On February 8th, a regular weekly chapel service at Asbury University turned into something much more. Unscripted and unplanned, a young man began to confess his sins openly, and the whole student congregation began to pray, confess, fill the altars, and enter into worship that continued night and day for more than two weeks. The little town of Wilmore, Kentucky of 6,000 residents was inundated with over 55,000 visitors since February 8th. People are coming from all over the country and from other nations.
On this week's News in Focus, we cover the Asbury Revival and how it is spreading to multiple campuses across the country. We will have eyewitness reports and a pastors panel with Tim Throckmorton and Pastor Rodney Lord to discuss the historical revivals and what this current move of God among our young people might indicate. Don't miss this special broadcast, and please share it with family and friends. It is filled with powerful information about the revival. #revival #asbury #prayer
THE U.S. SENATE HAS PASSED 8404 WITHOUT THE RELIGIOUS PROTECTION AMENDMENT-UPDATE - ON HR 8404
Dear Fellow Ohioan for Religious Liberty,
On Monday, the Senate will vote again on whether to advance the redefinition of marriage, and this may be our last chance to add real religious liberty protections to the bill. People of faith have been targeted by the Left for their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman; if the so-called Respect for Marriage Act bill becomes law without substantial protections, courts are likely to interpret the law as a national policy on natural marriage, equating the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman with racism. Furthermore, the bill will supercharge legal attacks by granting a private right of action to almost anyone. Currently, there are no equivalent protections in the bill.
Will you take a moment right now and ask Senator Portman to include the substantial religious liberty protections amendment being offered by Senator Mike Lee?
A cloture vote, requiring 60 votes, is set for Monday evening. Senator Portman and 11 other Republican senators voted to advance this bill last week; if he and just two others withhold their vote for cloture Monday, they can force Democrats to add strong religious liberty protections to the bill. But he needs to hear from you.
- This call to action was provided by the Family Research Council. The Ohio Christian Alliance is working with the FRC to defeat HR 8404 which will dismantle the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and codify same-sex marriage into law, presenting serious threats to religious liberty for individuals, churches, and religious organizations. Tune in Tuesday to News in Focus 1220 AM Salem/Cleveland as we discuss the issue with FRC Midwest Representative Tim Throckmorton.
Here is what happened earlier this month on this bill in the U.S. Senate
The following is from Quena Gonzalez of the Family Research Council
From: Quena Gonzalez
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2022 6:13 PM
To: Chris Long
Subject: Senator Portman voted to advance same-sex marriage. Tell him to vote FOR this strong religious liberty amendment!
Dear Mr. Long,
On Wednesday, November 16, Senator Portman and 11 other Senate Republicans voted to advance the marriage redefinition bill past a crucial procedural vote, but despite the bill’s clearing that vote, all is not lost. An amendment is being offered to protect adoption and foster-care providers, thousands of religious organizations, and millions of everyday Americans from federal harassment, legal liability, and loss of tax-exempt status for their belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Click HERE to tell Senator Portman to support a CRITICAL religious liberty amendment to the bill!
As we’ve previously warned, the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act will go much further than Obergefell by supercharging the ongoing lawsuits against people of faith who still believe in natural marriage.
Fortunately, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is introducing an amendment that would help curb the dangers of the bill in its current form. Tell Senator Portman that you want him to insist that Senator Lee’s amendment is adopted!
Your calls are needed today to defend religious liberty. Click on the links and make the calls. The vote is scheduled for Monday evening.
A statement from the Ohio Christian Alliance concerning the Texas elections case before the U.S. Supreme Court
The Ohio Christian Alliance fully supports the Texas elections case currently before the U. S. Supreme Court. Ohioans turned out in historic numbers to vote in this year's Presidential Election. President Trump carried the state by eight percentage points. Ohio, for the last 60 years, has been a bellwether state; if you win Ohio, you win the Presidency. Ohioans watched closely as the returns came in on November 3rd and into the early morning hours of November 4th, only to witness an unprecedented shift in vote tallies in key battleground states, switching from President Trump to Mr. Biden. As the days and weeks went by with reports of widespread voter fraud and election fraud by hundreds of eyewitnesses, it became apparent that something went terribly wrong with this year's Presidential Election.
The voters of Ohio feel violated and disenfranchised by having their votes for President negated by the fraud that took place in other states. Watching state after state conduct hearings with sworn statements from eyewitnesses who attest, not just to voter fraud, but to election fraud in their states, Ohioans became concerned about the validity of the election. Many wondered what this would mean for future elections. If massive fraud was being allowed in other states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin by not policing voter integrity, what would it mean for all future national elections? Many expressed that they had lost confidence in elections and wondered if they would bother voting in the future. This election has undoubtedly cast a dark shadow in the minds of many over voter confidence.
