Christian Legal Group to Hold 'Justice' Gala with John Maxwell
Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty in the courts, will hold its annual fundraising gala Saturday and will have as a keynote speaker internationally recognized leadership expert John C. Maxwell.
The "Justice '08" gala, held at the Hilton Irvine Hotel in Orange County, will showcase a live and silent auction to support the mission of the group and will be emceed by Warren Duffy, former host of "Duffy and Company, Live from LA" on KKLA-FM talk radio and one of the most recognized Christian voices in Southern California.
The theme for Saturday evening's event is "Christianity, Culture, Significance."
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"The rights and privileges of Christians across the nation are under attack," Advocates for Faith and Freedom told its supporters, "and together we will tackle those injustices head on and work tirelessly to protect your religious freedom.
"We hope you will join us for Justice '08!"
Advocates founder Robert Tyler and Advocates legal counsel Jennifer Monk have represented numerous individuals and churches in cases involving freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of expression issues.
The firm's mission is to engage in cases that will uphold religious liberty and America's heritage and to educate Americans about their fundamental constitutional rights.
"We recognize that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles," Advocates for Faith and Freedom states in its website.
"In today's culture, that foundation is slowly being eroded by legal challenges to traditional family structure, religious freedom, basic property rights, and parental rights, and by other court decisions that have created a society increasingly devoid of the message and influence of God," it adds.
Advocates for Faith and Freedom is one of a number of faith-based legal groups that serve to defend the rights of Christians in America amid increasingly anti-religion trends. Others include the American Center for Justice and Liberty (ACLJ), Pacific Justice Institute, Liberty Counsel (LC), and Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which recently organized Pulpit Freedom Sunday – a controversial ministers' protest against the tax code that restricts their right to be "talking to their congregations about biblical issues related to candidates and elections."
Advocates has urged supporters to invite a friend or family member who may not know about them to the gala Saturday and share their ministry with them. The firm is also encouraging those unable to attend Justice '08 to support its mission by donating online or sending via mail a tax-deductible gift.
Cases that the Advocates is currently involved in include "Mindy Barlow, et al. v. Superior Court of San Diego," which stands up for a Bible study's equal access to meet in court facilities; "Praise Christian Center v. City of Huntington Beach," which seeks to uphold a church's rights to be treated equally with secular institutions when officials apply land use regulations; and "Harper v. Poway Unified School District," which defends freedom of speech for students in public high schools.
The group was also involved in San Francisco same-sex marriage cases that culminated with the California Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that turned California into the second state to legalize gay marriages.
Advocates has published a joint statement with ADF, the Pacific Justice Institute, and the Western Center for Law & Policy to California religious leaders regarding Proposition 8 to inform them of the "serious consequences" that they believe will result if the ballot initiative to outlaw same-sex marriage in California fails. Such consequences include challenges to non-profit status, forced hiring of homosexuals, and legal persecution for refusal to rent facilities to same-sex couples for marriage ceremonies.
All four groups have committed themselves to providing free legal advice and have made themselves available to answer legal questions related to Proposition 8.
On the Web:
Joint Statement to California Religious Leaders Regarding Proposition 8 at Advocates for Faith & Freedom's website, faith-freedom.com.
