Back in May we found out that fourth annual Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ conference was going to feature right-wing luminaries like Janet Porter and Peter LaBarbera, among others.
Well, the event was held last weekend and was apparently a monumental success:
The fourth annual Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ conference, July 24-25, was another smashing success. Another near capacity crowd on Friday night enjoyed educational and inspirational messages from Janet Folger Porter, Lt. General Jerry Boykin, Peter LaBarbera, and Dr. John Morris. The conference is intended to bring believers together from all over the state to encourage them to take a strong stand for truth in our decaying society. In addition, it is hoped that the conference will help to awaken and activate pastors who, in turn, will lead their congregations to join the struggle for the soul of America. Pastors from across the state of Oklahoma attended and this year’s conference was visited by pastors from Iowa as they are beginning work to Reclaim Iowa for Christ.
...
Janet Folger Porter, founder of Faith2Action, spoke first and reminded those in attendance that God is bigger than anyone or anything else and sits above the earth to insure that His people ultimately win the victory. She said that, although we may often feel like “grasshoppers in the fight,” we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. On Saturday afternoon, she challenged believers to attempt great things for God and reminded us that He often uses the most unlikely of candidates to do big things for Him. She ended by challenging believers to attempt “bigger things for God than we can do on our own.”
Peter LaBarbera, founder of Americans for Truth, a group dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda, reminded the crowd Friday night that Americans are in a battle to preserve the biblical model for sex and marriage. He shared how the homosexual activists often gain the upper hand by redefining the terms, misrepresenting the facts. No one “labels” Christians as having a phobia for opposing pornography or infidelity, yet when we stand against the sin of homosexuality the left attempts to guilt believers into silence by labeling them as homophobes. He urged believers to unapologetically stand for Biblical morality no matter how loudly the homosexuals protest. On Saturday morning, Peter discussed the medical risks of the homosexual lifestyle. He emphasized the irony of our government’s attack on tobacco use while it essentially ignores the proliferation of STD’s and AIDS by homosexuals. LaBarbera closed by emphasizing that Christians do not hate homosexuals but rather, desire that they experience the forgiveness and transformation that comes from knowing Jesus.
What the Reclaiming Oklahoma coverage doesn't report is that LaBarbera didn't merely note the "irony" that the government is ignoring "the proliferation of STD’s and AIDS by homosexuals," he actually called for a federal study of the issue:
When it comes to combating cigarettes, the government not only restricts, taxes and bans smoking, it also funds and encourages anti-smoking messages and advertisements. Given the immense health risks of male homosexual sex, shouldn’t the federal government do a comprehensive study on the matter, tax sodomitic establishments, and educate the public and especially young people about the dangers of “gay” sex?
Speaking Friday at the annual Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ conference in Edmond, OK, Americans For Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH) President Peter LaBarbera called for a comprehensive government study on the heath risks of homosexual sex.
LaBarbera read from a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) report explaining why “men who have sex with men” (MSM) cannot donate blood due to the high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases linked to MSM. He noted that since government agencies and politicians are active in confronting the health risks of smoking (using taxpayer dollars), they should do the same for homosexual sex — especially between men — which appears to be as dangerous or more so than smoking cigarettes.
I have no idea on what LaBarbera is basing his assertion that gay sex is more dangerous than smoking ... and neither does he apparently, because the only link he provides to any sort of "evidence" makes no such claims or comparisons.
And, let's just imagine that the government did undertake this sort of study - what exactly would it do then? Institute bans or taxes on gay sex?
Anyway, the biggest development from the conference seems to be the resurrection of Coral Ridge Ministries' Center for Reclaiming America, which shut down back in 2007:
A highlight of this year’s event was the announcement that Coral Ridge Ministry is allowing Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ to carry on the legacy and work of Dr. D. James Kennedy.
Reclaim Oklahoma will be more actively working with other states in awakening pastors from across the nation to take back their own communities and states in an effort to Reclaim America for Christ.
The article mentions that there are already efforts underway to create a similar organization in Iowa, and with the announcement that organizers seek to spread the effort throughout the nation, it looks like we'll be hearing a lot more about the effort to "reclaim America for Christ" in the months and years ahead.
