The 3 - February 24, 2019

This week on The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, within the past few weeks major evangelistic crusades have occurred in various parts of the world, including events led by the son and grandson of the late Billy Graham.  Also, another pro-life victory from the Trump Administration has been finalized.  And, there are more developments in the aftermath of the published reports about sexual abuse in churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

3 - Evangelists lead large-scale campaigns around the world

As a number of people reflected on the one-year anniversary of the death of the great evangelist Billy Graham this past Thursday, February 21, we can also celebrate how God has been working recently through evangelists who were inspired by him, including his son and grandson.

His son, Franklin Graham, spent 16 days in Australia recently, preaching the gospel in six different cities.  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website noted:

Sixteen days of criss-crossing Australia. Time well spent changing the spiritual landscape of this wild and rugged continent and its warmhearted people.

Sunday night in Sydney, Franklin Graham issued yet another invitation on the last night of the Graham Tour. He urged Aussies to confess their sins and surrender their hearts to Christ.

“Let’s get this straight tonight. Do it. Come on,” he said.

Many of those who heard the Gospel these past two-plus weeks did. Thousands of the more than 59,000 people who attended the tour received Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Meanwhile, his son, Will, held nine events in eight days in various locations in the Manila area of the Philippines. The Association's website stated:

The Greater Pangasinan-Metro Manila Celebration with Will Graham was held Feb. 9-17, and included a two-day outreach at the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex in Lingayen, Pangasinan, followed by three special events for teens, government/military leaders and marketplace leaders, and culminated with a three-day, four-event series at the Quirino Grandstand at Manila’s historic Rizal Park.

All told, 149,656 people attended the Greater Pangasinan-Metro Manila Celebration with Will Graham.

Over 19,000 people made a decision to follow Christ. The website notes that this series of events "marked the first time that all three generations of Graham evangelists have preached from the same venue in the same city. Will’s grandfather, Billy Graham, preached a Crusade at Rizal Park in 1977 and Will’s father, Franklin Graham, held an evangelistic Festival in 2006 in the same location."

Meanwhile, the Luis Palau Association held a crusade in Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire, in West Africa recently. A Christian Newswire report said that, "More than 50,000 people in West Africa gathered ...in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire for a 3-day evangelistic festival with evangelist Andrew Palau. Led by the Luis Palau Association, the week-long campaign was the culmination of more than three years of work in Cote d'Ivoire, including massive citywide festivals in other influential cities such as Yamoussoukro and San Pedro."

There were reportedly over 2,200 local churches involved, with a report of more than 19,000 public professions of faith in Christ.

Each country had its unique events and possesses its own spiritual climate.  The three crusade events just within the past month are great illustrations of how God is at work in varying parts of the world.

2 - Trump administration releases new regulation to prevent certain taxpayer dollars from funding abortion

The Trump Administration has taken another step to reduce the number of abortions in our nation.  Even though Congress has been unable to pass very much pro-life legislation in recent years because of an abundance of members who oppose restriction of abortion under the false narrative of a so-called "woman's right to choose," there are actions from the executive branch that can be and have been taken.  By the way, this week, the Senate votes on a bill that would protect infant survivors of abortion.

The Susan B. Anthony List website reports that the Administration "finalized the Protect Life Rule to redirect Title X family planning program funds away from the abortion industry. The rule advances President Trump’s promise to stop taxpayer funding of abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood, who will no longer receive Title X funding if they choose not to comply." The website states that the rule "directs tax dollars to Title X centers that do not promote or perform abortions, such as the growing number of community and rural health centers that far outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities."

This development adds to a list of pro-life accomplishments in the more than two years of the Trump Administration.  The SBA List website lists "President Trump's Pro-Life Wins, including:

• Appointed Pro-Life Judges
• Permitted States to Defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funds
• Stopped Tax Dollars Funding Abortion Overseas
• Defunded the Pro-Abortion UNFPA
• Required Health Insurance Companies to Disclose if Plans Cover Abortion
• Settlements & New Rule Regarding HHS Mandate
• Strong Pro-Life Appointments to Key Positions
• New Office for Conscience Protection at HHS
• Allowed States to Defund Planned Parenthood of Medicaid Funds.

The Susan B. Anthony List is in partnership with Life Issues Institute, which presents the one-minute radio feature, Life Issues, with Brad Mattes, heard throughout the day on Faith Radio.

1 - SBC attempts to deal with sexual abuse issue

In a response set off by the recent series on sexual abuse within Southern Baptist Convention churches, the SBC President, J.D. Greear, made a presentation to the Convention's Executive Committee.  In it, he made a number of recommendations, according to The Christian Index, which is published by the Georgia Baptist Convention.  He referred to a study group that had been established last summer regarding the issue, and the names of group members were made public in Monday's presentation.  The Index said: "Greear called on Southern Baptists to respond to some initial recommendations of the study group, beginning for repentance or decades of inaction."

The group had put together training materials that have been made available to churches. Also, according to the article, Greear announced that all six SBC seminaries, officers of the SBC Associational Leaders, and all state conventions have agreed to three Statements of Principles on Abuse documents.  He also called for new "policies and prodecures," a well as reassessing the process of ordaining ministers.

Plus, part of the presentation called for an examination of 10 churches that had received media attention regarding incidences in the area of abuse. Greear is quoted as saying that the churches are not being singled out "for disfellowshipping … at this point but these churches must be called upon to give assurance to the SBC that they have taken the necessary steps to correct their policies and procedures with regards to abuse and care for survivors."

The Houston Chronicle contacted the 10 churches mentioned, most of them in Texas.  For example, one, the large Second Baptist Church in Houston, responded with this statement:

“Second Baptist Church wants to assure the Southern Baptist Convention and our community that we have long adhered to strict policies and guidelines dealing with sexual conduct and abuse,” the church said. “First and foremost, we grieve with each and every child, individual, their families and everyone affected by sexual abuse. Period.”

Arapaho Road Baptist in Garland, TX, according to the article, "issued a statement saying it welcomed a conversation with Greear about how it handled past incidents of abuse and what it learned from them."

Then, there's Eastside Baptist in Marietta, GA - its pastor would have welcomed a conversation prior to it being announced as a church under scrutiny. Pastor John Hull "...invited the SBC’s leadership, based in Nashville, to visit Eastside to learn what the church has done to prevent sexual abuse and protect children." He said, "While this may be new for our friends in Nashville, we’ve been down the road on this."

Hull was interviewed in another Christian Index article.  When he arrived, the church in Marietta had just endured the report of a janitor who had inappropriately touched a young girl.  The story relates:

“I am completely mystified,” he said Thursday. In particular, the pastor doesn’t understand why Greear nor anyone from the SBC Executive Committee failed to contact Eastside to ask what had been done in the past two-and-a-half years prior to the list being made public.

Hull agrees with Greear’s emphasis on protecting children. However, he believes the SBC president missed an opportunity to show the example of a church that has committed itself to that task in a way few others have, traveling a road none would want to take.

The Chairman of the Executive Committee, fellow Georgia pastor Mike Stone, said:

“I share his deep concern,” Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, told The Index. “President Greear was speaking as an individual, knowing that he does not possess the authority to place any congregation under investigation. And while the specific language of the president’s address did not claim that authority, the way in which it was communicated gave the unfortunate and unintended impression that this was an action of the Executive Committee of the SBC.”

