RNC: Religious Groups Applaud Bush on Defending Family, Life, Freedom

Several religious-based pro-family groups are pleased with points Bush presented in his September 2nd speech to accept his party’s re-nomination during the American Republican National Convention.

Bush reaffirmed his opposition against two hot-button issues, abortion and homosexual marriage, earning the support of many religious conservatives who value Christians values such as family and life.

In his acceptance speech, Bush said, “Because a caring society will value its weakest members, we must make a place for the unborn child. Because religious charities provide a safety net of mercy and compassion, our government must never discriminate against them. Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honoured place in our society, I support the protection of marriage against activist judges. And I will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law."

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told the Baptist Press that the president “laid out a very forward-looking, innovative domestic agenda that empowers people to make their own decisions about the future for them and their families, rather than having government tell them what to do.”

Family Research President Tony Perkins said in his daily e-mail update that he was “especially encouraged to hear the President affirm the dignity of life and the battle to save marriage.”

“President Bush acknowledged that the war against terrorism is not the only war we are fighting. Future generations are depending on us to defend the family,” commented Dr. Janice Crouse, attending as a representative for Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest women advocacy group.

Crouse believes that “President Bush’s values resonate with mainstream America,” noting that many states have marriage amendments on their ballots.

Bush’s acceptance speech “underscores and reinforces the fact that this is the clearest choice that Americans have had with the greatest consequences for the future of America and the world that we’ve had since 1980, when President Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan,” Land said in an article on the Baptist Press. “We the people are at a fork in the road in making a decision about how we would be governed and what direction our leaders will take our nation for a generation.”

The president “answered the critics who were saying he was not telling the country where he would lead it in the next four years,” Land continued.

“He answered that question in spades. He laid out a strong and positive agenda for fighting the war on terror by expanding the boundaries of liberty around the world and reaffirming America’s privilege and responsibility to be the standard bearer for human freedom. He eloquently reaffirmed ‘freedom is not America’s gift to the world; it is the almighty God’s gift to every man and woman in this world.’”

Bishop Sedgwick Daniels of the Church of God in Christ, one of the several pastors attending the convention as a delegate told CitizenLink that his faith is extremely critical to his politics.

"The agenda of the Republican Party addresses those things that the Bible clearly dictates that we are to support and where we are to stand," said the Wisconsin delegate, "I'm unconditional in my position on those beliefs."

Well-known Christian artists are also supporting President Bush. Michael W. Smith, a Christian pop singer who sang “There She Stands,” a patriotic anthem he wrote at the president's suggestion after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, believes in the faith of Bush. He told Associated Press, "It's very deep. His faith is very real.” Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has testified on how God delivered him from homosexuality, sang at the Convention.

Although many religious leaders have personally endorsed President Bush in the 2004 election, they have emphasised that Christians should vote on the presidential candidate who upholds Biblical values.





Katherine T. Phan
Ecumenical Press