The 3 - October 31, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 highlights three more stories of relevance to the Christian community, including a student group at a university in Texas that has received official recognition by the school.  Also, there are more developments surrounding religious exemptions to the COVID vaccine.  And, a Bible app has been removed from the Apple Store in China.

Texas university reverses course on recognizing Christian group

There is a nationwide student group that has chapters on campuses that is called, Ratio Christi. And, at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, it was not granted recognition as an official campus group because, of all things, it required its leaders to be Christians.

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on Monday of last week, and Friday, the school announced it had done an about-face and made the "decision to grant full recognition" to Ratio Christi on that campus, according to the ADF website.

ADF Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton stated:

"...We commend the university and its general counsel for taking quick action to correct this injustice. Now, the university must do the next right thing and rescind the unconstitutional policies that are still in place that were used to exclude Ratio Christi because it requires its leaders to agree with its values and mission. It’s natural and expected that a Christian organization would require its leaders to be Christian; the university allows other organizations to have similar, commonsense leadership requirements..."

Federal judge rules that unvaccinated federal employees cannot be terminated during lawsuit

Across the nation, employees are standing against being forced to take the COVID-19 vaccination.  Some are actually losing their jobs because of their action.  A number of these employees have attempted to apply for religious exemptions, only to find those requests rejected.

ChristianHeadlines.com reported on the actions of a federal judge in the D.C. Circuit who granted a favorable ruling to federal employees, civilian and military, who do not wish to take the shot. The article said:

According to Fox News, both civilian and active-duty military plaintiffs had sued the administration for not granting them religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccines.

The story quoted District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who said, "None of the civilian employee plaintiffs will be subject to discipline while his or her request for a religious exception is pending..." The Christian Headlines article also noted:

Additionally, the judge ruled "active duty military plaintiffs, whose religious exception requests have been denied, will not be disciplined or separated during the pendency of their appeals."

Meanwhile, an attempt by officials to judge the quality of a person's religious exemption was highlighted by The Christian Post, which reported that...

The Safer Federal Workforce task force website posted an updated template on Friday for the federal government to use when assessing whether an employee can qualify for a religious exemption.

Questions asked on the form include a request to “describe the nature of your objection to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement” and an explanation for how being vaccinated would “substantially burden your religious exercise or conflict with your sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The Post article quoted a commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Andrea R. Lucas, who shared this with The Federalist: “The law does not provide a pandemic-related exception for disregarding the rights of religious employees...No matter the context, intrusive questions presuming insincerity from the start, seeking to ‘catch’ an employee in an inconsistency, and looking for any reason to deny a religious accommodation request, are inappropriate.”

Also, as the article notes, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley "sent a letter to the leadership of the Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce arguing that the questions showcased a 'contempt for religious liberty.'"

Bible app removed from Apple store in China

A Bible app has been removed from the Apple Store for customers in China, an indication of how American companies desire to appease that government, even at the expense of religious freedom. 

CBN.com reported that the app, Bible App by Olive Tree, as well as a Quran app, Quran Majeed, had been removed, pointing out that, "Chinese officials claim the apps violate laws that prohibit the use of religious text or materials."  This was actually publicized by a Twitter account called AppleCensorship.com, which monitors incidents of censorship by the tech giant.

The article also notes:

A spokesperson from Olive Tree told the Washington Examiner, "We are currently reviewing the requirements to obtain the necessary permit with the hope that we can restore our app to China's App Store and continue to distribute the Bible worldwide."

The 3 - October 24, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a look back at the previous week of developments around the kidnapping of 17 people in Haiti, consisting of missionaries and their families. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing arguments next week in the federal government's lawsuit against a law from the state of Texas that prohibits abortion after the heartbeat of a pre-born baby is detected.  And, there are more developments concerning the directive by the Department of Justice concerning parents at school board meetings who voice opposition to school policies. 

