PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

This prayer burst into the public consciousness back in January of 1996, when the Rev. Joe Wright, senior pastor of the 2,500-member Central Christian Church in Wichita, was invited to deliver the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives.

On that occasion he offered the following "Prayer of Repentance" (which was not entirely of his own crafting but rather was a version of a prayer written in 1995 by Bob Russell, who had offered it at the Kentucky Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Frankfort):

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness & seek your direction & guidance.

We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium & inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word & called it moral pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods & called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion & called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor & called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy & called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness & called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn & called it choice.

We have shot abortionists & called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children & called it building esteem.

We have abused power & called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbors' possessions & called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity & pornography & called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers & called it enlightenment.

Search us O God & know our hearts today; try us & see if there is some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin & set us free.

Guide & bless these men & women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, & who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule & may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the living savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Reportedly, one Democrat walked out of the House in protest, three others gave speeches critical of Wright's prayer….. Rev. Wright said afterwards: "I certainly did not mean to be offensive to individuals, but I don't apologize for the truth."- (www.snopes.com)

“We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth.” – Paul (2Co 6:8 GNB)