GALION — Oktoberfest is the City of Galion’s annual fall festival. It is held on the last weekend of September in Galion’s Uptowne Business District. The three-day event features food vendors, kids’ rides, and live music.
For the second year in a row, Galion Oktoberfest entertainment will feature all Christian music groups on the first night of the three-day festival. Organizers would rather not refer to the stage venue as “entertainment.” as much as they are worship leaders.
“Our schedule consists of different genres,” says Carol Kable, one of the organizers of Gospel Music Stage. “Several of the genres vary from traditional to country to contemporary Christian, bluegrass and rock. What unites it all is Jesus, Yeshua Messiah. They are all making music for Him.”
Beginning at noon, there will be almost two hours of “open-mic,” for individuals, especially local pastors and ministers, who would like to bring sound tracks, or a scripture reading, or offer a prayer on behalf of the nation, in Jesus’ name.
Another one of the organizers drew his inspiration from the history books.
“We began praying and planning this months ago,” Bill Seymour, another one of the other organizers recalls. “It was not until two weeks ago that a friend gave me a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation 85. It was written a few months after the start of the Civil War. Lincoln appointed the last Thursday in September of 1861, recommending all Americans, especially ‘Minister and teachers of religion of all denominations to unite for a day of ‘public humiliation, fasting and prayer,’ that God would restore the divided nation to its former greatness.”
“Co-incidentally, if you believe in coincidences, the first night of Oktoberfest, featuring the gospel music stage, is the last Thursday in September. Our nation once again is very divided, so we want to use the platform to help unite the churches to stand in the gap for our country,” says Seymour.
Beginning at 2pm, “the Bridge,” musical intercessors from Morrow County will be leading a two hour “Worship Burn,” interspersed with special prayers and declarations for Galion, Crawford County and the United States.
At 4pm, prayer ministers will be reading Lincoln’s Proclamation 85 and other scriptures to bring an atmosphere of hope and celebration for the remainder of the evening. Also, there will be a sounding of shofars. All who can participate with shofars are invited to join.
To kick off the evening, “Stones Cry Out,” will bring a lively Christian Rock style worship at 4:30pm. They were a favorite from last year, returning.
Another popular group, returning from last year, at 8pm, is Dale Powers and Friends. Powers, a Richland County native whose music now is centered on Christ, is a founding member of The Ohio Express. Dale and Friends has a strong local following, and depending on which “friends” accompany him that evening, you may hear more or less country, soft rock, or bluegrass.
Other musical groups include Tabernacle of Praise, Set Apart, The Warriors, and Keagan Nicolades.
Kable and Seymour both expressed their appreciation of the Galion Area Ministerial Association (GAMA), which agreed to help cover the cost of the Thursday Christian event.
Prayer ministers from will be available throughout the evening for anyone attending who would like prayer for healing or salvation.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in the Psalms 95, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
David’s comfortable world is turned upside down when his birth mother unexpectedly reaches out to him, longing to meet the eighteen-year-old son she’s only held once. With the encouragement of his adoptive parents, David embarks on a journey of discovery that leads to a staggering truth from his past. From executive producers Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick Brothers—creators of War Room and Fireproof—comes LIFEMARK, inspired by an incredible true story that celebrates the gift of life. (Rated PG-13)
The film is being released two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Although the primary theme of Lifemark is adoption, it does reference abortion. One scene takes place at the site of a former abortion clinic.
“The reality of this theme in this issue is that it is a very sensitive topic. It’s become a political battleground in our country,” Stephen Kendrick, the movie’s producer says. “And we are acknowledging both sides, we’re acknowledging the difficult decision to choose to place your baby for adoption, but it is the better decision. And we are also showing the adoptive parents and what a blessing and a joy – and the journey that they have to go through this.
“It is such a beautiful thing when our hearts start beating along with God’s heart in valuing the orphan and caring for them,” Kendrick says. “God is a father to the fatherless, and He places the lonely into families. He created not only the family, but He created adoption.Kendrick said it was important that the film told the story through the eyes of the birth parents and the adoptive parents.
Kendrick comments, “We believe Lifemark will inspire countless people and churches at this pivotal time to get more involved in supporting life and adoption. This movie has something for everyone. It’s inspirational, entertaining, and also life-changing.”
Kirk Cameron, who is also an adoptive father, says the film includes multiple biblical themes. “This movie is pro-family. It’s pro-love. It’s pro-forgiveness. It’s pro-reconciliation and new beginnings,” Cameron says.
Lifemark will be distributed in more than 1,400 theaters, including Cinemark 14 Mansfield Town Center. Fathom is the distributor.
View the Lifemark movie trailer below.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter One, “Religion that GOD our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
America was hoodwinked. Some of us knew it from the start. Some of us should have known better from the start. The Black Lives Matter movement pretended to be about racial injustice. Mainstream media swooned. Churches centered the propaganda instead of Scripture. And Corporate America groveled at their feet. Seven years and nearly $200 million dollars later, the world has been conned.
Several years ago, I published my “Top 10 Reasons I Will Never Support the Black Lives Matter Movement.” I received lots of love for it as well as some predictable hate from those who accused me of being a traitor, an “Uncle Tom,” not black enough, and a self-hater. It never ceases to amaze me when people think calling me an “Uncle Tom” is a put-down. To be compared to an individual who gave up his life so that others could be set free is an honor. So, thank you. And I love people regardless of their color. I don’t excuse bad behavior because of someone’s color.
The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t about self-sacrifice. It’s about sacrificing the truth for personal gain. And a lot of it. Just ask Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) co-founder Patrice Cullors, a self-proclaimed “trained Marxist,” about her not-so-secret love of capitalism. Mostly white corporate CEOs lavished her black-led organization with loads of white guilt in the form of a color hucksters love: green. Who knew that BLM actually stood for Buy Large Mansions or Become Loaded Marxists. Cullors, who is “married” to a woman, now owns a reported four homes worth over $3 million, you know, because economic egalitarianism is her goal. Her house-buying “binge” (in white neighborhoods, by the way) started in 2016. Cullors pretended that her massively increased income wasn’t a direct result of her involvement in BLM.
Now, there’s a lawsuit accusing yet another BLMGNF leader — Shalomyah Bowers — of stealing $10 million from the organization. Follow me here. The Black Lives Matter Grassroots coalition filed the lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (the one with all the money). There are only three Board members of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, an organization that received $90 million in donations in 2020 and another $77 million in 2021. Three! And one of them is Shalomyah Bowers. According to the lawsuit, he only made “$2,167,894 million dollars from BLMGNF in less than eight months.” What’s a trained Marxist to do when your shady organization is awash in cash?
Who’s to blame? White people, of course. The 3-member Board fired back at the lawsuit, brought on by other black BLM activists, with this classic response: “To the contrary, they would rather take the same steps of our white oppressors and utilize the criminal legal system which is propped up by white supremacy (the same system they say they want to dismantle) to solve movement disputes.”
Black lies matter. In fact, all lies matter. You’re not being oppressed BLM. You’re being held accountable.
Frederick Douglass famously proclaimed on his North Star paper’s masthead: “Right is of no sex. Truth is of no color. God is the Father of us all. And all men are brethren.”
I don’t care what beautiful hue of skin you have. If you’re a crook who steals donated money, you should be in jail. Yeah, the same prisons that the BLM movement wants to abolish. How convenient. How many times do we have to hear the pathetic and racist justifications of BLM leaders? I run a non-profit organization. I’m brown. I don’t complain about the same IRS laws that apply to every non-profit organization. To say that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is corrupt is an understatement. Good luck trying to follow the trails of cash. Even BLM chapters can’t get any transparency. Some of them have been calling for it for years.