Missionaries and families kidnapped, held for ransom, in Haiti

The devastating news came from Haiti, last weekend and was posted in secular and Christian media. Christian Aid Ministries, which is based in Ohio, related the news on its website:

Christian Aid Ministries workers who were abducted while on a trip to visit an orphanage on Saturday, October 16. We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help.

The group of sixteen U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen includes six men, six women, and five children.

The Christian Post reported:

An 8-month-old baby is among the 17 kidnapped missionaries in Haiti being held for a ransom of $17 million by the notorious 400 Mawozo gang, Christian Aid Ministries said Tuesday as officials in the troubled Caribbean nation and the U.S. continue negotiating for their release.

Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel confirmed Tuesday that the 400 Mawozo gang, which kidnapped the missionaries Saturday while they were working with Christian Aid Ministries, demanded $1 million each for their safe return.

“Many people, including CAM management and Haitian and U.S. authorities, are working diligently to bring our loved ones home safely,” Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement.

SCOTUS adds another abortion case to docket

Just before the law was set to go into effect almost two months, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the Texas Heartbeat Act, preventing abortion after the heartbeat of an pre-born child is detected. The Biden Administration filed a lawsuit and the case worked its way through the federal courts, only to be temporarily halted - again - by the high court.  LifeNews.com reported:

The nation’s highest court agreed to review the pro-abortion lawsuits against the abortion ban and set oral arguments for November 1. That means the ban will stay in place for several more days — likely saving anywhere from 50-100 babies each day from abortions.

This, coupled with the oral arguments in the Mississippi 15-week ban on abortions, gives the high court two opportunities to examine abortion law in America, which has been determined on a federal level by the flawed Roe vs. Wade decision, prompting states to pass hundreds of laws, such as those in Texas and Mississippi, that put restrictions in place.

AG whiffs on explaining unleashing federal agencies on concerned parents

Over the past few weeks, an association of school boards across America had submitted a letter to the Attorney General, asking that parents who oppose policies in local school districts be investigated. The language of that original letter likened to these protesting parents exercising their First Amendment free speech rights as "domestic terrorists."

The Alliance Defending Freedom website, reporting on a Congressional hearing this week, quoted ADF General Counsel Kristen Waggoner on the comments of Attorney General Merrick Garland on the issue; she said:

“Today, Attorney General Garland failed to provide concrete evidence to support his aggressive and misguided directive to use federal law enforcement to investigate parents exercising their First Amendment rights at local school board meetings, presumably using the same federal laws employed to investigate domestic terrorism and other criminal activities.

The Family Research Council website stated:

Garland, meanwhile, tried to diffuse the outrage, claiming that the FBI wouldn't follow through with its threat to open a "snitch line on parents" as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called it. "I think parental involvement is very important in education," the weary AG tried to claim.

But, there is evidence that the administration and the National School Boards Association were acting in tandem, according to FRC:

The Washington Free Beacon broke the story late Thursday that Joe Biden's team had indeed been conspiring behind closed doors with the activist group. While members of the NSBA's own board weren't consulted about the letter (which, as some complained, used "extreme" language and called for action beyond "what many of us would consider reasonable"), others from the NSBA had been "in talks" for "several weeks with White House staff."

And, on Friday, according to the New York Post:

The National School Boards Association board of directors Friday repudiated a letter its two top officials sent to President Biden, which precipitated Attorney General Merrick Garland’s order that the FBI to investigate complaints of threats to school officials from parents.

The article noted that, "Emails obtained earlier this week by the group Parents Defending Education showed that board members had not been consulted about the Sept. 29 letter, which suggested that parents who object to mask mandates and the imposition of critical race theory in classrooms are engaging in 'a form of domestic terrorism.'”  Over the past few weeks, we have seen incidents of parents protesting not only mask mandates and CRT, but also pornographic material being taught in schools. And, in Virginia, a father was removed from a meeting because of his vocal protests regarding 

allegations of his daughter being sexually assaulted in a bathroom by a boy dressing as a girl. FRC noted:

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland took his own turn in the hot seat at the House Judiciary Committee, delivering what Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the most "ill-prepared" remarks he'd heard in 20 years. "It's very surprising... He [offered nothing but] simple talking points over and over and in response to [a] very serious series of questions..." Squeezed by both sides, Garland seemed completely oblivious to what has been headline news for weeks. Asked about the Loudoun County situation -- one of the incidents that prompted the DOJ to unleash the FBI on local parents, Garland feigned ignorance. "It sounds like a state case, and I am not familiar with it, I'm sorry," the attorney general responded.

