While drag queens performed and twerked for children, four Christians were arrested in Wisconsin last week, one of them for simply reading the Bible on a public sidewalk. It happened during a drag queen event called Pride in the Park where children were being sexualized.
Marcus Schroeder was arrested for standing on a public sidewalk while reading the Bible out loud, and the video has gone viral. The back of his t-shirt reads: “I will stand for truth even if I stand alone.”
Understand this was not in some communist country led by a dictator or under a totalitarian regime where free speech is censored. Or was it?
It happened in Watertown, Wisconsin USA where police seem to believe it’s against the law to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, but it’s okay for adult men dressed as women to flaunt their sexuality and gyrate to entertain young children.
In the video of Marcus Schroeder’s arrest, you can see police officers approaching as he is reading the Bible over a loudspeaker. One of the officers grabbed the microphone away from him and they told Schroeder he was arrested – without any warning – for violating a sound ordinance about noise amplification. Who knew?
Jason Storms, the minister of evangelism at Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin said his daughter was among those who were arrested. Storms stated:
“Rather than arrest those sexualizing children – the police arrested four Christians exercising their First Amendment rights including my daughter and one of my sons-in-law.”
Apparently, the city gave orders to the police to arrest people, three of them for the crime of praying and talking to attendees of the drag event because they were inside the park. They were arrested earlier in the day.
But wait! The event was supposedly open to the public! It took place in a public park. But if you’re a Christian who believes the Bible is true and who talks to people about repenting of their sin to be saved, enter at your own risk.
The police presence was there to provide security for the drag performers – in lingerie – as they pranced in front of young children, children who were invited to give them dollar bills like they would a stripper.
What’s also interesting is according to Wisconsin law, it is a felony to cause a minor under the age of 13 to view or listen to sexual activity. Have they redefined what ‘sexual’ means? Also according to the article, if the minor is under 18, it is a class H felony.
No comment about the ordinance from the police when pastor Matt Trewhella educated them on the law and the doctrine of lesser magistrates.
The young Christian men knew their rights and stood their ground. Marcus Schroeder has no regrets about being arrested for speaking God’s Word.
He states:
“It was worth it. It’s actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of …Christ and his kingdom,”
One reason the event made some headlines is there were also some Nazi sympathizers at the drag show. To be crystal clear, they were not associated or affiliated with Mercy Seat Christian Church in any way. The media did not do their homework. Some of the Christians there were sharing the gospel with members of that group as well.
I call this equal opportunity evangelism. They were preaching the good news to drag queens, deceived parents, police, and to the masked Nazi minions.
Naturally, Wisconsin’s leftist Governor, Tony Evers rebuked the Nazis (and the Christians indirectly) while posting a statement defending the drag event and supporting child groomers. He emphasized that LGBTQ individuals deserve to be treated with “dignity, decency, kindness, and respect,” which none of us would disagree with.
Stating that drag queens and LGBT people are victims, however, Evers said, “They deserve to be safe being who they are without fear or threat of shame, harassment, intimidation, or violence.”
So, just be who you are? Very profound and redundant, governor. His comments imply the gospel brings shame, Christians are harassing and intimidating, and the drag queen community fears verbal violence.
An interesting opportunity arose from this fiasco. If you already liked Marcus Schroeder’s compassion and courage, you’re going to love him now. He addressed the city council last week and used the platform to preach the gospel.
“As a Christian, I can say what the Nazis did in Nazi Germany was horrific and they should have been resisted. In fact, the number one people group who resisted the Nazis were Christian,” he noted. “The reason why was [Christians] had a worldview that said people are made in God’s image, and they have worth and value. That’s why Nazism is wrong.”
But Schroeder said something we should really pay attention to and prepare to see more of. He wasn’t being hateful. He wasn’t reading from Romans 1 or explaining why homosexuality was a sin according to Scripture. He was sharing verses from Galatians.
He explained:
I was reading a passage from the Bible about love. And I was arrested. No reason. Not given any warning. Not told anything about my amplification being turned down. I was arrested and taken into custody simply for reading the Bible on the sidewalk.”
In America, this used to be a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. People were allowed to speak about issues and voice opinions in public. Not anymore, apparently. It seems Biden Democrats are abusing power and using law enforcement to bully and intimidate Christians and conservatives.
Here’s the key takeaway from a wise Christian young man:
“You see as we become more and more tolerant of sexual immorality in our culture, we’ve become more and more intolerant towards Christian morality,” Schroeder said. “And the more we become intolerant of Christian morality, the more we are going to see lawlessness in our streets…
Godlessness, lawlessness, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:4). Perilous times.
He concludes with truth about accountability and judgement:
“We can have our disagreements, but there comes a time when we have to understand that we are all going to stand before God one day…”We going to have to give an account of what we have done with the children in our society; the innocent minds and the children who deserve to be protected.”
Sadly, but not at all surprising in Marxist America, the Bible believers in this case were seen as a hate group, and told they just don’t understand the other side even though several of the church members had long, respectful discussions with LGBTQ activists.
Jason Storms said the incident has encouraged him and his fellow church members toward “further boldness.” A good reminder to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10).”
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
By the way, The Sentinel contacted Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland and Police Chief Robert Kaminski regarding the charges against Schroeder, as well as whether the performers of the drag event would be charged for violating the statute against “sexually explicit conduct.”
We’re not holding our breath.
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Riverside Park in Watertown, Wisconsin. The police – rather than arresting those sexualizing children – arrested four Christians who were exercising their first amendment rights, including Pastor Matt Trewhella’s minor daughter. Pastor Matt Trewhella engaged the police at that point by exhorting them regarding the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. Click here to listen to a 2-minute video clip of what he said.
