Kentucky state’s Homeland Security office should give God credit for keeping Kentucky safe according to a Kentucky lawmaker. Southern Baptist Minister and State Rep. Tom Riner, was involved in the requirements made in 2006 and he disapproves of the fact that Homeland Security doesn’t currently mention God in its mission statement or on its Web Site.
The law was passed under Gov. Ernie Fletcher who does credited God in annual reports to state leaders. Under Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration God is not credited according to its 2008 Homeland Security report issued last month.
“We certainly expect it to be there, of course,” Mr. Riner, Louisville Democrat, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
According to the law that organized the Homeland Security office first lists Homeland Security’s duty to recognize that government itself can’t secure the state without God. This statement meaning even before the mentioning of other duties which would include distributing millions of dollars in federal grants and analyzing possible threats.
The religious language was in a floor amendment introduced by Mr. Riner and passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly. It lists the office's initial duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the commonwealth."
Also included in the law is a requirement that the office must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that would begin with, “The safety and security of the commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”
Mr. Beshear’s Homeland Security chief, Thomas Preston said he is not interested in stepping into a religious debate. “I will not try to supplant Almighty God,” Mr. Preston said. “All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don’t know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it.”
Helping to ensure the state’s safety is appropriate and giving God the credit is as well said Mr. Riner. “This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky.” “Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government.” Lexington Democrat and state Sen. Kathy Stein said requiring the department to credit God takes away from Homeland Security’s mission. “It’s very sad to me that we do this sort of thing,” she said. “It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it’s supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost.”
Christian Web News - A Prayer Vigil is scheduled on Sunday, May 16th, to honor the lives of Steven Ocean and Tite Sufra, two courageous young black men who were shot to death while sharing the Gospel on the streets of Boynton Beach, Florida on January 30th.
Christian Web News - Chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team were on the ground in Port-au-Prince less than 24 hours after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook the country of Haiti on Jan. 12.
Christian Web News - So many people across our nation, young people especially, are Biblically illiterate. Confusion and intimidation of the Bible's length and complexity causes many people to give up on reading the Bible altogether.
Christian Web News - According to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF), within the next 24 hours, officials in southern Laos plan to burn temporary shelters built by expelled Christians unless they deny their faith.
Christian Web News - Fortunately, the nation's first “hate speech” bill has been killed by the Massachusetts Senate. The Joint Education Committee's Martha Walz and Robert O'Leary added the provision to an anti-bullying bill. Had it passed, it would have punished any criticism of homosexuality with a term in jail or a fine.
Christian Web News - On Wednesday, Republican senators said that House members who vote for the Senate-passed health care bill would “own it,” and that nothing would be changed through reconciliation. Which includes prohibiting federal (taxpayer) funds from being used to pay for abortions.
Christian Web News - On Sunday, on the streets of multiple cities in Spain, tens of thousands of people protested a new law that would allow abortion on demand.
Christian Web News - On Tuesday, a European court ordered Turkey to remove the religious affiliation section from citizens’ identification cards, calling the practice a violation of human rights.
Christian Web News - SBC International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin is making a strong case for change within his denomination as he gets ready to walk away from the command of its missions arm following 17 years of service.
Christian Web News - Parents are being urged by a national coalition of organizations committed to preserving parental rights in public education, restoring academic integrity to public education, and removing partisan political protests from the classroom to call their children out of school on the Day of Silence if their school is permitting students to refuse to speak in class.
Christian Web News - A new survey found that not even half of churchgoers in America plan on inviting non-churchgoers to Easter worship service this year.
Rev 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Christian Web News - At a time when greed and corruption seem to run rampant and morals seem nonexistent, many people wonder where to look for role models.
For the millions of junior high, high school and college students heading back to school, the idea of returning to the classroom may be met with mixed emotions.
Christian Web News - Jesus has a way of getting right to the point, doesn't He? There was certainly no mincing of words, He came right out and said, "why are you fearful?" and then went on to say, "O you of little faith." You don't have to read between the lines to see what He was saying, they had little faith.
Christian Web News - Galatians 3:13-14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Christian Web News - SBC International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin is making a strong case for change within his denomination as he gets ready to walk away from the command of its missions arm following 17 years of service.
Christian Web News - Parents are being urged by a national coalition of organizations committed to preserving parental rights in public education, restoring academic integrity to public education, and removing partisan political protests from the classroom to call their children out of school on the Day of Silence if their school is permitting students to refuse to speak in class.
Christian Web News - A new survey found that not even half of churchgoers in America plan on inviting non-churchgoers to Easter worship service this year.
Rev 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. 