The 3 - October 17, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance impacting the Christian community, includes threats to free speech threats for pro-life people in California.  Also, I pinpoint several developments in different parts of the country regarding COVID vaccine mandates.  And, a Canadian pastor who has resisted restrictions on church gatherings in that nation has been arrested yet again.

California governor signs law to curb pro-life speech, draws lawsuit

The state of California has certainly shown its hostility toward speaking on behalf of the unborn. A law that would have forced pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and recently, pro-life people who desire to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest and to communicate truth with women who are considering taking the life of their unborn child.

According to Life Legal Defense Foundation, in a press release issued last Monday announcing its filing of a legal challenge to the law, stated:

Using the threat of COVID as an excuse, the Legislature enacted a breathtaking restriction on speech that will ban core First Amendment activity in numerous locations across California.

The law, SB 742, was signed by Governor Newsom on Friday. While SB 742 started out as a bill to restrict protests concerning COVID vaccines, it was amended to cover every location where any type of vaccine is provided. Planned Parenthood, Family Planning Associates, and other abortionists dispense STD vaccines, including Gardasil, which makes them “vaccination sites” for the purpose of the law.

The organization stated:

Life Legal is filing the lawsuit on behalf of pro-life sidewalk counselors who regularly speak with women entering “vaccination site” abortion clinics, and who provide literature and display signs offering help with abortion alternatives – all activities that may be illegal under the new law.

Vax mandate developments in major states

The decision whether or not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine should ideally be a decision of conscience, not a matter of government coercion.  Citizens should not be forced to ingest any substance to which a person would have an objection. Those objections can be for a variety of reasons, including medical concerns, or even based on someone's religious convictions.

The Christian Post reports on the actions of Governor Greg Abbott of Texas within the past few days. In an Executive Order, according to the article, Abbott stated, "No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19,” and he added, “I hereby suspend all relevant statutes to the extent necessary to enforce this prohibition.”

Meanwhile, healthcare employees in New York will continued to be spared from being forced to receive the COVID vaccine; The Christian Post reported:

A federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction against New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers after a group of 17 Christian medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, protested in a lawsuit that the mandate violated their religious freedom by not allowing employers to consider religious exemptions.

U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd issued a new order blocking the New York health department from rejecting employer-approved religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate enacted on Aug. 26. It comes as a similar order issued in September was set to expire.

And, Ohio pastors have written a letter to President Biden, expressing their concerns over mandated vaccinations, either directly through forcing government employees to receive a COVID vaccine or pressuring businesses and companies, under threat of fines, to force their employees to receive the shot. CBN.com reported: "A group of Ohio clergy representing more than 100 congregations across the state signed a letter Monday that was addressed to President Biden, detailing why they strongly disapprove of his directive, according to Front Lines Ohio."  The CBN article quoted from the letter, which said, "This unilateral and divisive order is unethical and tantamount to what a totalitarian king would dictate," adding, "Furthermore Mr. President, with respect to your vaccine mandate, we respond by saying 'We have no king but King Jesus.'"

Canadian pastor jailed for violating COVID protocols arrested again

The coronavirus has certainly been disheartening for Artur Pawlowski, a pastor from Canada who has now faced multiple arrests for standing against the regulations of public health officials.  CBN.com reported earlier this month on a recent arrest of Pawlowski, "who is of Polish descent," who "garnered widespread attention in April when he kicked health officials and law enforcement officers — who were there to enforce mask mandates — out of his church."

