Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr gave an outstanding speech a couple of weeks ago covering several key points on education and religious freedom. Barr raises the thought-provoking question asking if today’s public schools have become religious schools promoting the orthodoxy of secularism.

I would strongly encourage you to watch and consider this 24-minute speech in response to an award given to him by Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the nation’s premier religious liberty organizations.

Barr also does a very good job of succinctly addressing Critical Race Theory, one of the hottest topics across America today.

In the speech, Barr quickly lays out five points about Critical Race Theory as repackaged Marxism. He states:

But the progressive gender and sexuality agenda only begins to scratch the surface of what is now being taught in government-run schools.

In recent years, public schools across the country have rushed to embrace the so-called “Critical Race Theory.” CRT is nothing more than the materialist philosophy of Marxism substituting racial antagonism for class antagonism.

It postulates all the same things as traditional Marxism:

1.) That there are meta-historical forces at work.

2.) That social pathologies are due to societal conventions and power structures that have to be destroyed.

3.) That conflict between the oppressed and the oppressors provides the dynamic and progressive movement of history.

4.) And that individual morality is determined by where one fits in with the impersonal movement of these historical forces.

5.) Just as everyone, from the Catholic Church on, has observed traditional Marxism, this philosophy is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity. It posits a view of man and his relation to society and to other individuals that is antithetical to the Christian view.

Please watch/listen and share this great video:

This article was originally published by our friends at AFA of Indiana.

Written by Peter Heck

Attorney General William Barr and the U.S. Department of Justice have filed an official “statement of interest” backing the Capitol Hill Baptist Church lawsuit against D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The lawsuit alleges that Bowser has acted unfairly in the application of a ban on outdoor church services that exceed 100 people. The DOJ sided with the church, writing that the actions of D.C. officials have violated the 1st and 5th Amendments, as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

“The Constitution and federal law require the District of Columbia to accommodate Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s effort to hold worship services outdoors,” the DOJ wrote, “at least to the same extent the District of Columbia allows other forms of outdoor First Amendment activity, such as peaceful protests.”

The church has argued that since it does not have virtual services, use a multi-site campus approach, and is not offering multiple Sunday morning services, the city is unconstitutionally depriving its congregation of the right to corporate worship.

“A weekly in-person worship gathering of the entire congregation, is a religious conviction for which there is no substitute,” the church wrote.

CHBC Pastor Justin Sok said a church is not merely an “event” or a “building,” but rather a body that gathers regularly and should be “treated fairly” by the government.

The Department of Justice is intervening as part of Barr’s directive to review state and local government policy around the country to ensure that their COVID-19 restrictions are not violating civil liberties.

This article was originally published at Disrn.com.

Written by Jerry Newcombe

Dr. Richard Land once called our country, “the divided states of America.” How apt — especially when we survey the various responses to the coronavirus. They are lessons in liberty and lessons in tyranny.

To paraphrase what a friend of mine wrote me recently, “We have 50 real-world government examples of liberty or tyranny — 50 real-time experiments in whether state governments moved towards liberty (as in Texas and South Dakota) or absolute control (as in California, Michigan and New York).” As a resident, I would add: Florida’s leadership is doing a great job.

Churches Closed, Planned Parenthood Open

Nowhere can this contrast be better seen than in how the state authorities deal with churches versus how they deal with abortion, ordering churches closed while deeming Planned Parenthood and other abortionists “essential services.”

How fitting. In her classic book, Godless, Ann Coulter postulates that abortion is the left’s “sacrament.” The sacraments of the church are out. The left’s new sacrament is in. The most pro-abortion leaders are the ones who are most cracking down on real constitutional freedoms in their states. If a politician gets abortion wrong, they tend to get everything else wrong too.

This anti-religious spirit at work is exceedingly ironic because America was born as a religious nation. In the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims explained their reason for coming: “For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

Our First Amendment declares our first freedom — freedom of religion. The founders stipulated there would be no national denomination and there would be no prohibition on the “free exercise” of religion. They didn’t add, “except in times of pestilence.”

“No Pandemic Exception to the Bill of Rights”

Indeed, Attorney General William Barr sides with the churches (following social distancing guidelines, etc.) in this conflict. He said, “There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights.”

But many of the left today have used the pandemic crisis to try and shut down a lot of religious services:

• The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri was demanding that churches hand over a list of anyone who attended any of their services. When Mat Staver and Liberty Counsel threatened to sue, the city backed down.

• The governor of Illinois postulated that church services may need to be banned for a year. This is the same governor who prohibited residents in his state from traveling — while apparently his wife vacationed in Florida.

• Overzealous administrators have sought to ban churches even from holding “drive-in” church services, which follow the mandates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

If your church parking lot permits, holding a drive-in service is a clever way to worship the Lord together. Usually, the pastor would preach to the congregation in their cars though a low frequency on the FM dial in such services.

“A Lesson to Governors”

But even in the Bible belt, such as in Kentucky and Mississippi, some overzealous administrators have tried to shut such services down. First Liberty Institute has threatened lawsuits, and the cities have relented.

The Wall Street Journal had an editorial entitled, “Caesar, God and the Lockdowns,” in which they note, “A federal court ruling on religious liberty is a lesson to governors.”

