The 3 - April 25, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 features action in state legislatures on two very important subjects: the sanctity of life and preventing biological males who identity as women from competing against women in school sports.  And, two religious organizations have been prevented from using a venue in Scotland, reportedly due to their opposition to so-called same-sex marriage.

Pro-life bills clear state legislatures

It has been difficult to pass federal legislation protecting the lives of unborn children.  But, states across America have been successful in passing abortion restrictions.  Add two states to the list whose legislatures have passed pro-life legislation - in just the past week or so, Oklahoma and Arizona lawmakers have sent their respective governors bills that protect life.

In Oklahoma, according to Liberty Counsel's website, the Senate joined the House in passing what is known as a "heartbeat bill," that "prohibits an abortion if the unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected, typically about six weeks of pregnancy."  

There were two more bills passed by the state Senate: one "requiring that abortions be done by doctors who are certified OB-GYNs and another bill that would add abortions to a list of unprofessional conduct actions by doctors."  Governor Stitt is expected to sign these three pieces of legislation.

And, in Arizona, in the past week, lawmakers there have also passed a strong pro-life bill, according to The Center Square, which reports:

The bill, which cleared the Arizona Legislature on Tuesday, makes numerous changes to the state’s legal code regarding abortive procedures, including granting state and federal rights to the unborn at any stage of development. Should the bill become law, performing an abortion because of a genetic abnormality of the child would constitute a class 6 felony, which carries a one-year prison sentence.

The article goes on to say that, "The measure gives the married father and grandparents of the unborn child the ability to bring a civil lawsuit on the child’s behalf...,: and it "gives exemptions to medical professionals and the mother of the child, including the abolition of a pre-Roe v. Wade law that criminalized abortions."

Alabama governor signs transgender sports bill, North Dakota and Kansas governors veto

The Alabama Legislature passed a bill that would prevent biological males from competing on female sports teams and sent it on Governor Kay Ivey, and it was reported by WSFA Television and other sources that the governor indeed did sign that legislation, with WSFA reporting that, "Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill requiring students to play on the sports team that aligns with the gender on their birth certificates unless it is a co-ed sport in K-12 public schools." The story also notes, "Supporters of this bill have said it would protect the integrity of women’s sports.

Newsweek points out that "31 states have introduced bills banning transgender athletes from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identities," and reported that within the past week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum "vetoed similar bills."  It also noted that, "South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem also vetoed a similar bill in her state near mid-March, worried that such a ban wouldn't hold up in court." She did issue two executive orders on the issue.

Graham Association back in court

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a Scottish church had a partnership in which they rented a facility to do conferences.  CBN.com reports that:

Stirling Free Church and BGEA sued the Robertson Trust after it canceled a contract with the evangelical organizations for use of its Barracks Conference Centre for Sunday worship services and training events, The Christian Institute reports.

The article states that, "Trust chairwoman Shonaig Macpherson reportedly objected to the church's biblical belief that marriage is only between man and woman and terminated their contract."

ChristianHeadlines.com reports that:

BGEA spokesman Roger Chilvers said in a statement, "We made it clear to the venue at the time of booking that we are a Christian organisation. It was only later that they came back and said they were cancelling our booking because of our religion. It is a neutral space, offered to the public at large. You can't have a situation where religious groups are banned from hiring neutral spaces. That is not a free society. This is anti-religious discrimination, plain and simple, and we are hopeful the court will uphold our claim and recognize the inequities present in this case."

The 3 - April 18, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories impacting the Christian community, is back in court, with a positive federal appeals court ruling in favor of an Ohio law that prevents abortion in the case of a Down Syndrome diagnosis, and a lawsuit filed by a New York photographer who could penalized for declining to be involved in a same-sex wedding.  Also, California's governor has announced the removal of bans on indoor worship in the state.

CA removes restrictions on indoor worship

Following five U.S. Supreme Court decisions striking down various forms of worship restrictions in California, Governor Gavin Newsom lifted mandatory bans on indoor worship throughout the state.

Liberty Counsel, which has been involved in litigation against the state for COVID-19 restrictions, shared the news, stating on its website:

Governor Gavin Newsom wrote yesterday that “mandatory limits on attendance are no longer imposed on houses of worship.” That means that after five reprimands from the U.S. Supreme Court, Gov. Newsom decided to make the percentage-capacity restrictions on houses of worship in all Tiers voluntary.

But, as Liberty Counsel points out, "Unless and until there is a judicial declaration that Governor Newsom has acted unconstitutionally, there is nothing keeping him from changing his mind again, whether in this crisis or any future crisis."

