More court action regarding football coach who prayed after games
A high school football coach in Washington state suffered another court defeat recently, but the attorneys representing him have promised to appeal.
Joe Kennedy is the Bremerton, WA coach who, after every game for seven years, went to the 50-yard line and bowed in prayer. His school district ultimately suspended him, and First Liberty Institute joined to file court action against the district.
First Liberty's website has information on Coach Kennedy and his motivation. The website reported on Friday, March 6:
Yesterday, federal district court judge Ronald Leighton granted the Bremerton (WA) School District’s motion for summary judgement in the case of Coach Joe Kennedy. Bremerton School District fired the longtime football coach because he took a knee in brief, silent prayer after football games. Kennedy’s case attracted nationwide attention from the media, Hall of Fame coaches and players, and even President Trump. In January, President Trump invited Coach Kennedy to the Oval Office as he announced new actions to protect religious freedom in America’s public schools.As the legal advocacy group pointed out, "Last January, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to reverse a previous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upholding Kennedy’s 2015 firing." But, there was a ray of hope, as First Liberty points out: "in a separate statement filed by Justice Alito and joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, the justices explained that the Court needed more information in order to resolve the matter." They wrote, “the Ninth Circuit’s understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.” It was sent back to the district court level, which issued the decision. As The Christian Post reports, that is the same judge that issued the original court decision against the coach.
West Virginia legislators protect abortion survivors
The West Virginia Legislature passed, and Governor Jim Justice has signed a bill that would protect babies who survive abortion attempts in the state, according to Liberty Counsel, which reports:
HB 4007, known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, requires physicians to use “reasonable medical judgment” to preserve the life and health of the child as given to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, including immediate transportation to a hospital and mandatory reporting of violations.The governor is quoted as saying: “This is an absolute no-brainer as far as I’m concerned. I’ve said for a long time, even back before I took office as Governor, that I would support measures like this because every human life – born or unborn is precious and truly a gift from God..."
This bill, as Liberty Counsel points out, is "very similar" to the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act that failed to get the 60 votes necessary to move forward in the U.S. Senate, thanks to 41 Democrat Senators who voted against it. A consortium of Christian organizations representing over 30,000 medical professionals stated that under the circumstances, "There is no scientific or legal reason to distinguish between human beings born after an attempted abortion and human beings born after attempted live birth...There is no medical reason to intentionally kill that fetal human being.”
Pastors exposed to Coronavirus in quarantine
The Coronavirus continues to be a menace, and while Christians are told in Scripture not to fear, it is important to be aware and take necessary precautions, heeding instructions from governmental officials and medical authorities. According to the Religion News website, as of last Wednesday, March 4, Life.Church pastor Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald, another leader in the church, attended a conference "...which had about 7,400 attenders..." It was "cut short after one presenter became ill with COVID-19, according to organizers. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the new coronavirus."
The article reports:
“Pastor Craig and I are at home and healthy,” Gruenewald, innovation leader for Life.Church, told Religion News Service in a statement. “While en route home from Germany, we were made aware of the situation at the conference. We immediately notified health authorities and have followed every recommendation. Out of an abundance of caution, we have been isolated in our homes the entire time, even limited from interaction with our families. We have no symptoms, and someone is checking on us regularly.”And, Baptist Press reports on an Alabama connection, involving a church group that had traveled to Bethlehem. The article relates:
Pastor Chris Bell and 12 members of 3Circle Church based in Fairhope, Ala., were tested with nose swabs for COVID-19 Friday (March 6) and expect results within a day, he told Baptist Press. They have been quarantined since Thursday at the Angel Hotel in Beit Jala after a hotel resident tested positive for the virus.The article says that "Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd contacted White House and U.S. State Department officials Friday to ensure they are aware of Bell's situation, Floyd told BP." Baptist Press relates that "Floyd had scheduled a conference call for Monday, March 9 to 'discuss best practices and prevention strategies, and to pray for churches, communities and the U.S.'"
"It is impossible for me to believe that God does not have a plan for this," Bell told BP, "because how in the world could we end up in the hotel where the epicenter of this thing takes place?
"And we are convinced -- we don't like it, we don't want it -- but we're convinced God's going to use this. We're convinced that He knows exactly where we are, and He has not forgotten us. And we believe that deeply."
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