The 3 - March 28, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 includes news of an attack at a cathedral in Indonesia on Palm Sunday. Also, a university has received a court ruling against it in the case of a religious club that wished to choose its own leaders. And, a South Dakota bill that purported to prevent boys from competing in girls' sports has been stymied by the governor there. 

Suicide bombers attack Indonesian church

A symbol of religious faith was attacked on a highly symbolic and meaningful day, Palm Sunday, in the nation of Indonesia; the South China Morning Post reports that around 20 were wounded as two suicide bombers "rode a motorbike into the compound of the church, setting off what authorities said was an improvised explosive device known as a pressure-cooker bomb."

This occurred at the "main Catholic cathedral in Makassar," which is a city of around 1.5 million people. Worshippers had just completed the morning Mass there. 

The article says that:

Late Sunday, National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said both attackers – a man and a woman – were members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an extremist group also blamed for a deadly church bombing in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya in 2018.

The Morning Post also reports:

Sunday’s attack follows the arrest in recent months of dozens of militants suspected of planning terror attacks.

Indonesia has seen a string of attacks by Islamic extremists over the past two decades, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Court rules against university in case of Christian club

Not only did a federal appeals court rule against the University of Iowa for unfair treatment of a Christian club, but it also said that leaders who did it are personally liable.  That's according to CBN.com, which reports that:

Business Leaders in Christ, or BLinC, a student group at the school, said the university targeted them for requiring student leaders to affirm the Christian faith.

The university claimed this was a violation of its nondiscrimination policy, even though it allowed other religious groups to select faith-compliant leaders and openly encouraged other groups—like fraternities and sororities—to select leaders based on certain characteristics covered by the nondiscrimination policy.

This case began with a complaint by a student in 2017, and the 8th Circuit issued its ruling last week.  CBN.com said: "...while other campus clubs were allowed to set their own criteria for leaders, the school removed BLinC from campus for doing the same thing, telling them their leadership selection was discriminatory."

The article continues:

A lower court last year ruled that the school's discrimination against BLinC was illegal and that the university had to let BLinC back on campus once and for all. The Eighth Circuit's decision affirms that ruling while holding the individual university officials personally responsible for their discriminatory application of the school's nondiscrimination policy.

SD Governor under fire for actions on transgender sports bill

A variety of states are considering preventing boys who identify as girls from competing in girls' sports.  It appeared that South Dakota was on the way to having its own law to that effect - the Legislature passed the bill, and Governor Kristi Noem seemed to be intent on signing it.  That is, until she sent the bill back in order to make "style and form" changes.  A Family Research Council article quoted Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom: "The fact is...Governor Noem has taken the legal teeth out of this bill." She stripped all of the protections for collegiate athletes -- and her excuse, that "her hands are tied by the NCAA's policy," is completely false. "There's no NCAA policy that requires schools to allow males to compete on women's teams as Governor Noem suggests. [She] also vetoed the part of the bill that gives girls any legal recourse against unfair policies that arise. What's left is mere lip service for women and girls forced to compete against biological males."

FRC states, "...the fact that anyone would refuse to sign a bill because it might be challenged in court is absurd. States are sued all the time over legislation. That doesn't mean leaders stop making public policy. It means they do the right thing and trust the rest to the process."  The article surmises that the governor has "sold out voters to Big Business." 

The 3 - March 21, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 includes the latest development in the case of a Washington football coach who had prayed on the 50-yard line after games, which resulted in his termination - he is due to make a trip back to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Also, a Canadian pastor has been in jail for over a month due to his refusal to abide by COVID regulations in his province, but there has been speculation that he could be going home, at least until his trial in May.  And, a former homosexual who had his testimonial and teaching videos removed from a popular video platform received a negative court ruling recently.

Canadian pastor awaits release from jail until trial

A Canadian pastor, James Coates of Edmonton's GraceLife Church, has been in jail for over a month because of his resistance to COVID-19 guidelines for his congregation.  There was a glimmer of hope earlier this week that the pastor might be exiting jail until his trial begins in May, but so far, he continues to be incarcerated.

