"We atheists laugh at you Christians..."

Dear Partner, We have experienced a tremendous number of inquiries of Christians seeking pro-bono legal help in the last 60 to 90 days for many legal assaults on the Christian faith. Our legal team has sprung into action and successfully protected a number of those Christians with our rapid response, as you will see when you read further in the newsletter.

It seems that the root cause behind this assault is the evil unleashed in the spiritual realm. We know that God has called us to stand in defense of the many Christians doing great work in the spread of the Gospel and also, for those Christians who are mere victims of arbitrary anti-Christian bigotry by persons in power.

            Has our legal ministry become more visible in the last 90 days, or is it a sign of the times?

Although we’ve had some recent media attention, I really believe the phone calls and emails are a sign of the times—that our services are needed now more than ever. Here are just a few of the cases we are working on that have come into our office in the last 90 days:

            “We atheists laugh at you Christians. And in 100 years, no one is going to believe in God because the science will prove he doesn’t exist.” This is the statement from one 7^th grade teacher in Massachusetts who felt she had the unfettered right to show such visceral hostility toward her students in a social studies class. Similar comments were made on other days but we don’t have time to go into them here. Imagine the effect this hostile communication will have on future generations. One mom complained to the school principal, but the anti-Christian comments didn’t stop. That same mom called on us for help, and we have agreed to file a lawsuit against the school district and the teacher, if the family is willing. While bullying is a hot topic within today’s schools, the bullying most often overlooked is the bullying that some school administrators and teachers unleash on their own students just because the students have or express a Christian worldview. We need to find more cases like these so we can set legal precedent against religious hostility expressed in the classroom by public school teachers. These children are the future and we can’t allow generations to be lost due to the atheistic influences of a hostile public school environment.

            Do Christians still have a right to share the Gospel out loud in public?

We were recently contacted by Michael Marcavage, a minister on the East Coast and publisher of Christian News Network. He regularly engages in street evangelism and has had significant difficulties sharing the Gospel in public—and in this case, along the Atlantic City Boardwalk. This minister was told he needed to apply for a permit as a “street performer” and pay a fee for street evangelism. First, he is not a “street performer” as defined by the city ordinance. Second, the Constitution gives him the right to free speech, and the fee for our right to speak freely in open public forums like a boardwalk  has  already  been  paid by the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed forces  who have lost their lives fighting for our liberty. While not  all of us are “cut-out” for street evangelism, we need to protect our right to free speech in public or else our public square may begin to look more like China’s Tiananmen Square.

            We will be filing a lawsuit in New Jersey to secure these rights. From the beginning, our mission has been to defend the First Amendment right to free speech, which includes spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More recently, we’ve experienced the need to defend not only the right to express our faith, but to defend the right to practice our faith in our daily lives.

We’ve received calls about everything from children chided for reading the Bible as part of a homework assignment to ministers threatened by county officials for refusing to marry same-sex couples.  A reoccurring theme we’re noticing with all this activity: hostility towards a Christian worldview. 

The good news is we’ve had much success. Many of these recent issues have been resolved without even having to file a lawsuit. The important thing is that we are here to take their phone calls and take legal action, which many times simply requires us to send a letter explaining the constitutional protection afforded to our clients.

            While we are trying to help as many people as we can, we simply do not have enough financial resources to help all of these clients defend their religious liberties and fight anti-Christian hostility.

Many of you have asked us about our Justice Gala this year. As you may remember, we normally hold an annual fundraising event known as “Justice” in the fall. This year, we made a strategic decision to skip this event for a few reasons: putting on a Justice Gala each year is a large financial commitment, and it often impacts the resources we have to commit to our primary mission to defend the First Amendment right to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to our new clients.

            Right now we have more inquiries than we can commit to financially, and in order for us to be able to fully handle all the cases coming in WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Typically, about 400 people attend our Gala, and while it’s an educational and often inspiring event, we realized that we could make a greater impact toward our core mission if we could apply the full amount of your donations to the new cases we’ve taken on recently.

Our strategy and hope is that everyone who would normally purchase a ticket or contribute by buying an auction item will make a gift to this campaign. In doing so, 100% of your donation will go directly towards our ministry and new cases—defending religious liberty. If 400 of you could make a donation of $150 (the price of a Justice ticket), we could raise the funds necessary to more aggressively pursue these opportunities and ensure that Christians retain the right to live out their faith in their daily lives!

