Local pastor's prayer rejected by House

The Evening Sun (Hanover, PA) ^ | June 25, 2009 | ERIN JAMES

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Gerry Stoltzfoos is a man of faith - but not the type who preaches constantly with in-your-face theology. Even the Gettysburg church where he serves as lead pastor is designed more as a gathering hall than as a shrine full of religious imagery.

But when it comes to prayer, Stoltzfoos is steadfast in his approach of speaking directly to and addressing by name the Christian God he worships.

"I think prayer is talking to God, so when I pray, I try to talk to him," said the pastor of Freedom Valley Worship Center.

However, that principle clashed recently with a new policy of Pennsylvania's Speaker of the House, Keith McCall, D-Carbon County.

And two local legislators are speaking out against the policy - which requires the Legislature's guest chaplains to first submit their prayers in writing and then, if deemed necessary, agree to change their words to meet "non-denominational" guidelines established by McCall's staff.

That, Stoltzfoos said, was simply not something he was willing to do when instructed by a member of McCall's staff to remove the word "Jesus" from the prayer he submitted and had planned to recite at Tuesday's session.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Good for the pastor!

[Friendofgeorge]

McCall and Obama have something in common, they both hate Jesus! And no I am not kidding

[AlexW]

Welcome to the Neo-Marxist states of America.

[Arguendo]

"I feel very deeply offended by them asking me to pray but not allowing me to pray in the name of my God," Stoltzfoos said. "We seem to believe in individual freedoms, but then we cut off those freedoms when they become individual."

I respect the pastor's refusal to offer a "non-denominational" prayer, but this isn't exactly a violation of his freedom.