Author: Nathan Cherry
Daily Roundup: Arizona Religious Freedom Bill Vetoed by Governor
Posted on February 27, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
In a surprising move by outspoken conservative Republican Governor Jan Brewer, the Arizona religious freedom bill that has caused so much controversy in the last week has been vetoed.
Unfortunately mischaracterizations and outright lies from opponents seemed to have overwhelmed public opinion about this bill and contributed to its demise. While many claimed the bill would encourage and allow discrimination, the truth is that it simply would have brought Arizona law up to the level of federal law regarding religious freedom. It would have also protected any person of faith from being sued for living according to their religious convictions.
While I can’t begin to speculate on Gov. Brewer’s motives, the fact that she has been so outspoken and firm in her beliefs in the face of opposition leas me to believe there was something greater at stake for her here. In my opinion, Gov. Brewer was the victim of economic bullying. This opposed to this bill, including the NFL, made sure the governor knew that they would harm Arizona financially should she sign the bill into law.
Welcome to the new America. A place where your beliefs are protected, so long as they align with what the federal government deems acceptable. If they don’t, expect persecution and threats until you either change your views or shut up. Personally, I feel bad for Gov. Brewer. She seems to have been between a rock and a hard place and it appears she suffered from the tight squeeze.
The following articles serve as a roundup following the decision to the veto the bill:
Does the Bible Justify Refusing to Serve Homosexual Weddings?
Posted on February 27, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Note: This article is a follow up to yesterday’s post in which I discussed the article by Kirsten Powers and responses to her article.
Predictably, the pending law in Arizona that would allow businesses to refuse service to homosexuals based on their religious convictions has stirred up controversy around the nation. Proponents of the legislation say it is needed to ensure the religious and conscience rights of Christian business owners are protected from government coercion and mandate. Opponents say the bills are just an excuse for people to discriminate.
What was not predictable in this discussion was how divided Christians themselves would be on the issue. Some Christians are saying no one should have the right to refuse service – not even Christians, and not even when rendering service would violate a person’s convictions. Other Christians are baffled by that position and reiterate that the government should not be allowed to force a person to violate his or her deeply held religious convictions. Dr. Albert Mohler recently said that this was “perhaps the strangest and most disappointing dimension of the current controversy.”
By a 79-17 margin, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HB 4588). The bill now goes to the Senate. The Charleston Gazette reports:
“Legislation that would make it a felony to perform abortions on fetuses after 20 weeks’ gestation passed an emotionally charged House of Delegates late Tuesday evening on a 79-17 vote. The passage vote followed a lengthy, emotional debate on the bill (HB4588). That included comments from Delegate Nancy Guthrie, D-Kanawha, saying the Legislature does not have the right to tell her or any other woman what rights she has with her body. ‘All of you should be ashamed of yourselves for bringing this bill to the floor of the House,’ she said.”
Whether the Gazette simply wants to be sterile and use medical terms like fetus or they are pro-abortion, I don’t know. I do know that Del. Guthrie thinks it is acceptable to torture and dismember an unborn child before it is born. But I’m sure she is glad her mother didn’t do that to her.
This bill has been a miracle since it was introduced and now needs another miracle to make it out of the senate. With just 11 days left in this legislative session the fate of the bill is presently unclear.
I encourage you to contact your elected state senators and let them know you support the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and want them to do the same. You can get in touch with every member of the legislature by going to: www.legis.state.wv.us/
For more information read the LifeNews.com article: “West Virginia House Passes Bill Banning Abortions After 20 Weeks”
Russell Moore, Kirsten Powers, Erick Erickson: Should Christians Be Forced to Bake Cakes for Homosexuals?
Posted on February 26, 2014 in Marriage, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
Are Christian vendors being hypocrites for refusing to provide services to same-sex ceremonies citing a violation of their faith while continuing to provide services for other unbiblical weddings?
That is the question that is beginning to swirl in light of several state bills that would give Christian business owners the right to refuse service to homosexual couples seeking their services for weddings. Those bills, introduced in Tennessee, Ohio, Kansas, and awaiting the governor’s signature in Arizona, are a response to lawsuits by homosexuals against “wedding vendors” that refused to render services saying to do so would violate their faith.
