Whose Fault Is the Gaza Bloodshed? A Liberal Host and a Conservative Journalist Are Surprisingly In-Sync on the Answer.

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It’s the question that brought a conservative journalist and a far-left TV host to agreement: who is to blame for the civilian deaths in Gaza?

“I see on the news every night lots of reports, and it’s very sad, we all feel horrible about them, of Palestinian civilians who are dying, including children,” said Bill Maher on his HBO show “Real Time” on Friday. ”Nobody seems to ask, ‘Whose fault is that mostly?’”

Maher laid the blame at the feet of Hamas.

“I feel terrible for a Palestinian child who dies,” Maher said, “but if it’s your father, your brother, your uncle who’s firing those rockets into Israel, who’s fault is it really? Do you really expect the Israelis not to retaliate?”

“I don’t think you can understand the conflict without reading Hamas’ charter,” chimed in Daily Caller senior editor Jamie Weinstein. “[The charter] calls for not only the destruction of Israel, but the murder of Jews generally.”

At multiple points, the audience cheered suggestions that Hamas was in the wrong, including when one panelist quoted conservative Charles Krauthammer’s piece which noted that the Israelis use missiles to protect their civilians, while Hamas uses civilians to protect their missiles.

“If the Hamas people had the opportunity, they would kill the maximum number of Israelis, which would be all [of them], and Israel has the opportunity to kill way more [Palestinians] and they do not,” Maher said.

“There’s no question that if Hamas, as you said, could, they would wipe Israel off the map,” Weinstein agreed.

Maher took things a step further, saying that the Israelis consistently triumph over Muslim adversaries because of a Jewish belief in science.

“Jews have, I think, 155 Nobel Prizes, Muslims have two,” he said. “That seems like kind of a big advantage for team Hebrew.”

American Pastors Network: Supreme Court Decision Upholds Constitutional Rights for Christian Business

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PHILADELPHIA—The American Pastors Network (APN, www.americanpastorsnetwork.net) says that today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., upholds and protects Christian business owners and their Constitutional rights. It’s a critical ruling upholding the Rule of Law and will help to protect the security of religious liberties in America, and Hobby Lobby should be commended for its commitment to the fight.

“Today’s court decision is an encouraging step forward as it reaffirms the God-given and Constitutionally protected right to religious liberty in America” said Sam Rohrer, President of APN as well as the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net). “Two-hundred-and-twenty-five years ago, the signors of the U.S. Constitution envisioned a country where people of faith could practice their religion free of government oppression. Today, the Court has upheld this vision, and we thank Hobby Lobby for standing in the gap in this landmark case and important fight.”

The 5-4 decision finds that Christian owners of closely held corporations do not have to comply with the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act and will, therefore, not be forced to provide their employees with birth control coverage that goes against their deeply held religious convictions. Faith-based businesses, religious schools and churches are exempt under the mandate, but the mandate did not consider secular businesses that are owned by Christians whose religious beliefs may go against the mandate.

The decision hits especially close to home for PPN, as today’s decision applies to a similar case involving Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Lancaster County, Pa.-based cabinet maker owned by the pro-life Mennonite Hahn family. Conestoga Wood Specialties has provided its 1,000 employees generous health benefits, including preventive care coverage that goes beyond what the law requires. But because they are pro-life, they exclude coverage for contraception that may act as an abortifacient.

“Our nation’s first Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay, once said, ‘Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the constitution of his country…. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated and be the better prepared to defend and assert them,’” Rohrer continued. “Thankfully, many Americans have read and understand our Constitution and the freedoms it protects. We are thankful the Supreme Court today upheld their oath to defend the United States Constitution and the religious liberty guaranteed to all Americans.”

Hobby Lobby is a large craft store chain owned by the Christians David Green and his family. The Greens, who had no moral objection to providing 16 of the 20 FDA-approved contraceptives required under the HHS mandate and do so at no additional cost to employees under their self-insured health plan, took issue with four of the covered methods that were considered abortion-inducing drugs.

