The 3 - May 2, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 includes news related to the allowing of biological males who identity as female to compete in female sports, with developments over the past week in two more states. Also, two faithful Christians in governments in other countries have found themselves being punished.  And, there is more movement in the United Methodist Church, with the recent announcements of two congregations representing different ideologies leaving the denomination.

More states pass legislation to prevent biological males from competing in girls' sports

It's a matter of biology - even if a biological male identifies as a different gender or has attempted to alter his gender surgically or through therapy, is it fair or right for that individual to compete against biological females?  The Christian Post reports that according to the Alliance Defending Freedom regarding four athletes from Connecticut...

Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith and Ashley Nicoletti have been “deprived” of “honors and opportunities to compete at elite levels.” Mitchell would have won the 2019 state championship in the women’s 55-meter indoor track competition, ADF reports. However, two biological male competitors took first and second place. Meanwhile, Soule, Smith and Nicoletti “have been denied medals and/or advancement opportunities.”

The Post ran a story recently that said a Federal district judge, Robert Chatigny, "threw out" a lawsuit filed against two governing bodies of high school sports in the state. And, ADF said it will be appealing the ruling. Chatigny said that “courts across the country have consistently held that Title IX requires schools to treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.” However, as The Christian Post states, "The plaintiffs, who were all high school students when the lawsuit was filed, contend that allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports violates Title IX, which was designed to provide equal opportunities for females in education."

Meanwhile, two states recently have passed bills mandating that athletes in grades K-12 compete according to their gender on their birth certificate.  The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida governor Ron DeSantis will sign a bill that bans biological males from competing in girls' sports - the story says:

“We’re going to protect our girls,” DeSantis said at a town hall of red state governors hosted by Fox’ Laura Ingraham. “I have a four-year-old daughter and a one-year old daughter. They’re both very athletic. We want to have opportunities for our girls. They deserve an even playing field, and that’s what we’re doing.”

And, Alliance Defending Freedom reports that West Virginia governor Jim Justice signed similar legislation.

Christian governmental leaders punished

Christians who are living out their faith in positions of authority in a couple of other countries have found themselves being punished.  The website of Well Versed, the ministry headed by Jim Garlow, tells the story of the former Interim President of Bolivia, Jeanine Anez, described as a "most delightful and godly woman." The site says:

At the end of January 2020, only 15 months ago, I posted a story about her remarkable rise to power. Massive prayer meetings had set the country free from an extended Communist regime. The tyrannical leader - Evo Morales - had ignored term limits, and was supposedly reelected under a cloud of election fraud.

Morales was eventually removed, but after that change in government, the site says, "Since that time, another election was held and the Communists have seized control again. In coming back into power, in typical dictatorial Communist ways, they promptly arrested the legitimate government leaders who led before them. On Saturday, March 13, Jeanine Anez was arrested. She is (based on what we have last heard) in prison. While in prison, she became ill and an ambulance was called to the prison, but the ambulance was sent away without taking Anez to the hospital. Her children are hurting badly without their mother." The ministry is asking for prayer for Ms. Anez.

Also, The Christian Post has published a story about a Member of Parliament in Finland who is facing the possibility of six years in prison.  The article says:

The country’s chief prosecutor has brought three criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, Päivi Räsänen, according to the Austria-based Christian legal group ADF International.

The politician, who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, has been under police investigation since June 2019 for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, for comments made on a 2018 TV show, and a tweet directed at her church leadership.

She has said, according to the article, that "she will 'defend my right to confess my faith so that no one else would be deprived of their right to freedom of religion and speech.'"

Churches - progressive and conservative - leaving United Methodist Church

Progessive and conservative congregations in the United Methodist Church are evaluating their future in light of an impending vote scheduled for next year that will split the denomination in a controversy that is centered on Church teaching on homosexuality. As Religion News Service reported recently, the Bishop of the North Georgia conference reassigned a popular pastor at a large church in the metro Atlanta area, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, setting off a chain reaction, which resulted in the pastor, Jody Ray, "surrendering his credentials." The article quotes the pastor as saying: “Unfortunately, my options were to accept the move, take a leave of absence or surrender my credentials,” adding,“That’s not consultation. It’s just notification, and it violates both the spirit and letter of the covenants that bind us together.” It goes on to say:

Along with Ray’s announcement, Rustin Parsons, co-lay leader of the congregation, said that the congregation has decided it will not accept a new pastor and that its administrative council had unanimously approved a resolution directing church leadership of the church to proceed with the disaffiliation process.

The article says: "The church made clear in a FAQ on its website, however, that the root of its conflict with the bishop is not over differing stances on LGBTQ inclusion. Rather, it said, church leadership feels Haupert-Johnson did not properly consult with the church or its pastor before reassigning Ray." But, it seems clear that the church and the bishop would be on different sides of that debate.

And, Religion News Service reports on a so-called "progressive" congregation that has announced it will leave the UMC, as well. Bering Memorial United Methodist Church in Houston, whose pastor is Diane McGehee, is also leaving.  The article says: 

With the denomination gridlocked over the inclusion of LGBTQ people, who make up a significant part of Bering’s congregation, McGehee said, “It’s time to stop the harm.”

As the article points out, the disaffiliation will come with a pricetag, as the exit of Mt. Bethel will, also.