Remembering the Legacy of Chuck Colson (1931-2012)

Dear Manhattan Declaration Signers, Supporters, and Friends,

 

Just as Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, we who are our Lord’s disciples weep at the death of Chuck Colson, our beloved friend and brother in Christ, who passed away this afternoon. We grieve but not as those who do not know that Christ has conquered death. We mourn the loss of a great leader but we confidently entrust him to Jesus Christ who is our hope in both life and death.

 

Chuck lived the principles of the Manhattan Declaration long before it was drafted. When humbled by his own failings, Chuck was born again in Christ in 1973. Only three years later, he founded Prison Fellowship, a ministry that for more than three decades has fulfilled Christ’s command to remember the incarcerated and share the transforming love of Jesus with them and their families. “I could never, ever have left prison and accomplished what has been accomplished but for God doing it through me,” Chuck said.

 

In 1991 Chuck began broadcasting BreakPoint Radio, educating Christians to understand their faith as both personal trust and public witness, including the support of life, marriage and religious freedom. So he called upon all who have faith in the Lord, and indeed on all men and women of good will, to support the sanctity of life, the culture of marriage, religious freedom and the rights of conscience.

 

And in 2009 the Manhattan Declaration was born in the heart of Chuck Colson. You are among the now more than 525,000 persons who have committed themselves to this statement of conscience. Chuck regarded the Manhattan Declaration as a vital act of Christian obedience at this moment in history when foundational principles of our faith and culture are in jeopardy at home and abroad.

 

The two of us are committed to devoting our lives to carrying forth the vision and advancing the cause to which Chuck gave himself with unstinted vigor. His life stands as a testimony to God’s power to transform culture and make a difference.

Please join us in continuing to pray for Patty and the entire Colson family. While we all deeply feel this loss, we take heart in the welcoming words of Jesus to all who follow his commands and share his love, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

 

Let us celebrate the life of Chuck Colson – a man of integrity, fidelity, and true Christian faith whose legacy inspires us to ever greater devotion to the principles of the Manhattan Declaration.

Robert P. George

Timothy George

 

Same-Sex "Marriage" Trickle Effect

Our friends at the Family Research Council have produced a documentary detailing some of the repercussions that have already begun to arise as a result of so-called same-sex “marriage.” The evidence and the impact that same-sex “marriage” is already having is astounding and shows the dangers it presents to our country and our culture. Watch the trailer for the documentary here and comment on our blog. Particularly chilling is the effect the gay-rights movement has had on our children: to the point where some young kids think that having friends of the same sex is homosexual. You need to talk frankly with your children about this issue. The question isn’t when are they going to learn about so-called same-sex “marriage,” but who is going to be the one to teach them about it?

We at the Manhattan Declaratio would like to thank you again for signing and supporting this vital statement of support life, marriage and religious liberty. Continue to visit ManhattanDeclaration.org to get all your up-to-date news on the sanctity of life, dignity of marriage and religious liberty. And join us at our blog. It's up to us, every one of us, to vigorously defend life, marriage, and religious liberty.

God bless you,

The Manhattan Declaration

Religious Liberties Threatened

It seems that each passing day brings some new assault against our religious freedoms: From teachers being removed from classrooms for expressing opposition to gay "marriage" on their personal time, to the Governor of Kentucky considering forcing a Catholic hospital to perform sterilizations and abortions, to a group of atheists suing for the removal of a cross from the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.

The efforts to marginalize or even silence religious beliefs in our own country have become all too prevalent. Please read the USA Today article that speaks very well to this topic.

Thank you for signing the Manhattan Declaration and for your defense of human life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.

May we be so brave as to stop at nothing to defend religious liberties. Both at home and abroad.

Please visit ManhattanDeclaration.org to get all your up-to-date news on the sanctity of life, dignity of marriage and religious liberty and follow and comment on our blog. Also, discuss the Manhattan Declaration with your friends, ask them if they have signed it, explain to them the importance behind these critical moral issues of today's culture.

Thank you for your part in supporting the Manhattan Declaration. We appreciate your interest and action!

Manhattan Declaration

Prayer in Government; Where does it Belong?

Many of you may be familiar with the recent news of Texas Governor Rick Perry and his call to all state governors as well as President Obama to join him in declaring August 6, 2011 as a Day of Prayer and Fasting. His urge is for our Nation to seek God's guidance and wisdom in addressing the issues facing our communities, states and nation.

A statement on the Governor's website reads:

"Given the trials that beset our nation and world, from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and continued debasement of our culture, I believe it is time to convene the leaders from each of our United States in a day of prayer and fasting, like that described in the book of Joel," Gov. Perry said. "I urge all Americans of faith to pray on that day for the healing of our country, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of enduring values as our guiding force."

Not to let any good deed go unpunished, the Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the governor's proclamation violates the Establishment clause of the US Constitution by showing preference to evangelical Christian religious beliefs; yet another effort to diminish the foundation and culture of which this nation was founded on. Our founding forefathers have opposing reference for the institution of government and religion, and moreover, prayer. George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas McKean and others all made clear that religion was foundational to their leadership and life. It is important now that we as a unified body stand behind this charge to sanctify this August, 6 as one that God will have favor on.

