VICTORY: Fire Chief Sacked by City After Defending Biblical Marriage Wins $1.2 Million in Lawsuit

“The government can’t force its employees to get its permission before they engage in free speech."

By Doug Mainwaring
Life Site News

A former “Fire Chief of the Year” who lost his job after publishing a book about Christianity in which he upheld Biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality — perceived by some to be "anti-gay" — has won a $1.2 million settlement from the city of Atlanta, his former employer.

“Great day for the Chief,” trumpeted a tweet from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “1.2 mill settlement after yrs of unnecessary legal battle for his right to live out faith and #speech in city of Atlanta.”

View image on Twitter

Rebecca Sears@SearsBecca

Great day for the Chief. 1.2 mill settlement after yrs of unnecessary legal battle for his right to live out faith and #speech in city of Atlanta
⁦@AllianceDefends⁩ http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/9520 …

9:38 AM - Oct 16, 2018

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While this is a welcome win for Kelvin Cochran and the cause of religious liberty, it is not a decisive vindication.

The city attorney conducted an extensive review of the case “and concluded that the cost of continuing to defend against the lawsuit would far exceed the cost to settle,” according to a Daily Journal report. And while Atlanta’s city council voted 11-3 in favor of the settlement, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has yet to sign off on the settlement.

“The government can’t force its employees to get its permission before they engage in free speech. It also can’t fire them for exercising that First Amendment freedom, causing them to lose both their freedom and their livelihoods,” said Kevin Theriot, the ADF attorney who represented Cochran.

“We are very pleased that the city is compensating Chief Cochran as it should, and we hope this will serve as a deterrent to any government that would trample upon the constitutionally protected freedoms of its public servants,” added Theriot.

The Fire Chief had sued the city and mayor for firing him three years ago after he wrote and self-published a book on his own time that defended male/female marriage while describing homosexual behavior as one of the perversions listed in the Bible.

In the suit, he claimed that he had been discriminated against for his religious beliefs.

“It’s ironic that the city points to tolerance and inclusion as part of its reasoning,” Cochran said at the time. “What could be more intolerant and exclusionary than ending a public servant’s 30 years of distinguished service for his religious beliefs?”

“I was really surprised that writing a book — a Christian men’s bible study — 162 pages encouraging men to be the husbands and fathers and leaders that God has called us to be would put me in an adverse position against the city of Atlanta because of a few pages I wrote explaining biblical marriage and biblical sexuality,” said Cochran in an ADF video about the case. 

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'The Cross is an Offense': Franklin Graham Blasts Judge's Decision to Remove 34-Foot Cross from Florida Park

By James Mcintyre
Christian Today

Franklin Graham has blasted as 'ridiculous' a decision by a federal judge ordering that a 34-foot tall cross be taken down from a Florida park on the grounds that it violates the US Constitution.

The evangelist blamed secularist organisations such as the American Humanist Association and the Freedom From Religion Foundation for 'ridiculous changes like this'.

Graham wrote on Facebook: 'The Bible tells us that the cross is an offense. That's because it represents the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the grave after three days to redeem us from the penalty of our sins.'

US District Judge Roger Vinson wrote in his ruling: 'I am aware that there is a lot of support in Pensacola to keep the cross as is, and I understand and respect that point of view. But, the law is the law.'

The lawsuit was filed in 2016 by the secularist groups on behalf of four citizens in Pensacola, where the Florida park with the cross is located.

The judge, who appeared to reach the ruling with some reluctance, pointed out that the park has hosted tens of thousands of people for roughly 75 years without causing anyone offense – until now.

The original cross, erected in 1941 at Bayview Park, was replaced with a 34-foot, white 'Latin Cross' in 1969.

Judge Vinson noted in his ruling the 'Bayview Cross' is 'part of the rich history of Pensacola and Bayview Park in particular,' adding that it had been the focal point for Memorial Day and Veteran's Day services as well as Easter Sunrise services.

'However, after about 75 years, the Bayview Cross can no longer stand as a permanent fixture on city-owned property,' the judge ruled, directing the city of Pensacola to remove the cross within 30 days. The judge also ordered the city to pay the aggrieved plaintiffs one dollar in damages – effectively a quarter each. 

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Atheist Mother Sues West Virginia School System Over Elective ‘Bible in the Schools’ Program

By Heather Clark
Christian News

BLUEFIELD, W.V. — An atheist woman whose daughter attends a public elementary school in West Virginia has filed a lawsuit to challenge a more than 75-year-old elective Bible course as she “wishes to raise her child … without religion.”

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed suit on behalf of the woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous under the name “Jane Doe.” Her daughter Jamie attends an elementary school in Mercer County, and is in kindergarten.

The Mercer County school system offers a “Bible in the Schools” program, which is available on a weekly basis in over a dozen elementary schools and three middle schools.

The course, which is paid for by a non-profit organization, is elective—that is, it is available voluntarily for students who desire to learn about the Bible. The district requires that schools offer an alternative for students who prefer another option.

However, the woman is concerned that because most students choose to attend the classes, her daughter could be ostracized by others if she decides not to join the program, which has been in place since the 1930’s. She feels that her only choices are to expose her daughter to Christianity against her will or risk having her daughter looked down upon by others.

“Jamie will either be forced to attend Bible indoctrination classes against the wishes and conscience of Jane Doe, or Jamie will be the only or one of only a few children who do not participate. Jamie will therefore be made conspicuous by absence, and essentially be identified as a non-Christian or nonbeliever, subjecting Jamie to the risk of ostracism from peers and even school staff,” the suit claims.

FFRF contends that the Bible program violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which mandates that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”

Christian News article continues

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