The 3 - April 29, 2018

In this week's edition of The 3, spotlighting three stories from the Christian community, you'll find out about one African nation, in which hundreds of churches have been shut down, at least temporarily.  Also, evangelicals are among those stepping up to address prison reform.  Plus, a toddler in U.K. has lost his life after his parents fought to keep him from being removed from life support.

3 - Rwandan government closes hundreds of churches

It is certainly a valid role of government to set regulations for buildings and to conduct timely inspections.  But, when a country closes down around 700 buildings, all with the same purpose, I would imagine that it would raise maybe more than a few eyebrows.  According to the BBC, the government in Rwanda has done just that.  Its report states: "About 700 churches have been closed down in Rwanda for failing to comply with building regulations and for noise pollution."  The report adds, "A government official told the BBC that some of the more than 700 buildings shut down have already reopened after they were approved by inspectors."  (One building was a mosque.)

The BBC report also says:

Some are massive, attracting thousands of worshippers each Sunday, but others consist of tiny structures built without planning permission.

Church leaders have at times been criticised for using loud public address systems to attract worshippers.

Oh, and according to the article, in this predominantly Christian African nation, "According to a proposed new law, all preachers must have theological training before opening a church."

A Christianity Today story quotes President Paul Kagame:

Kagame said his country doesn’t need so many houses of worship, explaining that such a high number is only fit for bigger, more developed economies that have the means to sustain them.

Many church leaders disagree, and six Pentecostal pastors were arrested for organizing protests. Rwandan authorities maintain the churches were in such poor physical condition that they threatened the lives of churchgoers.

2 - "Second Chance Month" concludes, church leaders push prison reform

Prison Fellowship, the ministry founded by the late Chuck Colson, declared the month of April to be "Second Chance Month." Its website stated:

Just as God forgives our sins and offers us a second chance, the Bible shows us that we can offer a second chance to those who have paid their debt to society. People with a past can still have a bright future, and their families and communities stand to benefit from their contributions.

The website goes on to say:

President Trump officially recognized April 2018 as Second Chance Month, along with nine other jurisdictions and more than 150 partner organizations around the country. Prison Fellowship and its partners are working to reduce barriers keeping formerly incarcerated Americans from successfully rejoining society...

The site also says that PF and its partners are "raising awareness of the importance of second chances...," and it mentioned a number of methods through which that would be done.

Also, Prison Fellowship is standing behind prison reform legislation that is scheduled for a Congressional vote.  The Christian Post stated that:

Hundreds of Christian leaders have signed onto a letter sent Wednesday to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders voicing support for the Prison Reform and Redemption Act of 2017, also known as H.R. 3356.

The bill would expand programs that focus on their individual problems, such as drug rehabilitation, treatment for sexual addiction, job training, anger management or others. The legislation would also expand risk assessment to determine the best programs for individual prisoners.

Evangelical leaders signing the letter include Franklin Graham, James Dobson, Ronnie Floyd, Jack Graham, Tony Perkins, and Harry Jackson.

A vote on the bill has been delayed, a delay which PF deems to be unacceptable - its senior vice president of advocacy and public policy, Craig DeRoche, is quoted as saying, "The delay in voting on the Prison Reform and Redemption Act in the House of Representatives is a disappointment to Prison Fellowship and the hundreds of thousands of prisoners and families we serve in our programs..."

There are those that say the legislation does not go far enough - by not including sentencing reform. The Post said:

DeRoche, who also supports sentencing reforms, asserted. "Delaying, or even killing these important reforms disregards the hope, dignity, value and potential of the people incarcerated today and will only serve the practical outcome of making America less safe by continuing the current recidivism rate."

Meanwhile, CBN News reported that a number of "evangelical leaders" were scheduled to meet at the White House last Friday to discuss prison reform, including some from the "Reconciled Church Movement," which includes Jackson.  The article states that:

This meeting is a series of listening sessions between the administration, led by advisor Jared Kushner and civil and religious leaders about ways to reform the criminal justice system.

CBN also stated, regarding the prison bill, that it would "use faith-based organizations to help in the efforts."

The Christian Post highlighted the need for such legislation:

Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found that about two-thirds of released prisoners in the U.S. were rearrested within three years after release.

1 - Alfie Evans, after UK court refusal on medical treatment, passes away

In a series of events that present a chilling scenario for people who consider themselves to be pro-life, another child in the United Kingdom was denied his right to life at the hands of overzealous judges.

LifeSiteNews.com reported late Friday night in the States that 23-month-old Alfie Evans had died. The report said:

Despite last-minute interventions, including the Italian government’s gift of citizenship to the infant, the child died four days after doctors at the Alder Hey NHS (National Health Service) Foundation ignored his parents’ wishes and removed him from a ventilator.

The hospital had determined that due to Alfie's condition, which was said to have been a "fatal neurodegenerative disorder," that it was in his best interest to discontinue further treatment. The article says that, "On February 20, 2018, Mr Justice Heydon of the UK Supreme Court ruled that it was in Alfie’s 'best interests' to discontinue treatment, to be removed from his life support, and to receive palliative care at Alder Hey."

After numerous appeals before a variety of courts, including the UK High Court, life support was removed last Monday.

The 3 - April 22, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a bill that was signed into law by the President less than two weeks ago that is designed to reduce human trafficking online.  Also, there's a story out of China, where that nation is in the process of banning the sale of Bibles.  And, an Army chaplain who did not include a same-sex couple in a marriage retreat he was conducting has been recommended for disciplinary action, even though he followed Army regulations, complied with his endorsing agency's teachings, and accommodated the soldier in the same-sex relationship.

3 - Anti-sex trafficking law passed by Congress, signed by the President

People of faith have been speaking out against what is termed, "human trafficking," and as John Stonestreet pointed out recently on his commentary, The Point, which is heard daily on Faith Radio:

On April 11, President Trump signed into law the FOSTA act. That’s a partial acronym for “Allow States and Victims to Fight Sex Trafficking” Act.

FOSTA seeks to shut down online sex trafficking.

Stonestreet pointed out that there had already been an impact, according to a Washington Post article, which reported that content devoted to sex had been removed and advertising rejected; he related...

Such advertising has led to the trafficking of victims as young as 14. The bill’s signing came shortly after several executives of one website were arrested for facilitating prostitution.

Liberty Counsel had called attention to a site that had been shut down:

The top online human trafficking site, Backpage.com, was seized by the federal government two weeks after the U.S. House and Senate passed a bill to stop online human sex trafficking.

Its press release pointed out, following the Senate vote, that Craigslist had taken down its "personals" section and other sites had removed content related to prostitution.

2 - China institutes Bible bans while U.S. state seeks to ban Bible-centered books

If you wish to purchase a Bible in China, the government has made it harder - according to WORLD Magazine...

Starting in late March, major online retailers including JD.com, Dangdang, and Amazon.cn stopped offering Bibles for sale, although children’s Bibles, theological books, and Bible concordances remained. Technically, Bibles in China are allowed to be sold only in government-sanctioned churches, yet the authorities never enforced that rule strictly, and Bibles could easily be found online as well as in Christian bookstores.

And, the WORLD article included a report that a Beijing Christian bookstore was inspected by a "government official" and told that books with "foreign ISBN numbers could no longer be sold, according to Hong Kong’s Inkstone news website."

The article points out that the Chinese government "had released a white paper claiming the Chinese Communist Party exercises authority over religion in order to keep 'Western' religions like Christianity from being 'controlled and utilized by colonialists and imperialists.'"

These actions come around the same time as California legislators were in the midst of attempting to pass legislation that would ban the sale of content in the state, including by online retailers, as well, that presented instruction on how people can experience freedom by dealing Biblically with same-sex attraction.  The bill has already passed one chamber, the Assembly, and faces action in the Senate.

1 - Army chaplain faces discipline for marriage views

There is a story out of the military dealing with religious freedom that has gained quite a bit of attention over the past few days. According to the legal advocacy organization, First Liberty, a chaplain who has been serving with the Army for 25 years, was asked to include a same-sex couple in a marriage retreat that he was conducting.  Because of the teachings of his endorsing agency, the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, he made arrangements for the couple to be included in another retreat taught by another chaplain.  This was not good enough for the soldier who had wanted to attend the retreat - he filed a complaint, the Army investigated, and recommended the chaplain, Scott Squires, for disciplinary action.

