Volume 17 Issue 2 - February 2002
WAKE UP,
AMERICA!
"So you shall put away the guilt of
innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord."
(Deuteronomy 21:9)
The Operation Save America’s Emancipation Proclamation for the
Pre-born Child is taking Buffalo, N.Y. by storm. The following article appeared on the
front page of a local Christian newspaper that has a circulation of over 100,000. A few
months ago I sent out a hard copy of the Emancipation. This document is vitally important
and must be spread far and wide. If you still possess the document, please make copies,
distribute it, and gather as many signatures as possible. It is crucial, however, that you
present the Preamble and the Charge along with it.
This is not just a petition drive, but a prophetic decree that
proclaims liberty throughout our land for the children in the womb. It establishes
confession of our collective sins of commission and omission as it relates to the grave
evil of abortion. It is a public declaration of repentance that will seek justice and
clear ourselves in the matter of shedding innocent blood. It is a clarion call to our
nation to obey the word and the voice of the Lord to "Let His Babies Live." Our
children must be welcomed in life and receive the same protection under the law of God and
the Constitution of the United States that you and I enjoy. To settle for less is
obnoxious to heaven and a betrayal upon earth. If you need a hard copy, please feel free
to contact us and we will promptly send you one.
New Emancipation Proclamation Declares
Unborn Children Fully Human and Free Calls America to Formal Repentance
By Rick Kern
It peers from the shadows with the vigilance of a lioness watching
over her cubs, and has all the subtlety of a thousand nails screaming across a chalkboard.
It has ignited the fierce indignation of an atrophied conscience that would much rather
snuggle deeper into its stiff, callous slumber than again feel the stabbing sorrow for its
indifference.
But snuggle as it will, the disturbing ring of truth reckons from
the pages of a new Emancipation Proclamation echoing the silenced cries of 40 million
stilled heartbeats. And they just may rouse the censored scruples of a morally withered
America, stirring her sluggish church from the cozy pews where she lies nestled. Love it
or hate it, agree or disagree with this latest "rescue," you've got to respect
its agility as happiness may once again be apathy in our rear-view mirror.
It began last July in Wichita, when Operation Save America (OSA)
coordinated a national event to inaugurate the document (drafted by its leadership). Some
2,000 believers gathered in a demonstration of support and solidarity with fifty
ministers, pen in hand, who affirmed the declaration that "the lives of all children
(born and unborn) are sacred to God and worthy of our defense." And that ".the
unborn child shall now and forever more be set free to live in America. They shall be
welcomed in life and protected by law." Enormously compelling ideals that reveal much
about the brittle moral stature of the American people simply because they need to be
articulated at all.
The proclamation is said to have had a dramatic and sobering effect
upon the citizens of Wichita and their elected officials. In fact, the city's mayor is
alleged to be a professing Christian who declined the opportunity to publicly sign it.
Wielding language deliberately designed to prevent people from
continuing to use pro-life rhetoric while their actions (or inactions) reveal an
involuntary pro-choice bias, it is not an easy document to sign. Those who do so, execute
a moral and spiritual instrument that effectively binds them as a matter of conscience. It
mandates that they actively rescind their permission granted by default, for abortion to
flourish as part of their community, and do all they can as individuals to both give life
to their convictions, and protect it for the unborn.
The proclamation is not intended to provoke a knee-jerk reaction to
another costly pro-life fad, but rather squeeze the gray from a black and white issue that
has been invaded and compromised by it. To sign on this dotted line demands some serious,
thoughtful reflection that must eventuate in a sweeping personal commitment to stop the
bloodshed sanctioned by a runaway judiciary, using every spiritual, moral and legal
dynamic available.
Drawing inspiration from its precursor signed by Abraham Lincoln, it
is hoped that this contemporary successor will draw the blessing of God much the same way
many feel its ancestor did. Reverend Flip Benham, Director of OSA, commenting on the 1863
Emancipation
Proclamation noted that, "For the first time in American
history there was now open public repentance of the national sin of slavery. It was a sin
that plagued our nation through and the years. It was a sin that would not go away and
could not be politically resolved! It could only be repented of."