CTV Edmonton reported that a hearing for Coates had been scheduled for Monday morning. The report says:

On Wednesday, his lawyer John Carpay said all but one charge had been dropped and that Coates could be released as soon as Friday.

"We are hopeful that he will finally be released from jail without conditions, and can resume pastoring GraceLife church," Carpay said.

The church has defied a closure order and has been cited for violating COVID-19 restrictions in connection to occupancy, physical distancing and masks.

Now, CTV Edmonton is reporting that indeed he will be released and will pay a $1500 fine.  The story states:

Coates was charged with two violations of the Public Health Act and failure to comply with release conditions.

He pleaded guilty to the latter charge on Monday and will be released when he pays the fine.

In a joint submission, the crown and defence asked for a $100 fine but the judge increased it to $1,500.

Football coach loses appeal, on to SCOTUS

The case involving former Bremerton, Washington football coach Joe Kennedy has already been to the U.S. Supreme Court once - and it is heading back again. He is represented by First Liberty, and on that organization's website, it reported that a Federal appeals court, the 9th Circuit had for the second time refused to rule in favor of the coach's right to walk to the 50-yard line after games and pray, an action that cost him his position with the team.  First Liberty's website states:

In January 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case at that time and instead allowed Coach Kennedy’s case to continue through the court system. But in a separate statement written 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. As Justice Alito wrote, “the Ninth Circuit’s understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.” The case then returned to the district court for further review where, in January 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton granted the Bremerton (WA) School District’s motion for summary judgment. Kennedy’s attorneys then appealed to the Ninth Circuit, which heard oral argument in January.

Now that the case has returned to the high court, there is the question of whether or not the justices will find that there is enough evidence now in order to issue a ruling in the case - certainly there was a glimmer of hope given to the coach and his legal team on the first trip.

Former homosexual banned from legal action against video platform, highlights need for Big Tech reform

James Domen has experienced victory over homosexuality through Jesus Christ, and he wants to tell the world.  However, his ministry found that videos that share that story and a Biblical viewpoint of sexuality were removed by the platform, Vimeo.  According to an article on The Christian Post website, a Federal appeals court, the 2nd Circuit, issued in favor of the platform, not the pastor. 

The article states that the court...

...ruled last week that Pastor James Domen and his Church United cannot sue Vimeo due to the company’s immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which Big Tech companies often use to evade liability for content on their websites.

It goes on to say:

The Second Circuit agreed with U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart Aaron’s January 2020 decision that Vimeo deleted the church’s account because it violated the platform’s content policies barring the promotion of “SOCE,” which is often derisively called “conversion therapy.”

This certainly indicates a need for revision of these Section 230 guidelines - while many do not want overbearing government regulation of technological platforms, these platforms have been accused of being imbalanced regarding the ideological bent of content that is being censored.

The 3 - March 14, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 includes news from the nation's highest court, upholding free speech and religious liberty in a case from an Atlanta-area college.  Also, a well-known Bible teacher has parted ways with the denomination with which she has been affiliated.  And, a new Mississippi law prevents biological males from competing in girls' or women's sports.

SCOTUS rules against college that restricted former student from sharing his faith

In an 8-1 ruling, with only Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting, the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled in favor of a former student at Georgia Gwinnett College, which is located in the metro Atlanta city of Lawrenceville.  The Alliance Defending Freedom, on its website, summarizes that:

In 2016, Georgia Gwinnett College officials stopped student Chike Uzuegbunam not once, but twice, from peacefully sharing his Christian faith with fellow students on his college campus. First, officials said he had to get advance permission to use one of two tiny speech zones that made up far less than 1% of the campus and were only open 10% of the week. Despite following these policies, Chike was again prevented from speaking. After ADF challenged the unconstitutional policies, Georgia Gwinnett argued that Chike’s speech should receive no constitutional protection, changed its policy, and claimed it should be able to avoid any penalty for violating Chike’s free speech rights. Two courts agreed, but the Supreme Court decided to hear Chike’s case and ruled in his favor.