The editorial talks about Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville, which held a modest Easter service — with some worshipers inside and others in the parking lot, hearing the service through a loudspeaker.

To harass the worshipers, notes the WSJ, “The police took down license-plate numbers. The church sued.”

A panel on the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of the church: “It’s not always easy to decide what is Caesar’s and what is God’s — and that’s assuredly true in the context of a pandemic. … Why is it safe to wait in a car for a liquor store to open but dangerous to wait in a car to hear morning prayers?”

The Left-Right Divide in Leadership

A new report out of Chicago over the weekend shows the lengths to which the anti-God forces will go. Wirepoints observes that the mayor sought to punish a church, Philadelphia Romanian Church, to prevent it from holding services. They stated, “On Sunday morning the tow trucks descended — not just on churchgoers, but on residents and everybody else, and on a private lot used by parishioners.”

The pastor of the church said, “The mayor is inciting hate against the church which is very sad. A lot of our members risked their lives to escape Communism, only to find it germinating in 2020 under Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago.” Lori Lightfoot is so committed to abortion rights, she helped drive out of office one of the last Democrat, pro-life U. S. Congressmen.

Wirepoints adds, “It should also be a clarion call to the churches across the city as to how far the left will go to crush the faithful of all denominations.”

Freedom-loving Americans can look at a map of the country and see how those on the left versus those on the right are delicately handling the crisis. The abortion-loving, church-hating politicians stand in great contrast with their freedom-loving counterparts in the red states.

Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., is a senior producer and an on-air host for D. James Kennedy Ministries. He has written or co-written 32 books, such as The Unstoppable Jesus Christ, American Amnesia: Is American Paying the Price for Forgetting God?, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (with D. James Kennedy) and the bestseller, George Washington’s Sacred Fire (with Peter Lillback). Learn more at jerrynewcombe.com and follow him on Twitter @newcombejerry.

Written by Jim Davids, Esq.

On March 16, 2020, Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2020-07 that states in part,

Beginning March 18, 2020, all public and private gatherings in the State of Illinois of 50 people or more are prohibited for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation. A public or private gathering includes community, civic, public leisure, faith-based events, sporting events with spectators, concerts, conventions, and any similar event or activity that brings together 50 or more people in a single room or a single space at the same time. This includes venues such as fitness centers/health clubs, bowling alleys, private clubs, and theatres. This does not include venues that provide essential goods or services such as grocery stores, hospitals, pharmacies, gas stations, banks/credit unions, and shelters.

Since many, if not most, of the churches in our State have more than 50 people in the worship center, we have pursued alternatives, such as moving worship online. This actually has brought the Gospel to a much broader audience, with many pastors reporting that more people are watching their services online than at their average Sunday service. But, not every church member has a computer or internet access, and there is no equal to personal warmth and caring when done in person.

As U.S. Attorney General William Barr observed recently, this pandemic does not nullify the Bill of Rights, including America’s first freedom to exercise religious faith. All government officials – federal, state and local – must respect and protect the constitutionally protected freedom of Americans to worship according to their own beliefs.  Gov. Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-07 obviously hinders Illinois residents in their exercise of religion, as well as in their right to peacefully assemble.

This deprivation of religious rights is effectuated by the Governor’s decision not to recognize religious services as “essential.” People congregating in some stores is okay, according to the Governor, but not in church.  This has undoubtedly resulted in many churches seeing a reduction in tithes and offerings.  The Governor is not treating all secular gatherings and religious gatherings the same, based on his opinion of what is “essential.”

The Bible is clear that we should respect and obey government leaders (Rom. 13; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Titus 3:1). At the same time, Paul and other Christians availed themselves of their rights as citizens and used the judicial systems of their day to appeal unjust rulings (e.g., Acts 25).  In our system of government, Gov. Pritzker’s Executive Orders are subject to review by judges who may find them unconstitutional or otherwise contrary to law.

If the Governor’s Order prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people in a room, or his subsequent “stay at home” order, has resulted in

• Members of your church being unable to worship;
• Typical events like funerals, marriages, baptisms being unable to proceed; or
• Substantial financial losses due to decline in donations‍

and if you sincerely believe that restarting in-person church meetings is essential to your church’s ministry, we would like to talk to you about filing a law suit on your behalf. The phone call would be free, and, if our lawyers decide to take your case, you will not be charged for their services on your behalf. Please contact us to talk about your situation:

Justice & Freedom Law Center (JFLC)
(630) 333-9595
contactus@jflc.us

Finally, let us end this with a little encouragement. During times of crisis, like the present one, people realize their weakness, their vulnerable health, and their need for a Savior. Remain vigilant in declaring the truth of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.

Use also this opportunity to show the love of Christ in tangible ways. Consider delivering food to the elderly in your churches, or expanding your food pantry. You can also consider using your church as a temporary day care for healthcare workers or first responders.

Be of good cheer. Remember that God is in control, and perhaps this pandemic is His means of creating a revival in our State and country.

Jim Davids is a native Chicagoan who, after graduating from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and Duke University School of Law in Durham, NC, returned to Chicago to begin practicing law. At church on a Sunday night in 1977 he met Sue, and after a two-year courtship they married. They raised four children in Chicago, and now have 12 grandchildren. (Read more here…)