Full House’s DJ Tanner Talks About Marriage and Faith
Posted on February 25, 2014 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
If you remember TGIF growing up you have no trouble remembering that Full House played a central role in that lineup and DJ Tanner – Candace Cameron-Bure – was one of the stars. Candace is all grown up now with a family and have become quite outspoken, like her brother Kirk Cameron – regarding her faith.
Candace recently released a book called “Balancing It All” in which she talks about her faith and her marriage. In the her discussions about her marriage she takes a complimentarian view from the Bible and applies it to her own life. This caused some heat from media and other feminists that degraded her for her position. But, taking it all in stride she calmly explained that she lives life according to her faith and wont’ apologize for it. When asked about her position and the media heat by Christianity Today, she said:
“Yeah, I did an interview with Huffington Post for my book…. They got to the chapter on marriage, and I wrote in there that I tend to take a more submissive role, and let my husband take the lead. They thought that was quite controversial, to which I giggled, and explained my point of view. But it hit a nerve. The press took it and ran with it, and it was pretty much the hot topic on every single talk show for that week and more. This is what has worked in our marriage, and I take it from a biblical standpoint. I literally did giggle because there’s nothing in there that’s offensive towards me or devalues my role as a woman or as a wife within my marriage. We have different roles within our marriage, and they do complement each other.”
Good for her. Rather than apologizing for her Christian faith she defended it with common sense remarks and didn’t back down. Read the rest of the interview here, including some cool Post Full House trivia you might not have known.
Will Boys Be Playing On Your Daughters Team Soon? Here’s the Answer
Posted on February 25, 2014 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Psychiatrist Keith Ablow plans to keep speaking against encouraging transgenderism in children despite death threats.
While it’s good to know people are willing to oppose dangerous “science” and speak out against things that may be harmful to children, it’s also sad that such a need exists. Yet, the realm of transgenderism is one such area where amidst growing cries for rights, some voices are urging caution.
In the wake of a California law that took effect in January allowing students in California to decide for themselves which bathroom to use and which sports team to play on based on their perceived gender, Ablow wrote:
BREAKING: W.Va. House Poised to Pass Landmark Pro-Life Bill
Posted on February 24, 2014 in Uncategorized by Nathan Cherry
This is a big deal folks. Currently West Virginia is just one of a few states that has a completely unregulated abortion industry. That means an unborn child can be killed via abortion at any time up to the moment of birth. Yet, a super-majority of Mountaineers believe that life should be defended. The failure of our lawmakers to adequately reflect the will and wishes of the people is glaring.
However, that could all change with one bill. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is poised to pass in the legislature and be sent to the governor to be signed into law. This bill would keep unborn children 20 weeks and older from being killed via abortion. A recent article reports:
“The House Judiciary Committee passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.B. 4588) Friday afternoon on a voice vote. Now that H.B. 4588 is out of Judiciary, the bill will go to the House floor for first, second, and third readings. After a favorable vote (and it should pass by an overwhelming margin), the bill will be sent to the Senate.”
It is critical that you take a few moments to contact your lawmakers and let them know how much you support this bill and want to see it passed. You can contact elected lawmakers by clicking here or going to wvforlife.org/legislation/wv-senate/.
Must Watch: John Piper and Francis Chan Talk About Abortion in Church
Posted on February 22, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
If you’ve ever wondered whether a pastor should discuss abortion church, or if the pastor should use graphic images of aborted babies as illustrations, you must watch this video.
John Piper and Francis Chan discuss how to discuss abortion while being sensitive to post-abortive women in your church. They further discuss the use of graphic images depicting abortion within the church. I think a lot of people will be surprised by this discussion an the positions taken by the two prominent pastors.
If the video doesn’t appear automatically, please refresh your browser.
Will the Religious Super-Majority Be Forced to Comply?
Posted on February 21, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A number of times now President Obama has stated that America is “no longer a Christian nation.” I don’t believe that every person in America is a repentant follower of Jesus, and I am certain the president does not believe that either. What I believe the president was trying to accomplish with his remarks is to distance modern America from our religious founding and heritage. In President Obama’s ongoing attempts to replace “freedom of religion” with “freedom to worship” he would like nothing more than to imbed the idea that America is not founded and based on biblical principles.
In a solid refutation of the president’s claim, a recent Gallup poll released at the end of December in 2013 shows that a super-majority of Americans, 75%, identify with the Christian faith. Dr. Frank Newport, Galup’s Editor-in-Chief says: