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10 Exercises to Stay Spiritually Fit
20 Scriptures That Bring Hope to Any Situation
5 Ways to Revive Your Dream!
7 Ways to Plant Seeds of Greatness in Your Life
20 Powerful Declarations to Fight Discouragement
5 Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer
5 Tips for Better Sleep
7 Top Health Issues Facing Today’s Women
Celebrities Who Won't Back Down
Words of Wisdom from Dr Joyce Brothers
A Conversation with Minnesota Wild Center Matt Cullen
Yes, Gratitude Works!
10 Ways to To Handle Life Changes With Courage
The Fruits of Desire
Nurturing a Healthy Marriage
10 Ways to Get Over a Hurtful Past
Ten Things Every Dad Should Tell His Son
My friends at the Presidential Prayer Team sent me this encouraging update yesterday:
Well, it’s official. America’s National Day of Prayer is indeed constitutional.
Last week, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled unanimously that the National Day of Prayer — established by Congress in 1952 and in 1988 set as the first Thursday in May — does not constitute a violation of the separation of church and state.
The ruling deemed powerless a lawsuit brought by a group of atheists and agnostics called the Freedom From Religion Foundation … and overturned a ruling last April by federal judge Barbara Crabb that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional.
By law, the president must proclaim a national day of prayer every year — and despite Crabb’s ruling President Obama, in his 2010 National Day of Prayer proclamation last year, said:
“In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility, sought guidance and forgiveness, and received inspiration and assistance, both in good times and in bad.” Obama called on Americans to “pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings.”
This year will once again continue a National Day of Prayer. For Christians, it is our privilege and responsibility to pray on behalf of our nation. Let us not look at this announcement as simply a victory, but a reminder of our call to intercede for our nation and its leaders.
I’m looking forward to this year’s National Day of Prayer, but I’m not waiting until then to pray for our nation. I hope you won’t either. Let’s continue to ask God for his wisdom and strength today for our country, its leaders, and all those who serve this land we call America.
For more about the National Day of Prayer, see the official website.
For more about the Presidential Prayer Team, see their official website here.
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DILLON BURROUGHS is an author, activist, and co-founder of Activist Faith. Dillon served in Haiti following the epic 2010 earthquake and has investigated modern slavery in the US and internationally. His books include Undefending Christianity, Not in My Town (with Charles J. Powell), and Thirst No More (October). Discover more at ActivistFaith.org.
posted April 20, 2011 at 4:48 pm
In addition to praying you might do something useful. Don’t cheat on your taxes. Donate money to the needy and to politicians who want to help the poor and protect the environment; to those who want to aid the poor and not tax the wealthy, not to the Republicans who’ve been aiding the wealthy and afflicting the poor.
As for the NDP if could be handled generically so it’s not divisive, but it probably won’t be.
posted April 22, 2011 at 1:24 am
Actually, no, the 7th Circuit did not rule that the National Day of Prayer is constitutional. Rather, it ruled that the Freedom From Religion Foundation was not sufficiently injured by the Presidential proclamation to have “standing” to press its claim in court and thus dismissed its suit–without reaching the issue whether the Presidential proclamation violated the First Amendment.