Why One Colorado City Deems 'Jesus' Ad Too Offensive

Who would have thought the words "Jesus Is Lord" would cause a huge battle between a pastor and the City of Colorado Springs? Well, it did.
 
Pastor Lawson Perdue, with Charis Christian Center, started a campaign three years ago to place ads on dozens of bus benches across his city. Several of the benches had the phrases "Celebrate Jesus," "Experience Jesus," and "Jesus Is Lord" written on them.
 
"We believe that Jesus is a very positive message of faith, and we want to share that around our community," Perdue told local TV station KRDO.
 
But now Colorado Springs city officials have told Perdue that because someone complained and said the name "Jesus" was too offensive, he will no longer be allowed to place the ads on bus benches.
 
"I asked them why we could no longer use the name Jesus. They said it's because, 'If you use the name of Jesus, we must allow hate messaging,'" Perdue told KKTV.
 
When Perdue went to renew his advertising contract, which expires at the end of June, he was told by city officials that the word "Jesus" had to be removed.
 
"The issue is not that they are not allowing us to advertise," Perdue wrote on a Facebook post. "But they are not allowing us to advertise the name JESUS!".
 
Perdue says this an "attack on the First Amendment rights of all citizens of the United States of America" and is threatening the city with a free speech lawsuit.
 
"There's a lot of messages in the city that I'm opposed to personally, but I don't complain because this is the United States of America," Perdue told KRDO TV.

Evangelist Franklin Graham weighed in on the controversy, writing on Facebook: "It seems it's okay for everyone else to have freedom of speech except Christians. What would you do if this happened in your town?"
 
Graham said "our country is in serious trouble" and asked followers to "pray for Christians enduring discrimination right here in the United States."
 
A spokeswoman for the Mountain Metro Transit said in a statement hat they were reviewing their advertising policy "in relation to the requirements of the First Amendment Establishment Clause."