Date posted: 03-04-2021
Estimated Reading Time : 4:00
Right now in Congress, there is a bill pending dubbed the Equality Act. If that sounds familiar, it is because it was originally proposed in the last session of Congress during President Trump’s administration.
The bill passed the House in the last session, but did not even come up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. President Trump would have vetoed it anyway.
It has been reintroduced in the current session, has already passed the Democrat-controlled House, and is waiting in the Senate. As you may know, the Senate is now controlled by a slim majority of the Democrat Party. This means the bill will come up for a vote. Unless Republicans can mount a filibuster, which takes 60 votes to break, or can bring over a Democrat to their side, this bill is likely to pass the Senate.
This should be a wakeup call and alarm to every Christian in America – this is an extremely dangerous piece of legislation!
How Will the Equality Act Affect Churches?
The Equality Act would take the same kind of laws that nearly ruined the life of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, and impose those on every business in America.
It would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected civil rights classifications, just like race, national origin, and religion. Someone who identifies as LGBTQ or is transgender could not be discriminated against in any “public accommodation” or employment if this bill passes. It will be far reaching and impact virtually every business in the country.
It will include additional restrictions that say medical providers – doctors, surgeons, hospitals – must provide puberty-blocking hormones and sex-reassignment surgeries as part of transgender therapy, even if it violates their moral convictions. Let’s say a Catholic hospital raised an objection – the federal government would compel it to comply. It is a direct infringement upon the freedom of religion.
It explicitly sets aside the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed in the 1990s providing that no law of Congress can be interpreted to infringe upon someone’s freedom exercise of religion. In this new bill, Congress carves out an exception from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act for the sake of the LGBTQ lobby to require every business owner in America to accommodate them.
It’s also going to require insurance companies to pay for abortions and medical providers to perform them.
But Isn’t There an Exemption for Churches?
Actually, there is not. That is in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and that exemption is pretty narrow.
Typical discrimination laws do apply to churches. For example, a church cannot discriminate on the basis race or biological gender (male or female) in its hiring, unless the employee fulfills the role of a traditional “minister.”
I’m sure the lawyers for the LGBTQ movement are already getting their ink pens ready to file briefs and lawsuits against churches across this country for violating the Equality Act if it becomes law. Every position, from the janitor to the church secretary, is going to be put under the microscope.
They are trying to force the church of Jesus Christ to compromise biblical standards, and American culture to accept the biological lie that a man can be a woman and a woman can be a man. They are trying to set aside the centuries’ old recognition that homosexuality is sinful, wrong, and destructive.
The Equality Act is nearly the final nail in the coffin on this issue in America.
How You Can Get Involved
Call, email, or write letters to your United States senators. Tell them to vote “no” on the Equality Act!
You can take action through our friends at the American Family Association, Family Policy Alliance, Liberty Counsel, My Faith Votes, and many others. Use these resources to contact your senators and sign petitions.
We need to raise awareness about the Equality Act, and we need to do it now because the bill will be voted on soon. If there are enough votes for the bill to pass the Senate, it is likely that Joe Biden will sign it into law.
We need to act, we need to pray, and we need to believe that God will move and stop this bill from becoming law!
Learn More
Explore the Truth & Liberty website and visit our Research Center for great practical resources. Also learn how you can become a Truth & Liberty Coalition member and join us in standing for truth in the public square.