The 3 - August 19, 2018

On this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a development concerning an Air Force General's prayer-centered website; the Department of Defense has been asked to investigate.  Also, a controversial bill in California that would stifle freedom of speech concerning God's plan for sexuality has crossed another hurdle. And, Colorado baker Jack Phillips is facing more opposition from a Colorado board, the same one that was called out by the U.S. Supreme Court for hostility toward Jack in the recent case before the high court.

3 - Air Force general with prayer page facing pushback

An Air Force Brigadier General is receiving some opposition to a website devoted to prayer, according to an article on the Los Angeles Times website. The newspaper reports that the website of Brigadier General E. John Teichert is "called 'Prayer at Lunchtime for the United States,' in which the commander says he encourages 'Bible-believing Americans to take time to specifically pray for our nation at lunchtime every day.'"

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has requested an investigation.  The Times website states:

The foundation has asked the Defense Department to determine whether Teichert’s conduct “interferes with or violates the civil liberties of service-members and civilians under his command” or “the diversity or equal opportunities of service-members and civilians under his command.”

And, true to form, the foundation claims that there have been multiple complaints.

Teichert is the installation commander at Edwards Air Force Base.  The story states:

On his religious website, Teichert goes only by “John,” and writes that he is an active duty brigadier general who has served in the Air Force since 1994, “and who was saved by grace through faith in Christ in 2004.”

“The Lord has blessed his career while burdening his heart with the need for our nation to return to its Christian foundation,” his bio reads.

The website features a prayer list, which includes “President Trump, Vice President Pence, and the Trump administration,” “a return to our Biblical foundation,” “recognition of God’s preeminence in our lives and in our land” and “the unborn,” among others.

2 - California Senate passes bill banning materials offering hope to gay individuals who wish to break free

The bill has been on the radar of a number of Christian groups throughout this year, and the California Senate has now passed bill AB 2943.  The California Family Council reports that...

...AB 2943 is the radical bill from Assemblymember Evan Low and the LGBT Legislative Caucus. With Thursday’s vote, elected leaders told churches and those with biblical beliefs about gender and sexual orientation that advocating for their views could get them sued.

The article goes on to say, "This bill attacks the freedom of Christians...to find the services and resources from counselors, schools, and faith-based organizations that help them live out their biblical convictions regarding sexual behavior and gender identity." It also states, "Legal experts confirm that by targeting financial transactions, AB 2943 threatens religious non-profits, churches, and pastors who provide paid resources to help people practice their faith."

So, materials that point to the Biblical perspective that people who struggle with same-sex attraction or homosexuality would be banned in the state.

However, there is a small ray of hope.  The Senate made some small adjustments in the bill, so it has to go back to the other chamber, the Assembly, which has until August 31 to pass it.

1 - Jack Phillips possibly heading back before Colorado Civil Rights Commission

It looks as if Colorado cake baker Jack Phillips, fresh off his victory at the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed him to decline to provide a cake for a same-sex wedding celebration, may be back before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission again.

The Alliance Defending Freedom website reports that:

On June 26, 2017, the same day that the Supreme Court agreed to take up Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, an attorney asked Phillips to create a cake designed pink on the inside and blue on the outside, which the attorney said was to celebrate a gender transition from male to female. Phillips declined the request because the custom cake would have expressed messages about sex and gender identity that conflict with his religious beliefs. Less than a month after the Supreme Court ruled for Phillips in his first case, the state surprised him by finding probable cause to believe that Colorado law requires him to create the requested gender-transition cake.

The website states: "Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing Phillips and his cake shop filed a federal lawsuit late Tuesday against those officials for doubling down on their anti-religious hostility."

The Supreme Court had already chided the Colorado commission for hostility toward Phillips, and ADF contends that the body is at it again. ADF says:

As the new lawsuit explains, “The Constitution stands as a bulwark against state officials who target people—and seek to ruin their lives—because of the government’s anti-religious animus. For over six years now, Colorado has been on a crusade to crush Plaintiff Jack Phillips…because its officials despise what he believes and how he practices his faith. After Phillips defended himself all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, he thought Colorado’s hostility toward his faith was over. He was wrong. Colorado has renewed its war against him by embarking on another attempt to prosecute him, in direct conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling in his favor. This lawsuit is necessary to stop Colorado’s continuing persecution of Phillips.”