 13-foot cross after they placed it atop a mountain.

Virginia: The Giles County School Board is being challenged to remove a Ten Commandments display.

California, New York, Maryland, and Texas: Pregnancy resource centers are being attacked for their counseling and refusal to perform abortions.

Montana: An atheist group is demanding that a statue of Christ that sits on federal land atop Whitefish Mountain Resort be removed.

I could list more, but you get the picture.

I predict that as America continues this drift away from God, bias and mockery will turn into full-fledged persecution.

As Rev. Ryan Gold, pastor of New Covenant Community Church in Denver, Colorado, said during a recent AFA Journal interview:

“[The ridicule of Tim Tebow] has to do with his vocal stand for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the social implications of the gospel that he’s promulgated publicly for years. He’s as counter-cultural and as committed a Christian as they come. Pop culture doesn’t understand this. When carnal pleasure is at the fingertips of a young man like Tim and he instead chooses to live for Jesus Christ, it convicts, challenges, and gently condemns and calls out for attention. It exposes the culture war in our country for what it is – spiritual battle between light and darkness.”

I am convinced that Rev. Gold is right …

… we are in a spiritual war between light and dark.

But this should come as no surprise to you.

“If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

Almost immediately after saying that, however, our Lord comforted us with this assurance:

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

He has overcome the world! And now He looks to us – His disciples – to proclaim that truth to others in words, deeds, and by our lifestyle.

And while we rejoice when persecuted (Matt 5:10-12), it doesn’t mean that we should rejoice over the assault against the truth that is manifested by that persecution. Rather, we must defend the truth of God’s Word (1 Peter 3:15), a defense that promotes the keeping of God’s law as good for society.

That’s what we’ve been doing for over thirty years! Since the day God called Dad to form this ministry, we’ve stood alongside you and other God-fearing Americans to fight for biblical principles in our society.

Your dollars fund the spiritual weapons we use to carry on that fight:

• Our monthly AFA Journal magazine
• Our American Family Radio network of 192 radio stations
• Our popular Internet websites including afa.net, onenewsnow.com, afajournal.org, onemillionmoms.com, and others;
• Our email “Action Alerts” we send to some 2,500,000 pro-family activists;
• Our documentaries and feature films produced by American Family Studios, our newest division; and
• Our sponsorship of pro-family conferences and other events.

Your financial gifts allow us to do all that and more.

As those have declared this war are getting even bolder in their attacks on our families, our beliefs, our values and our freedom to live according to God’s principles, we must keep our voice loud and strong

… for the sake of our nation, our children and the glory of God.

But for your AFA to do so, we need your continued support – spiritually with your prayers and financially with your contributions. Because in the face of ridicule and even persecution, we must never be silent.

Thank you for your loyalty and devotion. I am thankful to God for having brought you into our AFA family.

Sincerely,

Tim Wildmon, president
American Family Association

P.S. You’ll be interested to know that for the fourth year in a row, Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, has given AFA its highest rating; four stars! According to Charity Navigator, AFA “exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.” I’m proud of our record, because it shows that we are doing today as we have always done – being the best steward of the dollars you entrust to us that we can be.

P.S.S. This month for a suggested donation of $40 or more, I can send you a free copy of “Speechless,” a one-hour documentary hosted by Janet Parshall. This documentary presents the facts about how Christians are being silenced. Just mark your reply form indicating you want the DVD.

Stay active and informed at www.afa.net

 
Speechless…Silencing the Christians – Part 1 of 7