[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2208-H2211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1600
RELIGIOUS LEADERS OPPOSE THE SPREAD OF GAMBLING
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brown of South Carolina). Under a
previous order of the House, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, this week 220 religious leaders across the
spectrum signed an open letter to this Congress and to the Bush
administration calling on the Nation's leaders to oppose the further
spread of gambling.
The signers are across the spectrum of the religious views in this
country. It is time, Mr. Speaker, for the country to address the
devastation that gambling has wrought on our children, our families,
communities and Nation, is what they wrote.
Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize the significance of this letter.
This is not a message from political leaders, this is not a message
from business or labor, this is not a message from many of the usual
interest groups that express their views here every day. Rather, it is
a message from our Nation's moral and spiritual leaders. Not often do
so many religious leaders from such broad perspectives speak out on any
issue. But when they do, it is noteworthy.
Recall the issues of slavery, the civil rights movement, elderly and
child poverty, the dangers of communism, South African apartheid,
famine and humanitarian issues throughout the world. All these issues
commanded the attention of the Nation's spiritual leaders. The
incredible spread of gambling is also a call to arms for our Nation's
faith communities.
Why are so many in the religious community so alarmed? Legalized
gambling, once relegated to a few areas of the country, continues to
spread at an alarming rate, so quickly that soon almost every American
will be within driving distance of a casino. Gambling expansion has
swept the Nation, with revenues jumping from about $1 billion in 1980
to well over $50 billion today. That means Americans lose on average of
$137 million every day of the year from gambling. Let me say that
again: Americans lose on the average $137 million every day of the year
from gambling.
In short, while the explosion of various forms of gambling across
America has generated revenue for States and for the gambling industry,
it has left in its wake human misery that is only now beginning to be
understood. This misery ends up costing the States more than they
receive and creates a vicious cycle as the need for social services
dramatically increases. Whether a State lottery, a casino or a ``cruise
to nowhere,'' gambling is a losing bet for funding legitimate social
needs.
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Yet in State after State the gambling industry pours money into the
coffers of political campaigns from both political parties in hopes of
advancing their interests. The fact that gambling has not spread
further is a tribute to the tireless efforts of a few grass roots
activists in the States. These citizen advocacy efforts, often outspent
by rates of 20 to 1, have held a levy against an even greater
encroachment by the gambling industry into every community in America.
But the gambling industry has another card up its sleeve and has used
it very effectively in the last decade. Instead of going through the
normal legislative channels, they have ever increasingly circumvented
State grass roots resistance by going through our Nation's Native
Americans. Indian casinos are the fastest growing form of gambling
today. Our Federal policy toward our Nation's first citizens is in a
terrible state. A few tribes have done very well, and yet nearly 80
percent of all Native Americans receive nothing from gambling. Let me
repeat: 80 percent receive nothing from gambling. The vast majority
live in areas where casinos are simply not viable.
What kind of Federal policy rewards a few people living in population
centers while the rest languish? There is a casino that operates in
California that actually has one adult member of the tribe, one member,
and thousands of Native Americans live in our Great Plains States and
receive nothing. Defenders of Indian gambling never seem to talk about
this disparity.
What has the spread of gambling meant for the country? Some 15.4
million Americans are already suffering from problem and pathological
gambling, also called gambling addiction, which is devastating to the
individuals and his or her family. The effects of this addiction are
wide ranging and often impact many who are not at all involved with
gambling. It is not unusual for a gambling addict to end up in
bankruptcy, with a broken family, and facing criminal charges from his
or her employer. Youth introduced early to gambling are particularly at
a high risk for gambling addiction. Of the over 15 million Americans
suffering from problem gambling disorders, over half, 7.9 million, are
adolescents. There is a tremendous need for prevention. Unfortunately,
there is no money really for prevention.
Soon, gambling will be in every home in America with the Internet
connection. More than 850 Internet gambling sites worldwide had
revenues in 1999 of $1.67 billion, up more than 80 percent from 1998,
according to Christiansen Capital Advisors, who track the industry.
Revenues are expected to top $3 billion by 2002, and the Congress and
the administration have done nothing.
