On Monday Family Council Action Committee released an open letter from ministers and church leaders opposed to Issue 4, a proposed state constitutional amendment authorizing four casinos in Arkansas.
As ministers and leaders in Arkansas, one of our primary responsibilities is to lead God’s people and protect them from any and all forms of harm and danger. That is why we are each signing this letter in opposition to the proposed ballot measure Issue 4.
Issue 4 would amend our state’s constitution to legalize casino gambling in Arkansas. This is not a political issue or an economic issue. This is a social and moral issue. Passing Issue 4 quite literally would wreck families and ruin lives in Arkansas.
Casino gambling is tied to crime, bankruptcy, homelessness, domestic violence, divorce, and suicide. Countless children have gone hungry and been neglected, living in poverty, because of a parent’s gambling addiction.
It is our sincere conviction that legalizing casino gambling in Arkansas will harm the families and communities we are called to serve. As Christians, we are instructed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Issue 4 would hurt our neighbors and their loved ones. For this reason, we oppose Issue 4 and we hope that other Arkansans will as well.
Altogether, 118 ministers and church leaders signed the letter, including former Baptist pastor and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; Pastor Ronnie Floyd; and Pastor Greg Sykes, President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