The timeline of the Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., case was a nearly two-year effort to protect the religious rights of Christian business owners:

  • September 2012: Hobby Lobby files suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma over the federal mandate to provide four specific potentially life-terminating drugs and devices. The request was denied.
  • November 2012: The business appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit for emergency relief from the federal mandate.
  • December 2012: That court also denies emergency relief.
  • February 2013: Nine U.S. Senators and two Representatives, along with the Oklahoma Attorney General and 11 other influential groups file Friend-Of-The-Court Briefs supporting Hobby Lobby’s legal challenge to the federal mandate.
  • March 2013: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit grants Hobby Lobby a full court hearing of its case.
  • June 2013: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit overturns the lower court’s denial of the injunction and orders the federal government to halt enforcement of the federal mandate against Hobby Lobby. The Appeals Court remands the case back to the District Court in Oklahoma, which grants a preliminary injunction against the federal mandate in July, meaning, in essence, that Hobby Lobby would not have to comply with the mandate because of the owners’ religious convictions.
  • Fall 2013: The U.S. government appeals the ruling and takes the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Hobby Lobby, even though it was the victor at this point, files a brief with the Supreme Court, agreeing with the federal government that the highest court in the land should hear its case as it raises important questions about the right to religious freedom.
  • November 2013: The Supreme Court agrees to take up Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
  • March 2014: Oral arguments are heard on whether the government has the power to force family business owners to act against their faith based solely on their companies’ form of organization.

 

Action Alert: Pastors Called to Engage on Marriage Issue

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Pennsylvania Pastors Network Urges All  Pastors, Leaders, Individuals, Church Members To:

1) Call and write letters to Governor Corbett to appeal the ruling to overturn the PA Defense of Marriage Act: 717-787-2500 or Governor@pa.gov

2) Call your State Rep. and State Senator TODAY and ask them to co-sponsor HR891 and SR403, respectively. (Look up your state legislators here.)

 

First, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has until June 19 to appeal the decision that Judge Jones made striking down the PA Defense of Marriage Act. If you call him today, he still has time to act!

Second, your phone calls to your state legislators are critical to ask them to co-sponsor the House and Senate Resolutions calling for Corbett to defend Pennsylvania law and sovereignty. The vote will come up early next week. Please call today!

In a memo that was circulated by Rep. Metcalfe to the House Members, he urges his fellow legislators to take action: (see excerpts below):

“There is still time for the Governor to reverse his decision, but time is of the essence.”

Show your support for resolutions spearheaded by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R.-Butler) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Sen. John Eichelberger (R.-Hollidaysburg) in the Senate calling for the Corbett Administration to appeal the recent court decision that invalidated Pennsylvania’s Defense of Marriage Act.

“We have called for these resolutions because no laws passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature-past, present or future-are safe any longer if these egregious actions by unelected federal judges are not stopped,” said PPN President Sam Rohrer. “Matters such as this plague every state and should unsettle every American. The question for Pennsylvanians today is, ‘Who do you want making Pennsylvania laws? One unelected judge? Or the Representatives you, the people, elect to the State House to represent your interests?’

“This particular decision blatantly violated the Tenth Amendment guarantee that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the States and the people. The next decision will take away the freedoms guaranteed in other Amendments. The trigger today is marriage, but the issue is much larger. If federal intrusion into state law can happen with the Tenth Amendment to our Constitution, then who can say it won’t happen with the First, Second, Fourth or any other constitutional Amendment outlining protections of personal liberty for Americans? The answer is, ‘No one.’ Now is the time to stand in the gap for truth and defend the rule of law.”

The resolutions would direct the Governor by vote of the House and Senate to appeal the ruling based on the violation of state sovereignty and the decision of a single judge.

Please take action today. Marriage is in grave danger in Pennsylvania.

In the defense of truth and freedom,

 

Sam Rohrer

President, Pennsylvania Pastors Network

The Second Mark of God’s Judgment on America

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Immediately following the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed for God’s intervention in seven circumstances of future national need. In each case, he implored God for His commitment that if the people were to repent, God would hear from heaven and forgive their sin.

