Cross-posted from the new FRCBlog.com.

Pastor Lusk just kicked off JS3 after being greeted by his congregation by an enthusiastic standing ovation -- Now they are standing for Tony after Pastor Lusk gave said he had recently been here and "set our souls on fire" from the pulpit.

Senator Santorum -- no better place than Philly to talk about liberty. Freedom is at risk because of liberal activist judges on the Supreme Court. Must confirm Judge Alito. . .but Democrats on the judiciary committee are poised to drag the hearings into the gutter. This is our generation's watch.

Alveda King began by singing and then again concluded by leading the audience in "We Shall Overcome."

Pastor Lusk now speaking. . . .Psalms says: if the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do. Hosting this event has been interesting. "I've been called everyting but the child of God." Sell-out, Uncle Tom, a maverick to the black church.

Pro -life? Then I'm a maverick.

If being a maverick means supporting the original intent of God Almighty to have a husband and a wife.
Then I want you to mark right next to my name: Herbert Lusk II -- maverick.

The foundations are being tampered with. 55 of the original signers of our Constitution were men of God. Like never before: hostility against the people of God.

I may not speak for all Black people; but there's some Black folk I speak for (standing o again) We will not go down lightly.

Looking at this thing, maybe we ought to just wave the white flag --

The audience: No!

Maybe we out to cry uncle --

No!

The fact of the matter is the foundations will not be destroyed because Jesus said: upon this rock I will build my church.

First of all: be careful how you fool around with the church.

Dr. Dobson up now: "You folks have got my blood going!"

Let me enter into a dialogue with you: do you believe school children should be able to read the Bible in school?

YES!

Pray in school? At Graduation? At sporting events?

YES!

Do you resent that the courts have made that impossible?

YES!

Do you believe that every child should be protected and welcomed into this world and given a chance at life?

YES!

Dr. Dobson now saying he believes Judge Alito will be an originalist -- the Democrats planning to try to defeat him. "I urge you to contact your Senators and tell them two things --1) Do not filibuster

DO NOT FILIBUSTER!

and 2) give him the courtesy of an up or down vote.

Dr. Falwell now speaking.

I've never looked on abortion and family values as a political issue -- these are moral issues. If the church is not going to speak about those issues, then what are they going to speak about?

Everybody has two US Senators -- if you don't know who they are, you ought to repent first (laughter), then call them and urge them to confirm Judge Alito.

There could be a reconstruction of the United States Supreme Court in our lifetime. What a wonderful thing that would be.

Tony now speaking. I want to challenge you to pray.

We need to be praying for our nation, for those in authority: we need to pray for those who curse us. Let's pray for those who say we shouldn't be here; who want to take away your voice.

Psalm 122 instructs us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Asks everyone to go to www.frc.org and sign up for the Prayer Team -- and commit to praying intently for our nation for the next 21 days.

And sign up for the Washington Update.

After you pray, get up from your knees, and take action.

People are saying we are intolerant: what are they talking about? We're the country people are coming to to worship as they want to!

Abortion isn't a white man's issue.

Don't spit in my face and call it rain.

Stand up now and be the people God has called you to be. This is our time.

Tony said that we couldn't end without doing what we are calling people to do: to pray. Now a large group of pastors -- both Black pastors and White pastors gathered together at the altar, leading the congregation in prayer. It's quite a sight.

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Picture Credit: The Dude
It's morning in Philadelphia, and we're getting ready for Justice Sunday 3.

There's still time to sign-up to view the simulcast -- details about the event and how to watch are at JusticeSunday.com!

I'll be blogging the event here all weekend, as well as at FRC's brand new blog: FRCBlog.com. You'll be able to find other blogger coverage at Captain's Quarters, Mind and Media, LaShawn Barber's Corner and RightwingSparkle.

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More Info Here

Justice Sunday III is coming to Philadelphia on January 8th, the night before the Alito hearings are scheduled to begin on the 9th.

And Planned Parenthood will be there, too.

Here's the email they've sent out to their Pennsylvania affiliates:

On Sunday, January 8th, a coalition of right-wing activists will gather in Philadelphia for the third in a series of "Justice Sunday" events sponsored by organizations and individuals such as Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council and Jerry Falwell himself. The event is timed to coincide with the start Judiciary Committee hearings for Samuel Alito and to exert influence over the actions of Senator Arlen Specter in that process.

For those who are not familiar with Justice Sunday, the events have become a permanent fixture of the religious right's effort to inject religion into the debate over the selection and confirmation of federal judges. Broadcast through Christian radio and television, Justice Sunday III: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" urges Christian Americans to support conservative judicial nominees through activism and prayer.

Planned Parenthood affiliates and a statewide judicial coalition are in the planning stages for Philadelphia activities preceding Justice Sunday III. Justice Sunday III starts at 7:00pm, and our event will take place in the afternoon beforehand. Please mark your calendars for Sunday, January 8th and we'll keep you posted as our plans solidify!!

