In 2020, KY Gov. Andy Beshear had locked down the state, even issuing a directive on Good Friday of that year, unlawfully ordering all churches to be closed under his personal orders, even as he allowed home improvement centers, abortion clinics, and liquor stores to remain open.

Not once in Dr. Jack Roberts’ 52 years as head pastor of Maryville Baptist had he ever closed his church, and he sure wasn’t going to do so now, on Easter Sunday, when his flock desperately needed the comfort and power of prayer and worship.

Instead of services in the sanctuary, Dr. Roberts put loudspeakers in the church parking lot, and invited everyone to attend services from the safety of their own cars, with car windows cracked just slightly so the sermon could be heard. Each of the cars were parked at least 6 feet from each other. Congregants were further away from each other than they would have been in any of the retail stores Beshear left open.

Furious at the church’s defiance of his unlawful orders, KY Gov. Andy Beshear dispatched the Kentucky State Police to break up the service and issue citations to every attendee.

Each and every person in attendance was ticketed and put on mandatory 14-day lockdown. The attendees could not leave their own homes, even for groceries or work, even though not one of them had COVID symptoms or tested positive for the virus. At least two of the congregants lost their jobs at “essential service” businesses in this rural town, putting their families in serious financial jeopardy.

In addition to being put on 14-day home lockdown, the governor further wielded his unlawful powers, informing Dr. Roberts he was not allowed to leave the state or even the county without express permission from Beshear.

Throughout the COVID “crisis,” unlawful shutdown orders BANKRUPTED families and businesses.

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If any of the Maryville Baptist congregants listened to Dr. Roberts’ sermon in the parking lot of a liquor store, Gov. Beshear would have allowed them to do so. ONLY because these people went to hear the Easter sermon in the parking lot of a CHURCH were they punished.

As I wrote above, we’ve had to take Gov. Beshear to court FIVE TIMES on this issue. We’ve won every single time in unanimous 3-0 decisions, including scoring the first-in-the-nation injunction against tyrannical governors who tried to unlawfully force churches to close. Yet, Beshear remains defiant, even five years later!

This week, we filed with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Sadly, the only thing that often forces tyrants to abandon their unlawful ways is financial punishment. Gov. Beshear RUINED PEOPLES LIVES over their simple obedience to God. Now he must be made to pay.

For 35 years, Liberty Counsel has been defending life, religious freedom, and the natural family. We’ve won 37 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and countless others before state courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeal. We NEVER charge for our work because most people, including churches, could not afford to defend themselves against anti-Christian governors and governments. And as you can see in this situation, these cases can last for years. Our clients rely on YOU, the faithful Liberty Counsel supporter, to ensure liberty remains free.

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