The 3 - December 1, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of interest to the Christian community, includes coverage of a law in New York state that places requirements on pro-life employers to set aside their beliefs on the sanctity of life.  Also, a printing company in Alabama has declined to publish a magazine issues that contains material it regards as objectionable.  And, a pastor in India who was nearly beaten to death represents millions of Christians facing persecution in that nation.

NY hiring law punishes pro-life employers

The state of New York, already having shown its hostility to unborn babies when its Legislature passed a law allowing abortion throughout pregnancy, has passed a law, and Governor Cuomo has signed it, that shows its hostility for those who stand with life, according to a CBN.com article, which reports that the state's new law...

...requires all employers—including churches, religious schools, faith-based pregnancy care centers, and religious nonprofits—to disavow their beliefs about abortion, contraception, and sexual morality by forcing them to hire and employ those who refuse to abide by the organizations' statements of faith.

In response, the Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a lawsuit against the state, representing CompassCare, a pregnancy care center in Rochester, as well as First Bible Baptist Church, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, which is a network of pregnancy centers, and other groups.

ADF Legal Counsel Denise Harle is quoted in the article: "Every woman deserves the support she needs to make the healthiest choice for everyone involved in her pregnancy. But New York's new law forces CompassCare to contradict its own beliefs and to employ staff who endorse abortion—a decision that harms women and ends innocent lives. No one would force PETA to hire employees that hunt on the weekends. CompassCare deserves that same courtesy and equal freedom under law."

AL printer says "no" to printing pro-LGBTQ magazine edition

The situation in New York is yet another front in a cultural trend where people who hold to certain beliefs about life and marriage are facing attempts to force them to act in a manner that contradicts those beliefs.  Another organization standing strong is Interstate Printing, based in Mobile, Alabama.

The Christian Post reported on this company's dilemma after the magazine, Due South, was planning an issue that was distinctively pro-LGBTQ.  The Post article said the issue "featured stories about LGBT students and drag queens, AL.com reported."

Editor-in-Chief Sara Boone was quoted as saying: "They emailed me back and said they would be exercising their right to decline printing this issue because it does not adhere to their Christian values and they hope to print with us in the future, adding: “It’s very ironic for me because this particular issue of Due South is a special topics issue on diversity and inclusion. And it’s the very first special topics issue that we have ever produced. For them to decline printing it because it’s so diverse and the content is incredibly ironic..."

The printer had no comment to The Christian Post.  Due South is affiliated with the University of South Alabama. According to the Post article, "The “About Us” page on Interstate Printing’s website states that 'We are a Christian company that will serve the Lord God Almighty in any way we can.'"  The story notes that Bob Lowery, the school’s director of communications and media, wrote in an email to NBC News, “We respect our students for having the courage of their convictions...At the same time, we also respect the rights of individuals and private businesses to make decisions that are consistent with their values. It is our hope that healthy and constructive dialogue can emerge from differing perspectives.”

Indian pastor who was beaten representative of increased persecution in country

Basant Kumar Paul is a pastor who was attacked at his house church in eastern India.  He is quoted on the Baptist Press website as saying:

"My physical body might be weak, but my spirit is very strong, it will not break with persecution," Morning Star News quoted Paul Friday (Nov. 22). "They tried to kill me twice, I was almost dead, but I still did not die. I will not die until the Lord calls me back home. This assurance drives away all my fears."

The story points out that Paul is still recovering, and that, "In the attack on his family, eight extremists entered his home and beat Paul until they thought he was dead, beating his family members as each tried to help. Among injuries, attackers broke Paul's son's leg and hit his mother and brother in the head with axes, Paul said."

The Baptist Press story relates that "Paul is among an estimated 65 million Christians facing increased persecution in the nation of 1.4 billion people. Persecution is spiking under extreme rightwing Hindu nationalism encouraged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to reports from across the Asian nation."  The article relates that:

Christians in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India have suffered increased persecution since the BJP-led government revoked a 1949 law that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to form its own constitution, reported Morning Star and religious persecution watchdog groups including Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs.

New security measures issued as recently as Nov. 6 make it "nearly impossible" for Christian congregations to meet, Morning Star reported.

And, the pastor is having legal troubles; the article says that Paul "and other family members are being investigated for holding church services in his home where about 35 gather for worship, Morning Star reported."