Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Melissa Reid
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000314B
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00:07 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:09 Before the break 00:10 with Associate Editor of Liberty, Melissa Reid, 00:13 we were discussing something really big for liberty, right? 00:16 The campaign's report. Yes. 00:18 But the effort to make sure that all the good stuff we do 00:22 is enabled with donations, commitments, 00:25 even paid subscriptions 00:26 from a wider range of array of supporters, 00:31 not just Seventh-day Adventists who are our base 00:33 but anybody that believes in religious liberty. 00:35 Right. 00:36 I was thinking during break 00:38 we're actually a lot like this network 00:39 but lot like 3ABN. 00:40 Sure. 00:42 And that we've been so blessed by the favor of our supporters, 00:45 by our donors and just really have been able to be 00:49 a consistent presence 00:51 because of the generosity of our donors. 00:54 And so, just like this network I know that, 00:57 you know, we are incredibly grateful. 00:59 Liberty is now, since 1906 we've existed. 01:03 So over 100 years. 01:05 That's under its present name. Yes. 01:07 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:09 had actually began publishing a Religious Liberty Magazine 01:12 back in the about 1880. 01:14 Yeah. Yeah. 01:16 And there was a little bit of break 01:17 and then it restarted under the name Liberty. 01:20 But to have that continued presence 01:22 advocating for religious freedom, 01:24 it's just incredible. 01:26 And so I know you and I are both very grateful 01:28 that it's continued in that way. 01:30 Well, it reminds me of, I think I've ever seen the whole movie 01:34 but "Gone with the Wind" there is a line about 01:35 "I've always been dependent 01:37 on the kindnesses of strangers." 01:38 Kindness of strangers, that's exactly right. 01:40 But really that's not true about liberty 01:43 because all of our supporters are not strangers. 01:45 They are people of a common viewpoint. 01:48 Anybody that supports liberty shows that they think like us, 01:51 that they see the great importance of religious liberty 01:55 from every angle. 01:56 Yeah, absolutely. 02:00 What do we send out this year in our "pack?" 02:03 What are the types of materials that we think are necessary 02:06 for someone to really adequately support what we do? 02:09 Well, we try to really give people 02:11 anything that they feel like they could make use of 02:15 and support or promote in different ways 02:17 whatever ways they are comfortable. 02:19 For example this year we have a religious liberty camp. 02:22 We have a sermon. 02:23 Well, each year we have a new sermon composed. 02:25 That's true. I remember that sermon well. 02:26 Yes. I think you should. 02:28 Lincoln Steed is actually the individual 02:30 that wrote and preaches the sermon, so... 02:33 Which is not the norm. 02:34 We have rotating assignments 02:36 and we've had some very powerful sermons 02:40 done by different guest sermonizers. 02:43 Right. 02:44 Well, this is a great one this year 02:46 and again we make it available in print. 02:48 You can find it on our website to download either as a PDF. 02:53 You can just sort of preach it as it is 02:55 or you can, there's like a support version 02:59 where you can sort of make it your own as well. 03:01 Or we have a video version. 03:04 You've actually preached it and made it available 03:07 to download there online so you can show it, 03:10 you know, either during church, 03:12 you know, on the weekend or you can show it 03:15 at your midweek service in anticipation 03:18 but it's a really great resource. 03:20 Another thing that we have, I mentioned earlier, 03:23 we always try to highlight 03:24 a particular religious liberty case. 03:26 You know, really sort of show how religious discrimination 03:31 can affect individuals personally. 03:33 You know, what it does to an individual's life 03:36 and to their family's life. 03:38 And so we do that this year with a lady in Texas 03:42 who was working for an organization. 03:43 She actually was working at a kind of a call center. 03:46 So people living in the United States 03:49 have difficulty getting religious accommodation? 03:51 I thought this was the land of the free 03:53 and the brave and the, 03:56 you know, total religious liberty. 03:58 Right. Well-- 03:59 I'm being sarcastic but-- 04:01 I know. Yes. 04:02 But people need to realize that, 04:03 even though the constitution specifies that, 04:09 you know, no government involvement in religion 04:12 and then beyond that 04:14 the Civil Rights Legislation Act Title VII 04:16 says that you can't be discriminated 04:18 against on the basis of religion. 04:20 People are all the time. All the time. 04:22 And so we put up these examples, don't we, 04:24 usually during the campaign. 04:26 Right. 04:27 You know, we talk a lot about religious discrimination. 