He and his attorneys with First Liberty insist the chaplain was following Army regulations. Squires is quoted on the organization's website as saying: “I was shocked the investigator concluded that I should be reprimanded for doing something I’m required to do under Army regulations and my endorser’s rules,” adding, “I hope the Army sees that I was simply following Army regulations and the tenets of my church.”

First Liberty points out that:

Under federal law and Department of Defense regulations, the military may not take adverse action against a chaplain who acts in accordance with his or her religious tenets. First Liberty sent a letter to the U.S. Army urging it to reverse the investigator’s decision and the recommendation that Squires be disciplined for discrimination.

The Family Research Council website includes these comments:

As FRC's own Lt. General Jerry Boykin has said, "If the military wants a chaplain corps, then they have to be prepared for chaplains to be chaplains. A chaplain isn't worth anything if he isn't allowed to minister and counsel according to his faith. If the Army won't allow him to be a chaplain, then he becomes nothing more than a social worker."

The website continues:

If anyone should be free to exercise their faith, shouldn't it be chaplains? It's time for the Army to refresh its memory on a little thing called the First Amendment and reread the president's executive order on religious liberty. Both documents ought to be all the proof they need that Chaplain Squires is guilty of nothing but doing his job. And, by all accounts, doing it well.

The 3 - April 15, 2018

This week on The 3, focusing in on three stories of relevance to the Christian community, the attempt to shut down free speech was in evidence this week at a California university, as there were threats to "disrupt" a speech by a pro-life leader.  Also, students exercised their free speech rights in a pro-life walkout at schools across the country, with seemingly little support by school officials.  And, a leading U.S. Senator confronted the founder of Facebook about its bias toward certain points of view - namely, conservative and Christian content.

3 - Pro-life speaker makes presentation at CA university, despite threat of disruption

There was concern over a speech scheduled for Cal State-Fullerton this past week featuring Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America.  The Stream reported that: "Antifa is planning to disrupt April speeches," scheduled by Hawkins.  The organization referred to her as a “Christian-fascist” who " spews 'anti-women poison.'"

The site reported:

The Antifa group Refuse Fascism, particularly its Orange County, San Diego, Bay Area and Los Angeles chapters in California, scheduled protests for April 10 and April 11, reported Campus Reform.

“The anti-choice agenda being pushed by Trump/Pence and their fascist movement is nothing less than preparing for the ground for a real-life Handmaid’s Tale, with women completely enslaved and subordinated to a patriarchal order,” insists Refuse Fascism.

The Students for Life Pacific Southwest Regional Coordinator Camille Rodriguez told Campus Reform: “The protest consists of people telling women they’re anti-themselves,” adding, “I’m intrigued to hear what else they have to say!”

Students for Life spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick told The Daily Caller News Foundation that:“[Hawkins] clearly advocates for female empowerment and respect for human beings, from conception to natural death,” adding, “The Handmaid’s Tale is a work of fiction, but in reality, women deserve support so that they never have to choose between their education and their child. Our society should be strong enough to support conversations on college campuses about how best to address the human rights issues of our day.”

The Daily Titan, the student newspaper at the school reported that over 40 people attended and that...

...An organized protest by Refuse Fascism Orange County prompted event coordinators to switch the event’s location from McCarthy Hall to the Titan Student Union.

Hawkins arrived to a round of applause from the audience after her introduction and went straight into the topic.

“I should never have to pay somebody to commit a violent act against another human being in order for me to have freedom. Abortion is the opposite of empowerment,” Hawkins said.

2 - Students participate in pro-life walkout to tepid support from school officials

This was also the week for the Pro-Life Walkout. WORLD Magazine reported that:

The event was initiated by Brandon Gillespie, a student at Rocklin High School near Sacramento, Calif. One of Gillespie’s teachers was placed on a two-day, paid administrative leave in March over a class discussion about whether school administrators would show equal deference to various student walkouts. Pro-Life Walkout student organizers at Rocklin asked their principal and the Rocklin Unified School District for the same accommodations as were given to students for the March 14 National School Walkout to protest gun violence—which included no scheduled tests and the use of the school’s amphitheater and sound system—but on Wednesday morning, the district sent a letter to the students saying they would not make those accommodations, according to Alexandra Snyder, executive director of the California-based Life Legal Defense Foundation.

