The 3 - May 26, 2019

On this week's edition of The 3, spotlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is news about a gay wedding featured in a children's TV show and what one state's group of PBS stations did in response.  Also, a county has voted not only to reject a protest letter and continue to display crosses on its courthouse, but the crosses are now lit.  And, a university has settled with a Christian student group in a flap over leadership.

Children's TV show features gay wedding, one state public television network says "no"

Not even the world of PBS children's programming is safe from the furtherance of the LGBT agenda.  ChristianHeadlines.com reported that:

The popular PBS Kids series Arthur broke new ground Monday by inserting a same-sex wedding into the plot, as Arthur and his friends learn their male teacher, Mr. Ratburn, is marrying a man.

PBS is standing behind the decision to include a gay wedding into the show. The article quotes Maria Vera Whelan of PBS, who is quoted in a press release: "PBS Kids programs are designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation...” She added, “We believe it is important to represent the wide array of adults in the lives of children who look to PBS Kids every day.”
But at least one network of PBS television stations chose not to air the episode. The Montgomery Advertiser website reported, regarding Alabama Public Television, that:

Programming Director Mike McKenzie told NBC News that PBS alerted stations in advance of "possible viewer concerns about the content of the program" and after viewing the episode themselves, multiple APT staffers decided to broadcast a rerun in its place.

"The vast majority of parents will not have heard about the content, whether they agree with it or not," McKenzie said in a statement to NBC News and AL.com. "Because of this, we felt it would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode."

TX county votes to keep courthouse crosses and...lights them up

A battle for religious freedom has reached a small city in in east Texas named Coldspring, in San Jacinto County.  LifeSiteNews.com reports that the so-called Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to a local judge, claiming four crosses on the county courthouse are unconstitutional, according to the Click2Houston website.

Recently, according to the story, "the County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to keep the crosses after a three-hour public comment period attended by more than 600 people in the town of a population below 900. In addition, the town has started to illuminate the crosses, Breitbart reported."

The story states that Texas First Assistant Attorney General Jeff Mateer wrote a letter to county leaders: “You should know that you can reject FFRF’s demand to impose its anti-religion bias against San Jacinto County (...) on occasion FFRF will file a lawsuit to try to force government to purge all acknowledgment of religion. If that occurs, we look forward to supporting your lawful decision to retain the crosses.”

Colorado university settles with Christian group about leadership

A campus student group at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, has entered into a settlement with the school because of its erroneous attempt to require that Ratio Christi select leaders who are not Christian, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom website, which states:

The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs has agreed to make policy changes to settle a lawsuit that Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed in November on behalf of a student group after UCCS officials refused to grant it registered status. As part of the settlement, the university agreed to grant Ratio Christi registered status, pay over $20,500 in damages and attorneys’ fees, and update its policies to ensure that a student club may require its leadership to promote the purposes of the club and hold beliefs consistent with the group’s mission.

Ratio Christi is described as a "Christian apologetics organization." 

ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham commended the school for revising its policy and stated, "Thankfully, the university quickly fixed its policy by adding provisions that respect students’ rights to free association, no longer forcing Christian students to let atheists or other non-Christians to lead their Bible studies in order to become a registered club.”