Federal appeals court rules in favor of ban on abortion of Down Syndrome babies in OH

In 2017, lawmakers in Ohio passed a bill that, according to LifeNews.com, "bans abortionists from doing discriminatory abortions on unborn babies with Down syndrome. It also bans sex-selection abortions and abortions because of the baby’s race."  Not unexpectedly, the law was challenged in court, a Federal district judge blocked it and a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision.

However, the court granted an en banc hearing, and the full court issued a 9-7 ruling last week in favor of the law. Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life, is quoted as saying, “Ohio Right to Life is elated that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with life and ruled against the fatal discrimination of babies with Down syndrome,” adding, “The eugenic practice of singling out human lives for death because of a Down syndrome diagnosis has no place in our society. This court ruling brings us one step closer to ensuring that vulnerable babies with special needs are not marked for death because of who they are. Every life is worth living and every precious and unique human being is worthy of complete protection under law.”

Photographer challenges NY law that could force her to photograph same-sex weddings 

Multiple states have passed laws that would prevent people in service industries from declining to be involved in an event that violates their conscience, and a photographer in New York state has challenged a law there before it could be enforced against her.

ChristianHeadlines.com reports that Emilee Carpenter could be "jailed for up to a year and fined $100,000 if she does not work same-sex weddings," so she, with the assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, filed a federal lawsuit against the state.

The suit states:

"Emilee celebrates engagements and marriages between one man and one woman through what she photographs, participates in, and posts about in order to share God's design for marriage with her clients and the public consistent with her beliefs."

Alliance Defending Freedom filed suit on her behalf, alleging the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, including her freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.

"Just as the government cannot compel a lesbian baker to create a cake condemning same-sex marriage or an atheist playwright to wax positively about God, New York cannot force Emilee to convey messages she objects to," the suit says.

Christian Headlines points out that, "In 2019, the U.S. Eighth Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court each sided with artists in similar cases."

The 3 - April 11, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, featured a positive court ruling for a student group at a Michigan university, which had faced banishment because of its policy that chapter leaders be Christian.  Also, access to a Canadian church has been blocked due to its stand against COVID-19 restrictions.  And, Franklin Graham had bus ads removed prior to his speaking in the U.K. 2-1/2 years ago, and recently, a court said that should not have occurred.

Federal court rules in favor of campus group at Michigan university

The chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Wayne State University in Michigan, as a Christian organization, did not allow those who were not Christians to serve in leadership.  For that, it was removed from the campus.

Recently, as CBN.com reports, a Federal court affirmed that was wrong.  The website stated:

"Student groups were permitted to restrict leadership based on sex, gender identity, political partisanship, ideology, creed, ethnicity, and even GPA and physical attractiveness," the court said about the university located in Detroit, Michigan. However, religious groups were not allowed to require that leaders share any of a group's religious beliefs, and at Wayne State, it was a "small group of Christians, who were denied student organization benefits because they require their Christian leaders to be...Christian."

The article points out that:

In 2018, Becket sued Wayne State on InterVarsity's behalf, since the group had been excluded. The university relented and let InterVarsity back onto its campus but argued that it still had the right to remove the group later. Monday's ruling safeguards InterVarsity and sends a clear message that accommodation, not discrimination, is the best policy.

Canadian church entry blocked

COVID-19 restrictions and religious freedom have sometimes been in conflict during this time of the pandemic. Faithwire reported recently on the ongoing saga of a church in Edmonton, Alberta, Grace Life Church, which experienced the imprisonment of its pastor James Coates, and, stunningly, the barricading of its church property.

The article said that:

John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, the law firm representing the church, released a statement Wednesday afternoon, rebuking the government not only for placing a barrier around the church but also for seeking to delay its trial against Coates.

Faithwire also reported:

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed to CBC News officers were on the scene at GraceLife Church on Wednesday morning to assist the Alberta Health Services in closing the church.

AHS said in its own statement that it “physically closed” the place of worship and will work to prevent access to the church until it “can demonstrate the ability to comply with Alberta’s chief medical officer of health’s restrictions.”

Tweets included within the article indicated that fencing had been placed at the property. The Edmonton Journal reported Sunday morning that "hundreds of supporters" were present "outside the property." An adjoining road was reportedly closed.  An update of that article said that church members were not part of those gathered at the site - it was reported that they were meeting underground.  There was also video circulating yesterday about 200 armed police at the church, but I was unable to confirm that video.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its fifth ruling against COVID-19 restrictions in California; the Alliance Defending Freedom website reported that Tandon v. Newsom ended "California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 order that limits religious gatherings to three households inside of personal residences while allowing more than three households to gather in other comparable venues..." ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. Litigation David Cortman is quoted as saying, "With this fifth rejection of California’s COVID-19 restrictions on religious exercise, the Supreme Court has made abundantly clear that the government has a duty to respect the First Amendment in this context and many others. As the court explained, the government can’t single out religious activities for harsher treatment than non-religious ones..."

