In yesterday’s post, I looked at a few recent stories from the two best states in the country, Florida and Tennessee.  Each of these states seems to have fresh new “good news” stories for conservatives each and every day. When I think about the legislators who write these bills, especially at a time where Christians are losing everything, it really makes me feel respect for them.

Anyway, here is the latest news from Tennessee, as reported by the Christian Post:

A new Tennessee law will allow public officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages if their religious beliefs make them unable to do so in good conscience.

Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 878 last Wednesday.

The Republican-controlled Tennessee Senate approved the bill in a 27-5 vote earlier this month after the House of Representatives passed the legislation in a 74-22 vote last year.

While the vote fell along party lines, one House Democrat joined all House Republicans in supporting the legislation.

Every. Single. Republican. Legislator. Voted. For. It.

This is why I have no patience for people who like to throw up their hands and say “both parties are the same” or “it doesn’t matter if you vote” or “I don’t pay attention to politics” or “I don’t like to talk about religion and politics” or “all the states are the same”. All they are doing is taking the easy road, and trying to sound like they know more than they actually do. The truth is that these things matter, and they matter a lot.

I have been working in America for nearly 25 years now, and these are the kinds of things I hear from men in the workplace – especially from men who chose secular left women to marry, because of how they looked. After they realize that their entire legacy has been ruined by a bad marriage, then they say things like this to explain why they are completely ineffective. First, they choose a wife based on what’s best for them. Then, they ignore politics, because that’s easier for them. Disgusting.

More from the article:

The bill’s text declares, “A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”

[…]Republican Rep. Monty Fritts, who sponsored the bill, argued before a subcommittee last year that “officiants must be able to refuse to solemnize marriages that are contrary to their beliefs” even as “societal views change about what constitutes a marriage.”

“The government has a responsibility to protect the exercise of religious beliefs,” he said. “Those with the authority to perform civil ceremonies would also be permitted to refuse to solemnize marriage for reasons of conscience.”

My favorite part of this story has to do with Representative Monty Fritts. I read an article about this legislation over at the far-left CNN, to see if they had an additional details.

And in that CNN article, it said this:

CNN reached out to Fritts for comment, but he declined a phone interview.

I have to say this again. If you are in a blue state, and you think that states like Tennessee are the same as your blue state, then you are wrong. Do not be like these men in my office who just want to dismiss politics and policy because it’s easier for them. Real men foresee future dangers, and they make plans and execute them in order to avoid those dangers. You need to make a plan to get a good education, then find a good job in Tennessee or Florida or Oklahoma, and move to one of these good red states. Do not be paying your taxes to governments that do not give you rights like these red states give you.

I left a nearly communist country in order to come to America, and I had to wait for many, many years to get a FT100 employer to sponsor me for my green card. Moving from one state to another for natural-born citizens is child’s play in comparison. Especially if you already have a work from home job. What are you waiting for? Things are only going to get worse in blue states as the government’s spending money runs out.

Some people think that the formerly purple state of Florida is the best state. It seems like every day, you hear about some new conservative thing coming out of Florida’s excellent governor. Tennessee’s governor isn’t as good, of course. But who has the better legislature? I think that Tennessee has the edge there. Let’s see some of the latest conservative mischief.

Let’s do Tennessee first, starting with this Daily Wire article:

The Tennessee state House passed a bill on Monday that would prohibit the flying of any flag other than the American flag and a few other official flags in public school classrooms, legislation that was sparked by the prevalence of pride flags in recent years.

The bill states in part that it is prohibited for to display “a flag other than the following on or in a public school: (i) the U.S. flag; (ii) the official Tennessee state flag; (iii) a flag that cannot be disturbed or altered pursuant to the law relevant to Tennessee heritage protection; (iv) the POW/MIA flag,” and several other flags that are acceptable to fly in schools.

The bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso, passed with a 70 – 24 vote along party lines.

Bulso brought the bill forward as a result of constituent parents who were concerned about the flying of LGBTQ Pride flags in class, reports The Tennessean.

On the House floor, Bulso rhetorically asked if parents have the right to teach a particular set of values to their own children.

“If you have parents across the state who want to instill in their children values represented by the pride flag, they are certainly entitled to do that,” he said. “On the other hand, if you have parents who want to instill values in their children that are not consistent with the values represented by the pride flag, they have the ability to do that.”

[…]Democratic members of the state House offered two amendments to the bill, both of which were rejected by Republican members.

