Agency Retracts Statements Muzzling Iowa Churches on Homosexuality

An Iowa civil rights agency now says it will not dictate what churches can or cannot say about homosexuality. 

Iowa expanded its civil rights law to include sexual orientation and gender identity in 2007. The Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) ensures that anyone who discriminates against someone based on their sexual orientation or preferred gender identity would be brought to court, including churches.

That means the government could legally prevent churches from teaching the biblical perspective on sexuality from the pulpit.

First Liberty Institute, the largest legal organization in the nation, protested the law. The group sent a "demand letter" calling on the "retraction of all prior statements regarding the ability of the state to interfere with churches' doctrine and operation."

"The First Amendment was written to protect the rights of churches to teach and live out their faith without fear of government intrusion," Kelly Shackleford, president of First Liberty Institute, said.

The Iowa Civil Rights commission apologized in a statement on their website, saying it "has not done anything to suggest it would be enforcing these laws against ministers in the pulpit, and there has been no new publication or statement from the ICRC raising the issue."

Not only has there not been any new publication raising the issue, the ICRC has since retracted previous statements suggesting churches would be muffled for espousing biblical views on marriage.

The agency published a brochure explaining that churches are generally exempt from certain provisions of the law. The law would apply if the church offered services open to the public like a childcare facility.