The 3 - November 24, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features response to the decision by a large restaurant chain to change its model of charity support.  Also, journalists investigating Planned Parenthood have received a jury verdict against them.  And, a school district in Illinois, under the pressure of a lawsuit filed by a transgender student, has changed its policy to allow boys and girls to use the same locker rooms.

Remnants from week involving Chick-fil-A: definition of Christian organizations as "anti-LGBT" and LGBT advocacy of major funding recipient

There has been a wide assortment of responses to the announcement early in the week about the Chick-fil-A Foundation, the official philanthropic arm of the hugely successful restaurant chain, making a decision to realign its giving priorities.  Gone from the charitable list are traditional recipients such as the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which were (and continue to be labeled) "anti-LGBT," in the media, presumably because of their Christian stand on matters of traditional marriage and sexuality.

In a Breakpoint commentary, John Stonestreet highlighted this labeling which has been detrimental to the two organizations...

...the Chick-Fil-A Foundation’s decision will only reinforce the slander that the organizations they are no longer giving to are, in fact, anti-LGBT. It will only reinforce that all the good these organizations do is immediately made invalid, if they are Christian groups with historic and biblical Christian convictions. By refusing to offer any clarity on the reasoning behind their decision, Chick-Fil-A allowed the headlines to be re-written in a way that furthers the goals of the LGBT bullies, that ultimately there is only one acceptable position on these controversial issues: full-support and full affirmation.

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family was likewise concerned about the continued stigmatization of these Christian organizations, which Chick-fil-A had also experienced because of the Christian values on which the company was founded.  He wrote:

Fellowship of Christian Athletes played a critical role in my coming to Christ. They continue to serve our nation’s youth in remarkable ways and are on the front lines in schools across the country. Likewise, the Salvation Army ministers in powerful ways, alleviating hunger and suffering on so many levels.

Daly passionately stated:

Sadly, the left-wing mob that has harangued our friends at Chick-fil-A has perfected the art of the shakedown. They’ve come after Focus on the Family, and they’ve come after me. Recently, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees upset the left when he supported our ministry’s Bring Your Bible to School effort. Their antagonism towards Chick-fil-A is just the tip of the spear.

He also warned that attempts to satisfy certain groups will "never satisfy the aggrieved antagonists." He wrote:

Case in point: immediately after Chick-fil-A made their announcement on Monday, GLAAD further chastised them and said they needed to disown all ties to faith-based groups who trade in “hate” like Focus on the Family. My simple question is this: Can anyone point to the “hate”? I cannot.

Daly mentioned attempts to silence people and organizations who stood on their convictions, including cake baker Jack Phillips, florist Barronelle Stutzman, and Hobby Lobby.  He stated: "I grieve for my country when three percent of its population can successfully harass billion-dollar corporations merely because they hold to two millennia-old traditional values."

Now, another piece of information has emerged about a charity that will be receiving increased funding from the Chick-fil-A Foundation, Covenant House International.  Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, in a piece at The Christian Post, wrote:

The founder of Covenant House, a Catholic priest pedophile, was sued for allegedly sexually abusing the youth who were seeking shelter and food. Covenant House proudly promotes LGBTQ on its website, referring to “LGBTQ Inclusion Initiatives,” and even doing an “inclusion assessment” at every one of its facilities.

Covenant House also proudly supports the New York City Gay Pride parade with its own float, banners, t-shirts, and hastag #CovUnity. Covenant House is recognized as a national funder of LGBTQ causes.

Staver also links to a story that documents that pro-life witnesses in Michigan shared that they saw a Covenant House International van transport someone to an abortion clinic. And, as Staver points out, Covenant House is only in 31 cities, in contrast to the widespread reach of the Salvation Army. 

Jim Daly concludes his piece by saying:

The LGBT community has fought for decades for a place at the table. In recent years they have received a seat and are aggressively advocating for their agenda. But in a pluralistic nation like America, that seat doesn’t give anyone the right to poke others in the eye.