BLMGNF Board writes (and I’m trying not to laugh): “Our hearts are broken at this moment because white supremacy is the winner when movement leaders take the approach of publicly ‘calling out’ comrades instead of ‘calling-in.’” Yes, Marxist comrades don’t like to be called out when they give capitalism a bad name by taking millions (they didn’t earn) for personal gain. It’s not “white supremacy” that’s the problem. It’s greed, dishonesty, pride, and jealousy. That’s sin supremacy. Corruption knows no color. It can be carried out by people of any hue, either gender, or any political affiliation.
With all the hyperbole and racist rhetoric that continues to serve as the foundation of the BLM movement, it’s almost like the whole predictable imploding situation of BLM Grassroots versus BLM Global Network Foundation is a case of Black-on-Black crime. The movement swindled the nation and the entire world … even its own grassroots activists. The movement repeatedly failed to distinguish between what was true and what was a lie. It failed to identify between truly systemic (i.e., the inherent racism of the abortion industry) and specific instances (i.e., the exploited and tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery). Now, it seems, BLM leaders cannot distinguish between what money belongs to a public charity (yes, BLMGNF files as a 501c3 entity) and what goes into their personal piggy banks. The IRS is hiring 87,000 more agents, so I’m sure they’ll have time to look into BLMGNF and any questionable grassroots chapters of BLM. (Who am I kidding? Accountability and public scrutiny are soooo racist, obviously.)
Maybe some of that $42 million in BLM assets could help begin to defray the $2 billion worth of destruction BLM’s “mostly peaceful” protests caused to cities (including many minority-owned businesses) across the country.
Sorry, BLM. Look into the mirror. The real oppressor just might be looking back at you.
Ryan Bomberger is the Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation. He is happily married to his best friend, Bethany, who is the Executive Director of Radiance. They are adoptive parents with four awesome kiddos. Ryan is an Emmy Award-winning creative professional, factivist, international public speaker and author of “Not Equal: Civil Rights Gone Wrong.”
MANSFIELD — Last month an atheist group wrote city officials saying police chaplains are “unconstitutional.” This group, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), urged the police chief to end his department’s chaplain program. But after a host of clergymen petitioned the city administration in response, the call to end the chaplain program fell on deaf ears.
In a written response to Frontlines Ohio, City Law Director John Spon wrote, “It is our opinion that our (City of Mansfield’s) voluntary use of an available designated chaplain is lawful and therefore it is our intent to continue with voluntary use of our designated chaplain. At the present time we see no need to respond to Freedom from Religion Foundation’s spurious and unfounded allegation.”
The threatening FFRF letter stemmed from a local newspaper story on Pastor Chad Hayes’ recent appointment as police chaplain of the Mansfield Police Department. Seventy-six clergymen defended the longstanding program with a correspondence to the Mansfield Mayor, Police Chief, and City Law Director.
In the letter to the City Administration, the clergy wrote, “While the FFRF likes to think of itself as a legal authority on the First Amendment, one can observe this is often not the case in a court of law with its frivolous lawsuits against government institutions. We question the motives of this organization which regularly exhibits hostility towards communities when religious institutions are making great strides in their local community like in Mansfield, Ohio.”
One pastor and co-signer of the letter who also serves as the Mayor of nearby Shelby believes the Freedom from Religion Foundation has its thumb on the scale.
“The FFRF is very outspoken about issues surrounding the separation of church and state. However, their silence is deafening when it comes to the Biden Administration allocating hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for the advocacy of atheism in Africa and Asia.”
Like other communities, the City of Mansfield is not taking any notice of the FFRF threats. The clergy in their letter cited six different communities in recent years that received similar FFRF letters who have still continued their chaplain programs.
Pastor Rich Hurles also signed the clergy letter; he serves as a police chaplain, and is Village Councilman in Plymouth. He believes FFRF is targeting understaffed police departments that remain vulnerable in hostile conditions.
“I, like many of the area chaplains I know, serve our police departments on a voluntary basis. The public scrutiny and demands placed upon police officers with ongoing threats of violence leads to extremely high levels of stress on a daily basis. Such stress can do more than affect an officer’s job performance; it can also seep into and damage their personal life. Chaplains are lifelines to provide support and strength to the officer’s and their families.”
The Richand County clergy thanked the City Administration for taking their words to heart. “Retaining our chaplain services for our safety services is vital for the success of our community,” they wrote.
Mansfield City Councilman and clergyman, Reverend El Akuchie comments, “City officials always need encouragement and I think the clergy letter let the Mayor and Law Director know the faith community stands behind their decision to preserve the chaplain program. It is common knowledge government chaplaincies have existed even before the First Amendment was enacted. The City of Mansfield will not be bullied by an outside group like the FFRF.”
Related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Romans 1, “For GOD is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by GOD’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — Last Fall, conservatives across the nation were critical of Joe Biden for issuing sweeping executive orders mandating federal employees and contractors to get the COVID shot. Consequently, OSHA rescinded the mandate in January after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Labor Department’s authority to implement such a policy. But the Constitution has not been the only obstacle for the Biden Administration.
Faith leaders from the Buckeye Bible Belt believe requiring experimental COVID-19 shots to combat a virus with an overall 99.74% survival rate is tantamount to what a totalitarian dictator would do. They released on open letter calling the mandate immoral and unethical. This public pressure, along with the release of new data is beginning to move the needle the other way.
“Joe Biden can take his medical advice somewhere else, we are not going to listen to him,” Pastor J.C. Church, a co-signer with one hundred other clergy previously said. “This President and his godless Administration have foot-in-mouth disease for every issue they touch. Since Biden does not have the scientific data nor the trust of the people, he uses fear to try to get compliance. Authoritarians in Marxist governments use this method.”
After OSHA dropped its vaccine mandate last Fall, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) just recently dropped its vaccine-status discrimination, admitting their COVID shots do not prevent anyone from getting or spreading the virus. The admission means there is now no logical reason to treat vaccinated people differently than unvaccinated people when both can readily get and spread the COVID virus.
Previously the clergy in their open letter said “We believe GOD-given natural immunity found in the human body can be more effective for many persons than experimental vaccinations that have not been properly clinically tested. We also believe other time-proven methods of treatment blacklisted by your Federal Drug Administration are as effective in combatting COVID.”
Three months following the clergy letter, the CDC revealed that unvaccinated people who recovered from COVID-19 were better protected than those who were vaccinated and not previously infected during the COVID Delta surge. In addition, despite medical elites blocking their use on coronavirus patients, 365 studies proving the efficacy of Ivermectin and HCQ in treating COVID-19 was publicly released following the open letter.
The Ohio clergy also said the experimental COVID shots could be altering DNA in individuals. One month ago, Swedish researchers published an alarming study showing Pfizer’s experimental mRNA COVID shot can modify DNA within the human genome. The study found the SARS-CoV-2 RNA within the Pfizer shot can reverse-transcribe itself and install itself within the DNA of the human genome within a matter of just six hours following exposure to the shot.
As of July 29, 2022, over 29,981 people were reportedly killed by the COVID experimental jabs according to the Open VAERS website. Over 170,000 hospitalizations have been blamed on the shots.
“Facts really are stubborn things,” Pastor Church says. “With the recent observational data we now have, the jury is still out on whether the Biden Administration will keep pushing a false narrative on these experimental COVID shots. It really goes to show that when dealing with the public, honesty is the best policy.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysinMatthew 10, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Was 2020 stolen? It’s deeper than that. You’ve heard it said “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” (The film is not rated)
What about those who code the vote? What if our leaders aren’t actually being elected by us, but instead… selected? On August 20th, a new political documentary premieres discussing these very issues.