Just as the 1863 document struck a blow against the suppression of
truth in unrighteousness, officially proclaiming the reality that blacks are fully human
and free, so does its progressive counterpart strike the same blow against the same
suppression of truth, proclaiming the unborn as fully human and free. As such, this
currently maligned group of Americans, (marginalized as sub-human since 1973), should be
entitled to the same rights, privileges and protections under our laws and Constitution as
every other citizen. Unfortunately it is safer to be an unborn eagle than an unborn baby
in these United States. And with butchering them beneath the polite (and casually abused)
banner of "freedom" evolving into a very lucrative, though disgraceful American
enterprise, it is clear that in this land where "all men are created equal,"
some are more equal than others.
The new Emancipation Proclamation is intended to be offered to
numerous cities throughout the nation this year, and will make its formal debut in Western
New York in the near future. Incredibly, it is scheduled for presentation to President
George W. Bush for his signature, by a Congressional Representative from Kansas sometime
in January 2003.
While the implications of the most powerful and influential man in
the natural world publicly endorsing such a document lends itself to considerable
speculation, the only foreseeable fallout appears to be political. The moral and spiritual
ramifications are painfully clear for the personhood of the unborn is a biblical given,
with plenty of science riding on its coat tails. It rises as a living indictment pointing
40 million fingers, lifting 40 million voices and weeping rivers upon rivers of tears
flowing into oceans of innocent blood.
Accordingly, the benefit, impact and sheer moral momentum of the
president's humility by formally establishing the full humanity of the unborn, coupled
with his acknowledgment of the national sin of abortion before God could not be
overstated. Again echoing Benham's allusions, this is a national sin and consequently a
spiritual problem first and foremost. As such, it cannot be politically resolved until it
is repented of.
The real question is whether the president possesses the love of
truth, spiritual stature and moral courage to blow off the political risks and govern as a
statesman, a servant of the American people. Especially his most vulnerable constituency.
RACHEL’S PARK MEMORIAL UNVEILED
"Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. that he may run who read it. For the vision
is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and it will not lie. Though
it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry."
(Habakkuk 2:2,3)
The following article was recently published in our local newspaper.
The vision and mission of Rachel’s Park Memorial is marching on. Already significant
ministry is taking place for those who have been devastated by this grave evil. Please
continue to pray for this monumental Christian/Pro-life project.
Church erects abortion memorial; first phase complete
By CINDY VAN AUKEN Tribune-Herald staff writer
Local anti-abortion activists celebrated on Tuesday the completion
of the first phase of a park described as a "cemetery of the innocents and memorial
to the unborn."
Organizers of the event said they chose the date to officially open
the park because it marked the 29th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial
Roe vs. Wade abortion decision, which legalized most forms of abortion in the United
States.
Located at Church on the Rock in Waco, the park is named Rachel's
Park Memorial after the biblical wife of Jacob. She is recorded in the book of Jeremiah as
weeping for her children without comfort "because they are no more."
So far, the park consists of a sign, concrete pathway and a granite
headstone that is inscribed with Scripture verses from Jeremiah. But if things go
according to plan, the location at 4720 N. 19th St. will soon be one of the largest
memorials to abortion victims in the world, said Rusty Thomas, who is a member of the
church and a local anti-abortion activist.
"We're really believing and trusting that this is a historical
landmark for the city of Waco," Thomas said. "This will stand as a public
testimony and witness to what has happened in our nation for the past 29 years...We want
it to be a place of hope, a place of forgiveness, a place of healing for those who have
been affected by the sin of abortion."
Although Thomas does not yet have a timeline for when the other
phases of the park will be built, he does have a vision of what it will look like when
completed. With an estimated price tag of $60,000 to $75,000, he said the only other
memorial park that will rival the one he has planned is the National Memorial for the
Unborn in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The money for the project is being raised by several local churches,
Thomas said, as well as by individual families and other local anti-abortion activists.
The project should also benefit from a lot of "sweat equity" from supporters who
want to use their professional skills to further the effort, he said.
The next phase of the park will include the construction of 4,000
concrete crosses that will be set up on one side of the park to symbolize the number of
abortions that are performed each year (It is actually each day) in this country, Thomas
said. The molds to make the crosses are almost finished and members of the church's youth
group, as well as members of Church of The Open Door in Waco, should begin pouring the
crosses soon, he said.
Once that phase is completed, the church also wants to build a
"holocaust museum" that would describe the history of abortion and vividly
depict the practice, Thomas said. Next to it will be a "prayer gazebo" where
visitors could go to make their peace with God after viewing the museum and walking
through the park, he said.
In addition, the church wants to erect a 30-foot to 40-foot tall
cross that would have a cascading waterfall and pool at its base, Thomas said. Benches
will be placed around that area and the pool could be used for baptisms and other public
events, he said.
Behind that cross is where the "Wall of Remembrance" will
go, Thomas said. The wall will be a place where men and women who have aborted their
unborn children can hold memorial services in their honor. If they want, they can name
their child and have the name and a short message inscribed on the wall, he said.
Thomas said he and other anti-abortion community members think that
building the memorial is important for several reasons. One is that it calls attention to
"the sin of abortion" and will hopefully cause people to "turn away from
abortion and towards God and life," he said. "It will also give people who are
mourning their abortion decision a physical place to grieve," Thomas said. Ever since
the site for the park was consecrated a year ago, the one comment he has heard over and
over from those who regret their abortion choice is, "We have nowhere to go," he
said. "I'm telling you this is meeting a serious need in the hearts of a lot of
people," Thomas said. "It is a chance for families to restore the humanity and
restore the personhood to their unborn children."
The Rev. John Wachsmann, senior pastor at Church on the Rock, said
that just the memorial's existence should help some people come to terms with their
decisions. The building of a memorial signals to people that someone recognizes their
pain, he said. "This is an opportunity for us to begin the process of healing,"
Wachsmann said.
Sandra Northern, who leads the Post-Abortive Counseling and
Education program at Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas, agreed that the memorial
will benefit women who are ready to come to terms with their decision to abort. "Most
women don't deal with their feelings until 10 to 15 years after they have had an
abortion," she said, "and often suffer from things such as depression or eating
disorders until they do so."
"Most women who have had an abortion grieve alone or in
silence," Northern said. "This place will give them the feeling that someone
else has been there, a feeling of togetherness, of a common bond with other women, because
it really is a lonely (situation)."
JOHN ASHCROFT REBUKED
"A righteous man who falters before
the wicked is like a murky stream and a polluted well." (Proverbs 25:26).
Once again the streams and wells of America are being muddied and
polluted by those who should be our friends and brothers in Christ. John Ashcroft, without
solicitation from the bloody abortion industry, took it upon himself to use his high
position to protect the murderers of God’s children. He filed for and obtained an
injunction against his pro-life brethren to forbid them from coming within twenty feet of
an abortion mill during the March For Life. This is not the first time he has used the
sword to side with the merchants of death. I pray it will be his last.
Honorable Sir,
I'm doing my best to restrain the anger that is rising
within my soul as I watch men who confess faith in our Lord Jesus Christ become willing
dupes for an evil system that has turned its back on the God they claim to serve, an evil
system that continues to trash His Laws, and murder His babies. Attorney John Ashcroft,
what in the world are you doing? How can you continue to bow down before the altars of
Molech and seek to punish your brethren who are peaceably intervening to save the lives of
children made in the image of God? One would expect this witch hunt from your
predecessors, but not from one who claims to love God and His word.
I don't know what mental or spiritual gymnastics you
have done to justify your actions, but you are wrong. You must stop this in Jesus’
Holy Name! You have been placed in a high position of authority. God has placed a sword in
your hands to punish evildoers (As God defines evil, not politicians, laws or government)
and protect those who are good in God's sight. Abortion is the most blatant violation of
the sacred trust of civil government. God established civil government to stop the
shedding of innocent blood and to protect life. Abortion mocks, discredits, and makes void
the very purpose of civil government. Instead of using your authority to punish those who
murder God's children, you totally misapply and misappropriate the sword to punish those
who would peaceably intervene to save their lives. Shall not the God of the Bible visit
this nation with increased calamity for this?
The following is part of a message I preached in St. Louis a couple
of years ago. It warned what would happen if conservative Christians came to power without
discernment. Thinking they were doing God service, they with righteous indignation would
persecute and prosecute the very reformers God sent to change the evil system and unjust
laws that were invoking God's wrath upon our wicked, spoiled nation. How I pray this
message gets to you and that you will repent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, in a time of crises, new leadership will emerge. The
burning question is, will it be of the ilk that has led America to this pathetic state or
will it be leaders a time like this demands? Leaders like Nehemiah of old, who asked the
hard questions, surveyed the damage, wept and prayed for restoration, and gave his life to
rebuild the ruins (Isaiah 58:12 & 61:4). Leaders who can truly discern and boldly
declare the accurate State of the Union Address. Those who will properly assess the
corrupt nature of our government, the sick condition of the Church, the wicked state of
the culture, and will pour out their lives to reform them. But believe me, it will take
some blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish that worthy goal of reformation. The question
is, do we have the "right stuff" that is willing to pay the price to see it
happen?
Yes! A price must be paid. For reformers were never accepted by
their own generation. They were not given the "red carpet" treatment, unless
that carpet was treated in their own blood. There are good reasons why prophets were
stoned to death, why our Lord was murdered on a cruel cross, and why Christians have been
martyred throughout the centuries. What is puzzling about this blatant persecution is the
unexpected source from which it derives. Historically, a lot of resistance to change came
from the apostate religious system who, thinking they were doing God service, persecuted
the very ones that God sent to turn them back to Him. That is a great danger that we face
here today with the Church in America, because of her lack of keen discernment.
If Christians do not perceive the true condition of the American
system that has turned its back on God and trashed His holy laws, they will become a prey
to the wiles of the Evil One. Satan will exploit and misapply their loyalties and
allegiances that are perfectly appropriate when a system is established in righteousness,
but when it is corrupted and Christians refuse to recognize that corruption, they
unwittingly become the greatest persecutors of the reformers God has sent to change it.
They will be filled with "righteous indignation" (or so they think) and will
become like Ahab accusing Elijah, "Are you the troubler of Israel?" No! Elijah
replied, "You are the troubler of Israel and the sins of your fathers!"
A BAYLOR STUDENT RESPONDS
Recently, I was banished from Baylor University for life. My crime
was preaching to a group of students surrounding an abortion display called "And
Justice For All." Though it did cause a great stir and even some pro-lifers were
upset, this encouraging message made it all worthwhile.
I wanted to thank you, Mr. Thomas, for preaching the truth at
Baylor University about three months ago when an anti-abortion group out of Austin came
through. You were speaking the truth of God and it really ticked off a lot of people...
but it really convicted me. Up until that point I would probably have called myself
"pro-life" but I was pretty apathetic and had no real opinions on any of it.
Your words (the Holy Spirit's rather) brought the heavy conviction of God and I began to
shake and weep in the audience. My heart was changed, I repented and I got more
information on how to help be a more active anti-abortion voter. Anyhow, I just wanted to
thank you for preaching truth that I needed to hear even in the face of such vehement
opposition. I had never heard any of that stuff... nor had I ever seen really what
abortion did. Horrible! Anyhow, thanks again. M.J. Perry
QUIPS AND QUOTES
"Tolerance is the virtue of men who no longer believe in
anything."
-G.K. Chesterton
"When principles that run against your deepest convictions
begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at
the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all
the fire of your faith."
-Abraham Kuyper
KEEP STORMING THE GATES, OUR WORK SHALL BE REWARDED!
IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,
Rusty Lee Thomas
P.O. Box 3126, Waco, TX 76707 Voice: (254) 836-1037 Fax: (254)
836-4092
E-mail: elijahmin@ifriendly.com
Websites: http://mttu.com/elijahmin http://www.rachelsparkmemorial.org |