If you can’t commit to a $150 donation right now but would like to contribute to our mission, we gratefully welcome any and all gifts! We’ve set a goal of $60,000 in order to pursue the astounding amount of cases God has supplied us with, and we would be grateful if you would join us in reaching that goal!

For those of you who regularly attend and enjoy our galas, don’t fret! We’ve already started planning for our regular Justice Gala in 2014!

We’re humbled by your tremendous support over the years, and now—as we see the culture war raging more than ever—we thank you in advance for your help in reaching our fundraising goal to support the many new cases coming into our ministry.  On behalf of the entire Advocates team and our Board, have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

In His Service,

  

Robert Tyler

General Counsel

A Case at the Supreme Court

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case regarding compulsory prayer before governmental meetings.  The town of Greece, NY, decreed in 1999 that all town board meetings would begin with prayer.  The vast majority of clergy asked to lead the prayer are from Christian churches, which some say violates their First Amendment right to freedom of religion, since individuals have vastly different belief systems.

In addition, when the clergy accept the invitation to pray before the meetings, they are then acting on behalf of the government.  Some argue that this crosses the line between “separation of church and state.”

What do you think?  Do you think that compulsory prayer before governmental meetings should be done away with?  Do you think the town should have to simply provide prayer in a more inclusive way, honoring different belief systems?  Or, do you think they should be allowed to continue in the way they’ve conducted business for the past 10+ years?  Join the discussion on Facebook and let us know!

Student's Free Speech - DENIED

Caylin, an 8th grade student at a Corona-Norco public school, was reprimanded and threatened with consequences after passing out a flier to schoolmates before school began warning her fellow students of the new “co-ed bathroom and locker room bill.” This controversy arises as referendum petitions are being

circulated for signatures in order to repeal AB 1266, a new California law that allows public school students to use opposite-sex restrooms and locker rooms, and also allows students to play on opposite-sex athletic teams.

On the morning of October 21, 2013, Caylin was standing outside in the lunch area at 7:00 a.m. (before school started) distributing a flier warning students of this newly adopted law that affects students’ privacy rights. Since school had not yet started, students were talking with friends and waiting for the school bell to ring. As Caylin was handing out eighteen fliers to friends and school acquaintances, a school security officer came over and asked if she was responsible for distributing the fliers. Caylin informed the officer that she was and he told her to report to the principal’s office.

Once in the principal’s office, Principal Dade told her she could not hand out political fliers because it was against the law. Principal Dade asked Caylin who told her to distribute the fliers. Caylin informed Principal Dade that she decided to do it on her own after learning about the new law from church. Principal Dade replied that Caylin’s church “should be ashamed for making her do this [distribute fliers].” Caylin informed Principal Dade that no one told her to do it. Principal Dade threatened Caylin that she would face consequences if any parents called to complain.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom intervened on behalf of Caylin, sending a letter to the school’s Principal and Superintendent detailing the reasons their policy is unconstitutional. We requested that Caylin be allowed to distribute her fliers and that the school respond, or we would be forced to take legal action.

Long ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” We at Advocates take this idea of students’ rights very seriously.

Our General Counsel, Robert Tyler, stated, “Censorship of a student based on a ‘24 hour’ notice requirement is unconstitutional.” He further stated, “Students have the right to express their opinions on controversial subjects, and even warn other students of new laws that threaten their personal privacy.”

In the afternoon on October 29, 2013, the school district relented in writing and agreed to allow Caylin to resume her distribution of fliers that warn of the “co-ed bathroom and locker room bill.” Caylin plans to continue passing out the fliers each day at school.

Christy, the mother of Caylin said, “All parents of public school students should be outraged at this bill. I was very surprised when the school wanted to silence my daughter rather than let her be a voice for herself and all students whose privacy is being threatened by this bill.”

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to defend the freedom of students like Caylin, who wish to express themselves, their faith, and their ideas at the place where they spend a good majority of their time at this age…their schools.

