The 3 - January 27, 2019

This week, in this edition of The 3, spotlight three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a jury verdict in favor of a Florida woman who did not wish to work on Sundays, and was fired for that.  Also, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a favorable ruling for the Trump Administration regarding transgender people in the military.  And, the state of New York now has a law on abortion that will allow the gruesome procedure up until birth, and perhaps after.

3 - Hotel employee who would not work on Sundays wins court case

Marie Jean-Pierre, originally from Haiti, formerly worked as a dishwasher at Miami's Conrad Hotel.  In 2016, she was terminated because she would not work on Sundays, according to a Baptist Press story, which reported that Ms. Jean-Pierre, a member of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church, had won a lawsuit that she filed against the hotel owners.

The story says:

The jury ruled that the Conrad Hotel managed by Park Hotels and Resorts Inc. of Tysons, Va., formerly known as Hilton Worldwide, violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it failed to accommodate Jean-Pierre's Sunday worship, The Washington Post reported.

She was awarded $21.5 million: "$36,000 in back wages, $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish, and $21 million in punitive damages."  Because Federal law limits the amount of punitive damages to $300,000, that will result in a sizable reduction in the jury award.

The article states that Keny Felix, the pastor of the Southern Baptist Church Jean-Pierre attends, "describes Jean-Pierre as a 'devout believer' who 'embraces her faith in all aspects of her daily life.'"

According to the Baptist Press article, her attorney, Marc Brumer, said to The Washington Post: "It's just a great day for religious freedoms and protection of workers," adding, "For them, it wasn't really money. It was trying to right the wrong."

2 - Supreme Court temporarily allows transgender policy in military to begin

One of the top stories of 2018 impacting the Christian community involved the back-and-forth about whether or not transgender individuals can serve in the military.  The Trump Administration had presented a modified policy last year, allowing some transgender people to serve, but banning those with gender dysphoria; courts ruled against the implementation.  The Administration appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

WORLD Magazine reported that the high court did indeed pave the way for the policy to take effect. It reported: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Trump administration may immediately implement limits on transgender soldiers that President Donald Trump ordered in February 2018."  According to the article, "The high court said that policy can take effect while the debate over transgender military service continues in the lower courts."

1 - New York enacts legal abortion up until birth

There are stunning developments out of New York state, as Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a sweeping abortion bill, about which the Family Research Council website says:

From now on, nothing stands in the way of a woman taking her baby's life -- days, hours, or even a minute before she's born. A fully grown, healthy human baby that thousands of struggling couples would give anything to have.

The article goes on to say:

Under the Reproductive Health Act, late-term abortion is the new normal. And where there's late-term abortion, there's almost always infanticide. This law guarantees it, sweeping away a large chunk of the penal codes that protected abortion survivors. Thanks to this Act, Kermit Gosnell, and his bloodstained, cat-infested, third-world excuse for a clinic, would be untouchable. The Resurgent's Stacey Lennox puts that into its gruesome context. "For those of you who saw the movie [Gosnell], Baby B would not be considered a victim."

And, according to FRC:

"Person," as far as this law is concerned, means a human being who has been born and is alive. Not a second before, and maybe -- without infant protections -- not few seconds after either. Midwives and nurse practitioners can also perform abortions under the law, meaning that this law doesn't just put unborn lives on the line -- but women's as well. Welcome back to the dark age of unregulated horror houses with rusty equipment and untrained staff who botch abortions and kill mothers...

Tony Perkins also writes this on the Family Research Council site:

Even now, in the aftermath of New York, the Trump administration is spinning into motion, combing through federal law to see where it can hold Governor Cuomo's feet to the fire. Earlier today, administration officials told me they're looking into places where the state's extremism is in conflict with federal laws like the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Partial-Birth Abortion Act, Born-Alive Infants of Protection Act, and more. When it comes to federal dollars, we are encouraging the administration to use whatever legal and financial leverage they have to stop the nightmare in New York.

The 3 - January 20, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, focusing on three stories of relevance to the Christian community, highlights three areas related to pro-life matters.  One area includes court actions on two different cases that, if accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, could lead to a repeal or weakening of Roe v. Wade.  Another has to do with Federal court ruling that put on hold new Administration proposed rules that would exempt religious employers from having to provide certain morally objectionable items in their health care plans.  And, while a bill that would prevent taxpayer funding of abortion died in the U.S. Senate, the President pledged to veto legislation that would be contrary to pro-life principles.

3 - The race to reverse Roe: new developments

The potential of a change of ideology on the U.S. Supreme Court has been a major topic since before the 2016 election, as a number of Christians have been motivated to see pro-life justices appointed to the Supreme Court.  Now, with two new justices and a host of Federal judges who have been appointed who would possess a more strict constructionist, less judicial activist perspective, there is hope in elements of the pro-life community that Roe v. Wade may be overturned, or at least its impact lessened.

But you have to have a case that the high court would take that could lead to such an outcome.  One nominee would be the case about which the DallasNews.com website reports, saying that "A federal appeals court issued a decision Thursday overturning a judge's 2017 ruling that Texas could not remove Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider." The article says that the lower court had "the state had acted 'without cause' in terminating the reproductive health care organization from the program that provides health care to low-income Americans." It continues:

But a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that Sparks did not use the correct standard in making his decision. The case now returns to Sparks for further consideration.

Sparks is the lower-court judge.

The case centers on video captured by the Center for Medical Progress which shows that Planned Parenthood officials were selling the body parts of aborted babies.  The article goes on to say:

Stuart Bowen, inspector general for the state's Health and Human Services Commission, said the footage showed that the group was willing to "violate generally accepted medical standards," and the state argued that Planned Parenthood was breaking the law by offering to acquire specific amounts of fetal tissue by altering abortion procedures.

But, the lower court judge had discounted the impact of the video material.

Meanwhile, Liberty Counsel announced it had filed a brief in a case in which the 11th Circuit had overturned Alabama's law against "dismemberment" abortion.  This is a case in which a three-judge appeals panel had upheld a lower court ruling.  But, as Liberty Counsel points out:

Although the Court of Appeals invalidated the Alabama law, it did so only because the judges said they were bound by the Supreme Court, which they noted created an "aberration of constitutional law" related to abortion. While disagreeing with the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals acknowledged it is not the Supreme Court.

It points out that "One judge expressly called on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade."

2 - Federal courts uphold contraception/abortion pill mandate

It's a rather complicated process, but a new rule that was set to go into effect by the Trump administration protecting religious organizations from having to comply with the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring them to provide free contraception and potentially abortion-causing drugs in their health care plan has now been placed on hold.

LifeNews.com reports that:

U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone of Pennsylvania blocked a new Trump administration rule Monday that protects religious employers from being forced to pay for drugs and devices that may cause abortions.

Her ruling applies to the whole country, whereas a California judge’s order on a similar case Sunday applied to 13 states. California Judge Haywood Gilliam also was a nominee of pro-abortion President Obama.

There is a lawsuit filed in 2017 by a number of state attorneys general "to overturn new religious protections issued by the Trump administration. The new rules protect the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious employers from having to pay for birth control drugs and devices, including types that may cause abortions, in their employee health care plans under Obamacare."

