The people behind the Manhattan Declaration iPhone app — recently called anti-gay by critics — faxed a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs urging him to reinstate the app to the App Store.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]”That Apple would deem the Manhattan Declaration as ‘offensive’ is alarming and distressing,” the group said in an online petition. “Some who are ‘offended’ by the Manhattan Declaration can only be offended by the positions the Manhattan Declaration takes — positions based on biblical Christianity and affirmed by nearly half a million Christians representing dozens of denominations.”

Organizers for the Manhattan Declaration said the app “promotes the sanctity of every human life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom.”

The Manhattan Declaration currently has 922 signatures on its petition.

A petition that asked Apple to remove the app had 7,728 signatures. Apple removed the app saying that “it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people.”

CNET describes the Manhattan Declaration as “a movement launched last year by a number of Christian leaders espousing their condemnation of both gay marriage and abortion rights.”

The Manhattan Declaration said in its petition that it doesn’t promote hate or homophobia. “It is not anti-gay. Rather, it proclaims that all human beings are loved by God and are worthy of respect.”