Christians Will Lose the Power to Pray

Franklin Graham: Christians Will Lose the Power to Pray Outside Church Walls ‘Maybe in My Lifetime’
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor


Franklin Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham, speaking at a 2009 event. (AP photo)
(CNSNews.com) – Two top evangelical leaders sounded a defiant tone on the eve of National Day of Prayer -- warning that the American right to freedom of religion “is being eroded every day” and may be lost in an onslaught of secularism unless Americans “have the guts to stand up.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who last month was officially “dis-invited” by the Army to speak at a National Day of Prayer ceremony at the Pentagon for statements he made about Islam, said he will not back down in preaching the Gospel as he sees it.

“We’re living in a time where we cannot compromise, we cannot back up, we cannot retreat,” Graham said Wednesday during a live Webcast from the Washington, D.C. offices of the Family Research Council.

“The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be preached to the ends of the Earth – that’s what He’s called us to do,” he said.

Graham, the honorary chairman of this year’s National Day of Prayer, made his comments in a sermon to an audience of leaders making final preparations for Thursday’s National Day of Prayer.

He alluded to Eastern Europe under communism, where Christians and others were allowed to pray only within their homes or inside the officially sanctioned churches that were allowed by the state.

“I think its coming to this country where we (will) have the freedom to preach inside a church wall, but we will lose the freedom to do it outside. That day will probably come – maybe in my lifetime,” Graham said.

Ironically, it was Graham’s famous father, the Rev. Billy Graham, who, in the 1980s became the first Western preacher allowed by the Soviet government to preach at a Russian church -- helping to open the door to greater religious freedom after 70 years of repression.

“(In the United States) we see everyday our rights being eroded. Just a little at a time, but its happening. Everyday. So let’s preach while we can. Let’s stand up and holler ‘Jesus Christ! King of Kings, Lord of Lords!’to the top of our voice,” the younger Graham said.

“The secularists are going to get ticked off, the news media’s going to hate it. I don’t know, maybe the people in the White House are going to be mad. But you know what, I don’t care. Because God has called us to take the Gospel -- His Gospel, the power of God and His Salvation -- unto the ends of the Earth.”

Graham was joined by James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., who is leading efforts to stop and force a referendum on recent action by the Washington, D.C., city council creating homosexual marriage in the nation's capital.

Dobson, who praised Graham as a "model" for the restrained way he responded to a recent ruling by a federal judge in Madison, Wis., outlawing the statute creating the National Day of Prayer, said the right to publicly proclaim the Christian Gospel was one of the chief freedoms enshrined in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers.

“I am convinced that there are people in high places, people with a great deal of authority and influence, who want to eliminate every vestige of religion -- especially Christian religion, or evangelical religion – from the public square. They want to expunge it. They want to get rid of it. They want to take away our right to worship and to have a prayer service in a government building. That’s not unconstitutional!” Dobson said.

Dobson said 33 of 44 U.S. presidents have called for a National Day of Prayer.

“This has been our history. We dare not lose it now,” Dobson exclaimed. “And we will, if we don’t have the guts to stand up with that kind of intensity.”

Dobson, whose wife Shirley serves as chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, recounted a case in Santa Rosa County, Fla. -- near Pensacola -- involving a high school principal and athletic director at an off-campus event who prayed at an off-campus meeting.

“Prior to the meeting, one of them said to the other, ‘Why don’t you say a word of prayer from wisdom and what we’re about to do?’ And he said a 16-second prayer. It was a prayer for their food! Sixteen seconds! It was reported and a judge in Northern Florida hauled them into court, harangued them for eight hours in one day, and threatened to put them in prison for six months,” Dobson said.

Dobson said the judge did not back off until members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus took up the cause.

Last September, after a day-long court hearing, U.S. District Judge M. Case Rodgers in Pensacola ruled that Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman had not violated a 2008 court order banning school employees from praying publicly "at any time or at any place" in the Florida school district.

Lay had asked Freeman to pray at the dedication of a field house held during school hours, but conducted on the property of a nearby church.

The men had faced up to six months in jail and $5,000 in fines each for violating the order, which the same judge had issued as a result of a 2008 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on bahalf of two anonymous students at the high school.

The judge held that the violation of the order had been "spontaneous" -- and not voluntary.


