Why We Must Boldly Declare The Truth About Marriage

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research and education organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family and up from the studio here is John Rustin, Pres. North Carolina family policy Council during the family policy matters. This week we are pleased to bring you part of a powerful presentation that allots defending freedom attorney Kelly Theodoric gave at the North Carolina family policy Council's major speakers dinner that in Winston-Salem in November 2015 Kelly is legal counsel for allots defending freedom in its Washington DC office where she serves at the center for marriage and family in the following excerpt from her address.

Kelly shares the moving stories of two ordinary Americans who are under attack for simply living out their deeply held religious beliefs about marriage. She explains why profamily citizens are called to stand with these brave men and women and boldly speak and live out the truth about marriage in an increasingly challenging cultural now on to Kelly for Doric to live the truth about marriage until recently I missed my friends, family and acquaintances in love and compassion is perhaps more important today than ever has before.

Because the state and the majority they can't get it wrong skeptically wrong, keenly aware that by our very first of the liberty protected. Lastly, just let me justice demands that our lives continue to protect basic human right of religious freedom and free speech that is currently under attack in our country is protecting conscience is society as a way of finding an insurance policy against injustice without conscience. The civil rights movement whenever it happens in the resistance to Hitler would have been unthinkable if we don't have the freedom to live to work.

Think freely. According to our beliefs. We are silenced and unable to speak the truth into the darkness around us. So let's be mindful of our heritage on these matters and maintain same moral convictions encouraged to act on that conviction. So tonight I wanted to tell you a few stories. I love the talking about our clients we get to represent ordinary men and women who are standing up to those who insist they know what is best for you and me there people who either lost their jobs or face the loss of their jobs or their business or even their whole life savings simply because they have the courage to stand up against the government and stand for the truth about marriage, some even facing jail time because they say no when the government tried to force them to find the conscience. The first time and I want to tell you about this evening is Calvin Cochran.

Some of you may have heard of him but he's a former fire for the city of Atlanta. I always laugh because I think it's really interesting how our opponents pick some of the best people in the world to go after I met.

I don't think you had the privilege of meeting Calvin Cochran but he's one of the most noble and humble godly men and civil servants that I've ever had the privilege of meeting that you comprehend an exemplary 34 year record serving as the top official for the Obama station before Atlanta's mayor is now going after him, begged him to come back to serve again as the city's fire chief. He is a man of honor as the Fire Chief of the year by Fire Chief magazine, but he is now the former fire chief, not because he retired or performed poorly or committed any misdeed because his beliefs were out of alignment with the prevailing orthodoxy at City Hall is the chief Cochran decided in his own time to write a men's Bible study and in Bible study. There is a paragraph that talks about some of the sexual sins that men are less obviously attempted then there was a complaint filed against him saying that he had he had engages observed discriminatory behavior by handing out his book to some of his colleagues who asked him to in the book out and actually obtain permission, he provided a copy to the mayor but after someone complained about his book.

He stopped soon found himself to be being investigated an investigation that found he never discriminated against anyone. Nevertheless, despite the fact this investigation found no violation of the law. Chief chief Cochran was fired early this year.

He wasn't fired for his actions. He was fired for his beliefs. So much for tolerance and so much for diversity that our clients are so apt to say that they stand for all laws that are supposed to protect. Discrimination might sound good in theory, the government is using these laws across our country to hurt people to force them to conform to silence them if they dare disagree to destroy them if they don't use their heart, their mind their creative talents to promote the event the government wants them to promote the last story is a personal hero of mine.

Is there an assessment, but for those of you know, don't know their now she's a 70-year-old grandmother who owns a floral shop in Washington state and for protests what year she served all people come into her shop regardless of sexual orientation, and you also employ people or shop that are gay and bisexual so she's been welcoming to everyone, has entered her shop in one of her dear friends and clients and if you ask her.

She tears up every time she talked about him rubbing her solicitor for the first for 10 years and he would often come in and ask her to do flowers for counseling parties and for Valentine's Day for Mother's Day and other events and they had a very special relationship will in 2012 Washington state redefines marriage in 2007 Washington state had also expand its nondiscrimination law protect sexual orientation and gender identity with his lacunae kicked in when marriage is redefined, and so Rob came to to Baron Allen asked her if she would do the flowers and participated his outing with him and she put his hand on on his and said no Rob I love you I care so much about you, but you know that my faith in Jesus Christ prevents me from being able to participate in this event, but I know couple other florist I would gladly refer to you you to that would do just as it is to get a job in rock that he understood. They chatted and hugged Rob left and they are now being an elderly woman who kindly smile your own business and just create flowers thought that was the end of it will Rob partner put a message on Facebook that kind of went viral and the Atty. Gen. of Washington state found out about what happened in an unprecedented action never before our country have we seen Atty. Gen. do something like that. Washington state Atty. Gen. filed a lawsuit against Baron L, saying she violated Washington's log discrimination.