The LifeNews.com story says that, "Vox reports the Pennsylvania judge did not permanently block the rule; instead, she issued a temporary injunction while the lawsuit continues."

1 - Senate votes not to move ban on Federal funding of abortion forward; President says he will veto all pro-abortion legislation

There is still more news regarding life and abortion in this week's edition of The 3.  First of all, the bad news: as Townhall.com reports: "A bill...that would have permanently banned the use of taxpayer funds for abortion failed to advance on the Senate floor Thursday with a 48-47 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed.

The White House, indicating support for the bill, had said, "This bill would continue to prohibit the Federal Government from paying for affected procedures with the taxes of Americans and thereby protect the conscience rights of taxpayers who find abortion morally or religiously objectionable..."

Meanwhile, at Friday's March for Life, according to LifeSiteNews.com, President Trump, in a video message stated, "Today, I have signed a letter to Congress to make clear that if they send any legislation to my desk that weakens the protection of human life, I will issue a veto. And, we have the support to uphold those vetoes. Every child is a sacred gift from God..."

The 3 - January 13, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes another instance in which a nominee for a Federal position faced in appropriate comments about his religious practice.  Also, the topic of Internet censorship continues to proliferate, and a religious broadcasters' organization is calling for Congressional hearings.  And, there have been two instances in which the U.S. Supreme Court has had the opportunity to accept abortion-related cases, and have not done so.

3 - More inappropriate comments about religion in Congressional hearing

In yet another Congressional hearing, a candidate for a Federal judgeship, Brian Buescher, was the recipient of inappropriate comments about his religious beliefs.  According to Todd Starnes, writing at FoxNews.com:

Buescher came under attack by Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, for his membership in the Knights of Columbus, a revered and highly-respected Catholic charitable organization.

Both lawmakers posed a series of written questions demanding to know if he would end his membership in the Knights of Columbus should he be confirmed.

“The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions,” Hirono wrote in the questionnaire. “For example, it was reportedly one of the top contributors to California’s Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage.”

That, of course, was a proposal that was passed by California voters, was challenged in court, and the Governor and Attorney General refused to defend the voters' action.  The AG is now the Governor, Jerry Brown, and Harris was his replacement.

Starnes brought out that this is not the first time that nominees were criticized for their religious beliefs.  Appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett faced verbal barbs from Senator Dianne Feinstein, who said, "When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern..."

And, before that, Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized Russell Vought, nominated for a leadership position at the Office of Management and Budget.  Starnes wrote:

Sen. Sanders deemed Vought unsuitable for office because the nominee believes that salvation is found alone through Jesus Christ. He said someone with that kind of religious belief system is “really not someone who this country is supposed to be about.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, also from Hawaii, according to another FoxNews.com article, wrote an op-ed on The Hill website, in which she said, “While I oppose the nomination of Brian Buescher to the U.S. District Court in Nebraska, I stand strongly against those who are fomenting religious bigotry, citing as disqualifiers Buescher’s Catholicism and his affiliation with the Knights of Columbus...”


2 - Religious broadcasters' organization calls for action in Congress in light of censorship

There has been much concern expressed about the censoring of speech by Christians on social media platforms, and the National Religious Broadcasters organization has been involved in attempting to counter these efforts.  Its website states:

National Religious Broadcasters is urging a “careful” congressional review of the “Good Samaritan” protections in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, president and CEO of NRB, sent letters to the chairpersons and ranking members of these committees: Judiciary and Energy in the House, and Judiciary and Commerce in the Senate. The website states:

The call for hearings comes after Big Tech leaders failed to respond to repeated requests from NRB to craft a free speech charter protecting users’ viewpoints while still permitting them to combat obscenity, incitements to violence, and other misuses of their platforms, “without unduly burdening free expression with an array of confusing and haphazardly applied speech codes,” Johnson told the congressional leaders. “I am still hopeful that such a charter could yet be put forward by the industry.”

The article mentioned a temporary suspension by Facebook of evangelist Franklin Graham, for which the social media platform apologized, and mentioned comments made by Johnson to PJMedia.com.  He said, "That the ban happened at all illustrates the pattern of censorship of Christian and conservative viewpoints by Facebook, which the company has failed to acknowledge and apologize for — a pattern shared by other Big Tech platforms,” adding, “How many similar bans have happened to Christians without the profile of Franklin Graham who have never received their apology?”

1 - Supreme Court passes on another abortion case

There has been plenty of anticipation about how the addition of conservative, Constitutionalist judges on the U.S. Supreme Court would affect the cause of life.  So far, the results have been inconclusive. There was concern expressed a few weeks ago when the high court declined to hear a case out of , according to the Washington Examiner, "could have allowed states to defund Planned Parenthood in state Medicaid programs."  It takes four justices to accept an appeal from a lower court, and it appears that Chief Justice John Roberts and newly appointed justice Brett Kavanaugh had sided with the liberal bloc of justices not to take the case, a case that Justice Thomas had contended did not directly affect so-called "abortion rights."

But the article did point out that a court watcher had said that Kavanaugh may have arrived on the court too late to be an informed fourth vote on this case.  

Now, another case with ties to abortion has come before the high court. TheFederalist.com reported that, "On Friday, the Supreme Court delayed its consideration of a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision that struck down two Indiana abortion statutes. The first banned abortions that take place as a result of the child’s race, sex, or disability. The second mandates that the remains of unborn children be buried or cremated."

The article goes on to say that, regarding the abortion of children with Down Syndrome, for instance, that "The first statute in the lawsuit would have banned this type of abortion." It goes on to state, "No longer would mothers be allowed to remove their children from the gene pool merely because they see their children as less desirable than they might have been without such a 'defect.' The statute does not prohibit mothers from aborting disabled children for reasons other than their disability."

The 3 - January 6, 2019

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features several stories that are continuations of top issues from the previous year.  For instance, there is more internet censorship; this time of one of America's leading evangelical ministers.  And, the Administration's policy on transgender individuals serving in the military received an affirmative court action.  Plus, with new House leadership, taxpayer funding of abortion was included in a new Federal spending bill.

3 - More Internet censorship: Franklin Graham temporarily banned from Facebook

One of the Meeting House Top 10 Topics of 2018 involved the censorship of Christians from social media sites.  And, recently, a frequent Facebook user was banned - for an two-year old post.  The Washington Examiner published the story of Franklin Graham's short-term removal from the website.  The story stated:

Following the ban Graham said in a Facebook post on Friday that the flagged statement, which was from April, was about North Carolina's "bathroom bill" that focused on which bathrooms transgender individuals were legally allowed to use.

He also shared the content of that flagged post, urging his followers to judge whether it contained hate speech. The post was critical of Bruce Springsteen canceling a North Carolina concert over the bill's existence.

He had written, in April 2016, that, "Bruce Springsteen, a long-time gay rights activist, has cancelled his North Carolina concert," adding "He says the NC law #HB2 to prevent men from being able to use women's restrooms and locker rooms is going 'backwards instead of forwards.' Well, to be honest, we need to go back! Back to God. Back to respecting and honoring His commands. Back to common sense."

