by Gabriel Olivier • 2 minutes
My name is Gabriel Olivier, and my story starts ten years ago, when I decided to surrender my life to the one who died for me. It was only by the mercy of God that I became a Christian, and I told God that if He would change me, I would serve Him the rest of my life. Since then, I have been able to preach the Gospel all around the United States and the world. The passion to serve Christ publicly and bring souls into the Kingdom has been my driving force ever since.
This is where my Supreme Court story started five years ago, on a nondescript public sidewalk corner. I found myself at the Brandon Amphitheater with the intention of doing what I love the most: preaching the Gospel. Unfortunately, I was confronted with the reality of an unconstitutional ordinance that said I had no right to talk about my faith with the public at that location.
My unwillingness to submit to such tyranny resulted in my arrest, leading to the filing of a federal lawsuit against the city. To my surprise, I was denied my day in court by a federal judge who stated that my due process rights were invalidated, thanks to a 1994 Supreme Court precedent whose language never should have applied to me. To make matters worse, the Fifth Circuit upheld this ruling and also denied me my day in court. We were left with no other recourse: an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Due to much prayer and public support, my request was granted and we found ourselves sitting in front of the nine justices of the highest court in the nation. Sitting in my seat, occasionally glancing up to the top of the wall behind them to look at the carving of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, I contemplated the ramifications of this case for the American public. If we as citizens and Christians could be denied our right to free speech and our right to hold municipalities accountable for tyranny, do we really live in a free country?
Our day for oral arguments has passed. As we anxiously await their ruling, that question still looms large. We are trusting that the Supreme Court will send a message through their ruling that this is indeed still a free country that can thrive off of the blessings granted by God 250 years ago.
I am grateful for the hard work of First Liberty Institute and all those working with them to help me pursue justice in this case. It remains my hope that this will help further entrench constitutional rights for all of America.
Please join me in praying diligently over this case, its ramifications, and those who tirelessly labor to secure our religious liberties.
In the Service of the King,
Gabriel Olivier
“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty… is finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” – George Washington, 1789
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