Religious Liberty Issues

Click here to view our new topical listing of articles published in The Trumpet relating to religious liberty issues.

Post-Raid Articles 
wLetter - Request for Personal Property
wEDITORIAL - Pastor Gregory A. Dixon
wPetition for Redress of Grievance
wSimultaneous petition drive,  200 cities,  launched on 3/6/01
wIBT RAIDED - by Dr. Greg Dixon
wChurch Leaders Call Seizure a Betrayal
wState/National Legislators Must Check Judicial Tyranny
wHow the Federal Courts pitched curve to the NT churches
wMarshal Anderson Who Led Raid On IBT Is Fired
wThe Not-so-kind Marshals
wEverything I've Ever Known Is Gone
wIBT SEIZED - Day 92

IBT Daily Updates - Operation Occupy

IBT vs. IRS - News Releases

UPDATE (11/22) - To the Members of Congress

UPDATE (11/21) - PRESS RELEASE

UPDATE (11/20) - Scenes from the Sunday services

UPDATE (11/17) - POSTED: Emergency motion submitted to the US Supreme Court

UPDATE (11/15) - Scenes from the Church

POSTED (11/14) - To the US Marshals

UPDATE (11/13) FINAL DENIAL - Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist Denies final appeal for Stay

UPDATE (11/9) - IBT Files Stay with Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist

UPDATE (11/8) - Supreme Court Justice Stevens Denies Stay

UPDATE (11/7) - IBT files Stay with US Supreme Court

Update (11/1) - IBT files Stay with 7th Circuit Chief Justice

Update (10/30) - IRS vs. IBT

SIX SERIOUS ERRORS WITH THE A.A.C.S. REPORT ON THE INDIANAPOLIS BAPTIST TEMPLE
A response to an article on the American Association of Christian School's website.
 

A REBUTTAL TO INDIANAPOLIS BAPTIST TEMPLE: RIGHT OR WRONG?
Senior Pastor Greg A. Dixon
On April 5, 2001, I received a kind personal letter from Brother Mike Randall, editor of The Baptist Preacher, along with two copies of the publication. After reading the article, "Indianapolis Baptist Temple: Right or Wrong," I thoroughly disagreed with his conclusions. I also regretted that he had not personally called me which would have resolved some of the misunderstanding in regards to our stand for Christ. However, I did appreciate the Christian grace which was exhibited toward my father, Dr. Dixon, and myself while disagreeing with our position. In my remarks I will do my best to be as kind.

As most of us know, this debate over the incorporation of churches has been going on for nearly 18 years. It has polarized and separated friends of a lifetime, which saddens me greatly. I wrote Dr. Dowell many years ago and thanked him for the influence of Baptist Bible College in my life. I am still a proud graduate of the class of 1977. However, scriptural truth does separate us sometimes and unfortunately we must allow it. [more]

Revisiting Romans 13
a commentary by IBT Senior Pastor Greg A. Dixon
In recent years, Christians in particular have interpreted Romans 13 as a command for unlimited submission to government by God. Many proponents of this belief have sat passively by, in the soft pews of their place of worship, while evil has triumphed in most areas of family and church life. In our pacifistic smugness, many have allowed government to become god without even knowing. Yet, when confronted with the true meaning of Romans 13, absurd accusations are shouted in religious rhetoric toward those who would dare to break an unjust law or even to question the almighty government. The opponents of unlimited submission to government are deemed as rebellious, anarchist and disobedient. However, there is no practical, historical or biblical consistency in the shallow arguments of these simpletons. [more]

RENDER UNTO CAESAR....
Senior Pastor Greg A. Dixon
Over the course of a lifetime, there are many scriptures in the Bible that are misused and misunderstood based usually on one's preconceived ideas. As an individual who was born a Baptist, raised a Baptist, called to be a Baptist preacher, and will most likely die a Baptist, I also have had to lay aside some preconceived ideas in order to truly know the meaning of scripture.

Many years ago a godly Nazarene preacher told me, "Greg, don't change your doctrine until you have to." Well, sometimes one has to in order to be honest with the truth. In my experience as a pastor, one of those misused and misunderstood scriptures is, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's..." The reason for this confusion is that we have not rightly divided the word of truth. [more]

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT OUTLAWS THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH IN AMERICA, REFUSES TO HEAR BAPTIST TEMPLE CASE 
By Dr. Greg Dixon
January 16, 2001 no doubt will remain forever in the annals of church history as the day that religious liberty died in the United States of America. On that day the entire nine justices of the United States met to determine whether to hear the case of U.S. v. Indianapolis Baptist Temple. It was unanimous, they refused to hear it, which means that the decision of the three judge panel on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago against the church will stand. Technically it is not the law of the land but only in the Seventh Circuit. However from a practical standpoint the U.S. Government is already using the Baptist Temple case against other churches through out the nation. [more]

News Archive Page
Contains all posted articles from:
-After the Raid
-Operation Occupy
-IRS vs. IBT

ADDITIONAL LETTERS OF NOTE
wIBT ARCHIVE REPRINT
State Churches Through Incorporation and Taxation

THE RAPING OF THE BRIDE
by Dr. Greg J. Dixon

INDIANAPOLIS BAPTIST TEMPLE OWES NO TAXES
a letter from the Pastor