Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals

While prayer has been banned at the Ground Zero event in New York on September 11th, “A Call to Compassion” will take place at the National Cathedral in the nation's capital. Billed as a diversity prayer event, it will feature leaders of a variety of world religions, and conclude with the “Concert of Hope” speech by President Obama, but all evangelicals have been excluded from the event.

For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Memorial Ceremony and also read 9/11 Cross Proposed as National Monument

UPDATE 9/11/11: Media Missed Largest Memorial in L.A. (it included Christian prayer)

-- From "Evangelicals Left Off National Cathedral 9/11 Program" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 9/6/11

It will feature the dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, a rabbi, Buddhist nun and incarnate lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician.

However, Southern Baptists, representing the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, were not invited to participate – and neither were leaders from any evangelical Christian organization.

Richard Weinberg, the Cathedral’s director of communications, confirmed that Southern Baptists were not extended an invitation to participate.

Weinberg said the president’s event will be a “secular service,” but said given the setting it will include an interfaith benediction.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelicals excluded from Washington National Cathedral’s 9/11 commemoration" by Caroline May, The Daily Caller 9/7/11

“The idea that you would exclude a representative of at least 35 percent of the population that identifies with Evangelical Christianity is difficult to comprehend, much less to defend,” Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention told TheDC. “Perhaps what is even more difficult to comprehend is the Cathedral describing President Obama’s event as a ‘secular service.’ If it’s a secular service, why is it being held in a cathedral?”

“Many Evangelicals and other people of faith are rightly offended at this attempt to marginalize religious faith in this way as we commemorate the memory of this very painful event in American history,” Land added.

Concerned Women for America president and CEO Penny Nance voiced her outrage as well.

“There are an estimated 70 to 80 million Evangelical Christians in this nation,” Nance told TheDC. “We are important members of almost all communities. Some of us died on 9/11. It is outrageous that we were excluded.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "White House announces Obama to speak at interfaith prayer service on 9/11 anniversary" by The Associated Press 8/30/11

The White House had previously announced Obama would also visit all three sites where planes struck that day — New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa.

Press Secretary Jay Carney announced plans for the prayer service speech . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Obama to speak at National Cathedral on September 11" by Peter Maer, CBS News 8/30/11

Speaking to reporters as the president traveled to Minneapolis, Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "the approach we're taking to commemorating that tragedy and the remarkable resilience of the American people is one we think is appropriate."

Mr. Obama used his most recent weekly address to set the tone for the upcoming observance. He noted 9/11 "will be a National Day of Service and Remembrance."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House

Liberal 'Churches' Continue to Wither

While mainline Protestant churches in the U.S. continue to experience decades-long decline, the memberships of Pentecostal traditions are on the rise, according to new figures compiled by the National Council of Churches.

"To paraphrase a biblical passage, to those who have, more is being given, and those who have little have less."

-- From "Evangelical Churches Still Growing, Mainline Protestantism In Decline" by Richard Yeakley, Religion News Service (Huffington Post) 2/15/11

The Roman Catholic Church (No. 1) and the Southern Baptist Convention (No. 2) are still significantly larger than all other North American denominations, but Catholics posted minimal growth of less than 1 percent, and Southern Baptist membership fell for a third straight year [by less than half a percent], according to the 2011 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.

Mainline Protestant churches that have seen a fall in membership since the 1970s continued their decline. . .

The membership declines in mainline churches led to a 1 percent decrease in total U.S. church membership, to 145.8 million.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gains, losses continue" by Peter Smith, Louisville Courier-Journal 2/14/11

Historic Protestant denominations continued their long-term decline in the most recent annual survey of religious membership, while Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and some Pentecostals reported continued growth.

Several of the council’s most active denominations, as it turns out, are declining. They include the nation’s largest Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodist denominations, the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Churches (USA). While some critics have long cited liberal influences for these churches’ decline, some conservative denominations also saw declines, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). All have a largely white, Anglo constituency — a demographic that is aging and shrinking in proportion to minority populations in the United States.

For a list of the stats, and to read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Liberal churches losing ground in the US" by William Donohue, President of Catholic League 2/16/11

Beginning with the work of Dean Kelly in the 1970s, it has been empirically obvious that those religions which have experienced the greatest proportionate decline in membership are generally the most progressive or liberal in their teachings; conversely, conservative-oriented religions have fared comparatively well. The latest data from the Yearbook proves this to be true again.

With the exception of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and to some extent the American Baptist Churches, all the other churches with declining membership hold liberal views on abortion and gay rights.

Moreover, the smallest decline among the Baptist churches was registered by the most conservative among them, the Southern Baptist Convention (down .42). By sharp contrast, all the religions that experienced a growth in membership are pro-life and pro-marriage (normatively understood).

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read, 'Gay Churches' Decline as Mainlines Embrace Homosexuality

Resolution Calls for More SBC Churches to Start Christian Schools

From "Resolution calls for more SBC churches to start Christian schools" by Allie Martin, posted 5/7/07 at OneNewsNow.com

A joint resolution calling on more Southern Baptist churches to start Christian schools has been introduced for the denomination's upcoming meeting in San Antonio. The resolution was submitted by Drs. Voddie Baucham and Bruce Shortt, both of whom have led the call in recent years for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to develop an exit strategy from the public school system.

The resolution comes in the wake of comments made last year by SBC president Dr. Frank Page in which he called upon churches to start more Christian schools. Baucham says parents must realize the public school system is hostile to the Christian message.

"The discussion has to continue, but we have got to be honest in the discussion," he urges. That discussion has been posed as "sort of equal choices," Baucham explains. "And these are not equal choices. When we make a decision to send our children to an institution that is anti-Christian by federal mandate, we are making a decision about their future and their discipleship."

Read the rest of this article.