[S]ELECTION CODE follows world renown investigative journalist Lara Logan on her most important assignment to date. For over thirty-five years, investigative journalist Lara Logan has been on the front lines of history’s deadliest conflicts. Yet no assignment to date has put her career and life in more danger than this one. Her investigation goes to the heart of the current Information War, revealing yet another facet in the ever-unfolding saga of election fraud, demonstrating the role of the machines in stealing our vote.
The documentary follows the story of Tina Peters the County Clerk in Mesa Colorado, who made a backup of her counties Dominion Voting System server, only to stumble across evidence of manipulation in a recent local city council election…. and also the 2020 general election. Tina’s discovery ignites a chain reaction upending her life. And upending the world.
You will not be able to unsee what you see.
We stand at an apex in human history. Are we handing too much power to technology – and those that program it?
[S]ELECTION CODE is a political thriller uncovering a secret so critical to the survival of America it transcends political parties. It is not about correcting the past. It’s about correcting the future.
Once you see [S]ELECTION CODE you’ll never again let a machine near your vote.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Matthew Five, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
View the video below of the trailer of the documentary film [S]Election Code.Sign up here to receive news, updates, and a free digital copy of the movie on August 22nd.
With the wholly illegal and unconstitutional FBI raid on President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, in search of documents they have long had access to, there can no longer be any doubt about the full communization of the American left.
The thorough weaponization and politicization of each of our law enforcement institutions is now undeniable; the left has crossed Caesar’s Rubicon. The Democrats are so determined to destroy Trump, they are willing to reveal their true colors: They are all Stalinist communists now.
They’ve just rammed through a nearly $800 billion bill that will obviously exacerbate inflation, as well as transform the IRS into a Gestapo-like agency, armed and dangerous to all Americans but for the very wealthy. Small businesses that survived the lockdowns will now be stamped out by the higher taxes, audits, and regulations within this destructive bill. The billions of green agenda requirements in the bill will force us all into energy deficits that will further devastate our already ruined economy and our quality of life.
That is their goal, their endgame. “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws,” as Tacitus once said.
The globalists have captured every Democrat in Congress, every single one of them. Chances are each and every one of them has been bought…by China. There is not one of them who has or will put the American people before their own personal power and wealth.
Every Democrat has voted against protecting those who refuse the COVID vaccine. They voted against stopping the government from monitoring and prosecuting the unvaccinated. The Democrats approve of the DOJ labeling parents who attend school board meetings as domestic terrorists. The Democrats all signed onto the entirely Clinton-fabricated Russia hoax. In short, the American Democrat party is in favor of the destruction of any and all traditional Judeo-Christian American values. As President Trump remarked the other day, prayer in school is banned but drag queens are de rigeur. Our newest Supreme Court justice cannot define the word “woman” because she and her ilk insist men can become pregnant. Our left has gone the way of Orwell’s 1984, of Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon. Our world is upside down.
While this all began under Barack Obama, the first president to openly display his disdain for America, despite his phenomenal personal success, it escalated throughout the Trump administration among the deep state operatives determined to destroy his presidency and the already weaponized FBI, CIA, and DOJ. Under Biden, the criminalization of political opponents has become the order of the day. We are officially a third-world banana republic without any legitimate leadership.
With the obvious exceptions of the too few good Republicans in Congress ( Jim Jordan, Ron Johnson, Matt Gaetz, MTG, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Thomas Massie, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton), most of them are squishes, RINOs without a spine, Kevin McCarthy in particular. What has the Republican leadership done to stop the horrific abuse of the January 6 prisoners? Nothing.
They should have refused to do any government business until the prisoners were released or at least given respectable legal defense. What has been done to those people and their families is as unforgiveable as slavery. That any of those RINOs who voted for Trump’s impeachment, twice, is an unacceptable sign of weakness. That these Sovietized agencies have been allowed to so misuse their power is not just wrong; it’s well and truly frightening. We are in 1930s Nazi territory. Every American should be very afraid of who and what the Democrat party has become. They have morphed into a fully Stalinist regime in every way.
Anyone who has watched the House or Senate hearings at which Christopher Wray, Merrick Garland, or other representatives of the FBI and DOJ appear, knows how arrogant and disingenuous this crowd is. They are evasive and smug. They believe they are in the catbird seat and can do whatever they want, no matter how unconstitutional and illegal.
But Trump scares them. His love of America scares them and of course, his popular support among millions of Americans scares them. He is an outsider who does not play by their corrupt establishment rules; grease their hands and they’ll grease yours.. His honesty about how the country is being run scares them. As Peter Schweizer has exposed in several books, the most corrupt among them – Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Dianne Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, the Clintons, etc. – care only about their own continued wealth and power. They could not care less about the millions of middle class citizens they are about to put out of business with higher taxes and high gas prices, whom they are about to endanger with calculated food shortages, and who they will surely punish for unacceptable political views, if expressed. They will go well beyond the censorship we’ve all endured and will penalize any forbidden opinions.
This raid on Mar-A-Lago was pure misguided theater, just as the ridiculous and equally misguided J6 committee is theater. Thoroughly disconnected from reality, the participating Democrats seem to think all this outrageous posturing is going to change the minds of Trump supporters. It has not and will not. Au Contraire.
We all remember how much better off we were, how much better off the country was, the world was, under President Trump. No inflation, no wars, energy independence, low unemployment for all groups. Wages were up, taxes had been reduced. We were all better off. If he were still in office, Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. China would not be surrounding Taiwan. The border would still be closed and we would not have more than two million unvetted migrants spreading throughout the nation, wreaking havoc on cities unprepared to care for and feed them. How many among them are criminals, sex-traffickers, terrorists, violent gang members, rapists and pedophiles? Far too many. Many American lives will be lost to the consequences of Biden’s open border.
The leftists are exuberant at the news of the raid on Trump’s home. CNN and MSNBC are ecstatic, as if this will bring Trump down, once and for all. They do not care one bit if it was legal or constitutional.
Well, they should enjoy the moment because the Biden DOJ and FBI has catastrophically overreached this time. If the absurd COVID restrictions and mandates did not awaken a sleeping giant, this obvious ploy to destroy Trump, again, will.
It may well shock Biden voters who did not realize he would usher in a Sovietized government.
John Steinbeck wrote that fear corrupts, the fear of loss of power. The left is revealing its hapless desperation and fear of a nationalist, populist citizenry that loves their country as founded.
The Democrat party has revealed its evil tendency toward totalitarianism. Every American should now be well aware that there are two distinct systems of justice in this country, one for conservatives, quite another for favored leftists. The Clintons, the Pelosis and the Bidens are among the most corrupt political families in American history. They and all of their partners have used their positions of power to enrich themselves and must be held countable for their many, many crimes against the American people. Our media is corrupt, deservedly known for their fake news in service of the far left. “All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” -Frank Herbert.
Surprise of surprises! Trump is the least corrupt politician in modern history.
This guest column by Patricia M. McCarthy was first published at American Thinker.
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO- With Roe v. Wade overturned, the issue of abortion returns to statehouses. Ohio currently has a Heartbeat Law in place banning abortion at or around six weeks of pregnancy,. While many lives are being saved, a number of faith leaders are telling state lawmakers in a letter that the law is not enough.
“To be clear, abortion is not health care,” says Richland County Pastor LaMont Lindsay, one of the cosigners of a letter sent to Ohio lawmakers. “Abortion is murder that takes the life of an unborn child and can cause grave physical harm to the mother and emotional harm to both the mother and father.”