Franklin Graham Festival ads on UK busses were OK, according to court ruling

In the aftermath of the Franklin Graham Festival of Hope in the United Kingdom in Lancashire in 2018, a recent court ruling shows that local officials erred in disallowing certain type of promotion of these events. Religion News reports that:

The ads, which were briefly placed on public buses prior to Graham’s 2018 Lancashire Festival of Hope, were taken down after LGBTQ groups mounted a social media campaign that convinced the Blackpool Borough Council that Graham’s beliefs opposing same-sex marriage were offensive.

The article goes on to say:

In her ruling, Manchester County Court Judge Claire Evans said the borough council’s actions “discriminated on the ground of religion” and showed “wholesale disregard for the right to freedom of expression.”

“We thank God for this ruling because it is a win for every Christian in the UK,” Graham said in response.

The 3-day Blackpool event drew 9,000 people in September of 2018. 

The 3 - April 4, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, spotlights a court victory for a college professor who declined to refer to a male student as female.  Also, the "Trangender Day of Visibility" was commemorated last week, as the agenda advances and some lawmakers push back.  Plus, North Dakota lawmakers voted to provide protection for churches from unfair restrictions in the midst of a public health emergency.

Professor disciplined for not affirming male student's ID as female wins court case

Nicholas Meriweather is a philosophy professor at Ohio's Shawnee State University.  According to the Alliance Defending Freedom website, a male student in the professor's class had informed him that he was transgender and demanded that he be referred to as a woman, which Professor Meriweather refused to do.  The student filed a complaint with the university. 

ADF relates:

University officials ultimately rejected any compromise that would allow Meriwether to speak according to his conscience and sincerely held religious beliefs. Instead, they formally charged him, saying “he effectively created a hostile environment” for the student simply by declining to use the feminine pronouns demanded by the student. Later, they placed a written warning in his personnel file and threatened “further corrective actions” unless he articulates the university’s ideological message.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has issued a ruling in favor of the professor's free speech right. It stated, in part, “Traditionally, American universities have been beacons of intellectual diversity and academic freedom,” adding, “They have prided themselves on being forums where controversial ideas are discussed and debated. And they have tried not to stifle debate by picking sides. But Shawnee State chose a different route: It punished a professor for his speech on a hotly contested issue. And it did so despite the constitutional protections afforded by the First Amendment. The district court dismissed the professor’s free-speech and free-exercise claims. We see things differently and reverse.”

"Transgender Day of Visibility" proclaimed in midst of flashpoints on trans agenda

Last week, the President declared a "Transgender Day of Visibility," and according to the Family Research Council, Biden used the occasion to promote the so-called Equality Act, described by FRC as "a piece of legislation that we know would corrupt the family, advance abortion, and harm many people, including women, medical professionals, religious schools, and even the very members of the LGBT community that the bill claims to protect."

The FRC article, written by Travis Weber, also takes to task the contention by CNN that "biological sex" is "a disputed term that refers to the sex as listed on students' original birth certificates." He writes: "Thankfully, Americans are not ready to give up this cultural fight against truth and reality. Courageous state legislators in Arkansas are taking a stand. The Arkansas legislature recently overwhelmingly approved the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act...that prohibits doctors from performing gender transition surgeries on minors and bans taxpayer funding from covering them." 

It's worth noting that a bill criminalizing gender transition treatments on minors is currently pending before the Alabama House of Representatives, after already passing the Senate.

Weber writes:

For minors who grow up to regret their decision to transition, the effects are devastating. Victims like Keira Bell say medical professionals should have challenged her when she claimed she wanted to transition. But she acknowledges, "When you are that young, you don't really want to listen." Legislation like the SAFE Act would have protected impressionable young people like Keira from making similarly harmful mistakes.

North Dakota passes bill to protect churches during health crisis

As I have reported throughout the coronavirus pandemic, there were governmental entities who place restrictions on churches in the name of public health that they did not place on other types of gatherings.  Lawmakers in North Dakota decided they would do something about that if another public health emergency would occur, according to The Christian Post, which reported that Governor Doug Burgum signed the bill last week.

The article says:

The new law prohibits state government health officials from, among other things, issuing emergency orders that treat religious bodies worse than secular entities unless a compelling state interest exists.

The bill passed unanimously in the state Senate, 46-0 and cleared the House with an 88-4 margin.  The Christian Post quoted ADF Legal Counsel Greg Chafuen, who stated: “We commend North Dakota for making it clear that officials can’t use a public crisis to discriminate against religious operations while promoting secular ones, and we encourage other states to pursue similar legislation.”