Texas’ New Anti-Christian Bills and Why Christians Should be Concerned

Another article on the ongoing war on Christianity.

From The Stream

By Nancy Flory

Members of the Texas legislature are gearing up to consider several new bills that some groups are calling “Ban the Bible” bills.

One such group is Texas Values, a nonprofit that seeks to “preserve and advance a culture of family values in the state of Texas.” They have dubbed these proposals the “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” (SOGI) bills.

According to Texas Values, these bills, if passed, would give the government power to ban free expression of biblical beliefs. The punishment for failing to comply is fines, possible jail time and other charges. The state would strip “Texans’ right to practice biblical teachings out of their lives.”James Wesolek of Texas Values claims that the “so-called anti-discrimination laws turn law-abiding Christians into criminals.”

Texans can’t stand by and watch it happen, he added.

Why Be Worried?

Here are some specifics:

H.B. 244, H.B. 254 and S.B.151 amend the Civil Practices and Remedies Code, the Labor Code, and the Property Code. The bills create ‘sexual orientation,’ ‘gender identity,’ and ‘gender expression’ protected classes.

If the bills pass, they would effectively criminalize Christians, argues Wesolek. They would force everyone to “support” those having a “gender transition.” They would force Christian businesses like bakeries and florists to use their artistic skills for same-sex weddings and ceremonies. They would force religious homeless shelters, colleges and universities to allow biological men to sleep next to women in abuse shelters or dorms. They would force private property owners to allow men and women access to each others’ showers, locker rooms and bathrooms.