I would hope this Congress and this administration would reflect on
the seriousness of this issue. This is not about a person making a
choice to travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City and gamble for
recreation. The reality is that such a choice takes planning and some
time. As gambling spreads throughout the Nation, there is less
planning, less time, and much more availability for potential addicts
to gamble.
With all this hard evidence, our Nation's religious leaders have been
moved to forcibly speak out. They have demanded that we ``place
American citizens and families ahead of false promises and hefty
political contributions of the gambling industry and begin to address
this rapidly growing menace to our national welfare.''
Who will speak out against the spread of gambling, the crime, the
corruption, the family breakdown, the suicide the bankruptcy, the
exploitation of the poor? Our Nation's religious leaders have spoken
out. I would hope that Congress would speak out. And I would say to the
Bush administration, your silence on this issue is becoming deafening.
So the Bush administration should also speak out.
For the poor, the young, the elderly, the addicts, the families of
America, hopefully, maybe just someone, someone will listen and speak
out.
Mr. Speaker, I provide for the Record a copy of the letter signed by
these 220 religious leaders and all their names.
An Open Letter From 220 Religious Leaders to the President and Congress
on the Spread of Gambling
Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned, represent a
variety of faith perspectives and religious beliefs. We hold
differing convictions regarding many of the most prominent
issues of our day. Yet we are united in our opposition to
legalized gambling. We believe it to be a moral and cultural
cancer. Therefore, we respectfully urge Congress to begin to
address the devastation that gambling has wrought on our
children, families, communities and nation. Consider just the
following sampling of gambling's toll on America's citizenry:
Gambling exploits those with the fewest financial
resources, as both a multitude of studies and our own
experiences in our individual communities readily confirm. A
few months ago we were inundated with glowing press accounts
of the Powerball winner from Kentucky who gambled part of his
unemployment check to attain the jackpot. How many tens of
thousands of others in similar circumstances squandered their
meager income chasing this state-sponsored fantasy and wound
up without enough money to pay the rent or put food on the
table? According to the National Gambling Impact Study
Commission (NGISC), individuals earning less than $10,000 per
year spend more on lottery tickets every year than any other
income group.
Each of us--and the faith communities we represent--could
provide countless stories of families shattered by gambling
addiction. We are often the ones forced to pick up the pieces
of lives ripped apart by divorce and domestic violence.
According to a survey by the NGISC, gambling has been
responsible, in whole or in part, for more than 2 million
divorces in recent years. Child abuse and neglect are other
effluents of gambling's explosive growth. In addition,
research indicates that children of gambling addicts do more
poorly in school, experience more behavioral problems, and
are more susceptible to gambling addiction themselves.
The gambling boom has made our communities more dangerous
places to live. Gambling operations attract crime, and they
create new criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
Studies confirm that more than half of gambling addicts will
engage in illegal activities--everything from embezzlement to
armed robbery--to fund their compulsion to gamble.
Gambling has subverted the rightful role of government as
protectorate of the people. Casinos in particular have bought
favors with politicians at all levels, thus enabling them to
spread their poison product into even more communities. In
the most recent election, gambling interests lavished $10.9
million on candidates and parties at the federal level alone.
That does not include the multi-millions spent on lobbying,
nor does it take into account that gambling interests have
become the single most powerful force in a number of state
governments. All of this influence comes at a terrible price
that is paid for by the gambling industry's multitude of
victims.
The rapid increase in legal gambling opportunities has
created a concomitant boom in the number of gambling addicts.
According to the NGISC, more than 15 million Americans
struggle with a significant gambling problem--and the
repercussions are often profound. Perhaps no single statistic
better reveals the depth of despair associated with gambling
addiction than this: One in five of those who become addicted
to gambling will attempt to take his or her own life.
Legal gambling operations entice teenagers to delve into
this dangerous activity. Many become trapped. Studies show
that the rate of gambling problems among adolescents is
dramatically higher than that for adults. Hundreds of
thousands of teens regularly access casinos, lotteries, and
other legal betting venues despite age regulations to the
contrary. Further, aggressive and omnipresent gambling
advertising campaigns disparage the ethic of work, diligence
and study while bombarding teens with the idea that gambling
is the means to get rich quick.
