Alabama Pastor's 'Decree for America' Gaining National Attention
A "Decree for America" written initially by a pastor wanting to simply add his response in opposition to this year's DNC platform to his own prayer journal is beginning to gain momentum in terms of support and online signatures after going public recently.
Aaron Fruh, senior pastor of Knollwood Church in Mobile, Ala., and weekly guest commentator on American Family Radio's "Nothing But Truth with Crane Durham," told The Christian Post on Tuesday that he decided to write the decree after reading "some very egregious things about Israel" along with other items from the DNC platform that upset him.
"On Tuesday, September 4th, 2012, a shameful and defiant event occurred in Charlotte, North Carolina," a statement on the rationale for the Decree for America reads. "Many Americans are unaware of the depth of evil injustice unleashed upon their country on this day. A written decree was ratified by majority vote that calls for taxpayer funded murder of innocent children on demand, the dissolving of the biblical definition of marriage and family, and the removal of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, delegitimizing the state of Israel."
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Fruh explains, "After the Democratic platform was read and ratified, I really sensed that I should write a decree just for my own personal prayer life. They removed a lot of language from the platform in 2008 and they added same-sex marriage, changing marriage laws [support of same-sex marriage] and also tax-payer funded abortions, which all of us, not just the Catholic church, we'll all be faced with the issue of having to pay for someone else's abortion."
As author of the book, Decree of Esther, Fruh said that writing down a faith proclamation was "rooted" in him. In the Bible's book of Esther, it documents how she wrote a decree that superseded Haman's decree.
During the process of writing his decree, he told a friend and member of his church, ESPN college football commentator Mike Gottfried, about his personal project. Gottfried recommended that the decree go "beyond (Fruh's) office" and he began asking others to join in the project.
Mobile University President Dr. Mark Foley along with author and Rabbi Aryeh Spero joined Fruh to write the complete "Decree for America" as it appears online. The core group of decree supporters, who Fruh says has no political affiliation, now includes 20 people.
In addition to the core group, Decree for America is supported by multiple national faith-based organizations, including Team Focus, Faith2Action, Focus on the Family, and Caucus for America.
"We're not really political. We are not decreeing that the Republicans win and the Democrats lose. We're decreeing that these [biblical] laws will not change," he said.
The Decree for America as seen at DecreeForAmerica.com reads:
We, the people of the United States of America, with heartfelt conviction and respect for our Constitution, do humbly submit this Decree for America.
I. LIFE. We decree that human life possesses intrinsic dignity from the moment of conception until death. We decree that life begins at conception, and a baby in the womb is a living soul. We refute the culture of death established by Roe v. Wade and the expansion of such culture by current laws that legalize abortion on demand, in any stage of pregnancy. We further refute the implication that all Americans be required to invest their tax dollars in the slaughter of unborn children. Furthermore, we refute the ideology that encourages euthanasia, thereby erasing those who have been deemed to have lives "not worth living." We decree that God has entrusted us as His guardians and agents to protect life.
II. FAMILY. We decree that marriage is between a man and a woman exclusively. We proclaim and decree that marriage laws in America will always adhere to the biblical worldview that marriage is a holy covenant before God between a man and a woman committed to lifelong fidelity and purity. As people of faith, we refute the movement to redefine marriage as simply a romantic relationship between people, and we refute maneuvers to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. Marriage is a monogamous relationship with a core value of procreation. We support the first commandment in the Bible given to a husband and wife that they should produce fruit through bearing and raising children. We decree that marriage laws in America will not include unions other than those between a man and a woman.
III. AN UNDIVIDED ISRAEL. We decree that the land of Israel shall not be divided. Out of heartfelt conviction we passionately support the Jewish state of Israel and see in it God's promise and fulfillment of the covenant between the Jewish people and the land itself. We proclaim that Jerusalem has always been the holy and anointed spot of Jewish history, and we declare it will always be the indivisible capital of Israel. We decree that never again shall the Jewish people forfeit their land and their city.
We decree that we cannot support a so-called "right of return" by Arabs into Israel, designed to demographically denude Israel as a Jewish state and culturally and religiously transform it from a free society into one under Sharia and absolutist control. To ensure Jerusalem's survival we strongly, without equivocation, endorse a policy that leaves Israel in a stronger military position against her manifold surrounding enemies. As with our forebears, we remain biblical Zionists who recognize the merit of being participants of Israel's ingathering of her exiles and the rebirth of the biblical land.
In addition to asking for signatures, the group is asking church leaders nationwide to set aside time in their services on Sunday, Nov. 4th, to read the Decree for America.
In a Twitter post sent Tuesday by Saddleback Church's founding pastor Rick Warren, who is not affiliated with the decree, he tweeted: "BOTH Dem and Rep Christians should see these 2 short videos: [links to Decree for America website]"
On the Web: http://decreeforamerica.com/
