Category Archives: Radio Commentaries

September 14, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Cake Baker Sued, Again

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, September 14, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Masterpiece Cakeshop (sic) owner Jack Phillips is on the hot-seat again, despite the Supreme Court’s 7 – 2 vote in his favor on June 4th.  However, that decision did not settle the fundamental question as to whether the government can coerce (force) businesses to discard their faith when doing business.  So, Jack Phillips is being targeted … again.

In June of 2017, Jack Phillips was asked by a transgender Colorado lawyer to bake a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate the lawyer’s birthday, which, also, was the seventh anniversary of the lawyer’s “coming out” as transgender.

Fast-forward more than a year to June 26, 2018.  That’s when the Colorado Civil Rights Commission decided there was probable cause that the Masterpiece Cakeshop owner denied the transgender lawyer “equal enjoyment of a place of public accommodation.”

Let me say this about that charge.  By using the words “public accommodation,” the Colorado Civil Rights Commission seem to equate Jack Phillips’ “private bakery,” which he owns and operates, with “public accommodations,” that are provided by government taxes.  According to Ballentine’s Law Dictionary, the legal definition of “public” is “belonging to the entire community.”  Jack Phillips’ bakery does not belong to the entire community, but Colorado commissioners seem to think it does. Continue reading →

September 7, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Exonerated! SBC Chaplain Squires

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, September 7, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

There’s good news today! On August 24th, the Army exonerated Chaplain Scott Squires and his assistant Kacie Griffin by announcing rejection of all charges against them. Chaplain Squires had been charged with dereliction of duty and sex-discrimination against a lesbian soldier. His assistant was facing charges for not immediately registering a female soldier who wanted to attend the marriage retreat with another enlisted female and identify as a same-sex couple.

Since same-sex marriage conflicts with his faith, the chaplain rescheduled the date of the retreat, so another chaplain could conduct it. After the soldier filed charges against them, Squires and Griffin were provided a defense attorney by the First Liberty Institute, a non-profit public interest law firm that, exclusively, defends religious freedom for all Americans.

After a four-month Army investigation of the incident, charges were announced August 1st, but three weeks later all charges were dismissed. Their attorney from First Liberty said: “We are grateful that the Army has rejected and abandoned these baseless charges. The U.S. military is no place for anti-religious hostility against its own military chaplains. Chaplains like Scott Squires and assistant Kacie Griffin do not have to give up their First Amendment rights in order to serve their fellow soldiers.” Continue reading →

August 31, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Christianity and Politics

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, August 31, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

We’ve been told that the United States is not a Christian nation and was not founded on Christian values.  So, I did a little research and learned that “God” or “the divine” is mentioned at least once in all 50 state constitutions.  Of the four state constitutions that do not mention God, three of them refer to a “Supreme Being” or “Supreme Ruler of the Universe,” and Hawaii’s constitution refers to “Divine Guidance,” instead of God.

Sixty-three percent of adults in Hawaii profess to be Christian, but Hawaii is the only state that has no Christian in its congressional delegation.  However, congressional delegations in 28 of the 50 states are 100-percent professing Christian.  Georgia that ranks number nine in Pew’s list of ten most populous states that are heavily Christian has a 94-percent professing Christian delegation.

Since Congress is filled with representatives and senators who profess to be Christian, it’s evident that non-Christians, as well as Christians, prefer to elect officials who present themselves as having Christian values. Continue reading →

August 24, 2018 Radio Commentary

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Muzzling Christian Chaplains

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, August 24, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Blatant persecution of Christians is very evident in the military. Case in point is the current threat to Army Chaplain Scott Squires who is endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. As such, he upholds SBC policy that says: “Endorsed chaplains will not conduct or attend a wedding ceremony for any same-sex couple, bless such a union or perform counseling in support of such a union, nor offer any kind of relationship training or retreat, on or off a military installation.”

Chaplain Squires’ observance of SBC policy is legally protected by the National Defense Authorization Act which says, “No member of the Armed Forces may require a chaplain to perform any rite, ritual or ceremony that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles or religious beliefs of the chaplain.”

Also, he is legally protected by four paragraphs in Army Regulation (AR) 165-1 which states: “No member of the Armed Forces may discriminate or take any adverse personnel action against a chaplain, including denial of promotion, schooling, training, or assignment, on the basis of the refusal by the chaplain to comply with a requirement prohibited by paragraph (1)” of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Again, he is legally protected by Department of Defense instructions that include sections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that prohibit the government from substantially burdening any person’s religious freedom without a compelling government interest. Continue reading →