Facebook said that the move against Graham was made in error. A spokesperson for Facebook said to the Examiner: "A page admin for Franklin Graham’s Facebook page did receive a 24-hour feature block after we removed a post for violating our hate speech policies," adding, "Upon re-reviewing this content, we identified that the post does not violate our hate speech policy and has been restored.”

The article also states:

"Why are they going back to 2016?" Graham asked during an appearance on Fox News. "I think it was just really a personal attack towards me. The problem with Facebook, if you disagree with their position on sexual orientation then you could be classified as hate speech, or that you’re a racist. This is a problem."

Graham also said that he accepted Facebook's apology and was appreciative that they apologized.

2 - Trump Administration (finally) wins an appeals court victory on military transgender restrictions

Another of the top 10 stories of 2018 involved the proposed ban on many transgender individuals from serving in the military, a policy developed by then-Secretary of Defense Mattis and approved by the President.  However, these regulations cannot go into effect because of court decisions against it.

That's still the case, but the Administration did win a court victory recently about the policy.  According to the USA Today website:

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the partial ban announced by the Pentagon, but never implemented, should not have been blocked by a district court while it was being challenged.

The website goes on to say that, "other courts' blockades of the policy remain in effect." It also states:

Four federal district courts blocked the policy from going into effect, and even while appeals courts have been considering it, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. The justices will consider that request at their private conference next Friday.

1 - New House leadership: attempt to include taxpayer funding of abortion in spending bill

There is new leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, which now has a Democrat majority. And, the legislative priorities have definitely changed.  While lawmakers are at a standoff regarding border security, the new majority has proposed spending taxpayer dollars on...abortion.

LifeSite News reports that:

Following her re-election as House Speaker Thursday, Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi announced that her party would be “offering the Senate Republican Appropriations [Committee] legislation to reopen the government later today.” The proposal consisted of one bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security until February 8 and another to fund federal departments until the end of September.

The article goes on to say:

The legislation lacked the wall funding at the heart of the dispute, however, and would also repeal the Mexico City Policy (now called Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance) that Trump reinstated shortly after taking office and later expanded. In addition to making abortion-involved groups once again eligible for foreign aid, the Democrat plan would also give $37.5 million to the United Nations Population Fund, from which Trump withdrew in 2017 over its participation in China’s forced abortion regime.

The priorities have definitely changed - you won't see attempts to defund Planned Parenthood from House leadership, and prior to the election, Pelosi also said that, according to CBN.com, she would introduce the "Equality Act" as one of her first orders of business.  The article says:

The act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which already bars discrimination on the bases of race, color, sex, religion, and nationality. The Equality Act would expand those protections beyond the workplace. The bill would prohibit gender discrimination in retail shops, restaurants, health care, and social services, housing, applying for a loan, or participating in the jury selection process.

The 3 - December 30, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, recognizing three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is news of Christian persecution in Iran leading up to Christmas.  Also, the marriage of a well-known Christian women's speaker has been reconciled.  And, a Christian organization has faced negative action from a large technology company.

3 - Iranian Christians receive warning at Christmas

As Christians worldwide have celebrated our Savior's birth, we remember those who have faced death and other forms of persecution during this season leading up to Christmas. Faithwire reports during early December that "Iranian authorities have arrested more than 100 Christians as part of the government’s fresh crackdown on those who have left the Islamic faith and embraced Jesus. Reports indicate that many of the 114 detained were converts from Islam to Christianity, and were thus accused of 'proselytising.'"

Converting to Christianity is illegal in Iran, and those who do so could face over 10 years in prison, according to the article, which relates these arrests came shortly after the reinstating of sanctions by the U.S. against the nation.

The story states that the Telegraph quoted Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, as saying, “There are many reports that [the sanctions] have contributed to the government’s ever-increasing dependence on hardline Islamic ayatollahs, who naturally see Christianity as a threat to their power..."

2 - Well-known Christian teacher's marriage is reconciled

It was a stunning piece of news when Proverbs 31 Ministries President Lysa TerKeurst announced in the summer of 2017 that she had separated from her husband, but Baptist Press shared good news of reconciliation recently; Lysa and husband, Art, renewed their vows at their North Carolina home in mid-December.

The article says that:

"On an unusually sunny Tuesday in December, we dressed up a bit and whispered healing words, heartfelt prayers, and holy vows," she posted on social media platforms after the Dec. 11 event. "A million prayers. A miracle answer. A marriage restored."

Her husband was, according to the story, "repeatedly unfaithful and abused substances." The article goes on to say that she wrote, "Never doubt we serve a God who still does miracles," adding, "In the middle of the work He did from the devastation in my marriage, nothing looked like I hoped and everything felt impossible." She continued, "But all the while when I saw nothing, God was doing something," and added, "And in His way and His timing, new life came. … God does some of His best work in the unseen."

1 - Apple removes app from ministry helping homosexuals discover freedom in Christ

One of the leading stories of 2018 involves the censorship of Christians by large technology companies, and recently, the dubious spotlight shone on Apple, which has reportedly removed an app by the organization, Living Hope Ministries, according to The Christian Post, which stated that:

NBC News reported that the tech giant removed the app that was developed by Living Hope Ministries, a Texas-based organization, following a Change.org petition from gay rights group Truth Wins Out. The petition called the "ex-gay" app "dangerous," "bigoted" and "hateful."

"The app falsely portrays being gay as an 'addiction', 'sickness', and 'sin,'" the petition argued.

Living Hope executive director Ricky Chalette is quoted as saying that the organization is "saddened" by the removal by Apple, as well as Microsoft, but vowed their work will move forward. He says:

"We are a ministry that for nearly thirty years has helped individuals resolve their feelings they deem incongruent with their faith. We help people deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ through Bible study and accountability. We walk with them to align their lives with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through support groups they realize they are not alone and are able to share honestly and openly in a noncondemning atmosphere about their struggles, passions, and victories. From chaos and confusion they often find peace, hope, and a deeper sense of personal wholeness. Our ministry is free and strictly voluntary."

The 3 - December 23, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 includes an announcement by a major coffee restaurant chain that it will attempt to block porn from being accessible at its locations beginning next year.  Also, a New York adoption agency is fighting back in court after being threatened by a state agency for its policy on not allowing gay couples to adopt children.  And, even though Ohio's governor has vetoed a bill banning abortion once an unborn baby's heartbeat is detected, it is the latest state to have a law banning "dismemberment" abortions; Alabama is appealing an appeals court ruling striking down its ban.

3 - Starbucks announces it will filter porn on wi-fi

It may be more difficult to access pornography at Starbucks stores beginning next year, but an advocacy group has accused the coffee chain of breaking an earlier promise, according to a story on the Business Insider website, which reports that:

Next year, the coffee giant plans to introduce a new tool meant to prevent customers from viewing pornography or other explicit content in stores. While watching pornography is banned at Starbucks locations, the chain does not have content blockers on its Wi-Fi service.

