Who Decided to Shut Out God?

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, October 2, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

The Christian Index July 23rd edition reported a July mandate from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that GuideStone Financial Resources plaintiffs must comply with the controversial demands of Obamacare or face the wrath of the IRS. As the benefits arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, GuideStone won’t be affected, but it serves ministries that will be grossly penalized if they don’t comply with the abortion/contraceptive mandate.

Joining in the case are Georgia’s Truett-McConnell College, affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention, Oklahoma’s Reaching Souls International ministry to pastors, and the Little Sisters of the Poor order of nuns serving the needy in Denver. However, this is only a fraction of the 56 religious non-profit organizations that, also, object to the contraceptive rule that exempted churches and related services, but did not exempt religious non-profit organizations.

This story is not over, yet. On August 24th GuideStone, Truett-McConnell, Reaching Souls, and the nuns joined in a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court asking for a review of the ruling that private religious ministries must provide health insurance coverage for federally approved contraceptives, such as the “morning-after” pill that causes abortion, and “ella” that kills an implanted embryo.

Additional briefs to the Supreme Court were filed by the Christian Legal Society, American Center for Law and Justice, the Council for Christian Colleges, Lutherans, Orthodox Jewish rabbis, and 20 states. Continue reading →

Please, explain this to me!

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, September 25, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

If you’re a patriotic American like I am, you might be just as confused as I am … not about where my next meal is coming from or does my car need new tires. But, you’re probably baffled at what’s happening in the world … not just “over there,” but the world right here at home.

One of the things bothering me is the reason a Christian family packed up and left their native country for asylum in the United States. In 2006, as Mr. and Mrs. Romeike were home-schooling their children, German police appeared on their doorstep to forcibly take their children to public school.

The German court had decided religious or philosophical motivation develops “parallel societies” that must be counteracted. So, to avoid fines and threats for refusing to send their children to a state-approved German school, the Romeike family left their native country in 2008 seeking asylum in the United States, because Christian home education was not tolerated in Germany. Continue reading →

Honor Guard Barred from Churches

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, July 3, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Maybe you haven’t heard how different the Fourth of July celebration will be this year in Georgia’s second oldest church, Abilene Baptist Church in Martinez, Georgia, founded in 1774. Its first pastor was a Revolutionary War chaplain.

For almost 20 years, the U.S. army has provided an honor guard for the church’s Independence Day celebration, but it won’t be there for the God and Country celebration this year. Why? It violates a military policy banning any involvement in a religious service.

The current pastor said, “It was an absolute shock. What a sad commentary on the state of affairs in America…. They have participated for the past two decades and now they are saying no. This is just another example of the secularization of America.” Continue reading →

RFRA: Indiana, Arkansas & Georgia

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 29, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

The federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) has been federal law since 1993, and for two years, Georgia legislators have introduced a State Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that has not passed. This year’s version is still alive for 2016, but toward the end of the session, Governor Deal said such a law in Georgia must include nondiscrimination language.

That’s disturbing, because of what happened last month. After Indiana’s governor signed a new RFRA into law, he and his state were pressured into changing it to include nondiscrimination language that, literally, destroys religious freedom for believers in biblical morality.

Indiana’s newly passed and amended RFRA (a) gives civil rights status for sexual orientation and gender identity, (b) eliminates a personal right to claim or defend religious expression based on biblical morality, (c) exempts nonprofit religious organizations, societies and affiliated schools, but (d) a rabbi, priest, preacher, minister, pastor, or designee of a church or nonprofit religious organization or society may not, personally, allow biblical morality or religious doctrine to affect their behavior toward the public. So, (e) biblical morality and religious doctrine may be expressed within worship-affiliated structures, but (f) may not be expressed when dealing with the public in Indiana. Continue reading →