Gambling has become a blight on our nation's cultural
landscape. As religious leaders, we see the gambling-induced
pain and devastation among many of those who look to us for
spiritual guidance. Thus, we stand together not only in our
concern, but in our commitment to oppose this predatory and
destructive industry. We call on members of Congress to place
America's citizens and families ahead of the false promises
and hefty political contributions of the gambling industry,
and to begin to address this rapidly growing menace to our
national welfare.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Bailey, President, Dallas Theological Seminary.
The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., Episcopal Diocese of
Pennsylvania.
Dr. Ron Black, Executive Director, General Association of
General Baptists.
Dr. Bill Bright, Founder and Chairman, Campus Crusade for
Christ.
David Bryant, Chairman, America's National Prayer
Committee.
Commissioner John Busby, National Commander, The Salvation
Army.
Dr. Gaylen J. Byker, President, Calvin College.
Tony Campolo, Ph.D., President, The Evangelical Association
for the Promotion of Education.
Dr. Judson Carlberg, President, Gordon College.
Dr. Morris H. Chapman, President & CEO, Southern Baptist
Convention, Executive Committee.
Charles W. Colson, Chairman of the Board, Prison Fellowship
Ministries.
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Dr. Clyde Cook, President, Biola University and Talbot
School of Theology.
Kenneth L. Connor, President, Family Research Council.
Dr. James C. Dobson, President, Focus on the Family.
David H. Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed
Church in North America.
Dr. Tony Evans, President, The Urban Alternative.
Reverend Jeff Farmer, President, Open Bible Churches.
Bruce L. Fister, Lt. Gen. USAF (Ret.), Executive Director,
Officers' Christian Fellowship.
Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries.
Dr. Stan D. Gaede, President, Westmont College.
Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Gillespie, President, Princeton
Theological Seminary.
William Graham, Acting Dean, Harvard Divinity School.
The Rt. Rev. J. Clark Grew II, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of
Ohio.
Bishop Susan W. Hassinger, United Methodist Church, Boston
Area.
Rev. Paul Hirschy, Bishop, Church of the United Brethren in
Christ, USA.
Dr. David W. Holdren, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan
Church.
Clyde M. Hughes, Bishop, International Pentecostal Church
of Christ.
L. Gregory Jones, Dean and Professor of Theology, Duke
Divinity School.
Rev. Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, President, Gordon-Conwell
Theological Seminary.
Rabbi Benjamin Kamenetzky, Executive Director, Yeshiva of
South Shore.
D. James Kennedy, Ph.D., Senior Minister, Coral Ridge
Presbyterian Church.
Clifton Kirkpatrick, State Clerk of the General Assembly,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Dr. Richard Land, President, Ethics and Religious Liberty,
Commission of the SBC.
Rabbi Abraham S. Lefkowitz, Chaplain, Nassau County Police
Department.
Dr. Duane Litfin, President, Wheaton College.
Max Lucado, Senior Minister, Oak Hills Church of Christ.
Bishop Joel N. Martinez, United Methodist Church, San
Antonio Area.
Bishop Felton E. May, United Methodist Church, Washington,
D.C. Area.
Dr. James Merritt, President, Southern Baptist Convention.
Dr. Kenneth M. Meyer, Chancellor, Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
Dr. Richard J. Mouw, President, Fuller Theological
Seminary.
Harold Myra, Executive Chairman, Christianity Today
International.
Father Richard John Neuhaus, President, Institute on
Religion and Public Life.
Dr. John M. Perkins, Chairman, Christian Community
Development Association.
Glenn Plummer, Chairman, National Religious Broadcasters.
The Rt. Reverend F. Neff Powell, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese
of Southern Virginia.
Dennis Rainey, Executive Director, Family Life.
Sandy Rios, President, Concerned Women for America.
Adrian Rogers, Senior Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church.
Dr. Rex M. Rogers, President, Cornerstone University.
Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York.
Bruce Ryskamp, President and CEO, Zondervan.
Dr. Emanuel Sandberg, Executive Director, The Brethren
Church.
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana, United Methodist Church, San
Francisco Area.