The anti-pornography group, Enough is Enough, has been exerting pressure on Starbucks, and the article, published in late November, points out that:

A petition from Enough Is Enough calling for Starbucks to filter pornography was signed by more than 26,000 people as of Wednesday. Earlier this week, Enough Is Enough CEO Donna Rice Hughes attacked Starbucks for not following through on a commitment it made in 2016 to block explicit websites.

2 - New York attempts to force agency to allow gay adoption

There has been a concerted effort to prevent adoption agencies from denying gay couples the opportunity to adopt children.  This especially targets faith-based agencies, who would object to such placements due to their deeply-held religious beliefs against the practice of homosexuality and in favor of traditional marriage.

Another such occurrence took place in New York state recently.  The Christian Post website reports that:

The state of New York has given a Syracuse-based Christian adoption agency an ultimatum to either change their adoption policy forbidding placement with same-sex couples or no longer be able to provide adoption services, a new lawsuit details.

New Hope Family Services has filed a federal lawsuit against the acting commissioner of the state’s Office of Children and Family Services on the ground that the nonprofit could be forced to phase out its adoption program if it doesn’t change its policy prioritizing placement in homes with both a mother and a father.

Alliance Defending Freedom is representing the agency, and the director of the ADF Center for Christian Ministries, is quoted as saying: “There’s no reason for the state to single out and punish those who hold the belief that the best home for a child includes a father and a mother,” adding, “Children in Syracuse, throughout the state, and across the country will suffer if this hostility toward faith-based adoption providers becomes the status quo.”

1 - Ohio governor vetoes heartbeat bill, signs ban on dismemberment abortions, Alabama AG attempts to overturn appeals court ruing 

Ohio Governor John Kasich, for the second time during his administration, has vetoed a bill passed by the Legislature which would ban abortion on unborn children once a heartbeat is detected; this is thought to be at six or seven weeks.  However, he did sign a ban on so-called "dismemberment" abortions, according to the website, Cleveland.com.

The website states:

Under the bill, physicians could be charged with a fourth-degree felony for performing a D&E, called a "dismemberment abortion" in the bill, and spend up to 18 months in prison. The bill makes an exception only in cases where the would-be mother’s life is in jeopardy or there’s a serious risk of permanent physical impairment.

However, Kasich vetoed the heartbeat bill, and, according to the story, "In his veto message of HB258, Kasich noted his support of past abortion restrictions but asserted that the heartbeat bill would likely be struck down by the courts as unconstitutional."  He warned the state would have to expend funds to defend the law.  The veto could be overridden, and there seem to be enough votes in the House to do that, based on the final vote for the bill; however, the passage in the Senate was two votes short of a what it would take to override.

Meanwhile, Alabama has passed a bill banning dismemberment abortions, yet it was struck down by a Federal district judge, then by a panel of the 11th Circuit. Yellowhammer News reports that Attorney General Steve Marshall has appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The website says:

“The constitutionality of a state ban on dismemberment abortion is an important question of national significance,” Marshall wrote in the brief to the Supreme Court. “At least nine states have enacted laws to ban dismemberment abortion. Litigation over some of these similar abortion laws is pending in the Fifth Circuit, the Eighth Circuit and multiple state courts.”

Marshall declared the lower courts were "wrong," and stated, "Federal law constitutionally prohibits partial-birth abortions. And there is no ‘meaningful difference’ between death-by-dismemberment abortion in the womb and partial-birth abortion outside it..."

The 3 - December 16, 2018

In this week's edition of The 3, focusing on three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a story out of Virginia in which a teacher was fired for not referring to a transgender person by her requested pronoun; and students have shown support for the teacher.  Also, President Trump has signed a bill that deals with religious freedom protections for those in Iraq and Syria.  And, in excess of 100 members of one church in China, including the pastor and his wife, have been arrested - the pastor had written a letter in advance of his imprisonment.

3 - Teacher fired for not calling transgender student by preferred pronoun, students walk out to show support for teacher

Peter Vlaming, until recently, was a teacher in West Point, Virginia, after he declined to call a  transgender student by the student's preferred pronoun.  According to the Christian Post website:

Following a brief suspension, Vlaming was fired after the school board accused him of engaging in “discrimination” and contributing to a “hostile learning environment.”

The teacher explained that while he agreed to use the student's chosen name, he drew the line at pronouns, as doing so violated his conscience.

The story quotes from another Christian Post story, in which Vlaming is quoted as saying, "I won't use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as a male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns..."

And, students are siding with...Mr. Vlaming.  The original Post story reports:

Less than 24 hours after the West Point, Virginia school board unanimously voted to terminate high school French instructor Peter Vlaming, a large group of students walked out of their classes to protest the decision.

“He's an amazing man,” student Wyatt Pedersen told WWBT News. “I think he really was going with what he believed was right and it's really unfair that he’s being punished for that, especially in such a dramatic way.”

The story refers to Forrest Rohde, the student who organized the walkout, who "emphasized that the protest was not about the transgender student. Rather, he said students took issue with the school board 'trying to force the teacher to conform to their ideologies with the threat of removal from the school.'"  The article also says:

Vlaming’s attorney, Shawn Voyles, maintained that the school system was not respecting the constitutional rights of his client, but praised West Point for permitting students to participate in the walkout.

2 - President signs law protecting religious freedom in Iraq and Syria

Recently, President Trump signed into law a bill that is designed to stand with persecuted religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.  The Washington Free Beacon reported that the bill "will help channel U.S. humanitarian and rebuilding assistance to Christians, Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria who were the victims of ISIS genocide."

The report says that: "The measure...ensures that the U.S. aid may come through the federal government or other entities, including faith-based groups." The bill "also enables the State Department, in collaboration with other federal agencies, to conduct criminal investigations and apprehend individuals identified as alleged ISIS members, and to identify warning signs of genocide and threats of persecution."

And there's more: the Free Beacon states that the new law "encourages foreign governments to identify suspected Islamic State perpetrators in security databases and security screenings to assist with their capture and prosecution."

It is notable that religious groups working in the region will now be able to receive U.S. assistance.  The article says:

The piece of the legislation allowing faith-based groups working in the region to receive the U.S. aid directly changes the prior policy of the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, which argued for a "religion-blind" policy of distributing funds mainly to the United Nations.

To hear analysis of this bill, as well as other aspects of the situation in the Middle East, you can listen to or download a conversation with Jalil Dawood of World Refugee Care here.

1 - In excess of 100 members of Chinese church arrested, pastor writes declaration about civil disobedience

On Sunday, December 9th, over a hundred members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China were arrested, including its pastor, Wang Yi, and his wife, Jiang Rong, according to the China Partnership website.

The site recently published a letter from the pastor and stated:

Foreseeing this circumstance, Pastor Wang Yi wrote the declaration below to be published by his church should he be detained for more than 48 hours. In it he explains the meaning and necessity of faithful disobedience, how it is distinct from political activism or civil disobedience, and how Christians should carry it out.

The declaration was posted on his Facebook page. After affirming his respect for the authority of the Chinese government, he wrote this:

As a pastor of a Christian church, I have my own understanding and views, based on the Bible, about what righteous order and good government is. At the same time, I am filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience.

He also stated, "...I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely. The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws."

