A Stern Warning: Is This Where America is Heading?

May 3, 2011 By

by Nathan A. Cherry, 05/03/2011

Martinsburg, WV – The following article appeared in a UK newspaper last week. It carries a grim picture of where America could be headed if we continue to ignore the threats of the radical homosexual agenda, liberalism, religious persecution and intolerance and other dangers found in liberal legislation. Read it and ask if this is the America we want to see.

 Is this equality? As a lawyer I never thought I’d have to defend Christians in a Christian nation.

Is this the kind of religious freedom we want in America?

I wanted to be a barrister for as long as I can remember. I wanted to be an advocate, to give a voice to those in society who could not help themselves.  

I wanted justice to be done and believed that our great British legal system, founded on Christian principles, would secure such justice.

I never imagined that my skills as a lawyer would be used to defend Christians for following their faith in 21st Century Britain. 

In the UK, Christians are beginning to experience discrimination that leads to them being marginalised and losing their jobs. Over the past three years more than 100 have suffered after wearing a cross, sharing their faith, even offering a prayer.

Why is this? I believe it is because, as a nation, we have forgotten our history and Christian foundations – our very identity. The legal and political elite tell us that we have now ‘grown up’ and are a secular nation. 

This rings hollow for many of us. Even those who might not attend church regularly still – the majority of them – identify with the great faith that shaped our nation. 

Christian principles are clear-cut and easy to understand. They espouse life, joy, forgiveness, freedom, tolerance and justice. These principles are good for all and we are poorer as a society when we reject their source.

The social reformers of the 19th Century who made Britain great – Wilberforce, Fry, Peel and Rowntree, among others – were compelled by their love for Christ and built on the foundations of preachers such as Wesley and Whitefield of the 18th Century.

Most of the great advances in public life, in healthcare, education and social provision, came as a result of Christian conviction.

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , ,

WVU-Parkersburg – Prayer is Offensive Speech

December 14, 2010 By

WVUP: No Prayers Allowed

Are we still on this debate?  I mean, really, it seems like since I was a kid, the ACLU has been brainwashing people into thinking that their mythical wall of separation of church and state means that the public square must be completely whitewashed of any reference to God.

So it seems at WVUP, anyway.  According to our friends at the Alliance Defense Fund:

When WVU-Parkersburg nursing students voted 40 to 4 to include prayer in Thursday’s pinning ceremony, university officials responded by banning prayer completely because the vote was not unanimous. Students voted after being told that the majority would decide the issue, but campus officials reneged, citing legal concerns–particularly potential lawsuits that could be waged by anyone offended by the prayers.

via ADF – News Release.

Of course, the problem is that the University – subsidized by your tax dollars – has no legal foundation to stand on.  Nothing in the U.S. Constitution (or that of the State of West Virginia, for that matter) precludes the offering of a prayer at a public graduation ceremony.

But citing concerns that the prayer, “could be offensive to some” really makes your jaw drop doesn’t it?  It’s not that the prayer is offensive, or would be offensive; the mere potential for someone, somewhere, somehow to find offense that we have recognized God publicly is enough for WVU-Parkersburg to entirely eliminate a long-standing, honorable tradition, usurping that freedom from the students themselves.

So, what can you do?

You can politely ask WVUP to restore the religious liberty rights of their students.  Here’s how:

  • Call and email WVUP president Marie Gnage at marie.gnage@mail.wvu.edu or 304-424-8200 and kindly ask that the prayer be reinstated.
  • Call and email WVUP senior VP for Academic Affairs, Dr. Rhonda Richards at 304-424-8242 or rhonda.richards@mail.wvu.edu and politely ask that she restore the vote of the students.
  • Call and email WVUP’s chair of its health sciences division, Mrs. Rose Beebe, at 304-424-8300 or rose.beebe@mail.wvu.edu and respectfully ask that she permit students to offer a prayer at their graduation ceremony this weekend.
  • Pray – privately or publicly – that these students will have their desire to honor God at their graduation recognized and that God will be glorified in the process.

The Constitution was established to protect the rights of individuals to engage in offensive speech.  While we doubt that a prayer will cause offense at such a ceremony, the First Amendment protects the right of someone to so offend.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

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Who is the Harbinger of Our Culture? Hopefully Not Canada

December 13, 2010 By

Should we change to be like Canada? (Photo credit: Brian J. Gavniloff/Postmedia News)

Ok, for those of you who just clicked over here to find out what the word, “harbinger” means, click here.  If you want to know why I chose that word for this blog post, keep reading.