Does anyone else find it odd that those who claim to have been bullied have become the bullies themselves?

Court grants millions to Planned Parenthood in undercover journalists' case

For six weeks, jurors in a San Francisco courtroom have been listening to testimony in a trial against the Center for Medical Progress and its undercover investigators regarding Planned Parenthood and its trafficking in the body parts of aborted babies, according to LifeSiteNews.com, which reported that it took less than two days to award the nation's largest abortion provider over two million dollars in damages.

Defense attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society stated, "This lawsuit is payback for David Daleiden exposing Planned Parenthood’s dirty business of buying and selling fetal parts and organs,” and announced his intent to appeal. The article continued to quote from the lawyer:

“David’s findings revealed practices so abhorrent that the United States Congress issued criminal referrals for Planned Parenthood, and numerous states and elected officials have moved to strip it of funding,” continued Breen. “Rather than face up to its heinous doings, Planned Parenthood chose to persecute the person who exposed it. I am fully confident that when this case has run its course, justice will prevail, and David will be vindicated.”

But, the article contends the judge in the case, Federal District Judge William Orrick III, gave faulty instructions to the jury.  The article quotes from Thomas Brejcha, founder of the Thomas More Society, in an update last week: “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get Judge Orrick to back off from his insistence that the jury be instructed that the First Amendment … does not state any kind of defense to the charges in this case..."  The judge had already declared the investigative journalists "trespassed" in certain events and meetings, and, according to a Archdiocese of San Francisco report:

Orrick “instructed the jury to only concern themselves with the damages that the defendants are liable for that trespass, both punitive and actual,” it stated.

School district mandates boys and girls share locker rooms

A school district in Illinois has changed its policy to allow boys and girls to share locker rooms.  According to CBN.com, this comes as the result of a transgender student, a biological male, filing "a lawsuit for discrimination because he was not allowed access inside the girl's locker room, The Daily Herald reports."  The school district voted 5-2 to change the policy.

The Daily Herald stated:

Nova Maday, a transgender 2018 graduate of Palatine High School with a discrimination lawsuit pending against the district, said she hoped the decision would influence other districts but doesn't accomplish every improvement she's sought for transgender students. One example of what's not included, she said, is easing the process of getting one's named changed on a student ID.

"It's a great first step," said Maday, who was born male but identifies as female. "It's huge, and school districts all across the state and nation are watching."

Student Julia Burco was visibly upset by the board's decision, with CBN reporting that "she felt 'uncomfortable, my privacy's being invaded, as I am a swimmer.'"  Already, parents in the district, District 211, are mobilizing.  A parents' rights group has already begun to circulate a "privacy request form."

The 3 - November 17, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a disagreement over a Christmas tree in the state capitol in Wisconsin.  Also, a graphic designer in Colorado is being forced by state law to provide services that violate her convictions.  And, a Christian in Hong Kong has reportedly lost his life in the continuing protests, which have turned intense and violent.

Christmas tree skirmish in WI

Already, here just before the launch of the Christmas season, there is a skirmish regarding the celebration of the holiday.  This time, it involves public officials in the state of Wisconsin.

According to ChristianHeadlines.com, the Democrat Governor, Tony Evers, decided to call the tree in the Capitol rotunda a "holiday tree" and adorned it with "science-themed" ornaments.  The article says that the state's assembly, led by Republicans, passed a resolution, which...

...passed, 64-30, with 60 Republicans and four Democrats joining together to support it. All the “no” votes came from Democrats. It now moves to the Senate, which must pass it for it to have power. It does not require the signature of Gov. Tony Evers, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The article reports that:

The resolution says the state “respects all religious and cultural customs and is desirous of properly naming the publicly-displayed symbols of our state's diverse holiday traditions out of respect for all traditions.”

