Another National Day of Prayer has come and gone. Wisconsin U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb put a negative spin on the day by ruling that the practice is unconstitutional. She ruled that “the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience. . . . The government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray.” She needs a history lesson from the very Founders who drafted the First Amendment and also called for national days of prayer and thanksgiving. In 1789, the same day the wording of the First Amendment had been finalized, Congress called on President Washington to declare a National day of prayer and thanksgiving. The proclamation stated that “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” John Adams, in his 1798 Proclamation, stated something similar:
[T]he safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgment of this truth is . . . an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him.
Judge Crabb’s ruling was not the only damper on the day. There’s the case of Tony Perkins, President of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council, a former member of the Louisiana legislature, and a six-year Marine veteran, who was disinvited from Andrews Air Force Base National Prayer Luncheon. Why? He had criticized President Obama’s desire to overturn the military’s “Don’t ask. Don’t tell” homosexual policy. The Joint Base Andrews Chaplain’s Office released the following statement:
The Joint Base Andrews Chaplain’s Office sponsors a voluntary annual prayer luncheon, focusing this year on deployed personnel, families and prayer. The Chaplain’s Office retracted Mr. Perkins’ invitation after his recent public comments made many who planned to attend the event uncomfortable. This was a local decision made by the Chaplain’s Office who wanted the luncheon to be inclusive for the entire base community. The Chaplain’s Office respects and defends Mr. Perkins’ right to express his opinions, and regrets any inconvenience to him. We thank and respect him for his prior military service.
Can you believe this? The military is about breaking things and killing people, and Perkins was disinvited because his opinions made some people “uncomfortable”? Give me a break!
Not to be undone, Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse was disinvited from appearing at this year’s prayer event at the Pentagon because of comments he made after 9/11 that described radical Islam as evil and dangerous. It is. Graham would have said the same thing if it had been a radical Christian group that had flown jets into the World Trade Center towers in the name of Christianity (see his comments here).
Now here comes the fly in the ointment. James Dobson had Perkins and Graham, as well as Alan Sears of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), on his May 6, 2010 radio show to discuss these anti-Christian measures coming from our government. One thing concerned me. Both Dobson and Graham saw prophetic significance in these events. They were claiming that the return of Jesus must be around the corner. How could it be otherwise? I was thankful that Perkins and Sears did not join in the end-time speculation.
Christians could turn this nation around in less than a year if they had the will to do it. But with big-name evangelicals telling them the end must be near, why bother. The early church had fewer hopeful examples of continued growth with the death of Stephen at the hands of the Jews (Acts 7:54–60) and the death of James the brother of John by the local tyrant Herod (Acts 12:2). At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Peter that he is going to be martyred (John 21:18–19). The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest (Acts 28:30). Paul sums up what life was like for him as a disciple of Jesus Christ, a turn-coat Jew, and later as an enemy of the Empire:
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (2 Cor. 11;22–27).
Then there was the expansive nature of the Roman Empire and the coming persecutions of Christians by Nero. Consider Paul’s words to the young pastor Timothy:
“Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:10–12).
According to Paul, who’s on the losing side? “But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also” (v. 9). If the enemies of the gospel do make progress, it’s because we let them, through indifference, disobedience, and escapism. It doesn’t help that prophecy pundits are claiming eschatological certainty that our generation will see the “rapture” because all the signs point to the supposed (but fictional) glorious event. The church needs to grow up, gain some historical perspective, and study the Bible through its own interpretive lens rather than the lens of the Scofield Reference Bible, Left Behind, or any prophetic system that does not pay attention to the time texts, first audience relevance, context, and the Bible’s own way of making its points. Yes, Paul would die at the hands of the Romans, but notice has Luke ends his book: “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered” (Acts 28:30–31). Paul wasn’t preaching the any-moment rapture; he was preaching the kingdom of God!
