Violence In The Sanctuary

A friend of mine forwarded me a link to an article about violence in the sanctuary in a church near Lansing, Michigan.  In November of 2008, a group called Bash Back, dressed in militant garb staged a loud protest outside the church in the parking lot.  This was a distraction to lure church security out of the sanctuary so that the group could take over the service.  Other members of the group, who were dressed in plain clothes, had entered the sanctuary and took over the service.  Some took over the platform. A female couple began kissing near the stage while others began shouting slurs like "Jesus was a homosexual", and "It's OK to be gay".

These types of groups have been described as "Gay Nazis".  Their focus is to create havoc and target churches that are against homosexual behavior and gay marriage.  The group said that they targeted this particular church because of their well known Christian views on homosexuality.

The Allied Defense Fund filed suit against this group on behalf of the church to stop Bash Back and other activist from invading churches in the future.  The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan has entered a judgement against Bash Back and the case has concluded.  The Court held that no one can "by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injure, intimidate or interfere or attempt to injure, intimidate, or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.

Christians won this battle but the war is no over.  Churches need to be prepared for this type of action against Christianity and religion in the near future.  This type of violent behavior will continue.  These militant anti-Christian, pro homosexual groups have and always will make headlines by creating havoc in our churches.  Something to think about.

Trademark Infringement of Royal Rangers Logo

A recent court decision awarded the Assemblies of God/Gospel Publishing.com 6.1 million dollars for trademark infringement for illegally using the Royal Rangers logo to sell badges, t-shirts and backpacks.  A couple in California were found guilty of using the logo and the Royal Ranger name to sell products with the name and the logo that were not authorized by the Assemblies of God.  They were also found guilty of using the Royal Ranger name in domain sites used to sell the products. The court ruled that the Royal Ranger name and logo are considered intellectual property of the Assemblies of God and can not be used without permission.  

This brings to the fore front all of those churches out there that use the Royal Ranger program without chartering, which gives that church the right to use the logo.  It also might concern the churches, districts and groups that use the logo and name to sell t-shirts, hats, backpacks and other items that are not chartered.  Any way you slice it, it is illegal to use the name or logo without permission.  This court decision could open the door to more suites like this one.  

Churches have often felt safe when taking liberties with logos, music, Vacation Bible School Curriculum, Sunday School Materials, etc.  What difference does in make if we use the lyrics of a popular song in our advertising or promotional materials?  No one will ever find out anyway. Maybe, maybe not.  In this day and age of electronic tracking, you might want to re-think your approach.  Using an illegal copy of software on the church computers or powerpoint slides of lyrics for praise and worship on Sunday mornings.  Either way it is illegal.  Think about it.

Churches Are Fast Becoming Targets For Cyber Crime

I read in the last few days about a Catholic Diocese in Des Moines, Iowa that lost $680,000 when hackers hacked into their church computer system and took over their accounts.  The theives drained the church's accounts in no time and the church was powerless to do anything about it.  These crime gangs, many located in Eastern Europe, target small towns, community banks and civic organizations which often lack high-tech defenses.

What kind of cyber security does your church computer system have?  Does the "IT Guy" really know what he is doing?  Do you know what the "IT Guy" is doing?

Most of the time churches accept help from volunteers for almost everything, including cyber security.  If you haven't done so already, you really need to have your system checked by a professional.  You also need to ensure that the basics like virus protections, are up to date.  In the long run it may be cheaper to actually pay a professional than to rely on a volunteer.