Details to Second 'Battle for Marriage' Simulcast Announced

By Katherine T. Phan, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, June 26, 2004

The second "Battle for Marriage" simulcast will be broadcasted live on Sunday evening, July 11, from Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Family Research Council (FRC) who is co-hosting the event along with the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in association with Focus on the Family (FOTF), National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and SkyAngel.

"Battle for Marriage: Imminent Vote"will also coincide with the date for "Marriage Protection Sunday," another pro-family effort to rally support for the Federal Marriage Amendment which asks churches to preach on the issue and encourage its members to urge Senators to vote in favor of protecting traditional marriage by contacting them on "Call Your Senator Day," July 12.

The two events have been scheduled before the Senate convenes to vote on the FMA, possibly on July 15.

Speakers for the simulcast will include pastor of Bellevue Baptist Dr. Adrian Rogers, FOTF's Dr. James Dobson of Focus, Prison Fellowship Ministries' Chuck Colson, and FRC's Tony Perkins. The organizer of the pro-traditional marriage Seattle rally, attended by 20,000 people, Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church, will also be joining the event.

Dobson, who recently authored a book on same-sex marriage, "Marriage Under Fire: Why We Must Win This Battle," gave some disturbing ramifications if the battle for protecting traditional marriage is not won in an editorial published on the Baptist Press on June 26.

He writes, "Homosexual lifestyle will gain universal acceptance; anyone daring to speak out against it, including the church, will be silenced and even penalized; Scripture will be utterly rejected as a relevant guide to behavior; laws forbidding pedophilia and polygamy will be overturned; the public schools will be forced to teach our children that homosexuality is a viable lifestyle; and more and more special rights will be offered to anyone claiming homosexual tendencies."

"This is a critical juncture for our nation," Dobson continued in the editorial, "We cannot choose to sit on the sidelines this time. The God-ordained institution of the family is hanging in the balance, and if we fail to rescue it, there will be no turning back."

The same sponsors for this simulcast will also be hosting two more events as part of the "We Vote Values" campaign, which supports any initiative, organization, or individual that will champion biblical values through legal or legislative means. "Reconnecting God & Government" will take place on August 29 and "Every Vote Counts" will air on October 24. Potential event speakers will include Dr. Richard Land and Dr. Albert Mohler of SBC, Ted Haggard of NAE, among others.

Churches can participate in the simulcast via satellite TV, webcast and radio. For more information, visit the event's Web site: wevotevalues.com or call 800-225-4008.