[…]A companion bill in the state’s Republican-controlled Senate is expected to be voted on this week. If it passes, it will head to the desk of Republican Governor Bill Lee.

And this part is the key part – the very shocking part:

The bill also gives parents or guardians the right to file a lawsuit if the flag prohibition is breached by the schools.

Honestly, I don’t know if Bill Lee has the gumption to sign a bill that is so awesome. But can you imagine a state that is so amazing that it not only gets a bill like that to the governor, but the bill is supported UNANIMOUSLY by the Republicans? Whatever mistakes the Republicans are making elsewhere, Tennessee Republicans are not part of that. They are not doing “socialism, but more slowly”. They are moving things in a conservative direction.

Here’s another thing that the Tennessee lawmakers are up to, reported by Daily Wire:

Tennessee lawmakers heard on Tuesday the accounts of religious groups that had lost access to their bank accounts for what they suspect to be ideological reasons.

One group, the National Committee for Religious Freedom, had only had a bank account open with JPMorgan Chase for several weeks before the organization’s head and former Kansas Governor Sam Brownback attempted to make a deposit only to be told the account no longer existed.

[…]The National Committee for Religious Freedom was one of the groups warning about de-banking during testimony on Tuesday in support of a proposed Tennessee bill that would prevent banks from discriminating against people based on their political or religious views. The group testified in front of the Tennessee House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Banking and Consumer Affairs at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville.

Do you live in a state that isn’t Tennessee? Then you might get de-banked by the secular left. If those Canadian truckers had done their rally against health care mandates in Tennessee, then they wouldn’t be de-banked. But then again, they wouldn’t have had to do the protest, either, if they lived in conservative counties like Maury county. You just have to be careful where you live.

Just to put some numbers on this, Tennessee is ranked as the #1 most conservative legislature in the United States for all-time. Florida is #2 for all-time. If you have a work from home job, these are the states where you need to live and pay your taxes.

Speaking of #2 state Florida, let’s see what young DeSantis and his friends in the Florida legislature are up to. Are you worried about getting banned online because you disagree with Big Tech? Well, DeSantis has you covered, in the free state of Florida.

Florida Voice reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday is hearing oral arguments for and against Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ restrictions on massive social media, or “Big Tech” corporations aimed at protecting individuals’ speech.

[…]In 2021, DeSantis signed a new law implementing the following:

• Giving Floridians the right to sue “Big Tech platforms” for monetary damages if users are not given proper notice of policy changes, and allowing them more rights to obtain their information if they are “deplatformed”
• Allows the Florida attorney general to bring legal action for companies that violate new restrictions, such as standards on shadow banning, deplatforming, censorship and transparency requirements
• Bars the platforms from deplatforming political candidates in Florida, and imposes $250,000 fines per day if a statewide candidate is deplatformed, and $25,000 per day for non-statewide offices

“Florida passed protections three years ago, for individuals who’ve been deep platformed or censored based on the content or viewpoint of their political speech,” DeSantis said Monday. “Texas passed a similar law. This has been making its way through the courts, we knew it was going to end up at the floor at the U.S. Supreme Court.”

“These tech companies, on the one hand, are private – and normally a private company can house whatever speech or viewpoints it wants. In this case, these companies get liability protection from the federal government, because they say that they’re not publishers, they’re not making editorial judgments about what speech is good and what speech is bad,” the governor said. “They’re just a platform.”

And that’s not all. According to a recent analysis, Tennessee has the highest score for election integrity in the United States. Florida was tied for second best. Florida isn’t giving up, though.

Take a look at this article from Florida Voice:

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled in favor of an embattled 2021 Florida election integrity law that cracked down on ballot harvesting and strictly regulated how ballot drop boxes can be utilized.

The judge said Florida’s restrictions do not keep Floridians from voting, according to the Associated Press.

Walker ruled that the voting rights groups challenging state law did not adequately show that the drop box regulations burdened voters enough to unduly disenfranchise anyone.

The decision also upheld the law’s stricter provisions on third-party voter registration.

[…]“Floridians can rest assured that our state will remain a leader in ballot integrity. Elections should be free and fair, and these changes will ensure this continues to be the case in the Sunshine State,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said when he signed the bill in May 2021.

Tennessee better do something, or they are going to lose their #1 ranking to Florida in the next State Super Bowl. How about you? Do you live in one of these red states? Do you wake up every morning laughing at the U-Haul in front of the house with the Democrat “in this house” sign on it? You need to live in a state that takes out the trash. Make a plan, and then make your move.