So, Chike has graduated and the school has changed its policies. Is that enough? Not in the eyes of ADF and the eight justices. ADF said that its "attorneys argued that a final judicial decision is necessary to remedy past harm, prevent future misconduct, and vindicate priceless freedoms. The Supreme Court agreed."

High-profile Southern Baptist speaker announces departure from Convention

It is quite perplexing, actually, but not entirely surprising.  Bible teacher Beth Moore announced recently that she no longer would be affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which also means that the SBC's publishing arm, LifeWay, will no longer publish her resources.

The coverage largely in the Christian space and even in secular publications was positive toward Moore and negative toward the SBC. The Convention's website, Baptist Press reported:

Moore made the announcement through an interview with Religion News Service (RNS) today (March 9).

“I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists,” she told RNS. “I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.”

Moore told RNS her perception of the SBC began to change in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump as president. Specifically, she cited his behavior toward women as revealed in an Access Hollywood tape and a lack of condemnation from Southern Baptist leaders.

Her condemnation of believers who supported the former President apparently did not go unnoticed - the article says: 

From 2001-2016, Living Proof Ministries built its assets from $1 million to $15 million. But after her criticism of Trump, Moore’s book sales hit a tailspin as did ticket sales to her events. Those losses from 2017-2018 totaled more than $1.8 million, RNS reported.

Comments on Twitter also led to controversy. Leading up to Mother’s Day 2019, fellow writer Vicki Courtney posted that she would be preaching at a church. Moore replied with “I’m doing Mother’s Day too! Vicki, let’s please don’t tell anyone this.”

A discussion among Southern Baptists and other evangelical leaders ensued on whether women can serve as pastors and whether Moore was advocating for that position. Some accused Moore of wanting to be nominated for SBC president that June, a notion she never implied.

Baptist Press did report: "On May 3, 2018, Moore published A Letter to My Brothers outlining her experience as a woman ministry leader in Southern Baptist life. October 2016, she wrote, brought attitudes from 'key Christian leaders that smacked of misogyny, objectification and astonishing disesteem of women and it spread like wildfire.'" Moore has certainly become a lightning rod for Christians and especially Southern Baptists. 

USA Today proclaims Moore's departure and that of several others as a "wake-up call," but very little of the reporting I have seen tells the whole story - while secular media is using this as an opportunity to bash the Southern Baptist Convention for some of the actions of selected flawed people, one still should not ignore the fact that the SBC is a powerful engine for missions, evangelism, and teaching of God's Word.  To paint the Convention, which is an umbrella for thousands of independent churches who choose to affiliate, as mysogynist, racist, and condoning of abuse, is missing the point.  The tendency is to demonize individuals and characterize that group by those individuals - that is what is happening here with the SBC, and it becomes incumbent on every believer to continue to accurately represent Christ.  Certainly the Convention has its issues that are dividing its members, and we can be in prayer that things begin to get sorted out when it meets in Nashville in a few months.

MS governor signs bill banning biological males from competing in women's sports

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has signed a bill, according to The Christian Post, "that, among other things, prohibits biological males from competing in girls' and women’s sports." It reports that "Reeves signed Senate Bill 2536, also known as the Mississippi Fairness Act, into law on Thursday, which is slated to take effect on July 1."

The article quotes the governor, who said, "So today, I proudly signed the Mississippi Fairness Act to ensure young girls are not forced to compete against biological males.”  The Christian Post goes on to say:

Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb, whose law firm has fought transgender ideology in the courts, celebrated the signing of SB 2536.

“Comparably fit and trained males will always have physical advantages over females — that’s the reason we have girls’ sports. When we ignore science and biological reality, female athletes lose medals, podium spots, public recognition, and opportunities to compete,” stated Holcomb.

The article says:

“Athletic teams or sports designated for ‘females,’ ‘women’ or ‘girls’ shall not be open to students of the male sex,” stated SB 2536, in part. “Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of this act shall have a private cause of action.”

The 3 - March 7, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a major shift in the direction of a large Christian adoption agency, which will now work with same-sex couples to adopt children or accept foster care children.  Also, the formation of a new United Methodist denomination has been announced.  Plus, Christian medical organizations are supporting conscience rights for religious people who do not wish to take the COVID vaccine.

Major adoption agency shifts direction to allow LGBTQ adoptions

As the Supreme Court gets ready within the next few months to issue a ruling in a case involving an action taken by government against adoption agency that declines to allow same-sex couples to adopt children, a major adoption and foster care agency has announced that it is now participating in LGBTQ adoptions and foster care placement.

Religion News reports this: "Bethany Christian Services, the country’s largest Protestant adoption and foster care agency, will begin serving LGBTQ couples, a significant change for the evangelical outfit and a sign of the growing cultural shift."

Nate Bult, who is a senior vice president for the agency, said: “This decision implements consistent, inclusive practices for LGBTQ families across our organizations,” adding, “We’ve had a patchwork approach for the last few years.”  Religion News points out:

Many faith-based adoption and foster agencies have come under increasing pressure over the past decade as city, state and federal authorities have added LGBTQ non-discrimination policies.

The article points out that Bethany faced that in 2018 in Philadelphia and made the decision to allow same-sex couples to adopt. That city is where Catholic Social Services lost a contract with the city due to its refusal to do adoptions for LGBTQ couples, prompting that Supreme Court case.

New United Methodist denomination makes launch announcement

It has been quite clear that a new denomination would emerge from the United Methodist Church at some point soon - with the cancellation of last year's General Conference, traditionalists within the denomination who continue to affirm the sinfulness of homosexuality, according to Scripture, have decided they want to wait no longer, since the Conference postponed last year is now scheduled for 2022.  WORLD Magazine reported:

Conservative leaders from the United Methodist Church (UMC) on Monday released the logo, website, and mission of the proposed new denomination, the Global Methodist Church. The reveal comes days after the UMC delayed this year’s general conference until August 2022 due to the pandemic. They had planned to consider the schism over LGBT inclusion for the second time during that conference. But supporters of the breakaway wanted a faster process and asked the church to consider the proposal during an online conference on May 8.

A 17-person leadership team is in place, and one of them, Rev. Keith Boyette of Virginia, is quoted in another WORLD article, saying that the team has requested a special one-day conference on May 8 to discuss and perhaps adopt the formation. The article provides this overview:

Global delegates in 2019 voted 438-384 to strengthen the denomination’s official teachings on Biblical human sexuality and gender. The vote rattled liberal clergy, prompting them to negotiate a denominational split with conservative groups early last year, called the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.” The protocol allows the formation of a new denomination and gives conservative churches and regional bodies $25 million in UMC funds while allowing them to maintain their property and assets.

Boyette said the breakaway is necessary amid “an increasing system of chaos within [the] church” since liberal clergy no longer abide by Methodist doctrine and are performing same-sex weddings, coming out as gay and lesbian from the pulpit, or entering into same-sex unions themselves.

Medical groups issue statement on freedom of conscience on vaccines

As the now three vaccines are being made available to Americans, there are some who object to the vaccines for various reasons, including the use of embryonic stem cell research in the development of them.

And those who object based on conscience are supported by a new statement by the Christian Medical and Dental Associations and three other organizations, including the American College of Pediatricians.  According to a press release...

...the statement recognizes the highest priority is the vaccination of those at greatest medical risk and those directly involved in the care of the sick. It also stresses the need to respect an individual’s right to accept or decline a vaccine. “There is no justifiable moral obligation to accept vaccination,” the statement reads. “If a vaccine has been developed, tested, or produced with technology that an individual deems morally unacceptable, such as the use of abortion-derived fetal cell lines, vaccine refusal is morally acceptable.”

The release also quotes from the statement, which says, “It is long overdue for researchers to abandon the use of abortion-derived cells. When all approved vaccines are fully ethical, from development to production, our physician-led organizations and like-minded Americans will no longer question their use...."