Special Message - 11/18/23 - The Church Finds Its Voice

Friends, the challenges we face are enormous. To defend our values, we are partnering with various allies, including Lindsey Communications, The Lindsey Foundation, Faith Wins and the Pacific Justice Institute to empower the resurgence of the Church vote. Below is their latest alert. Please share the resources included here with your church leaders and fellow worshippers. – Gary

The Church Finds Its Voice

A Coalition of Lindsey Communications, The Lindsey Foundation,
Faith Wins and the Pacific Justice Institute
to Empower the Resurgence of the Church Vote!

Comm #42:

This is Why the World Does Christmas

The vast majority of things I’m hearing come out of people’s mouths lately is surprised disbelief at the antisemitism level here. But honestly. Why should we be surprised? The Church has been told to go sit in the corner for decades and so our kids didn’t get the information to which they were entitled.

Good morning, treasured pastors and Church leaders, Joan here to celebrate your voice which is growing in strength to right that wrong.

We’ve asked Brad Dacus, one of our coalition partners, to amplify your strength by detailing for you, just what lawful rights you have to speak what’s right and true. Full throated. With joy and freedom.

Here comes Christmas - a celebration of the birth of the world’s Savior who, by the way, came through the Jewish line. He, and they, are why the world does Christmas.

Our country has respected God’s people always, and we’ve been blessed as we did so. What a good moment in history for us to remember it. Thank you for your voice.

Here’s Brad:

Joan Lindsey is the Founder and President of Lindsey Communications

Sharing Christmas

Christmas is soon approaching, and with it, an abundant opportunity to share Christ that is often overlooked. With our society pressuring Christians to secularize the holiday, we fail to take full advantage of the messaging.

On a personal level, sending Christmas cards with Bible verses, giving Nativity scenes to neighbors, and inviting friends and neighbors to Christmas services can be great steps to initiate faith to a growing non faith America.

In the workplace, government employees may be free to have Christmas decorations and Bible verses on display in their personal office space or work cubicle. Employers are also free to share their faith with employees and customers in numerous ways (for creative ideas, see the “Faith in the Workplace” training video at PJI.org).

Even public school teachers and coaches can feel empowered this season as a direct result of the recent Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case where a football coach was vindicated by the United States Supreme Court when he was wrongfully fired for praying publicly after a high school football game.

A Big Gift from the Supreme Court

The Coach Kennedy case involved much more than just one football coach. In its decision, the Supreme Court delegitimized the so-called “Lemon test,” which had been used for decades to limit religious expression in forums sponsored, owned by, or affiliated with a government agency.

In short, the Lemon test was often used in the courtroom by governed officials to purge religion from the public square: Nativity scenes were banned in public parks unless they included secular symbols like reindeer and Santa Clause; public school teachers were prevented from having a Bible on their desk and invocations were banned at graduation ceremonies; School Board members were prevented from praying meetings; Christian crosses were even banned from use in war memorials and city seals.

Well, these faith hostile case precedents – over 7,300 in total – that relied upon the Lemon test are now vulnerable and ripe for attack. With 36 offices in 26 states, we at Pacific Justice Institute have taken this to heart and stand ready to represent individuals wishing to join us in challenging these case precedents in the coming years.

A Season of Solidarity

While we appreciate the incredible precedent-setting opportunities that stretch before us over the next decade, and as we joyfully share our faith this Christmas, let us also respond to the historic opportunity to demonstrate the love and justice of God this Christmas season to those who are undergoing horrific attacks – the Jewish people.

Initially, we all had to digest the ghastly torture and murder of over 1,200 Jews in Israel by Hamas terrorists. Since the last elections held by the Palestinian Authority in 2006, Hamas has ruled over Gaza for almost two decades. And for over twenty-five years, the United States has denounced Hamas as the foreign terrorist organization that it is.

Despite this, and just as shocking as the October 7 terrorist attacks, is the subsequent antisemitic support we have witnessed from massive hate-filled mobs around the world; even voices at many U.S. universities have joined in the screaming for the extermination of Israel “from the river to the sea.” Members of Congress, staff in the White House, and leftist professors have fanned the flames of this antisemitic hatred.