“The decorated tree has been on display in the Capitol rotunda annually during the Christmas holiday season since 1916 and has been traditionally referred to as a ‘Christmas tree,’” the resolution says. “... The Wisconsin legislature wishes to continue this tradition and join numerous other states and public institutions and millions of American families in celebrating the Christmas holiday season with a Christmas tree.”

The Majority Leader of the Assembly, Jim Steineke, is quoted by the Journal Sentinel as saying, “It is a Christmas tree. Everyone knows it’s a Christmas tree. Changing the name of the Christmas tree to anything else would be a political game,” adding, “And that's what the governor did when he renamed it.”

Graphic designer challenges CO law which requires her to promote messages that conflict with her beliefs

In Colorado, the same state where cake baker Jack Phillips encountered opposition because he chose not to provide a cake for a same-sex ceremony, an event that he did not want to be a part of, based on his faith perspective, a graphic artist is facing similar barriers.

The Alliance Defending Freedom reports that "Lorie Smith and her studio, 303 Creative, filed an appeal...of a federal district court’s order that upheld a state law provision that gags creative professionals from talking about their beliefs when explaining their business decisions."  The website goes on to say: "The September order finalized a May ruling and adds to a previous decision that would allow Colorado officials to force Smith to design and publish websites promoting messages or causes that conflict with her beliefs."

This all stems from the state's Anti-Discrimination Act, which, according to ADF:

...prohibits creative professionals from expressing any views about marriage that could indicate someone is “unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable” because of their sexual orientation or that suggests that the designer won’t create particular expressive works because of those beliefs.

ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs states, "Americans shouldn’t be forced by the government to create and publish websites that promote messages or causes they disagree with. That is a quintessential freedom that the First Amendment protects..."

Hong Kong protests continue, intensify after Christian student's death

There has been a Christian element of the protests in Hong Kong, which started out as opposition to a proposed extradition law; even though the proposal seems to have been withdrawn, there is still hostility toward the perceived overreach of the Chinese government, known for its oppression of Christians, which seems to be intensifying.

The Christian Post reports on a new development:

Last week, 22-year-old Chow Tsz-lok, a second-year computer science undergraduate at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, died from his injuries after he fell from the third floor to the second floor of a car park in Tseung Kwan O on Nov. 4 while police carried out a dispersal operation nearby with rounds of tear gas fire, The South China Morning Post reports.

The article goes on to say:

Friends described Chow as a Christian who was known in his social circle for his passion for sports and mathematics, as well as his willingness to help others in school. Numerous vigils were held across the city in honor of Chow, with a moment of silence to commemorate the late student.

The Post also states:

As violence and unrest continues to escalate, Christians — who make up 11 percent of the population — have been actively engaging with the social movement. In June, the hymn "Sing Hallelujah" to the Lord rang out as an unofficial protest anthem.

According to a report from the Hong Kong Free Press, volunteers from Protect the Children, headed by pastor Roy Chan, have in recent days stood between the police and protesters, shielding young front-line demonstrators with their bodies.

Other churches in the area have opened their doors to offer shelter on demonstration days.

One of those is the Chinese Methodist Church. The pastor, Poon Yuk Kuen, told the Hong Kong Free Press that people come into the church for, as the Post puts it, "refuge during police clearance actions from previous protests." He is quoted as saying, "No matter what kind of person you are, we welcome you, because this is to fulfill our faith. We are willing to love everyone with the love of Jesus Christ.”

The 3 - November 10, 2019

In this week's edition of The 3, offering a look at three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a ruling from one Federal judge, taking on the Department of Health and Human Service to remove conscience protection for those in the health care field.  Also, a Federal appeals court has temporarily allowed a faith-based adoption agency to continue to provide services to families and children, even though it will not place children in homes headed by same-sex couples.  Plus, a chilling event in Spokane illustrates the ideological alignment between Planned Parenthood and those promoting events involving drag queens.

