The 3 - September 23, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, spotlight three recent Christian news stories, includes a ruling in favor of the free speech of pregnancy resource centers in Hawaii, which was issued as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a punitive California law.  And, the violence by radicalized Muslims toward Christians in Nigeria continues.  And, Chinese Christian leaders are pushing back against new regulations that have restricted the religious freedom of Christians there.

3 - Pro-life victory in Hawaii related to recent Supreme Court decision

Not too long ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of pregnancy resource centers, who would have been forced to violate their deeply held beliefs and share information about where clients could obtain an abortion.  The implications of the Supreme Court ruling have now reverberated to the state of Hawaii.

Alliance Defending Freedom announced on its website that:

A federal district court struck down a Hawaii law forcing pregnancy centers and pro-life doctors to advertise for the abortion industry Thursday, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affirming free speech in NIFLA v. Becerra.

“No one should be forced by the government to express a message that violates his or her beliefs, especially on deeply divisive subjects like abortion,” said Kevin Theriot, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of the Center for Life. “In NIFLA v. Becerra, the Supreme Court affirmed that we don’t force people to say things they don’t believe. For that reason, the district court was correct to permanently halt Hawaii’s enforcement of Act 200’s compelled speech requirement.”

The state of Hawaii had passed a law, Act 200, that according to the website, "required pro-life pregnancy centers to direct women to a state agency that provides abortion referrals and funding. It would have required pro-life centers to post large signs or provide notice to clients that the state of Hawaii 'has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services,' which include abortion-inducing drugs."  A Calvary Chapel-related pregnancy resource center had challenged the law.

ADF reports that even the Attorney General of the state had "agreed that the compelled speech mandate at the heart of the law was unconstitutional," in light the the NIFLA decision."
2 - Radicals in Nigeria continue to kill Christians

Over the last two months, Fulani radicals in Nigeria have taken the lives of more than 250 Christians in the nation, according to a story on the ChristianHeadlines.com website, which relayed a report from International Christian Concern about the bodies of a nine- and ten-year old which had been "found riddled with bullet holes and machete slashes." ICC stated, "The Nigerian government continues to be complacent in dealing with the problem of the Fulani militants, who have in 2018 killed nearly three times as many people as Boko Haram..."

The article, published on Thursday, September 20, points out that there are challenges that the government is mischaracterizing these attacks:

In August, board chairman of Intersociety Emeka Umeagbalasi, told The Christian Post that the Nigerian government is trying to characterize these murders as conflicts between farmers and herders. But what is really happening, he said, was a calculated attack designed to kill and drive Christians out of Nigeria.

Intersociety reported on Sunday that no fewer than 250 Christians have been killed in the last two months. They obtained this number by combining the statistics and news reports of killings since July.

Michael Brown of The Stream, has been speaking out on the plight of Nigerian Christians, to the extent of having his Twitter account temporarily suspended.  He wrote at The Stream:

Babies are being hacked to death. Children kidnapped. Women raped and savaged. Young and old burned alive. Houses destroyed, livestock plundered. Muslim herdsmen are massacring their Christian neighbors while the Nigerian media misreports and the Nigerian government refuses to act. Some even claim the government is complicit in these attacks.

President Buhari, as the watching, worldwide community, we appeal to you to act decisively and put an end to this horror. Right now, sir, many believe there is blood on your hands. Please show the world that this is not true.

He quoted from a Professor, Gerald McDermott, whom Brown described as "a respected educator and Anglican Church leader:"

The Fulani herdsman, who are Muslims, have lived in peace with their Christian neighbors for decades. Also, they cried out “Allahu akbar [Allah is great]!” as they swooped in upon these villages with death and terror.

The real story, Christians tell me, is that Islamists from other countries (like Niger and possibly Saudi Arabia) have radicalized previously-peaceful Muslim herdsmen. And the government, which is controlled by a Muslim administration, is taking advantage of this to consolidate its hold on this Middle Belt of Nigeria. Right now Jos is majority-Christian. But if the government can use these radicals to drive Christians out, Jos can become a majority-Muslim area.

1 - Chinese Christian leaders release document of solidarity concerning religious freedom

Chinese Christian leaders are pushing back against what they see as an increase in state oppression of Christians.  Faith McDonnell reports at the Institute on Religion and Democracy website:

In the midst of a campaign by the Chinese Communist Government to “Sinicize” religion and demand unswerving loyalty to the Communist Party, Chinese Christian leaders have declared their unswerving loyalty to Jesus Christ.

The article states that as of last Tuesday, the 18th, according to the St. Charles Institute, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians, over 340 leaders had signed the declaration.

McDonnell writes that, "The declaration opens with the Chinese church leaders’ affirmation of the gospel and their accountability before God to share it with the world," and adds:

It goes on to list what churches in China believe, their right to practice freely their religion, their value to and love for their country, and their refusal to compromise with the state. The courageous leaders have all identified themselves both by name and by church, and their concluding statement is a sober one, “For the sake of the gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses—even the loss of our freedom and our lives.”

The St. Charles Institute website states:

Since the official “Regulations on Religious Affairs” came into effect on February 1, 2018, the state has enforced a dramatic tightening of controls over religious matters. The new regulations have emboldened relevant governmental departments in charge of religion, and a fresh wave of attacks on religious gatherings, places of worship, and individuals have since erupted.

The site mentioned the ban on online retailers selling the Bible. A more "Sinicized" Bible is being developed. The site also reports:

Other physical manifestations of the “Sinicizing” order includes forcing churches to sing “Red songs,” or songs sung during the Cultural Revolution, praising the Communist Party of China (CPC), and advocating for support of the CPC. There have also been many churches, including official Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) churches, who have been forced to take down crosses and Christmas trees, and instead, replace them with photos of Xi Jinping or the national flag.

Many house churches, which the government views as “uncontrollable,” have been subjected to harsher treatment.