And here's another email alert from Liberal Oasis:

If there isn't already a splashy Stop Alito grassroots action being planned, in advance of the hearings, I would suggest slapping one together is worth doing. Granted, events often can be not worth the time and effort that goes into them, but we can't let Justice Sunday give the impression that Alito has grassroots momentum going into the hearins.

Should be interesting. I'll be blogging Justice Sunday again, here -- and also on a new FRC blog that will debut in the New Year. Blogger's Row for Justice Sunday 3 includes Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters, La Shawn Barber, Stacy Harp of Mind and Media and Rightwingsparkle, of the Cotillion. So stay tuned.

SPECIAL NOTE TO BLOGGERS NEAR PHILADELPHIA: If you are interested in attending Justice Sunday and would like press credentials as a blogger to join Blogger Row, CONTACT ME.

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Trey Jackson has video up of an interview with Bishop Harry Jackson:

If we get 16% [of the black vote], you can destabilize the Democratic party on a national basis.

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Final leg of our trip home tonight. . . headed to ABC News Now tomorrow afternoontoday. Hit time is 1:35 -- I'll be talking about Justice Sunday with Mark Halperin and Chris Cuomo. Probably with a liberal blogger.

Thursday morning UPDATE: The debate will be with Elliot Mincberg, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Legal Director of People for the American Way. Streaming video is available from ABC online.

Here is PFAW's reaction to Justice Sunday.

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On the same night, two stories of a search for God. Two different endings. . .

I spent a long time tonight talking with a man who was at Justice Sunday as part of a documentary he is working on chronicling his "search for God." He kept returning to the theme of "tolerance" -- or actually the "intolerance" of insisting that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. We had a lengthy, somewhat tortured, fairly theological discussion, straying pretty far afield from judicial politics.

I surprised myself by tearing up a little right at the end when he looked at me directly and said, "Well, how do you know that God exists?" And I started trying to formulate an answer that could adequately convey my own experience of how truly, and personally, real God makes Himself when you do trust Him. . . but the problem is that you really can't fully express it. The answer only makes sense this side of the Leap of Faith.

I know God exists because He makes Himself real to me. And that is profoundly humbling. I believe God speaks to each individual person in a way that makes sense particularly and uniquely to them.

My interviewer finally walked away, probably as much of a skeptic as he was when we began, convinced that he can define truth for himself. Without bowing to the Truth.

But tonight, Beth Woodfin told me of another skeptic who did have the courage to make the Leap. . . and found the answer she longed for. I wrote just on Saturday about fellow blogger (and Cotillion babe) Denita Two Dragon's beautiful post about praying with her son and her own quest for God. But later that very day, Denita put up another eloquent post about coming to faith:

And so it was that a few minutes to midnight on the night of August 7th, I converted to Christianity. I did so in a disheveled studio while IMing a good friend, with my hair unwashed and wearing a tattered muu-muu. And somehow, I got the strong feeling that the God to whom I have officially sworn my allegiance wouldn't have cared if I came to Him freshly showered and in a fancy dress, or reeking of sewage and wearing little more than scraps. And that's just what I like about my new-found faith. I don't feel like I have to put on airs in order to prove myself a faithful follower.

So true, Denita. Thanks for sharing the great news.

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With Bishop Harry Jackson

Among the bloggers, a favorite speaker? Easily Bishop Harry Jackson.

I know he had me when he declared: "I'm not black alone, I'm American. And a Christian."

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Tom DeLay, House Majority Leader

Tom DeLay's reputation as a politician is as "the Hammer," not as a speaker. But tonight, he gave a remarkably effective and compelling speech.

He began by challenging the audience by saying that "it's never enough to stand on the sidelines and watch history pass you by."

He then went on to emphasize the difference between legislators and judges -- underscoring that the former makes the law; the latter interprets it. "Elections," he said, "are the cornerstone of democracy."

The way we hold our politicians accountable is through the ballot box. But the judiciary, he argued in a turn of phrase that I particularly liked, "has found the public will inconvenient to its designs." Activists judges, he said, have been using the courts to pass legislation.

Because of the controversy surrounding his appearance, I had low expectations for his speech -- I guess I thought he would bring something fairly routine. But instead, Tom DeLay came to play, and he delivered. I found it to be an unexpectedly good, and unflinchingly hard-hitting, speech.

Just what I should have expected from the Hammer.

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Trey Jackson, of Jackson's Junction, right behind Tom Edsall of the Washington Post.

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A handful of protestors across the street. Love the baby stroller. (Okay, I know I said "no comment" but can't help myself.)

One of the Penta-Posse shot this picture. They have been taking some great pictures for me. The Dude has some video of the protestors and a panorama of the line waiting to get in. I'm going to have to get Trey to teach me how to compress it and get it up on line for you.

