The outrageous situation currently taking place in Houston, TX, is the latest and one of the most egregious threats to our most precious and fundamental liberties: Freedom of Speech. This blatant infringement of the First Amendment rights of pastors is quickly becoming a rallying point for concerned Americans across our nation. It’s time for pastors to step into the public arena and lead the way in proclaiming and defending the biblical principles necessary for freedom and liberty to flourish.

To borrow the words from the Apostle Paul, it’s time to take a STAND. (Ephesians 6:13)

I want to invite you to join me and hundreds of pastors from across our great State to stand united together for life, marriage and religious liberty. On Saturday, November 22, from 2:00-3:00EST we will gather on the steps of the Statehouse in Indianapolis to boldly stand and make a public declaration of our commitment to defend the unalienable rights given to us, not by the governments of men, but from the hand of the Great Governor of the universe. We will gather to corporately worship Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords; to pray as one for repentance and revival to sweep our nation, and to proclaim our unyielding commitment to stand for Truth and Liberty in the face of godless secularism and growing tyranny.

This event will be led by pastors. However, every freedom-loving Hoosier is encouraged and invited to be there to support their pastors. Our vision is to flood the capitol with concerned citizens from every corner of the state. Would you and your congregation be willing to stand with us in this critical time in our nation’s history?

If so, we need to hear from you. Please visit any of the following Facebook pages:

www.facebook.com/ronjohnsonjr

www.facebook.com/ipalliance

or contact me personally at:

ron.johnson.jr@lstones.org
cell #: 219-663-7729

A Declaration of THE STAND will be released shortly and I would love to include your name and the city/town where you pastor. Please contact me so your name can be added.

Standing with you,

Dr. Ron Johnson
Executive Director, Indiana Pastors Alliance

Earlier today I read a headline which concerned me deeply. It read, “Rick Warren Joins Leaders Seeking Religious Exemption on LGBT Order.” Now I have the utmost respect for Pastor Rick Warren. He is a great man of God and his impact in both the Church and the world has been nothing short of historic. However, let me explain why I believe he, and other pastors, are dead wrong in their approach to this issue.

Our president is, once again, making the law instead of implementing it. And if trampling the Constitution’s separation of powers is not bad enough, the law he is creating via executive order flies directly in the face of God’s clear teaching about sexual sin.

Let’s be clear – every American already enjoys equal protection under our Constitution. What is new here is the tyrannical imposition upon the US citizenry and the rest of the world, the belief that the LGBT lifestyle and agenda is good, normal and wholesome. Those who fail to join the parade are obviously evil, bigoted and mean-spirited. All this is driven by a twisted understanding of “civil rights” undergirded by the erroneous assumption that being “gay” is as much an inherited trait as being French.

The fact remains there has not been one scientifically valid study to support this assertion. In addition, as pastors, we have the clear teaching of Scripture revealing God’s view of sexual sin, which includes the sin of homosexuality. Homosexuality is not an immutable characteristic like gender or race; it is an immoral behavior, in the same category as adultery or fornication.

So what should be the proper response from America’s pastors when our chief executive orders people of faith to hire those whom they believe are living immoral lifestyles? I suggest we learn from those who have gone before us.

When Herod took his brother’s wife as his own, John the Baptist didn’t ask for a religious exemption, he asked for obedience to God. John went straight to the king and spoke the word of the Lord:

“It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” (Matthew 14:4)

The king was not an evangelical Christian by any stretch of the imagination. He was an arrogant, selfish, power hungry, pleasure-driven, godless politician. You see, God’s law isn’t just for those who happen to embrace it. It applies to all of His creation. The job of the Church, and pastors in particular, is to remind those in positions of authority of their duty as His “ministers” (Romans 13:4) to lead in a way that promotes righteousness and punishes evil. When leaders get that messed up and begin promoting public policy that contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture, our job is to tell them to stop, not to ask them for exemptions.

A government that has the power to grant you a special exemption one day has the right to remove it the next. This is why we must stand boldly and speak courageously for the cause of righteousness and liberty and for the protection of our God-given, inalienable rights.

We don’t need religious exemptions. We don’t need government accommodations. We need leaders who will “rule in the fear of the Lord” (2 Samuel 23:3) and pastors who will hold them accountable when they brazenly refuse to do so. Where are the modern day John the Baptists?

