The 3 - January 28, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, spotlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes an update on the situation in Bolivia involving limitations on religious freedom.  Also, scores of Christians have lost their lives at the hands of militants in Nigeria.  And, a Bible study on Capitol Hill has attracted the attention of a large atheist group.

3 - UPDATE: Bolivian President supports halting of constitution changes 

Last week, I shared a story about changes to the law in Bolivia greatly limiting religious liberty to the extent of making it illegal to evangelize.  There is good news emerging from that South American country, according to ChristianityToday.com, the same source I used last week.

According to the website:

President Evo Morales Ayma announced that he will tell the South American nation’s Legislative Assembly to repeal the entire penal code in the wake of recent changes that, among other tweaks, introduced severe restrictions on religious freedom.

Last Sunday was proclaimed to be a day of prayer and fasting in response to the new regulations. The article states that one group, the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, "sent out a prayer alert encouraging readers to ask God that Morales’s government would withdraw the new penal code provision and 'protect and promote religious freedoms in Bolivia.'"

In a tweet, Morales said:

“We are going to listen to the proposals of all the sectors that observe the code. The National Government will never approve norms against the Bolivian people.”

2 - Significant death toll in religious violence in Nigerian province

Over 80 Christians have been killed since the beginning of the new year in one region of the nation of Nigeria, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, which has a report from International Christian Concern.  These deaths took place in Benue State, and according to the article:

These attacks took place less than two months after the state of Benue enacted an anti-open grazing bill, which prevents the Fulani from nomadically moving their cattle throughout all of Nigeria. Benue passed this law in an attempt to end the violence that has been plaguing its people, but it has failed thus far.

The Fulani is a group of militants, primarily Muslim in nature, according to Britannica.com.  The Christian Headlines story stated: "even those who were not from the area, but who were just trying to help others escape, were at the mercy of the Fulani attackers."

The article says:

ICC's Regional Manager, Nathan Johnson, stated, "This ongoing crisis is devastating the Christian communities of Nigeria. They are unfairly being targeted for their land and faith. The government must do more to ensure the community's safety, property, and welfare. They must put an end to the Fulani scourge and hold those in charge of these attacks accountable."

1 - Capitol Bible study attracting attention of atheist group

It has been reported that a number of Cabinet secretaries meet for prayer and Bible study.  Apparently, this study is hosted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is led by Dr. Ben Carson.  CBNNews.com reports that, "Cabinet secretaries who attend the Capitol Ministries Bible Study include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry."

Not surprisingly, the atheist group, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, is not fond of this gathering, and has teamed with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to sue HUD, according to CBN.  Its report says:

The group has issued Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to agencies led by Cabinet secretaries who attend the Bible study to see if government resources are being used or if agency staffers feel "coerced into organizing or even participating in the religious event," according to a press release.

Study leader Ralph Drollinger says that a lawsuit is not necessary.  CBN News reports:

Drollinger responded on Facebook, saying, "Rather than sue, the FFRF can simply go to www.capmin.org and check out copies of the Bible studies I write and teach the Cabinet, Senate and House members every week. There's nothing secret to this – and all related Bible study expenses are paid by Capitol Ministries, a 501(c)3 organization."