Standing in near-100 degree heat, waiting in line for the doors to open.

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So who's here? As seen in the parking lot -- for my milblog friends.

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Rebecca St. James

Rebecca St. James speaking at the press conference. She is so great, such a wonderful role model for young girls -- she has been an outspoken advocate for abstinence, which I call pretty gutsy in the context of today's music industry.

She has a new book out for young girls called "She Teen: Safe, Healthy, Empowered."

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Chuck Colson

A press conference prior to this evening's Justice Sunday II simulcast has begun. Over 60 mainstream media are here, and blogger's row is going strong. At 6:00 Central Time; 7:00 Eastern, the live simulcast will be available at www.justicesunday.com. I'll be liveblogging here as will a whole group of bloggers: Trey Jackson, Ed Morrissey, Lance McMurray, Beth Woodfin, Jackson Miller, Rob Huddleston, Joe Carter, Karol Sheinin and Leon Wolf.

Here's part of Blogger's Row -- in the foreground: Trey Jackson, far left (!), Joe Carter, Lance McMurray, and Captain Ed. In the background Tony Perkins, Chuck Colson, Bishop Jackson, Tom Minnery (VP Focus on the Family).

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Bob Edgar, President,
National Council of Churches

In anticipation of tonight's Justice Sunday II here in Nashville, leaders of left-leaning religious organizations held a conference call to criticize the event. (Full transcript here.) They argued that holding an event like this one in a church violates the separation of church and state.

But there were some interesting contradictions between their public arguments and their own activities related to politics and policy. . .

For example, Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance, remarked that his organization's motto "People of faith and good will restoring democracy" means that:

. . .religious people in this nation should be major contributors to a healthy democracy, and to the political process.

Right. That's exactly what Justice Sunday is about - raising awareness among Christians of how important it is to be involved in the political process. And to highlight the important role the Supreme Court plays in shaping our culture.

Addiitonally, Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, said that:

No person or group can honestly claim to represent 'the' single authentic faith perspective on a given issue. Americans of faith and good will differ on the issues facing our country today, but those differences should never be cause for questioning another’s faith or patriotism.

Well, you won't find anyone at Justice Sunday making any such claims about being the authentic perspective. I challenge anyone to give an example of that kind of statement directly from the event -- not something alleged to have been said via the media.

But I can give you an example from one of the participants on the conference call. Wander on over to the website of Bob Edgar, President of the National Council of Churches, and this is what you will find. An article prominently headlined thusly:

Edgar: Jesus' priorities, not politics, guide NCC peace, anti-poverty and eco-justice programs

Kid. You. Not.

Make no mistake. He is claiming "Jesus' priorities" for their political agenda. "Peace," "anti-poverty," and "eco-justice," are code words for a leftist political agenda against the war (any war); against welfare reform; and supporting an environmentalist agenda like PETA's.

Need more evidence? Look further on down the page. They explain that: "The NCC has come under fire in recent months for advocating for good environmental stewardship, working to end poverty and for calling for a plan to reduce U.S. military presence in Iraq."

Celeste Zappala
Gold Star Mom
Protesting in Crawford

In fact, Edgar's immediate itinerary following the conference call included a stop in Crawford, Texas to visit Cindy Sheehan and the Gold Star moms there protesting the war. The visit, said Edgar, "was not political or partisan."

And the group that Edgar was speaking to when he laid out "Jesus' priorities?" The article says it was a "gathering of Baptist pastors, ministers and lay leaders . . ."

He has every right to do that. And he has every right to lobby on behalf of liberal causes.

But I don't see how he then has any standing to criticize Justice Sunday.

Posted by Charmaine at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

Getting Ready for Justice Sunday
Two Rivers Baptist Church, the site of Sunday's Justice Sunday II simulcast, is amazing. The sanctuary is enormous and cavernous -- the church has 6800 members.


The sanctuary itself seats 2800 people and tickets are hard to come by at this point. They are now estimating that millions of people will be viewing through the simulcast.

With Derek Packard
Producer/Director of JSII
The Producer/Director of the simulcast is Derek Packard, President of DV Studios, and developer of Light on the Hill TV, where you can go to log on to a live webcast of JSII -- I got him to pose with me for a second in the midst of getting the platform set up. He was busy arranging nine pictures of the sitting Justices: 5 placed to the left; 3 placed to the right. . . and one with a big question mark.

A keen visual reminder of the stakes in this appointment to the Supreme Court.

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On the road, trying desperately to get online. Neurotic, I know. But you gotta love the multi-tasking. . .

MEMORANDUM TO McDONALDS

Re: Reaching the 21st Century Family

Just sending along a little free market research. . .

New salads? Love 'em. Even the Dreamer and the Dude ordered them! Moms love that.