As Solomon continued his prayer (in II Chronicles 6:22-23), he asked God to intervene during judicial hearings to ensure that the guilty party was punished and that the innocent was rewarded. Solomon anticipated a time – due to national sin – that government would sanction injustice rather than justice. Just as Solomon anticipated this disregard for justice in a nation that turned its back on God, Isaiah also prophesied, “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street and equity or justice cannot enter.”(Isaiah 59:14).

In our nation, the subverting of truth and justice is becoming more prevalent.

Our country was founded on the belief that the primary purpose of government (as stated in Romans 13) is to enact God’s justice by praising those who do right and punishing those who do evil.

The failure to rule justly, and even worse to officially sanction what God calls evil, is defiance to Almighty God. Although, the subversion of justice is an indication of the withdrawal of God’s blessing, it is also one of God’s warning signs to call us back to Him before final judgment comes.

Truth has indeed fallen in the street and justice stands far off – when the killing of the unborn is declared a woman’s right, when God’s definition of marriage is ruled unconstitutional, when Christian businesses are penalized because they follow God’s law, when Christian organizations are labelled as ‘threats’ to our nation, and when, in general, the rule of law is rejected. Solomon knew the progression of a nation’s sin would produce a distortion of justice where good would be declared evil, and evil declared to be good. Have you considered that governmentally sanctioned injustice is a ‘warning sign’ of God’s judgment? The next 5 marks of national judgment are progressively more obvious. When will we open our eyes and ears to God’s shouts of warning to our nation?

This is the third in an eight part series, “Can We Know if God’s Judgment is on America? – The Background to Understanding God’s Promise in II Chronicles 7:14”.

American Pastors Network Encourages Pastors to Preach on Marriage, as Oregon and PA Strike Down Marriage Protection Acts

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PHILADELPHIA—The American Pastors Network (APN, www.americanpastorsnetwork.net) is encouraging pastors around the country and throughout the nation to preach on marriage on June 1 and in the coming weeks, in the wake of two judges striking down marriage defense acts in Pennsylvania and Oregon, respectively. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states in the union and the District of Columbia.

APN president and former Pennsylvania state legislator Sam Rohrer, who also serves as president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastros.net), a state chapter affiliate of APN, says the organization is calling on pastors to take a stand in the face of this flagrant attack on God’s law and our constitutional liberties.

“Last week, two federal judges mocked the law of God and declared the will of the people irrelevant by striking down two states’ prohibitions against same-sex marriage,” Rohrer said. “In one case, the judge dared to go so far as to say that it’s time to ‘discard’ such laws ‘into the ash heap of history.’ This flagrant and arrogant attack on God-ordained marriage and on the freedom of all Americans demands a response.

“These rulings have serious implications. In each case, the judges appointed themselves the power to usurp the authority of both Moral Law and Civil Law: Moral Law by thinking themselves superior to God in declaring God’s definition of marriage and the family null and void and Civil Law by disregarding the Constitutional authority of individual states to pass laws reflecting the will of the people.”

APN is urging pastors to “Stand in the Gap for Truth” as America is in the throes of a severe moral crisis.

“This week’s rulings are, of course, not isolated instances,” Rohrer continued. “Instead, they are pivotal cogs in a massive effort to declare God’s definition of marriage unconstitutional and to censor individuals and states that dare to proclaim belief in God-ordained marriage.  Our nation will not escape judgment simply because we are ‘America.’ God will not be mocked, and these are the sins that God will judge. Church walls will offer no protection if our freedoms are obliterated. We pray that pastors across America will boldly speak truth in a culture that rejects it.”

APN is the largest national network of pastors who believe in the authority of Scripture, boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to matters of public policy, are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders, and are mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process on a non-partisan basis.

By growing state chapters who will support the mission, APN is building a nationwide, permanent infrastructure of like-minded pastors who:

  1. Affirm the authority of scripture
  2. Take seriously Jesus’ command to be “salt and light” to the culture
  3. Want to encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues
  4. Want to examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits, using well-prepared teaching and preaching resources
  5. Want to engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

Current resources offered by APN include an extensive online resource library, offering pastors many free resources on issues such as traditional marriage, along with topics ranging from economics and education to abortion and homosexuality. APN also airs several “Stand in the Gap” radio features, including a daily “Stand in the Gap Minute” addressing Biblical and cultural challenges facing pastors as well as the one-hour “Stand in the Gap Weekend,” which airs sermons by APN pastors. The upcoming “Stand in the Gap Freedom Focus” will be a one-hour daily program presenting national and international news and analysis.