In the letter the clergy wrote, “We thank GOD for the recent Supreme Court decision to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade court opinion. Abortion is infanticide and never was a right expressly written in the U.S. Constitution. This diabolical decision allowed the murder of an unborn child on demand up to birth, led to the untimely deaths of at least sixty-three million unborn children and caused America to be a reproach among the nations.”
The clergymen contend, while the Heartbeat Law is important, moral clarity surrounding the unborn should be strengthened by eliminating legislative loopholes.
The correspondence went on to say, “The ‘Human Life Protection Act’ H.B. 598 and its companion S.B. 123 will effectively ban abortion in the State of Ohio. As clergy representing one hundred and sixty (160) diverse congregations throughout Ohio Heartland, we believe in human dignity and that life begins at conception. Therefore, we are calling on the General Assembly to swiftly pass the Human Life Protection Act and for the Governor to sign it into law. By the same token, we expect the Attorney General, County Prosecutors, and Municipal Law Directors to fulfill their duties and enforce this law.”
“This will save the lives of millions of preborn babies and bring great glory to God,” says Pastor Dan Barker of Trumbull County. “That is why I enthusiastically added my signature to this letter to Governor Mike DeWine and the 134th Ohio General Assembly. I encourage all Ohio clergy to do the same.”
According to the Human Life Protection Act, “No person shall purposely take the life of a child born by attempted abortion who is alive when removed from the uterus of the pregnant woman. Whoever violates this section is guilty of abortion manslaughter, a felony of the first degree, punishable by a minimum of four and a maximum of twenty-five years of imprisonment and a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars.”
The Act also allows the state medical board to revoke a physician’s license to practice medicine in Ohio if convicted and allows a woman on whom an abortion was performed to sue the physician. The Act does allow an exception when an abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.
Pastor J.C. Church of Crawford County believes allowing the murder of innocent babies and the possibility of letting convicted murderers in Ohio live is absurd and a serious miscarriage of justice.
“According to the Ohio Department of Health, we have had 1.35 million unborn babies murdered in Ohio since records began in 1976. Ninety-eight percent of those brutal abortions did not include rape or incest. Presently our Legislature is considering abolishing capital punishment of convicted murderers. What about the slaughter of these innocent babies’ lives? It is mind-boggling our state can let this continue. We have literally thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Abortion has got to stop.”
Reverend El Akuchie of Richland County says “Contrary to what some so-called ministers are saying in mainstream media, the Bible does not support the pro-choice position. In fact, Moses and Jesus were survivors during infanticides in their respective generations. God’s Word is very clear on forbidding murder and celebrating life. Each child is created in the image of GOD. The abortion industry aims to destroy this image for financial gain, and in Planned Parenthood’s case they aim to destroy ethnicities of people.”
With the advent of ultrasound technology, the clergymen say science is catching up with what the Bible already stated thousands of years prior: life begins at conception. The listed clergy co-signers above are from twent-two counties throughout the state. Counties with the most clergy endorsees include: Richland (88), Crawford (16), Ashland (10), Trumbull (10), Wayne (8).
See related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Genesis 9, “From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. ‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for GOD made man in His own image.”
MANSFIELD — An anti-religion group has an axe to grind with government agencies partnering with local religious institutions. Saying ‘government and religion do not mix,’ the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has a nationwide crusade compelling local governments to believe in their ideology or face legal trouble.
Meanwhile, a group of Ohio clergy happen to believe differently. They say their city is not guilty of any ‘white collar crime.’
Ten days ago, the Wisconsin-based group sent an unsolicited letter to Mansfield Police Chief Keith Porch directing the police chaplaincy program be discontinued. The letter, written by Karen Heineman, also stated “Police chaplaincies are unconstitutional.” FFRF is requesting the Mansfield Police Department to provide secular social workers instead.
The threatening FFRF letter apparently stemmed from a local newspaper story on Pastor Chad Hayes’ recent appointment as police chaplain of the Mansfield Police Department. Seventy-six local clergymen responded with a correspondence of their own sent to the Mansfield Mayor and Law Director.
“Just as we (clergy) would not tell the FFRF who to employ in their organization, they have no business telling our city who they should hire and fire,” says local clergyman Moe Hill, a co-signer of the letter.
In the letter, the Richland County clergy wrote “The FRFF asserts that since Pastor Hayes is a clergyman, he is not qualified to serve law enforcement officers and their families. It appears the FFRF wants a government employer to discriminate against a job applicant/employee in the workplace by firing him because of his religion, thus violating the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We believe this would be bad legal advice.”
According to another clergy co-signer, “It is awfully judgemental on the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s part to question the professionalism of Pastor Hayes based on several alleged comments in the newspaper,” says Pastor James Spencer. “Furthermore, we are skeptical the FFRF is really concerned about the well-being of our nationally-accredited police force considering FFRF’s offices are in Madison, Wisconsin, which voted to defund their police department in 2021.”
Elder Moe Hill knows about the difficulties police officers often face. Hill served twenty-nine years in law enforcement before becoming a clergyman. “When bad things happen as a police officer, you need somebody to make sure you are okay. During my career as a highway patrol officer, the chaplain played a pivotal role in helping officers deal with job stress.
“With law enforcement morale at an all-time low nationally, and with depression, divorce, and suicide plaguing the police profession, as clergymen from seventy-six (76) diverse congregations across Richland County, we believe the City of Mansfield should retain its chaplaincy program in order to adequately support the social and emotional well-being of department personnel,” says Elder Hill.
The clergy are convinced the police chaplain program is in the best interests of the city for retention and recruitment of police officers. They also believe preserving the police chaplain program is an open and shut case.
The clergy letter pointed out, “If what the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) purports is true, that chaplains are unconstitutional, there would be no chaplains in the country. Truth be told, police chaplain programs abound throughout the country, even in cities where the FFRF has sent letters questioning their constitutionality. Police chaplain programs that continue even after receiving frivolous FFRF letters include: Albuquerque, New Mexico, La Crosse, Wisconsin,Montgomery, Alabama, Orlando, Florida, Rochester, New York, and Shreveport, Louisiana, to name a few.”
“There are literally thousands of chaplains in this country. The FFRF letter is not worth the paper it is written on,” says Pastor Spencer. “I am reminded of King Hezekiah in the Bible when he received the threatening letter from King Sennacherib. Hezekiah laid the letter down before the LORD and prayed to GOD that Jerusalem would be delivered from the invading army. GOD defended Jerusalem and Sennacherib returned by the way he came.
“FFRF regularly exhibits hostility towards cities when religious institutions are making great strides in their local communities like in Mansfield, Ohio,” says Spencer. “The FFRF letter should be a badge of honor confirming our faith community is advancing in our city. I think FFRF will go back the way they came.”
Related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin 2 Kings 19, “Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; He will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it…”
ASHLAND — Last month, the President of the Library Board of Trustees said she did not believe the placement of pornographic books in the public library’s children section was a big issue since only four people brought the issue to the board’s attention. Problem was, two of the four persons were pastors.
This past week, two hundred people attended the Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees meeting including fifteen area pastors; an overwhelming majority opposing the board’s position. Because of the massive blowback, one hundred and twenty had to stand outside the room in the overflow. The response even drew elected local and state officials.
“Today parents, pastors, and elected officials are showing the library board the issue of child-grooming is not just an issue with a few individuals, this is a community taking a determined stand to protect our vulnerable children,” said Melanie Miller, Executive Director of Ashland Pregnancy Care Center. “Today our children are being indoctrinated by the federal government, and now the local-somebody needs to protect them. Because of their age-inappropriate content, these books need to be moved out of the library’s children section.”