WORLD had reported that the Foundation had sent the principal "a letter on Monday, requesting equal treatment for Gillespie at Wednesday’s pro-life walkout."  Allison K. Aranda, senior staff counsel, stated, “RHS may wish to review its policies regarding expressive activity like student walkouts, but Brandon Gillespie is going to conduct his activity in the same manner as the previous walkout and expects to be treated in the exact same manner as the students who participated in the gun walkout..." Another WORLD story cited the involvement of Students for Life of America, noting:

Students for Life of America (SFLA) said it received numerous reports of poor administrative support for Wednesday’s pro-life student walkouts at schools across the country. Though students have not reported being disciplined at school for participating in the walkouts, many said their principals and teachers discouraged the demonstrations and threatened consequences in advance.

According to Townhall.com,"The walkout boasted 191 high schools and 81 colleges participating across the country." The piece said that, "According to Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins, more than 300 students or student groups participated in the event."

1 - Facebook founder faces Congressional hearing, called out for censorship of certain viewpoints

The testimony on Capitol Hill by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg included a key point of confrontation with Sen. Ted Cruz.  According to LifeSiteNews.com:

Cruz began by asking whether Facebook considers itself a neutral forum, to which Zuckerberg said Facebook views itself as “a platform for all ideas." Cruz followed up by noting that online services are not held liable for their content so long as they are a “neutral public forum.”

He then asked again whether Facebook considers itself a neutral public forum, or if it engages in political speech.

Zuckerberg answered that Facebook’s “goal” was “certainly not to engage in political speech.” Pressing further, Cruz told him that “a great many Americans” were “deeply concerned” that Facebook was engaged in a “pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship."

Zuckerberg described that as a "fair" concern, considering that Facebook was headquartered in what he called the "extremely left-leaning" Silicon Valley.  He then said that he tried to "root out" bias.

The story goes on to say that Cruz...

...cited several examples of Facebook suppressing conservative views from its trending news stories, such as stories on the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Lois Lerner IRS scandal, and others. He also highlighted Facebook shutting down a Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day page, blocking more than two dozen Catholic pages, and classifying conservative video bloggers Diamond and Silk as “unsafe for the community.”

At NRB.org, the website for National Religious Broadcasters, Jerry Johnson, President and CEO, is quoted as saying: “I am grateful a number of Senators and Representatives used their limited time at this week’s hearings to press Mr. Zuckerberg on clear examples of viewpoint censorship,” adding, “Why does religious and conservative content seem to fall in the cross-hairs? Is it algorithmic or human discrimination? What is being done to correct this problem in either case? We need more answers, and we need more hearings with all the big players.”  NRB has launched Internet Freedom Watch, which was formed "to draw attention to the censorship of Christian and conservative speech by companies such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Apple."

The 3 - April 8, 2018

In this week's edition of The 3, there is good news about a major store chain that has decided to no longer place an offensive magazine at its checkout lines.  Also, an Air Force Colonel will be back on the job after the Air Force reversed punitive action against him for not affirm same-sex marriage.  And, a Georgia church has been "disfellowshipped" from the local Southern Baptist association due to racism.

3 - Walmart announces it will remove suggestive magazine from checkout lines

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, formerly known as Morality in Media, announced in a news release that Walmart will no longer be displaying Cosmopolitan magazine in the checkout lines in thousands of stores.  The release stated:

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) has instigated a significant policy change at Walmart as part of our continued work to change corporate policies that facilitate sexual exploitation. After collaborative dialogue with NCOSE, Walmart will remove Cosmopolitan magazine from checkout lines at 5,000 stores across the country.

Dawn Hawkins, NCOSE Executive Director, is quoted as saying: “This is what real change looks like in our #MeToo culture, and NCOSE is proud to work with a major corporation like Walmart to combat sexually exploitative influences in our society. Women, men, and children are bombarded daily with sexually objectifying and explicit materials, not only online, but in the checkout line at the store..."