We don’t need the Sate to sanction a National Day of Prayer. Maybe it’s time we break with these types of events. Such a separation will free us to pray for our government officials and against them. The civil magistrate is to be “a minister of God to [us] for good” (Rom. 13:4). When the civil magistrate is not doing this, it is our obligation, in the spirit of Nathan the prophet, to tell him so.
Gary is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he also hosts The Gary DeMar Show, and History Unwrapped—both broadcasted and podcasted. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents to their grandsons, Calvin and Paul. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA). 
The Bible does speak of the return of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 – 17 (New King James Version) " For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." This where so many Christians get the rapture idea. Regardless of this it should not be used as an excuse to not do our part to help keep the principles that this nation was founded upon from becoming obsolete. America is in the shape it is because Christians have neglected their duties and believed the lie of " separation of church and state ". We need to study the founding fathers lives as written before the 1920s. A great start is the Wall Builders web site and even reading the inscriptions on the statues in the halls of congress . If we fail in getting our nation back to Biblical values in our personal lives and in our leaders we will cease to be an independent nation. It is not time to sit down and shut up. It is time to stand up and fight like our founding fathers did for this nation. Using our voices and our votes to kick out the people who want socialism/communism instead of a republic with a democracy. And those who despise our Constitution can get out too.
You are so right about the rapture. Such a fairy tale! When our forefathers established our government, it wasn't freedom of religion they were establishing. It was the freedom to worship the God of the bible. They ran from those who imposed imperialism on them. They wanted true spiritualality, not religion. The definition of religion doesn't even have God in it. Any so – called god other than the true God, is idol worship. Christians serve a God of Love and not hate. His principles are what have made this nation great. His principles is what will cause Him to save this nation from it's present evil course.
WITCH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG ???? IF YOU DONT KNOW LEAVE WELL ALONE …..BECAUSE GOD KNOWS ..AND THEIR WILL NEVER BE ANY ONE TO ANSWER THIS BUT GOD………
Actually, the chicken came first, as God created complete living beings in Genesis, not embryos.
Now, as to why the chicken crossed the road….
(To show the possum it could be done?)
I thoroughly agree that we should press on – spreading the Gospel and fighting to keep the principles of our Constitution – we are our own worst enemies – I see the lala attitude of supposedly “devout” Christians who do not want to get involved because they just “know” the end is near – maybe, maybe not – everytime bad things happen these people retreat into that mindset – if that had prevailed in the 1940′s – evil would have won out – we have to continue to fight for the right principles – God will determine the outcome – that is how it has always been..
There are no such things as atheistic beliefs. I know a lot of atheists and none of them are communists. Roger, like all Bible thumpers you don't have a clue what you are talking about.
My dear friends of this site,not those who made comments—It DOES NOT say,by Jesus anything about hetero/homo activities.–Why can't we worry about preventong the Muslims from running this,our nation with shariya law,as well as those who believe in the atheistic beliefs,such as communism,socialism,you know–like jones–obama's czars,or holdren,socialist,anita dunn,mauist,AWWW,just about his entire background of friends.–
"Behold, I will send you Eliyahu the prophet before the great and awesome day of Master YHWH comes."
Mr. De Mar you speak as if one of the Rabbinate Jews of old who replaced Moshe and Master YHWH's Torah with their own oral torah.
Eliyahu, Ha Mashiyach 'Yeshua rebuked them as did his talmadim and shilichim.
You who seek the Kingdom of God make void the Word of God by your greco-roman tradition (halacha, minhagim, takanot, gezerot, ma'asim, and mishnah). How will you understand 'Yeshua's words @ Matthew 6:33 until you first believe, trust, rely on and cling to Moshe and his writings?
"Return (repent) for near is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Hear "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of Master YHWH and make straight his path." "Remember the Torah of my servant Moshe."
IF not, what, then, is Master YHWH's first commandment?
Our Father Master YHWH's kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Indeed!
I appreciate reading some of your articles Gary, but you were all over the place on this one.
