OPPOSE “THE EQUALITY ACT” (H.R. 5, link to Act here)

At Christian Thinkers Society, our mission is to resource and equip pastors, ministry leaders, educators, business leaders, students, children, parents, and families with the tools, information and education necessary to be a ChristianThinker. Thousands of leaders receive our CTS emails. I would not be following my calling if I did not make you aware of something extremely concerning if you care about a Christian world and life view, which the so-called “Equality Act” utterly opposes. It will be voted on by the House this week. The Church (Capital C – all followers of Jesus) must wake up!

I wrote a book called Unimaginable: What the World Would Be Like Without Christianity. Here I thought I had discovered and raised awareness for all of the grim results when Christianity is marginalized or collapses in society. I fear we will be seeing the first signs of this if the “Equality Act” is passed.

According to Family Research Council: Every Bible Believing American Will Suffer Under this Act: “Imagine an America where religious hospitals are forced to perform abortions. Where Bible-believing churches could be forced to hire pastors and other employees who don’t follow the teachings of the church and could be required to host same-sex wedding ceremonies. Where Christianschools are forced to cater to the preferences of students who identify as transgender, threatening the privacy and safety of young girls. If the U.S. House and Senate pass the ‘Equality’ Act, this is the future that could lie before us.”

Exact wording from H.R. 5: “(2) (with respect to gender identity) an individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.”; 

As a father of five children, including a daughter, I must encourage you to read Justice Alito’s dissenting opinion in BOSTOCK v. CLAYTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, here is an excerpt:

“[B]athrooms, locker rooms, [and other things] of [that] kind.” “The Court may wish to avoid this subject, but it is a matter of concern to many people who are reticent about disrobing or using toilet facilities in the presence of individuals whom they regard as members of the opposite sex. For some, this may simply be a question of modesty, but for others, there is more at stake. For women who have been victimized by sexual assault or abuse, the experience of seeing an unclothed person with the anatomy of a male in a confined and sensitive location such as a bathroom or locker room can cause serious psychological harm.”

Please be informed and then URGE your US Representative and Senator to VOTE NO on H.R. 5 – “The Equality Act.” Link: EMAIL your U.S. House Representative and urge him or her to “Vote No” on “The Equality Act” H.R. 5).

 

Read this important summary: The Inequalities of the ‘Equality Act’ – The Equality Act (H.R. 3185/S. 1858, “the Act”)

Ryan Anderson’s NY Post op-ed is a very helpful summary, here.

FRC: Mary Beth Waddel: How the “Equality Act” Is Actually Unequal, Unfair, and Unjust. I also would recommend you review the Full Publication, here.

Ken Blackwell writes: The ‘Equality Act’ Would Create a Religious ‘Separate But Equal’, I urge you to read his article.  “Where the civil rights movement created real equality, the Equality Act creates a separate but equal status based on deeply held beliefs. Under the Equality Act, those who reject a historical understanding of sexuality and gender have no concerns, but those who hold to a historical understanding of sexuality and gender will have fewer professional, educational, and athletic options and face greater legal liabilities regardless of where they are or what they do. Businesses owned by people with orthodox Christian, Jewish, or Muslim beliefs should eventually expect to have higher insurance rates as well because their legal exposure will be significantly higher because of those beliefs.That’s not equality.That is a force of destruction!”

 

Our friend, John Stonestreet offers an excellent summary with the implications of the Equality Acts, here, on Breakpoint. According to John: “Late last week, Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced the Equality Act, a grave threat to religious liberty and conscience rights that would, in effect, erase all legal distinctions between male and female in public life. The Equality Act would make gender identity and sexual orientation protected classes under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forcing compliance in areas such as public accommodation and education … The Equality Act still faces significant obstacles in the Senate. Here are three things you can do:

  • Contact your Representative and your Senators and let them know to oppose the Equality Act.
  • Share widely the resources and articles on the Equality Act found at BreakPoint.org.
  • Go to promisetoamericaschildren.org and sign the statement committing to prioritize children’s rights over adult happiness and share the resources found there with your pastor, church, and community.”