Referendum Against "The Bathroom Bill"

In August of this year, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1266 into law in California. This law allows public school students to choose whichever athletic team they want to be on - male or female. Further, it also allows public school students to choose the restrooms and locker rooms of their choice - male or female. Advocates’ attorneys have been warning you of this “gender liberation” movement for years. We are now faced with this law and we plan to do something about it! Advocates for Faith & Freedom, along with other organizations, are involved in the referendum to overturn the co-ed bathroom law for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

How California Residents Can Help 

• Advocates’ Murrieta office is a Petition DistributionCenter where you can pick-up petitions or you may download the petitions from the website: www.privacyforallstudents.com.  We are located at 24910 Las Brisas Road, Ste. 110, Murrieta, CA 92562. Signed petitions can be delivered to our office by November 1^st or you can mail them directly to: Privacy for All Students, 660 J Street, Ste. 250, Sacramento, CA 95814 by November 6^th.  If you are a registered voter, get a petition and gather signatures from as many concerned citizens, family, and friends as you can.  (Very Important to Note:  Be sure that everyone who signs the petition - up to 8 signatures – are all signing the petition from the same county they are registered in and no post office boxes, otherwise the entire petition will be invalid.)
• Ask your pastor, priest or rabbi if they would be willing to set up tables and      encourage their congregation to sign the petitions. We need 505,000 signatures by the first week of November.  

How Non-Californian Residents Can Help 

• Please pray that we can get enough signatures so that this senseless law will be overturned. Currently this is happening in California, but it’s just a matter of  time that this type of law may affect your state as well.

Now is the time for all people of California to get involved to stop this ridiculous legislation. We are reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who wrote:

      “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.  It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Strength to Love, 1963.

The Passing of a Revolutionary Christian Leader

Early this morning, Oct. 3^rd, Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, went to be with his Lord at the age of 86 after a battle with lung cancer.  Since the battle with this disease began in 2011, Pastor Chuck continued to preach and oversee the administration of Calvary Chapel, serving the Lord until the very end. In 1965 when Pastor Chuck began Calvary Chapel, he welcomed pop-music, hippies, casual clothing, and youth of the day with a non-judgmental attitude, revolutionizing  conservative Bible based Christianity.  He propelled the “Jesus People Movement” in Southern California and launched Maranatha Music in 1971, transforming the way many churches experience worship today.  Today there are over 1,000 Calvary Chapel churches worldwide.

Here at Advocates for Faith & Freedom, we are blessed to have been supported by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa over the past few years.  Join with us in prayer for the Smith family and the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa congregation.  

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.  Psalm 116:15

From Communist Persecution to American Advocacy

Last month, we told you about the incredible victory we had in the courts: Our two clients who were arrested for reading the Bible aloud outside of their local DMV were found “Not Guilty.” This month, we’d like to tell you about our co-counsel in this case, Nic Cocis, who in 1983 came from a communist dictatorship in Romania to the United States, where he became an advocate for individual liberties. Growing up in Romania during a dictatorship regime, Nic felt the pain of state oppression of the Church and Christians firsthand. At school, he and his brothers were often questioned by state teachers about what occurred in their church, and they were even made an example before their classmates and ostracized before their peers.

When one of Nic’s brothers was able to escape this persecution by fleeing to the United States with a Christian couple, the remaining members of the family were watched more closely by the Romanian government. Nic told the Christian News Network, “My parents began to be followed by the security forces to see where they were going [and] what they were doing. Our phones were being tapped whenever my brother would call from America … and our mail was read too [as] the letters we would receive were unsealed and cut open.”

Shortly before the family decided to leave the country, Nic’s parents were fired from their jobs, and Nic was expelled from his school. The family was forced to pay a fee to give up their Romanian citizenship.

When he arrived in America, Nic decided that he wanted to become an advocate for the liberty he had not been allowed in his mother country. He became an attorney to defend the freedoms he was proud to enjoy here in the United States. When he heard about our case involving Christians arrested for reading from the Bible, he knew he wanted to be involved.

We are so grateful to Nic for his efforts in bringing this case to victory, and for his reminder that our work is paramount – we are blessed to have religious freedom in America, and when it is challenged, we must stand firm in our beliefs and defend our Constitutional liberties!

 “You would expect that to happen in Romania in 1983, not in the U.S. in 2013. From the first time I saw the video, I wanted to be involved in this case. I felt like I needed to be involved in this case because of my background.”  Nic Cocis

NEW CASE: Hostility  Towards Christianity in Our Schools

Recently, concerned parents came to us with a story that is all too common.  Their child attends MargaritaMiddle School in Temecula, CA, and his teacher had given students a reading assignment: read a nonfiction book for 30 minutes to an hour, and then bring the book into class.  This student had read the Bible and, as per the assignment, brought it to school and placed it on his desk.