He was arrested again in May by the Calgary Police Service for "holding indoor worship services, which the agency described as 'organizing an illegal in-person gathering.'"

Then, more recently, according to the article, the pastor "was taken into custody once again this week, when he was apprehended and handcuffed by police on the Tarmac of the Calgary International Airport, according to Global News." The article notes that charges were not specified by officials nor Pawlowski's lawyer.

Foxnews.com reported that Pawlowski told Laura Ingraham:

"I came to the United States with a simple warning," the pastor told Ingraham about his recent trip abroad.

"You're next," he said. "If they came for me, be sure of it, they're coming for you as well."

The Christian Post reported last Friday on the sentence handed down by a judge: he has avoided jail time, but was sentenced to 18 months' probation, 120 hours of community service, $23,000 in fines, and what amounts to a gag order: if he comments on COVID restrictions, he is required to add additional language consistent with the government-supported view on COVID-related policy.

The 3 - October 10, 2021

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes two stories regarding the abortion issue: the temporary blockage of the Texas heartbeat bill and subsequent reversal of the ban by a federal appeals court, and the restoration of a revenue stream that would allow taxpayer dollars to be used for abortions.  And, federal agencies will be taking action against parents protesting school board policies across the nation, based on an announcement by the Department of Justice, which, even though illegal "threats" are target, could have consequences for parents legally expressing their First Amendment rights.

Texas pro-life law blocked by federal judge and action was then put on hold by appeals court 

Disappointment turned to relief this past week, as a federal judge, responding to a lawsuit filed by the Biden Administration against the state of Texas, put the pro-life "heartbeat bill" on hold temporarily, only to have that action reversed by a higher court.

LifeNews.com reported that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals "...blocked the lower court’s ruling. The administrative stay is not permanent, but the pro-life victory optimistically signals how the court may rule on the merits of the case."  The article quotes Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz, who told LifeNews: “This is an answered prayer. The Texas Heartbeat Act saves approximately 100 lives from abortion per day, and we’re grateful that this tremendous impact will continue. We expect the Biden administration to appeal to the Supreme Court of the U.S., and we are confident Texas will continue to defeat these attacks on our life-saving efforts.”

The article states:

Attorneys for Texas said Biden’s Department of Justice is being unfair by asking the court to block “absent third parties” from enforcing the law “without letting them be heard.”

The Texas law went into effect Sept. 1, prohibiting abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks of pregnancy. Thus far, the courts have refused to temporarily block the law, and as many as 3,000 unborn babies already have been spared from abortion.

Stream of federal funding of abortion opened by health agency

In other news related to abortion, the Department of Health and Human Services has opened up another stream through which taxpayer money can be used to fund the taking of unborn human life. The Christian Post reported that the Department issued a rule that, "...is slated to take effect Nov. 8 and will allow 'Title X providers to provide truly nondirective counseling and refer their patients for all services desired by the client, including abortion services.'"

This reverses the policy of the previous Administration, which was known as the "Protect Life Rule." As the Post notes: "Under the current rule, companies that wish to provide both abortions and Title X family planning services are required to establish a 'strict physical and financial separation between abortion-related activities and Title X project activities.'" 

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, issued a statement, saying: "The strong majority of Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion on demand. The Protect Life Rule respected their will, as well as the plain statutory language of Title X - yet from day one, Joe Biden and his administration have worked to pay back the abortion lobby that spent millions to elect them."

Parents exercising rights to speak up at school board become potential targets of government action 

Throughout our country, parents are showing up at school board meetings challenging different areas of curricula, including components of critical race theory, pornographic textbook material, and gender studies that embrace a transgender-friendly point of view.  And, now the Department of Justice has issued it intent to curb this behavior, according to a story published at The Post Millennial, which states:

After the National School Board Association called on the Biden administration to take action against unruly parents who keep showing up at school board meetings, the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has taken up the cause against parents. The NSBA encouraged the Biden administration to classify the actions of concerned parents as "the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes."