We are also saddened to see the courts in other states not take this matter of voter integrity seriously. Because many voters feel disenfranchised, we urge the U.S Supreme Court to review this complaint with Constitutional integrity and prudence, as it will undoubtedly affect millions who believe in one person one vote! We are heartened by the 18 other State Attorney Generals who have joined this lawsuit. We will be praying for the Court’s decision!
Medina, OH - Concerned Citizens of Medina City today submitted a protest appeal to the Medina County Board of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State regarding the Medina City Ordinance 112-19 that was passed by Medina City Council on July 8, 2019. This ordinance is an LGBTQ comprehensive special rights ordinance. Citizens in the community of Medina had expressed concerns about the comprehensive nature of the ordinance before Medina City Council passed it.
Citizen volunteers with assistance of the Ohio Christian Alliance circulated a referendum petition to place the measure on the ballot. 1,173 signatures were gathered in just fourteen days. On July 31st, the citizens committee submitted the referendum petition in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code to City Finance Director Keith Durham. Mr. Durham held the petitions for ten days before submitting them to the Medina County Board of Elections for review. On August 12th the Board of Elections reported that they had invalidated 234 of the signatures. 983 signatures were needed to place the measure on the ballot. The Board determined that the referendum petition committee had 939 good signatures, 44 signatures short of what was needed.
The Ohio Christian Alliance made a public records request from the Medina County BOE and began a review with its attorneys of the Board’s findings. The Medina County Board of Elections officials had invalidated 59 signatures for what they called “non-matching signature.” In other words, these are registered voters in the City of Medina about whom the Board of Elections officials made a judgement call by stating that their signatures did not match what the Board had on file. The Concerned Citizens of Medina City Committee and its volunteers informed the petition signers whose signatures were rejected that the Board had invalidated their signatures for what they termed “non-matching”. These citizens were more than eager to sign sworn affidavits attesting to their identity, and that they had indeed signed the referendum petition and wanted it on the ballot.
This material proof has been submitted as testament that these signatures were valid and that these petition signers wrongfully had their signatures invalidated by the Board’s review. We are confident that upon further review, the referendum effort will be certified for the November 2020 ballot. It is important that the people’s right of referendum be upheld.
The Medina County Board of Elections on Monday reported to Medina City Finance Director Keith Dirham that the referendum petition effort on Ordinance 112-19, the LGBTQ Special Rights Ordinance, had fallen short of the signatures needed. However, OCA and its attorneys see discrepancies in the initial report. The Board invalidated 260 of the 1,173 signatures submitted. OCA President Chris Long made the following statement, “Today we officially made public records request for the complete report of the signature review by the Medina County Board of Elections. There are a number of questions concerning the initial report. We believe that upon further review enough signatures will be validated to place the measure on the ballot in November 2020. The Concerned Citizens of Medina City, along with the Ohio Christian Alliance and their attorneys will review and challenge the Board’s findings on the signatures they invalidated. We are confident that we will have enough signatures to be on the fall ballot of 2020. The residents of the City of Medina who are concerned about this new ordinance have a right to have their voices heard at the ballot box. We will fight for their right of representative government and for them to have their opportunity to vote. We are only 44 signatures away from certification for the referendum to be on the ballot. We are confident that the court will validate enough signatures for the referendum to be on the ballot and let the people decide.”
Government Accountability and Oversight Committee Passes HCR 10
Today, members of the Ohio Legislature took a positive step forward, pushing back against anti-Semitism by passing out of committee HCR 10, the resolution to condemn the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel and to condemn increasing incidents of anti-Semitism on Ohio college campuses.
OCA President Chris Long stated, "The Ohio Christian Alliance is pleased to lend its support to this resolution that Representatives Andy Thompson and David Greenspan, along with 25 other co-sponsors, have signed on to.
FDR’s D-Day Landing Prayer Act in observance of the anniversary is read on the U.S. Senate floor by Senators Rob Portman and Co-Sponsor Joseph Lieberman.
Founding of America Documents Bill Passes Ohio House and Senate in a Concurrence Vote and is Sent to Governor Kasich for His Signature
The Ohio Christian Alliance celebrates the passage of S.B. 165 in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate today. This legislation entitled “The Founding of America Documents Bill” will strengthen the language currently in the Ohio Revised Code pertaining to the American History and Government curriculum to include The Declaration of Independence, The Northwest Ordinance, The Constitution of the United States with emphasis on The Bill of Rights, The Ohio Constitution, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers.
