A New Vision for 2008

God wants to give Christians a new vision for getting involved in the political process. Click here to read Stephen Strang's column from the January 2008 issue of Charisma magazine.

Be sure to watch this blog for more information about the meetings we'll hold in various parts of the country. These will be by invitation only, but we are looking for those who should be invited, so click here to let us know of your interest. The meetings will begin in February, and each will include 50 to 200 people. We are particularly interested in having pastors and other ministry leaders attend.

Why I Support Huckabee on GodTube

Why I Support Huckabee

Mike Huckabee is exactly what we need in the White House.

A friend of mine likes to say, "Pray for a garden, but grab a shovel." That must be our stance regarding the presidential primaries beginning in January. We must pray. If Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination next September, we're in trouble—his candidacy may swing the final election to the Democrats, making Hillary Clinton our next president. To me, that's a frightening prospect.

So I am asking all intercessors to pray. But we must also get involved. There's a lot we can do to make a difference.

This year we have a strong, Bible-believing candidate who articulates our values as well as any politician in my lifetime. You probably know I'm referring to former Gov. Mike Huckabee, whom we have already endorsed. In the last few months he has moved from being simply an asterisk in the polls to being a serious contender—and with only a fraction of the money others have raised. In late October a Newsweek article called him "The GOP's Best Bet."

However, so-called evangelical leaders—most of whom don't have a following but do have the media's ear—have chosen not to publicly endorse him.

The reason? They don't think he can win.

But I believe he can. He is exactly what we need in the White House—a man of principle who takes a firm stand on important issues and doesn't support abortion or gay rights as other candidates, including Giuliani, do.

Interestingly, the more Christians hear his message, the more they are flocking to him. And I'm told by friends in Iowa that he may even win the caucus there in just a few weeks.

What can you do besides pray? Grab these "shovels":

»If you live in a state with an early primary such as New Hampshire, South Carolina or Florida, you can vote for Huckabee and urge your friends to do so as well. Or if you live in Iowa, support him at the caucus.
»You can give to his campaign as I have. Go to his Web site (explorehuckabee.com) and click on the contribution button. Enter code 128 along with your donation to indicate that it came from a Charisma reader.
»You can endorse him. I'm asking 100 Christian leaders to endorse him publicly. If you lead a church or ministry and want to give a public endorsement, go to charismamag.com/huckabee.
»Or you can go directly to our blog (strang.com/moveup) and post an endorsement. State the reasons you support Huckabee. And read a letter I sent to Christian leaders asking them to back Huckabee for president.

Huckabee's popularity has been steadily increasing during the last few months. He walked away with a second place finish in the Iowa Straw Poll in August and an overwhelming first place finish in the two Values Voters Straw Polls in September and October, and he has seen a steady rise in polling percentage.

There's a good reason Huckabee is doing so well against the other Republicans in the race. It's because there is a clear contrast between him and the rest of the candidates.

Huckabee is a true conservative who holds values common to most Americans. He has executive and crisis management experience gained during his terms as governor of Arkansas, when he dealt with not only statewide emergencies but also the national disaster of Hurricane Katrina.

He is staunchly pro-life and supports the passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman. And he has the support of many African-Americans, as his races for governor of Arkansas in 1998 and 2002 showed. In each of those elections, he garnered more than 40 percent of the African-American vote.

This is not a time to sit on the sidelines. We must fight against the possibility of a Republican with weak values facing Hillary Clinton in the general election. We have just a few weeks to make a difference in an election that has serious implications for America in the years to come—and it won't take much to make a shift. So let's get involved now.

Stephen Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma. To read endorsements for Huckabee by Chuck Norris and other Christian leaders, go to charismamag.com/huckabee.

Steve Strang Endorses Huckabee

Dear friend,

Since I am a networker in the Christian community, I am contacting you on behalf of Governor Mike Huckabee. I'm sending this to people on my personal contact list, hoping to find those who feel strongly about the direction America is going and who feel that Governor Mike Huckabee is the one to support for President.

If you're not interested in this, read no further and delete this email.

Here's why I support Governor Huckabee:

1. He is solidly conservative
   
• Giuliani is really a moderate
  
2. He knows what he believes and expresses it eloquently
• Click this link to see his response on CNN during a New Hampshire debate
  
3. He is solidly Pro-Life
• Romney can't figure out what he believes on this issue
  
4. If he can raise some money, he has a real chance to win
• "If he had money, he would be our worst nightmare," says Democrat strategist John Lapp. Lapp, who helped bring down Republicans in 2006 as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said "the real threat of Mike Huckabee is that he is a happy warrior, a down-home guy comfortable in his own skin. Right-wing conservatism with a smile." (for the complete article, click here.)
  
