The 3 - February 18, 2018

This week on The 3, there is the story of a well-known Christian speaker whose invitation to speak at a public university in Oklahoma was withdrawn, then reinstated.  Also, a Michigan church is under fire for offering Biblical hope to young people confused about their gender identity.  Finally, the Vice-President has responded to negative comments about his practice of Christianity on a recent network television show.

3 - Ham back on the menu at a Oklahoma university

Earlier this month, the University of Central Oklahoma reversed a decision to have Ken Ham, the President of Answers in Genesis, speak on its Edmund, OK campus.  The Answers in Genesis website stated:

UCO has reneged on a contract it signed that allowed Ken to give a talk on March 5. Ken’s presentation in the school’s Constitution Hall, titled “Genesis and the State of the Culture,” was objectionable to a campus LGBT group, which put heavy pressure on the UCO Student Association (UCOSA) to cancel Ken’s speaking engagement. In his proposed talk at UCO , Ken would have discussed the two different worldviews and their starting points when interpreting scientific evidence, as he did in his classic evolution/creation debate with Bill Nye “the Science Guy” four years ago.

That was published on Tuesday, February 6.  Just days after that announcement, the school announced it has reversed course again.  The AiG website said last Thursday, February 15:

Today, UCO President Don Betz has invited the AiG president to give his talk, “Genesis and the State of the Culture,” on the Edmond campus.

Ham said, "UCO officials have definitely heard from many concerned state legislators, several local residents, and alumni about the denial of our right to free speech."  He added, "Furthermore, by moving my talk from the evening to the afternoon, we now have the opportunity to reach even more UCO students during the school day. UCO is a commuter campus, and many of its students might not have been able to attend in the evening."  Ham also stated, "I’m thankful for the many Oklahomans who stood up for our constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion."

The website, NewsOK.com did report that:

In his letter on Thursday, Betz said UCO will conduct a presentation on the First Amendment on the morning of Ham's presentation on March 5. The First Amendment session will be at 10 a.m. and Ham will speak at 3 p.m.

Betz said UCO will present a discussion on the contemporary processes of scientific inquiry and evolution on March 6, along with a panel discussion on freedom of expression and freedom of speech "as appropriate to UCO as a teaching and learning institution.

So, Ken speaks, but it does seem the school might be a bit too devoted to try to "balance" out Ham's Biblical views by having these other presentations.  Wonder if UCO would invite someone with a Christian worldview perspective if the university were allowing an atheist lecture.  Or, perhaps to invite a creationist to counter a speaker's Darwinist perspective? Probably not.

2 - Michigan church under fire from lawmakers for Biblical sexuality conference

If a young person is struggling with his or her gender identity, what better place than a church where that person can go to get help, right?  Obviously, that's not the attitude by some in Michigan, where lawmakers have demanded an investigation over what is being called "conversion therapy."

The News Herald states:

A Downriver pastor whose church has come under fire for sponsoring conversion therapy workshops is asking state legislators to withdraw demands for an investigation into his church.

In a news conference held Thursday afternoon in Lansing, Pastor Jeremy Schossau joined other pastors in urging State Reps. Adam Zemke (D-Ann Arbor) and Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Twp.) to withdraw their demands for an investigation into Schossau’s church for offering a workshop that provides biblical answers on identity and sexuality.

The church is called Metro City Church, and the website article stated that it would be holding "a six-session program titled 'Unashamed Identity Workshop.'" The article says:

Hosted by the church, in partnership with Forge Ministries, the workshop is for those born as girls, between the ages of 12 and 16, who are struggling with thoughts that they’re transsexual, bisexual, gay or any other orientation.

Protestors have shown up at the church, which has been receiving threats.  The News Herald article also says:

Randy Wilson, Family Research Council’s national field director for Watchman on the Wall, said during the news conference that he views the church as increasingly coming under attack.

“I want to thank Pastor Jeremy Schossau for his leadership,” Wilson said. “Metro City Church is a place that is governed by the precepts and principles of God’s word and is compelled by the love of God.”

Schossau said people have always gone to their spiritual leaders for advice.

“Pastors have always done this and we will continue to do this,” he said. “And, we don’t need the government to tell us what we can and cannot say. And, we do not need the government to tell us what kind of advice we need to give, or a license to give that advice.”

At the Family Research Council website, the pastor is quoted as saying: "This is all coming from a tolerant loving community? An open-minded community that seeks to be understood and wants to understand others?" He added, "That is crazy."

FRC has posted a "petition demanding that Rep. Camilleri and Rep. Zemke withdraw their call for an investigation and respect the church's freedom to teach what the Bible says about sexuality."

1 - Vice-President responds to negative comments about his Christianity

To put the recent squaring off between the ABC television program The View and the Vice-President of the United States into perspective, I want to go back to a story at the Huffington Post website featuring a video from the Oprah Winfrey Network.  The featured topic of the article was Omarosa Manigault Newman, formerly of the Donald Trump TV show, Celebrity Apprentice, former a White House staff member, and a contestant most recently on Celebrity Big Brother. The article says:

As Omarosa’s fame grew, so did her opportunities, allowing her to travel the world doing missionary work. One of her stops, West Africa, is where her life changed.

“I found myself alone in an orphanage… There was a child there, and she had HIV/AIDS and she was dying,” Omarosa recalls. “And it was at that moment, looking into the face and the eyes of this dying child that I received my call to ministry.”

How does she know she received a call to ministry?  I would say that such a call would indicate a clear direction of the Holy Spirit.  After all, as she says, referring to her critics, "They underestimate the power of God’s ability to transform a person’s life...In the blink of an eye, God can come into your situation and turn your life around.”

Now, fast forward to her comments on Celebrity Big Brother a few days ago, and I quote from a Todd Starnes article on FoxNews.com:

"As bad as you think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence --- everyone that is wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their life," Omarosa said in a clip from "Celebrity Big Brother."

"I am Christian. I love Jesus, but he thinks Jesus tells him to say things," Omarosa told her fellow contestants.

Starnes writes, "Well, that bit of news was more than Behar and the other gals on 'The View' could stomach."  Co-host Joy Behar said, "It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you." That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct, hearing voices..."

What?  So, there is a stream of thought that God doesn't speak to or direct His people by His Spirit.  I have a hunch we're not talking audible voices here.

Well, Behar did backtrack a bit, according to Starnes, saying, "I think Mike Pence, say what you want about him and his religiosity. I don’t think he’s mentally ill. Even though he is saying he hears voices I don’t think he’s that crazy..."

On C-SPAN, Pence stated: “To have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong,” adding, “It is simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that kind of religious intolerance.”

Starnes also wrote:

Pence said on C-SPAN that his faith is the most important thing in his life.

“My faith sustains me in all that I do,” he said.

The vice president said “The View” hosts insulted the “vast majority of the American people who cherish faith.”

“It demonstrates how out of touch some in the mainstream media are with the faith and values of the American people that you could have a major network like ABC permit a forum for invective against religion like that,” he said.

Now, Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center has written a letter to the President of ABC News, which appears on the Newsbusters website.  He also took View co-host Sunny Hostin to task, saying that she had called the Vice-President's Christianity "dangerous."  He cited other examples of ABC programming that exhibited a bias against Christians.  Bozell stated:

But now you, Mr. Goldston, have the opportunity to right this wrong. Apologize on behalf of ABC. Require Ms. Hostin and Ms. Behar as individuals to apologize. Bigotry against any group is hateful and ugly. Unfortunately, anti-Christian bigotry seems to be the last acceptable bigotry. A simple unqualified apology will go so far. Our country is so divided right now, why make things worse? By apologizing you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.