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Ministers to rally in D.C. for religious freedom
An ad hoc coalition of concerned ministers from various denominations will hold a press conference and rally for religious freedom in front of the U.S. Department of Justice Monday afternoon.
Paul Blair, pastor of Edmond’s Fairview Baptist Church, founder of Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ, said he will join with others and boldly preach Biblical truth concerning the subject of homosexuality.
If believing and proclaiming the Bible is considered a hate crime, then they are willing to be arrested, if necessary, in order to stand for the guaranteed First Amendment right to free speech for all ministers of the gospel, Blair said.
“Pastors have preached the Bible in America for over 400 years, pointing people to Jesus Christ and standing against sin,” Blair said. “If preaching the Bible is now against the law, then let us be arrested. If not, may every pastor across America know that he can stand strong and proclaim biblical truth without fear of persecution or prosecution.”
Joining Blair will be Rick Scarborough of Vision America, Gary Cass of the Christian Anti Defamation Commission, Bishop Earl Jackson of STAND America, Steve Kern of Reclaim Oklahoma, Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, Brad Cranston of Iowa Baptists for Biblical Values and Jim Garlow, a leader in the Proposition 8 battle in California.
Blair said Mat Staver, attorney and founder of Liberty Council, has agreed to serve as legal counsel for the ministers and will join them at the press conference. A letter will first be delivered to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that this law not be enforced, because it violates the Constitution.
Various legal institutes have offered opinions on the new hate crimes law. Blair cited the following opinion by the conservative-leaning American Center for Law and Justice:
“Rather than prosecuting all crimes equally, this law creates a special victim class based on ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity.’ This … (could have a) chilling effect on religious speech … While we firmly believe that the pastor’s First Amendment protections would ultimately prevail, this law could put the pastor’s constitutionally-protected speech under a legal microscope.”
Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ is an organized effort to remind pastors of their pastoral heritage. Blair contends that government was designed by God to be subject to and built on Jesus Christ.
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