5. Arkansas needs a chance to redeem itself...
   

I am writing to ask you to consider supporting Mike Huckabee by doing the following:

• Make a personal donation of $2,300 — this is the maximum allowable per person under federal law ($4,600 for a husband and wife) . Lesser amounts will be gratefully accepted, but he needs major help now. You can make your contribution:
  
  Online: https://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contribute.Home , or
  
  By mail:
  
  

  The Huckabee for President Exploratory Committee, Inc.
  P.O. Box 2008
  Little Rock, Arkansas 72203

  When making your donation, please use donation code 128, so we can track those who have given as a result of this post.

• Send an email to at least 3 friends, asking them to consider supporting Governor Huckabee. Or better yet, forward this post to your entire mailing list!

For more information, go to the campaign website at http://www.mikehuckabee.com/.

I am working with some other businessmen to try to find 100 people in America who could network within their circle of influence to help us raise $100,000 each. I am writing you to either because I think you may be one of these people or you may know others who could be.

If Governor Huckabee can raise $5 million in the next 60 days, suddenly a lot of people will take him seriously. If he could raise $50 million before the primaries, I would feel certain to say he would win the nomination and the Presidency.

While $100,000 seems a daunting sum to raise, with a maximum donation of $2300 per person or $4600 for a married couple, it seems a small sum to invest to change the future direction of America.

Again, if you have not personally donated to Governor Huckabee I urge you to go to his website at http://www.mikehuckabee.com/ and do so. Could you put on your donation that you are responding to my invitation to donate and give them the tracking code of 128?

All of us can do something. Some of us can do more than others, and I'm reaching out to those who may be able to help us recruit this group of 100 who can help raise significant money for Governor Huckabee.

God bless you for your help.

Steve Strang

NOTE: You can leave your comments to this post to write your own endorsement for Huckabee.

The Case for Huckabee

By Stephen Strang

The 2008 election may be one of the most important elections in American history.

I believe the power of the Holy Spirit has a greater purpose than simply providing us with more fulfilling lives. He empowers Christians to change our world in two ways—by spreading the gospel and by influencing the culture around us. And one significant way we can influence our culture is by electing godly leaders who share our values.
Thankfully Spirit-filled Christians are making it possible for us to do that by running for political offices at every level of government, from the local school board to president of the United States. At the national level, I believe the presidential election of 2008 will be one of the most important elections in the history of America. With the dangers of international terrorism threatening us from without and the radical left humanistic agenda threatening our values from within, we need godly leaders.

America is a very diverse country that allows religions of all types to flourish free from government interference. But the values of our top leaders determine policy that will either help our country or lead it down the wrong path.

The coming election is more up for grabs than any in recent history, and there is perhaps more "God talk" among the candidates than during any previous campaign. Even liberals are using faith-based language to lure voters.

Several candidates are in fact outspoken Christians—principally Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. In the July/August issue of New Man magazine, we look at all the candidates and make the case that Huckabee is a man who not only supports our values but also could actually win. Of course you're not going to read that prediction in the mainstream press, which has relegated Huckabee and the other believers to second- or third-tier status. But consider these facts:

»Four of the last five presidents were governors, three of them from Southern states. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton both came out of obscurity to win. I believe Huckabee can do the same.

»Huckabee is an outstanding communicator who has a proven track record of success as governor of Arkansas. For 10 years, he served as a Republican in a state where 85 percent of the office holders are Democrats, and where he garnered more than 43 percent of the African-American vote.

»Huckabee is a former Southern Baptist pastor who learned many of his communication skills working with James Robison, head of LIFE Outreach International, for four years in the 1970s.

I urge you to pick up a copy of New Man or log on to either the New Man (newmanmag.com/candidates) or the Charisma (charismamag.com/candidates) Web site to read the articles about Huckabee and the other candidates, including my editorial, which suggests that conservative Christians have time to get behind Huckabee and support him financially.

I've asked 1,000 New Man readers to each contribute $1,000 to his campaign, and I'm asking Charisma readers to do the same. (You can contribute online at teamhuckabee.com.) Most of you have given hundreds or thousands of dollars to ministries that cast a vision for saving souls or improving the world in some way. I suggest that giving money to a political candidate you believe will govern with godly values could do more to change the world than supporting many ministries with a similar-sized donation.

My wife and I have made the maximum contribution allowed by law—$2,300 each. Now the only way I can help Huckabee is to motivate hundreds of thousands of readers to also support him.

Huckabee is a good man. But he needs believers who care about America's future to get behind him at this critical stage.