Dr. Dal Shealy, President/CEO, Fellowship of Christian
Athletes.
Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action.
Charles W. Smith, Sr. Pastor, Calvary Chapel.
Sister Lucille Souza, MSC, Mother Cabrini High School.
David Stevens, MD, Executive Director, Christian Medical
Association.
Dr. Thomas Trask, General Superintendent, General Council
of the Assemblies of God.
Miroslav Volf, Professor, Yale University.
Rev. Jim Wallis, Editor-in-Chief, Sojourners.
Donald E. Wildemon, President American Family Association.
Dr. Edward W. Williamson, General Superintendent,
Evangelical Methodist Church, International Headquarters.
Jim Winkler, General Secretary, United Methodist Church,
General Board of Church and Society.
Ravi K. Zacharias, President, International Ministries.
Additional Signatories to the ``Open Letter to the President and
Congress''
The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop, Diocese of Quincy
(IL).
Howard Ahmanson, President, Fieldstead & Co.
Robert T. Allen, President, National Association of
Evangelicals--Arizona.
Dr. A.J. Anglin, President, Trinity Christian College.
Dr. Jay A. Barber, President, Warner Pacific College.
Dr. James Barnes, President, Indiana Wesleyan University.
Rev. Dr. Peter B. Barnes, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian
Church (Boulder, CO).
Dr. Philip J. Baur, Interim President, Bethel Seminary of
the East.
Dr. Timothy F. George, President, Samford University.
Michael Glenn, Executive Vice President, National Religious
Broadcasters Association.
J. Gary Glosten, Bishop Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of
North Carolina.
William T. Greig II, Chairperson, Gospel Light Publishing.
Doris W. Greig, Chairperson, Gospel Light Publications.
Wayne Grudem, Ph.D., Research Professor of Bible and
Theology, Phoenix Seminary, Past President, Evangelical
Theological Society.
Dr. David J. Gyertson, President, Taylor University.
Pastor Matthew Heard, Senior Pastor, Woodmen Valley Chapel.
The Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr., Bishop, Episcopal
Diocese of Alabama.
Bishop Gregory Palmer, Iowa Conference, United Methodist
Church.
Joe E. Pennel, Jr., Bishop, Virginia Conference of United
Methodist Church.
Randy Pope, Pastor, Perimeter Church.
Tom Prichard, President, Minnesota Family Council.
Dr. Paul A. Rader, President, Asbury College.
Stephen W. Reed, General Counsel, Focus on the Family.
Larry D. Robertson, Ph.D., State Evangelism Specialist,
Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Dr. LeVon Balzer, President, John Brown University.
The Rt. Reverend David C. Bane, Jr., Bishop, Episcopal
Diocese of Southern Virginia.
Dr. Gayle D. Beebe, President, Spring Arbor University.
Bobbi Biehl, President, Masterplanning Group International.
Bishop Bruce Blake, United Methodist Church, Oklahoma Area.
Richard Bott, Sr., President, Bott Radio Network.
Robert H. Brindle, Consultant to churches.
Reverend R.O. and Elsa Prince Broehuizen, Pastor (Holland,
MI).
Rev. Edison G. Brooker, Pastor, Rotonda West Community
Church, Chairman, National Association of Evangelicals--
Florida.
Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., United Methodist Church Denver
Area.
Dr. Homer Heater, Jr., President, Capital Bible Seminary.
Dr. Kenneth S. Hemphill, President, Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
Donald Paul Hodel, Former Reagan Cabinet Officer.
Dr. E. Douglas Hodo, President, Houston Baptist University.
Bishop John L. Hopkins, United Methodist Church, Minnesota
Area.
The Rt. Rev. Barry Howe, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of West
Missouri.
John W. Howe, Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Central
Florida.
Bishop William W. Hutchinson, United Methodist Church,
Louisiana Area.
Bishop Neil L. Irons, United Methodist Church, Harrisburg
Area.
Bishop S. Clifton Ives, United Methodist Church, West
Virginia Area.
Dr. David J. Robinson, President, Houston Graduate School
of Theology.
Dr. William P. Robinson, President, Whitworth College.
