DOJ to Churches: To Each His Zone
At Ragamuffins Coffee House, owners are probably most famous for this blend: community service and worship. That’s because the Maryland spot isn’t just another business on Laurel’s Main Street. It’s run by a church that opens its doors — and its arms — to the area’s homeless and needy families, offering coffee six days a week and a shot of God everyday, especially on Sunday. It’s a concept they hoped would help them connect with the city. And it did — until Laurel’s government got involved.
At Ragamuffins Coffee House, owners are probably most famous for this blend: community service and worship. That’s because the Maryland spot isn’t just another business on Laurel’s Main Street. It’s run by a church that opens its doors — and its arms — to the area’s homeless and needy families, offering coffee six days a week and a shot of God everyday, especially on Sunday. It’s a concept the church hoped would help it connect with the city. And it did — until Laurel’s government got involved.
City officials got a whiff of Redemption Church’s plans and informed Pastor Jeremy Tuinstra that he’d have to file for a special exemption — a slow and expensive process that didn’t apply to other nonreligious groups. On top of a nonrefundable $2,000 filing fee, the church was told it had to hire an engineer and submit plans to comply with the vague terms of the zoning law. And even when Ragamuffins did that, there was no guarantee the city wouldn’t reject it.
“Three days after they first looked through the property and walked through it with a city official, the city started to change its laws,” Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Christian Holcomb explained. “First it banned nonprofit organizations and then secondly it changed the law to make houses of worship restricted to … second-class or second tier in their zoning.” Redemption complied with the new laws, but officials still ordered Ragamuffins to stop holding Sunday services or face a $250 fine for each day it didn’t comply. The church made a different decision — it sued.
With a tiny congregation and staff, there was no way the church could afford almost $2,000 in fines every week. Besides, Holcomb points out, “Federal law makes it very clear that cities cannot discriminate against religious uses and allow secular uses.” Erik Stanley, who also works for ADF, can’t believe the double standard. “Laurel officials allow secular groups such as cinemas, theatres, comedy clubs, schools, and health clubs to locate downtown, but not this small church that wants to serve its community. That’s not legal or constitutional.”
Unfortunately, Ragamuffins’s situation is more common than you might think. Churches, home groups, synagogues, Bible studies, and schools have run smack dab into this local intolerance for religious exercise. But, thanks to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, cities who want to exploit or discriminate against faith-based groups will have a lot tougher time of it now. On Wednesday, the Justice Department put its foot down against these subtle attacks on religious freedom. In a speech at the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, Jeff Sessions announced a new “Place to Worship” initiative that would enforce the protections that already exist for churches like Redemption when it comes to buying, building, expanding, or rent facilities.
“The Constitution doesn’t just protect freedom to worship in private,” Sessions pointed out, “it protects the public exercise of religious belief, including where people worship together. Under the laws of this country, government cannot discriminate against people based on their religion — not in law enforcement, not in grant-making, not in hiring, and not in local zoning laws.” A lot of Americans, he went on, think their religious freedom is under attack.
This feeling is understandable. Religious Americans have heard themselves called “deplorables.” They’ve heard themselves called “bitter clingers.” I believe this concern — this unease — is one reason that President Trump was elected. He made a promise that was heard. In substance, he said he respected people of faith and he promised to protect them in the free exercise of their faith. This promise was well received. Since day one, he has been delivering on that promise. Under a different president, I’m not sure this would have been on the agenda.
As part of this new Justice initiative, Sessions’s team is also launching a suit against a New Jersey town that blocked a group of orthodox Jews from moving its meetings out of a single-family home into a new building. The city refused its request, turned down construction applications, and even went so far as to seize property that the Valley Chabad tried to buy for a school. “In order to sustain a democracy, it is necessary that we exercise true tolerance,” Sessions insisted. “… We shouldn’t have to go to court to co-exist in peace.”
This is a major step forward for Americans of all faiths. For a year and a half, this administration has shown the world that it’s fully committed to defending the freedom of everyone to live and work according to their beliefs. After two terms of Barack Obama, this president is advancing values we care about — instead of forcing us to abandon our faith just to enter the public square. That’s why I have trouble understanding the Christians in the #NeverTrump gallery that continue to criticize not only the Trump administration but those who support the good it has done. At some point, it’s time to acknowledge how much good Trump’s election has done — specifically for people of faith.
Originally published here.
A Star-Spangled Thursday
It’s a sign of victory, a symbol of grief, a beacon of hope — but above all, a source of pride. At 241 years old, the American flag is still the greatest reminder of how blessed our nation is. Old Glory has been carried into battle, draped over coffins, hoisted at Olympics, and cheered by captives in far-off lands. To everyone who sees it flying, folded, at half-mast, its message is the same: freedom.
Two and a half centuries ago, the entry for June 14 in the Continental Congress said simply, “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Back then, no one was quite sure how long the nation — or its flag — could survive. And while new years have brought new stars, the greatest symbol of American hope is still the same.
When the NFL got too self-important for its roots, refusing to pay the flag the respect it deserved, Americans responded. That’s because they understand that despite all of our differences, there is still one thing that unites us: pride in America. While certainly not all, the overwhelming majority of people in this nation have a deep appreciation for who we are and what America stands for. They recognize the flag’s deep symbolism and the incredible sacrifice it takes to keep flying it.
Like most of us, football fans watched the yearlong controversy of kneeling for the national anthem unfold with disdain. Tired of spoiled pros insulting their flag and country, they took a stand. They turned off games, stopping buying gear, and delivered the lowest revenues for the league in decades. And in the end, with double-digit support for the flag, America’s patriots brought the NFL to its knees.
How the American people responded to the league ought to encourage everyone. We may be a country of problems, but we’re still the world’s last best hope. As President Trump said, “It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American flag.”
Originally published here.
It’s Party Time on Marriage for Indiana GOP
The Supreme Court may have changed the definition of marriage legally, but it can’t change it in reality. Marriage is, has always been, and will always be the union of a man and woman. And Indiana’s GOP, like a lot of states’, will continue to say so, no matter what five black-robed activists tell them.
On Saturday, at the GOP state party convention, members voted overwhelmingly to stick with the language first adopted under then-Gov. Mike Pence (R) and reflected in the Republican National Convention platform. Of course, the definition wouldn’t have been much of an issue in the first place if current Gov. Eric Holcomb’s (R) handpicked party chairman hadn’t insisted they broaden the wording to “be more inclusive of same-sex couples.” Under his version, the Indiana GOP would agree: “We support traditional families with a mother and father, blended families, grandparents, guardians, single parents and all loving adults who successfully raise and nurture children to reach their full potential every day.”
Fortunately, longtime Indiana Republicans pushed back. Daniel Elliot, the Morgan County GOP chairman, argued that the natural definition of marriage was the key to the philosophy of “Hoosier Republicans.” “[Our current] language … recognizes the reality on the ground that most families are headed by married couples.” Interestingly enough, this battle is nothing new for Indiana conservatives. In 2014, one year before the Obergefell ruling, state Republicans overcame two challenges to the marriage plank from moderates who said they wanted to entice more voters to join the GOP. The prevailing side called it a compromise on core values.
Then, as in now, common sense prevailed. For conservatives, who have stood their ground at every Republican National Convention, this ought to be an encouraging sign that no court can change what God’s law says — and half the country believes.
Originally published here.
This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.
