Sen. Bergstrom's bill to protect religious freedom passes committee, heads to Senate floor

Good bill recognizing our inalienable constitution freedom of religion. It passed committee by a 5-2 vote, with both Democrats voting against it (Sens. Michael Brooks and Regina Goodwin).

Bergstrom Bill to Protect Religious Freedom Gains Committee Approval

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 25th) – On Wednesday, Senate Bill 513, authored by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, successfully passed out of the Public Safety Committee. SB 513 aims to protect the constitutional right to religious freedom during declared states of emergency.

Under SB 513, neither the Governor or any official of a municipality, county, or political subdivision is allowed to restrict any activity in a place of worship that is otherwise legal under state law.

Bullard measure to keep marijuana grows away from churches passes Senate

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Bullard measure to keep marijuana grows away from churches passes Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate approved legislation Tuesday to keep marijuana grow operations away from Oklahoma’s religious institutions. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, authored the legislation to extend the same protections to churches as schools currently have regarding where grows can be established. Senate Bill 116 would create a 1,000 feet setback requirement from any place of worship for medical marijuana commercial grower facilities.

Powerful Video: Open Your Church

The Canadian church is undergoing persecution for obeying the clear command of Scripture to assemble the saints for divinely-designated corporate worship. Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Edmondton, Alberta, spent over a month in prison for daring to hold worship services and preach at his church. Other pastors and churches have been fined and threatened with imprisonment.

One of those other churches is Trinity Bible Chapel in Windsor, Ontario. From Protestia.com:

Pastor Jacob Reaume has been fined thousands of dollars and faces jail time. The six elders have all been fined thousands. The church has 26 charges before the court and faces 30 million dollars in fines. They had a service in January that cost them $83,000 – fines and court costs which are not able to be waived, removed, or appealed.

State House passes bill prohibiting forced closure of churches, places of worship

House Passes Bill Prohibiting Forced Closure of Places of Worship

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed legislation to protect religious freedom and the constitutional right to worship.

Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, presented House Bill 2648, also known as the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act, which dictates that anything closing places of worship would be considered a substantial burden on people’s freedom of religion.

“People came to this continent seeking religious freedom and to escape a tyrannical government, and our country’s founders had the wisdom to specifically outline the freedom to worship in one of our founding documents,” Hill said. “My faith, like many Oklahomans, is at the core of who I am, and this bill further protects our God-given right to worship.”

Sen. Burns files bill to protect religious freedom and prohibit gov't closure of churches

Sen. George Burns introduces legislation modifying the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act

State Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, has filed a measure that would modify the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act to ensure government entities cannot close churches, religious institutions or houses of worship.

The measure is a response to the closure of churches and houses of worship across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Bill 216 would add that the closure of a religious institution, or the declaration of a religious institution as “non-essential,” would be deemed a substantial burden on the free exercise of religion. The measure also states that a government entity cannot restrict access to religious facilities or gatherings as long as the institution is not engaged in illegal activities.

“Many churches across the nation were forced to close their doors due to government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Burns said. “Fortunately, my church carried on in a safe manner.

“During a health emergency, it’s absolutely important to take precautions and do all we can to ensure we keep ourselves and others safe, but it’s ridiculous to think that the government could close churches by labeling them as ‘non-essential,’ while other businesses, such as casinos, may remain open. This is a direct attack on our freedom of religion.”

While churches in Oklahoma were not forced to completely close last spring, many shut their doors after social gatherings of 10 or more people were prohibited, making it nearly impossible to hold in-person worship. Fifteen states across the nation have exempted religious gatherings from their COVID-19 restrictions.

If signed into law, the measure would become effective on Nov. 1.

Protestia: Closing Churches for COVID-19 is Democrat Voter Suppression

Wake Up: Closing Churches For COVID-19 is Democrat Voter Suppression

Originally posted on Protestia.com

October 15th, 2020 --  Some dirty tricks are being pulled on the American electorate this election cycle. Mail-in ballots for Trump are being fished out of dumpsters. Voting machines are going off-line at curious times. Funny business abounds. But as Americans are finally fighting back against our churches being closed by Democrat officials on religious grounds, few are fighting it on political grounds.

Simply put, closing churches or limiting their attendance prior to an election is Democrat voter suppression.

Evangelical Protestants favor Donald Trump at 78%. Non-evangelical Protestants (mainline denominations) favor Donald Trump 52% to 43%, still a sizeable advantage. As almost everyone knows, faithful church-goers will support Donald Trump over any baby-butchering Democratic candidate pit against him.

Democrats know this, and they are working hard to shift the evangelical vote. Almost daily, a new PAC is created by leftist evangelicals (or Democrats posing as evangelicals) trying to convince Christians that Joe Biden is a more ethical choice than Donald Trump. Almost daily a new newspaper ad or op-ed is purchased by Dark Money donors to claim this-evangelical or that one is voting for Biden because their conscience dictates it.

