The 3 - January 31, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, including developments regarding American taxpayers funding abortion at home and abroad. There is also an instance of web censorship that hits close to home, as a publication of a Faith Radio programmer has found itself suspended from Twitter.  And, a California church faces perhaps a million dollars in fines as the result of challenging state lockdowns.

President authorizes funding abortions outside the country, lawmakers introduce bill to prevent it inside the country

The Mexico City policy prevents the United States from funding international abortions, and has been an off-again, on-again proposition, generally, with Presidents who are pro-life upholding the policy and those who are not, reversing it.

Such was the case this past week when President Joe Biden signed an executive order that ends the policy temporarily - of course, Congress would have to enact legislation to permanently make it U.S. law, which is highly unlikely due to the number of lawmakers who are beholden to the abortion industry and support the taking of unborn life in America, as well as around the world.

CBN.com quoted Jeanne Mancini of the March for Life, which was held virtually last Friday; she said: "Rescinding the Mexico City Policy on the eve of the March for Life is a deeply disturbing move, especially when the president says he wants national unity...The government should never force taxpayers to fund abortions, either here or abroad, but should work to protect the inherent dignity of all persons, born and unborn."

Meanwhile, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee has joined with other pro-life members of the U.S. Senate to sponsor a bill that would prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortion through Title X. A press release from her office quotes the Senator: “We must close loopholes that allow for abortion giants like Planned Parenthood to receive federal funding...This legislation will help end taxpayer funded support for the abortion industry and protect the unborn.”  It is certainly a longshot on passage, but it does raise awareness of taxpayer funding being used to take human life.

Major Christian ministry banned from Twitter over transgender comments

The Focus on the Family website, The Daily Citizen, was banned from Twitter recently due to a tweet regarding an appointment by the President, Rachel Levine, who will serve as Assistant Secretary of Health.  The website stated that:

This Daily Citizen tweet linked to an article, which mainly questioned Levine’s suitability for the job because of previous actions as the Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania. Twitter censors alleged that our factual post, stating that a “transgender woman” is a man who believes he is a woman, somehow promoted violence against, threatened or harassed other people.

An organization launched by Focus on the Family, Family Policy Alliance, made this tweet available:

CENSORSHIP ALERT: Twitter banned @FocusCitizen from their platform. The crime? A tweet which identified Asst. Health Sec. Rachel Levine as a biological male. If stating the facts gets you banned, none of us belong here. @Twitter, we’re wondering: #AreWeNext? RT to speak out!

Focus President Jim Daly, in a blog post, stated:

As we noted to Twitter in our appeal (we have since been denied), we were deeply puzzled as to why we’re not permitted to simply acknowledge the definition of what transgender women are – those born male who believe they are a woman, regardless of whether they have had opposite-sex hormones or surgeries.

The article itself had absolutely nothing to do with Dr. Levine’s “trans” identification. It had to do with his fitness for the job based on his previous record.

California church could face over a million dollars in fines, but apparently no jail time

Throughout California, churches have challenged the severe lockdowns throughout the Golden State, which have disrupted the ability of churches to fulfill their missions.  One of them is Calvary Chapel San Jose, which has been holding indoor services in violation of COVID regulations; ChristianHeadlines.com reported on some recent developments:

Attorney Robert Tyler, who is representing Calvary Chapel San Jose and its pastor, Mike McClure, said after a court hearing that the judge said Santa Clara County is “only looking for monetary sanctions” and does not want to place McClure or any other pastors in jail.

“Thank God,” Tyler said. “... That’s off the table.”

According to ABC7, linked to the Christian Headlines article, this case was heard by a county court judge. 

Well, that's good - what's not good is the amount of money that could be used to do ministry work that could be paid to the state. The article says that "Calvary Chapel faces more than $1 million in fines, although Tyler and other supporters of the church hope the court will side with the congregation and rule the fines don’t have to be paid."

