I was in the sixth grade the first time I realized America was filled with people who wanted to remove God from anyone’s public life. I was a student at Roy Webb Elementary, a beautiful brick country schoolhouse located in the northern corner of Calhoun County in Alabama. The community was just about as rural as it could be. Five buses brought approximately 200 kids from Kindergarten age to twelve years old each day to this old fashioned institution. The halls and classrooms were filled with beautiful hardwood floors. Our class had a traditional cloak room located in the rear where the students would gather each morning to hang coats and share secrets.
Our teacher for the first three periods was Gary Holloway, also the school’s Principal. He was an oversized big hearted man. His appearance may have instilled fear, but his disposition was that of a loving father figure. He was the kind of Educator who became a teacher because he loved children and wanted to make a difference. On this particular morning, he pulled up his usual stool in the front of the classroom and told us he was going to lead a prayer before we went to the lunchroom for breakfast. If anyone didn’t want to pray, we could step outside the room. I looked around the room thinking, “who in the world doesn’t want to pray?”
Later in the morning, I caught up with Mr. Holloway for a private conversation. I asked him why he offered for someone to leave the room if they didn’t want to pray. He looked down at me with an authoritative look and told me not to worry, everyone in my class wanted to pray. I pressed him as I always did when I needed more information. Finally he shifted his weight to the other foot and confessed that there was a lot of conversation going around about how prayer was not allowed in public schools anymore and most of the schools were following the law, but he felt that God still had a place there at Roy Webb. I was proud of Mr. Holloway. As I have grown up and watched my fellow Americans submit to the injustice of the official removal of prayer from schools and public places, I wish we all had the resolve and faith of Mr. Gary Holloway.
This week Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran visited New York City and the U.N. He blamed America for the September 11 attacks, suggesting it was a conspiracy by our own government. Ahmadinejad and other Muslim extremists such as Osama Bin Laden, etc, want to see America fall. This country was founded on Christian principles and became the nation it is today by the grace of God. This goes against everything Muslim extremists believe. How do we combat an enemy who wants to see us destroyed? We certainly don’t do it by cowering down and forgetting who holds the future for this nation. America must stand strong against the evils on the other side of the world and here among us as well. Christians have the right to serve God in this country in everything we do. I am sick and tired of hearing the explanation that religion doesn’t belong in the government or other public arenas. The Muslim religion has been given so much media attention and has been crying wolf for years about rights. Again, this nation was founded as a Christian nation. All of Europe may have converted to a “free thinking” socialistic society, but that is not what I want for America. Call me a right wing evangelical conservative if you like, but I just prefer to be called a Christian. I am a sinner trying to get to heaven. I don’t live a perfect life, and I don’t claim to believe that anyone can, but I know that God created this entire world and His Son died for the sins of men everywhere! I have the right to worship Him, write about Him, teach about Him, and pray to Him! I couldn’t care less what a weak Congress or President feels about me offending a Muslim, Buddhist, Scientologist or whatever!
Shame on Hollywood!! Shame on you for using your celebrity status to promote everything except faith in God. You should know that your success is only temporary and in the end you may be wondering why all your fame and fortune didn’t earn you a seat at the right hand of the Father. I champion the leaders of this nation who are not afraid to speak out and put God first. I am thankful for people like Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck, and others who stand strong on their faith. I applaud people like Ann Coulter for saying that after September 11 no Muslim should ever be allowed on another plane coming to the U.S. When asked how she recommended they travel she replied, “take a camel!”
America is a Christian nation. A nation full of sinners and it always will be. We all need to stop trying to judge one another and live our own lives, make our choices and realize the only unified choice we have to make is to be a God-fearing nation.
If we are unified in the belief that Christ is with us then we can fight with confidence, sure of victory. With the Lord at our side, victory is certain. “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world---our faith.”—I John 5:4
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