I never thought this could happen in America.
But it is happening.
In Kentucky. In Florida. In California.
In New Jersey.
Could your state or town or church be next?
Kentucky State Trooper handing out citations
during this year's Maryville Baptist Church Easter Sunday service.
According to Matt Staver of the Liberty Council, after pastoring
the Maryville, Kentucky Baptist Church for 54 years, Dr. Jack Roberts
never expected to play "David against a Kentucky Goliath".
But this is just what happened when Democrat Governor Andy Beshear
banned all worship services, including those held in parking lots in that state.
On March 25th of this year, Beshear's edict against church services
went into effect in Kentucky, however, like other states controlled by
Democratic administrations, Governor Beshear has allowed what he
has deemed "essential businesses" like liquor stores and abortion clinics
to remain open to the public.
On Good Friday, the governor warned that no one should dare attend
Easter services on the following Sunday.
He threatened to send police officers to monitor churches
and take down license plates and VIN numbers, and then issue
Notices of Quarantine-even for churches committed to following
the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines in their parking lot services.
The governor made good on his threats.
On Easter Sunday the Maryville Baptist Church opened its parking lot
and readied loudspeakers for a drive-in service. Attendees arrived and stayed
in their own cars and prepared to listen to Pastor Roberts' sermon.
Unfortunately, there were others waiting in that church parking lot-the police.
The officers proceeded to go from car to car, writing down license plates and
issuing citations to the church members who just wanted to worship their Lord
inside their cars and were following the COVID-19 guidelines for social interaction.
Meanwhile, many who arrived after the police saw what was happening and
turned around to go back home. As Matt Staver claims, they were "sacrificing
their right to worship out of fear of tyrannical governmental punishment."
Remember folks, we are not talking here of Iran or China or North Korea.
We are talking about America! Land of the free and home of the brave.
The Republic where, according to the U.S. Constitution, the people have
the right to practice freedom of worship:
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution
To make matters worse, when some of the members of Maryville church went
to work the following week, after reports of the church's "defiance " to the
governor's unlawful edict was reported by the duplicitous mainstream
news media, many of the congregants were inexplicably left go from their jobs.
None of these people had tested positive for COVID-19.
These faithful Christians were being punished solely for daring
to exercise their Constitutional right to freedom of religious
worship-for merely attending a church service!
But wait, there's more...
Those whose license plates were taken down by the police later
received a mandatory 14-day "quarantine order" to stay at home.
None of these people had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus either.
But most of all of them have bills to pay and children to feed.
Four days after the service was held, Pastor Roberts received a
letter from the governor informing him that he was no longer allowed
to leave the state, or even the county without permission! This
humble man of God and members of his congregation were
literally confined to house arrest!
Shades of Nazi Germany?
"Lass mich deine Papiere sehen!"
("Let me see your papers!")
Nazis checking a man's identification in WWII.
Fortunately, this is still America and there are honorable law firms
like the Liberty Counsel, which came to Pastor Roberts' defense in the
wake of Governor Beshear's deliberate targeting of the Maryville Church.
The Liberty Counsel filed suit immediately on behalf of Pastor Roberts.
While their request for an injunction in the case was initially denied,
the Liberty Counsel later appealed, and in two back-to-back decisions,
a Kentucky Court of Appeals agreed with them in a 3-0 opinion.
The state of Kentucky was freed from Governor Beshear's illegal
and unconstitutional shutdown orders.
"The court ruling wisely noted that Governor Beshear trusted people
to go shopping, but not to go to church, and that his anti-church edicts
were not only wrong, but, unconstitutional," Staver reported. "And,
in an amazing act of God, that court used scripture from the Holy Bible
in it's decision against the godless governor."
At nearly 80 years of age, Pastor Roberts stood on the promises of God's
provision and protection as did the young shepherd boy, David, who
felled the formidable Philistine giant, Goliath with a stone and a slingshot.
And yet, the pathetic liberal Governor of Kentucky is determine to force his
anti-Christian, anti-church ways once again on the good people of the
Bluegrass State by demanding that the courts allow him to shut
down any house of worship at anytime he chooses.
While another petulant progressive wanna-be dictator abuses
his authority by using threats and intimidation in order to
get his way, Matt Staver and the Liberty Council
are once again standing at the ready to defend
Pastor Roberts and the faithful flock at Maryville,
as well as other Christians whose lives and liberty are under
attack in these dark and uncertain times we are living in today.
Nearly 30 years ago, Bible teacher Derek Prince warned
America of our impending doom as a nation as we have
consistently turned away from God and His holy precepts.
God's Heart For America
Derek Prince
(1915-2003)
Derek Prince Ministries
"Arise, Remnant, from the dust and throw off the fear
and contempt of our enemies...for our time has come!
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