The American Pastors Network has a mission to identify, encourage, equip, educate and network pastors and church members to “Stand in the Gap for Truth” across the nation while providing Bible-based and constitutionally consistent analysis and recommendations on matters of public policy. APNis the largest, national network of pastors who believe in the authority of scripture, who boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to public policy, and who are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders and mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process.

For more information on APN, visit www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net.

The Pennsylvania Pastors Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues, examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

For more information on PPN, visit www.papastors.net or call 610.584.1225.

The American Pastors Network is a Ministry Program Affiliate of Capstone Legacy Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Public Community Foundation registered nationwide).

Pennsylvania Pastors Network is a state chapter affiliate of the American Pastors Network. The American Pastors Network is a Ministry Program Affiliate of Capstone Legacy Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Public Community Foundation registered nationwide).

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To interview Sam Rohrer, President of American Pastors Network and Pennsylvania Pastors Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at dhamilton@hamiltonstrategies.com, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.

ELECTION DAY: A Voice for Biblical Truth in Harrisburg

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On Monday, May 12, 2014, the Pennsylvania Pastors Network helped local Lancaster County pastors host a candidate forum for the two Republicans running for the 36th Senatorial District seat in Pennsylvania – Representative Ryan Aument and Representative Gordon Denlinger.  The purpose of this event was to critique these candidates, not merely in light of their position on various political issues, but more so to evaluate how their faith in God impacts their life as well as their role in office.  Our nation needs men and women whose faith in God transcends the political correctness of “separation of church and state”; who will be a Voice for Biblical truth regardless of the pressures around them.

After an hour with each candidate, it was clear that the voters options for this seat were not a “lesser of two evils” as is the case for so many of our races today, but as one pastor said, perhaps a “greater of two goods.” It was an honor to meet these men whose testimonies indicated that their lives have been touched and transformed by the love of God. They both confirmed that they are unashamed of the Good News of Jesus Christ and are committed to bringing a Voice for Biblical Truth to Harrisburg.  While there were clear and compelling differences, the similarities were greater.

Nevertheless, there was one area of great distinction between these two candidates. One of the easiest ways to assess a candidate’s commitment to Biblical principles is by examining their campaigning tactics. In an effort to win an election and draw a clear contrast between themselves and their opponent, candidates must choose whether or not they will succumb to the temptation to compromise their integrity and run a “negative campaign.”  The temptation to exaggerate facts and use misleading information against opponents is a breach of integrity, though it is a common practice in politics.  We hope that both candidates will resist this temptation and repent where such tactics have been used.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36

We hope and pray that, regardless of the outcome of this election, these two men will continue to be pillars in our state wherever God calls them. Our hope at the Pennsylvania Pastors Network is that this event will serve as a catalyst for other pastors around the state, and nation, to initiate similar events between now and the general election this fall. Scripture is clear –

“When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn.” Proverbs 29:2

Our nation needs Godly leaders, but Godly leaders start with righteous candidates. If you are a pastor, and would like the Pennsylvania Pastors Network to help you plan a candidate forum in your area, contact us at info@papastors.net. Join with us as we seek to stand with those who will be a Voice for Biblical Truth in our nation.

I encourage you to read this article written by one of the pastors who was present at the event that accurately sums up the sense of the pastors.  Our nation needs leaders who will demonstrate genuine faith – in our churches and in our government.

READ A PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE HERE >

Can We Know if God’s Judgment Is on America?

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As I crisscross this nation and interface with pastors and Christian leaders, it’s apparent that crippling paralysis and impotence grip most Christians as well as the Church at large in America. When our pulpits should be flaming with the preaching of righteousness, repentance, and God’s anger with personal and national sin, most are silent. Instead of calling attention to God’s judgment, many pastors deny that we can even know if God is judging America. Seeking ‘comfort’ rather than ‘engagement,’ most pastors are inadvertently contributing to the destruction of our nation by infusing their people with lethargy rather than with an urgency for righteous living.