By the way, sometimes God's Word spoke specifically of the immediate future AND the distant future in the same verse. Were all the messianic verses in the Old Testament strictly for Jesus (distant future) or did they sometimes refer to the immediate future or both? Some addressed the immediate future AND the long term future. I would encourage you not to be so sure of yourself and the end times and look to see that both could be correct. The early New Testament spoke as if the end times could happen any moment. This was true then and it is true today. Believing this should give us the urgency we need to share the Gospel with all who we come in contact with, not a lackadaisical attitude.
Of Course The National Day of Prayer is Constitutional
I was at Vancouver, Washington, City Hall at noon for a gathering of the 59th Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer. We prayed for the children in public schools, the military, police, fire & rescue, city & national leaders, for truth in media, the economy, marriage & family, the sick, and the homeless. We gave the Pledge of Allegiance, and sang the Star Spangled Banner. Hard to believe the Supreme Court needs to decide if this is Constitutional! The idea of our Constitution, that literally rules over government and people alike, is an adaptation of Blackstone’s rule of law. Common law traces its origin from two sources, the Bible and the natural law; so how could a National Day of Prayer possibly be contrary to the original intent of the Constitution?… Such are the twisted times in which we live!
Actually the opposite of what Gary said is true. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin strongly suggested on June 28 that the convention have prayers said there. Evangelists love to tell this story but here again they always leave out the ending. The convention did not accept the suggestion, and the convention went on without prayers. Franklin also related how the Christian clergy of the Revolutionary period tried again and again to have references to Christianity inserted directly into the U.S. Constitution, but they were refused every time by the Founders. The omission of prayers at the Constitutional Congress and of any mention of God, Jesus or Christianity is too obvious to have been anything but deliberate. According to one account when Alexander Hamilton was asked why there was no mention of God in the Constitution he said that the new nation was not in need of "foreign aid" and according to another, he simply said, "we forgot."
The proclamation of a National Day of Prayer does not have to establish a religion to be unconstitutional. The "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means that the government cannot pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion or another. I haven’t read all of Judge Crabb's entire 66-page ruling yet. One argument I found particularly compelling was her legal opinion that a National Day of Prayer "serves no purpose but to encourage a religious exercise." So by aiding religion the proclamation of a day of prayer is clearly unconstitutional. The judge delayed enforcement of the ruling until there is an appeal. President Obama can ether uphold his oath to defend the Constitution or pander to the same ignorant people who have been calling him a baby-killer, “Obammy” and all the other sick names. In view of the other things he’s already done I doubt him refusing to go along with this day of delusion would hurt him politically.
Phil B.
Actually the opposite of what Gary said is true. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin strongly suggested on June 28 that the convention have prayers said there. Evangelists love to tell this story but here again they always leave out the ending. The convention did not accept the suggestion, and the convention went on without prayers. Franklin also related how the Christian clergy of the Revolutionary period tried again and again to have references to Christianity inserted directly into the U.S. Constitution, but they were refused every time by the Founders. The omission of prayers at the Constitutional Congress and of any mention of God, Jesus or Christianity is too obvious to have been anything but deliberate. According to one account when Alexander Hamilton was asked why there was no mention of God in the Constitution he said that the new nation was not in need of "foreign aid" and according to another, he simply said, "we forgot."
The proclamation of a National Day of Prayer does not have to establish a religion to be unconstitutional. The "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means that the government cannot pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion or another. I haven’t read all of Judge Crabb's entire 66-page ruling yet. One argument I found particularly compelling was her legal opinion that a National Day of Prayer "serves no purpose but to encourage a religious exercise." So by aiding religion the proclamation of a day of prayer is clearly unconstitutional. The judge delayed enforcement of the ruling until there is an appeal. President Obama can ether uphold his oath to defend the Constitution or pander to the same ignorant people who have been calling him a baby-killer, “Obammy” and all the other sick names. In view of the other things he’s already done I doubt him refusing to go along with this day of delusion would hurt him politically.
Gary is still a pin head and a liar. How about those reincarnating Midianites Gary? Hahahahah what a fraud!
