Angela McCaskill and Religious Discrimination

Angela McCaskill, a Christian who regularly attends church, heard her pastor preach the biblical view of marriage (which excludes homosexual marriage). As she and her husband were leaving, he pointed to a petition on the table which would place Question 6 before Maryland Voters. Question 6 would repeal the State Legislature’s passage of Maryland’s Civil Marriage Protection Act. Angela McCaskill exercised her faith and constitutional rights and signed the petition.

Now, she has been suspended from her job.

Angela McCaskill, or Dr. Angela McCaskill as she is better known, has served in various capacities at Gallaudet University for the past 23 years. Dr. McCaskill became a Deputy to the President and the Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion in January 2011. She was also the first deaf African American female to earn a Ph.D. from Gallaudet University.

Evidently, some faculty member saw her name on the petition and asked her about it. Once she confirmed that she signed the petition, the other faculty member lodged an official complaint, the issue got picked up by pro-gay, sodomite groups who spread their hatred and intolerance and launched a campaign to have her fired on the basis of her faith and for having exercised her constitutional rights.

Yesterday, President T. Alan Hurwitz, succombing to illogical pressure and anti-American ideals, released the following statement to students, faculty and staff:

"I want to inform the community that I have placed Dr. Angela McCaskill on paid administrative leave effective immediately. It recently came to my attention that Dr. McCaskill has participated in a legislative initiative that some feel is inappropriate for an individual serving as Chief Diversity Officer; however, other individuals feel differently. I will use the extended time while she is on administrative leave to determine the appropriate next steps taking into consideration the duties of this position at the university. In the meantime an interim Chief Diversity Officer will be announced in the near future."

You can sign a petition by Family Research Council to President Hurwitz urging Dr. McCaskill’s reinstatement here.

This is just the latest among so many contemporary examples of religious discrimination a clear shift from the vision of our nation's founders. Consider, for instance, the words of President George Washington:

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

There is no evidence that Dr. McCaskill ever abused her official university position. Rather, she seems to be exemplary in her conduct. The university, its president and others are free to examine Dr. McCaskill's execution of her official duties. But to reprimand her and suspend her for activities in her private life is unconsciable. But in modern America, no divergent opinion on the issue of homosexuality is to be tolerated in the public sphere, save that of acceptance and advancement of a lifestyle moral choice that leads to death.

Chick-fil-A and free speech

Last week, Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy spoke to Baptist Press of his company's steadfast support for marriage and family:

We are very much supportive of the family--the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that... We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.

But Cathy was about to find out what kind of country he really does live in.

Pro-homosexual forces quickly mobilized. The very people and organizations that advocate tolerance were showing no tolerance for someone with a different viewpoint. The sodomite bullies and their politically correct machine were in full swing by the week’s end, including the mayors of Boston and San Francisco who were threatening blockades of any Chick-fil-A franchise that wanted to open in their cities. In tactics reminiscent of the Gestapo and KGB, they were going to squash any dissent from a pro-homosexual viewpoint and the Chick-fil-A empire, daring to have a different viewpoint, became their target. Their message was clear--First Amendment advocates are not welcome in their cities.

Mike Huckabee got fed up and launched a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day for Wednesday, August 1. The idea is simply to support them in some tangible way be giving them a bit of your business. I got fed up too and joined him on his facebook page. But in a little bit, Facebook removed, uh, er, ummm, Facebook experienced a technical glitch that inadvertently disabled Huckabee’s post for the next 12 hours…until the conservative outcry became feverish and the good IT folks at Facebook were able to get Huckabee’s page restored. Evidently, Mike Huckabee’s page was the only one affected by this “accidental” fluke at Facebook.

Chick-fil-A is a Christian company with 1,608 restaurants that had sales in excess of $4 billion last year. They follow their values. They are closed on Sunday to honor the Lord’s Day. They bailed out the struggling Peach Bowl 15 years ago. Yes, they renamed it the “Chick-fil-A” bowl but they have 15 successive sellouts. It is the only college bowl game with an invocation.

Anti-Christian forces have targeted Chick-fil-A because of Mr. Cathy’s comments of this past week and the overall Christian philosophy of the company. If you care about that, you should strongly consider giving the company some of your business in the future, especially this coming Wednesday, August 1. And be advised. If as many Christians care about this homosexual persecution that I think will, you might have a long wait, so plan ahead.

P.S. You can read Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's letter here.

North Korea: Christians Must Worship in Secret

It’s hard to imagine that this is what most North Koreans face on their way to worship. Tomorrow, I’ll pass gas station attendants, doughnut buyers and one guy by a Jiffy Lube who will be waving a sign for an early morning special. But if I happen to pass a law officer, I’ll only check my cruise control and not breathe uneasy like Christians in North Korea will. They pass several police and army officers and citizen informants to gather secretly, yet reverently to worship the Eternal King. Open Doors USA President and CEO Dr. Carl Moeller explained that in effect, North Koreans are forced to worship their leaders, the late Kim il-Sung, Kim Jong-il and current ruler Kim Jong-un, as gods. "So scrutiny of the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 brave underground Christians has increased during the last few months. Some have been thrown into prisons. There are 50,000 to 70,000 Christians of the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people living under horrific conditions in those prisons. Also, many North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unemployed," Moeller said. I’ve learned much during this week of prayer for North Korea. Certainly much more than I’ve articulated through this blog. I can’t believe the number of videos on the web from suffering Christians of North Korea. I would recommend getting this report, North Korea: A Case to Answer—A Call to Act, from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. I know very little about the organization, but the report is very helpful in opening our eyes to the evil faced by these courageous Christians. I am grateful for the freedom I have and I am deeply burdened for the harsh and evil reality my brothers and sisters in Christ in North Korea have. May God protect them as they honor Him. And may He soon end their suffering.