Pastor Matthew Meinecke of Seattle was arrested by local law enforcement for being obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ and sharing the gospel of salvation during two public events back during the summer of 2022. However, Meinecke is getting some good news this week as First Liberty, which is a Christian legal advocacy group, entered a consent order in the pastor’s case against Seattle.
According to The Christian Tribune, this action resulted in a total victory for Meinecke, which means he can now freely preach the Word of God and share his faith publicly without fear of being arrested by authorities. It’s shame that such a thing ever happened here in the United States. Our Founding Fathers would have been furious with such a move by a local government.
The inciting incident was a pro-abortion rally. Meinecke attended the event to read aloud from scripture, pass out literature, and carry a sign. Violent protestors stole Meinecke’s Bible, tore pages out of it, and threw them on the ground while screaming obscenities. At the time, he stated “[This is a] Hate Crime, this needs to be investigated. I demand someone take action and press charges. My bibles were destroyed in hate for my Christian beliefs.”
If a bunch of Christians stole a liberal’s copy of “Rules For Radicals” or some other classic work like something by Karl Marx, and began shredding it to pieces, they would be screaming and crying all over social media and in protests across the country about how they were being silenced and oppressed. Which would be true. And yet, that same standard doesn’t apply when they are doing that to a Christian or conservative.
Footage taken of the incident features a protestor screeching, “Get the [expletive] out of here. You understand me?” Another yelled, “Get your holy water off my ovaries, [expletive]! Get the [expletive] out!”
Pastor Meinecke was taken into custody twice while preaching the gospel after it triggered hostile reactions from activists who gathered in the area.
The protestors launched as they stomped on the pastor’s bible. When he bent down to retrieve his tattered Bible, he told the attackers “If this was a Quran, you would not have done that.” The hecklers responded, “No because they wouldn’t be here doing this.” Someone else chimed in, “We actually would have.” Another assailant told the pastor to “forget about your imaginary fairy in the [expletive] sky.” The crowd, which featured multiple Antifa members, was determined to create a scene. After they seized Meinecke’s Bible and ripped out pages, the hostile crowd knocked Meinecke down and stole one of his shoes. When the authorities finally arrived at the scene, they ordered Meinecke to leave. When he refused, police arrested the pastor. Nothing was ever done to the assailants.
After the conclusion of the legal proceedings, the pastor was awarded legal relief. This was in addition to monetary damages for the two false arrests. He was also paid for his legal fees. In April of last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Pastor Meinecke. They concluded that the city’s policy amounts to an unconstitutional heckler’s veto. The court remanded the case with instructions for the district court to enter a preliminary injunction for Meinecke.
They stated, “The restrictions on his speech were content-based heckler’s vetoes, where officers curbed his speech once the audience’s hostile reaction manifested” and that “Meineke established irreparable harm because a loss of First Amendment freedoms constitutes an irreparable injury, and the balance of equities and public interest favors Meinecke.”
Here’s to hoping Meinecke remains faithful and continues to preach the full truth of the gospel to those who desperately need a Savior.
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