Since then, the ACLU is piled on same-sex couple decide to sue her and both parties anomalies to her and her business, but they still turn their personal capacity as well. This means that she could stand to lose everything she owns her savings her home and washing for the community property state so everything her husband on this well can be taken by the state to pay all the attorneys fees and yet they are now is committed to standing on principle. She's unafraid she's the most courageous woman I think I've ever met and so loving and and so kind attitude to continue in this fight we lost the trial court earlier this year, we've now asked the Washington state Supreme Court to review her case that he could please keep that case in your prayers. Because what happens in these cases is critical to the future of our country and where our freedoms are going. This conflict is real and it is present in I said earlier, the government is no longer freedoms best friend and protector are now witnessing a new government orthodoxy bent on silencing and punishing anyone who dares to points of view. Contrary to what they want us to voice. I think we have to ask when you may decide open robust public discourse makes the world worse better when Jimmy decided it was okay to marginalize Shannon personally and professionally destroy those who believe marriage is between a man, a woman, the belief religions and governments have shared for centuries. This is not live and let live.

As you think about these issues. Please consider the effect of these types of laws on the Baron elves and the Calvinists of this world and don't think that can happen to any of us because it can. My fear is that it will unless we step up. The real test of liberty is what happens when you disagree religious liberty is our first liberty is the bedrock on which all other liberties rest. It allows us to explore the meaning of life. For more conscience and then to live into work consistent with those beliefs we don't need to send people to jail or take everything out of Bayonne because they won't renounce their beliefs on marriage and we should never agree that our God-given right to live consistently with our faith is lost.

We step outside of the four walls of our church. It's people like Calvin and Baron L who never imagined it would be called for such a time as this. Yet they were in the answer that call. They give me hope and I hope that they give you hope as well. I hope they inspire you to keep fighting what we do, how do you engage for such a time as this answer is actually quite simple it's to rejoice and to persevere again I say rejoice, which it comes to us from Scripture consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Be joyful always has pot of the Thessalonians.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus for so many reasons I say rejoice because I know that darkness never permanently prevails and whether we want to review the historical accounts of Scripture or the historical account of our country. We know that a brighter day at the head.

I say rejoice and persevere because of God's grace and his mercy are neither dampened nor weekend by the state of our culture.

And lastly I say rejoice because we have the ability to change things we might be demonized and disliked, and maybe even student courage displayed in the cause of truth and of right is powerful. I saw this up close and personal. When I spent about six weeks here on the ground past spring. Working with John is credible team meetings with legislators with governors staff with the pastors they brought truth and conviction with them and we saw perseverance paid off and we were in our efforts were not in vain, even when the government governor vetoed an important builder template is freedom the legislature band together to encouragement and accountability policy Council and they overrode the governor's veto. Each of us has a rule to play in the battlements before us for such a time as this. We cannot be satisfied with mediocrity.

We must rebuild the culture and this starts with our own hearts, our own families and our friends and our communities. We cannot sit idly by when others are hurting hurting and simply think well that's too bad her all pray for them and don't get me wrong, prayer is obviously important that critical to what we do. We also need action Christ calls us to action. We can't cease to recognize her turn a blind eye to the fact that other people's sexual and marital choices do affect us. There's a reason they were all supposed to attend, and witness and celebrate wedding is not for the dancing and the good food at the reception. Although the part we are witnesses to is God ordained union have responsibility regarding its fitness and its endurance. When the preacher says everyone that what God has joined together, let no man separate is not just telling us not to sleep with one of them is placing upon a God ordained burden so we must take interest in our neighbors, and even people that we don't know we must call upon encourage the church to be a beacon of hope and truth and conviction in the battle that lie ahead of us and I pray that with great humility, we will recognize that the answer to our society's current culture, marriage rests entirely with us if we want our society to revere into value marriage. We must revere value marriage and boldly and unabashedly speak out with without compromise to this beautiful and sacred relationship reflects Christ and his church, and we need not fear the Supreme Court regarding these questions of basic fundamental rights, the truth and marriage begins and ends in the word of God and that truth within our culture depends on the willingness of those of us within that culture to live and breathe this truth and to fight for the freedom to speak, to live consistent with those beliefs. So let's fully embrace the challenge before us and engage. So my question is will you be the next Esther.

We stand beside bear now and those who were standing on their convictions. You take a stand for marriage and religious freedom for future generations because we have God we have truth and we have each other on our site and keep you been listening to a portion of the keynote address given by a large defending freedom. Attorney Kelly for the work of the North Carolina family policy Council reduced recruitment agreement in Winston-Salem in November 2015. You want to learn more about the nuclear family policy Council major speaker dinner events, please visit our website into family.award three arguments in three family.org's family policy matters.

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