Victoria Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, was pleased with the announcement.  The New York Post reported:

Hearst has been battling for years against Cosmo, the popular monthly magazine published by the company founded by her grandfather, the late William Randolph Hearst.

The born-again Christian feels that having Cosmo at checkout lines without any shield over its sexy cover photos is too racy for kids. Hearst also thanked Walmart for moving Cosmo to a different area in its stores.

“Thank you Walmart Corporation, as a company that honors family values for moving Cosmopolitan magazine from the cashier racks in your stores to the magazine section,” the heiress, who founded Praise Him Ministries, said in the statement.

2 - Air Force will not punish colonel for his religious stand

There is victory in the case of an Air Force colonel who stood on his faith beliefs when asked to affirm a same-sex marriage.  According to the First Liberty website, Col. Leland Bohannon...

...was asked to sign an optional spouse appreciation certificate for a retiring Airman. However, doing so would violate his religious convictions regarding same sex marriage. Doing so, he believed, would force him to publicly endorse a relationship and violate his religious beliefs. So, he asked a two-star general—a much higher-ranking officer—to sign the optional certificate as a way to show appreciation to the Airman without violating Col. Bohannon’s religious conscience.

The Airman, even though he could have - and I would say, should have - responded with appreciation for the general's endorsement, filed a complaint against Col. Bohannon!  First Liberty stated that the stakes were high...

The blowback from the complaint nearly ruined Col. Bohannon’s accomplished military career. Everything Col. Bohannon sacrificed – all his years of exceptional service to our country – were on the verge of being destroyed.

The Air Force found that Col. Bohannon had violated regulations, and he was suspended.  In its appeal, First Liberty contended that "Forcing Col Bohannon to sign a spouse certificate when his religious beliefs prohibit him from doing so violates federal law and DOD regulations."

The website reported:

The Secretary of the Air Force announced that it reversed its unfavorable decision against decorated Air Force Colonel Leland Bohannon, clearing his name and fully restoring his service record.

In less than six months, First Liberty’s legal action – as well as correspondence from Members of Congress – prompted the U.S. Air Force to recognize Col. Bohannon’s right to express his sincerely held religious beliefs.

1 - South Georgia Baptist association removes church from fellowship over racial concerns

In a week where there was much consideration of the contributions of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the state of race relations in America and in the Church, one Southern Baptist association, the Mallary Association, in Southwest Georgia, took a bold step.  According to Georgia's Christian Index:

Mallary Baptist Association disfellowshipped Raleigh White Baptist Church on grounds of racism.

After two years of intervention between the church and New Seasons Church by the Association and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the Association’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to remove the church from its membership roll. The vote ends a 75-year relationship with the Anglo congregation since it was founded and joined the Association in 1943.

According to the article:

The story began in June 2015 when Raleigh White pastor Ronnie Kinsaul, seeing the church’s steady decline in a transitional neighborhood, sought an African American church planter to partner with the congregation. That materialized in the form of Georgia Baptist church planter Marcus Glass and his small-yet-growing congregation named New Seasons Church, which was meeting elsewhere.

But, after about six months, the relationship started to decline. New Seasons began to grow and "use more of the church's facilities...," plus, there were disagreements and, "Sources say a number of Raleigh White’s members eventually no longer shared their pastor’s vision of the future." The pastor is no longer there.

Confusion over a time change to accommodate Raleigh White's homecoming caused further tension, and just a few weeks ago, the Association, according to the article, decided it had had enough - after going through a process, this past week, the Association's Executive Committee voted to disfellowship the church.  The Association is attempting to find a place for New Seasons to meet; this past Sunday it met in a different location, according to its Facebook page.  The church was sponsored by two churches in the area, including Albany's Sherwood Baptist Church.

The 3 - April 1, 2018

This week on The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance for the Christian community: a Christian ministry received flak on an HBO show regarding its belief in traditional marriage.  Also, the Administration has issued a policy on transgender people serving in the U.S. Military.  And, a number of evangelical leaders have issued a statement against the recent omnibus spending bill that continued to fund Planned Parenthood.

