Tag Archives: Washington D.C.

Pro-Life Groups Vow To Defy D.C. Hiring Mandate

Pro-life groups in the nation’s capital are vowing to defy the local government’s mandate that they cannot consider an applicant’s beliefs about abortion when hiring them.

“Despite the enactment of this unjust law, we will continue to hire employees who share our commitment to the dignity of every member of the human family. We will not abandon the purpose of our organizations in order to comply with this illegal and unjust law. We will vigorously resist any effort under RHNDA (Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act) to violate our constitutionally protected fundamental rights,” the groups said in a mutual statement.

The Act amended a D.C. discrimination law.  The law says that all employers may not consider “reproductive health decision making, including a decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical service, because of or on the basis of an employer’s personal beliefs about such services.”

The Alliance Defending Freedom has stated they will use their resources to defend the religious rights of the groups against the government’s attempt to strip them of a part of their religious freedom.

“Pro-life organizations in our nation’s capital should not be forced to pay for abortions or hire those who oppose their pro-life beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Casey Mattox. “While the D.C. Council has retreated from this law’s original goal, which was to force pro-life organizations to pay for abortions in violation of their conscience, RHNDA remains an unnecessary and illegal attack on pro-life conscience that Congress must stop and that we will fight, if necessary, in the courts.”

Thousands Gather At Lincoln Memorial For Easter Sunrise Service

A celebration of the risen Lord stood boldly in the nation’s capital Sunday as over 7,000 Christians gathered at the Lincoln Memorial at sunrise.

The service, organized by Capital Church in nearby Vienna, Virginia, began at 6:30 a.m. and latest an hour and a half.  Worship was lead by Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait plus a choir, orchestra and band.

“Washington, D.C. is arguably the one most influential cities in the world and I do believe it is important in the heart of the most influential city of the world to declare on Easter morning our faith in the risen Lord,” Capital Church Pastor Amos Dodge told The Christian Post. “I think it is important to reclaim some of our own spiritual heritage and we do that from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declare our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again.”

Dodge’s sermon focused on the fact that Christianity is the only religion in the world where their God is not dead.

“Christianity is unique in that we know that Muhammad may have said some wonderful things and done some wonderful things, but he is in a tomb. Confucius was noted for wise sayings but nobody has heard from him in a long, long time,” Dodge declared. “When you compare the claims of Jesus Christ to all the religions in the world, no other religion has a risen savior, the one who came back from the dead.”

“You can trust a man who died for you,” Dodge continued. “Jesus died for us and then came back from the grave.”

The Easter Sunrise Service at the Lincoln Memorial began in 1979.  Pastor Dodge had been walking past the Lincoln reflecting pool during a spring day and God gave him the vision of the service.  The first service had 150 people in attendance.

This year, the service welcomed Christians from all 50 states.

Pastors Thrown Out of Capital For “Appeal To Heaven”

A pastor’s group was thrown out of the U.S. Capital Visitor Center for their racial reconciliation event because the theme of the event included a reference to “an appeal to heaven.”

Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr. says the action against the High Impact Leadership Coalition is calling it a clear act of religious discrimination.

“They were aware of the original theme, but it seems as they looked into things that the question of God and heaven really caused them angst,” said Jackson.

“Unfortunately, we got pushed back and we felt it was discriminatory. And there is a tinge of religious prejudice in terms of our content, our theme, our focus. We felt that we needed to continue with the meeting anyway rather than get all tied up in a back-and-forth fight with the folks at the Capitol.”

Jackson said the representatives of the Capital told them they were being forced to leave because they were referring to God.

The Washington Hilton eagerly welcomed the group and their message.

“I think the real problem for me, personally, is that first a go ahead was given and the rules were followed as we had known them at that moment. Then questions come, content is questioned … and it seemed to me that there was some angst and concern that we were a biblically based, evangelical, black, Christian group,” Jackson told the Christian Post.

“Had we been more of another religious background or more interracial or there was a sense that there was more control over the event, it may have been different. But from where I sit, it seems like religious pushback, racial concern, about how this is going to look and what our intentions are going to be. However you envision it, it’s not the welcome we want based on using a public facility and following the rules,” he said.

The U.S. Capital Visitor Center would not answer questions from the Christian Post on the situation.

Museum Of The Bible Construction Begins

The Museum of the Bible is officially being built in the nation’s capital.

Construction has begun on the longtime project of Hobby Lobby head Steve Green.  The museum, scheduled to open in 2017, will have 430,000 square feet dedicated to the history of the Bible and the word of God.

“In many respects this is the kickoff of a three year project. We’ve been working on it for two years, this is the first time that anything major will be exposed to the public,” Cary Summers, president of the Museum of the Bible, said Thursday.

“Hopefully, it will be a great addition to this city. As you know, Washington, D.C. is the capital of museums in the world.”

Green, a collector of Biblical artifacts, had purchased a facility in 2012 for the purpose of building the museum.  The museum will not only be open to the public but also be open to seminaries around the world to study the various Biblical artifacts collected by the Green family.

The artifacts are also part of a course curriculum created by Green.

“It just seems to make sense because of the scholarship that we have, the artifacts that we have, the museum that we have, that we develop that into a curriculum that basically teaches what the museum displays,” said Green. “That is a venture that we’re working on as well.”

State Department Hosts Muslim Brotherhood

The State Department welcomed Muslim Brotherhood aligned leaders to discuss their ongoing effort to undermine the government of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The group has been seen taking provocative photos during their trip where they are flashing the Islamist group’s four finger hand signal and the posting those photos to social media sites.

The State Department is maintaining a dialogue with the group because of their continued involvement in the Egyptian political spectrum.

