Gerry Stoltzfoos made headlines recently when the Pennsylvania House refused to let him pray using Jesus' name. Rather than edit his prayer, Stoltzfoos pulled out.
"If you pray to no God, it's like a letter not being addressed to anyone," he told the AP.
The state Senate stepped in and invited Stoltzfoos to pray there instead, which he did Wednesday morning.
Check out a draft of his prayer here. Read an entry on the Pentecostal pastor's blog about the media attention the experience attracted. Read more at the jump.
An excerpt:
Most interviewers are surprised when I say that yes, I do believe that I should be allowed constitutionally, to pray using the name of Jesus, but I also think other faiths should be allowed to open in prayer. I have no problem with a Muslim, or Buddhist, or Jew, to open the State House in prayer using the name of their god.
I would guess that many Christians disagree with this, and somehow believe that we should disallow all other faith from being expressed. But as I understand it, the Founders believed that the gospel of Jesus Christ as so strong, that Christians have nothing to fear from other faith being expressed. Our faith and out God, are not cowed by what other people believe, or the utterance of the names of their god. But while they pray to Allah, or some other god, we will fervently pray to our Father in the name of Jesus, as we were instructed to do.Already the policy has been changed in the State House. From now on, pastors will not be asked to submit the text of their prayers before they pray them, ostensibly opening it up to any and all prayer. So progress has been made!
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