And…second verse same as the first…

In one of the latest (and most ridiculous) cases of the radical secularist left attempting to squash the free expression of religious values, a Florida church is being threatened with the loss of its lease because its pastor supports (gasp!) a Biblical view of homosexuality.

Outraged at the nerve of a Christian pastor who espouses Christian views, the Miami-Dade school district from which Impact Miami Church rents its space has threatened to evict the church for what the superintendent describes as “prejudice and intolerance” on the part of Pastor Jack Hakimian and his congregation. One might wonder what those in the school district thought would be taught in the church when they decided to accept about $1,500 a month to use the property, but they now reportedly see the church as not only contrary to the school district but “the basic principals of humanity.”

Hakimian, a Baptist preacher, is not backing down, though. The sermons in question, which present scripture-based positions calling homosexuality a sin, amount to the church being“penalized for teaching on Christian marriage and sexual ethics from the Bible.” Therefore, we ask any and all atheists, former Christians, anyone from any faith, who remotely finds what this pastor is espousing is not in accordance with the Bible, why then do you or anyone else have a problem with it?

Furthermore, the pastor turned the tables on his accuser, asking the superintendent to “retract his intolerant statements, apologize, and commit to never again bully or discriminate against those he disagrees with.”

A school district spokesperson upped the ante, calling the pastor’s message (and, in a broader sense, God’s message) “disturbing and appalling.” The only aspect of this case any American should find either disturbing or appalling is that a church sharing a mainstream Christian message could be ousted from its lease because of the secular worldview of its lessor.

The controversy attracted the attention of some high-profile Christian leaders, including Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Luter, who said the school district’s harassment is a “sign of the times.” I completely support Luter’s following statement, blasting the selective moral outrage that leads to “calling wrong right and … calling right wrong.”

Another ally in Hakimian’s stand for Christian values and free speech is Liberty Counsel, an advocacy group affiliated with Liberty University which sent a letter to the school district explaining that a push to evict the church from its lease simply because of a Sunday message constitutes a First Amendment violation.

Christians, especially those embracing the Bible’s teachings as the divine word of God, represent a segment of the population deemed worthy of ridicule by those practicing the religion of liberalism. How is this attitude fair? Though it rarely gets coverage on the mainstream news, Christians are not going to roll over and take the abuse. We will stand for our beliefs, no matter what verbal epithets fly our way, and pastors such as Hakimian deserve our utmost respect for standing up to these bullies.

Homosexuality, practiced by a very small minority of this nation’s citizens, is considered a sin by a huge segment of the population across ethnic and religious lines. When brought to a vote, the left’s best efforts at indoctrinating us to accept a perversion of marriage has continually failed.

Still, they beat the same drum of “inclusion” and “tolerance” ad infinitum. If Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day didn’t cause them to rethink their position, I’m not sure anything will.