Originally, two parents discovered several controversial books located in the children’s section and brought it to the attention of the Ashland Ministerial Association (AMA). One of the books, entitled “Making a Baby: An inclusive guide to how every family begins” by Rachel Greener, drew their ire.
While ages 5-8 is the book’s listed reading range, AMA President Pastor Dave McNeely spoke to the board how this was misleading. “This book is grooming children for transgenderism and pedophilia.”
“The adult section of the library is the place for books with adult level content,” Pastor John Bouquet told the board last month. “’Making Babies’ is the title, but the pictures in the book are obscene. Displaying naked men exposing naked body parts with a child while showering together is just plain wrong.
“I make an appeal to this ruling body: uphold the values of our community. Allow children to experience innocence and protection in a culture where they are the prize to be caught.”
The Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees is comprised of a seven-member board whose members serve seven-year terms. Their appointment is approved by Ashland City School Board. At the local level, the library receives funding from a one mill tax on properties inside the county.
Last year, three social conservatives were elected to office on the Ashland School Board to comprise the majority. Meanwhile, last fall Library Trustee Mike Zickefoose lost his bid to join the school board. While parents point out the vulnerability of children in relation to pornography, library budgets may also be in danger.
The strategic plan of the Ashland Public Library states, “Libraries are facing tougher, more numerous challenges than ever before. Our funding model is changing as we are moving from a state-funded system to a greater dependence on local funding, and therefore we are more concerned about our voters.”
“Your official titles are ‘trustees,'” McNeely reminded the Board. “A trustee is any type of person that holds the legal title of a person that holds the assets of a beneficiary. As tax-paying citizens of Ashland, we are the beneficiaries. The trustee is granted this legal title thru a trust which is an agreement between two consenting parties. As the board, you have publicly stated ‘the board has no responsibility to protect your kids.’ This is not true- you do have responsibility and we are holding you accountable.”
After the meeting, the library board dodged the issue and took no action for the second consecutive meeting. Many agree government shirking responsibility to its constituents is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
Ashland resident, Pastor Matthew Postosky, commented, “We have to be bold, kind, but firm. I saw the pornographic pictures in the books in the children’s section; they have LGBTQ commentary. I cannot believe something like this would be peddled to children in Ashland, Ohio. This goes against our community values.”
View the slideshow below from Thursday’s July 14th Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees meeting.
Related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Matthew 18, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.Woe to the world for temptations to sin!”
ASHLAND –This past week the Supreme Court sided 6-3 with a high school football coach fired for praying on the field after games. The case surrounds Coach Joseph Kennedy and Bremerton School District in the State of Washington. Kennedy, a devout Christian, was fired from his role as varsity assistant coach after he refused to quit praying on the fifty-yard line following games. The court decision marked another win for religious liberty.
Despite the favorable outcome, one team chaplain at a local university believes Christians should be emboldened to pray in public and exercise their faith no matter how courts rule.
“There have been a number of recent victories for religious freedom in the courts. But what happens is determined atheist organizations still attack public institutions to drive Christians out of the public square,” says Pastor Joe Maggelet, Chaplain at Ashland University. “In fact, we are seeing this happen over and over; there is no real repentance in the land.”
Recent examples come to mind. After eight years of legal battles and two court victories, including one in the U.S. Supreme Court, Jack Phillips is still being sued for not baking a wedding cake for gay couples. After the Dobbs Supreme Court case striking down Roe v. Wade, reports abound of elected officials who support killing babies and not enforcing Pro-life laws already on the books.
“The Secular Left misrepresents the truth when any prayer or any type of religious activity is done in corporate settings. Now we are seeing government officials moving the goalposts and not complying with court decisions. What Christians need to do is not just exercise their faith in public places because it is Constitutional, we need to publicly display our faith because it is Biblical, no matter what happens.”
“Since Ashland University is a private school, we have a different situation. We do chapel with our football team, we do Bible studies with our players. We do not force anything on any player. But we have a Biblical mandate to mentor these young men.”
In the Kennedy decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the majority opinion, ruling that the Bremerton School District violated the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment by firing coach Joseph Kennedy for praying after games. Gorsuch further ruled that the district failed to prove that Kennedy violated the Establishment Clause
“If schools can fire a coach for praying on the fifty-yard line after a game, then a school could fire a Muslim teacher for wearing a headscarf in the classroom, or prohibit a Christian aide from praying quietly over her lunch in the cafeteria,” Gorsuch wrote.
Justices in the majority included: Gorsuch, Alito, Thomas, Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Roberts.
Like a football coach telling his team to stick to fundamentals, Joe Maggelet is hoping Christians follow Kennedy’s example by being Biblical, even when it may or may not be Constitutional. “Future court decisions, no matter how they land should not change anything we do. If the Secular Left is willing to fight for what they believe, how much more should we?”
The Bible says in Daniel Chapter 6, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO– On Friday, U.S. Supreme Court sided with the State of Mississippi and overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade court opinion. The decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was written by Justice Samuel Alito and decided 6-3 with Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett and Roberts in the majority. Five of the justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade with Roberts in the minority.
Justice Alito wrote that Roe was “egregiously wrong” and “on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided. The decision’s reasoning was exceptionally weak and has had damaging consequences.” Alito also added that the Roe decision “usurped the power to address a question of profound moral and social importance that the Constitution unequivocally leaves for the people.”
A number of area leaders from the Buckeye Bible Belt responded to the earth-shaking Roe v. Wade reversal:
Melanie Miller, Republican candidate for Ohio House District 67, Executive Director of Ashland Pregnancy Care Center: “Today is the day Pro-Life advocates have sought for decades, the day the U.S. Supreme Court protected the sanctity of innocent human life; a day for so long seemed impossible. Thanks to the efforts of millions of people across this country, this is a day worth celebrating-a day where we can finally turn the page on a dark chapter in American history and look forward to all innocent human lives being protected and valued. Our work is not done. The states now must take action to prohibit abortion once and for all. I urge Ohio legislators to pass the Human Life Protection Act so that all children can realize their God-given rights in this country. I continue to pray that our Governor and legislative leaders take action soon so we can ensure not one more life is ended through abortion.”
Activist Greg Jevnikar of Protect Life Ohio: “June 24, 2022 will go down in the annals of history as the day the United States and its Supreme Court repented. Much work remains on the state level. The Ohio Legislature must pass the Human Life Protection Act (H.B. 598 & S.B. 123) to abolish abortion. Increased support must be provided to vulnerable women. Now more than ever, The Richland Pregnancy Center and Ashland Pregnancy Care Center need our financial and physical support.”
Reverend El Akuchie of the Richland Community Prayer Network & Mansfield City Councilman: “We want to thank the six justices who correctly determined that nowhere is abortion found in the Constitution as a guaranteed right. Roe v. Wade was never the ‘law of the land.’ The Supreme Court reversal is the first step for our nation to repent of child sacrifice. Today Planned Parenthood proceeds to have abortion quotas targeting low-income neighborhoods and continues aiding and abetting the human trafficking of young girls. While receiving millions of federal funds, Planned Parenthood continues to be the leading perpetrator of systemic racism with thirty percent of its clientele being black. I am grateful that at least now, states have a fighting chance to combat the abortion industry as the Tenth Amendment originally intended. May GOD grant Ohio the resolve.”
