A study of recent Supreme Court decisions show that the current court is one of the best ever at supporting religious liberty.

From CBN News:

The study, published in The Supreme Court Review, finds that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts is much more likely to rule in favor of religious liberty than previous courts have during the past 70 years.

It shows an 81 percent success rate in favor of religious liberty, a 31 percent increase over previous supreme court decisions.

The authors write, "Plainly, the Roberts court has ruled in favor of religious organizations, including mainstream Christian organizations, more frequently than its predecessors. With the replacement of Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Amy Coney Barrett, this trend will not end soon and may accelerate."

Response: This is really good news in light of the Biden administration’s declared support of the LGBT agenda which calls for LGBT civil rights to over-ride religious freedom. The biggest threat on the horizon is the so-called ‘Equality Act’ which could affect religious liberty in Christian organizations and schools, and maybe even churches.

It has been passed by the Congress but is still before the Senate. Pres. Biden has already over-ridden many of Trump’s executive orders protecting religious liberty and has threatened to write additional executive orders to support the provisions of the Equality Act even if it doesn’t get passed into law by the Senate.

Point is, law suits over religious liberty are our the future while Biden is president and the liberal Democrats have control over both houses of Congress. The US Supreme Court is the last stop protecting the First Amendment and religious freedom, for now the current court seems to be up to the challenge. Time for Christians to pray for the court and for revival in our nation while it is yet day. 

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He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

May You and your family have a wonderful Easter. The Resurrection of Jesus should give us all hope in the midst of this pandemic. God is still in control and the Coronavirus will be conquered and the Devil will lose again.

Happy Resurrection Day!

When the women went to the tomb on Easter morning the rock was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Not only that but an angel met them there and said:

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay.”

…And behold Jesus met them and said, “Greetings! Do not be afraid…” –Matt.28:5-10

Another good scripture to remember–this is what Jesus told Martha before he raised her brother Lazarus from the grave:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?  –John 11:25-26

The good question for each one of us today—Do you believe this?

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The language in a California bill that would have banned conservative Christians from becoming police officers was changed. The original language would have also kept anyone who does not support the Supreme Court rulings on abortion and same-sex marriage from becoming a cop in California.

The original bill would probably not pass a Constitutional test in court anyway, but that is not the issue. It demonstrates the dangerous territory that we are entering in America where increasingly many progressives in power believe that the Freedom of Religion needs to be limited and even suspended in the face of the LGBT agenda.

CA Assembly member Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) who wrote the bill contended that the community needed police officers with ‘approved’ personal viewpoints in the light of all of the problems with police lately:

“You have a constitutional right to have racist and bigoted views. You don’t have a constitutional right to be a police officer.”

Nevertheless, he was forced to change some of the language in the bill that could have banned Conservative Christians, including Catholics, and even some Jews and Muslims from serving in police forces in California.

From Faith Wire News:

Assembly member Ash Kalra’s (D-San Jose) stated goal for Assembly Bill 655, also known as the California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform, or CLEAR Act was to eliminate extremists from California law enforcement, including police officers belonging to “hate groups” or those who have used hate speech in the past. …

The proposed measure’s language designating that a hate group included an organization that “practices the denial of constitutional rights,” broadened the bill to include any organization that holds religious or political views that conflict with the Supreme Court’s decisions on marriage and abortion. …

Responding to the public reaction, Kalra acknowledged the controversy and amended the bill, taking out the phrase “the denial of constitutional rights of”.

Response: This is just the beginning. Progressives are increasingly coming out and supporting the idea that one might have constitutional rights to have one’s own opinions and religious beliefs but that does not equate with a right to necessarily be a public servant.

We have already seen several Senators support this view while coming against conservative Christians who needed Senatorial approval for government appointments. Also, the US armed forces recently took a time out to battle against ‘radical and bigoted’ views among their members.

In this case, the original language of this CA bill would have banned anyone who does not agree with the Supreme Court rulings on abortion and same-sex marriage which might include a large percentage of Americans. While the bill was changed, the rational remains. The idea that the Supreme Court rulings on abortion and same-sex marriage should have legal precedence that trumps religious freedom is increasingly being voiced and supported in liberal progressive discourse.

