The Freedom From Religion Foundation is on the war path after Texas Judge Tammy Kemp shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.
Guyger, a four-year veteran of the police department, had just been convicted of killing her neighbor. She had entered Botham Jean's apartment last year thinking it was her own and shot the man twice.
After sentencing, Judge Kemp, a devout Christian, left the courtroom and came back with a copy of the Bible. She presented the Bible to the convicted murderer. Click here to watch the video.
"You can have [my Bible]. I have three or four more at home. This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month. Right here. John: 3:16. And this is where you start, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life," the judge told the former police officer.
“He has a purpose for you. This will strengthen you. You just need a tiny mustard seed of faith. You start with this," she continued.
And then the convicted killer and the judge embraced.
“It’s not because I’m good. It’s because I believe in Christ. I’m not so good. You haven’t done as much as you think you have, and you can be forgiven. You did something bad in one moment in time. What you do now matters.”
It was a quite extraordinary moment.
But the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a formal complaint with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct alleging Judge Kemp violated the law.
“It violates the constitutional separation between state and church for a sitting judge to promote personal religious beliefs while acting in her official capacity,” the letter reads. “She was in a government courtroom, dressed in a judicial robe, with all of the imprimatur of the state, including armed law enforcement officers, preaching to someone who was quite literally a captive audience. Delivering Bibles, Bible studies and personal witness as a judge is an abuse of power.”
First Liberty Institute, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases, condemned the Freedom From Religion Foundation's cold-hearted hate.
“FFRF is protesting Judge Kemp rather than joining the rest of the nation celebrating the compassion and mercy Judge Kemp demonstrated," First Liberty's Hiram Sasser told Starnes Media. "We should all be thankful the law allows Judge Kemp’s actions and we stand with her and will gladly lead the charge in defending her noble and legal actions.”
Judge Kemp demonstrated to the nation that while actions have consequences, there is also a path to redemption.
Judge Kemp was blessed with the wisdom of Solomon. She applied the rule of law and afterwards, she administered grace and compassion.
We could use a heckuva lot more of that in America these days.