We, the Pastors of the city of Wichita and Elders in the gates of our city and of our nation, do hereby declare on this 16th day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand and one, that all children, from conception forward, are human beings. They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
In regard to these children, our government has been in rebellion against the Law of Almighty God since January 22, 1973. Our Supreme Court of the United States of America, declared that children in their mother's wombs were not fully human and therefore were not entitled to the full protection of the laws of our land. Because of this open rebellion and blatant disregard for the Law of God and for life, our nation is suffering under the remedial judgments of God Himself. Blood is coursing down the corridors of our schools, work places, and streets. Because we have not hated bloodshed, bloodshed is now pursuing us (Ezekiel 35:6).
We, the Pastors of the city of Wichita, do hereby this day hold the Supreme Court of the United States of America in contempt of the court of Almighty God. We hold it in contempt of the lives of the children it was sworn to protect. We hold it in contempt of the Court before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
By virtue of the power and authority vested in us as Pastors and Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ, we declare that the lives of all children (born and unborn) are sacred to God and worthy of defense. We with one voice decree, the unborn child shall now and forever more be set free to live in America. They shall be welcomed in life and protected by law. Upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, we invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
We enjoin our brothers and sisters in Wichita to join us in this noble endeavor to speak for those children who cannot speak for themselves.
Done in the city of Wichita, this 16th day of July, in the year of our Lord, two thousand and one.
Signature X____________________________________________________________
Print out, sign, and fill out the information below, then mail to
Operation Save America--Wichita - PO Box 497 - Kechi, KS 67067
Print Your Name______________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________ City, ST_______________________________________________Zip_____________ Email_____________________________________Phone________________________
It is imperative you understand your signing of this Proclamation carries with it your responsibility to continue with your prayers, your physical presence, your vocal witness to support, protect, and uphold the rights of the unborn until they obtain the same rights and protection you and I have under God's law and the Constitution of the United States of America.
Lincoln wrote shortly before his assassination: "On many a defeated field there was a voice louder than the thundering of a cannon. It was the voice of God, crying, 'Let My people go.' We were all very slow in realizing it was God's voice, but after many humiliating defeats, the nation came to believe it as a great and solemn command. Great multitudes begged and prayed that I might answer God's voice by signing the Emancipation Proclamation, and I did it, believing we never should be successful in the great struggle unless the God of Battles has been on our side."
President Lincoln was seeing God's hand at work in the defeats of the North and the absolute necessity of His blessing upon the battle. In the summer of 1862 the war was not going well for the North. Lincoln realized our country's desperate need for God's divine aid. Pastors and Christian abolitionists had long been urging him to free all slaves but he was reluctant. Finally, after the Union victory in the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862, President Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation. On January 1, 1863, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
For the first time in American history there was now open and public repentance of the national sin of slavery. It was a sin that plagued our nation through the years. It was a sin that would not go away and could not be politically resolved! It could only be repented of.
"Between 1861 and 1863, associations of clergymen representing Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Quakers, Congregationalists, United Brethren, missions boards, and YMCA groups all over the North sent 79 official condemnations of slavery to President Lincoln, thanking him for his stand, and urging him to further action. Within a few months' time, 125 remonstrances signed by New England clergymen alone poured into Congress. One memorable protest concerning the extension of slavery in the territories was signed by 3,050 New England clergymen and was 200 feet long."
Senator Charles Sumner thanked the ministers, saying, "In the days of the Revolution, John Adams, yearning for independence, said, 'Let the pulpits thunder against oppression,' and the pulpits thundered. The time has come for them to thunder again."
Senator Sumner, of course, was talking about slavery in America. The pulpits of our country did thunder against the sin of slavery. Today, the time has come for them to thunder a third time! This time it is against the slaughter of the innocents.
A religious periodical of the day reported concerning the Civil War: "It became the general [consensus] that we were passing through an ordeal of purification rather than destruction. A profound moral feeling began to pervade the sorrow-stricken mind of the country. Good men betook themselves to importunate prayer. Public fasts were observed; religious assemblies were held in behalf of the country. Almost every pulpit discussed public affairs from a religious standpoint; ... and millions of devout men and women mourned in their closets of devotion over the national sins and perils ... The religious spirit of the nation, instead of decaying, is daily making men's hearts more reverent, more humble, more courageous, and more worthy of our first national heritage of liberty, which God is now a second time purifying by fire!"
Even Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, could not compromise away the national sin of slavery. There was no "common ground" between those who opposed slavery and those who were for it. God had caused our nation to deal with this sin through a Civil War. Virtually all of our Founding Fathers believed slavery to be an evil that must be done away with, yet would not deal with it because of their desire to present a united front against England. The sin of American slavery was with us from the beginning but we kept sweeping it under the rug hoping it would go away. It would not go away. God would never allow it!
It was not until the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring our black brothers and sisters fully human and free, that the spiritual battle was won and the chains of this national sin were broken over our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). The spiritual battle having been won, it now began to manifest itself in the physical. It was at the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation that the war began to turn for the North.