If the so-called Equality Act passes in the Senate and is signed into law, then this view and rational will have legal teeth to support and promote LGBT rights over the freedom of religion. Eventually this idea will be tested in the courts and probably end up before the Supreme Court in the near future.

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Here’s my favorite message for Good Friday. It has become a tradition to post it every year on this day:

“It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming” by Dr. Tony Campolo.

Here’s a link to where the famous tape can be downloaded.

The whole tape is great but the best part is toward the end when Tony Campolo recalls one Sunday when he had a little preaching competition with the head pastor at the church where he was attending.

Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon in every way and had taken the congregation to ‘the heights of glory’. As he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Tony patted him on the knee and simply said, “Top that.” The older black pastor looked at him and said, “Boy, watch the master.” Then Dr. Campolo recalls for us the very brilliant message which followed.

The following is just a taste of what the climax is like in the 45 minute tape/sermon.  it doesn’t really do justice to the original but this printed abbreviated version is inspirational none the less:

It’s Friday But Sunday’s Coming—

It was a simple sermon, starting softly, building in volume and intensity until the entire congregation was completely involved, repeating the phrases in unison. The sermon went something like this:

It’s Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter’s denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It’s Friday; but Sunday’s a coming.

It’s Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, “Father, forgive them.” It’s Friday; but Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, “My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?” What a horrible cry. But Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. And at the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday’s coming.

It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that’s because it’s Friday, and they don’t know it, but Sunday’s a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it’s Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn’t the only thing that was shaking because now it’s Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb.

Yes, it’s Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it’s Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It’s Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave.

It’s Sunday. And now everything has changed. It’s the age of grace, God’s grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it’s Sunday.

At the end of the message the pastor shouts out:

It’s Friiidaaaay!

And the whole congregation responds:

But Sunday’s Coming!

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Here’s some links to a video and a few of the best articles featured on our Apologetica page about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the celebration of Easter:

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ by N.T.Wright:

Listen to this! New Testament scholar N.T. Wright is right on in this short video on the Resurrection (2:23):

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

Yes! If not, as Paul says (I Cor. 15:14) the entire Christian faith is in vain. Here’s a link to a great article on all of the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus–a timely pursuit for the Easter season:

“Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?”

by William Lane Craig, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. This is the best and most concise article that I have found on the Resurrection of Jesus. 

Was Easter Really Borrowed From a Pagan Holiday?

Here’s a good article by Anthony McRoy that contradicts the popular notion that the Christian celebration of Easter was borrowed from pagan sources:

“Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?”

McRoy provides historical evidence that the name ‘Easter’ was actually derived from the Old High German ‘eostarum’ which meant "dawn" and not from the name of a supposed pagan goddess.

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Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Usually this is a day of parades, green beer, and rowdy drunken debauchery all done in the name of a historical character who was God’s evangelist to Ireland—converting the entire nation to Christianity.

However, some of the usual celebrations on this occasion have been curtailed because of COVID 19. 

Here’s our traditional post for this holiday- “The Real Story of St. Patrick”:

The Real Story of St. Patrick

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Who was the real man called St. Patrick anyway?

A man born into a Roman Christian family in Wales around 385 AD with a given name of Macwyn Succat. He didn’t make it to Ireland until he was kidnapped at 16 and enslaved by Irish bandits. After six years of service he heard a voice from God instructing him to escape slavery and make it back home.

He did miraculously escape and went on to study at a Christian seminary to become a Priest. Then had a vision from God to return to Ireland as a missionary.

There were really no Christians at the time in Ireland and he singlehandedly established the church in that country while refusing tribute and support from the noblemen and kings. He converted and baptized thousands of pagans, and ordained hundreds of Priests and set up an untold number of Christian communities and churches.

He is recognized by all major Christian churches–Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican since he ministered before the church divided into all the different denominations we have today. So Protestants have just as great a claim on him as Catholics. And those of us who have Welsh blood running through our veins have as much right to claim St. Patrick as any Irishman.

Rather than a day with a built-in excuse to get drunk, I believe that it is a day for Christians to celebrate the reality and continual miracles of the Christian faith. A day to celebrate that God continues to give visions and directions to missionaries even today.

St. Patrick transformed an entire nation bringing the Gospel to an Island in darkness. Missionaries today continue to leave the comforts of home and family to spread the word of Jesus Christ to every nation in the world.  That is the real legacy of Macwyn Succat also known as St. Patrick.                *Top

From Faithwire:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a former Georgia college student who sued his school four years ago after officials prevented him from distributing Christian literature on campus.

