PHILADELPHIA (BP)–One day before the Senate begins confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, conservatives will gather in Philadelphia for another “Justice Sunday,” hoping to put the spotlight once again on socially liberal court rulings.
“Justice Sunday III: Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land” will take place Sunday, Jan. 8, at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and will be broadcast nationwide to other churches on Christian television and radio. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
The broadcast will feature several speakers, including Focus on the Family’s James Dobson and Sen. Rick Santorum, R.-Pa.
It is the third such broadcast within the past year. Last April, the first Justice Sunday was held amidst a Senate showdown over judicial filibusters. And last August, the second Justice Sunday was held on the eve of then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts’ confirmation hearings.
The rallies have served to inform and equip conservative Americans about the need to reform the federal courts, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, which in the past four decades has legalized abortion, ordered the removal of Ten Commandments plaques and banned prayer in certain public settings. Conservatives fear the court eventually will take up a “gay marriage” case.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, noted that the broadcast’s theme, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land,” is engraved on the Liberty Bell, which is located in Philadelphia just a short distance from Independence Hall.
“We are appealing to pastors to become involved before militant atheists and their judicial activist allies sandblast those words from Leviticus from the bell itself,” Perkins said in his daily FRC e-mail.
Alito’s nomination has drawn praise from pro-family leaders. While FRC has not officially endorsed Alito, it has called for fair hearings. A statement from FRC said that in nominating Alito, President Bush “followed through with his promise to promote a strict constructionist.”
In addition to Dobson and Santorum, other speakers scheduled to speak at the rally include Perkins; Herbert Lusk, pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church; Wellington Boone, bishop of The Father’s House (Atlanta); Jerry Falwell, Liberty University; Alveda C. King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and founder of King for America.
Justice Sunday III is scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Angel, American Family Radio and Bott Radio Network, and on tape-delay (10 p.m. ET) on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It also will be simulcast live over the Internet.
For more information, visit www.JusticeSunday.com.
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