At the recent 2015 Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, made the following observation: "The United States of America did not create religious liberty. Religious liberty created the United States of America." Today, Americans' freedom of religion is under assault. And nowhere is the threat greater than to Christians. Yet, without Christians, there will no longer be a United States of America as we think of it. Without Christians, America will only be another piece of real estate. And so as we gather to pray for America on the National Day of Prayer, we must pray for Christians. We must pray for their preservation and protection, we must pray for their growth, we must pray for their courage, we must pray for their commitment, and we must pray for their participation in civic affairs. In short, we must pray for great Christian revival across our land. President Obama has adroitly rephrased freedom of religion to "freedom to worship." But license to gather in a sanctuary in order to observe rites and rituals is not freedom of religion. Freedom of religion acknowledges man's right to live according to his conscience outside the sanctuary as well as inside the sanctuary, to assume a rightful place in the public arena and to influence our culture. We must reject a limitation of our freedom of religion to a right to worship, and we must enter into the mainstream of society with renewed vigor, just as America's Founders did. We Christians have enjoyed the comforts of home, the production of our jobs and industry, and the pleasures of recreation because of our freedom of religion, but to the neglect of its care. Instead, we have withdrawn from public affairs, and entrusted our rule and our culture to those who serve false gods or no known gods, where seeds of discontent have been allowed to germinate and grow. We have entrusted our freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof, our freedom of speech, and our freedom to peaceably assemble to those who would deny it. So, on the National Day of Prayer, in order to pray for America, let us pray for Christians, that we confess our sin of omission--our sins of negligence and indifference, that we be revitalized by the Holy Spirit, that we be filled with a gratitude for the salvation offered by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that we boldly proclaim the wonderful news of the gospel to a nation perishing in spiritual death.
