NYC Defense of Marriage Prayer Rally

Dawn Eden reports from Monday's Defense of Marriage rally in New York City. It didn't fit the media stereotype of these events:

During the one-hour rally—which occurred after hundreds of members of the clergy held a press conference on the City Hally steps—the crowd was addressed by several local pastors from the from the City Covenant Coalition and Kevin McCullough, each of whom led a prayer. It was strange and beautiful to be on the southern border of the park on a bright, sunny day, holding hands with complete strangers, and realizing we all wanted the same thing. We were reclaiming city space as prayer space.

It was clear that one of the main talking points for the pastors (which I later learned was elucidated in the guidelines their coalition had produced for the rally) was that we who uphold traditional marriage should not carry a message of hate. But this was more than just "love the sinner, hate the sin." The speakers stressed that the present marriage crisis stemmed from heterosexual infidelity, and from the church's failure to come down strongly against such transgressions.

One speaker instructed the crowd's members to say, "We have sinned," and then point at themselves and say, "I have sinned." The issue, said another, was not that we should beat ourselves up over our sin, but that we should take responsibility for what we have done, and likewise take responsibility for our actions now.

I don't know what, if any, coverage this rally is going to get from the mainstream media, but I can tell you one thing: If any mainstream reporters were there, chances are they were very disappointed. There was not a single word of hate. There was only the message of God's love and redemption, and of marriage as Jesus described in in Matthew 19:4-6....

There's more and it's all good, plus links to photos and additional coverage of the rally.