The article goes on to say:

Garland's DOJ, which has stated that a primary concern is domestic extremism, wrote that the FBI and US Attorney's Offices will meet during the next month with law enforcement leaders across the country "to discuss strategies for addressing this disturbing trend."

The letter says, "Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values," and states a task force comprised of representatives from a variety of federal agencies will be formed and a tip line will be established.

Certainly, threats against public officials should not be tolerated, if indeed there are legitimate threats. But, one should not interpret parents exercising their First Amendment rights and speaking up on issues, including issues that violate Scriptural principles, as being threatening behavior.

The 3 - October 3, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 has news of an agreement by the nation's highest court to hear a case involving a request for a Christian flag to be flown at a special occasion at City Hall.  Also, new YouTube guidelines may have some concerning implications for Christians who wish to share content consistent with their religious beliefs. And, the battle of mandated COVID-19 vaccines continues in the state of New York, as the governor could be characterized as using faith to promote the shots and punish those whose convictions have led them in a different direction. 

U.S. Supreme Court to hear case of Boston officials' refusal to fly Christian flag

For Constitution Day in 2017 in the city of Boston, the city chose not to allow a Christian flag to fly on one of its flagpoles at City Hall. The organization that asked to fly the flag, Camp Constitution, was filed by leader Harold Shurtleff, contending that, as The Christian Post noted, the city had granted permission for "other organizations to raise flags on one of the poles to celebrate their occasions."

Lower federal courts had ruled against Camp Constitution.  The article says that:

In February 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper argued that the City Hall flagpoles constituted "government speech" and not private expression, which made flying a Christian flag an unlawful government endorsement of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

An appeals court upheld the lower court ruling, and the plaintiff, represented by Liberty Counsel, appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the challenge.

Concern results from new YouTube policy on so-called "misinformation"

No doubt, individual Christians and Christian organizations have developed a concern about their content being removed from social media sites and even their channels or feeds being suspended or removed.  The latest step by such a platform is the action taken by YouTube recently, which announced it would be removing content regarding the COVID-19 vaccine that does not line up with its predetermined position on the issue, placing the platform in a position of being an expert on public health without earning a degree.

This raised concern by National Religious Broadcasters, representing Christian media around the world, which published an article including these words on its website:

Any corporate policy that aims to manipulate the thoughts or beliefs of users should alarm Christian communicators. While social media platforms are protected under the law in their ability to moderate user-generated content, attempting to regulate the feelings and reactions of users is insidious corporate paternalism and an infringement on personal sovereignty and freedom of thought.

NRB has initiated what was at the time called, Internet Freedom Watch a number of years ago. NRB CEO Troy Miller stated, “Content moderation policies that attempt to safeguard the public from having the ‘wrong thoughts’ are an assault on personal freedom and degrade the quality and diversity of the public conversation,” adding, “It’s not hard to see where this road leads for religious free speech.”

New York governor favors censorship, encourages churchgoers to get vaccine

But, the new governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, seems to have no problem with Internet censorship. A recent CBN.com article stated:

The Blaze reports Hochul wrote a letter to Facebook founder, chairman, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in which she requested "information on any and all existing efforts to combat misinformation regarding abortion laws, procedures, and their availability."

She also pressed for Zuckerberg to, "Take additional action to curb the spread of this misinformation, as Facebook has with information related to COVID-19, vaccines, and voting rights."

She also does not favor the constitutional rights of health care workers to decline to take the COVID-19 vaccines. The article notes:

Meanwhile, Hochul said this week she does not believe health care workers in the Empire State should be permitted to forgo vaccination against COVID-19 via religious exemptions.

She made the comments in response to a court decision temporarily upholding the rights of some in the medical community who have refused the inoculation citing their religious beliefs, according to WAMC-FM.

Meanwhile, as The Christian Post reports, that ruling is in effect until October 12.  The governor also visited a large church in New York City and encouraged congregants to be "my apostles" to encourage others to receive the shot.  But, she apparently does not allow for people to disagree with her opinion.