From the Presidential signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on, sympathy with the Confederacy was identified as support for slavery. Both England and France, whose governments were friendly to the Confederacy, had such strong anti-slavery sentiment that it precluded their intervening on behalf of the Confederacy.
Upon this national act of repentance, God's hand was free to move and bring healing to our torn nation, but not without much bloodshed. That Lincoln realized the Civil War was a judgment from the hand of Almighty God over the sin of slavery was evident in his Second Inaugural Address. "Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills it to continue until all the wealth piled up by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
An awesome example of God's explicit judgment for all of those who compromise is revealed by the aftermath of the war. One state had its cities and land devastated more than any other - Georgia. For every wound laid on the back of a slave, God used General Sherman to lay a stripe down the middle of the state. Another result of the war was major division in religious bodies. The three denominations who suffered the worst splits were those who held the most slaves - the Presbyterians, the Methodists, and the Baptists. Such is the curse of compromise. Why was the North losing all the battles in the beginning of the war? Because God induced the greatest generals to fight for the South!
The Civil War was God's judgment upon America for her sin. The sin of enslaving our black brothers and sisters almost prevented the Constitutional Convention from continuing. It was swept under the rug for a time but God was not silent in speaking for those who could not speak for themselves. Our nation ignored all of His warnings, signs, and judgments until our nation was torn in two. Because He loved us yet hated our sin, He brought us through the refiner's fire of the Civil War that we might see His face again, that we might hear His voice again and return to Him (Amos 4:6-13).
Today, we see the horrifying work of God's hand in the signs and judgments already upon us because of the legalized murder of little children safe in their mother's wombs. Because we did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed is now pursuing us (Ezekiel 35:18). It is a sin that will not go away! There is no compromise that will resolve this issue. There is only the repentance of God's people. It is the repentance of God's people that will cause Him to hear, forgive our sin, and heal our land.
The pulpits of this land must thunder again, speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. It is time for us to sign the Emancipation Proclamation for the unborn children of our land, knowing that it is the gracious and merciful hand of the Heavenly Father calling us to return to Him (Rev 3:19-20). He is purifying us yet a third time by fire.
Wichita Pastors take the Emancipation Proclamation for Unborn Children to the gates of City government
On Friday morning, July 20, 2001 hundreds of Christians gathered at the gates of City government in Wichita. Also there was a group Wichita pastors to speak to our city officials in the stead of those thousands of voiceless children murdered in our city each year who cannot speak for themselves.
Two large trucks showing the hard truth of the sin of abortion, a word that only takes on meaning when we view the unthinkable horror of the dismembered bodies of innocent babies, drove around the City building and downtown. The graphic photos of what even 18-month old children recognize as a baby, scream out what words alone can never do. The glass building was surrounded by Christians holding panels facing in toward the building with pictures of babies murdered in the American holocaust through the sin of abortion.
The PA system was used to address the crowd and the city as we worshipped Jesus Christ as Savior to all, the Lord of heaven and earth. The Rev. Flip Benham then addressed the city of Wichita. It takes a village to kill a child, it takes a nation to murder 44 million. Their blood, like the blood of Abel cries out from the ground to God for vengeance. (Genesis 4:10,11; Revelation 6:10) "But we are persuaded by God, the Judge of all, the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant whose blood of sprinkling speaks better things than that of Abel." Hebrews 12:23,24 And it is because of the blood of Jesus, we may now repent of our sin, and we come to speak to the Mayor of Wichita who is a Christian that professes to be pro-life. As the Pastors and Elders in the Church of Jesus Christ in Wichita, we are here to draw a line in the sand. "If God is God, then serve Him. If Baal is god, then serve him, and go to hell. Let us pray." Those are not our words, but the words of the U.S. Senate Chaplain, the late Dr. Peter Marshall, spoken on the floor of the United States Senate in the 1940s.
Then, the Emancipation Proclamation for the Unborn Children, that was first signed on July 16, in the year of our Lord 2001, was read. Then I [Pastor Steve Mashburn] was requested and honored with the privilege to lead my fellow Wichita and area pastors in to ask Mayor Bob Knight, City Manager Chris Cherches, and Police Chief Norman Williams to sign the Proclamation. We were told, "The Mayor is out of town on official business." Pastor Daniel Thompson then read the Proclamation to the Mayor's staff and invited them each to sign it as well as fax a copy to Mayor Knight. Visiting the City Manager's office, we were informed that he, too, "was out of town on official business." Like the Mayor's office, the favor of Almighty God was with us and we were allowed to read the Proclamation to all in the office.
On our way to the office of Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams, we began wondering who was running the city. Yet we pressed on, and inside the office of the Chief of Police, we waited while they checked to see if he was in. We were informed that "he was around the building somewhere outside floating." Asking if they could contact him and "is there a time we could meet with him before noon" so we could give an answer to 800 Christians waiting on us, the lady said, "No, I'm sorry. He is floating and we don't know where he is." We were granted permission to read the Proclamation to his office staff also, and invited them to sign it.
