Pastor Vows to Keep Presenting Truth About Homosexuality

by Allie Martin
July 14, 2004

(AgapePress) - A Wisconsin pastor vows to continue to fight for the right to hold public demonstrations about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle despite a recent court ruling.

Last fall Pastor Ralph Ovadal, director of Wisconsin Christians United, was ordered off two different pedestrian overpasses in Madison as he and other believers held up banners stating, "Homosexuality is sin" and "Christ can set you free."

Ovadal had asked the courts to issue an injunction against the city to stop the authorities from harassing him or interfering with his free-speech rights. But during a hearing last week, federal Judge John Shabaz ruled against the pastor's request.

Nate Kellum is an attorney with the Center for Inalienable Rights (CIR), which represented the minister in the recent case. He says Ovadal will not stop fighting for his First Amendment rights.

"The problem that he has now is that he doesn't want to be arrested," Kellum explains. "What he wants to be able to do is speak his peace about homosexuality without fear of arrest, and that's the relief he's trying to obtain in federal court."

By all appearances Judge Shabaz had already made up his mind before he even heard the case, the lawyer with CIR recalls. He says, "What we noted is that immediately after hearing whatever evidence and legal argument we were able to put before him in that limited time frame, immediately, without any deliberation, without any consideration of what had just been put before him, he rendered his decision. He read from an order that he had previously written, ruling against us."

Nevertheless, Kellum says Ovadal will continue to seek relief through the court system. Meanwhile, the attorney says the Christian pastor will continue to publicly proclaim God's truth about homosexuality.