And the mega-play places? Really love those.

Now all you need? Wireless access! So 21st century. Believe me.

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Baby Boo headed to Justice Sunday II. Tired warrior; the next generation. . .

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The Dreamer has been packing all day. In the morning, we are loading up the Penta-Posse and headed south to Nashville for a road trip to Justice Sunday II. . .we'll be blogging whenever and wherever we find wireless, so be sure to check back in.

I'm very excited about the "Blogger's Row" project that, as a part-time Senior Fellow, I have the opportunity to head up for the Family Research Council. We've got a great group of bloggers coming in for Sunday night's simulcast to cover the event and live-blog all the action . . .Tom DeLay will be speaking, along with Zell Miller, Chuck Colson and Tony Perkins . . . and I am particularly hoping my girls will get to meet Rebecca St. James who will be singing.

Who's coming to live-blog? Captain Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters; Trey Jackson of Jackson's Junction (who will be video-blogging); Lance McMurray of Red State Rant; Joe Carter of Evangelical Outpost (and newly-appointed managing editor of World Magazine!); Bill Hobbs of BillHobbs.com; Blake Wylie of Nashville Files; Beth Woodfin, a fellow Cotillion lady, of Yeah, Right, Whatever; and Jackson Miller.

And there will certainly be action: We heard today that there will be a "Justice Everyday" counter-demonstration somewhere near the church. According to their press release, Justice Sunday participants are, "intent on breaking down the wall between church and state and undermining the independence of the federal judiciary." Some of the "Alternative Religious Voices" involved include Susan Thistlethwaite, President of Chicago Theological Seminary and Dr. Bob Edgar, the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. No link available.

You can be sure we'll have pictures here at Reasoned Audacity and at the other sites.

But, hey, we didn't even have to get to Nashville to kick up a little dust. In an effort to make this live-blogging event as, well, ecumenical as possible, I sent a specific invitation to Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine to join the fun. He, however, turned us down flat, and called the invitation "odd":

Jeff Jarvis

I got a most odd invitation to come to Nashville to blog Justice Sunday II . . . That's most odd, since I've held these events -- and politicians sucking up to them -- in disdain.

Disdain? Strong word, Jeff, for a wordsmith who won't come check it out in person.

Then he goes on to raise the issue of travel expenses and disclosure. Full disclosure: We are covering the travel expenses (only) of a few bloggers who would not otherwise be able to come. The rationale here is simple: bloggers are not MSM with large travel budgets. Most of us have day-jobs.

Regular readers will remember the trip that I recently took to Edinburgh as a guest of the One Campaign to live-blog the Live8 events connected to the G-8 summit. Definitely not a trip I would have been able to take on my own -- and I noted and thanked the sponsors. And still also ended up being pretty critical of my hosts in some posts. In all, that was a great experience, and it provided both the inspiration and the model for this Justice Sunday live-blogging experiment.

Captain Ed put up a post today with his thoughts on this issue.

Wait one. Forgot to mention that there will be free snacks in the media room.

Lastly, I have to thank Roger Abramson of Nashville for this comment he left for Jeff:

. . . I think you should give these guys some credit -- they're being quite open with their invites. Amd, anyone who wants a pass seems to be getting one. That shows a lot of good faith (in the secular sense of that word) on their part. Come on down and see what we've got to offer.

I'll just second that last thought: it's not too late to change your mind, Jeff. Come on down.

And oh yeah. Who said that they "like the blogosphere so much" because they "end up talking with people whose opinions often don't align" with their own?

That would be Jeff Jarvis.

Thank you to the honorable Mudville Gazette for Open Post. And while there visit Sister Toldjah and her View on Abortion.

Get the latest on BillHobbs and 2Live.

Linked on Outside The Beltway at Traffic Jam. And while there, be sure to visit Kerfuffles and Congressional Inquisition.

Posted by Charmaine at 01:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (6)

Are you interested in LIVEBLOGGING the upcoming Justice Sunday II in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday August 14th?

This event is a live simulcast from Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, focusing on the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

The first Justice Sunday got national attention during the confirmation battle over President Bush's judges . . . and Senator Bill Frist sent a taped greeting.

Tom DeLay
credit: Ray Lustig/Washington Post

For Justice Sunday II: House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay will be speaking. Other headliners include Senator Zell Miller, Chuck Colson, Dr. James Dobson (by video), Tony Perkins, and Phyllis Schlafly. More details at www.justicesunday.com.

The New York Times yesterday headlined DeLay's appearance at the event.

Please help me spread the word about this opportunity. Bloggers across the political spectrum welcome.

UPDATE: Welcome Buzzmachine readers. I have posted a response to Jeff's post.

Linked to Shakespeare's Sister at Friday Blogrollin'.

Linked to BushvChoice at Prochoice Politicians Banned.

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