Tag: religious
Maybe The Kentucky Clerk Should Be Jailed For Refusing to Issue Marriage Licenses. Maybe?
Posted on September 9, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
So Daniel refused to compromise his convictions, even while working for the king (a secular entity). That decision led to his punishment; a punishment Daniel was fully prepared to accept, even to the point of death. At no time did Daniel plead his case or demand his “religious convictions” be honored. The end result was that Daniel’s accusers were thrown into the den of lions where they all perished, and the king decreed that only the “God of Daniel” was the true God.
Does this biblical account relate to the Kentucky clerk that now sits in prison for refusing to compromise her convictions?
I think there is a relationship between the account of Daniel and this Kentucky clerk refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The relationship is that Ms. Davis – the clerk – is living according to her religious convictions despite the laws of the land. The current law makes it illegal to deny a marriage license to any couple seeking to be married, refusing to comply with that law is an act of disobedience to the law.
Why Is This Baker Allowed to Discriminate?
Posted on May 19, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Why is one baker allowed to discriminate but another is not? That’s the question being asked after two separate – but related incidents involving cake and convictions.
In one incident Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, declined to bake a cake for a gay wedding because he said doing so would violate his religious convictions. Phillips sees his business as an extension of his faith, which means participating in a gay wedding by creating a work of art would violate that faith.
Unfortunately, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission disagreed with Phillips and charged him with discrimination under Colorado’s Human Rights Act. He was found guilty and threatened with fines and imprisonment if he continued such practices at his bakery.
In fact, Phillips was ordered to go “reeducation” along with his entire staff and will be monitored to ensure such an incident doesn’t happen again. Does this sound like America – the home of the free – or more like a communist country?
In light of this disturbing account, Bill Jack, just a guy wanting to make a point, asked three different bakeries to make him two separate cakes. Todd Starnes explains the cakes Jack wanted:
Steps Every Church Can Take to Defend Biblical Teaching on Marriage
Posted on May 13, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
As I discussed yesterday, the Supreme Court is preparing to rule on the issue of marriage. More specifically, whether or not it should be legal in all 50 states for homosexuals to marry. This decision will have a major impact on every person regardless of which way the court rules.
Several years ago I was involved with educating churches and pastors on what steps they could take to protect their churches from lawsuits due to changing cultural norms. While many churches were receptive to such instruction, some churches believed it unnecessary. Few churches today seeking to protect their religious freedom think being educated is unnecessary.
Groups like The Gospel Coalition have been more cautious in recommending to churches steps that can be taken to protect their pastors, facilities, and religious freedom. So when I see recommendations from The Gospel Coalition, in conjunction with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), I take notice.
In a blog post not long ago, The Gospel Coalition recommended five ways churches can protect their religious convictions and freedom amidst a changing culture. These are five steps groups like ADF and the one I worked with were encouraging years ago; they are more critical today than ever.
The five steps are:
Why This Christian Shop Owner is Hurting Christians
Posted on April 28, 2015 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I get it. Christians want the right to live according to their beliefs. That freedom, which has been foundational in American history, is currently under attack with the advancement of same-sex “marriage” and LGBT rights. So as a Christian, I get it.
Case after case can be cited showing how the rights of Christians to conduct business in accordance with their religious convictions is being assaulted:
Arlene’s Flowers.
Masterpiece Bakery.
Elane Photography.
These are some of the more prominent cases, but the list is ridiculously long and growing.
So I understand Christians wanting to stand up for their religious freedom and live and do business according to their convictions. However, there is a line that must be drawn – and here’s where I draw it.
The owner of a Michigan auto shop posted on its Facebook page that it would refuse to offer services to openly gay people. This announcement came with other revelations, such as people who bring in their guns would be given a discount (including off-duty cops). Citing his freedom of speech and religious freedom the owner, Brian Klawiter, said he has no plans to back down and would stand firm concerning both his convictions and his right to live and do business according to those convictions. He wrote:
A Piece of the Indiana Pizzeria Story You Might Have Missed. Hint: It’s the Part the Media Doesn’t Want You to See
Posted on April 7, 2015 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
There has been an overwhelming amount of commentary on the Indiana Religious Freedom bill (RFRA) and the pizzeria that made news for the owner’s position on the subject. I will commend those articles to you. (Click here for a good Q&A on the bill) But there is one part of the story you might not have heard about, it’s the absolute best part. This single part of the pizzeria story is worth every spare minute you have to read this article.
Just for the sake of clarity, let’s make sure we are all on the same page about what transpired this week.
Indiana passed a RFRA bill, essentially the same bill signed into federal law by President Bill Clinton a couple decades ago. It’s virtually the same law on the books in many states, Indiana was simply joining those states.
