Call it a sign of the times: the town leaders of Chichester, New Hampshire moved recently to short-circuit plans by a local non-profit to put up a roadside electronic message sign on its own private property.
Signs for Jesus wanted to display Bible verses on the six-by-four-foot sign – a different verse every day – and since a number of other businesses along the same public road flash regular electronic messages of their own, the idea seemed harmless enough. In fact, the previous owner of the property, a woodworking shop, had maintained a non-electronic sign of similar size in virtually the same spot.
But the town planning board took a dim view of this particular sign, which some worried would flash “objectionable” Scriptures. One board member expressed concern that, because the sign would communicate a message, it might be more distracting to drivers than comparable signs that “just inform drivers about the price of gas.”
“If motorist reaction is a serious concern, the town would be better off banning displays of the current price of gas,” says ADF Senior Counsel Joseph Infranco. Nevertheless, he adds, “Town officials may not single out religious content over concerns on how passing motorists will react. Christian organizations shouldn’t be censored by a city’s zoning officials because the messages of their street signs happen to be religious in nature.”
After numerous appeals, planning officials eventually approved the sign unanimously – but then, on February 9, denied site plan approval in a 4-3 decision, still citing concerns that lit-up Bible verses might create a traffic hazard by distracting drivers on a busy road.
With that in mind, ADF allied attorney Michael J. Tierney of Manchester (one of nearly 1,900 attorneys in the ADF alliance) filed a lawsuit on March 14 against Chichester officials, citing their violation of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person Act, which prohibits the government from singling out nonprofit religious organizations for discrimination in zoning matters.
Please be in prayer for this case, and for so many like it all over the country, where local officials are moving more and more aggressively to inhibit the witness and community involvement of churches, ministries, and Christian non-profits.
AUTHOR: ALAN SEARS