To read more about Governor Rick Perry and the religion of which our country was founded upon, READ HERE! We'd love to hear your comments. Please visit ManhattanDeclaration.org to get all your up-to-date news on the sanctity of life, dignity of marriage and religious liberty.

Thank you for your part in supporting the Manhattan Declaration. We appreciate your interest and action!

Manhattan Declaration

P.S. Please take time to visit us on FACEBOOK and comment on our posts, or post any news you hear about the defense of human life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty!

Dr. T. George brilliantly comparing the Manhattan Declaration and the Barmen Declaration crafted by the confessing Church after Nazis had taken power

What caused the collapse of civilized society in Germany in the 1930s was the abandonment of ethics and the failure of the Church-except for a brave few-to stand for truth. Dr. Timothy George makes the case brilliantly in a half-hour talk comparing the Manhattan Declaration and the Barmen Declaration crafted by the confessing Church after the Nazis had taken power. You'll be struck by the incredible parallels between the documents, which simply underscore the urgency of the moment for Christians to rally behind the orthodox faith and defend the most foundational truths. I urge you to watch Dr. George's presentation from the VALS Conference in March at Colorado Christian University at at http://www.ccu.edu/vals/video/.

In today's morally troubled times, just as in the 1930s, the Church must rise up and stand for Truth and virtue. This is why the Manhattan Declaration was drafted and why now nearly 500,000 people have signed it. But supporting the Manhattan Declaration doesn't stop with just your signature.

We need you to:

1) Share the Manhattan Declaration with your friends and urge them to sign it;

2) Use the Manhattan Declaration to engage in public dialog in a winsome way;

3) Get your local church to teach on the Manhattan Declaration.

Please go to www.manhattandeclaration.org to download resource materials.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this movement!

Dr. Robert George

Dr. Timothy George

Chuck Colson

Pres. Obama will not defend long-standing marriage law

Source: Manhattan Declaration

To all Manhattan Declaration signers:

The decision by Attorney General Holder not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act raises very grave questions.

Justifying his position, he says that in the congressional debate there were "numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate family relationships." He went on to describe this as "animus" (defined by Webster as vehement enmity, hatred, ill will)-violating the Equal Protection Clause.

"Animus" to defend a moral position based on 2,000 years of classical and Christian teaching rooted in reason and scripture?

Holder has embraced the position of Federal Judge Vaughn Walker in California that opposing so-called gay marriage can be "harmful to gays and lesbians." But this is like claiming that opposition to polygamy is harmful to polygamists or that laws defining marriage as the union of two people harm those who prefer to live in what are called sexual "triads" or "quadrads." Our historic marriage laws harm nobody--they serve husbands, wives, children, and the common good of society.

If the expression of our deepest convictions is treated as animus, our religious liberty is in peril. We cannot fail to speak the truth even if it is labeled hate speech.

This is exactly why we wrote the Manhattan Declaration, pledging that we would under no circumstances render to Caesar what belongs to God.

Though the circumstances are not comparable, the issue is the same one Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced. Bonhoeffer's example is well known. But another compelling illustration is Martin Niemoller. Timothy George has given a brilliant, brief meditation on Niemoller, who had the courage to defy Hitler to his face. We strongly urge that you view this by CLICKING HERE or the video box below. It is an extremely powerful story--and sad to say, increasingly timely.

The ACLU has already hailed Holder's decision as "the tipping point in the gay rights movement." Sadly, that may well be the case unless we speak out loudly and quickly.

Please forward this email to your friends asking them to sign the Manhattan Declaration. It's never been more important that we take a strong and united stand.

Chuck Colson, The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Dr. Robert George, Princeton University

Manhattan Declaration: Is Civil Disobedience Next?

Dear Friends:

Three weeks ago we sent you an email encouraging you to view a brief video by Chuck Colson about the latest threat to our religious liberty - the effort to limit "freedom of religion" to "freedom of worship."

Over 180,000 of you viewed that video - and many of you have continued to come back to ManhattanDeclaration.org to look for updates. That's why we'd like to share another brief video with you, this one by Dr. Timothy George, who discusses the implications-and increasing likelihood-of civil disobedience. . . You can click on this link to watch the video.

Please take the few minutes to watch this video, forward this email or the link on to your friends, consider what it means to you, and be in prayer for our nation as we wrestle with these key issues.

In addition to staying informed, you can also help defend the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty by financially supporting the efforts of the Manhattan Declaration. To date the Manhattan Declaration has operated on a shoestring budget and donations of time and money from a handful of friends - some ministries and organizations and some of you from around the country. And although we are seeing a tremendous response from people to the emails, updates, and information on the website, we could use your help to cover the expenses related to these efforts. So we are asking you to please consider giving a small gift today. You can donate now by clicking here.

So watch the video, stay informed about the issues, be prepared to share the information with your family and friends, blog and write letters, and pray and support this effort. We're going to increase our frequency of communication with you over the next few months, so check the website often, and watch your email for future updates.

Sincerely,

Chuck Colson
Robert George
Timothy George

The Manhattan Declaration is a non-partisan statement of conscience in defense of human life, traditional marriage and religious freedom.