According to The US Pastors Council:  “Pastors of every city and town across the nation, it is again time for us to stand publicly for God’s created order of male, female, moral decency and equal justice by calling on our Congressmen and Congresswomen to vote AGAINST the “Equality Act”.  Please call starting TODAY and reference the following points:

-The Equality Act would declare that sexual lifestyles and shifting states of mind like gender confusion are the same as immutable and identifiable characteristics such as race, sex and religion. There is no credible comparison.

  1. The Equality Act compares anecdotal claims by individuals of being wrongfully treated to centuries of systemic discrimination suffered by American Blacks and other ethnic groups that were denied access to voting, jobs and equal justice.  No such class discrimination has ever been proven for LGBTQ.
  2. The Equality Act would criminalize the deeply held and practiced religious beliefs of millions of Americans of all major religions who accept God’s created order of male, female, marriage between one man and one woman and the separation of the sexes in state of undress as well as competitive sports.
  3. The Equality Act is in fact an “Inequality Act” that creates Unequal Rights for a tiny few at the expense of the freedom of the vast majority with the power of the federal government weaponized against God and America loving citizens of every color, every corner.
  4. The Equality Act is a massive “problem looking for a solution” giving federal government power over the hearts and minds of innocent citizens.”

I have contacted my congressional representative, Troy Nehls, urging him to vote NO on “The Equality Act,” H.R. 5.

​I encourage you to do the same with your representative. Let’s stay in prayer for Christians to be thinkers with an activated faith that impacts our communities. 

I also am thankful for my friend, Professor Craig Evans, providing some excellent insights from his experience living in Canada, which I encourage you to read below. It is dangerous when governments decide what truth is and who can speak truth. 

Be bold. Stand for Truth. If you would like to share this email with a friend, you may click on “No Images? Click here” in the top-right corner of this email. Once clicked, the email will open in a new web-browser. You can share the link to this email with anyone. 

​Jeremiah J. Johnston, Ph.D. 

Reminder: Please be informed and then URGE your US Representative and Senator to VOTE NO on H.R. 5 – “The Equality Act.” Link: EMAIL your U.S. House Representative and urge him or her to “Vote No” on “The Equality Act” H.R. 5).

A word from Craig Evans:

My family I lived in Canada for 35 wonderful years. Our daughters grew up in Canada. The oldest got married and gave us a wonderful grandson. We became dual citizens. Although back in the US, my wife and I have no regrets for our long and positive stay in the big country in the north. Politically and socially, Canada is a bit to the left of the US, though at the rate the US is moving left, that might not be true for much longer. One of the biggest mistakes the Canadian government made a number of years ago was to pass a law against “hate speech.” For most people what constitutes hate speech is obvious. The problem, however, is that the law’s definition of hate speech is so broad and so ill-defined, that it boils down to how one feels. It is very subjective. Thus, the “victim” defines the alleged hate speech. This has effectively ended free speech in certain areas of life, especially as it relates to human sexuality and sexual behavior. It is very risky, for example, to discuss the negatives involved in the  homosexual lifestyle. To mention anything that is negative (physical ill-health, mental ill-health, psychological problems, and the like) is to run the risk of being accused of hate speech. Clergy dare not share the biblical perspective. To do so is to run the risk of prosecution and loss of tax exemption, among other things. Consequently, aspects of homosexuality simply cannot be discussed, no matter what the physical and psychological realities might be. We are moving in this direction in the US. We are now told that gender is simply a matter of choice, not physical genetics. This, of course, flies in the face of logic and science, but facts, it would appear, no longer matter. The new, radical political-correctness poses many dangers. Perhaps the greatest threat is to freedom of speech.  — Craig A. Evans, Richmond, Texas