This paralysis exists in part because leading pastors and church leaders are not certain themselves if God’s judgment is on America or if anyone can or should legitimately declare what God is doing or not doing. Some well-known pastors recently declared this position, with one even telling me directly that 2 Chron. 7:14, which speaks to the issue of national judgment, is not for America or any nation today. They’ve actually said that to speak of the certainty of judgment, to offer the requirements for repentance, and to tell of God’s promise to ‘hear our prayer, forgive our sins, and heal our land’ is to offer a fraudulent hope!

I contend that claiming we cannot know if God’s judgment is on our nation is but a feeble attempt to justify the failure of pastors convincingly to preach on the reality of sin, God’s anger with sin, His holiness, and the need for repentance. The cost of not preaching on the reality of God’s judgment is great. The failure to preach on the need for repentance now will guarantee God’s final judgment on America.  I contend that if we can recognize God’s blessing on our nation, we can with as much certainty know when His hand of judgment is on us. In the next few posts, I will identify the seven marks of national judgment that precipitated God’s answer to King Solomon in 2 Chron. 7:14. The correlations to America are undeniable.

Thousands of Marchers Keep 'The Dream' Alive on 50th Anniversary of MLK Speech

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As the nation commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement’s March on Washington Wednesday, thousands gathered in Washington, D.C. to remember the historic event. Some attendees told The Christian Post they hoped their children and grandchildren would carry on the tradition 50 years from now.

“It was important for me to be here to keep ‘the dream’ alive. To let people know – Martin Luther King, everything he did, he didn’t do in vain,” Shirley Poindexter, 65, told CP.

Poindexter was with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Her group of about 50 traveled by bus from Roanoke, Va., to attend the event.

Fifty years ago, Poindexter was traveling through D.C. on a train to Connecticut. She recalled the pride she felt at the large crowds who were also on the train for the March. In another 50 years, she added, she does not expect to be there but wants her children and grandchildren to be there in her place.

The day’s events began with a march from Union Station, down the National Mall to the event stage in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Crowds gathered throughout the rainy day on both sides of the reflecting pool. No tickets were required, but attendees stood in line for 30 minutes to about an hour to get through the security checkpoints.

Speakers included Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, and “Kid President” Robby Novak. Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, of the group Peter, Paul and Mary, sang “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Jim Reeb, 58, from Illinois, told CP that he was looking forward to seeing three presidents – Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – together for the event. The reasons for the original March on Washington still exist today, Reeb noted.

“We do get to see Barack Obama,” he added, “who, to an extent, is the culmination of ‘the dream,’ but we still have a long way to go.”

Charetta McNeill, of West River, Md., was delighted to bring her 25 and 17 year-old nephews with her to experience the event. She was so excited to share the moment with them that she woke at 2 a.m. because she was unable to sleep.

She wanted them there “so they can see all the people, all races and all nationalities, and it’s just a beautiful sight,” she said. “I knew it was going to be something spectacular.”

McNeill traveled with a group of about 100 representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

“When I look at it from a historical perspective, and I look at the situation now, I’m very excited about the possibilities,” McNeill added.

Martin Luther King Jr's 'I Have a Dream' Speech Turns 50; Surprising Facts About MLK's Historic Remarks

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The speech, calling for equality among the races and fair treatment of the nation’s African Americans, only later came to be dubbed the “I Have a Dream” speech. In fact, according to Clarence B. Jones, a speechwriter for Dr. King, that well-known phrase was never included in the written remarks.

Jones also served as MLK’s attorney and close confidant. He released in 2011 a book titled Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation. According to Jones, “I have a dream” was a phrase previously used by King during other public speaking engagements, and it had never quite caught on.

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It was during the March on Washington that King was apparently compelled by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who had performed “How I Got Over” at the event, to re-introduce the phrase.

“Tell ’em about the dream, Martin, tell ’em about the dream!” Jackson yelled, according to Jones, who helped write the “I Have a Dream” speech.