This past week, according to Baptist Press, the by-laws workgroup of the SBC Executive Committee spent time crafting a statement "responding to SBC President J.D. Greear's report earlier this week on sexual abuse." The statement addresses the 10 churches.  Relative to the introduction of an amendment at the SBC Convention in Birmingham in June, it says in part:

We utterly and completely condemn the abominable horror of child sexual abuse. We must also be careful that our righteous anger does not prevent a deliberate and thoughtful response. Although the overwhelming majority of sexual abuse cases remains tragically unreported, in virtually all reported cases, the abuse and cover-up of abuse were criminal acts undertaken by a few individuals within a church. The church body rarely knew about these actions and even more rarely took any action to endorse or affirm the wrongful acts or the actors themselves. The Convention, through its Executive Committee, should not disrupt the ministries of its churches by launching an inquiry until it has received credible information that the church has knowingly acted wrongfully in one of the four ways described in the proposed amendment:

(a) employing a convicted sex offender,

(b) allowing a convicted sex offender to work as a volunteer in contact with minors,

(c) continuing to employ a person who unlawfully concealed from law enforcement information regarding the sexual abuse of any person by an employee or volunteer of the church, or

(d) willfully disregarding compliance with mandatory child abuse reporting laws.

The day after Greear's presentation, the Bylaws Workgroup requested evidence from Greear "containing the information upon which he based his naming of the churches."  The group has determined that out of the 10 churches, only 3 require "further inquiry."  One of the 10 isn't even a Southern Baptist church.  "Further inquiry is warranted" of Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville; the Sovereign Grace consortium of churches has been under a cloud of sexual abuse allegations for many years now.  Two other churches, including one in Houston that is led by a "registered sex offender."  All others, including Second Baptist, Arapaho Road, and Eastside do not warrant further inquiry.  The report contained these pointed words:

While victims of sexual abuse should always be encouraged to report the crimes against them, we urge all members of the Executive Committee and messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention to avoid publicly calling the names of churches without having documentation of criminal convictions and giving prior notice to the church. No individual possesses the authority to declare a church to be under a Convention inquiry of any kind.

The 3 - February 17, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a report on action by lawmakers in Mississippi on legislation that would prevent abortion after a heartbeat is detected.  Also, a Louisiana college has withdrawn from a national consortium of Christian schools.  And, response continues to unfold regarding reports of abuse in churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

3 - Mississippi lawmakers pass bills limiting abortion past the time an unborn child's heartbeat is detected

There was notable pro-life activity in both chambers of the Legislature in Mississippi this past week, as both the House and the Senate passed "heartbeat bills," that ban abortion after an unborn child's heartbeat is detected.

WREG Television in Memphis reported:

The Republican-controlled Mississippi House and Senate passed separate bills Wednesday to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Efforts to pass similar bills are underway in Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee. 

“I see in this country that we protect sea turtle eggs and we protect other endangered species of animals with a greater degree of scrutiny and zealousness than we protect a child in the womb,” Republican Sen. Angela Hill, a sponsor of the Mississippi bill, said as she fought back tears during a debate.

Now, the two chambers have to pass the same bill, according to the television station, which stated: "The House and Senate must agree on a single version to send to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is in his final year in office. He said he would sign it." The article quotes a tweet from the governor on Wednesday, "I’ve often said I want Mississippi to be the safest place for an unborn child in America..."

2 - Baptist school withdraws from college consortium due to LGBT accommodations

The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities is described as "a higher education association of more than 180 Christian institutions around the world," according to a story on Louisiana's Baptist Message website, which reports that Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College has withdrawn its membership.

The publication states:

The issue involves a policy passed by the CCCU board of directors which endorses so-called “Fairness for All” legislation which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of federally-protected classes while also articulating protections for churches and religious organizations.

The story relates that:

Shirley Mullen, vice chair of the CCCU board and president of Houghton College, explained the CCCU position on LGBT protections as one of practicality for Christian higher education.

“[W]e are increasingly persuaded that the most viable political strategy is for comprehensive religious freedom protections to be combined with explicit support for basic human rights for members of the LGBT community,” she wrote in a position paper provided to the National Association of Evangelicals, a collaborator with CCCU in pushing for the controversial legislation.

Dave Welch, president of the U.S. Pastors' Council, which, as the article points out, helped lead the fight against Houston's so-called "Equal Rights Ordinance," spoke with The Christian Post, according to the Message, which reported:

Welch said equating “race, religion and (biological) sex to sexual behavior and mental instability” would open up a legal “Pandora’s Box” and in the end would result in “special rights for a few.”

