I have a lot of respect for Chuck Colson, who is in the hospital with a serious condition, in need of our prayers. I appreciate his involvement in helping the Christian community develop a godly worldview by keeping us informed about timely issues facing our nation. Before his hospitalization, Chuck sent this to the signers of the Manhattan Declaration, including me:
Any paper you pick up or TV show you turn on will talk about the “contraception controversy.”
That’s how the media and the “reproductive rights” crowd have framed the Obama Administration’s outrageous demand that religious organizations violate the tenets of their faith by offering insurance to their employees that covers abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization.
But all you ever hear from newsmen or politicians is that this is all about contraception. And sadly, according to the polls anyway, they’ve been successful in shaping the argument.
Friends, this controversy is NOT about contraception. It is about the ability of the government to limit the free exercise of our religion. This is a religious liberty question.
I’ve gone out of my way in conversations with people to straighten them out on this, and it immediately changes their point of view. What’s really at stake here is whether the executive branch of the government can enforce administrative orders that violate the Constitution and trample upon the Bill of Rights.
If Christians are to do anything in the public square today, it is to raise the rallying cry of freedom. Remember freedom is the created condition of humans made in the image of God, who Himself is free. This is being taken away from us right under our noses.
You are one of the 525,000 people who have signed the Manhattan Declaration. If you and every single signer would explain this issue in simple terms to your neighbors, we would turn the polls around. This is a winning issue for us, but only if we do not allow the other side to frame the debate.
Please, talk to your friends. Visit the Manhattan Declaration website to read more about the issue. We’ve even posted a couple of my BreakPoint commentaries that deal with this.
The case is simple; it is not about contraception. It is about religious liberty, the first of all our freedoms. God bless you!
Yours and His service,
Chuck Colson