Pastor Wang Yi also wrote:

If I am imprisoned for a long or short period of time, if I can help reduce the authorities’ fear of my faith and of my Savior, I am very joyfully willing to help them in this way. But I know that only when I renounce all the wickedness of this persecution against the church and use peaceful means to disobey, will I truly be able to help the souls of the authorities and law enforcement. I hope God uses me, by means of first losing my personal freedom, to tell those who have deprived me of my personal freedom that there is an authority higher than their authority, and that there is a freedom that they cannot restrain, a freedom that fills the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

The 3 - December 9, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 focuses in on a large Christian women's organization that wants to see a Cabinet member removed.  Also, a family in Idaho has received a federal court ruling in a lawsuit against a homeowners' association that did not approve of a Christmas display.  And, two board members of a Christian college have resigned, citing a departure from Christian teaching.

3 - Large Christian women's organization calls for Cabinet member's resignation

There are changes in the offing for the Trump Administration, with his announced intentions to nominate William Barr as Attorney General, a position he held during the Bush 41 Administration, and Heather Nauert as U.N. Ambassador.  Plus, Chief of Staff John Kelly will be leaving his post soon.

A well-known Christian organization, Concerned Women for America, would like to see another Cabinet official replaced.  The Washington Times reports that CWA's CEO, Penny Young Nance, has called for Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's resignation. The reason, according to the report, is "his former role as a prosecutor in a plea deal for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein."

Nance, according to the story, "said she believes President Trump would not have nominated Mr. Acosta for the Cabinet post if reports by the Miami Herald had emerged earlier about Mr. Acosta’s role in the scandal in Florida." She tweeted out, “Labor trafficking is often conjoined w/ sex trafficking. I believe @SecretaryAcosta should resign..."

The Times reports:

Epstein’s lawyers got an extremely favorable deal in 2007 from Mr. Acosta, the prosecutor at the time, who agreed to allow him to serve a short sentence in the county prison and obtain daily work-release for up to 12 hours per day.

2 - Residents win court fight over Christmas display

It can be very discouraging when you see the celebration of Christmas used as a source of division.  We have seen that occur in schools, displays on government property, and in one case in Idaho, in a neighborhood.

WORLD Magazine reported on a family from Idaho that had moved into a particular neighborhood in Coeur d'Alene and was told by the local homeowners' association that they would have to cease their five-night Christmas display.  The article says:

Before moving to their current home in the West Hayden neighborhood of Coeur d’Alene, the Morrises began holding a public Christmas program in their front yard, complete with an elaborate lights display, live music, actors, and animals to share the story of the birth of Jesus. They paid for the event out-of-pocket, did not charge for admission, and gave all donations to local charities benefiting childhood cancer victims and providing safe haven for children suffering abuse.

When the family decided to buy a new home in West Hayden, Jeremy Morris contacted the local homeowners association saying he intended to continue offering the program at their new home. In early 2015, the HOA board sent a letter saying he would have to scrap the Christmas event if he bought a West Hayden home.

The Morrises continued their display at the new home and even expanded.  This drew the ire of some neighbors who, according to the article, "...became vigilantes, reportedly throwing snowballs at buses hired to transport attendees, yelling 'Get out, this is our neighborhood,' and kicking cars."  There was even a reported death threat. 

Morris went to court; he filed a lawsuit against the homeowners' association for "religious discrimination and property right violations." And, as WORLD reported, a federal jury "unanimously ruled in favor of Jeremy and Kristy Morris in late October, awarding them $75,000 in damages and concluding a four-year dispute with the couple’s homeowners association."  The Morrises now plan to leave their West Hayden neighborhood.

1 - Christian university trustees resign over perceived drift on theology

There's more trouble out of a Christian college out of California.  Last September, CBN News reported that "the university came under fire after reversing its policy on banning public LGBTQ relationships on campus after caving in to pressure from activists. However, the Board of Trustees said they never approved the change and have reinstated the policy."  The Board said in a statement:
"That action concerning romanticized relationships was never approved by the board and the original wording has been reinstated."

Now, there's more controversy at the school: CBN News now reports that:

Two members of the board of trustees of Azusa Pacific University, (APU) the first Christian college on the West Coast, resigned last week, arguing the major evangelical university has "drifted" from its mission and that its new ideology is at odds with many of its policies, statement of faith, and even the Bible itself.

The story says that "WND (formerly WorldNetDaily) reports Raleigh Washington, a prominent pastor known for his leadership of the Promise Keepers men's movement, and Dave Dias, a Sacramento-area business executive submitted their letters of resignation to Azusa's board of trustees."

Washington said to WND: "What happened with the student handbook was an indication of a bigger problem that exists, and that problem is theological drift from what is required of an evangelical Christian university," a statement with which Dias agreed. Board chair David Poole, in a statement to CBN News, said, "Despite the assertions made by those who resigned, the board stands united in our commitment to our evangelical Christian identity."

The 3 - December 2, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 highlights these three stories of relevance to the Christian community.  They are: a significant meeting with the President of Nigeria and church leaders to discuss violence involving Islamic militants.  Also, a New Jersey university, despite student interest, has chosen not to allow a restaurant chain which is based on Christian values, to operate there.  And, a Department of Justice official has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a ruling on transgenders serving in the military.

3 - Nigerian church leaders meet with country's president

According to a church leader in Nigeria, in one state alone, the Plateau state, since March, over 600 Christians have been killed, presumably by Islamic militants - that is what Dacholom Datiri, president of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) told Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in a meeting last month, according to Morning Star News.

And, Datiri disputes the popular narrative that, these people are killed by unknown gunmen, or suspected herdsmen, or that there have been farmer-herders clashes,” adding, “All these are deceptive narratives deliberately framed to conceal the truth and continue to perpetrate the evil.”

The story says that Datiri related that, "The truth, he said, is that Muslim Fulani militias heavily armed with sophisticated guns, including AK47s, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades have attacked and killed Christians."  

And that death toll doesn't count people in other parts of Nigeria who have been attacked by militant groups such as Boko Haram. Datiri also questioned the commitment of the military to keeping Christians safe; he said, "Are we to believe that the armed forces sent to keep peace go with the instructions to protect them?” He added, “The implication is that they protect the aggressors and leave the victims mercilessly helpless.”

The story also reports:

For his part, Plateau Gov. Simon Lalong reportedly faulted Muslim and other community leaders for compounding the crisis of violence in the state by hiding criminals.

Buhari, a Fulani Muslim, responded to the Christian leaders by saying he did not doubt COCIN’s report on the atrocities committed against their communities.

“The communities (in Plateau) have lived long enough to know that there is nothing they can do without each other than to live together in harmony,” Buhari said. “As leaders, we must persuade the upcoming generation using every channel, particularly the educational institutions, to live together with our neighbors.”

Christian and Muslim leaders have to work harder to convince the upcoming generation that they must live together in the same country, Buhari said.

2 - Restaurant chain banned from university in values clash

The students at Rider University, which is located in New Jersey, were asked which fast-food chain they would like to have locate on their campus.  But, as FoxNews.com stated: "...once it became clear students were craving Chick-fil-A, the university excluded the option, citing concerns over the company’s attitudes towards the LGBTQ community."  The Fox story stated:

The school said in a statement that the Chick-fil-A option was removed “based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ community.