Pastor John Bouquet of Savannah Bethel Chapel: “This week the Supreme Court made a decision of great courage. They celebrated the author of life. Everyone decision does not agree with that decision, but this is not up for a poll vote. We are agreeing with God that life is from him and it begins in the womb. Secondly, this is a confession of the vigilance of the people who have prayed and been persistent for the cause of life for forty-nine years. This is a confirmation of the proper interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. This is a victory of what the Constitution meant to say at the very beginning, that it offers to its citizens life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not everyone will be happy, but you are called to love your neighbor. We need to embrace this opportunity. If we are going to outlaw abortion, we must choose adoption and the taking in of foster children. If we want more children to be born like the Bible instructs us, the church better open up its arms.”
Activist Sarah Cleveland, an Abolitionist: “Roe being overturned is a shock to so many. The original decision was never constitutional and sadly it took nearly five decades to correct it. I am grateful that Roe was struck down, not because this allows states to outlaw abortion, as states always had that right and duty to do even under Roe; but rather, I am grateful because a huge obstacle and idol has come crashing down. The biggest excuse that legislators had for not treating the preborn equal to the born is gone. Now we get to see who the cowards and hypocrites are who will make up new excuses for not establishing equal justice in their state. We still have much work to do, but this is certainly a big moment to celebrate.
Pastor J.C. Church of Victory in Truth Ministries: “I am thrilled, this is a victory for life. This has been a fifty-year fight, Roe v. Wade never should have never happened. Shame on the current President of the United States for saying ‘What about victims of rape and incest?’ when ninety-nine percent of abortions have absolutely nothing to do with rape and incest. Congratulations for the Catholic leaders who stood strong by refusing Nancy Pelosi from taking communion. If she came to my church, I would not give it to her either. The Bible says sweet water and bitter water cannot come from the same well. You cannot carry the sword of the Spirit in one hand and carrying a knife butchering babies in the other hand. It does not work that way. In this season, the real and fake are being separated. I believe we are on the verge of something big.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Psalm 127, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”
CINCINNATI – In the wake of a monumental Supreme Court decision, it is believed twenty-six states have abortion restrictions that will take effect banning the murder of the unborn.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade, Federal District Court Judge Michael Barrett has dissolved the injunction he placed on the Heartbeat Bill, enabling the law to go into effect. The Heartbeat Bill was passed in 2019, and bans abortion in Ohio once a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child, often as early as 6 weeks into a pregnancy.
Immediately following the decision from the Supreme Court this morning, Attorney General Yost filed a motion to dissolve the injunction, and the court acted quickly.
Several pro-life leaders responded to the court decision.
“In Ohio, we believe that with God, all things are possible. Today, it’s been proven true once again as we see abortion banned in Ohio at the point a heartbeat is detected,” says Aaron Baer, President of Citizens for Community Values (CCV) based in Columbus.
“For years, the pro-life movement strived to see the Heartbeat Bill become law. Through two vetoes and numerous defeats, we persevered, and now thousands of lives will be saved this year, and many more in the years to come!
Chris Long, President of the Ohio Christian Alliance based in Akron pointed out, “The justices held their ground and were not swayed by threats and intimidation from the opposition by the unlawful activity of those who sought to intimidate them in their neighborhoods and at their residences. Mob rule will not prevail when good men and women stand up and make conscious decisions for justice.
“Today is a day to celebrate the pro-life cause. But, as Winston Churchill said after the Battle of Britain, ‘This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But this may be the end of the beginning.’ The Pro-life movement now has much work to do here in Ohio and in states across the country.”
Baer shared the same sentiments.
“Abortion is senseless violence against unborn children and their mothers. We’re one step closer to completely banning this beastly procedure. The work is far from over, and Ohio needs to move to pass a bill to ban abortion at the point of conception, but today we celebrate what God has done through the faithfulness of His people!”
Related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Isaiah Chapter Forty-One, “Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your GOD. I will strengthen you and will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
In the most historic and momentous ruling in a generation, the U.S. Supreme Court has resoundingly overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that struck down virtually all state laws regulating abortion and that divided the American people unlike any other issue for 49 years.
In a 6-3 decision released Friday, with the 5-4 majority opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization opinion sets a clear new precedent for the rights of states to protect all unborn children. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito wrote. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Alito’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. Chief Justice John Roberts agreed with the final result, but did not join the 5-4 majority opinion.
The decision comes 53 days after an unprecedented leak of a draft decision that was acquired by Politico on May 2. The leak led to weeks of picketing outside Republican-appointed justices’ homes that culminated in a thwarted assassination plot against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At the same time, pro-abortion activists carried out a string of at least 63 violent acts of arson, vandalism, property destruction, assault, and worship service disruption against churches, pregnancy resource centers, pro-life organizations, and individuals.
“Today the Supreme Court yielded to the actual words of the Constitution and overturned the atrocity of the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, once again allowing states and the Congress to pass laws upholding the sanctity of human life,” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. “While we are grateful that the tyranny of Roe has ended, we are mindful of the solemnity of this moment: What the Court has done is an act of repentance out of which we bring forth the fruit of repentance, rebuilding a culture of life in America.”
“With this ruling, the abortion business that has been built through the exploitation of women and the killing of their children is beginning to crumble,” said Mary Szoch, FRC’s Director of the Center for Human Dignity. “Still, our work is far from finished. In some states, the evil of abortion that ends the life of a unique child, breaks the heart of a mother and father, and shatters the conscience of a nation continues. We must double our efforts to support mothers and fathers in need. We must support pregnancy resource centers with financial, material, and spiritual resources. We must have the difficult conversations with our neighbors about the dignity of the human person beginning in the womb.”
“And we must pray … for the day when all life is respected and treated as the gift from God that it is,” Szoch concluded.
Since the Roe v. Wade decision 49 years ago, there have been an estimated 63 million abortions carried out in the U.S. Abortion has gone from being illegal in 30 states in 1973 to a billion-dollar industry today. In 2020, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, reported over $1.6 billion in revenues, including over $618 million from U.S. taxpayers.
Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand. The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s (FRC) outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview.
COLUMBUS — In a pointed letter sent June 21st to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ohio Attorney General David Yost and his counterparts in eighteen states are urging Garland to take swift action in response to recent terrorist acts against Pro-life organizations, calling the lack of action intolerable, politically motivated and in violation of his oath of office.
Since the early May leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the attorneys general write, “charities that support pregnant mothers in need have been firebombed and pro-life organizations have been attacked almost daily and terrorized.”
Although the attacks began last month, it was only last week that the FBI announced that it would investigate them.
Noting that the federal government’s duty to protect its citizens against violence “does not turn on the victim’s identity” and that “access to justice cannot turn on partisan affiliation,” the letter calls on the Department of Justice to vigorously investigate and prosecute these illegal acts.
“Americans shouldn’t fear for their lives for speaking up for what they believe in,” AG Yost said. “The First Amendment provides the right to speak freely, regardless of the topic and without fear of having your home, workplace or, worse, your life threatened.”
The letter urges the Department of Justice to begin its investigations with Jane’s Revenge, a pro-choice group that has declared “open season” on anti-abortion organizations, urging its members “to paint, to burn, to cut, (and) to jam” pro-life centers and advocates. Jane’s Revenge has claimed responsibility for attacks in Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
“The FBI has more than enough resources to determine the organization’s members and to track down those carrying out these acts of violence, which qualify as terrorism under federal law,” the attorneys general write.
Yost and his colleagues even offer state assistance with the investigations.
Differences of opinion are healthy, AG Yost noted, but how we handle such differences is key. “In America, we solve our differences with debates and ballots, not with bricks and Molotov cocktails.”
Besides Yost, the letter was signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter Four, “If anyone knows the good they ought to do and does not do it, it is sin for them.”
