Today two leading Black ministers were arrested for praying in front of the White House. Reverend Johnny Hunter and the Reverend Stephen Broden held a ‘prayer picket’ outside the White House to publicly oppose the president’s decision not to participate in the National Day of Prayer (NDOP). Read about it below and see photos and a video.
Leading Black Ministers Arrested
Rev. Johnny Hunter
Both Reverend Johnny Hunter and Reverend Stephen Broden are long-time pro-life advocates. They are also prominent ministers in the African American community. Hunter leads the Life Education and Resource Networks (LEARN) in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Broden is the pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas. Since the President refused to participate in the National Day of Prayer, they decided to take the prayer to him.
They held a peaceful ‘prayer picket’ in front of the White House. They held signs saying: ‘Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Savior. BHO is not’. Both men have expressed strong views in their communities, churches and the media that this president hold dangerous views regarding abortion and homosexuality. They have expressed the view that abortion agencies, such as Planned Parenthood, target the African American community and they call it ‘black genocide’.
Rev. Johnny Hunter and Rev. Stephen Broden spent their protest on their knees in prayer for our great nation.
“We believe this republic is under great duress right now and stress, and we believe prayer is the means by which we can change things here in America and in this government,” said Broden, pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas.
“… We prayed that God would either stay the hand of judgment or quicken the hearts of men and women of faith for them to recognize that they need to come to the streets, they need to come to the public square and make it clear that we are not in favor of same-sex marriage, we are not in favor of this scourge … [of abortion], we are not in favor of the kind of trickery and gamesmanships that are being played in the house of Congress and the house of the Senate. We are fed up, and we are tired of what this nation is doing and what are leaders are doing relative to their role and responsibility for protecting our freedoms.”
Two prominent African American pastors held a peaceful protest in front of the White House, praying for our nation. They did this on the National Day of Prayer because Barack Obama would not participate in a service as other presidents before him have done. They were taken away in handcuffs and arrested. They spent the rest of the day in jail.
The two ministers held a press conference, but I haven’t seen anything about it on the news and very little on the internet (and I went looking for news about it). We are treated to non-stop news about protests that are held by any and every fringe group out there. But the message these two men are trying to deliver is not politically correct. In fact, it is out of favor altogether and the left is not tolerant of beliefs that they themselves don’t hold. And so, hardly a blurb has been written or a single frame of video of Hunter and Broden protesting what the President, Congress and the Senate are doing.
What does this say about our society? Are opposing views to be shut down and ignored completely? Is this what we’ve come to?
Rev. Dr. Johnny Hunter – Photos
Leading Black Ministers Arrested
Rev. Stephen Broden – Video
Leading Black Ministers Arrested for Praying in front of the White House
May 8th, 2009 at 3:46 am
I truly fear for this country. I wonder when the knocks on the doors in the middle of the night will start coming for conservatives – you know – those of use listed as terrorism threats – the bitter ones who cling to their Bibles and Guns and are fearful of other people.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:56 am
Wow, “black genocide”? Yikes, that’s a little out there.
That said, it’s not at all clear to me why these folks were arrested. Is there any word on which specific violations they were charged with? I really hope they did something more than peacefully demonstrate for their cause.
(The only thing I can even think is that there is some clause saying protesting within such-and-such a distance from the White House is a security risk or something. But don’t they have protests outside the White House all the time?)
May 8th, 2009 at 7:39 am
First, nobody cares.
Second, the article should read “Both men have EXPRESSED strong views in their communities, churches and the media that this president hold dangerous views regarding abortion and homosexuality.
Third, the fact that these distiguished members of the clergy are African American is irrelevant to the topic. Are they “leading Black minsters” or leading ministers? Are they prominent pastors or “prominent African American pastors”? Does their competence make them exceptional in the “Black ministry, but just average among the larger body of clerics? Reasonable people would not say Black reporter Beth Shaw or White commentator Sean Hannity unless it were somehow germane to the subject.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Oops, that should be MINISTERS not minsters.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Hey thanks for the condescension Michael, I was feeling a little too hopeful about humanity this morning anyway. Your post took care of that.
For the record I actually agree with your point about racial identifiers, though I don’t like to harp on it. I am also not opposed to grammatical and spelling corrections like others are.
But starting out with “First of all, nobody cares” is about as dismissive and condescending as it gets.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Rhayader – thanks for the defense.
I agree with you both about the racial identifiers. Its sad that we live in a world that people (especially on the political left) insist on identity politics. As both of these men have stated in speeches and/or sermons from time to time, Obama should be judged on the content of his character rather than on being the first ‘Black’ president. If that had been the case, he would not have been elected as his policies are at complete odds with what the average American … especially in the ‘Black’ community … believes. Their words, not mine.
The point is, these men, prominent in their communities, protested and were arrested and there’s nary a word of it in the media. What gives with that? Does that bother you at all, Michael?
May 8th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Did the angels come and take their chains off and release them from jail, like they did for St. Paul?
June 16th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Being a White 65 y/o male and knowing Rev. Hunter personally, I too share his convictions. He is an outstanding Minister and a true believer in Christ as I am. We are in a very serious position in our country and had better stop for a moment, refer to the Bible for instruction and obey it. There is a reason that the Holy Bible has not been found faulty by content, it is the undisputable word of God and is our “owners manual” for life. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, it’s what makes the USA strong but this is not a debatable option – Remember “One Nation Under God”? Hmmmmm, maybe our founding fathers who built this wonderful country were on to something! Think not? Refer to other cultures and great nations who turned their backs on God! What goes around comes around and the good news is …. it’s not too late to turn to God and ask his forgiveness, repent and believe. Thank God for the likes of these two Ministers who truly stand and kneel for their convictions!
July 5th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I’m happy to be a part of the congregation of Fair Park Bible Fellowship. I’m even happier to have a pastor that challenges his congregation to hold themselves accountable for the things that we say we believe in. Even during the election, I could hardly believe the basis on which Obama was elected. I’m a black woman and I didn’t vote for him simply because as a candidate, he was just too vague in his plans for America for my tastes, not to mention the fact that the things he was clear about were totally against my beliefs. I couldn’t help elect a man that clearly goes against everything I’ve taught my children about the differences between right and wrong. And though he is president now, I still refuse to support a man who has set plans into motion that could eventually take away the rights that God himself has given me, tell my children that wrong is right and communicate the opinion that if a life is a burden to you, get rid of it. Have we forgotten that what made this nation great was not the tolerance for every kind of lifestyle, but the faith in God to endure persecution, hard times and a system of beliefs so deeply rooted in the word of God that the original laws of the land was based on it?
July 5th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Very Well said LaKeshia!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:56 pm
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