At least three Christian churches in California were handed legal wins this week in their battle for religious freedom. Grace Community Church (led by Rev. John MacArthur) in Sun Valley won a settlement after local officials sued the church for worshipping in-person during the COVID-19 shutdown. The Los Angeles County…
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Governor Gavin Newsom suddenly abandoned his 10-month old COVID-19 singing ban on churches last Friday, in response to a series of court losses before the U.S. Supreme Court. The governor had already abandoned mandating church capacity limits several weeks ago after justices rebuked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and…
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SACRAMENTO – A Bay Area assemblyman reversed course yesterday and eliminated bill language blacklisting Christians, Jews, and Muslims from being police officers. Assemblyman Ash Kalra’s stated goal of AB 655 was to eliminate police officers belonging to “hate groups” or those who have used hate speech in the past. But…
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If California politicians can trust shoppers to social distance while packed into big box stores, then churches should be trusted to do the same. That’s what Senator Brian Jones (R-Escondido) argued as he introduced the Religion is Essential Act (SB 397) yesterday, a bill to require the state and local…
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Vice President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But Becerra raises deep concerns among religious conservatives fighting to protect their First Amendment free speech and religious liberty rights. They are leary of Becerra…
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This afternoon Governor Newsom decided to change his own COVID-19 rules and put 94% of California’s population under his most harsh virus restrictions starting tomorrow. This means restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and churches can no longer meet indoors. As a result of the emergency orders, 41 of California’s 58 counties…
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Several California based Christian legal organizations say Governor Newsom’s new ban on church singing isn’t enforceable. The new “guideline” document released July 1, says social distancing isn’t going to protect congregants from COVID-19 in church services if they still sing or chant. “Places of worship must therefore, discontinue singing and…
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For weeks churches, Republican legislators, President Trump, the US Department of Justice, and religious liberty law firms, confronted Governor Newsom over his bans on in-person church services calling them discriminatory and unconstitutional. Last Monday, a week after Trump demanded governors let churches meet, and a week before 1200 California churches…
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At a White House press conference this morning, President Donald Trump officially designated churches as “essential places that provide essential services.” Trump’s remarks today came just days after the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom rebuking him for his discriminatory policies toward the state’s…
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The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter yesterday saying his COVID-19 stay at home orders and his plans to re-open discriminate against religious organizations and activities. The letter confirms what many religious liberty attorneys and pastors have been telling the Governor…
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