Pastor's Blog

Introduction I have seen a good deal of pushback on social media concerning the lawsuit filed by two Kansas churches late last week against Governor Kelly’s executive order limiting public and private gatherings to no more than ten people.  The pushback has come from some dear Christian friends, good and godly people whom I love and respect in the Lord.  They have raised several points I would like to address.  But first some background. Background In order to combat the spread of COVID-19, Governor Laura Kelly issued executive order 20-18 on April 7, prohibiting “all public or private mass gatherings.”  The order defines a “mass gathering” as “more than ten people.”  With the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, two Kansas churches filed suit against the governor in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas to challenge the order as it applies to churches.  The plaintiffs are First Baptist Church in Dodge City (pastored by Steph...

Mother Jones today posted an article with what it calls “The 8 Best Lines From Ginsburg’s Dissent on theHobby Lobby Contraception Decision.”  Here they are, with a few of my own quick observations. 1.  “‘ In a decision of startling breadth’ [the decision] would allow corporations to opt out of almost any law that they find ‘incompatible with their sincerely held religious beliefs.’” See my response to number six below. 2.  “The exemption sought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga would…deny legions of women who do not hold their employers' beliefs access to contraceptive coverage.” To be clear, Hobby Lobby provides coverage for more than twenty different kinds of contraception. The company’s objection to the Affordable Care Act’s ( aka Obamacare) mandate focuses on four kinds of “contraceptives” that are not contraceptives at all, but abortifacients  that prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg, thus resulting in the death of the newly conceived child...