|
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
OK Judge Threatens Christian Preacher with Arrest Simply for Using Bible Verses in Online Protest"Religious individuals have a clear First Amendment right to publicly cite Bible verses that reflect their concerns about moral issues of the day without being accused of stalking, harassing, or terrorizing those who are offended by the sentiments. This case is a foreshadowing of the government's efforts to insulate the populace from all things that might cause offense by criminalizing nonviolent First Amendment activities (speech, thought, and actions) perceived as politically incorrect." -- John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute.
A team of attorneys with The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, has stepped in to help Rich Penkoski. They're asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to overturn the five-year restraining order against him, denouncing it as excessive and a clear violation of the pastor's First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion. Penkoski leads the Tennessee-based online ministry Warriors for Christ. Rutherford Institute attorneys also point out that in the absence of any actual threats by Penkoski or proof that he sought to incite violence through the use of Bible verses, the court's rationale appears to be based solely on claims that LGBTQ leaders felt harassed and fearful about how others might react to the Bible verses cited in the preacher's social media posts. "Religious individuals have a clear First Amendment right to publicly cite Bible verses that reflect their concerns about moral issues of the day without being accused of stalking, harassing, or terrorizing those who are offended by the sentiments," said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. He warned, "This case is a foreshadowing of the government's efforts to insulate the populace from all things that might cause offense by criminalizing nonviolent First Amendment activities (speech, thought, and actions) perceived as politically incorrect." According to the institute, in one of Penkoski's social media posts, he shared another church's public photo of a same-sex wedding involving leaders of an LGBTQ organization and quoted Bible verses describing God's judgment of sin. In a second post, Penkoski criticized the church's publicly shared photos of children celebrating Pride Month. In a third post, Penkoski weighed in on a regional effort to ban adult-oriented entertainment in public spaces. Attempting to refute what he believed were false statements by one of the leaders of the LGBTQ group who told the city council that no adult-oriented entertainment, obscenity, or sexually suggestive performances had occurred at a Pride event, Penkoski posted a video clip of the LGBTQ leader's public statement to city council along with a video and photos of a drag queen behaving in a sexually suggestive manner near children at the Pride event. Although there was no evidence that Penkoski ever contacted, spoke to, tagged, or met the public figures leading the LGBTQ group, the trial court—based upon claims that the LGBTQ leaders felt terrorized and harassed by Penkoski's three social media posts on religious and political issues—imposed a five-year protective order against him. Under the terms of the court's order, which Rutherford Institute attorneys condemn as so vague and overly broad as to chill lawful First Amendment activities, Penkoski could be subject to arrest and up to one year in jail for engaging in conduct that might cause his accusers to fear for their safety, which could broadly be interpreted to prevent him from citing similar Bible verses critical of the church's or LGBTQ group's activities. Affiliate attorneys Joe M. Fears and Richard D. White, Jr. with Barber & Bartz are representing Penkoski on the appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. 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 More Than 100 Farmers Step Up to Harvest Fields for Father Diagnosed With ALS WATCH: Veteran and Family Given Home after Losing Everything to Hurricane Ian Jonathan Keller: I Was Wrong About Charlie Kirk From the Sidelines to the Senate: Finebaum Might Suit Up for Politics Democrat Attorneys-General Sue to Keep Taxpayer Funding for Gender Ideology in Schools Fetterman Denounces Dems' 'Extreme Rhetoric' 'Historic Day': Trump Reveals Plan to End Gaza War, and See Return of Hostages; Will Hamas Accept? Three in Four Mayors Want MORE Federal Help Combating Crime in Their Cities Dearborn Residents Clash With City Council over Mosque's Early Morning Call to Prayer Eric Adams Drops Out of NYC Mayor’s Race 4 People Killed in Shooting at Mormon Church in Michigan on Sunday, Building Torched Give Him 15: Mercy is Our New Currency A Little Baby Girl Is Rescued from a Dumpster in Texas. A Dumpster Nonprofit Asks Feds to Investigate Schools' 'Gender-Affirming Care' Practices Latest Move by the President to Prevent a Government Shutdown Is Brilliant Trump Closes Loophole Allowing Illegal Aliens to Drive Commercial Trucks After Tragic Accidents |
    
  |
[
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 |