How Christians Must Respond as Atheists Decry Tennessee’s Day of Fasting, Prayer as ‘Inappropriate’
If you’re a praying Christian, you know that it’s time to pray, because things are very, very serious in our country. Thankfully, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee invited the entire state of Tennessee to join him for a day of prayer on Thursday, Oct. 10. Lee declared it to be a day of fasting, humility and prayer. But of course, liberals and secularists quickly pushed back, calling the call to prayer inappropriate.
“On that day, [my wife] Maria and I will offer prayers for healing, prayers for forgiveness, prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of hope for our state,” Gov. Lee said on Twitter. “… We know that prayer accomplishes much. Prayer strengthens our families and it strengthens our communities. It strengthens our relationship with our neighbors. It strengthens our relationship with God himself.”
But atheists, of course, decried the day of prayer as unconstitutional. The Freedom From Religion Foundation presidents, Dan Barker and Annie Laurie, wrote an op-ed in the Knoxville News Sentinel, in which they called Gov. Lee’s actions “inappropriate,” “unnecessary” and “a disservice to the Constitution—and his citizens.”
And USA Today‘s David Plazas wrote that even though Gov. Lee’s proclamation did not violate the law, it did create a “slippery slope.”
But my friend Larry Tomczak told me on my “Strang Report” podcast that it’s imperative that our country stay united in prayer, especially in light of how strongly the left is attacking our religious freedoms.
“I’ve got a passion to motivate people to pray,” Tomczak says. “We need to be biblically informed on the issues. You want a biblical worldview, and we’re really in the midst of a very critical time.”
Part of what makes this time so critical is not only the left’s attack against prayer, but also their attack against our president.
“[Democrats] hate our president and what he represents and what he’s advocating, the promises he’s made and the promises he’s kept,” he says. “… We’re dealing with [principalities and powers,] because this administration, this presidency has stood strong for so many conservative Christian values. There have been so many achievements and promises that have been kept. … We’re at a tipping point.”
Tomczak says this attack against conservative values can even be seen in our media. Journalism, he says, has become incredibly biased. While trying to find President Trump’s rally on CNN, all he found was the network giving Democratic candidates an hour each to talk about their platforms—and specifically about the LGBTQ agenda.
“But where sin abounds, so much more does grace abound,” he says. “It’s a day in which all of us need to be biblically informed. We need to walk humbly. We need to seek the truth. We need to be passionate in pursuit of the truth and proclaiming it, not being cowardly or fearful.”
Tomczak says the church in this hour is called to be a watchman on the wall (see Isa. 62:6). That means we have to actively pray and stay involved in what is going on in our culture and our politics. We can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch an anti-Christian agenda overtake the country.
If you agree, be sure to listen to my full interview with Tomczak by clicking here. You can also check out his new podcast show called “Here’s the Deal” at cpnshows.com. {eoa}