That was when King reportedly nodded in Jackson’s direction and moved the papers with this speech to the side, and began to ad lib…and began to preach.

“He moves the text of the speech to the left side of the lectern, grabs the lectern, looks out on those more than 250,000 people assembled and thereafter begins to speak completely spontaneously and extemporaneously,” Jones told Reuters. “Everything thereafter was spontaneous,” he said. “That was the ‘I have a dream’ speech.”

MLK began several of his statements during the speech with “I have a dream,” as an excerpt of the speech shows (parenthetical words were made by others picked up in the recording).

I have a dream that one day (Yes) this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” (Yes) [applause]

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice (Well), sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream (Well) [applause] that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. (My Lord) I have a dream today. [applause]

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” (Yes), one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. [applause]

I have a dream that one day “every valley shall be exalted (Yes), every hill and mountain shall be made low; the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight (Yes) and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” (Yes)

In addition to referencing Scripture (such as Psalm 30:5 and Isaiah 40:4-5), King opened his remarks by pointing to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and went on to allude to the Emancipation Proclamation, Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The well-read orator was said to have even adapted a phrase from William Shakespeare’s Richard III for his historic speech.

Although “I Have a Dream” was celebrated by the public and covered widely by the press the day following the March on Washington, The Washington Post’s Robert G. Kaiser recalled that the publication embarrassed itself by severely underestimating the speech’s impact. In fact, the publication’s lead story the day following the March on Washington neither noted King’s name nor his speech.

Kaiser, who previously served as the Post’s managing editor and was a summer intern at the time of King’s historic speech, lamented in a recent op-ed, “I’ve never seen anyone call us on this bit of journalistic malpractice. Perhaps this anniversary provides a good moment to cop a plea. We blew it.”

King, who was assassinated five years after the March on Washington at the age of 39, concluded his “I Have a Dream” speech with a call to “let freedom ring.”

“And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring,” said King, “when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Medical Examiner May Not Bury Bodies of Babies Gosnell Killed for 10 Years

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A coalition of pro-life groups gathered in Philadelphia Sunday evening to call on the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office to release to them the remains of 47 aborted babies found at Kermit Gosnell’s squalid abortion clinic so that the babies can have the dignity of a proper funeral and burial.

Gosnell was convicted earlier this year of three counts of first degree murder for intentionally severing the spinal cords of late-term babies that had been born alive during abortions. The remains of the babies were discovered in a filthy freezer in the rat-and-flea-infested basement of a brick building on Lancaster Avenue that became known as the “House of Horrors.” He was also convicted of hundreds of lesser charges related to illegal late-term abortions. He is serving three life sentences without possibility of parole.

Led by Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, a group of about 60 people gathered at Drexel University and marched with police escort to Gosnell’s now-shuttered and deteriorating abortion clinic where a moving candlelight prayer vigil was held. Participants prayed for the closure of every abortion clinic as well as for the babies that die at them.

“These children need to be treated with dignity and respect,” noted Rev. Mahoney, “and like any other member of the human family, they need to have a proper burial and funeral.”

The medical examiner has refused to release the remains to any third party saying that the remains will eventually receive “a respectful disposition.”

However, that could take as long as ten years, which is unacceptable to the groups.

As of this writing, the pro-life groups are holding a press conference and public witness this morning outside the Medical Examiner’s office in Philadelphia to once again demand that Gosnell’s victims be release for proper burial.

Rev. Mahoney released the following statement:

The official guidelines and regulations set forth by the Medical Examiner make it clear that any “interested” party can put in a request asking for any unidentified person to be released into their care.

Numerous national and local faith and community organizations have put in written formal requests for these children.

The conviction of Kermit Gosnell on murder charges makes it clear that these babies are “persons” and must be afforded the same equal rights as anyone else under the law.

It is tragic and barbaric that government officials are playing ‘abortion politics’ with these innocent babies. These children were brutalized once by Kermit Gosnell. We are now demanding that they are not brutalized again by the City of Philadelphia.

The coalition of pro-life groups include the Christian Defense Coalition, CEC for Life, Priests for Life, Stand True, Students for Life in America, Alliance Defending Freedom, Operation Rescue, and others.