The Green and Hahn families have courageously fought the coercive HHS mandate all the way to the Supreme Court, defending their right to religious freedom. Now, it’s time for us to stand with these families. The Supreme Court is expected to release its opinion in these cases THIS Monday, June 30 at about 10:00 a.m. (EST).

Here’s what you can do to stand with Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood on Monday:

1. Join the Tweet Storm: From 10:00 a.m. -1:30 p.m. (EST) on decision day, join a tweet storm for religious freedom to set the record straight on the mandate. Suggested tweets are below. Use the #religiousfreedom hashtag and join the Facebook event here.

2. Change Your Avatar: Change your Twitter and Facebook pictures to the attached avatar to show your support for religious freedom.

3. Blog It: Use the attached messaging to write blog posts, op-eds, and press statements explaining how the HHS mandate is forcing family businesses to violate their beliefs or face devastating government penalties. For additional background information, please visit the Becket Fund’s Hobby Lobby Case Page and http://www.hobbylobbycase.com/ and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Conestoga Wood Specialties case page.

4. Join the Religious Freedom Rally at the Supreme Court: Coalition allies are organizing a rally at the Supreme Court on Monday, June 30. Please send staff or interns to the front of the Supreme Court before 9:00 a.m. to stand for religious freedom. Look for the “Religious Freedom” banner. Supporters of the Hahns and the Greens will be holding signs affirming our freedom to live and work according to our convictions. A press conference will begin at 10:45 a.m. on the day of the decision. See more information here.

5. Get informed on a Decision Day Conference Call. The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center will host a conference call for coalition allies at 1:00 p.m (EST) on Monday. Please contact Leslie.Ford@heritage.org for more information and to receive the call-in number.

Suggested Tweets

If Hobby Lobby/ Conestoga Win:

1. RT to support #religiousfreedom 4 every family biz—incl @HobbyLobbyCase & Conestoga Wood

2. Govt tried to hit families w/crippling fines for exercising #religiousfreedom. #SCOTUS says NO in @HobbyLobbyCase!

3. #SCOTUS agrees: Americans don’t surrender their #ReligiousFreedom when they open a family business. @HobbyLobbyCase

4. #SCOTUS affirms #religiousfreedom. Govt cannot punish people of faith for running a family biz. @HobbyLobbyCase

5. #SCOTUS #forthewin: #Religiousfreedom doesn’t end when a family business begins@HobbyLobbyCase

6. .@HobbyLobbyCase victory affirms families shouldn’t be forced to violate faith to earn a living. #religiousfreedom

7. #SCOTUS affirms: In a free and diverse society, we respect the #ReligiousFreedom of all to live out their deepest convictions. @HobbyLobbyCase

If Hobby Lobby/ Conestoga Lose:

1. Family biz shouldn’t be forced to violate their faith to earn a living. #SCOTUS undermines #religiousfreedom in @HobbyLobbyCase

2. Opening doors of a family business shouldn’t close door on #religiousfreedom

3. #SCOTUS undermines #ReligiousFreedom: In a free and diverse society, we respect the freedom of all to live out their deepest convictions.

4. I support the #ReligiousFreedom of every family business—including @HobbyLobbyCase. RT to agree.
5. Americans don’t surrender their #ReligiousFreedom when they open a family business. #SCOTUS gets it wrong.

6. .@HobbyLobbyCase #SCOTUS gets #religiousfreedom wrong. Running a business doesn’t mean govt runs your life.

Images & Videos to Share:

1. Do you want the Govt to crush the consciences of family business owners? 59% of Americans say NO! @HobbyLobbyCase pic.twitter.com/COs8GBgBMr
2. Faith plays a role in every aspect of the Green family’s life, even how they run their business http://bit.ly/1meEqoU
3. For the Green family, faith impacts every aspect of their lives, including how they run their family businesses pic.twitter.com/ujBn7xVyd0
4. Do you support religious freedom for all? Change your profile pic to this –> pic.twitter.com/Od1IgwCGwU
5. By signing RFRA into law, Pres. @BillClinton affirmed that religious freedom is a right we must protect pic.twitter.com/iea9SVxHY4
6. .@HobbyLobbyCase is about 1 question: Can the GOVT crush the consciences of family business owners? pic.twitter.com/ugJmuLC85t