“Christians who still actually believe and follow the authority of the entire canon of Holy Scripture” would be at risk of “civil and criminal punishment,” he said.

1 - Southern Baptists respond to newspaper investigation

Southern Baptists are continuing to speak out about instances of sexual abuse in congregations across the country, in light of a Houston Chronicle three-part series.  A Baptist Press on Friday reported on further developments and gave a summary of the series.  It stated:

The Chronicle stated in part one of its report that its investigation of sexual abuse among Southern Baptists revealed approximately 380 instances since 1998 -- including more than 250 since 2008 -- of "those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned." The crimes have left more than 700 victims, the newspaper stated.

Part two recounted crimes committed by some of the "at least 35 Southern Baptist pastors, youth ministers and volunteers who were convicted of sex crimes or accused of sexual misconduct but still were allowed to work at churches during the past two decades."

Part three claimed "more than 100 Southern Baptists described as former youth pastors or youth ministers are now in prison, are registered as sex offenders or have been charged with sex crimes."

One of the threads of commentary in the wake of the Chronicle article had to do with Sovereign Grace Ministries.  The Baptist Press article mentioned that: "Southern Baptist Convention seminary presidents R. Albert Mohler Jr. and Danny Akin have apologized for their former support of C.J. Mahaney, a pastor accused of concealing sexual abuse at the ministry he used to lead."

The article states:

Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told the Chronicle in an interview published Feb. 14 he "erred in being part of a statement supportive of (Mahaney)." Mohler apparently was referencing a 2013 statement issued with Mark Dever and Ligon Duncan vouching for Mahaney's "personal integrity" after a judge dismissed most of a lawsuit against Sovereign Grace Ministries, a network of churches Mahaney led until April 2013. The network changed its name to Sovereign Grace Churches in 2014.

The suit alleged leaders at Sovereign Grace, including Mahaney, covered up child sexual abuse. The Maryland judge who dismissed the suit noted the statute of limitations had expired and didn't address the merits of the alleged victims' claims.

The Sovereign Grace issue had been brought up in an article on the Medium website that dropped a mere two weeks before the Houston Chronicle series, and it's worth reading.  A long-time, former board member of the ministry, Brent Detweiler, was prominently featured; the author says, "the evidence he compiled over the years regarding SGM, subsequent cover-ups, and fraudulent activity was extensive."  And, Detweiler has not been silent about what he had observed, informing Christian leaders, including some who have become vocal on abuse after the Chronicle series, about the evidence he had gathered.

Neither has former gymnast, now attorney Rachael Denhollender, who was the lead person in exposing Larry Nassar's sexual abuse.  The article says, "A prominent Christian figure and victim-turned-lawyer, Denhollander became an outspoken critic of Sovereign Grace. In a 2018 interview with Christianity Today, she stated that SGM and Mahaney’s involvement were “one of the worst, if not the worst, instances of evangelical cover-up of sexual abuse” and “one of the most well-documented cases of institutional cover-up I have ever seen.”

Meanwhile, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Paige Patterson, according to Baptist Press, "wrote a Feb. 14 letter to Chronicle acting editor Steve Riley claiming the paper 'slandered' him." The article says:

Part one of the Chronicle's report on Southern Baptists "slandered and totally misrepresented me, and in so doing ha[s] significantly harmed my ministry," Patterson wrote according to a copy of the letter he emailed journalists. "The events they report are tragic. However, there is no reason to punish the innocent with the wicked."

Patterson claims that he dealt strongly with an "ex-protege" mentioned in the article, and "defended his handling of alleged sexual assault cases at Southeastern and Southwestern," two Baptist seminaries that he led.  His response to allegations at Southeastern seminary was a key component to his dismissal at Southwestern. But, The Tennessean had reported that Patterson's attorney said the Southeastern student who was apparently victimized, wrote Patterson a letter of thanks for "being able to stay in school and for how the seminary handled it, he said."

The ramifications from this story will continue to emerge, and the response by the Convention's leaders will be especially important.

