Second Thessalonians 1:4-10 says: “Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. All these are a stain on our soil and a stench in the nostrils of a holy and righteous God, before whom all must stand one day.įrom an eternal perspective, there will be different outcomes for those of deep personal faith in the Lord and those who have been the oppressors.
All-out hostility toward anyone who dares to pray to Almighty God. Laws and court rulings that increasingly prioritize the rights of LGBTQ individuals over the rights of Christians. We have degenerated morally at such an accelerated rate that it will take God’s providential hand to stay His judgment on our land. The flagrantly immoral course that our nation has taken just in the last decade should concern every single Christian who desires to live by the rights of their Biblically informed conscience. How grateful we should be for courageous men and women like these, who refuse to bow to the gods of this age and are willing to pay whatever the cost may be for their steadfastness. Like Barronelle and Coach Kennedy, he isn’t about to give an inch. He created a cake commemorating my father’s 100th birthday, and we have hosted him at the Billy Graham Library. This kind of persecution must stop! Jack is a wonderful man and baker. Jack Phillips has suffered for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is still being targeted by liberal activists. Now, once again, an LGBTQ attorney who ordered a cake for a gender transition has sued Phillips and won in a state court, resulting in a court-ordered fine. The state’s human rights commission sued, but Jack’s case was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Jack is the creative owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, a bakery that refused to design a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage ceremony. Yet another good friend of ours, Jack Phillips, has been relentlessly persecuted by the state of Colorado and the federal courts. Let’s pray that this time the justices will have the wisdom to protect this man and his sincerely held and publicly demonstrated faith. The case came before the Supreme Court two years ago and was sent back down to the lower courts to gather more facts. He’s a Marine veteran, but most important he is a committed follower of Jesus Christ who will stand on his Biblical convictions, come what may. Well, I can tell you this-I had the privilege of spending time with Coach Kennedy this summer, and he isn’t backing down. Can you imagine, being fired for simply praying publicly on a football field with willing players? This should never happen in a nation founded by men and women seeking religious freedom from their tormentors!Īnother Washington state case that could make its way to the Supreme Court this fall concerns Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired by his high school administrators after he refused to stop praying on the football field following games, a practice that has long been commonplace across America. But she is also a strong woman of faith who said she refused to provide the arrangements for this gay wedding because, in her words, “My faith teaches me that marriage is between a man and a woman.”Īnd now she is being threatened with financial ruin for her Biblical convictions. I have had the pleasure of meeting Barronelle, and she is one of the kindest people you will ever meet-a grandmother who has no ill will toward anyone. Why the others didn’t is completely incomprehensible. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch voted to accept her case. As you may remember, Barronelle is a florist in the state of Washington who was sued by the state attorney general and the ACLU for refusing to provide floral arrangements for the wedding of a gay man, a customer she had served for more than a decade.
#Never back down full
This summer, Barronelle Stutzman’s case fell one vote short of being considered by the full Supreme Court. And it’s extremely troubling that the justices have failed to rule on behalf of believers who have been persecuted by state and federal agencies for their personal faith and Biblical convictions.
It appears as if the court is willing to somewhat protect the religious rights of institutions, but on very narrow grounds.
Supreme Court will convene for its fall term, with a number of significant cases to consider.Ĭases that have come before the current court relating to religious freedom have turned up mixed results-even with the conservative justices appointed by the prior administration.
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