The 3 - January 19, 2025

On this edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a report on how ministries have been involved in providing help and support for victims of the fires in the Los Angeles area and how some ministries have been affected.  Also, a bill that would prevent biological males from competing in female sports has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.  And, a Christian employers' group has sued the EEOC regarding its attempts to force Christian employers to violate their faith convictions by requiring accommodations for employees who are LGBT.

L.A. fires continue to wreak havoc, Christian ministries affected

While a variety of Christian ministries are involved in helping the victims of the fires that have been affecting the greater Los Angeles area, some ministries find themselves in or close to harm's way.  Recently, Tom Thompson, Senior Vice President of World Help was on The Meeting House on Faith Radio, discussing how his ministry was working in partnership with the Dream Center, which is located in L.A., to provide relief for fire victims.  A recent National Religious Broadcasters article highlighted the work of Operation Blessing, as well as Samaritan's Purse, which is working in tandem with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team.

Joni Eareckson Tada, CEO and Founder of Joni and Friends, who is heard regularly on Faith Radio, according to the article...

...released two special episodes of her radio broadcast, Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope, to address the devasting fires in Los Angeles. She shared about her own experience evacuating, as well as the unique challenges of people with disabilities in emergency situations. Tada and her husband Ken are safely back home, but so many have lost everything. Tada encouraged listeners to continue praying...

Jay Flowers, COO of Grace to You, the media ministry of John MacArthur said that while the ministry's headquarters were safe, the church which Dr. MacArthur pastors, Grace Community Church, had experienced an effect; he said: “Sadly, multiple members of Grace Community Church, where Grace to You Bible teacher John MacArthur serves as pastor, with its campus located closer to the fires, lost their homes,” adding, “Our congregation has been activated to help meet immediate needs related to the fires.”

And, the article quotes Pastor Jack Hibbs from a press conference that was presented on the Real Life Network: “We need to pray for salvation and the church’s opportunity to love on Los Angeles like never before..."

Bill to prevent males from competing in female sports passes U.S. House

Another step forward in preventing males from competing in female sports occurred in the U.S. House last week - as CBN News reports:

The House passed a bill on Tuesday requiring all federally-funded schools to defend the safety and the rights of women and girls.

The measure, also known as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, would restrict women's sports to those who are born female.

The bill makes it a violation of Title IX rules to allow transgender females – those who are born male – to take part in women's athletics. It covers most middle schools, high schools, and colleges.

House Speaker Mike Johnson commented: "This comports with commonsense," adding, "It's biology. And biology is not bigotry as we say. Anyone who would accuse the supporters of this legislation otherwise is ill-informed. This is to protect women and girls. It's very clear."

On the Alliance Defending Freedom website, ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner is quoted - she said, in part: "The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act reaffirms the vital protections for women’s sports guaranteed by Title IX, ensuring that women and girls truly have equal athletic opportunities. As we continue to witness increasing incidents nationwide of males dominating girls’ athletic competitions, it is imperative to affirm that biology, not identity, is what matters in athletics."

Christian employers' group pushes back on attempts to force companies to favor LGBT

A new rule issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would force religious groups to adopt practices favorable to LGBT individuals, and the Christian Employers Alliance has teamed up with Alliance Defending Freedom to file a lawsuit challenging the rule.  According to a Center Square article published at Worthy News, the lawsuit states:

“This mandate, published in agency ‘guidance’ and on its website, threatens employers with large penalties if they do not use employees’ self selected pronouns based on gender identity, and if they do not allow males to access female single-sex restrooms, locker rooms, and lactation rooms..."

ADF Senior Counsel Matt Bowman is quoted as saying: “The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs and free speech to force them to affirm an identity that is not aligned with a person’s sex." He went on to say: “They also believe in the sanctity of human life, and forcing them to promote abortions adds insult to injury. We are urging the court to, once again, uphold the religious freedom of these employers from attacks by the outgoing Biden administration..."

The article also points out:

The same lawsuit argues that recent changes to the interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act “prevents employers from speaking their pro-life beliefs, requires employers to knowingly give employees special leave, including paid leave, to obtain abortions, and precludes employers from enforcing life-affirming workplace policies against employees who engage in conduct contrary to those policies.”