04:29 First of all as Americans, you know, 04:31 we are blessed with the laws and the freedoms that, 04:34 you know, that we enjoy and we certainly, you know, 04:37 look to other countries and we are seeing, 04:38 you know, religious persecution. 04:40 Oh, you're not to be equated. Yeah, absolutely. 04:41 I mean, there's not too many beheadings for apostasy 04:44 in the US, it's not at the moment. 04:45 Absolutely. Yeah. 04:46 And so, you know, we're grateful for what exist. 04:48 However as you are saying there are situations 04:51 where a person's religious beliefs or their faith 04:54 are not respected in the manner that they should be. 04:56 And so you talked a little bit about, you know, 04:58 the Civil Rights Legislation that occurred 05:01 and I think we just celebrated the 50 year anniversary of that 05:04 just recently. 05:05 But even under that law there are situations 05:09 that occur and actually 05:11 so the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 05:14 which is sort of set up to monitor 05:16 those sorts of situations, 05:18 whether it's discriminations in the workplace, 05:20 whether it's based on gender or ethnicity 05:24 or race or religion. 05:26 Disability is another one. Disability is another one. 05:29 So we have noticed over the last few years 05:32 that while they are-- 05:35 that religious discrimination has been the category 05:38 of all of those sort of protective classes 05:40 that has really grown or skyrocketed 05:42 in the number of cases of people saying 05:46 this is happening to me in the workplace 05:48 which is really unfortunate. 05:50 We see this both in workday people are wanting to have 05:55 either, you know, the Sabbath or the Sunday off 05:57 to be able to attend church and to keep their Sabbath holy. 06:01 We also see this in the way that people dress. 06:04 Whether they wear, you know, particular outfit or, you know, 06:08 or grooming we talk about, 06:10 you know, they have particular-- 06:12 And that in the prisons. Yes. Absolutely. 06:15 So there are situations where, you know, 06:18 where people's conscience, you know, 06:21 are not respected in the way that they should. 06:24 And so in this particular situation 06:26 as I mention a lady was working in a call center 06:29 and I had worked there for many years 06:31 and had had her Sabbath. 06:34 She was a Seventh-day Adventist Church member. 06:36 She attended church on Saturday. 06:38 She had that respected, 06:39 it actually been a five day work week 06:41 and what happens that they actually became 06:43 a 24 hour call center. 06:45 And so things changed for her and, you know, it really, 06:50 one thing I love about telling these stories 06:52 and interacting with these individuals 06:54 is to see and hear from them 06:58 how the situation strengthened their faith. 07:01 You know, she said of course that there was very scary times 07:03 as they went through this process 07:05 working with, you know, with her employer 07:07 trying to get this accommodation. 07:09 You know, she, she said that, you know, 07:11 there was certainly times where she was a bit discouraged 07:14 but she said anytime she was discouraged 07:16 or anxious about the situation 07:19 something in her life where there was an individual, 07:21 not even I remember her telling me, 07:23 it wasn't even a close friend. 07:24 I met this leady and she is a very upbeat enthusiastic woman. 07:27 Oh, yes. You just see Christ radiating from her. 07:30 You know, she is, and-- 07:32 But this doesn't seem to have been 07:33 at least looking back on us, it's not a hardship. 07:36 She is so excited about this, in fact, 07:38 in her view things improve because of it. 07:40 The end result was not status quo, it was much better. 07:44 It was a situation where she actually, you know, 07:46 went through this whole warning process of losing her job 07:49 and actually eventually lost her job 07:51 but with working with the legal team 07:55 that was provided by our church, 07:58 she actually was reinstated to a better position. 08:03 And so it's incredible sort of the way that God loved her 08:09 and protected her throughout the process 08:10 and it was, she absolutely relied on Him and. 08:13 So that's why we call, before I call. 08:15 Yes. Yes. A little bit of a pen. 08:16 In fact the Bible does say, 08:18 "Before they call, I will answer." 08:19 Absolutely. 08:21 So, she received an assurance that God had 08:22 and it was a divine providence working towards it. 08:24 Yes. Yes. 08:25 And I believe a big part of this 08:27 is not whether or not 08:28 you will win the legal case, we would like to win, 08:32 it's given that constitution backs it up. 08:34 But this is a wonderful opportunity 08:36 to explain your faith perspective. 08:38 Absolutely. 08:40 From a matter of personal conviction. 08:42 Now before the law, it's not important to prove 08:45 that you're a good Adventist or that your church 08:48 or your priest or whoever is going to vouch for you. 08:52 You can be, you know, just a majority of one. 08:55 If you are personally under conviction 08:58 and so it proves your own personal conviction, 09:01 your own faith. 