Eighteenth-century statesman Edmund Burke is credited with saying, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." We don't want evil to triumph; so let's do what we can to change the moral direction of our country. Is it possible our joint efforts will send a faithful Christian to the White House who can help us return to our Judeo-Christian roots?

More Trends to Watch in 2007

In the February issue of Charisma, Stephen Strang lists trends the body of Christ should watch in 2007 (click here to read them). Other trends were noted by Charisma's editor J. Lee Grady in his Jan. 5 online column, Fire in My Bones.

2007: A year of global harvest. We will hear the sound of joyful shouting coming from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Ancient doors of idolatry and deception will be shaken off their hinges. Places that have been known in the past as spiritual deserts—including Iran, Saudi Arabia and nations in North Africa—will begin to bloom as the gospel penetrates barriers. Conversions will be triggered by miracles, and the persecution aimed at stopping the gospel will fuel more church growth. The humble heroes of the church in China, India, Pakistan and other places—men and women who have been hidden in days past—will speak as prophets to the American and European church.

2007: A year to re-evaluate, reprioritize and prune. The American church must take drastic measures to get its house in order. We are busy, and we make a lot of noise. But often there is minimal impact. Like Jesus' disciples, we have fished all night and caught nothing. The Lord will direct us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat. He has a surprising new paradigm for us if we will seek Him for it. We must think outside the box. The Lord wants to prune the dead, religious branches in our churches and ministries. Many of our fruitless works look good—they even "sell" in the marketplace—but they are worthless hay and stubble. We must re-evaluate every program and project in the light of the priorities of the kingdom. Don't be afraid to kill sacred cows or bury traditions.

2007: A year to challenge apostasy. Don't be shocked when people you consider evangelical Christians embrace blatant heresy. Some will begin to preach a gospel of universal salvation. Others, even in the charismatic camp, will join the chorus of "gay-affirming" ministers, because they care more about being relevant to culture than to God's Word. Just as in the days of Jezebel, many will bow their knee to Baal. The American church must have the courage of Elijah in order to challenge this spirit of idolatry and depravity. Though we must seek to be culturally relevant, we must also be willing to be criticized as "old-fashioned" when it comes to biblical morality.

2007: A year to reclaim lost purity. We must enter a season of repentance. The Holy Spirit is grieved by the way sexual sin has been allowed to grow like a cancer, destroying families and churches. Ministers of the gospel must hold high the standard of purity, but not before they themselves submit to the dealings of God. It is time for deep searchings of the heart, and for confession and personal deliverance from pornography, adultery, homosexuality and fornication. Churches must open their doors, extend their hours and become spiritual clinics for the addicted and sexually broken. We cannot simply rail against sin; we must prove to our culture that Christ's gospel can heal.

2007: A year to befriend the foreigner. The Holy Spirit is grieved by the latent racism in the American church. He is bringing immigrants from many countries to the United States, yet many of these people are invisible to us. We must see with new eyes. We must open our doors, welcome the strangers and stretch out our tent pegs to make room for them. We must adopt immigrant congregations, learn their languages, share our facilities and become kingdom models of cultural diversity.

2007: A year to rescue the children. The little ones are falling through the cracks in our selfish society. Heaven has issued its own "amber alert." In every city in America, huge numbers of children are growing up with little or no exposure to the gospel. Even many children who attend church are being ignored and are receiving precious little of the Word of God. If we could see in the spiritual realm, then we would realize that many of our nation's youngsters look like the starving children who suffer in Africa's famines. We must reprioritize. Children must become important to us again. If we will act now, this vulnerable generation can be safely hidden in a basket, just as Moses was protected in the Nile.

2007: A year of global harvest. We will hear the sound of joyful shouting coming from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Ancient doors of idolatry and deception will be shaken off their hinges. Places that have been known in the past as spiritual deserts—including Iran, Saudi Arabia and nations in North Africa—will begin to bloom as the gospel penetrates barriers. Conversions will be triggered by miracles, and the persecution aimed at stopping the gospel will fuel more church growth. The humble heroes of the church in China, India, Pakistan and other places—men and women who have been hidden in days past—will speak as prophets to the American and European church.

2007: A year to re-evaluate, reprioritize and prune. The American church must take drastic measures to get its house in order. We are busy, and we make a lot of noise. But often there is minimal impact. Like Jesus' disciples, we have fished all night and caught nothing. The Lord will direct us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat. He has a surprising new paradigm for us if we will seek Him for it. We must think outside the box. The Lord wants to prune the dead, religious branches in our churches and ministries. Many of our fruitless works look good—they even "sell" in the marketplace—but they are worthless hay and stubble. We must re-evaluate every program and project in the light of the priorities of the kingdom. Don't be afraid to kill sacred cows or bury traditions.