Thomas E. Rogeberg, Executive Vice President, Coral Ridge
Ministries Media, Inc.
Bishop Edward L. Salmon, Diocese of South Carolina.
Bishop William J. Salmon, Diocese of South Carolina.
Dr. Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America.
Rick Schatz, President, & CEO, National Coalition for the
Protection of Children and Families.
Reverend Dale Schlafer, President, and Founder, Center for
World Revival and Awakening.
Alan E. Sears, President,, Alliance Defense Fund.
Don Schmierer, Program Officer, Fieldstead & Company.
Dr. George K. Brushaber, President, Bethel College and
Seminary.
Dr. Jerry Cain, President, Judson College.
Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, United Methodist Church,
Mississippi Area.
Dr. John L. Carson, President, Erskine College.
Lt. Gen. Patrick P. Caruana (USAF Ret.), Board Member,
Focus on the Family.
Dr. Daniel Chamberlain, President, Houghton College.
Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain Jr., United Methodist Church,
Houston Area.
Bishop Ben R. Chamness, Central Texas Conference of the
United Methodist Church.
Dr. Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological
Seminary.
Rev. Clifford R. Christensen, Conference Minister
Conservative, Congregational Christian Conference.
Glen A. Land, Director of Missions and Evangelism,
Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention.
Dr. Luciano Jaramillo, IBS-Latin America, Executive
Director, IBS-US, Hispanic Ministries Director.
The Rt. Rev. Stephen H. Jecko, Diocese of Florida.
Jonathan D. Keaton, Bishop, East Ohio Conference of the
United Methodist Church.
Dr. Keith P. Keeran, President, Kentucky Christian College.
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Dr. Kirby Nelson Keller, President, Evangelical School of
Theology.
Jay L. Kesler, Chancellor, Taylor University.
Bishop Hae-Jong Kim, United Methodist Church, Pittsburgh
Area.
Bishop James R. King Jr., United Methodist Church,
Louisville Area.
Jerry R. Kirk, Chairman, National Coalition for the
Protection of Children and Families.
James M. Kushiner, Executive Director, Fellowship of St.
James.
Max L. Staekhouse, Professor of Christian Ethics, Princeton
Theological Seminary.
The Rt. Reverend John-David Mercer Schofield, Bishop,
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, Central Third of
California.
Bishop Ann B. Sherer, United Methodist Church, Missouri
Area.
Rt. Rev. Richard L. Shimpfky, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of
El Camino Real.
Randy D. Singer, Executive Vice President, North American
Mission Board, SBC.
Bishop C. Joseph Sprague, United Methodist Church, Chicago
Area.
Tim Stafford, Senior Writer, Christianity Today Magazine.
James R. Stuck, Bishop, Indiana-Kentucky Synod Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
Dr. Lee Snyder, President, Bluffton College.
Dr. Richard L. Spindle, President, MidAmerica Nazarene
University.
Peter Sprigg, Senior Director of Culture Studies, Family
Research Council.
David E. Clippard, Associate Executive Director, Baptist
General Convention of Oklahoma.
Charles W. Colson, Chairman of the Board Prison Fellowship
Ministries--Washington, D.C.
Dr. Paul R. Corts, President, Palm Beach Atlantic College.
Dr. William Crothers, President, Northeastern Seminary.
Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel, III, Bishop, Diocese of East
Carolina.
Glenn DeMots, President, Bethany Christian Services.
Bishop William W. Dew Jr., United Methodist Church,
Phoenix, Area.
Dr. Dennis H. Dirks, Dean, Talbot School of Theology at
Biola University.
Dr. Davis S. Dockery, President, Union University.
Dr. Joseph L. Lapp, President, Eastern Mennonite
University.
The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr., Bishop, Diocese of Western
Michigan.
Edwin M. Leidel, Bishop of Eastern Michigan.
Dr. Daniel Lockwood, President, Multinomah Biblical
Seminary.
Ernest S. Lyght, Bishop, The New York Annual Conference,
The United Methodist Church.
Dr. Kevin Mannoia, Dean, C.P. Haggard School of Theology,
Azusa Pacific University.
Colby M. May, Esq., Director, Office of Government Affairs,
American Center for Law and Justice.
