The prayer breakfast speech that came before the President’s
UPDATE 2/11, 8:35a: Apparently C-SPAN experienced a systemwide problem. The video is working again. Grab a cup of coffee and start your weekend out on an uplifting note by watching Metaxas’s speech.
UPDATE 2/10, 6:50p: The C-SPAN video is down. I don’t know if it was removed on purpose or if there’s a technical problem. But you can hear the audio here.
2/10, 5:05p: It’s Friday afternoon. You don’t want to work any more. Do yourself a favor. End your week by watching this speech. It’s a soaring inspiration to pro-lifers, with the bonus that President Obama was forced to hear it.
Backdrop, from National Review (These are just excerpts. Read the entire piece before viewing the speech.):
If the organizers of the national prayer breakfast ever want a sitting president to attend their event again, they need to expect that any leader in his right mind is going to ask – no, demand – that he be allowed to see a copy of the keynote address that is traditionally given immediately before the president’s.
That’s how devastating was the speech given by a little known historical biographer named Eric Metaxas, whose clever wit and punchy humor barely disguised a series of heat-seeking missiles that were sent, intentionally or not, in the commander-in-chief’s direction….
But Metaxas’s most blistering attack, albeit sheathed carefully in good humor and rapier wit, was still to come, for next on his agenda was his careful but dogged determination to link previous attitudes among churchgoers toward slavery and Nazism with those of some present day churchgoers toward abortion. Surrounded by three of the most powerful supporters of the right to choose, Obama, Vice President Biden, and former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi – two Catholics and a Protestant – Metaxas said:
“Wilberforce suddenly took the Bible seriously that all of us are created in the image of God, to care for the least of these.”
After carefully describing the inhumane treatment of both Jews and Africans by those claiming to be Christians, he asked then answered a question:
“You think you’re better than the Germans of that era? You’re not,” adding: “Whom do we say is not fully human today?”
Metaxas’ remarks begin at 35:35. Note you can enlarge to full screen on the lower right:
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
This is a wonderful speech. Obama had previously delivered his speech and walked out before having to listen to Jeb Bush introduce George HW Bush and hear him speak. Obama is so arrogant. Obama’s speech falls real flat after this one. Love it.
Just goes to show that the whole idea of a presidential ‘prayer breakfast’ is a flawed concept.
I wonder why metaxas wants to impress certain groups. Whats he angling for? He certainly hasn’t enhanced his academic reputation.
I think cspan may have removed the video. Half way through his speech it disappeared.
Renee, I can’t watch it at all. I’ve even gone directly to the c-span website and its not there.
I’m thinking the same thing. I’m checking the site and the video is down. (http://www.c-span.org/Events/President-Obama-Attends-60th-Annual-National-Prayer-Breakfast/10737427883/)
hey ( off topic ) just heard an update over the backlash on the church // contraception / obama plan. i missed the dog gone news in full!
I watched it, and it was wonderful.
Reality, you are so full of hate and bitterness. The man is ANGLING to tell his story about his experience with Christ. I know you think you’re the only one with a degree, but there are those out here in academia who are very much believers.
Go back in your hole or call your sponsor.
The entire CPAN video library is down
Nah, not hate and bitterness Courtnay. amusement and disdain would be closer to the mark.
Someone should invoke godwin’s law on metaxas.
“Go back in your hole or call your sponsor.” – and what are you doing? Who do you think is my ‘sponsor’ anyway?
I just tried to watch another cspan video and got an error message. There might be some general problems.
Hi heather 6:54PM
They can backlash all they want. Won’t make an iota of difference. Obama will not back down and this lastest stunt proves he will only try to make the public think he has. Exactly what I predicted would happen.
Religious people, including Rick Warren, trusted Obama and supported him knowing full well what he was. They helped put him in power.
When you cozy up to a rattlesnake, don’t cry victim when it bites you.
in the 1930’s hitler used all sorts of emotional reasons to brainwash germans into cooperating with his final solution…
…with the support of his countrymen, he wiped out 11 million people in 12 years… 6 million of those, Jews….he was able to wipe out 2/3 of the European Jewry….
today, pro-abortionists use all sorts of emotional tools to convince and brainwash the populace into going along with the murder of babies…
…in 39 years, they have succeeded in wiping out 50 million lives…. and the count continues…
…the motto that was given to us after World War II, “never again,” is lost and not heard…. because…well, it is happening again….and it is worse this time around… and those who want to supress our thoughts and control what we say about it will mock us if we even dare compare the two abominations….
Patricia, wait for CC. She will be chiming in ANY minute now about how American Jews are mostly pro-choice. That’s one of her favorite spews. Wait for it…
Good GRIEF, Reality. I thought I was capable of cynicism, but the sheer gratuitousness of your own cynicism is difficult to parry.
I salute you.
:-\
Great speech!
Now go back and watch the speech Mother Teresa gave in front of Bill Clinton in 1994. If Metaxas had heat-seeking missles… Mother Teresa was throwing out bunker busters.
Here’s one place to find her speech:
http://deskofbrian.com/2011/08/mother-teresa-national-prayer-breakfast-speech-against-abortion-feb-31994-video/
I know this probbly would have gotten him arrested by some weird 911 committee, or audited by the IRS, but it would have been funny if after they finished singing amazing grace, Eric Metaxas got up and re-iterated his point, and said, “those we don’t consider human in today society – easily, it can be said – are those in the womb; the pre-born.” Those are the ones the ‘good’ Christians need to openly defend today.
Hey, since yesterday I have been unable to read ANY comments on posts after and including the “I have issues” one. Any post before that works fine. Wasn’t sure who to contact because I don’t think Jill is the one who does some of that technical stuff and probably gets more than enough email anyway. Just wanted someone aware of the problem!
real-stupid-ity,
“I wonder why metaxas wants to impress certain groups. Whats he angling for? He [Eric Metaxas] certainly hasn’t enhanced his academic reputation.”
==============================================================
I am not all surprised that Metaxas’s motivation would be lost on you.
“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
There are some people who are more interested in doing and saying what is right than they are about their own self interests.
Most of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were anti-slavery christians and it cost them their ‘lives, and fortunes’, both literally and figuratively.
The majority of the colonists, both christian and non-christian, were “disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
The signers ’sacred honor’ remains intact.
You inherited a country and a culture by virtue of their ‘words and deeds’.
You now, like the majority back then, are willing to let others suffer.
W.O.W.
That was amazing and inspiring!
“But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa: National Prayer Breakfast Speech Against Abortion – Feb 3,1994 VIDEO – The Desk of Brian
finally got to watch it – and after recently re-watching Amazing Grace (the story of William Wilberforce), I have to say that the message is spot-on.
When one class of humans are de-humanized and hurt or killed with the sanction of the State, we are all in trouble.
Love them all. Welcome all into the human family. not some, but all.
Erin, I am having the same issue — I cannot see comments for articles posted Sunday or today.
Wow!!! BEAUTIFUL and inspiring. You can completely see his combination of wit and faith in the Veggie Tales videos. Always nice to meet the people behind the work.
Jill, thank you SO much for sharing this. My husband became a believer in Jesus as an adult (as did our Pastor… and our Youth Pastor)… and I know that passing this video on (as I just did on FB) will continue to spread the love and encouragement that Metaxas so freely shared with those in attendance that morning.
Here’s a YouTube video of just Mr. Metaxas’s speech. He mentions the unborn and abortion starting here.