In response, PJI has publicly pledged to represent those in the workplace and on college campuses who are being harassed or attacked because of their Jewish faith. We welcome churches and Christians across America to choose not to be silent as we see these atrocities unfold. Let us seize this opportunity to openly demonstrate the love of Christ to the Jews who need to know that they are not forgotten and are not alone.

Brad Dacus is the Founder and President of Pacific Justice Institute

Hello everyone!

God is absolutely moving in our nation…maybe all of the blatantly obvious attacks on our Republic are finally breaking through to the average Americans’ thinking. I do know that our 12+ years of just doing the basics over and over and meeting with pastors in their states, in their cities and in their churches and building real relationships is paying off!

As Brad Dacus explains far better than I could, the reversal of the Lemon decision so that there are now over 7300 cases that we can overturn to advance religious freedom once again, is ours for the taking!

With over 15,000 pastors in our network in all 50 states, we are confident that no organization is meeting with more pastors from more denominations in more states than we are, so we have a pretty good look at what’s really happening in our nation.

There is no question that pastors are concerned with Israel and the Hamas atrocities, the misinformed and brainwashed pro-Palestinian riots across our nation and the world, the open southern border letting in fentanyl and who knows how many terrorist sympathizers, the destruction of our inner cities due to liberal policies, not to mention rising costs of living and inflation.

The list really goes on and on, but truly, all of these have us playing defense. Now, we can play offense!

I won’t use names since I didn’t have time to call them all and get permission, but I could tell you about the pastor in Washington State who was so sick of the disgusting push for sexualization of children in the schools that he ran for, and WON a school board seat. Now, he’s excited about playing offense and taking his community back for TRUTH.

I could even tell you about the pastors in New Jersey who have formed their own state organization of Faith Wins and are out duplicating our work, or the pastors in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina— the early presidential primary states— who have now conducted over 60 meetings with 10 different candidates for President and put forth a Biblical worldview in their exchanges with those leaders.

I could pretty much list every battleground state where pastors are getting informed and taking the “bull by the horns” in the fight to play offense and re-present truth in our hurting and confused world! All playing offense, all taking it to the people who want to destroy our nation.

I feel like never before that NOW is our time. God has tapped us on the shoulder and said, “Who shall I send?” Our only response needs to be, “Here am I, send me!”

Chad Connelly, Founder and President of Faith Wins

Kielle In Closing:

Brad, Chad and Joan are so right…we feel God’s urging to speak up, speak boldly and loudly to counter the twisted thinking of antisemitism infusing minds across this nation. And we know that a surge of antisemitism is a surge of racism that only leads to more acceptance of these types of hate-fueled calls to the eradication of an entire people and their nation. It won’t stop there, but only further opens the floodgates of evil violence.

We must all proclaim with conviction what we know is right and just, regardless of the perceived volume of the enemy. You have our support and our prayers!

Kielle Campbell Lindsey is the President of the Lindsey Foundation

SERMON SHOWCASE

“A Recommendation of America’s Best Historical Sermons for Your Consideration This Month.” WallBuilders sermon archives are historically significant and relevant to current political and cultural events.

A CHRISTMAS S E R M O N: The Doctrine of Immortality. A Christmas SERMON Delivered in WORCESTER, 1818. BY AARON BANCROFT, D.D. PASTOR OF THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

NOW, WHERE WAS THAT AGAIN?

TRUSTED MEDIA SOURCES (Credit: Media Research Center)

Washington Examiner
Daily Caller
Washington Times
Real Clear Politics
The Daily Wire
News Max
One America News
El American

We stand with you and are praying for you!

-Joan, Brad, Chad and Kielle - Your Church Finds Its Voice Leadership

*Please share and forward on to your networks!

Contact Us:

Chad Connelly
President, Faith Wins
[email protected]
To read more about Church Do’s and Don’ts and for an expanded list of resources and contacts to call for help, please visit: http://faithwins.us/resources/

Brad Dacus
President, Pacific Justice Institute
[email protected]

Joan Holt Lindsey
Founder and President, Lindsey Communications
[email protected]

Kielle C. Horton
President, the Lindsey Foundation
[email protected]