CHRISTIAN TEACHER FIRES BACK – SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT
CHRISTIAN TEACHER FIRES BACK – SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT
A Christian physical education teacher is fighting back after his Virginia school district suspended him for voicing opposition to newly implemented transgender-affirming policies that he said violated his religious beliefs.
Tanner Cross, who teaches at Leesburg Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave by Loudon County Public Schools last week after he declared in a speech before the school board that he would not “defile” God and “lie” to his students by affirming that “a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa.
During the speech, Cross calmly and respectfully explained that it would be a violation of his religious beliefs for him to abide by the new reforms — which require staff to use a student’s preferred gender pronouns and allows transgender students to participate in activities consistent with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
“It’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God,” he said.
Shortly after he delivered the speech, Cross was informed by the district that he had been placed on administrative leave “pending an investigation of allegations that [he] engaged in conduct that had a disruptive impact on the operations of Leesburg Elementary School.” . . .
On Tuesday, Cross filed a lawsuit against the district in response to their actions, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, the law firm representing him in the case.
ADF reported that it sent a letter to the district on Friday “explaining that placing Tanner on leave and barring him from campus because of his constitutionally protected speech constituted illegal retaliation.” The firm requested that Tanner be reinstated and warned the district that future retaliation would elicit legal action.
But in response, the district said it stood by its decision to suspend Tanner and would not reinstate him prior to completion of the investigation, prompting the lawsuit to be brought.
“Public schools have no business compelling teachers to express ideological beliefs that they don’t hold, nor do they have the right to suspend someone simply for respectfully providing their opinion at a public meeting,” ADF senior counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a statement.
“The school district favors a certain set of beliefs on a hotly contested issue, and it wants to force Tanner to cry uncle and endorse them as well. That’s neither legal nor constitutional, and neither was the school’s move to place Tanner on leave,” he added.
Can we all pray that the Lord would protect this teacher who is trying to stand by what the Bible says! Please write all prayers in comments below to encourage his friends and family!
(Excerpt from Blaze Media. Article by Phil Shiver. Photo by UnSplash)
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Comments
Father- Thank you for granting Mr. Cross courage and a heart that stands in truth. We ask your blessing of grace,protection,provision and strength to be on him and his family. May his courage spread and light a fire under others who are also being compelled to deny reality. Help teachers and social workers and others in places of influence to speak up.
Lord- only you can change hearts. Holy Spirit we need you to infuse us with holy boldness and wisdom. May we be so grounded in your word that we will be like Martin Luther and say, “Here I stand- I can do no other- so help me God.”
Dear Mr. Tanner,
Thank you for standing for truth. May the Lord continue to be your strength, your refuge, and the One who trains your arms for battle. Thank you for loving your students enough to be honest with them about the truth of how God created them male and female. May God protect you and your family as well as your pastor and his family, and the church you are part of. The Lord goes before and behind you. You are like a lighthouse exposing the truth of where not to land.
“In You, Lord my God, I put my trust.
I trust in You; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame., but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause…
Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hop, Lord, is in You.” Psalm 25: 1,2,20-21 NIV
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thin that exalts itself agains the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. . .” II Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV
“I cannot choose but adhere to the Word of God, which has possession of my conscience; nor can I possibly, nor will I even make any recantation, since it is neither safe nor honest to act contrary to conscience. Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God. Amen” Martin Luther, April 1521
Dear Mr. Tanner,
As a fellow educator in NY please know I stand with you in this fight against truth that is being perpetrated against the students of our nation.
Father God, You are the way, the truth, and the light! I pray that you will surround Connor and his family as they stand on these biblical truths. As he enters the arena and battles against principalities & spiritual darkness that are trying to destroy traditional family values and your word.
May Tanner feel your presence, be filled with your peace and strength as he shines Your light of truth into this darkness.
Guide his legal team as they begin the process offighting this battles in the court system. Provide for his financial needs and set a hedge of protection around him and his family.
I also pray for the school board, schools district, & the judges that will hear the case, as well as those who read about this case. Lord that you will use it to turn the hearts of many to the truth of Your creation, male & female you made them. Let the scales of deception fall from their hearts & eyes as we stand upon Your word! Amen.
Lord we join with this teacher in prayer locking hands , heart , and , Faith … We believe you are a way maker, a God of impossibilities so may we see your hand of Justice move for this brave teacher! Their are many prayer warriors praying for this gender identity taught in school
To be cancelled in Jesus name .
Dear God Almighty, through your precious son, Jesus Christ, Please take down the Illuminati and the Luciferian agenda and come quickly. Deliver our children from this insanity! Help us parents show them the love of Jesus so that they would come! Thank you God! Marantha!
Please pray for my daughter who never showed signs of being gay and has been programmed into what has now seeped into the Gay community from the illuminati and she is demanding us all to call her they/them and Elliot. I have tried to explain to her that even Gays and Lesbians speak out against nonbinary and these pronouns, that they were never part of the community. But, her and her friend since childhood(who is influencing her) yell at me that even gays can be transphobic. (Another program given to them on the internet etc.)They explain if we do not call them by their pronouns that they literally feel suicidal and have suicidal thoughts. So we are going with their choice of names and pronouns because most children grow out of this- about 88% of females and 96% of males go back to their original gender! The whole thing is actually dangerous as far as how the Demonic is influencing them to be suicidal if we do not. Both of them hate Christians and have been programmed by the media to feel that way. My daughter picked out the name Elliot without knowing it means Elijah / The Lord is my God! Please pray for Lily who wants to be called Elliot and Maple who wants to be called Saturn. Pray for their deliverance! Thank you so much. NO one knows how hard this is until you deal with the rebellion and the suicide attempts etc. I received in prayer that Lily will eventually know Jesus and surrender all! I would rather it be sooner than later as this is turmoil in our home!
I am so very sorry for you.
Do not be sorry! Please pray if you do. I was given in fasting that She WILL know Jesus in His time! I am praying it be sooner than later! I do have a born again Christian friend she is very bonded with that she occasionally asks questions about God with. 96% of boys and 88% of girls grow out of this! God is using it to grow me as a Christian. We cannot understand how to truly love like Jesus does or how to truly be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove without these challenges. God bless you exceedingly.
Father
We cry out to you on behalf of Lily and Maple. We ask that you would open their eyes to the truth of who you are. It is only by you ,Holy Spirit, that the impossible is done. You are the One who comes to convict of sin, righteousness and judgement. You are the One who opens blind eyes and softens hard hearts. Please Lord have mercy and speak into their lives in the way that will help them to truly hear. You have plans for them. You made them to bring you glory.
We lift up this home to you.grant wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent. Grant a way to show your love that speaks louder than words. Grant your grace and tender love for wounded hearts. Jesus you are the One who overcame the evil one. You are the One who lives to make intercession for us. You are the Good Shepherd. We find what we need in you today.
Thankyou! I agree!
Lord I pray strength for the family dealing with this sinister issue. We bind this gender confusing spirit that twists the minds of our young people. I loose truth and understanding to them. I pray for an uprising of people to speak out against this nonsense and show with conviction the horrors of this false ideology and how destructive it is to the victims.
I know two families affected by this evil ideology. The distress financially and personally is overwhelming. The time wasted on this issue robs these young people of having a productive life. One is realizing after all the time, money and surgery, it’s not so easy living as a man in a women’s body, and mind. She had no idea how different males are to females and how difficult it would be working with adolescent boys that make fun of her looks and show no respect. Once the enemy has them deceived, then he comes with depression and despair. Lord, wake up our nation and our churches. Remove the blinders from the eyes of those lost in the fog of deception. Show us how depravity comes when Your presence is removed. Show our nation the need for You to direct us in the ways which are right and good and the sorrow and heartache that comes through man’s wisdom.
I know of all these issues. I ask that you cry out for my daughter Lily ( And also for Maple) with ALL your heart and soul that she will know Jesus sooner than later as I did get in prayer after fasting 8 days that she WILL know Jesus in His time! AMEN! All Glory to God!
Father , I pray for Your calling to be placed on the lives of Lily and Maple. Bring your presence thru others who know you to them. Open their hearts for them to see the emptiness there and give them a yearning to seek you. Use the suffering in their lives to conclude their must be a better way to live. I pray you release them from the bondage of this confusion and bring them to the truth. In Jesus name.
Thank you so much! God bless you exceedingly, In Jesus’s name!
Lord JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY I pray that you would give Mr. Tanner comfort, peace and above all strength to stand up against these evils May their plans fail against Mr. Tanner and if this goes further May his legal team and case prosper and win this legal battle as we are not to conform to this evil world. Protect his family and legal team May no weapon formed against them prosper. We pray this in the POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY NAME AMEN 🙏🏽 THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER FOR HEARING OUR PRAYERS
Lord God,
Thank You for giving Mr. Cross courage and strength to stand for Truth. Please us him to motivate many other teachers and parents to do the same. You created us male and female. Those are the only genders and anything else is in violation of Your design. Lord, give us all we need through Your Holy Spirit to hold fast to Your Word. We ask in Jesus Name, Amen
Father, I pray that this would be a Joseph experience of evil being turned to good for Mr Cross.
Encourage him in his brave stance and be his protector and deliverer and send Your angels to wage warfare in the demonic realm.
Mr Cross. ALL things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes. I applaud your stance. Hold fast and see the salvation of the Lord even if it may look different to what you desire or expect.
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, I pray first of all thanking you for Mr Tanner and his boldness and speaking up for you and 4 his beliefs that he holds so strong. I pray Lord God that you would bless him and honor him for his bold stance and thank you for giving him the words to speak in his time of need as you promised in your word. I pray that you continue to give him the boldness and the calm demeanor that he needs to stand against this group I thank you that your name will be known in his school district. I pray for those that are confused by their their gender that they feel like they belong to somebody else’s body or another gender. I pray that you be with those students that should not be making this decision at their age. I pray that for those that are confused about their gender that you would give them the the knowledge and the wisdom to know that you created them to be a boy or you created them to be a girl and help them to embrace that. I pray that you would love them and that your love would come through Christians Lord not judgment but love to these people that they may turn back to you or to you for the first time. And that although we take a stand against the things that don’t agree in your word, we still could be able to demonstrate the love of Christ 2 people that desperately need you. I pray for Mister Tanner I pray that he would win this case. I pray that the school district will have their eyes opened as well I pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Amen
Mr Cross,
God richly bless you and your family for your courage to stand for God’s truth regarding this matter. For sure, God is on the side of truth and righteousness ~ He is both Victor and Victory over every ungodly, harmful agenda and He fights for us and beside us!
ABBA Father, we lift up Mr. Tanner to you as he boldly represents You in all glory! May he continue his powerful commission for You! May his voice be heard & may those currently in authority open their ears to hear. May they not be blinded by societal changes against You, Lord! May Mr. Tanner stand firm in his beliefs & You give him & his family Your Hedge of Protection.
Bless this man Lord as we Bless You ABBA Father.
Amen🙏
God bless you, Mr. Tanner, for standing up for yourself and for your students.