The 3 - February 10, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a story in which a judge ruled that a university could not decide not to recognize a Christian student groups because of its devotion to Christian principles.  Also, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Louisiana pro-life bill from going into effect.  And, both chambers of the U.S. Congress, lawmakers were unable to get a unanimous vote to protect the lives of babies surviving abortions.

3 - Iowa university student group victorious in court case

A campus student group at the University of Iowa lost its recognition by the school back in September of 2017, and recently, according to an article from the Daily Caller News Foundation published at The Stream, "A judge ruled Wednesday that the University of Iowa cannot revoke its recognition of a Christian student group based on its statement of faith, which required leaders to acknowledge sexual relations did not happen outside of marriage and every individual needed to embrace their 'God-given sex.'"

The organization is Business Leaders in Christ, which was formed, according to the article, by students in the university's business school to "provide a space for Christian students to network, hold group discussions and 'keep Christ first in the fast-paced business world,' according to a Department of Justice statement of interest filed on Dec. 21, 2018."

The article quotes Federal district judge Stephanie Rose, who wrote, “The Constitution does not tolerate the way defendants chose to enforce the human rights policy,” adding, “Particularly when free speech is involved, the uneven application of any policy risks the most exacting standard of judicial scrutiny, which the defendants have failed to withstand.”  In other words, as the article said, "the university allowed certain groups on campus to restrict access based on their requirements." Examples included:

One organization, Love Works, demanded leaders to sign “a gay-affirming statement of Christian faith.” Another group, House of Lorde, conducted interviews for potential members to ensure there is “a space for Black Queer individuals.”

2 - U.S. Supreme Court votes to not allow women's protection bill to take effect in Louisiana

There was anticipation that on Monday, February 4, a new law in Louisiana that mandated that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals would go into effect.  But, after Justice Samuel Alito on the U.S. Supreme Court had put the implementation on hold the preceding week in consideration of a request for a stay, the entire Supreme Court weighed in.

According to LifeSiteNews: 

The U.S. Supreme Court has voted five to four to block the implementation of a Louisiana law requiring basic health and safety standards for abortion facilities, potentially hinting at the justices’ disposition to affirm a key pro-abortion ruling from 2016.

The article points out that Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal wing of the court to put the law on hold at least until the Supreme Court decides on whether or not it will hear the case itself; if it refuses to do so, the lower court ruling in favor of the law will stand.

Opponents to the law had said that the Louisiana law was different than the Texas law struck down in 2016 by the high court.  That was a 5-3 decision, in which Roberts voted against overturning the law (SCOTUS Blog). A Federal judge on the 5th Circuit had noted differences, according to the LifeSiteNews article.

1 - Bills  protecting lives of children surviving abortion attempts fails to gain unanimous vote in both chambers of Congress

It was an affirming and disaffirming week for the sanctity of life.  You had the President of the United States make strong statements on behalf of the unborn in the State of the Union address and at the National Prayer Breakfast.  And, you had brave lawmakers on Capitol Hill in both chambers of Congress who attempted to pass legislation to protect babies who had just survived a murder attempt through abortion.

However, unanimous consent could not be obtained in either chamber.  Family Research Council comments on the debacle:

In a civilized society, there should brightly colored moral lines that neither party will cross. When Democrats did, it put every American on notice that there is no bridge too far, no policy too extreme. As Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebr.) said earlier this week, who would have thought that any leader -- let alone the House speaker -- would block legislation that makes it illegal to leave a newborn baby to die? "This is morally repugnant. Passing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act shouldn't be hard -- there are only two sides to this debate: you're defending babies or you're defending infanticide."

It should be, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) argued, the "simplest vote you will ever take." And yet, Democrats didn't take it. In the face of overwhelming backlash, a party in full-blown damage control dug in even deeper -- refusing not just Thursday, but today, to even bring the bill to the floor. For so many Americans, the footage of Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) asking to move the Born-Alive bill by unanimous consent was a powerful indication that the Left has no intention of listening to their constituents -- or what's left of their conscience.

