Senate prayer upsets some people

This interesting prayer was given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate on Jan. 23, 1996.

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. 

“We know Your Word says: ‘Woe to those who call evil good’, but that is exactly what we have done.

“We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

“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 alternative lifestyle.

“We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

“We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

“We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

“We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

“We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

“We have abused power and called it politics.

“We have embezzled public funds and called it essential expenses.

“We have institutionalized bribery and called it sweets of office.

“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, Oh GOD, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.  

The church received international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.