3 - Vice-President daughter's and wife's appearance at Focus on the Family draws comedian's rant

This past Monday, Vice-President Pence's wife Karen and daughter Charlotte appeared at Focus on the Family for a book signing.  Charlotte has written and Karen has illustrated a book from the viewpoint of the Pence's pet rabbit, Marlon Bundo.

The book and the appearance at Focus drew the attention and a resulting rant from comedian John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight on HBO.  According to ChristianHeadlines.com:

According to The Christian Post, Oliver mocked the book, titled Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President, which was created by Pence’s daughter Charlotte and is based on the Pence’s real-life pet rabbit. Although the book is not political in nature, Oliver used it to mock the Vice President’s views on abortion and gay marriage.

Oliver changed the book’s title and created a scenario in which Pence, portrayed as a stink bug, tries to stop two gay rabbits from getting married.

Responding to Oliver’s attack, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly wrote, "Social media is abuzz today concerning HBO's John Oliver's Sunday night attack on Vice President Mike Pence and Focus on the Family. The 'satirical' late-night talk show host's screed was not just vicious in tone, but also vulgar and vile in every sense of the word and way.”

At his blog site, Daly also invited Oliver to attend the book signing.  You can read more in my blog post on the subject over at The Front Room.

2 - Administration announces plan for transgender service in military

Even since last summer, when President Trump announced his intent to reinstate the ban that was removed the previous year on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. Military, there has been all sorts of controversy, including a number of court cases attempting to prevent the President and the Defense Department from changing the policy.

Recently, the Administration issued a memorandum that, according to a press release from Liberty Counsel, disqualifies...

...“transgender” individuals from serving in the military, stating that the defense secretary and the homeland security secretary should “exercise their authority to implement any appropriate policies concerning military service by transgender individuals.”

The memorandum said individuals with a history of gender dysphoria, defined as “those who may require substantial medical treatment, including through medical drugs or surgery,” are disqualified from military service “except under certain limited circumstances.” Those who are currently in the United States military may remain in the ranks, but the Pentagon could require them to serve according to their gender at birth.

One of the concerns of opponents of allowing transgender individuals to serve is that it would adversely affect the effectiveness of the military.  Liberty Counsel reports:

In a memo to the president, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cited “substantial risks” about military personnel who seek to change or who question their gender identity. He found that individuals with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria presented a risk to military effectiveness and “could undermine readiness, disrupt unit cohesion, and impose an unreasonable burden on the military that is not conducive to military effectiveness and lethality.”

1 - Omnibus spending bill continues to fund Planned Parenthood, evangelical leaders protest

It is commonly believed and reported that certain evangelical leaders will support President Trump no matter what he does.  Now, they generally fail to explain what they expect those who have complimented the President on his policies to do, but the perception is created that you have evangelical Christians who turn a blind eye to anything that Trump does that may not line up with Biblical principles.

Well, a number of such leaders have called the President and Congress out for the recent omnibus spending bill that a majority of lawmakers passed and the President reluctantly signed.  According to CBNNews.com, "...a group of evangelical leaders issued a statement criticizing the White House and Republican lawmakers for passing an 'immoral' spending bill." The report said that the statement was originated by Johnnie Moore, who is the de facto spokesman for the evangelical advisory group for the President and was retweeted by others, including Eric Metaxas.  The article related that the statement said...

...the budget "constitutes an immoral betrayal by the leadership of the Republican party."

It criticized the $1.3 trillion budget for significantly adding to the national debt, providing funding for Planned Parenthood and failing to protect "Dreamers," people brought to the United States illegally as children.

The statement acknowledged the importance of keeping the government open for the sake of the military and national security but the leaders who signed it don't think it was worth the cost of approving an "immoral budget."

Greg Laurie of Harvest Crusades tweeted out the statement, and added:

It is hard to believe that this spending bill was just passed by Congress and signed by the President. $500 million to Planned Parenthood? Below is a statement I signed along with other Evangelicals expressing my disagreement.

CBN News reports that the statement said:

"Next time the administration should send a different message - 'look me in the eyes; this is no longer business-as-usual.'"