The Equality Act
Dear Church Family,
A piece of legislation known as the Equality Act will soon be introduced into the Senate by House Democrats. While it may seem strange to oppose something called “The Equality Act,” we as a church leadership are troubled by this piece of legislation and we believe that those of us who are Christians ought to use our voice to oppose it. It is presented as a bill that will secure equal rights for gay and transgender people. What it will do, though, is force people to set aside their religious convictions and beliefs or be subject to lawsuits and prosecution. You can read more about this in the following links:
- https://www.
thegospelcoalition.org/ article/equality-act-anti- christian/ - https://www.
thegospelcoalition.org/ article/the-faqs-what-you- should-know-about-the-pro- lgbtq-equality-act/ - https://billygraham.org/story/urgent-prayer-alert-from-franklin-graham-on-the-equality-act/
You can also watch a Facebook video from Pastor Dan here.
There are appropriate times for Christians to use our voice in the public sphere and we believe that this is one of those times. We are inviting you as a member of the LBF Church family to do three things:
- Pray that this bill would not pass the U. S. Senate, pray that Christians across our nation would speak up against this legislation, pray that God would lead you in how to speak up and how to express your opinion to your U. S. Senator, pray that spiritual revival would begin in our country. Let’s set Monday, March 8th as a day for our church to join together in prayer.
- Express opposition to your U. S. Senator in Washington. Ask them to vote “NO” when this comes before the Senate. You can do this by clicking on the link: https://www.senate.gov/states/CA/intro.htm
- Express your opinion to the White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/
contact/
We want to follow Jesus in exemplifying grace and truth, and we believe that this is an opportunity to do so. May our Lord Jesus Christ lead us as we respond.
–
Gary Keith,
Lead Pastor
NOTE: The easiest way to write to our senators is to use the EMAIL option and just type on each of the two senators’ pages.
Here is a suggestion on what to say (please do not copy this word for word):
Dear Senator _________________
I am writing to you because of a huge concern I have with bill HR-5, also known as The Equality Act. While I’m not against the concept of equality, this bill has some very concerning implications if passed. One specific implication is in the area of religious freedom. The stated purpose of the bill is to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, and sexual orientation. While prohibiting discrimination is a laudable goal, the real effect of this bill would not be to eradicate discrimination but to erase freedom of thought and belief, along with the ability to hold a different opinion while remaining free from government retribution.
I also believe this bill undermines the equality women have long fought for and achieved through civil rights protections in federal law. It would remove the protection of privacy and safety of women and girls. This Act would virtually do away with sex-segregated spaces, meaning women and girls would no longer have privacy when in public restrooms, locker rooms, or other such spaces. This Act would amend Title IV of the 1964 civil Rights Act regarding public education. It would remove women’s sport as a means of allowing fair competition for biological females as it would make it possible for biological men to compete in women’s sports.
In summary, The Equality Act would mandate government-imposed inequality and unfairness by requiring acceptance of a particular ideology about sexual ethics, while leaving no room for differing opinions and legitimate public debate. I believe the Equality Act mandates an anti-life, anti-family, and anti-faith agenda throughout federal law and would be a disaster for all Americans.
Therefore, I respectfully ask you to vote NO when this bill comes before the senate.
