The 3 - January 19, 2020

In this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three recent stories of relevance to the Christian community, there was a recent announcement of Federal action concerning religious freedom.  Plus, parents in New Jersey are taking action in opposition to a mandate to teach so-called LGBTQ history.  Also, protests have been occurring in India regarding a tall statue of Jesus, slated to be built on private land.

President announces initiatives to guarantee religious freedom

This past Thursday, January 16, was Religious Freedom Day, and the President announced a series of new guidelines that would preserve religious freedom rights.  According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, there were "three major actions" that were proclaimed:

1. Ensuring Religious Organizations Are Treated the Same as Secular Ones

2. Requiring Public Schools to Respect Students’ Rights to Express Their Faith

3. Ordering That Federal Grant Programs Cannot Discriminate Against Religious Schools or Organizations

CBN.com published an article about students' right to pray in schools and pointed out that the President had "previewed" that announcement in the "Evangelicals for Trump" rally in Miami earlier this month.  The article says:

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos explained the new rules protect students' right to pray, but they also go beyond that to protect faith-based student groups and much more: "The Department's efforts will level the playing field between religious and non-religious organizations competing for federal grants, as well as protect First Amendment freedoms on campus and the religious liberty of faith-based institutions."

The U.S. Department of Education, according to the article, "is sending letters to officials in all 50 states to ensure students and teachers don't face discrimination for practicing their right of religious freedom."  As the article notes, "The bottom line is this: Public schools now risk losing federal funds if they violate students' rights to religious expression."

Faith Radio programmers were quoted in the article: David Jeremiah said that, "Our public schools ought to be places where people of faith feel free to be who they are, and -of course- no one really believes doing so constitutes enforcing one's personal faith on another." Tony Perkins related, "Some school officials are willing participants in the secularists' intimidation campaign while others fear the lack of funding to fight threatened lawsuits. Now the tables are turned."

In another CBN.com article, James Dobson is quoted as saying, "We should celebrate the administration's vital efforts to protect our religious freedom. But such work is in vain if we don't seize the opportunity to live out our faith and thereby transform the heart of this nation."

New Jersey parents express concern over new LGBTQ-friendly curriculum

There is certainly trouble in the state of New Jersey over a disturbing new law that requires the teaching of so-called LGBTQ history, according to an article published at The Stream from The Daily Signal.  The article reports that the bill was signed by Democrat governor Phil Murphy on January 31 of last year, making New Jersey the nation's second state to pass such a requirement (California was first).  The piece states:

The New Jersey measure says the state board of education “shall include instruction on the political, economic and social contribution of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.”

Parents' right leaders gathered on January 4 to mobilize. The article quotes from Victoria Jakelsky, described as "state director of a grassroots group called Protect Your Children, or Team PYC..." The article notes that, according to Jakelsky, Protect Your Children was formed last summer and "is affiliated with ParentalRights.org, and includes evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholics, Coptic Christians, and other concerned citizens."

ParentalRights.org has a number of high-profile Christian leaders on its board, including former Alabama and NFL star Shaun Alexander, parenting expert John Rosemond, gospel music legend Marvin Winans, and Michael Smith of the Home School Legal Defense Association. ParentalRights.org was founded by Michael Farris, formerly of HSLDA, who is now President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom.

Jakelsky stated, "We are highly concerned that the LGBT history will teach lifestyles and life choices that stand 100% against our family values, our deeply held religious views, and the way we practice our faith.”

Two mayors who are professing Christians are quoted in the article:

Mayor Ed McKelvey, a Republican from Alloway Township in Salem County and an ordained pastor who has attracted media attention for speaking out against the LGBT curriculum, said it is a matter of right and wrong.

“God never calls you to do something that does not line up with his word, even if what he calls you to do doesn’t always make natural sense,” McKelvey told audience members.

Also...

Mayor Alfonso Cirulli of Barnegat Township in Ocean County called on Christians from across denominations to unite in an effort to reform New Jersey laws that undermine biblical teachings.

Cirulli, a Republican, has been widely quoted for saying that the LGBT curriculum mandates could “indoctrinate” students.

“This is a spiritual battle,” he said. “We have the Lord behind us.”

Team PYC members plan to be active in the days to come. The article says:

A dozen members of Team PYC are scheduled to meet Jan. 30 with Lamont Repollet, New Jersey’s commissioner of education.

Group members also plan to testify at school boards across the state in February and March, and to hold “prayer and policy meetings” in some counties.

In the midst of increasing persecution, Indians protest statue of Jesus

Again this year, the nation of India is in the top 10 of the Open Doors World Watch List, identifying the countries who are the leading persecutors of Christians worldwide.  There is an article at The Christian Post website that highlights an instance of hostility to Christianity in the Ramanagara district in the southern part of the country.  The article states:

Hundreds of hardline Hindus gathered to protest a planned Jesus statue that will rival Rio de Janeiro's "Christ The Redeemer" for its size, claiming the structure will go “against the spirit of communal harmony.”

Here is a description of the scene:

Carrying saffron flags as around 1,000 police stood by, protesters demanded that the state government reverse its decision to allot land for the proposed 114 foot Jesus statue or face further demonstrations.

The Jesus statue is expected to stand atop a hillock named Kapalabetta in Harobele, a village of 3,500 where Christians form a majority. The land is owned by the Archdiocese of Bangalore.

A local representative of the archdiocese said that state officials have said they would become involved in the conflict.  The article also notes that:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2019 report warned that religious freedom conditions in India “continued a downward trend” in 2018.

The commission warned against “the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives” that facilitate campaigns of violence, intimidation and harassment against non-Hindu minorities and lower-caste minorities from both public and private actors.