Photo via charismamag.com

Christians rally to defend prayers in Jesus’ name

A former military chaplain who battled the U.S. Navy over the right to pray in Jesus' name is waging a similar fight in Lodi, Calif., where the City Council in May temporarily banned sectarian prayers before meetings, reports Charisma News Online.

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt (pictured) expects several hundred people -- some from out of state -- to join him tonight at 6 p.m. for a "Stand Up for Jesus" prayer rally protesting a city policy requiring all prayers to be "non-sectarian and non-denominational."

"Jesus is not an illegal word, the Bible is not a banned book, and evangelistic speech is not a crime," Klingenschmitt wrote in an online petition that collected more than 5,000 signatures, half of them from Californians. The charismatic chaplain plans to present the petition at tonight's rally.

Although based in Colorado, Klingenschmitt has led similar rallies in Virginia and Pennsylvania through his national Pray in Jesus Name Project. He founded the organization after he was court-martialed in 2006 for appearing in uniform at an event outside the White House to protest a Navy prohibition against publicly praying in Jesus' name.

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TAGS: USA military chaplain U.S. Navy banned sectarian prayers Gordon James Klingenschmitt rally

[08/07/2009]

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