The high court sided 8-1 with the student, Chike Uzuegbunam, and against Georgia Gwinnett College. Uzuegbunam has since graduated, and the public school in Lawrenceville, Georgia, has changed its policies. Lower courts said the case was moot, but the Supreme Court disagreed.

First Amendment advocates called the decision a win for free speech and religious expression. Uzuegbunam was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Response: This is an important decision; especially in light of the new Biden administration policies which seem to support curtailing some religious freedom in support of progressive issues like abortion and LGBT civil rights.

Also, for nearly a decade major colleges and universities across America have discriminated against Christian groups on campus and religious free speech. The 8-1 decision here should be a ‘wake-up’ call for college administrators; that the First Amendment is still in effect even if it is inconvenient at times. College students still have Constitutional rights even on college and university campuses.

Surprisingly it was Chief Justice John Roberts who gave the single dissenting vote in this case. Roberts seems to continue his drift towards the left in a case where every other justice, from the right or the left, supported religious freedom. In his written dissent, the Chief Justice’s excuse was that the case was moot since the student had already graduated and the college had changed its policy.

Nevertheless, the rest of the justices believed that the original case, which involved both free speech and religious freedom on campus, still deserved their attention and ruling.

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And so it begins. This week Congress passed the so-called ‘Equality Act’ supposedly to protect LGBT folks from discrimination. However, it is Christians who continue to believe in the Bible that are increasingly being subject to discrimination and the Equality Act will actually result in a greater assault on the Constitutional rights of conservative Christians and Christian institutions, organizations, and even churches. The following are just two examples of discrimination against Christians that I found this week:

Our first instance of Christian discrimination actually comes from the UK. A Christian doctor with the National Health Service was dismissed from his position as a director and magistrate for saying that children do best with a mother and father. His appeal was rejected and he now intends on taking his case to the Supreme Court. Here’s a link to the story:

“Christian magistrate loses appeal against sacking over traditional view of the family”

Our second instance demonstrates the continuing discrimination that conservative Christian students are increasingly facing in US colleges and universities. A New York university dropped a Christian student from its teacher educational program for stating on social media that there are only two genders, male and female. University administrators concluded that anyone with such a traditional view of gender should not be allowed to become a teacher. In order to be re-instated the university wants him to take down his comments in a video and be subjected to "reeducation training." Here’s a link to the story:

“New York university reportedly suspends student for saying ‘A man is a man, a woman is a woman’”

So in the future, do Christians need to be silent about their traditional Biblical views on Family and gender in order to keep their jobs and continue in university programs? If so, our freedom of thought, speech, and religion is now under assault.

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Join us in today’s prayer and devotion-

Read Psalm 150 and then join us in prayer

Our Father,

Praise your name Lord and the name of your Son Jesus. You deserve our praise and we do not praise you enough.

We praise your name daily. We praise you in our closets, we praise you in our churches, we praise you in the streets, we praise you in the stores, and everywhere we go.

We praise you through singing and through the piano and organ, through guitars and brass, strings and drums. We praise you for your mighty deeds and for your mercy and salvation through your Son Jesus. We lift up our voices in praise and in silent prayers.

Yet we do not praise you enough for all of the blessings that you have given us and this country. We call on all of our people in this nation under God to praise your name once more. We praise your name in times of abundance and in the midst of pestilence and sickness. We praise you name in good times and bad.

Let your name be praised, O Lord, from the west to the east and from the north to the south and back again. Praise your name in time and for all eternity. Praise your name Lord, praise your name.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Join us in today’s prayer and devotion-

Read Psalm 149 and then join us in prayer

Our Father,

Let us sing to you a new song, a song of revival. Let America rejoice and praise your name again and again. Let our motto: “In God We Trust” become a reality in our land once more.

Let the church rise up O Lord from the ashes and the leaders teach once more from your Word. Let your teaching be confirmed in cities all across this land through signs and wonders, healings and miracles. Let it be hard not to believe in you once more in America.

Let your Spirit blow from the west to the east and let you light shine from the north to the south and back again. Bring forth a new awakening and great harvest in this generation from sea to shining sea.

In Jesus name, Amen.