The 3 - January 24, 2021

On this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, I provide some information with regard to the new Administration's views and actions regarding so-called "transgender rights."  Also, there was a positive court ruling recently that protects conscience rights of those in the medical field who do not wish to participate in gender reassignment procedures. And, an Idaho pastor who had been arrested during a local "psalm sing" sponsored by his church for violating COVID regulations has been released from charges.

Gender identity and sexual orientation "rights" front and center in new Administration

There have been concerns for years about granting special considerations for people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.  The rhetoric in the Presidential campaign indicated that the Biden Administration would be supportive of these special so-called "rights."

Through Executive Orders issued last week, the President showed the direction that he would like to head on gender issues. One of those orders reversed the standing position on allowing males to play female sports and to share bathroom and locker room facilities. The Federalist reported:

President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office, mandating that any schools that receive federal funding must function as if biological males who claim to be females are the same, and vice versa, or risk losing that funding. This pro-transgender policy extends to male athletes who claim their gender identity as a female should allow them to compete on women’s teams, receive women’s scholarships, and be admitted in women’s locker rooms.

This homogenization of genders extends to a new rule for federal agencies changing the definition of the word, "sex." National Religious Broadcasters called attention to it, saying...

...This executive order directly targets people of faith and religious organizations. Under this order, all federal agencies are required to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their definitions of sex regarding any policy that opposes sex discrimination.

Tony Perkins of Family Research Council is quoted in the article, saying: "...President Joe Biden has turned 50-year-old civil rights legislation on its head, hollowing out protections for people of faith. President Biden is unilaterally enacting a sweeping policy change that has routinely failed to win the approval of Congress, the body the Constitution tasks with actually passing laws.”

Court decision helps protect conscience rights of medical professionals faced with gender-related procedures

There was some good news recently in the gender arena: a Federal district court in North Dakota issued a ruling temporarily upholding conscience rights for professionals in the medical field.  According to a CBN.com article, "A federal court in North Dakota has struck down a directive known as the 'Transgender Mandate' that required medical professionals and religious healthcare providers to perform gender transition procedures on patients - including children - even when the measure violates their beliefs."

Luke Goodrich, senior counsel at Becket, which filed the lawsuit back in 2016, stated, "The court's decision recognizes our medical heroes' right to practice medicine in line with their conscience and without politically motivated interference from government bureaucrats."

Ryan Anderson, now the head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, noted, "The cultural moment in which we're living suggests that there's only one allowed conclusion to this question...And the only allowed conclusion is that (gender) transition is the best solution. The biggest data set shows that there's no benefits, psychological benefits, to patients of hormonal and surgical transition."

Idaho pastor arrested for singing outdoors released from charges

Back in September, a church in Moscow, Idaho held a "psalm sing."  It was outdoors and it was unclear, apparently, what COVID restrictions might have been in place.  Nevertheless, three people, including a local pastor and podcast co-host, Gabriel Rench, were arrested.  He is quoted in a Christian Post article:

“We had done the Psalm sing in the past under the same [mask] resolution and we weren’t arrested, we weren’t warned … we were just taking our constitutional liberties to do what we’re allowed to do under the Constitution — worship..."

He said that it looked as if local law enforcement was attempting to "make an example" of the church's "opposition" to COVID laws. 

Thomas More Society Special Counsel Michael Jacques noted, on behalf of Christ Church: "The Moscow City Code allows the Mayor to issue public health emergency orders, but exempts ‘[a]ny and all expressive and associative activity that is protected by the United States and Idaho Constitutions, including speech, press, assembly, and/or religious activity,’” adding, “Mr. Rench and the other worshipers who were arrested had their constitutionally protected liberties violated and their lives disrupted — not only by the inappropriate actions of law enforcement officers, but also by city officials who did not immediately act to correct this unlawful arrest.”

The 3 - January 17, 2021

In this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a development involving a Western-state governor who has been instructed by the Supreme Court to respond to an appeals court ruling on COVID restrictions in his state.  Also, a Midwestern state has become the first state in the Union that no longer offers abortions.  And, a large organization of Christian broadcasters, while lamenting the violence at the U.S. Capitol, is also criticizing the attempt by tech companies to limit the speech of Christian organizations.