2007: A year to challenge apostasy. Don't be shocked when people you consider evangelical Christians embrace blatant heresy. Some will begin to preach a gospel of universal salvation. Others, even in the charismatic camp, will join the chorus of "gay-affirming" ministers, because they care more about being relevant to culture than to God's Word. Just as in the days of Jezebel, many will bow their knee to Baal. The American church must have the courage of Elijah in order to challenge this spirit of idolatry and depravity. Though we must seek to be culturally relevant, we must also be willing to be criticized as "old-fashioned" when it comes to biblical morality.

2007: A year to reclaim lost purity. We must enter a season of repentance. The Holy Spirit is grieved by the way sexual sin has been allowed to grow like a cancer, destroying families and churches. Ministers of the gospel must hold high the standard of purity, but not before they themselves submit to the dealings of God. It is time for deep searchings of the heart, and for confession and personal deliverance from pornography, adultery, homosexuality and fornication. Churches must open their doors, extend their hours and become spiritual clinics for the addicted and sexually broken. We cannot simply rail against sin; we must prove to our culture that Christ's gospel can heal.

2007: A year to befriend the foreigner. The Holy Spirit is grieved by the latent racism in the American church. He is bringing immigrants from many countries to the United States, yet many of these people are invisible to us. We must see with new eyes. We must open our doors, welcome the strangers and stretch out our tent pegs to make room for them. We must adopt immigrant congregations, learn their languages, share our facilities and become kingdom models of cultural diversity.

2007: A year to rescue the children. The little ones are falling through the cracks in our selfish society. Heaven has issued its own "amber alert." In every city in America, huge numbers of children are growing up with little or no exposure to the gospel. Even many children who attend church are being ignored and are receiving precious little of the Word of God. If we could see in the spiritual realm, then we would realize that many of our nation's youngsters look like the starving children who suffer in Africa's famines. We must reprioritize. Children must become important to us again. If we will act now, this vulnerable generation can be safely hidden in a basket, just as Moses was protected in the Nile.

2007: A year to empower and release evangelists. In recent days we have championed the restoration of the apostles and prophets, but the church is languishing because we have not valued the evangelists in our midst. Our nation's most celebrated evangelist, Billy Graham, is lying in bed and waiting for heaven. We must release a new army of culturally relevant, 21st century preachers (both men and women) who will equip God's people to win souls. If we don't do this, the spiritual birthrate of the American church will continue to decline. In recent days we have championed the restoration of the apostles and prophets, but the church is languishing because we have not valued the evangelists in our midst. Our nation's most celebrated evangelist, Billy Graham, is lying in bed and waiting for heaven. We must release a new army of culturally relevant, 21st century preachers (both men and women) who will equip God's people to win souls. If we don't do this, the spiritual birthrate of the American church will continue to decline.

Liberty Counsel Launches Fourth Annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign

Thousands of churches, organizations and individuals unite to "Help Save Christmas"

Liberty Counsel, a nationwide, public interest civil liberties law firm, is launching its fourth annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign in anticipation of another active season defending attacks on Christmas celebrations. Liberty Counsel makes a pledge to be the "Friend" to those entities that do not censor Christmas and a "Foe" to those that do. Last December, ABC's Good Morning America assessed Liberty Counsel's Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign during an interview with Jerry Falwell. The host observed that the campaign had ignited a "movement."

Last year Liberty Counsel successfully handled scores of cases in defense of Christmas, including a lawsuit against two Florida towns that would not permit a Nativity scene in a public park. Liberty Counsel intervened in numerous other situations last year and as a result: Boston stopped calling its Christmas tree a "holiday tree"; Wellington, Florida, allowed a Nativity scene to join a Christmas tree and a menorah; state employees were allowed to have Christmas parties instead of generic "holiday parties"; schools included religious songs in their choral presentations; students were allowed to recognize the Christian aspects of Christmas; retailers started wishing shoppers "Merry Christmas" and renamed their trees "Christmas trees" instead of "holiday trees"; and there were many other victories.

On its Web site, www.LC.org, Liberty Counsel offers a Help Save Christmas action pack, which includes educational legal memoranda to educate government officials, teachers, parents, students, private businesses, employees and others that it is legal to celebrate Christmas. The action pack also includes an "I CHRISTmas" button and bumper sticker, an "I Helped Save Christmas" button and bumper sticker and sample ads for use in local newspapers to promote Christmas. The ads point out that celebrating Christmas is still legal in schools, on public property and in private businesses, and offer Liberty Counsel's free assistance to those facing persecution for celebrating Christmas. Last year many churches placed these ads in local newspapers. Again this year, thousands of public school teachers and administrators who are members of Christian Educators Association International have joined the Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign.