A Chaplain's Prayer for Our Nation

The following “Prayer for Our Nation” was written by Bob Russell in 1995, and drew world-wide attention in 1996 when Rev. Joe Wright delivered it at the opening session (as the invited guest chaplain) of the Kansas House of Representatives. It provoked a world-wide controversy, some calling it a 'prayer of intolerance.' Read it and judge for yourselves.

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!'