Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire So much for free speech on Easter

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/04/04/university-cancels-churchs-easter-service/

Does anyone really believe the University didn't realize they had book a Church for Easter Services??

University cancels church’s Easter service

Easter Sunday is sort of like the Super Bowl for preachers.

It’s all but guaranteed the pews will be packed and that presented a challenge to Roderick Richardson, the pastor of The Word Center Church in Jackson, Miss.

The non-denominational church has a membership of about 1,200 people – but only 275 can fit in the sanctuary. And the preacher estimated they could have as many as 1,500 people show up for Easter Sunday. http://www.thewordcity.com/

So last January Pastor Richardson started scouting out a new location for his growing church. And it wasn’t long before he found a solution – a conference center run by the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

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He signed a contract to rent the space on Jan. 27. On March 27 – the university abruptly canceled the contract and told the church they would not be allowed to use their facility.

“It was a week and two days before the largest service of the year,” Pastor Richardson told me. “They told me the climate at UMMC was not conducive for us to have a service at the facility.”

The climate was not conducive?

“They were afraid IHL might come and say something about a church having a service (in their facility),” the pastor said. IHL is also known as the State Institutions of Higher Learning, the agency that oversees Mississippi’s eight public institutions of higher learning.

“We’re not angry at them because we are Christians,” the pastor said. “We’re just a little frustrated that this particular institution did not keep its word.”

Marc Rolph, a spokesman for UMMC, confirmed they canceled the church’s contract – a week and two days before Easter Sunday.

“It was unfortunate that the timing of the cancellation was so close to (the) date of the event,” Rolph told me.

He denied it had anything to do with the church being a church. He said the booking should never have been made in the first place because they only allow their facilities to be used by health-related organizations.

“The event is not health related and thus is not compliant with our policy,” Rolph said.

He said they didn’t realize the church was a church until last week when the director of the facility ran it up the flag pole.

“It was deemed not within the guidelines of our policy and could not be allowed. The church was immediately notified,” Rolph said.

UMMC offered to let the church hold their service inside a medical mall instead. The church declined that offer. I mean – who wants to hold a church service in a mall?

Pastor Richardson said UMMC’s excuse doesn’t make any sense.

“If that was a policy we should have been told back in January when we signed the contract,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for this for two and a half months.”

And it’s not like the church was hiding the fact it was a church.

“On the very first page of the contract it asked for the type of event and it says ‘church service’,” the pastor told me.

Pastor Richardson told me he feels like David battling Goliath.

“They are so large and so powerful they can do us however they want,” he said. “They simply did not conduct business in an adequate fashion.”

The church has been forced to hold services in their small sanctuary. The pastor said they will accommodate the crowds by holding multiple services throughout the day.

The Word Center Church signed a contract in good faith with UMMC. It wasn’t their fault the UMMC made a mistake. So why not honor the contract and allow these good people to hold their Easter service?

“We have to follow our policies,” Rolph said.

There’s a strong argument to make that the church does meet the UMMC’s guidelines of being a health-related organization.

A quick reading of the New Testament indicates our Lord was in the healing business. There are documented reports of giving sight to the blind, healing a leper and even raising someone from the dead.

I’m not too sure the Great Physician would be all that thrilled with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

amen

Mr 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

There are some officials at UMMC who need THE doctor.

I'm sure that there will be financial repercussions for a broken contract?!?

Most schools require a course in ethics, but for some reason I think the school administrators missed that course.

To me, the idea they didn't know it as a church at the time they signed the contract just doesn't pass the smell test. Maybe a nice little law suit will remind them about the rule of law an contracts.

Don't know that I would take it to court but just let it be known the school is more afraid of anything Christian than breaking of their word and a written contract. If your word is no good that what good are you. If I were that pastor I would take the high ground because the school has already occupying the low ground.

I'm wondering why antelope sniper suggests the church file a lawsuit??!! Antelope Sniper, what you got up your sleeve with this thread??? You aren't exactly a big supporter of christian threads here on the fire. Or do you just like the conflicts?

It's not about supporting Christians, seems pretty easy to understand to me.

AS, is it okay if I pay you a compliment? I know you're personally not sympathetic to theistic religious belief, but its good to see you taking a principled stand on this issue.

I'm a supporter of free speech. Free speech goes both ways, and Universities are supposed to be bastions of free speech.

When we disagree, lets have an honest. As for the school canceling Easter Services just days before Easter, I don't exactly consider that honest, and just wonder to whom the school caved?

That shows complete lack of character. It's a common trend among many. 'Bill is a cop, Bill told a black joke at a party, therefore Bill can't be counted on to protect blacks if needed'

It's the leap the many with no conviction and lack of integrity make. Likely because they wouldn't stand on principle, unless it worked for their agenda.

Shameful really.

Thanks Rob.

Yes, I have some disagreements with theist, but the Modern Christian is less of a threat then the Leftist, Marxist, Commie Theist.

And unlike the Marxist, when we disagree I seek to change you mind with nothing more then the power of my reason and debate.

Of course The Fire also has some fine Christian debaters, both in character and quality of their debate, which makes it all the more fun!

School administrators are about as concerned with 'ethics' as a F'ckn politician is...!
Both are bureaucrats, both are 'yes' people, and both are wholly and completely self-serving...first and foremost. They may be concerned with 'ethics' investigations...but not with ethics.

Yeah, we should follow your example and never question anyone's motives.

Good commentary on the situation.

http://www.theamericanconservative....-christian-religious-liberty-gay-rights/

You weren't questioning, you were projecting.

I have not read past Steelhead's post but I think Mr. Sniper is a big enough man to call a right a right and a wrong a wrong. Furthermore he is not anti Christian, he just does not believe.

And you are doing what?

Yeah, not questioning. Count 'm.

I am sure he was questioning the ethics of the cancellation and it's free speech attack. I read nothing more into sniper's post and am in full agreement with him on those grounds.