Canada is often one of the worldwide armies held up by same-sex activists as a fighting force that has an evolved understanding of morality, one that has successfully – and without problem – adjusted to the enlightened world of tolerance.  Ergo, they argue, the United States ought to reject the archaic, “puritanical fundamentalism” (seriously, that’s what they say), that keeps inequitable policies like the so-called, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in place.

If that is one of the armies deserving of attention, then we should look more closely at what is developing beyond our northern border, eh? (Get it?)

Oh, here’s a headline that will get your attention, “Dress rules established for transsexuals in the military.”  Even while your mind wonders how much time it took the editors to put that headline together, you realize, as you read the story, that it is less about “equality” or repealing DADT (though it is) and more about a fundamental misunderstanding of the American form of government.

Here’s how the story opens:

As U.S. politicians continue to debate whether to let gays serve openly in the American military, the Canadian Forces have issued a new policy detailing how the organization should accommodate transsexual and transvestite troops specifically. Soldiers, sailors and air force personnel who change their sex or sexual identity have a right to privacy and respect around that decision, but must conform to the dress code of their “target” gender, says the supplementary chapter of a military administration manual.

A gay-rights advocate hailed development of the guidelines as a progressive approach to people whose gender issues can trigger life-threatening psychological troubles.

Cherie MacLeod, executive director of PFLAG Canada, a sexual orientation-related support group, said she has helped a number of Forces members undergoing sex changes, surgery the military now funds.

“This is an important step towards recognizing a community that has always struggled for equal rights and basic human protection,” said Ms. MacLeod. “When government becomes more inclusive, over time, society will follow.”

via Dress rules established for transsexuals in military.

Now, let me sum up: the Canadian military – who has fully embraced open homosexual conduct in their military – has issued a directive concerning individuals who will convince a psychologist to write a note to a surgeon that the person is trapped in the wrong body and that surgeon is to mutilate that individual’s genitals to “correct” what must amount to a birth defect.

That directive is this: for those “transitioning” from one gender to another, you need to wear the uniform of the final destination.  For men who will be . . . uh . . . emasculating themselves, you need to wear the female uniform.  For women who will be, “rearranging parts,” you need to wear the male uniform.

As a quick and ironic aside, why are we still using these outdated and antiquated notions of gender?  Aren’t these societally generated labels imposed on us by . . . puritanical fundamentalists?

[Read more...]

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Engaging Essentials

November 30, 2010 By

Full Debate Before DADT Vote – Tony Perkins makes some excellent points to President Obama before the lame duck session of congress rushes through policies their know the electorate rejected on November 2.  The Senate Armed Services committee – of which newly minted Senator Manchin is a part – takes up the issue on Thursday.

Reorienting Sexuality – A growing concern of mine is the mainstream acceptance of “sexual orientation” as the ubiquitous identifier for humanity. Same-sex activists have even taken to rhetorically asking, “When did you decide you were heterosexual?” to drive home their belief that sexual orientation is innate. That’s the wrong question, or at least it puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. Melinda Selmys suggests that we are more than sexual creatures and wrong to place such emphasis on one (of many) aspect of who we are and what we do.

Anti-Bullying Threat – In an effort to address bullying, legislation may likely threaten religious liberty.

Who Needs Marriage? Kids Do – An important article examining the importance of marriage in the lives of families and society and how we have trotted away from the focus of marriage itself. Here’s a clip:

Two generations ago, adults viewed marriage in practical terms. Yes, marriage served a romantic purpose. But it also served as the primary vehicle for socialization and economic advancement of the next generation.

Having divorced marriage from sex and child-rearing, American marriage today serves only the narcissistic need for self-fulfillment. We have forgotten that marriage is not just about adult happiness, but also about the responsibilities of parenthood and preparing future generations to thrive and succeed.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Op-Ed: A Tolerant Tale of Two Campuses

October 22, 2010 By

The following is published in today’s Charleston Gazette:

Two years ago – almost to the day – on the campus of WVU Tech, a student group posted a flyer that was, according to the Tech Collegian on October 7, 2008, “hyper-controversial” with an “intolerant theme” and “questionable taste.”