What the law DOES do: protect the religious convictions and consciences of individuals from being harmed or threatened by government action. In other words, it allows people to live each day according to their religious convictions.
What the law does NOT do: allow people to discriminate based on sexual orientation. In other words, a person cannot refuse service to another person simply because they are gay.
The Message A Man Requested Had the Baker Saying No – Now She’s in Trouble
Posted on January 29, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I don’t even want to talk about a person calling himself a “Christian” wanting a cake with the words “God hates gays” on it; and what the cake was for. I’m angry at the fact that such a person exists and the damage to the Gospel said person is doing. The fact, however, that the cake shop refused to print the message is another story entirely. That is something we need to talk about.
Azucar Bakery in Denver, CO. was asked to print the cake for a man named Bill Jack. Jack also requested the cake to be in the shape of a Bible with an image of two men holding hands with a big X through them. The bakery refused to comply with the request saying the message was “discriminatory, and hateful.”
Who! Wait a minute. I thought business owners had no rights to refuse such requests based on their personal views. I thought “discriminating” against customers because of a business owners core convictions and beliefs was no frowned upon and illegal. Isn’t the idea that business owners are not allowed to refuse such requests at the heart of the Masterpiece Cake Shop story and Jack Phillips, the owner?
Duck Dynasty Wife Has Strange View on Abortion Issue
Posted on January 27, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The video below is a candid interview with Al and Lisa Robertson of the Duck Dynasty Robertson’s. In the video Al and Lisa discuss their views on abortion and, to the surprise of many I’m sure, Lisa shares that she considers herself pro-choice.
After revealing that she had an abortion when she was younger in discussing their new book “A New Season: A Robertson Family Love Story of Brokenness and Redemption,” Lisa says that while she opposes abortion based on her religious convictions, she does not want to force her beliefs on anyone else. Lisa says:
This Classic Christmas Song Would Be Banned in Many Public Schools
Posted on December 12, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We love Christmas and look forward to it all year. One of the best parts of Christmas is the music. We have a whole library of songs that we only sing during this time of the year and it brings joy to our hearts to do so. The video below of “Mary, Did You Know” by Pentatonix is no exception.
Unfortunately those who don’t like the inherent religious meaning in the Christmas season are working hard to make sure many of these songs are no longer sung in public places, such as schools. Those who do not like any religious meaning in the Christmas season want to ban anything with that same religious meaning from being part of our Christmas celebration. So school plays and musicals and concerts, town festivals and parades, and even Christmas caroling are all being targeted. Songs such as the one below are being banned as “religious” and therefore not appropriate for such activities. These cherished songs are being replaced with empty, meaningless “holiday” songs.
The reality is that Christmas is not just some arbitrary winter celebration. Christmas is the celebration surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. At it’s heart, inherent to everything that Christmas is, is the reality that God came down to earth as a a man to redeem mankind. You cannot simply remove this meaning from the Christmas season without creating something new that is not Christmas. So the song below is not just another song, it is a celebration of a historical event that changed the world.
Government Demands Christian Support and Promote Gay Pride Parade (Video)
Posted on November 5, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
What if you were asked to produce a message supporting something that violated your conscience, or religious convictions? Would you do it?
That is exactly the position the owner of a Christian t-shirt printing business found himself in when he was asked to print a t-shirt promoting the local gay-pride festival. When the Lexington, KY based Gay and Lesbian Services Organization asked Hands On Originals, a Christian-owned printing company, to print their gay-pride parade shirts, owner Blaine Adamson declined.
But, lest anyone believe this is a case of hate, bigotry, or discrimination, a few details need to be known. First, Hands On Originals has worked with gays in the past, even employing gay people at one time. A recent article at The Blaze notes:
UPDATE: Houston Mayor Withdraws Subpoena Request for Pastors Sermons (VIDEO)
Posted on November 4, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Just days after the City of Coeur d’Alene reversed course and declared that a pastor would not have to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies; Houston Mayor Anise Parker has dropped her unconstitutional subpoena of pastor’s sermons.
An article at the Christian Post notes that Mayor Parker intends to defend the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), but has decided to drop her request for the sermons, speeches, and other communications of local pastors.
“After much contemplation and discussion, I am directing the city legal department to withdraw the subpoenas issued to the five Houston pastors who delivered the petitions, the anti-HERO petitions, to the city of Houston and who indicated that they were responsible for the overall petition effort. It is extremely important to me to protect our equal rights ordinance from repeal, and it is extremely important to me to make sure that every Houstonian knows that their lives are valid and protected and acknowledged.”