It admitted that the move could be perceived as a “form of exclusion,” but the institution wanted to remain “faithful to our values of inclusion.”

This is yet another example of people who claim to be "inclusive," yet exclude points of view with which they disagree.  This, of course, stems from Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy and his comments a number of years ago in support of traditional marriage.  But, I have yet to see a report in which a Chick-fil-A restaurant denies service to anyone because of his or her views on same-sex marriage or to people who practice homosexuality.  (How would they even do that?)  In fact, the article says:

"Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on food, service and hospitality, and our restaurants and licensed locations on college campuses welcome everyone. We have no policy of discrimination against any group, and we do not have a political or social agenda," the restaurant's spokesperson told CBS News.

1 - Administration requests swift action on transgenders serving in the military

The question of whether or not transgender individuals should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military is quite an important one, and the nation's Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to fast-track its response on two important cases, according to a report on the Breitbart.com website, that reports that the President, in July 2017, attempted to reverse his predecessor's policy change to allow transgenders to serve.  The story continues, stating that the Department of Defense, "formulated a policy allowing some transgender individuals but not others. On December 2017, a federal district judge issued a nationwide injunction blocking DOD’s policy across the country."

The article says that Defense Secretary James Mattis "conducted a study, modifying the original assessment and recommending that some transgender individuals can serve, but those with a history of gender dysphoria that results in expensive gender-reassignment surgery and others therapies that render them unable to serve for significant lengths of time should not be able to serve in uniform."

The story continues:

In March 2018, President Trump adopted that recommended policy. On April 13, 2018, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington [State] refused to lift the preliminary injunction blocking the first version of the policy. The District of Columbia federal court likewise refused to lift its identical injunction on August 6 and the Central District of California did the same on September 18.

Those courts are in two circuits that are noted in the article to be "two of the most liberal courts in the nation, and widely expected to affirm the lower courts’ blocking of the policy."

Solicitor General Noel Francisco has asked the high court to, "bypass two federal appeals courts and render a final decision on President Donald Trump’s military transgender policy by summer 2019."

The 3 - November 25, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 includes two stories out of the state of Ohio: one involves a college professor who has been caught in the "preferred pronoun" trap, which he is contending violates his religious freedom.  Also, the legislature there is attempting, once more, to ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected.  And, there is news out of a remote island near India of an American missionary who went there to share the gospel and lost his life.

3 - College professor in Ohio at odds with school over gender pronouns

There seems to always be some story or set of stories on a weekly basis about collegiate policies that are an affront to religious liberty.  A recent development at Shawnee State University in Ohio fits into that category.

A Baptist Press article provides details on a tenured faculty member there, Nicholas Meriwether, who "uses courtesy titles like 'Mr.' and 'Miss' with students' last names in his classes."  The article points out that "his belief that God created humans immutably male or female puts that practice at odds with the Shawnee State nondiscrimination policy, which demands employees affirm a person's preferred gender."  He has now filed suit against the university.

The article reports:

A disciplinary letter placed in Meriwether's personnel file in June claimed he created a "hostile environment" in his political philosophy class by refusing to address a male student, Alena Bruening, as female.

Meriwether suggested to the student and school administrators that he refer to Bruening by first or last name only, with no gender-specific prefix. According to the lawsuit, Bruening took offense at the offer and responded with an obscenity. Bruening filed two discrimination complaints and threatened to have the professor fired.

Meriwether claims in a federal lawsuit that administrators violated his free speech, his religious liberty, and his employment contract by demanding he submit to the university's identity politics. The lawsuit claims Shawnee State showed animus toward Meriwether's religious beliefs as early as 2016.

Travis Barham of the Alliance Defending Freedom is quoted as saying, "Public universities have no business compelling people to express views they do not hold...That's the message of this case."
 
2 - Ohio lawmakers attempt to ban abortion after detection of heartbeat

Two years after the governor of Ohio, John Kasich, had vetoed a similar bill, the House of Representatives in Ohio, by barely a veto-proof majority, has passed a bill that would, according to WORLD Magazine, "penalize anyone who performed an abortion on a baby with a detectable heartbeat," which, as the article said, is, "typically at six to eight weeks' gestation."

The article relates:

State Rep. Christina Hagan, a Republican who sponsored the bill, told WYTV in Youngstown that lawmakers drafted the legislation in direct opposition to Roe v. Wade: “Our intention is to go directly to the heart of Roe v. Wade and to challenge the question of when a life begins in the United States and when their constitutional protection is due to them.” Hagan, whose newborn twin sons were by her side during floor debate, added, “We know when a heartbeat stops that we have a lost a human life.”

The bill in 2016 had cleared the House and Senate, and was vetoed by Kasich because he did not believe it would survive a court challenge; Kasich did sign a law banning abortion after 20 weeks' gestation. WORLD reports:

Kasich said he would veto the bill again should it pass the state Senate. And if the state legislature doesn’t garner the necessary votes to override him, lawmakers will have to wait until the next session to take another crack at it. But that will be after Republican Gov.-elect Mike DeWine takes office, who has said he would sign such a bill.

It would take 60 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate to override a gubernatorial veto.

1 - Missionary killed in attempt to minister to secluded tribe

North Sentinel Island is situated off the coast of India, and it is the home, according to Christianity Today, of the "the most isolated tribe in the world."  That story announced that:

All Nations, a Christian missions agency based in the US, confirmed that John Allen Chau traveled to North Sentinel Island after years of study and training to evangelize its small indigenous population, who remain almost entirely untouched by modern civilization.

The article continues:

According to news reports based on Chau’s journal entries, the Oral Roberts University graduate shouted, “My name is John, and I love you and Jesus loves you,” to Sentinelese tribesmen armed with bows and arrows. He fled to a fishing boat when they shot at him during his initial visit, with one arrow piercing his Bible.

The young missionary did not survive a follow-up trip on November 17.

Mary Ho, international executive leader of All Nations, which says, according to the CT article, that "it trains and supports 150 missionaries in 31 countries, including India," is quoted as saying: “John was a gracious and sensitive ambassador of Jesus Christ who wanted others to know of God’s great love for them,” adding, “As we grieve for our friend, and pray for all those who mourn his death, we also know that he would want us to pray for those who may have been responsible for his death.”

The article relates that:

This was Chau’s third visit to the Andaman and Nicobar island chain. Its police chief called his recent trip “misplaced adventure,” but his family and friends insist that he knowingly violated protocol to enter the dangerous territory for the sake of sharing the gospel.

Because of a prohibition against even contacting members of those tribes in the region, there will be no action taken against those who took John Allen's life. Christianity Today also reports that:

His family posted a tribute on Instagram, saying they forgive those responsible for killing Chau and requesting that charges be dropped against the fishermen accused of endangering his life by helping transport him to North Sentinel Island.

