The 3 - December 13, 2020

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features news of a new breakaway denomination started by former members of the United Methodist Church.  Plus, one governor had harsh words for churches in announcing new COVID restrictions, while another governor deemed worship to be "essential."  And, a bill has been introduced into the U.S. House that would prevent biological males from competing in girls' or women's sports. 

Progressives from United Methodist Church decide not to wait on General Conference, form new denomination

It was set to go down this past spring, with delegates from the United Methodist church formally sealing an arrangement in which the traditionalists in the denomination, who uphold the Bible's teachings on homosexuality, would formally separate from those who would endorse same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy.  But, COVID took care of that, and it seems that the deal will not be confirmed until perhaps Fall of 2021 in a rescheduled United Methodist General Assembly.

But, some of the more so-called "progressives" in the Church have decided they can no longer wait for these changes to occur, so the Progressive Methodist Connexion (with an "x") has been born. ReligionNews.com states:

The Liberation Methodist Connexion describes itself on its website as “a grassroots denomination of former, current, and non-Methodist faith leaders working on the unfolding of the kin-dom of God.”

The article says that Connexion, or LMX...

...seeks to embrace the “full participation of all who are living out their God-given identities and expressions,” according to the site. That includes people of all gender expressions and sexual identities, races and ethnicities, mental and physical abilities, sizes and ages.

Religion News also says that:

Correct doctrine is less important to the new denomination than correct action, collaborators said during Sunday’s presentation. That action includes reparations, caring for the earth, and finding new ways to live together outside of systems like colonialism, white supremacy, patriarchy, clericalism and heteronormativity, they said.

Churches and COVID roundup: Virginia governor critical of churches during COVID, Colorado governor acknowledges churches are essential, California officials levy large fine on San Jose church

When a state governor is announcing his intent to clamp down on churches exercising their religious freedom, the last thing you need is for that official to try to give you a sermon telling you why you're wrong.  Such is the case with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, who stated, according to Family Research Council:

"This is a holy time for multiple faith traditions," Northam said at his press conference on Thursday. "But this year, we need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are. You don't have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers," Northam said. "Worship with a mask on is still worship. Worship outside or worship online is still worship."

But, as much as he might have liked to, Northam cannot slap churches with restrictions, based on a Supreme Court decision. Brietbart states:

Northam conceded that he could not legally limit in-person worship ceremonies, noting that the recent Supreme Court decision against the state of New York prevented him from doing that.

But he blamed churches for contributing to the spread of the virus, noting that some houses of worship were not social distancing or wearing masks.

“I have heard reports. They don’t use distancing inside the church. They are not wearing masks. Quite frankly we know that a lot of the spread is coming from this,” he said.

FRC questions that allegation, stating: "No one knows quite how Northam arrived at that conclusion since most of the contact tracing -- at least in overwhelmed cities like El Paso -- has led back to big box stores like Walmart or Costco. If anything, churches have been some of the safest indoor spaces, as pastors go to great lengths -- and expense -- to keep parishioners safe." It also reported on a situation out of California:

While Northam resorts to public pressure, other states are stubbornly slapping churches with outrageous citations. In San Jose, Calvary Christian Fellowship was hit with more than $55,000 fines for meeting indoors. Earlier this week, Pastor Mike McClure was found in contempt of court for exercising his congregation's First Amendment rights.

But there is good news: Liberty Counsel reports that: "Governor Jared Polis has finally dropped Colorado’s COVID unconstitutional limits on religious gatherings and declared that houses of worship are essential and removed attendance caps on worship effective Monday, December 7, at 5:00 PM MT." The statement is linked to the website of the Colorado Department of Public Health, that says:

Worship and ceremonies such as weddings and funerals are classified as essential. This means that they must do their best to follow public health recommendations but may exceed recommended capacity caps if they cannot conduct their essential activity within those restrictions. They still must require masks indoors and other prevention measures like 6 foot spacing between members of different households and appropriate sanitation. Outdoor activities are still strongly preferred.

Bill to ban biological males from participating in female sports in schools introduced into U.S. House

FoxNews.com reported that outgoing Democratic U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Republican colleague, Representative Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma "...introduced a bill to Congress Thursday that would 'protect women’s sports' based on participants’ biological sex." The report went 
on to say that:

Title IX protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive federal funding.

Gabbard said the legislation does not discriminate against anyone, rather it “protects the rights of biological females competing in sports against having to compete against biological men who identify as female. It’s not a level playing field. And it’s mind-boggling how quickly people attack those whose positions are based on science and common sense.”

National Review states:

The bill follows a series of court cases and state laws over the past year concerning the issue of transgender women who wish to participate in women’s sports programs. In particular, three female Connecticut high school track athletes have sued the state’s education department to prevent biological males from competing in women’s track competitions.

That story notes that: "There have been attempts in several states to bar biological men from participating in women’s sports through legislation, including Idaho and Arizona. In August, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction on Idaho’s bill on the issue."

Gabbard, by the way, as FoxNews.com reported, "...also introduced a bill mandating care for babies who survive abortions."