Copies of the Proclamation were left for each of these three City officials to read and hopefully sign and take a stand. If not, they will have taken a stand. There is no middle ground. As local pastors, we will continue to follow up and urge these men to take an important spiritual stand for the Emancipation of all Unborn Children. It was we, the Wichita pastors who aided Bob Knight in every election campaign he has run for as Mayor. We supported him and on our personal time (separate from our official capacities), worked in campaigning for him. Hundreds of copies of the Proclamation were handed out as it was presented to the public on Friday.
Mike Taylor, spokesman for the City of Wichita, told KSNW TV 3 News that, "Abortion is not an issue that city government anywhere in the country can do anything about. They can't ban it, they can't legislate it beyond the authority of local government. So while they're welcome to talk to city leaders all they want, there's not much city council can do."
Mike Taylor missed the entire point of the Proclamation of 2001. As such, Mr. Taylor is incorrect regarding the City. It is not true that anyone can do nothing. A statement and historical reference to the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation I had faxed to the offices of Wichita Mayor, City Manager, and the Chief of Police clearly points out these facts:
On January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation recognizing the right of our black brothers and sisters to no longer be treated as property but as free citizens, equal before God and man and protected by law. Not one single slave was set free that day nor would there be any set free for more than two years. Tens of thousands of clergymen and civil government leaders across the nation had signed petitions and proclamations for more than two years prior to January 1, 1863. The signing of this Proclamation finally by the President himself freed God's hand to move on hearts to make it a physical reality.
Signing the Emancipation Proclamation is a public statement acknowledging repentance for a national sin and, in obedience to the Constitution and the Law of God, urging the proper course of action be taken to ensure that all children are welcomed in life and protected by law.
KSNW Afraid to use the terms Emancipation and Unborn Children
We as local Wichita and area pastors, accompanied by several pastors in leadership with the national Operation Save America beg to differ with the City Spokesman, Mike Taylor. There IS something each of these men in City office can do. Speak up! "SEVERAL LOCAL AND NATIONAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS WENT from office to office trying to speak with top city officials." KSNW wrote a story quoting this man who certainly wasn't anywhere around when we sought a spokesman. They had nice ladies waiting to speak with us (knowing we were coming).
The local Pastors were there to ask our Mayor to sign the Emancipation Proclamation for the Unborn Children. The Pastors/national leaders of OSA and OR accompanied us and we entered as a group. This had been announced over the PA system prior to our entering the building and KSNW was present.
Representatives of the City treated us quite differently. The Wichita Police Lieutenant and Captain assigned to watch us came to us afterward and personally thanked us for conducting ourselves in such a peaceful and respectful manner. Reporters were there to witness this but choose not to report it as the local Pastors.
THIS HUGE SILENCEWe could not help but notice the framed glass picture on the wall of the City Manager's office. Several words were at the top with several more at the bottom and artwork of some kind in the large middle portion. The words at the top were: "THIS HUGE SILENCE." It is exactly this silence in these City offices and others across the land that are in large part responsible for the atrocities occurring inside the building at the corner of Kellogg and Bleckley streets. This silence must end just as the silence by the churches must end (and indeed already has ended in some).
We can no less afford to sweep the national sin of abortion into a closet of silence then the founding fathers through the leaders up to Abraham Lincoln could sweep the national sin of slavery away forever. Sin will not go away. It must be dealt with. That abortion is such a controversial is proof that it is indeed a horrible national sin. It is even more controversial because as fallen beings, we tend to like holding on to our sin rather than confessing and forsaking it.
Our nation's leaders in the past, by refusing to deal with the national sin of slavery, cost this nation greatly. By not living up to the high moral principle in the Declaration of Independence-- that all men (mankind) are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights among which are chief, the right LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"-- God resisted the leaders and sent the terrible price of the Civil War upon America. If as Abraham Lincoln stated, that if God wills that the Civil War continue "until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn sword," how much higher the cost will be required of us as we add daily to the sin of murdering 44 million innocent children if we don't stop it soon?
Let us repent as a city, a county, a state, and a nation starting with each one of our own hearts and covenant to be silent no more.
A full-page ad is being taken out in the Sunday Wichita Eagle with the Emancipation Proclamation for the Unborn Children to be read by all. It will feature national Christian leaders such as Dr. Peter Marshall, Dr. D. James Kennedy and others who have signed it as well as Wichita pastors who were on hand Monday, July 16. The ad will encourage all Americans to sign the Proclamation knowing that physical manifestation will not occur overnight but with our eternal vigilance and favor of Almighty God, it will happen. Stand up and watch.
On behalf of the Pastors of Wichita, and our invited guest Pastors with Operation Save America,
Pastor Stephen Mashburn
Outreach Pastor with Christian Family Ministries Church in Wichita"See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." Hebrews 12:25,26