As the teacher came by – stamping the other students’ assignments as approved – he stopped at his desk. He told the boy that the Bible was not a nonfiction book, and the student responded, “Honestly, I believe it is.” 

The teacher then turned to the class and asked, in a demeaning fashion, how many of the students believed that the Bible is nonfiction. All but two kids raised their hands. Instead of humiliating our client, it was the teacher that was humiliated! Undeterred, the teacher responded that he thought the Bible is a work of fiction. Right then, class ended, and the matter was left unresolved.

We will be sending a letter to the school in order to protect the rights of this student. This is an example of the growing hostility towards Christianity that is being displayed in our public classrooms, and we believe we must take a stand! We believe that the actions of this teacher violate the Establishment Clause, which requires the State to remain neutral on issues of religion.

At Advocates, one of the main goals of our ministry is to protect our children from the persecution and hostility that they are facing in schools more and more as a result of their faith. We are actively looking for more cases such as this one where school officials express hostility toward Christianity. If you hear of any kind of violation of a teacher’s or student’s religious liberties, please contact us at (888) 588-6888 or through our website at www.faith-freedom.com.

Abortion Bill on CA Governor’s Desk Right Now!

Assembly Bill (AB) 154 expands the availability of abortions by allowing certain classes of nurses and physician assistants to perform abortion procedures and it is now sitting on Governor Jerry Brown's desk, waiting to be signed or vetoed. This bill concerns us for two major reasons: 1) Abortions will be more readily available to women, and 2) The opportunity for complications will likely rise, since lesser trained individuals will be performing the procedures – this affects both the unborn children and the mothers.

          Please join us in prayer for this bill to be vetoed and let your voices be heard by contacting the governor's office.

Students Stand in Prayer at School Tomorrow

 Tomorrow, September 25th at 7:00am, students around the nation will gather in prayer around their school’s flagpole. This has been a tradition since 1990, and since then, millions of kids have gathered for See You At The Pole (SYATP) and lifted up their schools, teachers, friends, families, communities, and nation in prayer on the 4th Wednesday of September.

In years past, we have had the opportunity to support students around the nation in practicing their religious liberty in the school setting. Some administrations, operating under the incorrect belief that SYATP violates a “separation of church and state,” have attempted to put a stop to SYATP events. You can read more about the rights of students regarding SYATP here.

What can you do in preparation for tomorrow?

•  Parents and students – Find out if your school is hosting a SYATP event.  Students, this is a wonderful time to meet in solidarity and prayer with your fellow classmates, and we hope you have the chance to participate!
• Teachers – Pray for your students who will be participating in SYATP.  They are taking a bold step in faith on this day!

• All – Please join us in prayer for this event around the country.  What an opportunity for young believers to stand strong in their faith and be a light to their peers.

Will the Mt. Soledad Cross Remain?

Recently, we sent an amicus brief to the district court in opposition to the decision of the Ninth Circuit regarding the Mt. Soledad cross in San Diego, CA.  In 2011, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the cross was unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause in our Constitution. The decision stated, "Overall, a reasonable observer viewing the Memorial would be confronted with an initial dedication for religious purposes…” However, the Court did not decide what to do with the memorial.

This decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they declined to hear the case. So, the Ninth Circuit verdict remains in place.

          We believe that this cross is a longstanding memorial to our men and women in uniform, and we – along with other supporters – suggest that the land the cross sits on be sold to a private party so that the memorial can remain. With the sale or transfer of the land to a private organization, the government would be free from any perceived endorsement of religion.

This would be a far better resolution than removing the cross altogether. The Mt. Soledad Cross has stood atop a hill in La Jolla, CA, since 1913 (the current cross was erected in 1954) and is a memorial honoring veterans who have served our country.

ACTION POINT

          Please pray with us as our amicus brief goes before the District Court. We pray that this memorial will continue to stand in honor of those who have bravely served our country!

Bob Tyler on the Frank Sontag Show: Religious Liberty Victory

Recently, our General Counsel Robert Tyler was a guest on the Frank Sontag show, speaking about Advocates' recent victory in the case of two men arrested for reading the Bible aloud in public.  Listen in here. (Scroll through to the file named "2013-08-14 4pm The Frank Sontag Show: Hour 1")