09:02 And before the Lord, I think 09:03 it's a spiritually growing experience. 09:05 Yeah. 09:06 As I worked with these individuals 09:07 when we tell their stories throughout the air, 09:09 I've heard very consistently 09:10 and I heard with this lady as well. 09:12 She said, you know, there were people 09:14 that she was working with 09:16 and actually one of them was a supervisor 09:17 in a supervisory law 09:19 and who came to Pattie and said to her, 09:22 "Don't let this, don't let them win. 09:24 Stand up for your rights. 09:26 You deserve this. This is something, you know." 09:28 And so people are watching whether you are, it's you know, 09:31 your fellow, your coworkers, whether it's, you know, 09:34 the administrators, whether it's your church members 09:37 or your family, people are observing, 09:40 you know, the way that that you handle this. 09:42 And again it's not about winning a case or, you know, 09:45 God certainly bless in the situation 09:47 and blessed in a way that she didn't even imagine, 09:49 you know, would happen. 09:51 That was a very inspiring story which is why we chose it. 09:53 But it's a privilege and a pleasure to put that out 09:56 before our many supporters 09:57 and some are supporters in waiting 10:00 but this hopefully will convince them 10:03 that there is something very good in this. 10:05 Now, it's a great story. 10:06 I definitely go to our website which is LibertyMagazine.org 10:09 and watch the story. 10:10 It's just like a three to five minute. 10:11 And on our website as I remember 10:13 we also have some of the stories 10:14 from previous years, right? 10:16 Absolutely. Yes. 10:17 They were always interesting. Yeah. 10:19 They are not always a total victory, 10:22 there's usually a lesson to be learned in it. 10:24 And unfortunately many go the full legal route 10:28 don't turn out as favorable. 10:30 And in my view even those ones with this a cash payout 10:35 that's not a total victory 10:36 because the person may have gone 10:38 on to another job, lost that job. 10:40 But the point is really good witness. 10:41 Well, and most of the time they have been out of, 10:42 they have been out of work for a period of time 10:44 not making any money and without any sort of benefits 10:47 whether it's health insurance or things like that. 10:48 So this is not a situation of people's victories. 10:50 So a victory where there is money involved is, 10:53 it's not an unqualified victory. 10:55 The best sort of element to the victory 10:57 is what Pattie was talking about. 11:00 Absolutely. 11:01 She's been encouraged and inspired and other people see 11:03 the Lord working through this. 11:05 Absolutely. 11:06 So what's your prognosis for the campaign this year? 11:10 You think this is gonna be the best year yet? 11:12 I certainly-- 11:13 I know you and some others have teased me 11:15 when I get the latest issue of Liberty Magazine. 11:17 I'll say this is the best magazine yet. 11:19 Yes, the best issue yet. 11:21 I mean, I certainly hope so. 11:23 I know that we tell encouraging inspiring story 11:28 and I know that I think it really illustrates 11:30 sort of the need for participation for individuals, 11:35 you know, to donate and to share 11:40 in sort of this in this ministry that we do 11:44 but I felt like it's just, I don't know, 11:47 we put, we try to do the best work that we can 11:50 and then we put it in God's hands from there. 11:52 And so I certainly hope that it will be 11:56 as far as the campaign. 11:57 But it's, you know, we just leave it up to God 12:01 and how He impresses the hearts of our donors. 12:05 A few weeks ago, I was privileged to sit close by 12:08 actually in an adjoining room 12:11 looking through the wide opening 12:13 between dining and a lounge room 12:15 and watch as a Seventh-day Adventist woman 12:19 spoke committedly and at great lengths 12:24 with television reporters from a national studio 12:28 from a national network. 12:30 She was telling them 12:31 why she should have accommodation 12:34 for her deeply held Sabbath beliefs. 12:36 It was inspiring and it's the sort of thing 12:38 that we always share each year during our campaign. 12:42 We have another similar story that we are making available 12:45 with our campaign materials this year. 12:47 But what it tells me is that 12:49 there is a great reservoir of enthusiasm 12:53 that with Liberty Magazine going out to the legislators, 12:57 whether being read by laypeople 12:59 and being funded by your dollars 13:02 we can make a difference. 13:04 We can not only be on national television networks, 13:07 we can, and what we do and the effect of our work 13:10 can be read every day in newspapers, 13:13 it can be studied in colleges, 13:15 it can make a difference in the community. 13:18 But you need to respond 13:20 and this annual appeal for liberty is make or break. 13:25 We can't do anything without the money 13:27 and you really can't do anything 13:29 without the involvement. 13:31 For Liberty Insider, I'm Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2016-04-04