The bill could still pass both chambers, but it will go through the standard procedure. As the article points out, Senator Patty Murray of Washington was the Democratic senator who thwarted the bill's progress.  In the House, chairman Henry Cuellar refused to recognize Scalise's request.

The FRC piece also commented on how out-of-step this radical agenda is from most Americans:

Already, Rasmussen polling warns, they're in a political no-man's-land with this radical agenda. Only 21 percent of Americans agree with them that abortion should even be legal in the last three months of pregnancy. Imagine how low that number would be if they'd asked about the Democrats' other agenda: infanticide.

The 3 - February 3, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three relevant stories to the Christian community, features a new development in the story of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani woman set free from her death sentence for violating the country's blasphemy laws.  Also, a major Christian organization is attempting to uphold Biblical teaching regarding employee policy.  And, an effort to pass sweeping abortion legislation in Virginia has been turned back.

3 - Pakistan high court upholds ruling to free Asia Bibi

The case involving Asia Bibi, the Pakistani woman who was sentenced to death under the country's harsh blasphemy laws, accused of insulting Mohammed, had another development this past week; the BBC reported that "The Supreme Court upheld its decision to overturn Asia Bibi's conviction and death sentence."

The report goes on to say:

The Supreme Court's quashing of her sentence last October led to violent protests by religious hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws, while more liberal sections of society urged her release.

Mission Network News quoted the national director of FMI, which stands for Forgotten Missionaries International, who told Executive Director Bruce Allen, "We are gradually heading towards a civil war situation." He said that "Radical Muslims have again taken to the streets," and "Protesters are calling for the execution of the Supreme Court justices who issued the ruling and the overthrow of Prime Minister Imran Khan."  The article also states that Allen "has informed MNN that Asia Bibi has been safely escorted out of Pakistan," but her location at the time was unknown.

2 - American Bible Society uphold Bible, loses staff members

You would expect an organization that is centered on the Bible to require its employees to act in accordance with the Bible's teachings.  So, it should come as no surprise that employees have been leaving the American Bible Society due to a new statement affirming a commitment to Biblical marriage relationships.

A Religion News Service story quotes Society President and CEO Roy Peterson, who said that the new Affirmation of Biblical Community “was introduced because we believe a staff made up of people with a deep and personal connection to the Bible will bring unity and clarity as we continue our third century of ministry.”

The story, released in late January, states: "Those departures represent a little less than 20 percent of the society’s workforce. But several have explicitly resigned in protest of the affirmation, and more are expected to resign by the end of the month."  The policy went into effect this past Friday.

1 - Virginia bill allowing abortion up until, and perhaps past, the time of birth halted - for now

The Virginia bill that would have allowed legalized abortion up until the time of birth and perhaps allow the life of a child to be taken after he or she is born, is now on hold, according to Live Action News, which says:

Virginia’s Repeal Act will not move forward. Live Action News reached out to Rep. C. Todd Gilbert’s office who said the bill will not leave the subcommittee and no action will be taken on it. The Washington Free Beacon said the Repeal Act “when put to a vote… was defeated” and The Daily Progress reports that it was killed. The Washington Times and other sources are reporting that the bill has been tabled or suspended.

The sponsor, Rep. Kathy Tran has admitted, according to the story, that the act would allow abortion "even when a woman is in active labor about to deliver her child."  Live Action News also reported that embattled Governor Ralph Northam, who, when commenting on a radio show about a third-trimester abortion, said: "...if the mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physician and the mother."

Fox News reported that the governor was trying to walk back his statement - he tweeted out, "Wednesday evening, Northam tweeted: "I have devoted my life to caring for children and any insinuation otherwise is shameful and disgusting."  The story also says that his communications director said the Republicans who had criticized him were "trying to play politics with women's health." As Live Action News reported:

Gov. Northam’s office released a statement after the interview in response to the backlash he received. He claimed that “No woman seeks a third trimester abortion except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances, such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities, and the governor’s comments were limited to the actions physicians would take in the event that a woman in those circumstances went into labor.” This claim is inaccurate.