Marine turned evangelist speaks at crusade

America needs to stop trying to kick God out of the country and call him back instead, said a former U.S. Marine during the Hope for America crusade Tuesday night.

About 300 people attended the service at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau to hear the Rev. Tim Lee, a Vietnam veteran.

Many in the audience were veterans and were recognized during the first 15 minutes of the service. Most of them were veterans of World War II, and a few even donned their uniforms for the service.

"These are the guys who put their lives on the line," Lee told the crowd.

He served from 1969 to 1971 in the U.S. Marine Corps. His legs were blown off in 1971 when a land mine exploded as his unit was trying to clear a field.

That event helped set the course for Lee's life, which included surrendering his life to Christ and starting a ministry as an evangelist.

Spiritual attack

Today America is under spiritual attack, Lee said.

Judges trying to remove the phrase "one nation under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and lessons about evolution and not creation in schools are just some of the ways that America has tried to replace God with humanism and selfishness, he said.

"We have willfully chosen ignorance over knowledge," Lee said.

It's not the fault of the abortionists, pornographers, liberals or drug addicts that America has turned from God, but it's "because God's people don't care," Lee said.

"We must see the need for revival if we are going to have revival," he said.

Lee said the nation has made a great and grave mistake by not heeding God's message. And the message has been sent dozens of times in the past decades through catastrophes that should get our attention, but often don't, he said.

Whether it is through devastating hurricanes, floods, fires or earthquakes or bombings, "God is trying to say something to America. It's time to listen to the message," Lee said.

Attendance Tuesday was the largest of the crusade so far. Organizers expect larger crowds tonight when evangelist David Ring speaks, and again Thursday and Friday nights. Ring is an evangelist with cerebral palsy who speaks about how God can use any person.

"People just respond to him like they did with Tim," said the Rev. Donny Ford, a crusade organizer.

About 75 people came forward at the end of the service Tuesday to accept salvation or seeking prayer. Ford said more counselors likely will be needed throughout the rest of the week as more people start making decisions.

"You know our priorities are all out of whack when people would rather watch sports than attend a religious service," Ford said. "We're just trying to encourage people to attend because they're missing a blessing by not being here."

The Hope for America crusade is sponsored by the Horizon Foundation, an organization founded by businessman Jerry Lipps. The group organized a similar crusade here in April and has held others in DuQuoin, Ill., and Paducah, Ky. Another crusade is planned for September 2003 in St. Charles, Mo.

For information about the crusade, call the Horizon Foundation at 339-4646.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126