Christians Movement Calls I-35 A 'Highway Of Holiness'

People drive on it every day, sometimes cursing along the way, but thousands of people consider Interstate 35 to be a holy road.

The highway that stretches from Laredo to Duluth, Minn., has grabbed the attention of Christians across the country, including those in Austin. Members of Christian groups along the I-35 corridor said the highway was mentioned in the Bible, and in order to fulfill a prophecy, it needs a little saving first.

According to Light The Highway, the worldwide movement is driving thousands to prayer on the interstate. Christians said the Old Testament's book of Isaiah prophesizes I-35 will be the United States' "Highway of Holiness."

Isaiah 35:8 reads: "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it."

"Everything we do, we want to make sure scripture is backing us up," said Austin's PromiseLand Church Pastor Charlie Lujan. "I-35 being Isaiah 35, it just matched."

Lujan conducted a five-week 24-hour prayer vigil and organized what he called a "purity siege" along Austin's famed Sixth Street. The sieges are part of the I-35 project, a nationwide movement to save those at bars, gay clubs and abortion clinics in cities along the interstate.

"If you just draw a line right down the middle of the nation, and go to these strategic cities along the way and just cry out holiness and purity, we believe there's going to be a referendum, a change, a radical change in our nation," Lujan said.

Pastor Greg McDonell of Central Presbyterian Church advertises a congregation accepting of all, including homosexuals.

"I'd be willing to say, that for me, is ridiculous," McDonell said. "We sense we should love them and help them be fully integrated into the life of our community."

McDonell said though he loves all his Christian brothers and sisters, the Isaiah connection to I-35 is not only absurd, but the movement is misguided. He said so much prayer should go toward helping those who are hungry and sick.

"The power is in our Lord and not, for me, in some campaign to identify someone else's impurity," McDonnell said.

The groups held their prayer vigils and purity sieges throughout the month of November and until Sunday. Members plan to revive their highway salvation efforts in January.

May Humor and the Love of Jesus bless all that read this: And for my beloved relatives that travel over the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I would like our crackheads Giants for Jesus to exercise their power of prayer just a little deeper upon the christening of a new bridge in Minneapolis - go out on that holy highway and bless the sucker! So some Christians have christened I-35, well God bless ‘em. From my grandma’s house, I can literally spit and hit I-35 at Owatonna Minnesota (though a good headwind helps). In the sake of numbers, why is Interstate 35 taking these Jesus Giants off the Interstate into gay bars - are there not more straight bars than gay ones to take new Jesus Giant recruits from? I go into approaching the numbers perspective as numbers are important to our big box brother and sister churches, A/G and 4 square mega-church traffic, Mormon BBQ’s, Vegas Wedding Chapel Drive thru windows, and some Southern Baptist functions. Was the straight bar scene not illustrated in the Sodom and Gomorrah graphics of their gay bar vision or the Sunday School bible pop-ups from the book of Genesis? Evidently the focus on an exit ramp from gay bars in Minneapolis, Austin, or Laredo are featuring an I-35 North exit ramp for “Duluth, Canada, or Heaven” - take your pick. Any takers? And if it is the Austin, Minnesotan or the Austin, Texans fighting in traffic on I-35 at Heaven’s off ramp - The Texans are getting in for sure - with those big and tall Ten Gallon hats and girlie helmet hair. You know what they say “the bigger the hair, the closer to God.” When it comes to an Interstate to Heaven, I want to see hearts full of Jesus love FIRST and not hearts spewing Jargon Generated for Jesus, void of understanding stratifications in love. Maybe it is terrible of me to rant and rave on Straight Christians like this, as their souls need saving, too. For God So loved that he gave, that whosoever believes would not perish. This is my commandment, that you love. Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. Christians know that the Greeks had 4 words for love. Gays and lesbians are also aware of how the Greeks loved. However, while Christians might be catching a wind of open mindedness by pulling Gays out of Gay Bars along I-35, their brains are leaking out all over the roadway, making a slimy mess in the roadway for the other Christians that are really trying to love Gay and Lesbian people right where they are at, whether they are leaving a bar or filling a church pew on Sunday. Therefore Christians, I give thee TOUGH LOVE. Love a gay or lesbian as you love yourself. It sounds like the two groups, both Christian and Gay/Lesbians could actually teach one another a lot about love, if each would embrace the perspectives of what love is capable of, and what love can be. Why shouldn’t love be a commitment, whether one is gay, straight, christian or not? One biblical passage in Isaiah 35:8 does not make a particular U.S. Interstate the road to heaven, or an example of it, nor does it necessarily pave a road to saving the souls of gay and lesbians. “Provide me with yet another scripture about this highway to heaven, and hopefully one from the Gospel of Jesus!” said the gay-loving, salvation thumping, holy-rolling, doubting-Thomas church elder for Jesus. Otherwise, get off of 35 ‘cause I have my bible handy, I am open to embrace the Gays or Lesbians, ready to peg the void in the hearts of the Jesus Giants, and I am just spittin’ distance from the edge of the road.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.