U.S. Supreme Court requests response from NV governor regarding COVID-19 restrictions

Coming in the shadow of its ruling in the Brooklyn v. Cuomo case just before Thanksgiving, which reversed restrictions on worship gatherings in New York state, the U.S. Supreme Court has requested a response from the governor of Nevada, Steve Sisolak, to answer for restrictions in his state.

The Christian Post reports that, "The Lyon County-based Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with Gov. Steve Sisolak..., Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Lyon County Sheriff Frank Hunewill over worship restrictions imposed in the state as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic," adding:

The most recent development in the case came in December, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down restrictions that prevented the church from holding in-person worship services with more than 50 people in attendance.

The appeals court made reference to the Brooklyn decision and "reversed a lower court decision upholding the restrictions. As a result of the ruling, the church could hold in-person worship at 25% capacity."

Attorneys for the Alliance Defending Freedom, representing the church, said: "After concluding that the Nevada governor treats places of worship less favorably than many secular entities, the court of appeals granted a preliminary injunction allowing Calvary Chapel to meet at a 25% capacity limit, the same as casinos, museums, and some others in the governor’s most recent order … That was error...”

"Show-Me State" sets example on abortion

During this week in which the anniversary of Roe v. Wade is commemorated, there is good pro-life news out of the state of Missouri, which is now the first abortion-free state in the United States, according to Liberty Counsel, which reports that: 

On May 17, 2019, Missouri passed a law that made abortions illegal after eight weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

According to “The Status of American Abortion Facilities in 2020,” a year-end report by Operation Rescue, “Reproductive Health Services Planned Parenthood in St. Louis was the last abortion facility in Missouri.” Despite still remaining open, the report confirmed of “no abortion appointments” being made available at the facility “for months, and none are available anytime in the foreseeable future.”

The article notes that ten states saw a reduction in the number of abortion facilities, while thirteen states, including Alabama, which has a new Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham, saw an increase.

Large consortium of religious broadcasters laments censorship

There is widespread condemnation of the lawlessness and violence at the U.S. Capitol recently, but there has also been criticism of the use of that event to censor speech, including religious speech.  National Religious Broadcasters, of which Faith Radio is a member, echoed that sentiment, with CEO Troy Miller rightly saying, "We are shocked and grieved by the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol. These acts do not represent the character of Christianity or the civility for which America stands."

But, he said, "we are concerned by the growing power of Big Tech and the ability of unelected, unaccountable moderators to control the flow of information based solely on their own interpretations or loosely defined standards." In defending religious organizations who have found themselves being condemned due to incorrect perceptions, Miller says, "Many of our member organizations are dependent on social media and other digital platforms to effectively share the Gospel and continue their work. We have already seen numerous examples of Christian ministries being labeled as 'hate groups' and subsequently being denied access to tech platforms, leaving them unable to fundraise, livestream events, or communicate effectively."

Miller said that NRB is in favor of reforms that would create a "fair and transparent process for moderation."

The 3 - January 10, 2021

The 3 returns this week, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community.  The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will hear a case out of California, where officials are attempting to force a non-profit organization to reveal information about its donors.  Also, Southern Baptist leaders held a meeting recently dealing with how best to approach race relations within the denomination.  And, a well-known evangelist is calling for healing among political leaders in light of unrest in the nation's capital last week.

High court to hear case of donor privacy

The Thomas More Society is a non-profit organization that is based in Michigan, but it has donors from California, and the state's Attorney General would like to force the Society to declare who its donors are. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, "ruled that the organization—and all other nonprofits who solicit donations in California—must disclose the names and addresses of major donors to the California attorney general on an annual basis."  The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will hear the appeal of the case.

ADF, in another article on its website, says that the Society "defends and promotes religious freedom, moral and family values, and the sanctity of human life—issues that can be quite contentious in our current social climate."

