The 3 - May 9, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 includes a ruling out of a federal appeals court saying that a juror who admitted he received divine guidance should not have been removed from a jury.  Also, a pastor in the UK was arrested for speaking publicly about his belief in the traditional, Biblical definition of marriage.  And, a large city in Texas has become the largest city in the country to declare itself a "sanctuary city" for the unborn.

Federal appeals court finds that juror who sought counsel from God should not have been removed

In 2017, a former member of Congress, Corinne Brown, stood trial for fraud. One of the jurors, during the process of deliberation, said that he had received guidance from another source - the Holy Spirit.  First Liberty, which contended that the juror should not have been removed, reports on its website:

Despite the juror’s repeated assurances that he was basing his opinion about the case on the evidence, the trial judge determined that the juror had illegally “received guidance” from outside the trial because the juror was relying on prayer to guide his decision.

An en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit found that the juror had been improperly removed from the jury, stating, "Corrine Brown was entitled to the unanimous verdict of a jury of ordinary citizens. The removal of Juror No. 13—a juror who listened for God’s guidance as he sat in judgment of Brown and deliberated over the evidence against her—deprived her of one.”

British pastor arrested for advocating Biblical definition of marriage

John Sherwood is a 71-year-old pastor in London who was arrested recently. His crime: supporting the definition of marriage as one man and one woman.  The Christianity Daily website related:

Pastor John Sherwood was accused of making "homophobic" comments when he preached outside Uxbridge Station. His arrest was handled unpleasantly that the elderly man complained he was bruised and treated "shamefully," The Daily Mail reported.

The preacher is quoted as saying, "I wasn't making any homophobic comments, I was just defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. I was only saying what the Bible says - I wasn't wanting to hurt anyone or cause offence..."

The article at Christianity Daily stated: "In the video clip taken during his arrest, the pastor was shown pulled forcibly down a stepladder by officers. He was then handcuffed and taken to the police car."

Texas city of over a quarter million residents votes to become "sanctuary city" for the unborn

Lubbock, Texas has over 250,000 residents, and is now the largest city in America, population-wise that has declared itself to be a "sanctuary city" for the unborn, according to The Christian Post.  Over 60% of voters voted to approve an ordinance that said it would be “unlawful for any person to procure or perform an abortion of any type and at any stage of pregnancy in the City of Lubbock, Texas.”

The Post article states:

In an interview with The Christian Post, Mark Lee Dickson, the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn movement that lobbies nationwide to pass ordinances banning abortion at the local level, cheered Saturday’s “landslide” victory for the pro-life movement.

“I think it says a lot because Lubbock is the 11th-most populated city in the state of Texas and the 83rd most populated city in the United States of America,” he said.

Just a few weeks ago, Planned Parenthood had located a clinic performing abortion in the west Texas city. Dickson says, " ...since this was a landslide election, it’s very obvious that the people of Lubbock have spoken. I am expecting that Planned Parenthood will obey … the laws of the city and … not perform abortions within the city limits of Lubbock, Texas.”