You don't make sense. Why not speak to the issue at hand, and debate whether agree or disagree, and give some sane points to support.
Actually the opposite of what Gary said is true. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin strongly suggested on June 28 that the convention have prayers said there. Evangelists love to tell this story but here again they always leave out the ending. The convention did not accept the suggestion, and the convention went on without prayers. Franklin also related how the Christian clergy of the Revolutionary period tried again and again to have references to Christianity inserted directly into the U.S. Constitution, but they were refused every time by the Founders. The omission of prayers at the Constitutional Congress and of any mention of God, Jesus or Christianity is too obvious to have been anything but deliberate. According to one account when Alexander Hamilton was asked why there was no mention of God in the Constitution he said that the new nation was not in need of "foreign aid" and according to another, he simply said, "we forgot."
The proclamation of a National Day of Prayer does not have to establish a religion to be unconstitutional. The "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means that the government cannot pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion or another. I haven’t read all of Judge Crabb's entire 66-page ruling yet. One argument I found particularly compelling was her legal opinion that a National Day of Prayer "serves no purpose but to encourage a religious exercise." So by aiding religion the proclamation of a day of prayer is clearly unconstitutional. The judge delayed enforcement of the ruling until there is an appeal. President Obama can ether uphold his oath to defend the Constitution or pander to the same ignorant people who have been calling him a baby-killer, “Obammy” and all the other sick names. In view of the other things he’s already done I doubt him refusing to go along with this day of delusion would hurt him politically.
Wrong! Gary is right-on. There are no lies in this article. You just aren't enlightened yet. I'll pray that your eyes will be opened to the truth.
Gary, thank you for this excellent article. It is so good to read your hard-hitting appraisal of the nonsense, worse than nonsense that is going on. I agree, heartily, that we do not need the the State to sanction a National Day of
Prayer ! In fact, why have we been doing it this way ? Certainly, we can and should pray as believers, with or
without the approval or sanction of the State ! And, yes, we can pray for them AND AGAINST THEM !!
As for Dobson, I am not at all surprised at his take on all this. And for my part, I couldn't possibly care any less
what he has to say, about anything.
"We don’t need the Sate to sanction a National Day of Prayer. Maybe it’s time we break with these types of events."
Why discontinue something that you acknowledged was started as a very noble cause? Just because the front tire is flat, doesn't mean we have to send the entire car to the junkyard.
America needs a Christian leader, someone who is not afraid to talk about God (and all of the good things that come with His domain); then the people will follow that leader, and once again we will become a Christian nation.
The people elect the leader who they want. The people will only follow the leader if they are in sync with him. The change must happen at the individual and family level first. Leaders only lead those willing to follow.
The uneducated masses, will follow the leader that the mainstream media wants them to follow. While the change must happen at the individual and family level, most of America get their information from the sources that lied to us about Barack Obama.
He who controls THE MEDIA controls the world.
Obama is not leading, he is ruling! I believe that most people voted for Obama not because they wanted him for a leader but because of what he promised to give them if elected. Of course we don't need a holiday called the National Day of Prayer in order for us to pray but what the Godless Liberals have been doing for many years is to remove any mention of God from the public places.
This country was founded as a Judeo/Christian country and 1 of the reasons that the Liberals are removing mentions of God from public places is to support the lie that this country is now and always was a secular government.
You are absolutely correct!!!
Amen. Thank you Seattle. Someone else is saying sit back and don't make waves. Does anyone realize this nation, the world is in Spiritual warfare? If you look at it as only political, you will get weary and come to the why bother type attitude noted above. We need the strong Christians who are not afraid of DC to stand for what is right. More than the leader we need to get back to the biblical principles individually. Learn the richness of the Holy Scriptures. Pray without ceasing for those who are lost to the Lord and this great land. Pray the chains of greed and power which bind many of our elected officials and in high positions – be broken and cast into the abyss. A national movement back to God, as a people together in one accord.