2-decades-old prayer still strikes a nerve

EDITOR’S NOTE: Pastor Joe Wright, Senior
Pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas opened a session of the Kansas State legislature with this prayer January 23, 1996. Paul Harvey read the prayer on his radio program, The Rest Of The Story. The program with this prayer received the largest response than any other program Paul Harvey EVER aired.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know your word says, “Woe on those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We confess that:

• We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your word and called it pluralism.
• We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
• We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
• We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
• We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
• We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
• We have killed our unborn children and called it choice.
• We have shot abortionists and called it justified.
• We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
• We have abused power and called it political correctness.
• We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
• We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
• We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will.

I ask it in the name of Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 Think about it: The pastor delivered this prayer two decades ago. Sounds to me as if he could have delivered it yesterday to Congress in Washington BTW: four  Democrats walked out during the tprayer. Members from both sides of the aisle criticized the pastor for his prayer.