Southern Baptist Pastor Asks Local Officials: Why Not Pray After the Pledge?
by Allie Martin
August 23, 2006
(AgapePress) - - An elected official with the Southern Baptist Convention is encouraging high-profile pastors such as Rick Warren to petition a Southern California city to open council meetings with prayer. During the last regular meeting of the Lake Forest City Council, Rev. Wiley Drake -- second vice president of the SBC -- encouraged officials to have an invocation during each meeting. Drake, who also pastors the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, says it is hypocritical for council members to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but refuse to allow an invocation.
Drake says he challenged the city officials about their hypocrisy in refusing to pray, yet voluntarily reciting the phrase "one nation under God" in the Pledge.
He recalls telling them "You're praying to God, really, in that Pledge -- 'one nation under God' -- and then you move right into the meeting without having a prayer. You want God in the Pledge, obviously -- you say it; but you don't want God in your city council meeting."
The Buena Park pastor has asked the city council to reconsider its policy -- but he says pressure from area pastors, including Warren, could make a big difference. "It's important because we need to invoke God's presence in our cities, because we are facing so many critical issues today," says Drake. "We are facing all of the issues -- not only financial, but moral issues [as well] -- in our communities."
Drake encourages Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, to contact council members. Warren and most of his staff were out of the country and not available for comment.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