So awful was the message of the flyer that the provost of WVU Tech felt it necessary to act in defense of the students.  “When I and other administrators became aware of the recent posting . . .” said the provost to the Tech Collegian, “we asked several staff members to assist with the removal of the posting from the campus.”

Terrible, indeed, must the flyer have been.  Not only had the provost directed staff – presumably during work hours – to scour the campus of WVU Tech to remove the offending flyer.  In fact, the provost appears to have been very concerned if any were left still hanging.  “It was an oversight,” he apologized in the Tech Collegian, “if some where not removed.”

What was the message of this foul flyer?  What was it that made the provost write, “We should not impose our opinions on others in our attempt to allow others the opportunity to participate in the debate.”  After all, the provost himself had already declared that, “WVU Tech does not tolerate any sort of discrimination.”  The perceived harm from the mere message of the flyer must have been great indeed.

[Read more...]

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Summer for Marriage Tour . . . Coming to Charleston

July 26, 2010 By

The National Organization for Marriage is joining the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as we co-host the, “Summer for Marriage” tour stop here in Charleston, WV on August 11, 2010.

You can join the tour, and express your support for marriage as one man and one woman, by coming to the south steps (river side) of the WV State Capitol at Noon on August 11, 2010.  More information is available at www.wv4marriage.com/summer.  You can also download a flyer to share with friends by clicking here.

Though the rally has seen great support across the country, those who have come out to hear state and local leaders speak in support of marriage have also, as the video below shows, been met with some of the “tolerance” shown by supporters of same-sex “marriage.”

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , ,

Remediated Convictions or “Go to a Gay Pride Parade and Reflect” or Leave Our University

July 23, 2010 By

Jennifer Keeton forced to remediate her religious convictions by participating in "gay pride" activities.

Sublime.  That’s the only word you might be able to use to describe this story – that is if you can keep your mouth from remaining agape!  Here’s how David French describes it at NRO:

Late yesterday afternoon, the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of Augusta State University counseling student Jennifer Keeton. Her tale has to be read to be believed. Essentially, the facts are as follows.

Jennifer is a devout Christian and holds biblically orthodox views regarding sexual morality. In the context of classroom discussions of homosexual behavior, she expressed her Christian views, and has also shared those views with her classmates outside of class. She has stated, for example, that she believes that sexual behavior is the result of personal choice rather than an inevitability arising from deterministic forces.

via Get Thee to a Gay-Pride Parade! – Phi Beta Cons – National Review Online.

What’s the result?  Jennifer is written up by her counseling department, which repeatedly excoriates her belief that homosexual behavior is a lifestyle that many of her potential patients might desire to leave, if offered the appropriate counseling.  French continues:

To alter Jennifer’s views, the faculty imposed a “remediation plan,” that included “diversity sensitivity training,” required Jennifer to read at least ten articles in peer-reviewed journals that “pertain to improving counseling effectiveness with GLBTQ populations,” and (my personal favorite) required that she “increase exposure and interaction with gay populations,” including a suggestion that she attend the “Gay Pride Parade in Augusta.”

As she did all these things, Jennifer was required to submit a monthly two-page “reflection paper” to describe how “her study has influenced her beliefs.” Counseling faculty would then decide, based on these “reflections” and two in-person meetings, whether she should continue in the program.

Her “remediation plan” ends with the ominous warning: “Please note that failure to complete all elements of the remediation plan will result in dismissal from the Counselor Education Program.”

via Get Thee to a Gay-Pride Parade! – Phi Beta Cons – National Review Online.

So there you go.  The University – a place where students are supposed to find “unity” amidst “diversity” – has now become the “Uni,” a monochrome, heavy-handed arbiter of what future minds are supposed to believe and practice.  (Be sure to watch the video on this case after the jump.)

[Read more...]

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Pro-Lifers Harassed But Won’t Be Hindered

June 9, 2010 By

By Nathan A. Cherry, 06/09/2010

A pro-lifer proudly wears a t-shirt displaying her beliefs

People, regardless of their view, should be given respect.

Martinsburg, WV – It’s one thing to have a difference of opinion, or to hold divergent views on particular issues, but tolerance and understanding must exist. Without tolerance and mutual respect for others and their right to their view what results is often a disgrace.

Take for example the behavior of personnel at the Women’s Center in Rockford, Illinois.

