A telescope is something that magnifies an object it’s focused on. That is exactly what Carl and Angel Larsen aimed to do with Telescope Media Group.
“Our goal was not just to use our talents to point people to Jesus,” Carl said, “but to give them a better perspective on who He really is.”
Consistent with the mission of their business and their heart for marriage, Carl and his wife, Angel, wanted to create films celebrating weddings and give people a better understanding of God that way.
They know that storytelling has the power to change hearts and minds.
“… what the Bible teaches on marriage is that it’s really a vehicle for us to understand who God is… He calls Himself the bridegroom and we’re the bride, we’re His people. He even describes His relationship with the church in terms of marriage,” Carl explained.
The focus on marriage, however, could have placed this couple at risk of penalties if they did not choose to create films recognizing same-sex relationships as well. And those penalties were not some slap on the wrist. Possible punishments would’ve included payment of a civil penalty to the state, triple compensatory damages, punitive damages up to $25,000, a criminal penalty up to $1000, and, perhaps most shockingly, up to 90 days in jail.
Who are Carl and Angel Larsen?
Carl and Angel Larsen are a Christian couple, parents of eight children, and filmmakers. On top of that, they are incredibly hospitable. Carl and Angel love people, and they interact with many people from a variety of backgrounds.
“We go to a lot of effort to be sure we’re exposed to people who are different from us. . . who hold different political views, different religious backgrounds, or are members of the LGBT community. We love having people in our home who don’t agree with us—getting to know them, and doing life together,” Carl said.
The Larsens have a 12-foot table signed by the various guests they have welcomed into their home. Carl and Angel have also met with couples to guide them through pre-marital counseling, and Carl has even officiated two weddings.
As an outpouring of their love for God and for people, Carl and Angel wanted to use their storytelling abilities to highlight the picture of God in marriage.
“We want to tell stories about the glory of God in marriage—because not many people are, and we think there are stories there that are worth being told. We want to tell stories that glorify God, and marriage is made to do that,” Carl said.
Despite their obvious love for others, including those who are different from them or with whom they disagree, Carl and Angel ran up against a problem.
“We’ve come to a place in our society where you’re considered evil if you disagree,” Angel said. While the Larsens can testify to being loving despite disagreeing, a law in their home state of Minnesota would have forced them to violate their religious beliefs in the name of “tolerance.”
Minnesota threatened Carl and Angel’s free speech & religious freedoms
As they considered using Telescope Media Group to focus on weddings over the other events and films they had been working on, Carl and Angel learned of a Minnesota law that forced people to create art for same-sex relationships if they created art celebrating marriage between one man and one woman.
The Minnesota Human Rights Department was vocal and aggressive, stating that it intended to enforce this law, with fines and possible jail time as penalties.
Carl and Angel had a choice to make: Tell marriage stories that violate their conscience, violate the law and suffer the severe consequences, or censor themselves and make no films about marriage. To the Larsens, these were no options. They could not violate their religious beliefs, and they felt led to create art glorifying God in the beautiful institution of marriage. Carl and Angel would not violate the law, either.
So they reached out to Alliance Defending Freedom and filed a pre-enforcement challenge, challenging the law before it had been used against them. Carl and Angel knew the law violated their rights, and they did not have to risk their consciences or be punished in order to challenge it.
Carl and Angel express their own messages in their films
ADF filed a lawsuit on behalf of Telescope Media Group in December 2016 to challenge the Minnesota law that would force them to express messages that violate their religious beliefs. The district court dismissed the case in September 2017, saying Carl and Angel were just conduits for other people’s speech. This, however, is simply not the case. Carl and Angel made abundantly clear that they would work with all people but could not create films that promote all messages. In fact, the Larsens would make editorial decisions based on the story’s message, not a client’s personal characteristics.
“They speak their own messages through their films—messages they control by exercising significant editorial control over their projects from beginning to end,” Jake Warner, Senior Counsel with ADF, explained.
“Artistic output is incredibly personal. There’s an aesthetic, a perspective in everything you do—that’s baked into the process. You’re directing things, making a choice about the speech, the point of view, and what it communicates,” Carl said.
A court upholds Carl and Angel’s free speech and religious freedoms
Continuing the efforts to uphold Carl and Angel’s rights, ADF appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.
Praise God, the 8th Circuit ruled in August 2019 that the district court should not have dismissed the case. The 8th Circuit also said that the district court should consider whether the law should be blocked from enforcement against them in light of Carl and Angel’s free speech and free exercise claims.
Perhaps most importantly, the court noted the obvious issues with these sorts of government mandates: “Indeed, if Minnesota were correct, there is no reason it would have to stop with the Larsens. In theory, it could use the MHRA to require a Muslim tattoo artist to inscribe ‘My religion is the only true religion’ on the body of a Christian if he or she would do the same for a fellow Muslim, or it could demand that an atheist musician perform at an evangelical church service. In fact, if Minnesota were to do what other jurisdictions have done and declare political affiliation or ideology to be a protected characteristic, then it could force a Democratic speechwriter to provide the same services to a Republican, or it could require a professional entertainer to perform at rallies for both the Republican and Democratic candidates for the same office.”
Two months later, the district court blocked the law from being enforced against Carl and Angel.
Minnesota was unconstitutionally controlling artistic expression and trampling on religious freedom. Thankfully, the court recognized this.
“A government that tells you what you can’t say is bad enough. A government that tells you what you must say is even worse,” said Jeremy Tedesco, Senior Counsel at ADF.
After the district court ruled in Carl and Angel’s favor, Telescope Media Group was free to create videos celebrating marriage, without violating its beliefs or fear of government punishment.
Carl and Angel got to launch the wedding aspect of their business and posted two wedding videos after this win.
In line with their hospitality to all people, Carl and Angel took a stand not just to uphold their right but for everyone’s right to live according to their beliefs and not be forced to speak messages that violate those beliefs. Freedom for them also means freedom for everyone.
“I want to help my children preserve their religious freedom, and if I don’t do something now, I’ll look back and totally regret it,” Angel said when reflecting on the choice to engage in this lawsuit.
Upholding everyone’s right to free speech and religious expression
“Angel and I serve everyone,” Carl explained. “We just can’t produce films promoting every message.”
That is a God-given and constitutionally-protected right for the Larsens—and for every other creative professional in America. The court correctly recognized that a government empowered to compel one artist’s speech has no logical stopping point. The same law that could silence the Larsens could silence anyone. That’s what made this victory bigger than one family, one business, or one state.
And that’s why ADF advocates for everyone’s right to live and speak the truth. Carl and Angel just wanted to create films expressing and celebrating God’s design for marriage. They took a stand for their religious freedom and freedom of speech, and they won. Will you give to stand alongside clients like them, so that all might be free to live and speak the truth?
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