Today at noon, an estimated 500 people will gather at the state Capitol in Raleigh for the annual National Day of Prayer. As in years past, they'll pray for the government and its elected officials, for the school system, for the military and for families — all in Jesus' name.
The ritual is a favorite among Christian evangelicals, and for the past eight years former President George Bush marked it in the East Room of the White House with prominent evangelicals at his side.
This year, things will be different. President Barack Obama will not hold a White House ceremony; his press secretary says he will issue a proclamation.
To many evangelicals, that's a snub.
"I do believe they want to silence us and keep us from praying," said Linda Stone, of Greensboro, the North Carolina coordinator for National Day of Prayer.
Critics contend that evangelicals have hijacked the event at the expense of other people of faith. Others argue the government has no business endorsing or promoting a day of prayer.
"It would be more in keeping with the spirit of prayer if we kept it in the private realm and not have government leading the effort," said J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, based in Washington, an advocacy organization sponsored by moderate and liberal Baptist denominations. Walker has called the event "misguided and unnecessary."
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