On Easter Sunday 2020, the entire congregation of Maryville Baptist Church was put on what amounted to house arrest for attending a “stay-in-your-own-car" parking lot Easter Sunday service, designed to ensure everyone was safe. 

These same people could have gotten out of their cars and gathered in big box stores, abortion clinics, or even liquor stores, but KY Gov. Andy Beshear sent the Kentucky State Police to punish the churchgoers. 

Sometimes justice takes a long time. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will receive our petition for certiorari, asking the High Court to issue a decisive ruling to ensure NO government official will ever again dare make attending church a crime. 

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In Pastor Jack Roberts’ 52 years of preaching at Maryville Baptist Church, he never once closed his church. 

But on March 25, pro-abortion KY Gov. Andy Beshear banned ALL worship, including parking lot services. And, like other governors that unlawfully restrict churches, he declared abortion centers and liquor stores to be “essential.” 

On GOOD FRIDAY, when Christians around the world contemplate Jesus’ crucifixion, Gov. Beshear warned that no one should dare attend EASTER services in his state. He warned that he would send police officers to monitor churches and take down the license plates and VIN numbers of offenders, and then issue Notices of Quarantine — even for parking lot services. 

Never mind that Gov. Beshear allowed big-box retail centers, abortion clinics, and liquor stores to stay open and largely unrestricted. Churches and houses of worship were required to shut down.  

On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, a church located in a county near Maryville sued the Louisville mayor and won an injunction, preventing the mayor from stopping parking lot services. The precedent set by that Trump-appointed judge should have served as a warning to Gov. Beshear, but the abortion-loving governor didn’t care. Instead, he doubled down on restricting the other Kentucky counties. 

On Easter Sunday, Maryville Baptist Church opened its parking lot and readied its loudspeakers for a drive-in service. Attendees arrived, and stayed in their own cars, and prepared to listen to Pastor Roberts’ sermon. 

But there was a surprise waiting in that church parking lot as well —the police. The officers went car to car, taking down the license plate numbers and issuing citations to the faithful flock who just wanted to worship their Lord — safely encased in their cars! Even the local news team sent to cover the event received the notice. Many who were still arriving saw the police cars and turned away, sacrificing their right to worship out of fear of tyrannical punishment. 

House arrest and resulting job losses . . .

Attendees each received MANDATORY 14-day quarantine orders for simply attending the stay-in-your-own-car drive-in church service.  

These faithful Christians were ordered to remain only in their homes for the next 14 days — the equivalent of house arrest — even though none had tested positive for the COVID virus, nor did any have symptoms. Many lost their “essential service” jobs and faced serious financial hardship because one lawless governor decided to rob them of their right to religious freedom. 

Four days after the service, Dr. Roberts received a letter from the governor informing the pastor that he was no longer allowed to leave the state, or even the county, without permission.   

Pastor Roberts decided he’d had enough of Gov. Beshear’s lawless tyranny, and he called Liberty Counsel. We filed suit immediately. The case first went before an Obama appointee who denied our request for an injunction. So, we appealed.

In two back-to-back Friday evening decisions, the Court of Appeals agreed with us with two 3-0 opinions, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky was freed from Gov. Beshear’s illegal and unconstitutional shutdown orders. 

That court ruling noted that Gov. Beshear trusted people to go shopping but not to go to church. And that his anti-church edicts were not only wrong, they were also unconstitutional. The court even used scripture from the Holy Bible in its decision against the tyrannical governor.  

One would THINK two 3-0 rulings from the Court of Appeals would have been the end, but Gov. Beshear is defiantly determined to have his lawless anti-church edicts forced again upon the people of Kentucky.

Unbelievably, Gov. Beshear is now demanding the courts allow him to return to his anti-church ways and enable him to once again shut down any house of God any time he chooses. We will not allow that to happen! 

For 36 years, Liberty Counsel has been fighting tirelessly to protect Judeo-Christian values and our God-given religious freedom. And as you have seen, we are regularly blessed with victory. 

Here’s the thing I hope you take away from today’s message . . . 

The gates of hell shall NOT prevail against God’s church — and neither will overreaching, lawless governors.  

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