Alliance Defending Freedom says that, "The 9th Circuit’s ruling reversed a district court’s decision, which found following a trial that the California attorney general’s office has no compelling need for the information and has historically handled it with great negligence." ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch stated, “Every American should be free to support causes they believe in without fear of harassment or intimidation,” and added, “The fact that California leaks confidential records like a sieve makes mandatory disclosure of sensitive information especially dangerous for donors and employees of nonprofits like Thomas More Law Center, who have faced intimidation, death threats, hate mail, boycotts, and even assassination attempts from ideological opponents."

Southern Baptist leaders meet to discuss approaches to dealing with racism

The Southern Baptist Convention has been forthright in opposing racism in it midst, and despite growth in the diverse makeup, there has still been disagreement in how to best move forward.  A recent Baptist Press article says:

In the last three decades, while attempting to reckon with racism and race relations, the SBC has grown in diversity. Messengers to the 1995 SBC Annual Meeting issued a resolution on racial reconciliation, acknowledging the role of slavery in its founding, denouncing racism “as deplorable sin, apologizing “to all African Americans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism,” repenting and asking forgiveness.

CRT/Intersectionality rose as a controversial issue in the SBC with the passage at the 2019 SBC Annual Meeting of a resolution that affirmed the sufficiency and supremacy of Scripture and rejected the embrace of CRT as a worldview, while suggesting it “should only be employed as analytical tools subordinate to Scripture.”

A group of six Southern Baptist seminary leaders issued, in late November, a statement, according to the article...

...reaffirming “with eagerness” the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The seminary presidents’ statement said while condemning “racism in any form,” they agree that “affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message.”

The article reports that "the statement was criticized by many Black pastors, who said it minimized the existence of systemic racism." SBC First Vice-President Marshall Ausberry, who leads the National African American Fellowship of the SBC, voiced his concern, and other Black leaders in the convention did the same. Some African-American leaders left the Convention. 

Ronnie Floyd, President and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Convention, called a meeting recently, and Baptist Press reports: 

A multi-ethnic group of Southern Baptist leaders described a meeting Wednesday (Jan. 6) as productive and trust-building, saying although they did not agree on all points, they were committed together to fighting racism and to honoring “our common commitment to the inerrant Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

A statement released by the participants included, in part, these words:

All of us acknowledge that conversations of this nature should have happened ahead of time. The Council of Seminary Presidents regrets the pain and confusion that resulted from a lack of prior dialogue. Together, all of us are committed to condemn and fight racism in every form, personal and structural, in consistency with the 1995 SBC Resolution on Racial Reconciliation and the Baptist Faith and Message. We commit to work together to serve the cause of and to further the work of the Southern Baptist Convention. We will continue these conversations. We are committed to listen to one another, speak honestly and to honor our common commitment to the inerrant Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Evangelist calls for healing

Well-known Christian evangelist Franklin Graham is calling for healing in the aftermath of the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol this past week.  The Christian Post reported over the weekend that:

Referring to President Donald Trump’s speech calling for “healing and reconciliation,” evangelist Franklin Graham urged the commander in chief to invite President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses to the White House “to begin the healing and preparation for a smooth transition.”

“Thank you President Donald J. Trump for your conciliatory words to the nation last night,” Graham, who heads Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote on Facebook.

Just days earlier, the evangelist had stated, according to Faithwire: "The division in our country is as great as any time since the Civil War,” wrote Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as its charitable arm, Samaritan’s Purse. “I am calling on Christians to unite our hearts together in prayer for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and for the leadership in both parties.”

“Pray that everyone will stop the finger-pointing and realize that both parties bear responsibility for the problems we face today,” he continued. “Pray that they will come together and work together for the good of the American people.”

Graham said that he was "deeply saddened" about the events at the Capitol and stated, "Our country is in trouble,” adding, “We need God’s healing and we need God’s help. Pray for peace and the protection of our nation. Let’s come together — on our knees.”