American Pastors’ Network: Governor’s Veto in Arizona Incites More Attacks on Religious Liberties

PHILADELPHIA—Last Wednesday evening in Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer announced that she has vetoed a bill that would have allowed business owners to choose to forego offering services when doing so goes against their religious beliefs.

Brewer stated that Senate Bill 1062 was too broadly worded and had “the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve. It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want.”

Sam Rohrer, President of the American Pastors’ Network (APN, www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net), said that Brewer’s decision declares that in effect, the religious liberty rights of citizens of Arizona are no longer worth defending. Fear has replaced courage with government vacating its duty to protect the rights of conscience by yielding to the intimidation of those who oppose religious liberty and especially the rights of Christian business owners  who may, for example, feel uncomfortable offering their services for a same-sex wedding.

“This decision has likely forever marred the landscape of how we will view our Constitutional rights in the future,” said Rohrer, also President of the Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network (PPN, www.PAPastors.net). “In a sweeping motion, Arizona has set the stage for the stripping of religious rights for many, and sanctioned a completely new set of government granted privileges for others .”

The Arizona Legislature passed the bill last week allowing businesses whose owners cite sincerely held religious beliefs to deny service to gays and others. It allows any business, church or person to cite the law as a defense in any action brought by the government or individual claiming discrimination. The bill was born with some specifics in mind, including, for example, a baker or photographer who may not want to be a part of a same-sex wedding because of his or her belief in the traditional definition of marriage.

Democrats and civil rights groups opposed the measure, saying it would allow discrimination and hurt the state’s economy. Supporters said the bill protected the religious rights of business owners, allowing them the freedom to make business and faith-based decisions.

The American Pastors’ Network has a mission to identify, encourage, equip, educate and network together pastors and church members to “Stand in the Gap for Truth” across the nation, while providing Bible-based and constitutionally-consistent analysis and recommendations on matters of public policy.

APN is the largest, national network of pastors who believe in the authority of scripture, who boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to public policy, and who are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders and mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues; examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

For more information on American Pastors’ Network, visit www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net. For more information on Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network, visit www.PAPastors.net or call 610-584-1225.