To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Supreme Court to Rule on Line between Private and Government Speech in Christian Flag Case"This case is so much bigger than a flag. It really involves whether the government can open a forum for a lot of different voices and then shut the door for Christian viewpoints." -Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.
Over a 12-year period, the city of Boston received nearly 300 applications for that third flagpole. They approved all of them, except one. "These include flags of individuals, say for example, Metro Credit Union, gay pride, Boston Pride, other causes, in addition to that, they also had individuals who would raise flags of their countries," said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. The sole rejection came in 2017 when an organization called Camp Constitution applied to raise a "Christian" flag and hold a one-hour ceremony in honor of Constitution Day. "What they said was, while this was the first flag of a religious nature, they said that it would have been allowed to fly had it not been called 'Christian.' So the same flag had no problem to the city as long as you didn't call it something religious," Staver told CBN News. Camp Constitution Director, Hal Shurtleff, sued the city, and now his case will be heard by the Supreme Court. "This case is so much bigger than a flag. It really involves whether the government can open a forum for a lot of different voices and then shut the door for Christian viewpoints," Staver, the camp's counsel, explained. Despite the fact that the city itself has referred to the flagpole as a "public forum," its attorneys are expected to argue this is a case of government speech. Meaning, the flagpole speaks for the city of Boston. "That defies logic because Boston allows two competing Chinese organizations or individual groups to put opposite flags, both of the Chinese community, one pro-China, one anti-China, the other one pro-communism, the other one anti-communism," said Staver. "Boston cannot be pro-China one week, anti-China the next, pro-communism one week, anti-communism the next," he added. "That's classic free speech in a public forum, that's not the speech of Boston." And the case has attracted some unlikely allies. The ACLU, a group normally against religious displays on government property, filed a brief supporting Camp Constitution. The Biden administration also supports their side. Staver believes this case will have significant implications on private free speech. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News 'Dear Jesus, Please Help Them': The Power of Prayer amid a Mississippi Tornado Senator Rand Paul Staffer Stabbed in DC, Suspect In Custody Illinois High Schoolers Face Disciplinary Action after Protesting Trans Bathroom Policy Nashville Christian School Shooter Was 2nd 'Transgender' Female Killer in 4 Years 'In the Arms of Christ': Pastor's Daughter among Children Killed during Christian School Shooting Nashville School Shooter Was a Woman, and Former Student, Who Later Identified as 'Transgender' 11-Year-Old Describes Miraculous Healing at Asbury Revival: 'A Genuine Touch from the Lord' J.K. Rowling Champions Women's Rights Activist Attacked by Trans Radicals Students Deserve to Know This Shocking Truth About Communism PRAYER ALERT: 6 Killed, Female Suspect Dead, in Nashville Christian School Shooting 72-Hour Revival at Baylor Leads to 20+ Baptisms: 'A Compelling Invitation to Know Jesus' Erin Brewer Explains the Connection Between Childhood Trauma and Gender Dysphoria World Athletics Bans Transgender Athletes from Competing in Female Sports Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |