The 3 - March 25, 2018

This week on The 3, there's news out of Mississippi, where the nation's earliest ban on abortion has been placed on hold by a Federal judge.  Also, a pro-life Democrat in Illinois has survived a primary challenge that was fueled by the progressive/liberal wing of his party.  Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court heard an important case regarding the rights of pro-life pregnancy resource centers to not be forced by the government to communicate a message that is inconsistent with their purpose.

3 - MS pro-life law put on hold by Federal judge

Just days ago, the governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, signed into law a bill, passed by the Legislature, that would ban abortion in the state at 15 weeks' gestation.  After being passed by a majority of lawmakers, one Federal judge has taken it upon himself to block it.

The Clarion-Ledger reported that the judge, Carlton Reeves, issued a temporary restraining order.  The story states:

In his ruling Tuesday, Reeves said the restraining order would be in effect for 10 days. He asked for "expedited briefings" on whether the court should issue a "preliminary injunction and whether that relief should be consolidated with a trial on the merits."

The article goes on to say that "attorney Rob McDuff had filed a hearing request for a temporary restraining order on behalf of Women's Health Organization."  That is the state's only abortion clinic.

McDuff said that ban was "unconstitutional."  The attorney was contending that an abortion at 15 weeks was scheduled at the clinic on Tuesday afternoon, and if it did not transpire then, the woman could not have an abortion, because at the time of the next appointment, she would have passed the 16-week limit that the clinic has.

2 - Pro-life Democrat wins primary challenges

In a race between moderate and liberal factions of the Democratic party, which had issued overtures that pro-life candidates and office-holders were no longer welcomed, pro-life Illinois Congressman Dan Lipinski won the state's party primary.  National Review reported that the campaign of his challenger, Marie Newman...

...was buoyed in particular by abortion-rights groups such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL, both of which have grown increasingly frustrated with Lipinski’s consistently pro-life voting record, especially as the rest of his party has grown more willing to support unlimited abortion-on-demand. Newman also received vocal support from progressive Democrats, including Senators Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), along with Illinois representatives Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierrez.

The article stated that the outcome was "a win for the notion that Democratic politicians can be pro-life and survive within a party that’s swiftly becoming more radical on the issue."  It goes on to say:

Still, he remains one of only a handful of Democrats in Congress willing to vote for anti-abortion legislation such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act or the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. So while the efforts of pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List — whose volunteers knocked on more than 25,000 doors for Lipinski in the third district over this past weekend — were surely worthwhile, in the big-picture abortion debate, it’s a very small win, indeed.

1 - Supreme Court hears arguments on CA law forcing pro-life centers to notify about abortion 

Pro-life pregnancy resource centers across California were alarmed when the so-called "Reproductive FACT Act" was passed by legislators there.  The Family Policy Alliance described the bill as...

...requiring that life-supporting pregnancy centers provide women and families a referral to state-sponsored abortion clinics. Pro-life pregnancy centers would be required to post large signs on their walls offering “free or low-cost access” to county-sponsored abortion clinics.

The Alliance stated, "It is not only outrageous – but also unthinkable based on our First Amendment – that pro-life organizations would be forced by the state to promote values that directly oppose their very reason for being."

The bill was challenged, and this week, it was heard in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, and many of the justices did not seem to be sympathetic to the state's claims, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that "...most of the justices took sharp issue with all or parts of the California law. They said it was unfairly targeted at the faith-based centers. Doctors and for-profit clinics were exempted from the law."  The article stated:

"If it has been gerrymandered, that's a serious issue," said Justice Elena Kagan. Agreeing, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said the law "has a lot of crazy exceptions. … What you're left with is a very strange pattern, and, gee, it turns out just about the only clinics that are covered by this are pro-life clinics."

Justice Kennedy, according to the report, "described the required notice as 'mandating speech' that 'alters the content of the message.'"  Justice Gorsuch said that the state has "other means to provide messages. … It's pretty unusual to force a private speaker to do that for you under the 1st Amendment..."

So, while the outcome can never be assured until the decision is handed down later this year, there was reason for optimism before the high court.  First Liberty Institute filed a friend-of-the-court brief, and Judicial Fellow Lea Patterson provided some analysis on The Meeting House.  You can access that conversation here.

The 3 - March 18, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 features a story of a funeral home in Michigan that received a negative ruling from a Federal appeals court as the result of its firing of a male employee, who was not allowed to dress in women's clothes.  Also, an American pastor is continuing to be held in prison in Turkey and there are possible new, negative developments in the case.  And, a television host has apologized to the Vice-President and the audience for derogatory comments aimed at Christians.

3 - Court rules funeral home must allow male employee to dress as a woman

A three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against a Michigan funeral home that did not allow a male employee to dress as a female.  WND.com reported that the court overturned a lower court ruling in favor of the funeral home based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The story states that former employee Anthony Stephens, according to one of the judges, was fired “on the basis of her transgender or transitioning status and her refusal to conform to sex-based stereotypes.”

The article says:

Stephens “presented as a man” during the course of his employment at the home operated by Thomas Rost, a Christian for more than 65 years. His business has a mission statement saying the “highest priority is to honor God in all that we do as a company and as individuals.”

He does not discriminate in his hiring.

But Stephens would not comply with a company dress code for males working at the funeral home.

But a company dress code requires male employees to wear suits and ties, and females must wear skirts and business jackets.

WND.com reports:

The district court ruled only the unlawful termination claim was at issue, and that argument then was rejected, because transgenderism is not a protected class under Title VII.

One of the three judges, Karen Moore indicated that she believed...

...when Congress adopted the Title IX non-discrimination law in 1972, members intended it to include not only a persons’ “physiology” but also their “self-assigned ‘gender identity.'”

Gary McCaleb of the Alliance Defending Freedom is quoted as saying, “Court opinions should interpret legal terms according to their plain meaning when Congress passed the law,” adding, “This opinion instead re-writes federal law and is directly contrary to decisions from other federal appellate courts. We are consulting with our client to consider their options for appeal.”

2 - Turkey considering life sentence for American pastor

The odd case of an American who has been pastoring in Turkey for 23 years continues, and there are indications that the Turkish government wants to sentence Andrew Brunson to life in prison.  According to the WORLD Magazine website, "The indictment reportedly charges Brunson with being a member of and leading a terror organization."  This results from the coup attempt that occurred in 2016 - Brunson has been in prison since October of that year.

The article states:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned the indictment, urging the Trump administration to redouble its efforts to secure Brunson’s freedom. “No stone should be left unturned in our efforts on behalf of this unjustly imprisoned American,” USCIRF Vice Chairwomen Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga said in a statement.

The commission is calling for sanctions "against those involved in this miscarriage of justice."

And, World Watch Monitor reported earlier this week:

The daughter of jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson appealed to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva last week to help secure her father’s release from prison in Turkey, where he has been jailed for the past 17 months.

Declaring that her father had been “falsely imprisoned for far too long”, his married daughter Jacqueline noted that Brunson “has still not been formally charged with any crime”, as shown in a video posted by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

WORLD reports that Turkish President Erdogan wants to trade Brunson for a Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is living in the U.S. and has been thought to be involved in that failed coup.  That's the same Gulen who is involved in establishing a number of charter schools in America.

1 - ABC host apologizes to Vice-President, audience

An apology can be a powerful expression, and when it's a television star who insulted millions of Christians who believe in communication with God or Jesus, it certainly makes a strong statement.

This past Tuesday, co-host of The View, Joy Behar, after being urged by Vice-President Pence in a private conversation to apologize for offensive comments, stated, according to FoxNews.com, “I think Vice President Pence is right. I was raised to respect everyone’s religious faith and I fell short of that,” adding, “I sincerely apologize for what I said.”

As the story stated:

Behar’s controversial comments resulted in the Media Research Center launching a campaign to hold Behar accountable for spewing “anti-Christian bigotry” after she said that communicating with Jesus is a “mental illness” during a Feb. 13 episode of “The View” when discussing Pence’s faith.

On Hannity Monday night on the Fox News Channel, the Vice-President had said, “I give Joy Behar a lot of credit. She picked up the phone. She called me. She was very sincere, and she apologized and one of the things my faith teaches me is grace; forgive as you've been forgiven,” adding, “I'm still encouraging her, to use the forum of that program or some other public forum, to apologize to tens of millions of Americans who were equally offended.”

The Media Research Council campaign, which resulted in 43,000 calls to "ABC and their advertisers," has now ended.  However, the other View co-host involved in the derogatory comments, Sunny Hostin, has not apologized, to my knowledge. Her participation was pointed out by a guest on my show recently. She said, according to The Hill:

“I don’t know that I want my vice president, um — speaking in tongues and having Jesus speak to him,” co-host Sunny Hostin said of Pence.

That's when Behar said: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talk to you...That's called mental illness, if I'm not correct. Hearing voices.”

The 3 - March 11, 2018

Two of this week's stories in The 3 deal with religious expression on college campuses, with a Georgia university facing legal challenges due to its preferential treatment for some organizations and a Michigan university has reinstated a Christian campus group.  And, the Mississippi Legislature has passed a 15-week abortion ban.

3 - Attorneys protest tiered system at Georgia university, speech restrictions

According to its website, Alliance Defending Freedom has filed two lawsuits against the Atlanta-area Kennesaw State University. Last month, the legal organization sued the school on behalf of student organization, Ratio Christi, to "challenge policies that officials used to relegate a pro-life display to a 'speech zone' that makes up less than 0.08 percent of the 405-acre campus."

Now, ADF is at it again, filing suit on behalf of Young Americans for Freedom at KSU and its president, "challenging policies that give university officials complete discretion to impose 'security fees' in any amount they decide on any event they deem 'controversial.'"  The school had imposed such fees on YAF for an event featuring a conservative speaker earlier this month.

At the heart of this new lawsuit is a tiered system on recognizing student-related organizations. The website states:

The tiers function as a sort of caste system for preferential treatment on campus, including which of areas of the campus green officials will allow a requesting student organization to use and how much access a group has to funding for activities.

The article goes on to say:

The four classifications for registered student organizations at KSU, from the lowest level of privilege to the highest, are “recognized” (where the university has placed YAF), “affiliated” (where the university has placed many Christian student groups), “sponsored” (which includes the Kennesaw Pride Alliance and the African-American Student Alliance), and “chartered” (which includes the International Students Association and the LGBTQ Student Programs). The higher the classification, the more access a group has to the best areas of the campus green and to student funding. No faith-based groups are higher than the “affiliated” tier, and no overtly political groups are higher than the “recognized” tier.

ADF Legal Counsel Travis Barham is quoted as saying, “Kennesaw State’s byzantine speech policies allow officials to place student organizations into an arbitrary caste system of superiors and inferiors, and to assess security fees that numerous courts in other cases have routinely declared unconstitutional.”

2 - Christian student organization returns to Michigan campus

There's good news for a Christian student organization at Wayne State University in Michigan, according to a Christianity Today story, which stated:

Last year, InterVarsity lost its recognition as a student group at Wayne State, the third-largest school in Michigan, over requirements that its leaders affirm the organization’s Christian beliefs. The school viewed the belief requirement as a violation of its nondiscrimination policy.

With the assistance of the Becket Fund, InterVarsity had sued the school, claiming "religious discrimination." And, two days later, the school "ultimately re-certified the student ministry..."

Cristina Garza, a former president and current member of the Wayne State chapter, is quoted as saying, “We hope the school will make this change permanent, so no other students have to go through what we’ve been through over the last six months.”

The article points out:

InterVarsity is all too familiar with the fight for campus access, having lost then regained its place on 19 Cal State campuses in 2014 and 2015 due to the schools’ “all comers” policy, which requires school-sanctioned groups to open membership eligibility to all students and leadership positions to all members. Such a policy also led to InterVarsity getting forced off Vanderbilt University’s campus a few years before.

The story notes that the Becket Fund "also helped a Christian group regain its status at the University of Iowa earlier this year...:"

Business Leaders in Christ lost its place on campus over a “sexual morality” requirement in its faith statement, which kept a gay student from taking on a leadership role in the organization. Back in January, a judge ordered that the group be reinstated, though litigation is pending.

1 - Mississippi lawmakers approve bill banning abortion at 15 weeks

The state of Mississippi is down to one abortion clinic, and its Legislature has passed a bill that would ban abortions at 15 weeks, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, which reported that the House had concurred with a Senate-passed version of the bill by a 75-34 vote.

Earlier, according to another Clarion-Ledger article, the Senate on Tuesday had passed the legislation 35-14.  Governor Phil Bryant has been supportive of the bill, stating, "I have repeatedly said, I want Mississippi to be the safest place in America for an unborn child," adding, "House Bill 1510 will help us achieve that goal, and I encourage the House to pass it and look forward to signing it."

The Lt. Governor, Tate Reeves, is quoted as saying, "Mississippians are committed to protecting the lives of unborn children, and this law will be a major step in accomplishing that goal," adding, "I am committed to making Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child."

The owner of that lone clinic in Mississippi, whose Birmingham clinic had been shut down due to health violations, told the newspaper that she would plan to file lawsuit against the legislation.

The 3 - March 4, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three current and relevant stories to the Christian community, features the story of a Christian minister, politician, and talk-show host that spent less than a day on a board affiliated with the music industry.  Also, Christian communicators gathered in Nashville for NRB, and its leader announced a return to its roots in the area of censorship, which has become a growing concern on social media.  And, the earthly body of the great evangelist Billy Graham was laid to rest in Charlotte this past Friday.

3 - Huckabee resigns from CMA board after backlash

Mike Huckabee is a speaker, author, television host, former governor of Arkansas, an ordained Christian minister - and a musician.  So, it should come as no surprise that he would be selected to be on the board of the Country Music Association Foundation (CMAF), which has education as its "sole issue," according to the Family Research Council, which reports that Huckabee's term was, to say the least, rather short - less than 24 hours, in fact.  According to FRC, there were some in the industry that were opposed to his selection to this education-oriented organization:

Jason Owen and his husband -- both LGBT activists whose Monument Records and Sandbox Entertainment represents some of the genre's biggest stars -- called the selection of Huckabee a "grossly offensive decision. Owen, who counts Midland, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Dan + Shay, Faith Hill, and others among his clients, claimed Huckabee's involvement would harm the very kids the foundation was created to help. "Not to mention," Owen went on, "how harmful and damaging his deep involvement with the NRA is. What a shameful choice." Others, like Sugarland's manager Whitney Pastorek, accused Huckabee (and the 53 percent of Americans with natural marriage beliefs like his) of "bigotry, racism, and sexism." With breathtaking prejudice, she insists, "While Governor Huckabee's tenure in Arkansas may have resulted in valuable education reform over a decade ago, I find his choice to spend the past 10 years profiting off messages of exclusion and hatred (not to mention the gun lobby) to be disqualifying.

FRC reports that Huckabee wrote a letter to the CMA announcing his resignation (which was published by the Tennessean) saying:

"If the industry doesn't want people of faith or who hold conservative and traditional political views to buy tickets and music, they should be forthcoming and say it. Surely neither the artists nor the business people of the industry want that."

"Until recently, the arts was the one place America could set aside political, geographical, racial, religious, and economic barriers and come together. If the arts community becomes part of the polarization instead of bridging communities and people over the power of civil norms as reflected in the arts, then we as a civilization may not be long for this earth."

2 - Christian communicators gather, NRB announces anti-censorship initiative

Recently, Christian communicators from around the world gathered at the Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville for the 2018 National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention.  High-profile Christian speakers, educational sessions, and more were part of the lineup.

There was an appearance from Vice-President Mike Pence during one of the opening sessions. Other notable speakers included Rick Warren, Greg Laurie, Kay Arthur, and David Jeremiah. The convention's website reported on its paying tribute to the late Billy Graham, and NRB provided convention-goers a chance to see and learn more about the forthcoming film, I Can Only Imagine.

And, according to its website, NRB.org, President and CEO Jerry Johnson shared information on an initiative that was launched late last year.  The website says:

Speaking at NRB’s 75th annual meeting, Johnson said Internet Freedom Watch is the organization’s effort to curtail discrimination against Christian and conservative content on the internet. NRB unveiled the initiative at a December news conference in Washington, D.C., in which the association called attention to censorship by tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Apple.

“[I]f conservative and Christian content is taken off of social media, digital media, the Gospel will be muzzled, the Word of God will be muzzled,” Johnson told the audience in the evening session at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

It is the NRB’s job to protect First Amendment freedoms, and the association of Christian communicators “is uniquely positioned” to do so, he said before quoting part of the U.S. Constitution’s initial amendment.

The First Amendment’s “first three elements – religion, speech and press – that’s NRB,” he said. “This is our world, and I want to say to you: If not you, who? If not this, what? If not now – when we are being demonetized, blocked, taken off, and censored – if not now, when will NRB stand for First Amendment principles?”

The article stated that "Internet Freedom Watch marks a return to the reason for NRB’s founding in the 1940s," according to Johnson. The article said that, "The initiative 'is returning to our roots,' Johnson said, citing the NRB’s effort for radio 75 years ago in which it said, 'We’re not going to take a back seat. We want a level playing field. We want a place in the public square. Let’s go to D.C. Let’s go to the Congress. Let’s go to the FCC. And in a few years, Christian broadcasters were back on Christian radio once again.'"

1 - Billy Graham's body, but not his ministry, laid to rest

It was called "Billy Graham's final crusade" - his funeral service at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte that was held this past Friday, which was attended by almost 2000 people under a tent "reminiscent" to that used in the famous 1949 Los Angeles crusade, according to the website, BillyGraham.org, which stated:

“Today, he’s in Heaven,” his oldest son Franklin Graham said. “On the 21st of February, he was escorted by God’s angels to the throne of God. And I can only imagine what it was like when my father stepped into Heaven, and there was the Lord Jesus Christ to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.'”

The website reported that all five children of Billy Graham spoke at the service, including his other son, Ned, plus daughters Gigi, Anne, and Ruth.  Other speakers included Billy Kim of the Far East Broadcasting Company in Korea and Mr. Graham's pastor, Don Wilton.

Michael W. Smith, Linda McCrary-Fisher, and the Gaither Vocal Band were among those providing music.

The article on the website stated:

From start to finish, Billy Graham’s final Crusade lifted up the name of Jesus Christ. And that is the one thing Mr. Graham would have wanted. In fact, he insisted on it.

The heart of Friday’s service may have been summarized best by Robert Cunville, the humble Indian evangelist who helps continue Billy Graham’s global ministry to this day. Cunville thanked God for Billy Graham in a passionate prayer that surely rose above the top of the tent and cut through the cloudless, blue sky.

“We know that it was You, You who brought the countless souls to the foot of the cross,” he prayed. “For this is what your servant would say: ‘Oh, God, not me. Not me, but God did it.'”