Every week a group of priests and other pro-lifers meet to pray outside the abortuary for the workers inside, and the women facing the difficult decision of whether or not to kill their unborn child. There is no indication that the group does any more than to pray silently and leave. But the treatment they have been subject to can only be described as intolerant harassment verging on criminal.

Below is a portion of the pro-lifers experiences reprinted from a recent LifeSiteNews.com article. Read about their unwavering vigilance for life in the face of difficult circumstances (Warning: Some language may be offensive).

“A sign, located a few feet away from a door to the abortion mill marked ‘main entrance’ has a picture of Jesus sticking up his middle finger at passers-by with the words ‘Even Jesus Hates You.’
A priest has also had a hand-written sign taped to his car while he was quietly praying on the sidewalk in front of the mill. The sign read, ‘I Rape Children.’
On Friday May 28th, the abortion mill sank to a new low even for them. As a priest was quietly praying the prayers of the Church accompanied by a seminarian, someone inside the building that houses the Northern Illinois Women’s Center put a sign that clearly stated, ‘F…. Your Perverted Priests.’
It was reported that Catholic priests have also had to endure personal insults from the abortion mill landlord and security guard. The car of one priest has been egged by an abortion supporter at this mill.”

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: , , ,

Street Preaching, Cross-dressing, and Internet Porn: Where the Gospel and Public Policy Meet

May 3, 2010 By

Three interesting and oddly related stories that we’re reading today:

Women are the fastest growing segment of porn addiction. (Photo Steve Herbert of the NYT)

“Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography” – The New York Times on Sunday covers the work of a church ministry to addicts of pornography.  What’s the hook for the story?  That women – not men – can be addicted to pornography as well.  And, like men, they can be set free from this addiction, counter to what the culture will tell you.

From this, we see how pervasive the culture of pornography is.  But we also learn that churches – not government programs – are working diligently to quell the tide of this family malignancy.

Here is an opportunity for Church and State partnership.  Churches are doing well at addiction counseling, but need the state to enforce the laws that will limit or eliminate the prevalent source of addiction.

Crossdressing Derreck Lutz (photo courtesy cbs3.com)

“Cross-Dressing Teen Sparks Prom Debate in NJ” – So, we get it every year around prom time.  The LGBTQ community continues to enlist children to advance their anti-family agenda of hyper-tolerance.  This year is no exception.

In New Jersey, a young man, who professes to be a cross-dresser, was told his dress was too short for the prom.  And yet, skirt length is not the issue for aspiring fashion designer, Derrek Lutz:

“What makes me a woman is inside and it doesn’t really matter what’s on the outside. And everyone should really just be treated equally,” Lutz said.

Mr. Lutz, everyone is treated equally.  What is “on the outside” matters a great deal, especially when it comes to raising a family.  Your gender-bending demand for tolerance rings hollow in a world that desperately needs Dads to be men to their children and Moms to be women to their children.

Street Preacher Dale McAlpine. (Photo courtesy Christian Institute)

“Christian Preacher Arrested for Saying Homosexuality is a Sin” -  Finally, from the “looking into the future of America” file, a story out of Great Britain of a street preacher who was arrested for telling a passer-by that homosexual behavior was a sin.  From the story:     [Read more...]

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Al Mohler: Can Christian Organizations Remain Christian in a “Tolerant” Age?

March 22, 2010 By

From AlbertMohler.com, comes serious questions that should be asked in light of the upcoming SCOTUS case, CLS v. Martinez.  The most poignant question is that posed by the title of his piece and this blog entry, but the rest are worthy of consideration and contemplation.  Here’s the critical section of Dr. Mohler’s latest:

The case pitting the Hastings College of Law against the Christian Legal Society presents the nation — and its highest court — with an inescapable question: Are Christian organizations to be allowed to remain Christian, or must they all morph into secularized associations?

Must the Christian Legal Society surrender its biblical convictions in order to remain a recognized campus organization? Does religious liberty now stop at the law school door?

Obviously, much is riding on this case. The same logic used against the Christian Legal Society in this case can be used to argue that any Christian organization, school, or institution no longer serves the community’s welfare if it holds such policies. How long before similar arguments are made against churches and Christian schools?

Can Christian organizations remain Christian in an age of ideological “tolerance?” All eyes will soon be on the U. S. Supreme Court as the Christian Legal Society’s appeal is heard. Far more than one CLS chapter in one law school is at stake here.

via www.AlbertMohler.com.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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