The 3 - November 1, 2020

On this week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is the stark reminder of violence centered around churches, with two incidences within the past week. And, we remember those Christians being persecuted around the world, with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church being commemorated this past weekend.  Also, a New York adoption agency that uses its Christian beliefs in declining to place children with gay couples has received a positive court ruling. Plus, a student leadership organization president who has been removed from his position for sharing his faith via text messages has been restored.

Philadelphia church vandalized in wave of violence in city

Within the past week, there have been two churches where apparent acts of violence have occurred. In a wave of violent protests in Philadelphia in the aftermath of a police-involved shooting which left one man dead, the Vietnamese Baptist Church was destroyed by fire.

Baptist Press reported that the church was destroyed on Tuesday, October 27, and says that "The city’s police department told Baptist Press the fire is not being investigated as arson." However, church pastor Philip Pham is not convinced of that. The article says that "Pham told Baptist Press he received a call Tuesday night from a church member whose friend had seen the flames and seven fire trucks surrounding the church. He arrived a few minutes later and said he was told by a bystander at the auto parts store that the bystander had seen a group of people throw something onto the roof of the church shortly before the fire started. The man also told Pham he had called 911."  The pastor stated, “I have no idea why they attacked our church,” adding, “They burned it from the roof. They threw flammable chemicals on the roof and [flames] burned through the roof” and down through the rest of the building. He said the facility is a “total loss.”  

The pastor was concerned about three hard drives that were kept in the church. Thankfully, according to Pham, "I saw the routers and modems and things surrounding the hard drives all burned, melted...But that piece of hard drive, no harm. No harm at all. Just two feet above that, all melted. … That is amazing how God knows our needs and answers our prayers. He is an almighty God. He granted our prayer.”

Also, in France, as the BBC reports, three people were killed in what is described as a "knife attack" at a church in Nice, an incident described by President Macron as an "Islamist terrorist attack". The article also notes that:

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi spoke of "Islamo-fascism" and said the suspect had "repeated endlessly 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest)".

The article states that, "Police have not suggested a motive for the attack in Nice. However, it follows days of protests in some Muslim-majority countries triggered by President Macron's defence of the publication of cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammed. There have been calls in some countries for a boycott of French goods."  A suspect, a 21-year-old Tunisian national, has been detained.

New York Christian adoption agency's policy to not place children with gay couples upheld in court

There is a burgeoning issue about whether or not faith-based adoption agencies should be forced by government regulation to place children in the homes of same-sex couples. Liberty Counsel that such an agency in New York received a positive court ruling recently, reporting:

A federal court judge ruled that a New York-based Christian adoption agency cannot be forced to close due to its policy of only placing children with married heterosexual couples.

U.S. District Court Judge Mae D’Agostino issued the preliminary injunction against the New York Office of Children and Family Services’ enforcement of its discriminatory policy. The judge stated that the state’s behavior “demonstrates some animosity towards particular religious beliefs” against the adoption agency, New Hope Family Services.

And, as Liberty Counsel points out:

On November 4, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, regarding a Catholic foster care agency that will not compromise its religious beliefs by placing children with same-sex couples. Several foster parents licensed through Catholic Social Services are plaintiffs, including the late Cecilia Paul, who fostered more than 100 children, and Sharonell Fulton, the lead plaintiff, a single mother who has fostered more than 40 children in 26 years.

The city had terminated its contracts with the agency in 2018 due to its religious beliefs.

As Amy Howe discusses at the SCOTUS Blog, "The court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia could have a significant impact for state and local governments that use private companies to provide services to their residents – if the justices decide to reach the broader issues presented by the case," adding, "The question of how to balance sincere religious beliefs against the government’s interest in protecting LGBTQ rights is one with which the justices have struggled."

She notes that the federal government has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in favor of the agency, and states, "After the Oct. 26 confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this case will be one of the first cases argued with a new, solidly conservative majority on the court. Two justices have recently reiterated their criticism of the court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell."  Isn't it interesting that a Supreme Court justice who had faced harassment because of her religious beliefs is hearing a case on religious liberty during her first few days as a justice?

University Student Senate president reinstated after court ruling

Congratulations to the former - and current - Florida State University Student Senate President, Jack Denton.  You see, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, that Jack was "sharing his personal religious beliefs in private text conversations with other students." For this, he was removed from his position, so he filed a lawsuit. Recently, FSU's Student Supreme Court made the decision to reinstate Denton as Senate president, even as his litigation moves forward.

ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer said: 

... All students should be able to peacefully share their personal convictions without fear of retaliation. As the FSU Supreme Court concluded, the senators ‘during debate reveal that they were neither tolerant nor respectful’ of Jack’s religious beliefs. Further, the court reasoned, failure to reinstate Jack to his leadership position ‘would only deter participation’ in the university’s student government.”