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Dr. Jim Garlow is a lifelong pastor who most recently served in San Diego, California, and now leads Well Versed, a ministry dedicated to bringing biblical
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America's Biblical Foundation and the 1st Amendment 0:00 Chapter 5 in the well versed small group series is the 1st Amendment and religious liberty.0:06 Well, America was founded on the laws of nature and nature's God. What does that mean? What does that refer to? Our founding fathers overwhelmingly0:18 were Christian. Even those who supposedly were not well, they had a high view of scripture of Judeo Christian principles. In fact, the number 1 book that our founding0:30 fathers quoted was the bible. In fact, the number 2 thing they quoted was other people quoting the bible. So what was the view of our founding fathers? A fierce0:41 commitment to Judeo Christian principles. That might be why all of their sayings that are etched in marble in Washington DC affirm so many biblical phrases.0:53 But along comes a group of people who don't like the 1st amendment. How important is the 1st Amendment? Well, it was the 1st of all things. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom1:05 of religion. Not freedom of worship, just to worship how I want in the 4 walls of my church, but the freedom to live out my religious faith anywhere in the public square included. Now, let's stop there for a1:17 minute. Rewind on that 1 if we can. There's a difference between freedom of worship and freedom of religion. Don't let anybody say the 1st Amendment is just freedom of worship. Do what you want in your 4 walls of your1:28 church. That's not what it says. It says freedom of religion and it says, in effect, the federal government, the government has no right to come in and coerce you on anything pertaining to that. However,1:41 1st amendment respect for the 1st amendment has fallen profoundly, and there's a time for those of us who take seriously the bible to stand up and to push back. Sometimes you have to be a John the1:52 Baptist in front of Herod. It's not always popular, is it? Sometimes you have to be Nathan in front of David. Sometimes you have to, as a follower of God, push back and say, no. And we're in 1 of those2:04 modes right now. My book, Well Versed, Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues, touches on about 30 different political topics. It lays the biblical underpinnings to them. 1 of those is a hot button2:16 issue these days these days is the issue of homosexuality. The fact is, listen carefully, the radical LBGTQ I don't know how many more alphabet letters we're going to come up with,2:28 depending on how many sins they invent. But LBGTQ agenda, that radical agenda and the 1st Amendment cannot coexist in the same nation at the same time.2:41 1 will win and 1 will lose. And right now, we have people in leadership who care nothing about the Constitution, nothing about the 1st Amendment. They would rather advance2:53 people's personal preferences in the bedroom over the constitution of the United States, the 1st amendment. They have forced that the issue of homosexuality or transgenderism. They have3:05 forced that to become central issue. I have no desire, and most people like me have no desire to discuss the topic. But they have forced that center issue trying to coerce us. 1st 1st of all, they said, what we do in the3:16 privacy of our bedroom? That's our own business. But then pretty soon, it suddenly changes and said, you better affirm what I do. And now you really better accept it and affirm it, and I'm expecting you to affirm my3:28 personal lifestyle preferences. No. The 1st amendment tells me I don't have to. That's what the religious freedom is is all about. And And the fact we can't co coexist in the same nation as3:39 demonstrated by hate speech laws now. If you say certain things, oh, that's hateful. Now they can attack those of us who believe in the scriptures. They can say whatever they want. Oh, that's not considered3:51 hateful. But if we say no, we just simply believe that marriage is a man and a woman. Oh, how dare you're so hateful. Don't be intimidated and bullied by these people. And I have a4:03 little radio 1 minute commentary. It's called The Garland Perspective. It airs on roughly 850 radio outlets every day. For several years, about half of my 1 minute commentaries4:16 were simply descriptions of lawsuits against followers of Christ. What do you think the number 1 central issue was? Overwhelmingly, 1 issue. If a Christian would not4:27 affirm homosexuality, the practice of homosexuality. Let me distinguish very quickly. There's a huge difference between the radical homosexual agenda and that nice homosexual who may live next door to4:39 you. You may have lots of homosexual friends. Fine. No problem. Who doesn't? And you have a nice neighbor who's okay. So what? That has nothing to do with the radical agenda that's against,4:51 really, the 1st Amendment and trying to effectively criminalize Christianity. The left doesn't understand this. They don't grasp what they're doing. And they they would scoff and make fun at what I'm making what I'm5:02 saying right now. The fact is what I'm saying is true. And I encourage you to stand up against that because in my recordings of these 1 minute commentaries, I simply listed all the lawsuits going on5:14 across America, against Christians for taking a stand that marriage is 1 man, 1 woman. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a group of 3000 attorneys handling this, has has seen the5:26 skyrocketing, mushrooming of lawsuits against believers, trying to criminalize us for simply believing what God said in Genesis chapter 2 when he established marriage. Sexual5:38 anarchy, sexual antinomianism, antinomianism, fancy word for lawlessness, has taken control today. You know what? Stand on the constitution. Stand on the biblical values, 1st of all.5:50 So stand on the scripture. But number 2, stand on the constitution. Expect expect your constitutional rights to have the 1st Amendment still protecting you, the freedom ofLGBTQ Agenda vs. Religious Freedom 6:02 religion.6:03 So Chris, there's really 2 things at play here. The constitutional right of freedom of religion and this idea of freedom of worship, which is really trying to rip away the right of freedom of religion.6:13 Yeah. But what's the difference?6:15 So freedom of worship is this idea that Christians can can worship just inside the 4 walls of the church, but freedom of religion is something much different.6:22 Definitely. It's more about taking this Christian walk outside6:26 Yeah.6:26 Including the public square such as schools and businesses.6:28 Exactly. Yeah.6:29 And I think something that doctor Garlow really emphasizes in this chapter is that of love for our neighbor, we need to speak up.6:35 Mhmm.6:36 It is our duty to speak up. And I think oftentimes we see the Billy Grahams and the doctor Jim Garlows and we think I could never do that or I could never be that. But the reality is we have people in our lives, friends,6:47 coworkers, family, where we need to speak up and we need to talk about the truth.6:51 Yeah. Absolutely. Definitely.In this video 0:00 America's Biblical Foundation and the 1st Amendment6:00 LGBTQ Agenda vs. Religious Freedom
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