Angered by recent persecution of various Christian ministries by the Federal government, 100 evangelical and fundamentalist pastors issue the “Chicago Declaration”:

A DECLARATION AND DEMAND FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES
To The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
And All CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS OF THE UNITED STATES
And All GOVERNORS AND LEGISLATORS OF THE FIFTY STATES

       WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT:—that all men are created by the Lord God; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. …

       ON BEHALF OF OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY, we now declare that for the past seventy years the American people have patiently suffered similar grievances as those suffered by our forefathers; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundations of such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect [sic] their safety and happiness. …

       The history of the present government—including the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, and the unelected and unconstitutional fourth branch of government, the bureaucracy—for the past seventy years is a history of repeated injuring and usurpations. …

        The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights as envisioned and structured by the founding fathers have been declared null and void by Acts of Congress, the bureaucracy, and the courts. …

       Many courts have banned the reading of or any reference to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in courtroom litigation. …

       IN EVERY STATE OF THESE OPPRESSIONS, we have warned time and time again of the unwarranted jurisdiction which these acts extend over us and have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our petitions have been answered only by a deaf ear and repeated injury. …

       NOTE: While the editors applaud the convention for issuing the Chicago Declaration, they are saddened by the realization that most of the delegates supported the election of Republican (fascist/socialist) President Reagan in the recent elections, and the “War on Drugs.”

       [added 11/30/2022] Thanks to Freedom’s Phoenix for this entry.