Tag: ENDA
BREAKING: W.Va. Senate President Kessler Introduces Dangerous ENDA Bill
Posted on February 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
AP: “A bill introduced in the West Virginia Senate would make it unlawful for employers and landlords to discriminate against individuals based on their sexual orientation. Senate President Jeff Kessler, the sponsor, introduced similar bills in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The bills passed the Senate each year but stalled in the House of Delegates. The West Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment and housing based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, blindness or disability.”
Even though the water crisis has dominated the legislature up to this point, anyone with an ounce of insight into West Virginia politics knew that it was a matter of time before a bill like this hit the floor. The tide is changing in West Virginia and true conservatives that do more than talk are gaining seats in the state house. Knowing this, liberals seeking to veer away from the values that has made our state great are desperate. This bill from Kessler is just another example of that desperation.
Answering Questions on ENDA
Posted on November 25, 2013 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
The federal ENDA bill appears to be stalled, perhaps dead…for the moment. After passing in the Senate by a solid majority it appears the House will not bring the bill up for a vote. Even though West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin promised to oppose legislation like ENDA, in the end he broke that promise and voted in favor of the bill. However, to this point House Speaker John Boehner has opposed ENDA and said he will not bring it up for a vote in the House of Representatives.
One thing is for sure: this is the end of ENDA. There is no doubt that this bill will come back and we need to be prepared to oppose it. West Virginians in particular need to be prepared to oppose ENDA on the state level as we will no doubt be facing a state level ENDA bill again in the 2014 legislative session.
For those who are not familiar with ENDA, Joe Carter, writing at The Gospel Coalition, has written a short, informative article answering some of the most frequently asked questions about ENDA. In particular he answers the question why should Christians be concerned about ENDA?
“As a practical matter, ENDA teaches a view of human embodiment that Christians will strongly object to. Christianity embraces the body and self as an integrated whole; as unique creations that witness to the divine action and creativity of God through our being created male and female. Male and female are not arbitrary, socially imposed constructs. They are rooted in our biology. In contrast, the worldview behind ENDA assumes an ‘expressive individualism’ where our bodies become instruments of the will, capable of being re-created according to preference and desire.”
I highly recommend reading this article.
The Practical End to ENDA
Posted on November 20, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
For the time being ENDA appears dead. Even though it passed in the Senate it had no chance of making it through the House where Speaker Boehner opposed it as well as most Republicans; and a few vulnerable Democrats hoping to keep their job in 2014.
In case you don’t know what ENDA is, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act seeks to make it illegal for an employer to hire or fire a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
On the surface this might sound like a good idea. After all, no one should be denied a job simple because he is gay. But the problem with ENDA is that it has a back door that would lead to forcing religious organizations and Christian business owners to violate their religious convictions. Here’s how:
The Logical End of ENDA
Posted on November 19, 2013 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Remember way back when Ryan T. Anderson said ENDA would threaten the religious freedoms of Christian business owners and people of faith? Well, he said it:
“While it is unclear which religious organizations would be exempted from ENDA, it is clear that the bill would not exempt those who wish to run their businesses and other organizations in keeping with their moral or religious values. Additionally, ENDA’s religious liberty protections extend only to businesses directly run by a church or religious organizations. As a result, other religious business owners would be exposed to significant liabilities. Consider, for instance, a Christian bookstore not formally incorporated as a religious organization. Such a store could be accused of creating a hostile work environment by selling and promoting books stating that marriage unites one man with one woman. Clearly, ENDA would create enormous legal risks for businesses that allowed their employees to express traditional religious teachings on sexuality. Anti-discrimination law ought not to silence religious believers.”
Should Christians Compromise to Receive Government Money?
Posted on November 14, 2013 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
One article has stayed with me since I first read it last week. I’m having a hard time even processing what I’ve read, much less any sort of biblical foundation for the decision.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention’s president of children services is urging the convention to change their hiring policy for Sunrise Children’s Services to allow the hiring of homosexuals. In a recent closed-door meeting the president, Bill Smithwick told trustees that “federal protection for homosexuals in the workplace as a ‘civil right’ just as race, gender, national origin, etc., is certain to become law sooner than later. Sunrise will comply or lose.”
Smithwick then presented three options to the leaders including “Follow current policy and terminate the employees. Then refuse to hire homosexuals even when doing so becomes a condition of receiving federal funding. (2) Terminate the employees according to current policy, wait until the government mandates a change, then comply. (3) Change the employment policy now.