Elijah Ministries
Luke 1:17 “To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
PRESS RELEASE
ATTENTION: ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15).”
On Wednesday, July 11th, 2007, representatives from Repent America (The Philadelphia 11), Elijah Ministries, BOND, Operation Save America, Minutemen United, Pass the Salt Ministries, America Asleep Know More, and life and Liberty Ministries will conduct a press conference regarding Senate Bill S 1105 (the “Hate Crimes” legislation) at 10:00 AM. The press conference will be held at our nation’s Capitol building, E Capitol St NE & 1st St NE Washington, DC 20001.
This press conference will address the growing, disturbing trend that seeks to criminalize Christianity in America. As it is, the freedom of speech and freedom of religion of Bible-believing Christians stands in serious jeopardy today. Left unchallenged, this dangerous development will erode America’s experiment in liberty and lead to increased hostility towards followers of Christ.
"American values are under attack by al-Qaeda and radical Islamists. Instead of combating this issue, it seems some within our government are more interested in criminalizing American citizens. The so-called ‘Hate Crimes’ bill is an attempt to take away the rights of Christians to speak out and express their freedom of speech. This is unjust and Americans deserve better than this from their elected officials." --Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND.
The Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, Founder and Director of Elijah Ministries states, “It was Thomas Jefferson who penned these important words, ‘The legislative powers of government reach to actions only, not to opinions.’ Civil government is due our prayers, taxes, tribute, and submission to lawful authority. They are not due, however, our faith, consciences, or thoughts. No government official has the authority to determine our beliefs, regulate our faith, or punish our thoughts. This is where every liberty-loving Christian should stand, America should do no less!!!”
"Those who hate God are working to criminalize those who love Him, and they are making great strides to see that it happens. We must not remain silent as our liberty to freely speak the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being threatened by those who are framing mischief by a law," states Repent America director Michael Marcavage.
“For years now,” states Flip Benham, National Director of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America, “Christians who live out their faith in the streets of America have been maligned by the devil, marginalized by the media, and criminalized by our own government. As gentle Christians have allowed the theology of the church house to become biography in the streets they have met resistance at every turn.
The decriminalization of child-killing (abortion) has brought about the criminalization of those who would oppose it. The decriminalization of homosexuality has brought about the criminalization of those who would oppose it. Now we have the "Hate Crimes Prevention Act," HR 1592, which expressly forbids any language that might be perceived as "hate" by the homosexual community. This makes illegal every word in the Bible, which describes the destruction wrought by this vile behavior.
If we do not act decisively at this time, HR 1592 will indeed become the law of the land. It will prepare the way for the total censorship of the Gospel of Christ. Our children will have to pay a horrible price to make up for our cowardice at this juncture of our nation's history.”
We invite all concerned citizens to attend the press conference and subsequent public rally at Capitol Hill.
For more information and interviews contact:
Michael Marcavage, Repent America 1-800-3 Repent, ext. 5
Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, Elijah Ministries (254) 715-3134
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, BOND (323) 556-2623 or (323) 782-1980
Rev. Flip Benham, Operation Save America (980) 722-4920
Washington DC Press Statement
Media Welcome and Introduction of Speakers
I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to all the media represented here today. I want to personally thank you for taking the time to cover this press conference. Our coming together here to publicly discuss the burning issues of the day, I believe, carries great significance for our future and hope as a people. I believe we are literally at a point in our history that will determine whether or not America’s experiment with liberty will survive. We are at a juncture in our national discourse that will ascertain whether or not, freedom of speech and freedom of religion will continue in the home of the brave and the land of the free. We are at a crossroad that will decide if we will faithfully pass on a heritage of freedom that is honored by our posterity or will we pass to our posterity the chains of tyranny that they will someday terribly regret?
There has been a disturbing, dangerous trend that has slowly but surely seeped into our nation like a spiritual and moral cancer. This dangerous trend has grown to the point that it has corrupted the American culture and now seeks to utilize our civil government to criminalize and remove the freedoms of Bible-believing Christians. This is not empty rhetoric stated to create hype or add to the social unrest that already exists in our divided nation.
The evidence of this claim mounts with each passing day. In fact, we have a treatise called the “Hate Crimes” Information Packet that documents these claims (Pass them out to the media.) It is a brief compilation that shows in almost every aspect of American life, homosexuality is being exalted, honored, and protected, while Christianity is being marginalized, punished, and persecuted.
The men I have the privilege to introduce to you today carry in their lives the scars of this tragic reality. Some of them have been targeted, arrested, and treated as criminals for simply being Christians at homosexual events, such as “Gay Pride Parades.”
Our first speaker is Michael Marcavage, director of Repent America. He was a part of the “Philadelphia 11.” These brave Christians were the first in America to be charged with a so-called “Hate Crime.” They faced up to 47 years in prison for the “crime” of preaching the Gospel that has the power to save men’s souls at a Philadelphia “Gay Pride” Parade. Thankfully, the case had no merit and fell apart, but it demonstrates how far we have fallen as a nation. After Michael, you were hear from Rev. Johnny Hunter from LEARN and Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson from BOND. Lastly, I will come back to give closing remarks. Michael would you please come and address the media.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
For decades, America has distanced herself from the God of her fathers, the Biblical principles that made us great, and the Christian faith that has sustained us through dark and difficult days in our nation’s history. This betrayal against Heaven has taken its toll upon our beloved land. For the most part, our country neglects our godly heritage since the Supreme Court officially decreed in the 1960s that God’s services will no longer be required in our public life. The Court of that day arrogantly demanded that God get out of our government, vacate our schools, and stay away from our children. Thus the Bible, prayer, and the Ten Commandments were supplanted by metal detectors, police officers, and condoms in school colors. God indeed left and every form of evil, bloodshed, and perversion has replaced Him
The result of removing God from our public life has brought the nation to a two-fold crisis. First, we struggle with moral rot from within and secondly, we are in danger from the threat of terror without. Yes, I dare state that there is a direct connection between the sins and crimes of abortion and the sodomite agenda, and the threat of Islamic terrorism.
America is refusing to connect these dots, however, and we are living in a major state of denial. Needless to say, it is not good to be a citizen of this wretched state. As a result, we are failing to honor our past, respect our present and we are clearly in the process of squandering our future. Our systems are being broken and our moral compass as nation no longer points true north. It appears we are going the way of every other empire that foolishly shook their puny fist in the face of a Holy God!
If one takes the time to look at our culture today, one finds good has become evil and evil has magically become good. Truth has become hate to those who hate the truth. Lies, deception, and moral corruption have become the status quo. Thus for a young person to be a rebel today, he must live a righteous, holy, and pure life.
As our nation continues down this primrose path to destruction, we have now entered another phase in our disintegration as a people. In times past, it was the abortion industry and the sodomite agenda that spun to the media that Christians who oppose these barbaric acts were “Hate Groups.” This lie has been told so often that it now appears to have become truth, even to our own government.
As the American government continues to act upon these lies, defend the indefensible, codify evil into law, and turn moral wrongs into civil rights, they find themselves in the awkward position of punishing Bible-believing Christians. This is why the current “Hate Crimes” legislation under consideration in the Senate should be renamed the “Criminalization of Christianity Act.” Under the guise of protecting the immoral, unnatural, and ungodly lifestyle of homosexuals, our government is forced to censor the freedoms of speech and religion of Christians.
It was Thomas Jefferson who stated, “The legislative powers of government reach to actions only, not to opinions.” Civil government is due our prayers, taxes, tribute, and submission to lawful authority. They are not due, however, our faith, consciences, or thoughts. No government official has the authority to determine our beliefs, regulate our faith, or punish our thoughts. We have come to Washington DC to appeal to our government to back off, stand down, and return to their lawful jurisdictions. Get out of our churches, quit policing our thoughts, and stop trying to sear our consciences by their persistence of framing mischief by law. This is where every liberty-loving Christian should stand, and America should do no less!!!”