I noticed that one of the top Ratio Christi leaders, Eric Chabot, has a plan to bring in one of the best scholars on the resurrection to speak at a major university campus – the Ohio State University. I thought I would bring it to your attention, in case you want to know what sorts of things are good to support. I learned a lot about Christian apologetics while at university, it’s the perfect time to learn.

Here’s the flyer for the event:

 

IMPORTANT: You can donate to Eric Chabot, who leads Ratio Christi Ohio State University to help pay for this event if you want to help.

Here’s the biography of the speaker, Dr. Michael Licona:

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1961, Mike became a Christian at the age of 10 and grew up in a Christian home. He attended Liberty University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (Saxophone). During his undergraduate studies, he had a strong desire to know God, devoting himself to studying the Bible daily. He decided to learn Koine Greek in order to read the New Testament in its original language and later completed a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies.

[…]Mike has a Ph.D. in New Testament (University of Pretoria). He completed all requirements “with distinction” and the highest marks. He is a frequent speaker on university campuses, churches, Christian groups, retreats, frequently debates, and has appeared as a guest on dozens of radio and television programs. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological and Philosophical Societies, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the prestigious Studitorum Novi Testamenti Societas. Mike is Professor of New Testament Studies at Houston Christian University and the president of Risen Jesus, Inc.

Mike is married to Debbie and they have two grown children, Alexandra and Zachary.

His wife is very clever at Christian living, I remember there was some famous Christian artist who was having doubts, and she took it on herself to create an event where he could ask his questions to Christian scholars who had debates all these issues with atheists. I mean, she married Mike, and that makes her very clever already.

If you check out Dr. Licona’s web site, Risen Jesus, then you can find a whole section of helpful FREE resources.

Dr. Licona has a mix of books – some for general audiences, and some for academic audiences. I’ve been snooping around in the Audible store this week, and I noticed that his older popular-level book, co-authored with the famous Gary Habermas, is “INCLUDED” if you have an Audible Plus membership.

His most famous book is probably the one that he published with Oxford University Press, which is entitled “Why Are There Differences in the Gospels?: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography“. I bought it, but I have not yet read it.

But another of his academic books is also available on Audible:

Finally, I noticed that he has a NEW book coming out. It looks like it is a popular-level version of the one that I linked you to, above.

And here are the details about the new book:

The differences and discrepancies in the Gospels constitute the foremost objections to their reliability and the credibility of their message. Some have tried to resolve Gospels contradictions with strained harmonization efforts. Many others conclude that the Gospels are hopelessly contradictory and, therefore, historically unreliable accounts of Jesus.

In Jesus, Contradicted, New Testament scholar Michael Licona shows how the genre of ancient biography, to which the Gospels belong, actually allows biographers to be flexible in how they report events, construct a narrative, and make an argument. Licona demonstrates that the intentional changes to the Jesus tradition by the Evangelists reveal that the differences in how the Gospels report events are not grounds for their rejection. Instead, they are a result of the Gospel writers employing standard literary conventions common in their time for writing ancient biography.

Licona introduces listeners to the genre of ancient biography through Plutarch, who wrote 48 of the 90 extent biographies written within 150 years of Jesus, giving numerous examples of compositional devices employed by Plutarch, and comparing them with instances in the Gospels where the Evangelists appear to use similar techniques. Licona also examines Theon’s Progymnasmata, a first-century textbook that provides six techniques for paraphrasing one’s sources when writing a narrative. In doing so, he helps listeners understand why the Gospels report many events differently. Finally, Licona concludes by addressing the thorny question of whether the editorial moves commonplace in ancient biography are compatible with the doctrines of the divine inspiration and the inerrancy of Scripture.

Rather than trying to resolve discrepancies by bending the Gospel narrative, which risks making them say things they aren’t saying, Jesus, Contradicted situates the Gospels within their proper context and helps listeners account for differences in the Gospels in a cohesive and historically cogent way.

I saw him debate on this exact topic at a recent National Apologetics Conference. They have those every year at Southern Evangelical Seminary. Have you ever been to one? They are really good.

If you don’t yet feel comfortable answering questions about whether the resurrection of Jesus was a historical event, then definitely pick up Mike’s books. And if you are in the Columbus, OH area on April 11th, then go see Dr. Licona speak. Tell Eric that Wintery Knight sent you.