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Pinetreestate (2 months ago)

I have to say that some of the scariest things in this country now are the people posting on this site. You people are 'fear-mongering' & 'finger-pointing' at everyone except for yourselves. You honestly think we were better off when Bush/Cheney was in office? WOW!!! Now I'm not saying that we are in a better state with Obama there but we are getting there. And as someone else stated on here - you don't need any other person to tell you it's OK to pray - just do it. Do you need everyone else's permisson? Instead of concentrating on something like this how about concentrating on something more important like homelessness, education of the young, senior citizens, etc. If you are the religous-fanatic, good for you - I applaud you BUT don't try to force it upon me by saying that I am evil & a sinner. I believe in God, but don't attend church because they have an agenda I don't agree with. Keep your religion but YOU keep it - I don't want it.
Researcher (2 months ago)

"fanofthegreatone One thing we’re taught in our church is that we must respect and honor those in authority. While this was easy 5 years ago when the GOP had the White House and Congress," ++ The problem with this comment is that the concept is wrong. Our only authority is God. We elect these people to SERVE us, WE are their MASTERS their authority. They, our elected SERVANTS should be praying for the ones in authority over them, US. I know this is difficult as the Communist propaganda machine would have us be slaves rather than masters as they pollute the media with dis-information. In Bible times no wonderful document such as our Constitution existed. Please read it and you will know that we also have the AUTHORITY to fire these disobedient servants at the polls this fall, which is what I PRAY FOR..... Blessings to you all and please, please read our Constitution and Bill of Rights,etc. I know if you grew up in public schools you were denied this information, they want us to
fanofthegreatone (2 months ago)

One thing we’re taught in our church is that we must respect and honor those in authority. While this was easy 5 years ago when the GOP had the White House and Congress, it’s extremely difficult now, given the disastrous 2008 election results. Our 1st Amendment rights have never been in such jeopardy as they’ve been over the past 16 months. On the bright side, we’re also taught that we CAN, and SHOULD vote out the kind of politicians currently in power!! The 11/4/2008 election had serious consequences. Now, VOTERS NEED TO WISE UP IN 2010, 2012 AND BEYOND!!!!
jonathanbrickman0000 (2 months ago)

"Christians Will Lose the Power to Pray Outside Church Walls ‘Maybe in My Lifetime’". Who gives this power? Does a nation of this world give this power? If so, the prayer is not to God. Let us never forget that no matter what any sinful man says or does, we always retain the power to pray to God, anywhere, without exception. The question is, are we willing to pray to God, in the form of Jesus Christ, when the nation strikes against us?
BBee (2 months ago)

If you’re wondering just how this atheistic ideology got a foothold in this country and around the world, I believe it comes from Darwin. I just read a book by Ben Wiker, a Catholic philosopher, who explores Darwin and Darwinism from a historical perspective, and points out how Darwin INSISTED the theory had to be God-less. It’s an excellent book. In short, Darwin published in 1859 and 1871, not a long time ago in terms of political history. After I read the book it seemed to me aristocrats in England and other places used this “science” (which Wiker shows was formulated purposely with an atheistic agenda in mind) to get rid of God on seemingly rational basis because Christianity compels them to be just to all people (love thy neighbor). To maintain their own power they justified injustice by saying nature put them on top, therefore they were “the best,” and so there was no good or bad in what happened to others (eugenics). It sure opened my eyes in terms of political atheism.
call me roy (2 months ago)

The famous author Joel Richardson released a book on the devastating account of the possible connection between the Biblical Antichrist and the Islamic Mahdi. His book " Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah" shows how the Bible predicts that in the last days a charismatic leader will establish a global following in the name of peace. The Quran also predicts that a man will rise up to lead the nations, pledging to usher in an era of peace. The man in the Quran is called the Mahdi, or Islam's savior. However, the man in the Bible is the Antichrist. Could it be possible that they are one and the same person? Richardson's stunning research and analysis suggest that it is.
call me roy (2 months ago)

Franklin Graham's message is exactly why Obama visited. Franklin Graham said he and Obama spoke briefly about the Pentagon spat, with the younger Graham saying that activists with an agenda were trying to pull all religion out of the military. "I wanted to make him aware of that," Franklin Graham said. "He said he would look into it." The question is: When will Obama be looking into it and what was Obama looking for?
call me roy (2 months ago)

Franklin Graham (like his father) is a courageous man who is stating the obvious to millions of Americans - that Islam is not a peaceful religion. But his words fall like a hammer to those on the politically-correct Left who don't even believe there is such a thing as right and wrong, good and evil. To them, all things are shades of gray, especially when it comes to religion. But all you have to do is look at what Islam produces in a society where it is the dominant religion. Where on earth is there a place that Islam is dominant where you also find respect for human rights, freedom of religion, and an absence of terrorist jihadist activity?
jimlogue (2 months ago)

Even in the Bible, St. Paul and the other Apostles had to disobey men in order to obey God. So if that's what we have to do, then that's what we have to do. God bless!
etk (2 months ago)

Saddest of all it seems the church is losing its understanding of how to "fight the good fight". Jesus never railed against the Romans...all the railing he did was against "church leaders" who were self righteous and smug. The church in China grew from nothing to almost 10% of the nation without railing against the government. There are many examples from all over the world. “The secularists are going to get ticked off, the news media’s going to hate it. I don’t know, maybe the people in the White House are going to be mad. But you know what, I don’t care. " Is this the message that will really touch people's hearts and minds?? I respect Franklin Graham. But I think he missed it on this one. If we go into fight mode to protect our rights we are going to alienate even more "secularists." We may keep our rights a little longer but the Good News of Jesus Christ will suffer.