“The State Department continues to speak with Muslim Brothers on the assumption that Egyptian politics are unpredictable, and the Brotherhood still has some support in Egypt,” Eric Trager of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told the Washington Free Beacon. “But when pro-Brotherhood delegations then post photos of themselves making pro-Brotherhood gestures in front of the State Department logo, it creates an embarrassment for the State Department.”

Terrorism expert Patrick Poole said the meeting is an insult to our Egyptian allies.

“What this shows is that the widespread rejection of the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East, particularly the largest protests in recorded human history in Egypt on June 30, 2013, that led to Morsi’s ouster, is not recognized by the State Department and the Obama administration,” Poole said.

“This is a direct insult to our Egyptian allies, who are in an existential struggle against the Muslim Brotherhood, all in the pursuit of the mythical ‘moderate Islamists’ who the D.C. foreign policy elite still believe will bring democracy to the Middle East.”

District of Columbia Delays Abortion Coverage Vote

A bill to force all business owners in the District of Columbia to provide abortion coverage to employees regardless of their faith beliefs has been delayed.

The “Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014” was pulled on Tuesday afternoon.  The bill was introduced in the wake of the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision that said the government could not force business owners to pay for abortion coverage.

“The council seems to have heard the voices warning them not to waste D.C. taxpayer dollars promoting the abortion lobby’s interests,” said Casey Mattox of the Alliance Defending Freedom.  “There is simply no prospect that a court would uphold a bill forcing D.C. prolife non-profits to pay for abortions. The D.C. Council has wisely stepped back from the ledge and – for now – respected fundamental freedoms and avoided raiding taxpayers’ paychecks.”

Pro-abortion organizations had hailed the bill and the infringement on the religious freedom of business owners to advance abortion including NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Pro-life groups contacted the members of the city government to inform them that the bill would be a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Christians Should Avoid Caving To “New Intolerance”

“Christians should not cower to the new intolerance.”

These were the words of Mary Eberstadt, senior fellow for the Ethics and Public Policy Center, as she addressed a Washington, D.C. audience.

Eberstadt said that the new intolerance “is not an intellectual or philosophical force. In fact, it’s hardly about ideas at all. It is instead something very specific, taken from playbooks that nobody should be proud of studying. It’s about using intimidation, humiliation, censorship, and self-censorship to punish those who think differently.”

Eberstadt said the new intolerance is a serious threat to the church and is already causing divisions because it focuses on the desire to be loved and also to avoid being criticized for the choices made in life.

The end goal of the new intolerance is to get Christians to self-censor, Eberstadt said.  This keeps Christians from speaking the truth of Christ’s teachings because someone might feel badly and “not loved” if they choose to do something that opposes Christ.

Muslim Prayer At National Cathedral Interrupted By Protester

A Muslim worship service being held at the National Cathedral was interrupted by a Christian protester offended by the Christian church being used for worship by those who deny the divinity of Christ.

“Jesus Christ died on that cross over there!” Christine Weick yelled after the announcements at the start of the service. “He is the reason why we are to worship only him. Jesus Christ is our lord and savior!”

Weick continued to yell her objections as she was being removed from the church.

“We have built, and allowed you here in mosques across this country. Why can’t you worship in your mosque, and leave our churches alone?”

The National Cathedral’s website said “Leaders believe offering Muslim prayers at the Christian cathedral shows more than hospitality. It demonstrates an appreciation of one another’s prayer traditions and is a powerful symbolic gesture toward a deeper relationship between the two Abrahamic traditions.”

One of the Cathedral’s officials has previously said she believes Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

Muslim Prayer Ceremony To Be Held At National Cathedral

An Islamic worship service is scheduled at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. for the first time in American history.

The national cathedral has been historically an Episcopalian site.  Interfaith events have been hosted at the cathedral but there has never been an event where Christians are not part of the event until now.

“Leaders believe offering Muslim prayers at the Christian cathedral shows more than hospitality,” representatives for the National Cathedral wrote in a press release about the matter. “It demonstrates an appreciation of one another’s prayer traditions and is a powerful symbolic gesture toward a deeper relationship between the two Abrahamic traditions.”

“This is a dramatic moment in the world and in Muslim-Christian relations,” added South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool. “This needs to be a world in which all are free to believe and practice and in which we avoid bigotry, Islamaphobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Christianity and to embrace our humanity and to embrace faith.”

Leaders at the national cathedral have been criticized over the last few years as moving away from Christian teachings and working to oppose teachings of the Bible.

Senate Candidate Who Championed Pro-Life Win Big In Election

America saw victories for life all over the country Tuesday night.

Many Senate candidates who spoke up for the lives of unborn children won resounding victories in the 2014 mid-term elections, bringing a more pro-life agenda to Washington, D.C.

“I think what you saw here are candidates who embrace the values, the values voters embrace them,” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said after the results were announced. “I think this was a clear referendum on Barack Obama and his liberal policies, and I think that is going to come with a mandate to the Republicans that they address these issues and address them quickly.”

Several political observers say that Kansas Senator Pat Roberts’ strong advocacy in the election for the lives of unborn child was a factor in the surprisingly large win.  Pollsters had expected the race to be close, but most voters for Roberts said his stance for life was one of the reasons they voted for him.

The pro-life Susan B. Anthony list was especially pleased by the win of Joni Ernst in Iowa.

“Ernst is the most significant among the Susan B. Anthony list’s efforts, because this is an unapologetic pro-life woman who will be on the floor for the U.S. Senate advocating for pro-life legislation,” SBAL president Marjorie Dannenfelser said. “And that is an enormous victory for women and the Susan B. Anthony List. Everything that we have done for this election is for gaining the Senate and having a woman be a great spokeswoman in the Senate.”