It might seem like every other June 1, but inside corporate board rooms, this Pride Month feels different. Companies aren’t coasting into this rainbow bonanza like past years — empowered and carefree. They’re looking in the rearview mirror at a 2022 that’s been anything but kind to their CEOs’ woke causes. After the uprising against Disney, State Farm, Starbucks, and Target, the question on most businesses’ minds has to be: Will Pride come before the profits fall?
For most Americans, even the sympathetic ones, June comes with its share of irritation. You can’t log on to social media, shop for groceries, turn on the TV, or even buy a Crunchwrap Supreme without being hit over the head with LGBT propaganda. At the San Antonio Zoo, there’s a drag show. At Taco Bell, there’s a drag brunch. At the Detroit Tigers, there’s free transgender surgery for kids if you support the right organizations at checkout.
The rainbow burnout is so real that billionaire Elon Musk took to Twitter the day before, posting a tornado of company logos awash in colors with the caption, “June is almost here.” And while the far-Left went ballistic, demanding the richest man on earth be booted from the platform, the reality is, Pride mania has reached such absurd heights that most people are already counting the days to July. When Oreo cookies are double-stuffing their advocacy with short films, and public schools are paying men in dresses for makeup tutorials, an already triggered consumer base is primed to respond.
Just this past month, a new poll by the Convention of States Action and Trafalgar Group found that Americans have had it with companies wearing their agendas on their sleeves. People were asked, “How likely are you to stop using a product or service of a company that openly advocates for a political agenda you disagree with?” A landslide majority — 87% — said they were at least “somewhat likely” to stop using the product or service of the company in question. That’s about as close to consensus as it gets. Fifty-one percent took it a step farther, saying it was “very likely” they would look elsewhere. And the political fatigue cuts across party lines.
There’s a been major miscalculation on the part of today’s CEOs that everyday Democrats are on board with all of their activism. On the contrary, most Americans just want their favorite brands to stay neutral. And yet even now, a shocking number of companies haven’t gotten the message. They continue to turn themselves inside out to accommodate a handful of vocal employees — without realizing that the people they’re alienating are, as Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld put it, “Americans who buy things.”
Maybe that is why we have witnessed a slow but intentional shift away from in-your-face activism these last few months. Exxon, seeing the handwriting on Disney’s wall, actually changed its company guidelines before June, flat-out banning “external position flags” like LGBT Pride and Black Lives Matter. If workers want to fly the rainbow colors, they’ll need to do it without involving the Exxon logo, the headquarters says.
The President, unfortunately, will more than make up for the void — releasing his annual proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride a full day early (in case people didn’t already sense his eagerness). In it, he reiterates his promise to have the “back” of “younger transgender Americans,” insisting that his only goal is to help them reach their “God-given potential.” As usual, Biden says it without irony — ignoring the fact that actually reaching their God-given potential would mean accepting the sex they’re born with.
There will be flags above our embassies and flood lights on the White House — but unlike 2021, when Americans might still have been under the delusion that this administration was as moderate as advertised, the country is no longer fooled. They see Biden’s crusade to “queer” the military, his support for taxpayer-funded child abuse, his disregard for women’s rights. And they’re disgusted. As Mary Margaret Olohan said on “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins,” “This is not a message that [is resonating] with Americans.” And yet, Democrats like Biden — taken hostage by their woke fringe — refuse to back away from an agenda voters are soundly rejecting.
While corporate America is finally leaning into some self-reflection, the Left would be wise to follow. Until then, how should Christians, who are tired of celebrating sex and transgenderism like a 30-day party that rivals Christmas, respond?
Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm has some ideas. In his new column, “What Christians Should Remember about Pride Month,” he encourages people to think biblically about June. He reminds us that pride is not new; Christians aren’t called to conform; obedience matters — and so does prayer. At the end of the day, we can love God’s way, or we can love the world’s way, but we can’t do both. If that makes you feel different, Backholm says, good. You are different. “This is not our home.” And the sooner the church realizes that, the sooner we can meet this moment head-on — without hesitation, and just as importantly, without compromise.
Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand. The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s (FRC) outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. FRC’s whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
After the 2020 election ended with Joe Biden declared the winner, the federal cybersecurity agency declared it was a perfectly secure vote. Months later, federal prosecutors admitted two Iranian nationals hacked into a state’s database and stole the identities of 100,000 voters in an effort to influence the election.
Likewise, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared it was “outrageous” to think his state’s 2020 election needed to be investigated. Now, two separate courts have concluded that state election regulators illegally changed rules, allowing tens of thousands to cast ballots in an unlawful manner. And the same probe Evers so stubbornly resisted just provided evidence of fraudulent vote-collecting operations that exploited vulnerable residents in nursing homes.
Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger similarly expresses confidence to this day in his state’s declaration that Joe Biden won in 2020. But he now admits the state’s largest county ran a vote counting operation so dysfunctional and that the state may take over the county. He also has launched a probe into potential illegal harvesting of ballots that he says may result in prosecutions.
And Arizona, one of the first states to move to no-excuse mail-in voting years ago, has now begun an urgent effort to return to traditional in-person voting with paper ballots after investigations called into question more than 50,000 ballots cast in November 2020 and tens of thousands more verification signatures.
For more than a year, Democrats and their allies in the corporate media have decried what they call the “Big Lie” that America’s 2020 election was flawed or stolen. But almost weekly now, revelations are emerging that the election was, in fact, marred by illegalities, irregularities and mismanagement like former President Donald Trump has argued, leaving a nation increasingly doubting the reliability of its election system.
A Rasmussen poll taken nearly one year after the 2020 elections found more than half of the country does not believe in the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential elections, a stunning number for a country globally held as the gold standard for constitutional republics built on democracy.
“We have a lot of work to do,” former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell told Just the News. “And so I never sugarcoat this, because there’s substantial voter dissatisfaction with the the lack of security of our ballots. And they are very concerned that folks who are voting are folks who are not eligible to vote. And so you can’t have a system where illegal ballots negate the casting of legal ballots.”
The 2020 election results almost certainly will not be reversed, no matter how widespread the calls for decertification grow. But the opportunity to take the many failures of the last election seriously to improve Americans’ confidence in voting in the 2022 and 2024 elections looms large.
“We need to make sure our voting rolls are clean,” says Wisconsin State Rep. Janel Brandtjen. She oversees the Assembly committee on election integrity and blasted Governor Tony Evers for vetoing legislation designed to fix many problems identified in the Dairy State.
“At this point, there is no downside to cheating in Wisconsin, when you have a governor that’s shutting down a lot of the things that we have thought in the past would make a fair and transparent election,” she added.
Here are 20 of the most important revelations uncovered by Just the News complete with substantiating evidence and links:
A Foreign Intrusion. Federal authorities have confirmed that two Iranian nationals successfully hacked into a state computer election system, stole 100,000 voter registrations and used the data to carry out a cyber-intimidation campaign that targeted GOP members of Congress, Trump campaign officials and Democratic voters in the November 2020 election in one of the largest foreign intrusions in U.S. election history. The defendants “were part of a coordinated conspiracy in which Iranian hackers sought to undermine faith and confidence in the U.S. presidential election,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declared in an indictment.
Alleged Bribery. The former state Supreme Court justice appointed by the Wisconsin Legislature to investigate the 2020 election concluded that millions of dollars in donations to election administrators in five Democrat-heavy municipalities from the Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life violated state anti-bribery laws and corrupted election practices by turning public election authorities into liberal get-out-the-vote activists. “The Zuckerberg-funded CTCL/ Zuckerberg 5 scheme would prove to be an effective way to accomplish the partisan effort to ‘turnout’ their desired voters and it was done with the active support of the very people and the governmental institution (WEC) that were supposed to be guarding the Wisconsin elections administrative process from the partisan activities they facilitated,” Justice Michael Gableman wrote.
