Fayetteville Residents to Rally for Religious Freedom Next Week

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On Tuesday, August 11, residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas, will rally in support of religious freedom and in opposition to the city’s proposed “nondiscrimination” act, Ordinance 5781.

The rally will take place on Tuesday, August 11, at 7:00 PM at University Baptist Church at 333 W Maple St. in Fayetteville.

Featured speakers include Aaron & Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes in Oregon. You may recall the Kleins were fined $135,000 and ultimately had to close their business–all because they declined to bake a cake for a same-sex ceremony.

On Tuesday, September 8, voters in Fayetteville will be asked to vote for or against Ordinance 5781, a “nondiscrimination” act very similar to the one voters overturned last December. Early voting begins September 1.

The group Protect Fayetteville, who is sponsoring the rally, is calling on voters to vote against Ordinance 5781 next month.

Ordinance 5781 carries many of the same unintended consequences as the ordinance proposed last year:

  • It fails to protect religious liberty;
  • It inadvertently allows men to use women’s restrooms, showers, locker rooms, and changing facilities–and vice versa;
  • It forces business owners–like the Kleins–who want to operate their businesses in accordance with their deeply-held religious convictions to choose between obeying the law and obeying their conscience.

You can find out more about the ordinance and the September 8 election at www.protectfayetteville.com. You can download a flyer about next week’s rally here.

Photo Credit: “Old Main from the northwest, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (autumn)” by Brandonrush – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

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City of Houston Trying to Seize Church Property

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The Housing Authority for the City of Houston is trying to use eminent domain to seize the property of two churches.

According various news sources and a lawsuit filed by two Houston area churches, the city is trying to implement an urban renewal program that involves the construction of a library and a 63-unit housing project. In order to complete the project, the city says it must obtain property owned by the Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church, a predominantly African-American congregation located in the neighborhood.

Eminent domain prevents the government from taking personal property without compensation. Traditionally, the government would work with property owners to negotiate a fair price for any property the government wishes to acquire.

In recent years, however, eminent domain powers have been applied more broadly in many contexts, forcing citizens and groups who do not necessarily wish to part with their property to do so in exchange for whatever compensation the courts deem fair. (more…)

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What Your Church Needs to Do in Response to the Supreme Court’s Ruling

Religious Freedom,

Many people are asking what they need to do in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision last Friday. First and foremost is protect people from the ruling’s most immediate, negative consequences.

Alliance Defending Freedom has produced some excellent material for churches if their First Amendment religious freedoms come under attack.

For starters, Alliance Defending Freedom highlights seven things every church needs in its by-laws. They are:

  1. A Formal Membership Policy
  2. Procedure for Member Discipline/Membership Revocation
  3. Procedure for Rescinding Membership
  4. Job Descriptions and Religious Grounds for Limiting Employment Opportunities
  5. Statement of Religious Belief Regarding Marriage
  6. Identify the Governing Body that is the Sole Authoritative Interpreter of Scripture
  7. Due Diligence Requirement for all Volunteers and Staff Who Work with Children

ADF also offers suggested wording for a statement of faith regarding marriage as well as some of the policies listed above. You can read it here.

Additionally, Alliance Defending Freedom recommends every church adopt a policy governing facility use; this may decrease the possibility of a church or religious organization being forced to open its property for an activity it finds objectionable. You can read ADF’s suggested facility use policy here.

Why is This Important?

It is important for churches to articulate their biblical views of marriage and sexuality as well as the role their staff and volunteers play in the church’s ministry. If a church is sued because, for example, the church refused to make its property available for a same-sex ceremony, a clear statement of faith regarding marriage coupled with a facility use policy can help verify the church is simply seeking to operate according to its sincerely-held religious beliefs.

Just as important as adopting policies, however, is consistently following those policies. 

These resources cannot prevent a church or religious organization from being singled-out for its religious principles, but they may provide additional layers of protection.

You can find these and other resources for free on Alliance Defending Freedom’s website.

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