Luke 17:28-30 “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built” but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
A Mississippi pastor who took a stand for the unborn and was arrested for it 4 years ago has been exonerated on all the charges against him.
Pastor Steven Joiner of Columbus Church of the Nazarene came upon a protest by Pro-Life Mississippi in his city. He parked at a nearby business and walked over to thank them for their standing up for life. Joiner joined the group’s protest.
A police officer then approached the group and told them to leave saying they were blocking traffic. Pastor Joiner said he had a First Amendment right to stand on a public sidewalk. The pastor was arrested for “failure to obey a police officer.”
The pastor was initially convicted on charges of violating the city’s Parade and Handbill ordinance. An appeals court overturned that verdict. The pastor then sued for his right to protest.
The court ruled that the pastor’s rights were violated, ordered the city to pay $10,000 in damages and attorney fees. The city was also ordered to amend their law to protect free speech.
“The notion that one man can constitute a parade and that small groups of individuals need to seek permission and a permit from the government before they can open their mouths on a public sidewalk is repugnant to the Constitution and undermines the foundation of this nation,” Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, said in a statement on Tuesday.
