National Prayer Breakfast
Perry's prayer breakfast: A good or bad idea?
Hasn’t been quite what the governor had in mind. Even as Perry’s personal popularity as a potential GOP presidential candidate grows, R.S.V.P.’s to the Christians-only event remain embarrassingly low . That would, perhaps, be no political problem at all if a majority of Perry’s fellow legislators, opinion shapers and likely voters vocally planned to be with him in spirit — but the event has generated far more debate than it has overt praise. Those who support it seem to do so in a non-committal kind of way, while those who oppose it do so vehemently. One group even sued the governor, calling the event unconstitutional — but a federal judge last week dismissed the suit.Three things to keep in mind:
(1) Some media coverage has painted the event as some kind of campaign launch , but it seems safe to say Perry didn’t plan this with the 2012 presidential election in mind. When Perry first conceived of the prayer rally, he was far, far from a declaration. In fact, he was insisting he had no interest in running for president and implying even he thought he was too conservative to be elected. No, Perry planned “The Response” for the reasons he says he did — because he believes the nation is at a crossroads, that the country faces challenges the likes of which it has never faced before and because he believes prayer might be of help.
(2) Even though Perry extended an invitation to his fellow governors across the country, the event is not technically a “state” event. No taxpayer dollars have worked their way into its planning. Attendance is 100 percent voluntary. Perry wants it to be “national” in the sense that he wants the nation to come together to recall the God he himself believes in — but he’s not using any state apparatus to ensure that happens.
(3) Such an event is not without precedent. One of my favorite responses on a Politico thread to debate the issue came from former Congressman Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.):
Something “inappropriate” about a call to faith by a politician – even a president? For guidance let’s see what our first three presidents had to say:
George Washington: “While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.
National Prayer Breakfast - News
For the past 20 years, I've had the privilege of helping lead a delegation from the Middle East to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event that gathers politicians and people of influence from around the world over several days.
Many of the governor's supporters see nothing wrong with the event, equating it with the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington that presidents dating to Dwight D. Eisenhower have attended, including President Obama.
In addition, as has been much pointed out, presidents from Lyndon B. Johnson to Barack Obama have participated in the National Prayer Breakfast in DC In light of these facts, it's difficult to understand what the controversy is.
But still, despite the blanket coverage of his prayer breakfast, his economic record, and his similarity (or not) to George W. Bush, there are a few things about Perry that might have escaped your notice. When Perry was elected to the statehouse,
(803) 732-0432; www.mtctraining.com DESCENDANTS OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN INFANTRY 93RD DIVISION: A reunion and World War I historical event, prayer breakfast and registration, 8-10 am Aug. 26, Shoney's, 7335 Garner's Ferry Road; tour of Child's Cemetery
president obama: national prayer breakfast « Eugene Cho
Hi everyone. I’m currently in Washington DC. Long story short, I have a meeting with a group of other folks at the White House today and I’m looking forward to learning, listening, and collaborating. I’m honored to be a participant in these discussions with folks I already respect and admire and hope to get to write more about this meeting.
But this morning, I had the privilege of attending the National Prayer Breakfast – with about 3500 other people in this intimate time of prayer.
When I received this invitation, it was a no-brainer. Lately, I’ve been really burdened to pray – to pray for my city, this country, our leadership, and the affairs of the larger world. A few months ago, I shared with you this deep spiritual sense of wanting and really, needing , to pray for President Obama .
As I attend this prayer breakfast, I wanted to make sure that my motivation wasn’t to simply be a part of a formality demonstration of prayer. I have no political agenda and even despite getting pushback and some criticism from folks that I lean towards one party or affiliation, I am indeed politically independent.
I care about politics not because I obsess over politics. Rather, politics is important to me because it involves policies and policies, ultimately, impact people. We have no choice: we must be engaged in our civic responsibilities and affairs.
While I can pray anytime and anywhere (and isn’t this amazing?), I saw it as an opportunity – as I shared with my church this past Sunday – to represent my church, my family, and others that connect with me – to genuinely lift up prayers for the leadership of this nation and the challenges for our country and the world.
So, I ask you these questions and I would really love to hear from you:
How are you praying for this country? What should we be praying for?There’s much to pray for, no? The situation in Egypt; The financial burden of debt and the economy; Foreign relations; The growing homeless community in our very neighborhoods and country; Immigration and Health Care Reform; The increasing lack of civility . And the list goes on.
But one prayer that I will be especially lift up is
how we care, advocate, and empower the marginalized and forgotten in our midst.
@ He did, actually. He used the National Prayer Breakfast to drum up religious support for the Vietnam War as a Christian cause.
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National Prayer Breakfast, programs and invitations ephemera material collected by the National Library of Australia].
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National Prayer Breakfast - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The National Prayer Breakfast
The purpose of the National Prayer Breakfast is to invite leaders to meet in the spirit of Jesus Christ in order to pray together.
National Prayer Breakfast : home
An annual event which brings people together to pray for the institutions, government and people of the United Kingdom.
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