Dr. Kenneth M. Meyer, Chancellor, Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School.
Bishop Rodney R. Michel, Garden City, NY.
Dr. Vinson Synan, Dean, School of Divinity, Regent
University.
Dr. C. Pat Taylor, President, Southwest Baptist College.
The Rt. Reverend Douglas E. Theuner, Bishop, Episcopal
Diocese of New Hampshire.
Dr. David Tiede, President, Luther Seminary.
Dr. Al Truesdale, Interim President, Eastern Nazarene
College.
Paul Tshimihamba, Associate Pastor, First Presbyterian
Church (Berkeley, CA).
Rt. Reverend Franklin D. Turner, Bishop Suffragan of
Pennsylvania.
Forrest L. Turpen, Executive Director, Christian Educators
Association International.
John Tusant, Executive Director, The Greater Spokane
Association of Evangelicals.
The Reverend David A. Donges, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
Dr. Larry R. Donnithorne, President, Colorado Christian
University.
Dr. G. Blair Dowden, President, Huntington College.
Dr. David E. Draper, President, Winebrenner Theological
Seminary.
Ralph W. Dunkin, Bishop, West Virginia-Western Maryland
Synod.
Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam, President, Asbury Theological
Seminary.
Dr. Phillip W. Eaton, President, Seattle Pacific
University.
Bishop Marion Edwards, United Methodist Church, Raleigh
Area.
Dr. Tom Elliff, Pastor, First Southern Baptist Church (Del
City, OK).
Bernard J. Evans, General Chairman, ELIM Fellowship.
Bishop Lee M. Miller, Upstate New York, SYNOD/ELCA.
State Senator Patricia Miller (IN), The Confessing Movement
within the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Rhymes H. Moncure, United Methodist Church, Nebraska
Area.
Dr. Royce Money, President, Abilene Christian University.
Dr. Charles W. Moore, President, Northern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
The Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Retired Bishop, Episcopal Diocese
of New York.
Bishop William W. Morris, United Methodist Church,
Nashville Area.
Susan Morrison, Bishop, United Methodist Church, Albany,
New York Episcopal Area.
Rev. Duane Motley, President, New Yorker's Family Research
Foundation, Inc.
Dr. Bruce Murphy, President, Northwestern College in Iowa.
Leslee J. Unruh, Founder and President National Abstinence
Clearinghouse.
Dr. Jon Wallace, President, Azusa Pacific University.
Dr. Charles Wasielewski Sr., International Moderator,
American Evangelical Christian Churches.
Peter D. Weaver, Bishop, The United Methodist Church,
Philadelphia Episcopal Area.
Dr. C. Robert Wetzel, Emmanuel School of Religion.
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, United Methodist Church,
Florida Area.
Dr. John H. White, President, Geneva College.
Bishop Woodie W. White, United Methodist Church, Indiana
Area.
Bishop D. Max Whitfield, United Methodist Church, Northwest
Texas/New Mexico Area.
Donald E. Wildmon, President, American Family Association.
Bishop Robert E. Fannin, North Alabama Annual Conference,
The United Methodist Church.
Janet Folger, National Director, Center for Reclaiming
America.
Richard J. Foss, Bishop, Fargo, ND.
Jeffrey R. Funk, Executive Director, Hospital Chaplains'
Ministry of America (HCMA).
Dr. Ira Gallaway, Institute of Religion and Democracy.
Bishop Elias Galvan, The United Methodist Church, Seattle,
WA.
Albert Mutti, Bishop, United Methodist Church, Kansas
Episcopal Area.
David A. Noebel, President, Summit Ministries.
Bishop Alfred L. Norris, United Methodist Church, Houston
Area.
Patrick Ortega, News & Public Affairs Director, Radio Nueva
Vida Network.
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, United Methodist Church, Ohio West
Area.
Dr. Roger Parrott, President, Bellhaven College.
Dr. G. Craig Williford, President, Denver Seminary.
Sid Wright, Chief of Staff to the Chairman, Campus Crusade.
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., President, Leading The Way Radio
and Television.
Dr. Carl E. Zylstra, President, Dordt College.
____________________