Tulsa businessman and council candidate donates 1,000 N95 masks to local churches

Tulsa Businessman & City Council Candidate Justin Van Kirk Donates 1,000 N-95 Masks to Local Churches

Tulsa, OK -- Justin Van Kirk, a young Tulsa Businessman running for Tulsa City Council District 7, donated 1,000 N-95 masks to local churches across the Tulsa Community. He states, "There's been no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world as we know it. However, we must never allow the challenges we face to disrupt us or keep us from expressing our faith. We know that as churches are beginning to open back up, we still want to be cautious under these uncertain circumstances. So my wife and I had this idea of buying masks and donating them to local churches."

The Van Kirks chose Sheridan Church, Evergreen Baptist Church, The Park Church of Christ, and World Outreach Church, among several others within Tulsa, to donate the N-95 masks. The N-95 masks are recommended by the (CDC). The churches will distribute to staff, employees, or church-goers and will be made available to those who may be most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

TYRANNY: Mississippi police raid DRIVE-IN church services, issue $500 fines

As America grapples with how to handle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, government officials and jurisdictions have shut down practically everything in society, questionably suspending unalienable natural rights and self-evident truths recognized by America's founding documents.

The founding fathers would be rolling in their graves at the atrocious assaults on liberty going on today, chief of which is the all-out attack on religious freedom.

In a show of absolute government tyranny, the police in Greenville, Mississippi, raided two different Baptist churches that were holding drive-in service transmitted via FM radio in their church parking lot, issuing $500 citations to those in attendance at one church.

This makes my blood boil.

On April 7th, Greenville mayor Errick Simmons and the Greenville City Council issued an unconstitutional order targeting the specific shutdown of churches in regards to the use of their buildings and parking lots for in-person or drive-in services.

The tyrannical order stated "Churches are strongly encouraged to hold services via Facebook Live, Zoom, Free Conference Call, and any and all other social media, streaming, and telephonic platforms," which is an unconstitutional requirement above and beyond the free exercise clause of the United States Constitution as it specifically relates to religious liberties. Aside from that huge issue, it is an imposition on churches to practice their religion in ways that may be beyond their technical abilities. Government has absolutely no right or business in telling any church how they can hold their services.

This is absolute tyranny. Our forefathers left an entire continent and started a new nation in large part because of this.

This over and covert assault on religious liberty and churches in particular is going on all across the country under the thin guise of combatting a virus.

Relevant articles to read:

• Temple Baptist Church Members Issued $500 Tickets for Parking Lot Service (Delta Democrat Times)
• WATCH: Police Raid Church’s Drive-In Service, Issue $500 Tickets to Entire Congregation (Todd Starnes)
• Breaking: Police Assail Another Greenville Church in Overwhelming Show of Force (Pulpit & Pen)
• Democrats ban drive-in church services while abortion clinics, liquor stores, drive-ins open (Capstone Report)
• Texas Judge Confirms Fine and Jail Time For Churches Who Don’t Post Written Action Plan On Their Doors (Pulpit & Pen)
• Health Dept. on Easter Services: “If You Have to Ask Permission, Then You Probably Should Not Do It” (Todd Starnes)
• Baltimore pastor vows to continue services despite coronavirus-related restrictions and visit from police (Baltimore Sun)
• Baltimore church pastor vows to carry on despite coronavirus order (WBAL-TV)
• 10 Person Baptist Church Again Meets For Services Surrounded By 12 Police Officers (Pulpit & Pen)
• Good Intentions Don’t Make Government-Forced Church Closures More Constitutional (Pulpit & Pen)

For liberty to be preserved, tyranny must be defied. While Christians are called to live peaceably with all men (Rom. 12:18), to be subject unto the higher powers (Rom. 13:1), the authories to which we are under are supposed to uphold the highest authority in the land, the U.S. Constitution. When they violate that authority, which recognizes natural, God-given rights that are superior to the written law, we are not bound to defer to those violations.

We are also told in Scripture that We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29), and to Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Mark 12:17). Worship is an act that we owe to God alone, and the very word 'church' (ekklesia) means a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly... in the Christian sense, a. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). 

Biblically speaking, the gathered assembly of believers is necessary for the Christian life, from practicing the ordinances (Baptism and the Lord's Supper) and the "one another's" of Christian fellowship. While there may be times when corporate worship is providentially hindered (for example, illness, disaster, etcetera), believers should make every effort to maintain corporate fellowship and worship.

Government order is no excuse for refusing to maintain Christian life, of which the ekklesia is the greatest corporate manifestation. Cancel your service for the pandemic and to preserve the health of your congregation, but never cancel simply because the government told you to, and never leave the church building vacant on regularly scheduled service times:

Here's something my pastor said last Sunday on why churches should always have someone present at regularly scheduled service times: on several occassions, he has encounted suicidal individuals searching for help. God forbid that nobody be there to help them in their hour of need:

On a sad side note, according to LifeWay Research, 3% of Protestant pastors say they will have an in-person gathering no matter what during this time. The record will show that it was not outright persecution that shut the Church down in America.

Tulsa Bible Church Christmas Celebration

(Click to see larger)

For anyone interested: my church, Tulsa Bible Church (60th and Sheridan), is putting on a Christmas cantata this Friday evening (7pm) and Sunday evening (6pm). With a full choir and orchestra, and drama team, the 2009 TBC Christmas Celebration will be a wonderful event for the whole family! I will be playing second violin in the orchestra.

For more information, call (918) 499-1513.