Illegal ballot harvesting in Wisconsin. Gableman also exposed an extensive vote collection operation, known as ballot harvesting, in nursing homes in which third-party activists illegally collected the ballots of vulnerable residents, some of whom lacked the mental or physical capacity to vote or were forbidden from voting by guardianship agreements. State election regulators “unlawfully directed the municipal clerks not to send out the legally required special voting deputies to nursing homes, resulting in many nursing homes’ registered residents voting at 100% rates and many ineligible residents voting, despite a guardianship order or incapacity,” Gableman wrote in his explosive report.
Ballot harvesting probe in the Peach State. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has announced he has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that liberal activists engaged in illegal ballot harvesting, collecting ballots from voters and delivering them in violation of state law. Raffensperger said he is planning to issue subpoenas to identify a whistleblower who admitted he engaged in the operation, and there could be prosecutions. The True the Vote election integrity group says in a formal state complaint that the man, identified as John Doe, admitted his role and identified nonprofits who funded it at $10 per ballot delivered. The watchdog group also claims it has assembled cell phone location records pinpointing the alleged harvesting by as many as 240 activists.
Bad voter signatures? A review of Maricopa County’s mail-in ballots in Arizona’s 2020 presidential election estimated that more than 200,000 ballots with signatures that did not match voter files were counted without being reviewed, more than eight times the number the county acknowledged.
50,000 Arizona ballots called into question. An extensive audit by Arizona’s Senate officially called into question more than 50,000 ballots cast in the 2020 election, including voters who cast ballots from residences they had left. The tally in question is nearly five times the margin of Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Foreign voters found on Texas rolls. An audit of Texas voter rolls identified nearly 12,000 noncitizens suspected of illegally registering to vote and nearly 600 cases in which ballots may have been cast in the name of a dead resident or by a voter who may also have voted in another state. Officials are now in the process of removing the foreign voters and deciding whether prosecutions are warranted.
Foreign voters found on Georgia rolls. An audit by Georgia’s Secretary of State has identified more than 2,000 suspected foreigners who tried to register to vote in the state, though none reached the point of casting ballots. Raffensperger says prosecutions may be forthcoming.
Unconstitutional mail-in voting. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has concluded the state law that opened the door to no-excuse mail-in voting in 2020 was unconstitutional and that mail-in voting can only be enacted by a constitutional amendment. “A constitutional amendment must be presented to the people and adopted into our fundamental law before legislation authorizing no-excuse mail-in voting can be placed upon our statute books,” the court ruled. About 2.5 million voted by mail in Pennsylvania in 2020, votes now called into question by the ruling.
More noncitizen voters. The Gableman investigation in Wisconsin also found noncitizens had made it onto the state voters rolls in violation of state law. The Wisconsin Election Commission failed “to record non-citizens in the WisVote voter database, thereby permitting non-citizens to vote, even though Wisconsin law requires citizenship to vote — all in violation of the Help America Vote Act,” the investigator wrote.
Ballot chain of custody issues. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has opened an investigation into the handling of drop box ballots last November in one of the state’s Democratic strongholds following a media report that there were problems with chain of custody documentation in DeKalb County.
Fulton County irregularities. Georgia’s handpicked election monitor for Fulton County, the state’s largest voting district, documented two dozen pages of mismanagement and irregularities during vote counting in Atlanta in November 2020, including double-scanning of ballots, insecure transport of ballots and violations of voter privacy. The revelations prompted the state to take steps to possibly put Fulton County in receivership, empowering state officials to run the elections. Most of Fulton County’s election officials have left their jobs.
Errant vote counting. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp referred the audited November 2020 election results in Fulton County to the State Election Board after multiple reviews found three dozen significant problems with absentee ballot counting, including duplicate tallies, math errors and transposed data. Kemp’s referral calls into question hundreds of ballots in the official count.
Dirty voter rolls. Michigan’s official state auditor has found that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson failed to adhere to state election law by properly updating and reconciling Michigan’s qualified voter roll. This oversight, according to the audit, increased the risk of ineligible voters casting ballots.
Illegal exemptions from voter ID. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled as many as 200,000 voters were allowed to illegally skip voter ID for absentee ballots by claiming they were indefinitely confined by COVID when there was no such legal authority to do so. Biden beat Trump by about 20,000 votes in the state.
Uneven enforcement of election laws. The Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau identified more than 30 problems with the administration of elections in 2020, including unlawful orders and uneven enforcement of the law and urged lawmakers to make sweeping improvements.
Voter fraud in Michigan. Michigan charged three women in connection with voter fraud schemes, including efforts to cast ballots on behalf of non-consenting nursing home residents.
Still more nursing home fraud. In Wisconsin, Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling announced his investigators have secured evidence that eight out of 42 residents at a local nursing home had been recorded as casting absentee ballots that their families said was not possible because the residents didn’t possess the cognitive ability to vote.
John Solomon is an investigative reporter. This article was originally posted on ‘Just the News’ and can be access here.
PORTSMOUTH — One Ohio university is learning what it means to ‘mind your p’s and q’s’ when it comes to conduct towards its faculty. In a recent court settlement, a philosophy professor has schooled his own employer after it harassed him over his own First Amendment rights.
After a three-year legal battle, Shawnee State University has settled and will pay a Christian Philosophy Professor $400,000 in damages and attorneys fees after disciplining him for using the wrong pronoun when addressing a transgender student who wanted to be referred to as a female.
Dr. Nick Meriwether believes God created only genders, male and female, which are determined by a person’s biology.
In the spring of 2018, while teaching his class, a male student raised his hand to ask a question and the professor responded with “Yes, sir.” After the class was over, the student approached Dr. Meriwether, identified himself as a woman, and insisted that the professor address him in that manner.
Dr. Meriwether, who refers to all of his students as “sir,” “ma’am,” “Mr.,” or “Miss,” offered to use the student’s first or last name instead, but this did not satisfy university administrators or the student.
Roberta Milliken, acting Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, launched an investigation into the matter and formally charged Dr. Meriwether with causing “a hostile environment” in his classroom for refusing to violate his religious beliefs. Meriwether received a written warning in his personal file, and was threatened with “further corrective actions” if he did not refer to students using pronouns that reflect their self-asserted gender identity.
Dr. Meriwether submitted a grievance request to the union, arguing the university violated his religious conscience. The professor met with a school administrator and union representative to explain how his religious freedom was being corroded. According to the lawsuit, they “openly laughed” at Meriwether’s religious convictions and denied his grievance request.
Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Dr. Meriwether comments, “I was going to be punished, not for something what I was doing, but for something that I would not do, and that was affirm the gender identity ideology. It was really about compelling me to speak in a way that conflicted with my beliefs as a Christian and and a philosopher.”
While the court ruling says Shawnee State punished the professor for his speech on a hotly-contested issue, the University denies anyone at Shawnee State deprived Dr. Meriwether of his free speech rights or his rights to freely exercise his religion.
As part of the settlement, Shawnee State has agreed that Dr. Meriwether has the right to choose when to use, or avoid using, titles or pronouns when referring to or addressing students. The school has also agreed Meriwether will never be mandated to use pronouns, including if a student requests pronouns that conflict with his or her biological sex.
View the video below produced by Alliance Defending Freedom (6 min. length)
Related articles:
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Proverbs 13, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”