Federal judge halts Administration's conscience protection for health care employees

The Trump Administration, through Department of Health and Human Services, had issued a rule that would offer conscience protection for doctors, nurses, and other in the health care field, which means that they would not have to be forced to participate in objectionable procedures, such as abortions.  As WORLD reports:

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its authority in crafting a rule that would have allowed medical workers to claim religious or moral exemptions to performing abortions or other procedures that violate their consciences.

In an e-mail, Christian Medical and Dental Associations responded by saying: "Christian doctors and nurses are on the frontlines serving people in need...But our service is threatened by lawsuits brought in New York, Washington and California, which challenge commonsense conscience protections for healthcare professionals of faith. Religious healthcare professionals of all religions must be free to continue providing compassionate care without being forced to perform procedures, such as abortions, that would require them to violate their most deeply held beliefs."

Faith-based adoption provider protected from NY government by appeals court

In the meantime, the state of New York has been attempting to force faith-based adoption agencies to place children in homes where the situation violates their beliefs.  Alliance Defending Freedom has announced that, "The New York State Office of Children and Family Services has threatened to force faith-based adoption provider New Hope Family Services to immediately phase out its adoption program for the nonprofit’s policy prioritizing the placement of children it serves in homes with a married mother and father."

Recently, a Federal appeals court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, stepped in and, according to ADF, "issued an emergency order Monday that temporarily halts New York officials from targeting a faith-based adoption provider for its religious beliefs and seeking to shut it down on that basis." That provider is New Hope Family Services.  The order from the appeals court puts the state's action on hold "until the court has a chance to consider whether to reverse a federal district court’s decision to dismiss New Hope’s lawsuit sometime after oral arguments are held on Nov. 13."

ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brooks stated: “New Hope’s faith-based services do nothing to interfere with other adoption providers, but banishing it means fewer kids will find permanent homes, fewer adoptive parents will ever welcome their new child, and fewer birth parents will enjoy the exceptional support that New Hope has offered for decades. We hope the court will permanently uphold New Hope’s ability to serve children and families according to the very beliefs that motivate its valuable services.”

Pro-abortion and LGBT agenda coincide in fundraiser

We can certainly see that a variety of organizations are aligned against the principles of Scripture and those who uphold them.  I would dare say that you would find a significant number of people and organizations who are pro-abortion who tend to be ideologically united with those who are pro-gay marriage and supportive of gay marriage, as well as other issues.  This is borne out in an article at The Christian Post about a recent fundraiser for Planned Parenthood in Spokane, Washington.

According to the article:

An activist group organized on Facebook called Spokane United Against Religious Extremism & The Church at Planned Parenthood — in reference to a church that gathers weekly for worship outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Spokane, Washington, called The Church at Planned Parenthood — organized the Oct. 30 Halloween themed drag show fundraiser that included an auction featuring giant cardboard cutouts of area Christians known to protest Drag Queen Story Hour events.

Those who had their cutouts "for sale" included Anna Bohach, founder of 500 Mom Strong; Afshin Yaghtin, a local pastor who was arrested for attending a Drag Queen Story Hour to, as he claims, observe what was taking place; and Ken Peters, who has organized the Church at Planned Parenthood, in partnership with other local churches, which holds its meeting at the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.

The Post article states that Bohach says that, "she's not surprised by Planned Parenthood teaming up with drag queens against Christians who've been especially vocal against their antics." She is quoted as saying:

"Christians are the biggest threat to their agendas. We are the only ones standing in their way and telling them: 'No, you will not abort babies; no, you will not exploit vulnerable women; and no, you will not expose our children to sexual deviancy and gender confusion,'" she said.

And, the article adds:

"Both groups dehumanize, exploit, terrorize and commit violence against women. Abortion is violence against women and their babies, and drag is a misogynistic mockery of women," she said, referencing a video showing a drag queen in a New York gay bar dramatizing a woman aborting her baby and then cannibalizing it.

The 3 - November 3, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a development regarding Alabama's strong pro-life law passed earlier this year which will keep it from going into effect in less than two weeks.  Also, the Federal government has issues a new regulation that will allow adoption and foster-care agencies to receive Federal money without having to place children in home situations they find objectionable.  And, a Tennessee pastor is being held in India in a case that has religious freedom implications.

Alabama pro-life law placed on hold

It's disappointing, but not unexpected.  A Federal judge has placed Alabama's law banning abortion in almost all circumstances on hold, according to a piece on the CBN.com website, which reported the law was set to take effect on November 15, but Federal judge Myron Thompson issued a preliminary injunction putting the law on hold.

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU had filed suit against the law, and the article quotes the lead sponsor of the bill in the Alabama House, state Representative Terri Collins, who "said the ruling 'is merely the first of many steps on that legal journey.'"

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall intends to take the law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying, "...the state's objective is to advance our case to the US Supreme Court where we intend to submit evidence that supports our argument that Roe and Casey were wrongly decided and that the Constitution does not prohibit states from protecting unborn children from abortion..."

Governor Kay Ivey stated that she supports the "rule of law," and, "This legislation passed with overwhelming support in the Alabama Legislature and was signed into law as a testament to Alabamians' longstanding belief that every human life is sacred. We must continue doing all we can to protect life..."

Trump Administration takes steps to protect faith-based adoption and foster care agencies

One of the flashpoints in our society between religious freedom and the LGBTQ agenda has to do with whether or not faith-based adoption and foster care agencies should be required to place children in homes headed by same-sex couples, which would violate their religious beliefs.  States have passed laws protecting such agencies, and now the Federal government has weighed in on a related matter.

Liberty Counsel, on its website, states:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will introduce a new federal rule that would allow faith-based adoption and foster care providers to receive federal money without compromising their sincerely held religious beliefs on marriage by forcing them to place foster children with same-sex or unmarried couples.

Some history here:

In 2016, the Obama administration added sexual orientation language to an HHS rule, forcing faith-based groups to choose between their biblical beliefs on marriage or receiving federal money to serve their communities. Currently, if faith-based groups want to apply for federal funds, they must request a waiver from the Obama rule. The Trump administration rule will now make that regulation null and void.

This was another attempt to insert LGBTQ rights into Federal civil rights law, and HHS is now attempting to turn it back.

Tennessee pastor detained in India

A Tennessee pastor who has been involved in training Sunday School teachers in India and Nepal for some 20 years has been detained on his latest trip to those two nations.  The Tennessean reports that:

Bryan Nerren, leader of the International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville has been stuck in Bagdogra for more than three weeks, according to a petition posted online by CeCe Heil, an attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice.

Heil and ACLJ were involved in the case involving pastor Andrew Brunson, who had been arrested and held in Turkey for two years, prior to his release, which was the result of diplomatic pressure.

Nerren was approached in an airport in early October and was in possession of cash to cover the expenses.  He was allowed to fly to the city of Bagdogra, but was detained because he did not have the proper forms to declare the money.  The story says that:

In Bagdogra, he was arrested for traveling without the proper documentation for the funds, Heil said, then jailed for six days until he was allowed to post bail. 

"However, the judge retained Pastor Nerren’s passport and ordered a travel ban, trapping him in Siliguri."

A hearing in his case set Oct. 22 did not take place, Heil said, and another court date is slated for Dec. 12.

This series of events caught the attention of the organization, Open Doors, which issued a statement from President and CEO David Curry of Open Doors USA: "Given the currently hostile climate for Christians in India, it seems apparent that authorities targeted this American pastor because of his faith. Christians in India are regularly treated with this same disregard and denied basic human rights, while extremists are permitted to hunt Christians down and harass or assault them because of their faith. Now, the authorities have brazenly broadened their scope to detain an American whose only real crime is living out his faith in Jesus while on Indian soil..."

Curry called for Nerren to be released and for India to "reform the current conditions for its minority Christian citizens."  He added, "This is why Open Doors has devoted this year's International Day of Prayer, which will be observed on November 3, to a day of prayer for India."