The 3 - November 18, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 features two instances of opposition to Christian speech on college campuses.  One, at the University of Colorado, involves a group of students that has been denied recognition because it will not allow students who don't adhere to their faith perspective to hold leadership positions.  Another instance, at the University of California, involves a member of the student government who was ostracized by her own party for taking a position consistent with a Christian worldview perspective.  And, there is an update on developments on what may be the new home for the Pakistani woman whose death sentence for blasphemy was overturned.

3 - Christian group challenges University of Colorado policy

A student group at the University of Colorado has filed a Federal lawsuit against the school because the university has attempted to force the organization to place people in leadership who do not share the group's Christian beliefs.  The Alliance Defending Freedom website states that:

The university refused to grant Ratio Christi registered status because it only allows those who share and personally hold beliefs consistent with the group’s mission to serve as its leaders.

It further states, that, "Ratio Christi seeks to defend the Christian faith and explain how the Bible applies to various current cultural, ethical, and political issues. Any student can attend its events. Any student of any faith can become a member of Ratio Christi, as long as he supports the group’s purpose."

But, the group has a requirement that leaders "share its religious beliefs."  The registered status, according to ADF, means that its "access to funding, meeting and event space, and administrative support" are limited. ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, is quoted as saying, “Despite claiming inclusiveness and diversity as its core values, the University of Colorado is failing to foster real diversity of thought and is, instead, discriminating against a Christian group based on its beliefs..."  The legal group alleges that the university is treating Ratio Christi differently than other organizations.

2 - University of California student encounters opposition to Biblical view of sexuality

A Christian student at the University of California at Berkeley, who serves on the Student Government Association, is facing opposition and calls to resign from her position as the result of her taking a stand consistent with a Biblical view of sexuality.

According to the Campus Reform website, Isabella Chow decided "to abstain from voting on a resolution to oppose the recent Title IX changes proposed by President Donald Trump."  The changes would return the definition of gender under the Civil Rights Act to mean simply one's biological gender.  The previous Administration had expanded the definition to include gender "identity."  The resolution was, according to the website...

...intended to display solidarity with members of the LGBT community, specifically "transgender, intersex, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students,” as reported by the independent student newspaper the Daily Californian.

Now, Isabella is facing calls to resign and, as the website previously reported, she has been "disavowed" by her own party, called Student Action. The article states that:

Chow, who says she "campaigned very clearly as the candidate who would represent the Christian community” chose not to vote for the bill, stating that she could not do so "without compromising [her] values and [her] responsibility to the community that elected [her] to represent them.”

During an interview with Campus Reform, Chow said that she was “unprepared” for the reaction that she received after being disavowed by her own party.

"I didn't expect the backlash and misunderstanding to be so swift,” Chow said, adding that she believes said misunderstanding is one that comes from "a difficulty to reconcile how the traditional Christian worldview can espouse love and validity for all individuals and yet disagree with certain identities or choices.”

“At the end of the day, it's a belief in objective truth,” Chow explained.

Isabella Chow says she has no intentions of resigning. She said, "There's a Christian community and campus that has been praying for me and encouraging me throughout all this. And if I don't represent their views, who else will?"

1 - Asylum for Asia

Asia Bibi, who has been set free by the Pakistani Supreme Court after being jailed and facing a death sentence under charges of blasphemy, is trying to keep a low profile in the face of protests against the ruling.  And, there is talk about her seeking asylum, but so far, there are no takers.

According to the BBC, "Asia's husband Ashiq Masih called for the UK to grant his family refuge amid fears for their safety after the Pakistan Supreme Court overturned her continued detention." The website reports there are "seven church leaders" who have signed "an open letter which has been sent to Home Secretary Sajid Javid urging him to grant her asylum."

Also, in Pakistan, some are attempting to check the high court ruling for "errors," according to Faithwire, which states that:

...while her own government seeks to put her on its Exit Control List (ECL), a petition has been lodged by those same religious fundamentalists in a bid to identify “errors” in the Supreme Court ruling – an appeal that the government has agreed not to obstruct. Should the review conclude that the Supreme Court was erroneous in its ruling, Bibi could find herself thrown back into prison, and may be swiftly placed on death row once again.

And, how about the possibility of Asia Bibi coming to America?  Politico reports that Senator Rand Paul has said, “I have talked to the president about this, and I can't characterize his position, but I know from his concern for the pastor in Turkey and working to get that pastor out that it would be consistent with what they did with the pastor in Turkey to help get Asia Bibi out, and I hope they will..."

The 3 - November 11, 2018

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, literally brings news from around the world, including the perseverance of Christian leaders in Nigeria in light of the kidnapping of a Christian teen and Christian aid worker by an Islamic fundamentalist organization.  Closer to home, religious freedom protections now are seemingly baked into the latest rules governing the Obamacare contraception mandate.  And, pro-life perspectives seemed to come into play in the recent mid-tern elections.

3 -  Nigerian church declares vigilance regarding kidnapped teen

You may be familiar with the story of 15-year-old Leah Sharibu from Nigeria, who was abducted along with over 100 female students back in Feburary.  According to Morning Star News, Leah was "not released with the others because she refused to convert to Islam, will never be freed because Boko Haram’s Islamic law allows “infidels” to be kept as slaves, according to a statement by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), commonly known as Boko Haram."

Boko Haram announced recently that it would hold Leah, along with a "Christian UNICEF worker Alice Ngaddah," as slaves. The article said this about Alice: "Kidnapped along with two other aid workers in March, Ngaddah is a member of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN)." The story  states that, "Boko Haram last month killed an aid worker as an 'apostate' from Islam and vowed to keep Leah and Ngaddah as slaves."

But Nigeria church leaders are continuing to persevere. Morning Star News relates:

Leaders of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) have intensified discussions with government officials urging that they continue talks with Boko Haram to win the release of 15-year-old Leah Sharibu and other Christian girls and women being held captive by Boko Haram, an ECWA spokesman told Morning Star News.

Rev. Romanus Ebenwokodi is quoted as saying, “We strongly believe that as long as Leah and others are still alive, it is possible to secure their release.” He added, "The church and Leah’s parents believe that God can make it possible for Leah and others in captivity to regain their freedom if we don’t give up...The hope in Jesus Christ, which is the hope of glory, has kept Leah’s parents going and sustained the church on her knees. We shall continue to pray without ceasing until this faithful servant of Christ and others like her who are being held captive are released.”
 
2 - Religious freedom protections from HHS contraception mandate issued

Believe it or not, it was 2011 when the Department of Health and Human Services in the previous Administration announced its mandate that employers provide free contraception and abortion-inducing drugs as part of their health care plans.  Numerous lawsuits were filed by for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations.  The Hobby Lobby case granted exemptions for certain companies, but there have been a variety of court rulings regarding charitable organizations.

Baptist Press reports that:

The Trump administration issued two final rules Nov. 7 that supply conscience protections to Americans with a religious or moral objection to the 2011 mandate instituted under President Obama. 

One of the rules, according to the article, "finalized 'interim final' rules issued in October 2017." This rule "exempts entities and individuals from the requirement based on their religious beliefs, while the other rule protects individuals, nonprofit organizations and small businesses on the basis of a moral conviction apart from a specific religious belief."

Also, according to the article:

On the same day as the release of the final mandate regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule also affecting abortion coverage. The rule requires health plan issuers in the exchanges created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act to collect separately funds for elective abortion and thereby prevent taxpayers from subsidizing plans that cover abortion, according to the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).

The story also says:

Cases out of California and Pennsylvania involving the Little Sisters of the Poor, however, are still under appeal. The Little Sisters of the Poor is a Roman Catholic order that serves the poverty-stricken elderly and became the face of the institutions objecting to the mandate.

Mark Rienzi -- president of Becket, a nonprofit religious freedom law firm representing the Little Sisters of the Poor -- said in a written release, "This long unnecessary culture war is now almost over -- all that is left is for state governments to admit that there are many ways to deliver these services without nuns, and the Little Sisters can return to serving the elderly poor in peace."

1 - Pro-life voters seemingly have impact in mid-term election

No matter what a person's political persuasion might be, he or she might have found some things to like and plenty to dislike about the outcome of the mid-term elections.  Congress will have split leadership in the House and Senate; there are already statements out there that House leadership will pursue investigations regarding the President and Administration officials, and the Senate will continue to have a majority that should enable the confirmation of judges generally in line philosophically with those who have already been confirmed, including Supreme Court members Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.  It could also help the President with confirmation of various Cabinet-level and other Administration officials, such the replacement for UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The Senate outcome has yielded positive comments from some in the pro-life movement, according to a story on the LifeSiteNews.com website.  The story stated:

“Yesterday was a clear victory for the pro-life movement,” Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser claimed, while adding that pro-lifers “cannot be complacent” and “must be prepared to fight to hold the line on important pro-life policies such as the Hyde Amendment.” Family Research Council president Tony Perkins stressed that “most presidents lose seats in the House and Senate in the first midterm election,” but Trump “defied history” by “expanding the GOP majority in the Senate.”

March for Life president Jeanne Mancini struck a different tone, however, warning that “all pro-life gains made by this Administration will come under fire, and we will no doubt see efforts to expand taxpayer funding for abortion as well as the erosion of conscience rights.”

Bruce Hausknecht of Focus on the Family, in an interview for The Meeting House on Faith Radio, discussed the confirmation of strict constructionist judges.  This could have an impact regarding the protection of unborn babies.  But, as he points out, the composition of the House will likely impede any positive action on life and religious liberty.  Bruce and I discussed the apparent losses by four Democratic Senators in states that went for Trump in 2016, all of whom voted against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.  Those four were: Florida (if the recount holds up), Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota.

In other pro-life news, state voters in Alabama and West Virginia approved pro-life amendments, prompting Tony Perkins to say, according to the FRC website: "Consider that voters in West Virginia and Alabama approved pro-life ballot measures and polls show nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the government’s forcing taxpayers to fund abortion. There is simply no groundswell of support for forcing taxpayers to become indentured servants to the abortion industry."

The 3 - November 4, 2018

This week's edition of The 3 offers news and information relative to a visit by evangelical leaders to Saudi Arabia.  Also, there has been concern expressed by believers in New Zealand about a political leaders removal of references to Jesus in prayer before the body.  And, a Pakistani woman facing the death penalty for blasphemy was released by the nation's highest court.

3 - Evangelical delegation meets with Saudi leaders

Even before the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi journalist in Turkey, there were plans underway for a delegation of representatives of the evangelical community to visit with Saudi officials, including the Crown Prince.  And, according to CBN.com, a leader of the delegation, author and commentator Joel Rosenberg, believed the trip should go forward as planned.

The article states:

"There’s a lot of people who would say this is the wrong time to go to Saudi Arabia and meet with the leadership there," author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News. "I understand that criticism, but I disagree."

He added, "Given the fact that we care about the people of Saudi Arabia, Christianity in the Arabian Peninsula, the desire to see more freedom of worship, even Christian churches being allowed to be built, this all seemed important to us to do..."

Jerry Johnson, President of National Religious Broadcasters, is quoted as saying, "When I think of Saudi Arabia, I think of that verse, 'We are ambassadors for Christ. That’s Who we are representing, not the United States of America. We’re representing the Lord Jesus Christ...'"

The article notes:

This is the latest in a series of meetings with Sunni Arab leaders, including Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UAD Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meetings are part of a long-term agenda.

2 - New Zealand removes Christian language from government prayer; Christians protest

Late last year, the speaker of the Parliament in New Zealand made the decision to remove references to Jesus in prayer before the body.  The Christian Post relates that the new speaker, Trevor Mallard, "...decided to remove all references to Christ in the prayer, describing it as a 'compromise,' as the phrase 'almighty God' remains."

The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who is said to be "not religious," was reportedly supportive of the move, saying, "I think that having the prayer in itself sets a good tone for Parliament, but it has been done in a way that the speaker has tried to make a bit more inclusive..."

The article says that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters...

...said that the entire parliament should have been allowed to decide whether to remove Jesus' name from the prayer.

"Well the decision as to what should be changed should be made by parliamentarians and not the speaker — that's our position, I don't mind telling you publicly," Peters said.

The Post reports that, "Christians have rallied on a number of occasions over the issue," and that includes this past week, when some one thousand people gathered in protest. Ross Smith led the protest and "told Radio New Zealand that the country's Christian heritage should not be erased." He is quoted as saying, "It's a legacy. The principals and the values that are in this nation are based on our Christian-Judea roots..."

1 - Pakistan high court frees woman charged with blasphemy

Just before the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church was commemorated on Sunday, a victim of persecution in Pakistan was released.  Her name is Asia Bibi, and she had been sentenced to death back in 2010, according to Open Doors, which reported that the Pakistani Supreme Court had released her.  The report states:

According to the official ruling, the prosecution has categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The judges quoted extensively from the Quran and other Islamic scriptures, saying among other things that non-Muslims were to be dealt with kindly.

Another report on the website relates that she...

.... was arrested in June 2009 after a dispute with some Muslim women. She was accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death by hanging in 2010. Ever since she was held on death row.

Most of the past eight years Asia Bibi has spent in solitary confinement.

Even though Open Doors reports that Asia Bibi is in hiding because of safety concerns, there are widespread protests.  The website says:

Meanwhile, protests have erupted in many cities around Pakistan, and the government has a hard time controlling the situation. It prompted newly elected Prime Minister Khan to air a brief video message in which he warned groups who have railed against the Supreme Court’s ruling. Pakistan was founded “in the name of Islam” and the verdict given by the Supreme Court is in accordance with the Constitution, which is in line with the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah (traditional practice of the Islamic community based on the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), Khan said. He sharply criticized the protests.

There was concern expressed by an Open Doors partner that the Prime Minister's message did not offer comfort to Christians who are concerned about their security.

And, Faithwire reports that:

The Pakistani government has been widely criticized for striking a deal with radical Islamic clerics and agreeing to prevent Christian mother Asia Bibi from leaving the country, despite her Supreme Court acquittal for blasphemy. The action, taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan in response to increasingly explosive protests at the ruling, will entail the pursuit of legal proceedings to place Asia Bibi on the “exit control list” (ECL).