The 3 - November 3, 2024

This edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian communities, includes news of an organization identifying with the devil that has expanded its telehealth abortion activities. Also, a family who left Germany in order that the children might be homeschooled, gets to stay in America for at least another year.  And, there's a reminder of the importance of constitutionally-guaranteed freedom speech in a state supreme court ruling in favor of a cake baker who reflected his deeply-held religious beliefs in the choice of the types of cakes he would bake.

Satanic Temple broadens availability of "telehealth" abortions

A poignant reminder of the nature of abortion can be found in the recent alliance between an organization that claims to be "satanic" and the abortion industry.  A piece found on Crosswalk.com states:

The Satanic Temple (TST) has announced that it has opened a second telehealth abortion clinic in Virginia, over a year after it opened its first facility in New Mexico. According to a press release, TST said that the Virginia-based abortion facility, titled "Right to Your Life Satanic Abortion Clinic," will be "free of charge" like the first one, "with patients only needing to cover the cost of medication through a third party at a very low price."

"Our dedicated staff will again be available 24/7, ensuring that patients receive the care they need when they need it," TST added.

The article went on to say:

According to a TST document shared with The Christian Post, the group explained that abortion is part of its "destruction ritual that serves as a protective rite," noting that preparations for the procedure include reading and listening to stories from people in favor of abortion as a way to "subdue any stigmas" a woman might feel entering the clinic.

TST, headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, describes the Satanic abortion ritual as a "spiritual experience designed to instill confidence and self-worth in accordance to TST's religious beliefs."

German homeschool family receives another reprieve in order to stay in the U.S.

Perhaps you're familiar with the plight of Uwe and Hannelore Romeike; they are a family that, according to the Red State website, believed God was leading them to homeschool their children - unfortunately, homeschooling is illegal in Germany. In 2010, they received asylum in America, but then that was overturned. Finally in 2014, they were allowed to stay in the U.S. under "indefinite deferred action status."  Case closed, right?

Well, according to the article:

In September of 2023, without any prior warning or explanation, the Romeikes were told there had been a "change of orders," and they had four weeks to secure passports to begin self-deportation. One more problem: the Romeikes have had two more children while in the U.S. who are American citizens.

The article states: 

A petition was started to ask the Biden administration to reinstate the deferred action status. The petition got more than 100,000 signatures. In addition, a letter signed by 45 Tennessee lawmakers in September was sent to ICE asking for reconsideration of the Romeike's immigration status and impending deportation.

The website reports that "Rep. Diana Harshbarger...has also introduced private legislation to grant the Romeike family permanent residency..." 

Red State includes a tweet from Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel Will Estrada, in which he says: 

I am grateful to God to announce that the Romeike family, who @HSLDA has been helping since they fled from Germany in 2008 & requested asylum, has received another one year stay to remain in the US! They are free to continue to homeschool & practice their faith in our nation!

He has posted the official statement from HSLDA which offered a reminder that the legal status of the family has not changed.

Jack Phillips wins at Colorado Supreme Court

Jack Phillips, the Colorado cake baker who went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court defending his right to decline a request to bake a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding ceremony, has won a definitive victory in the Colorado Supreme Court.  According to CBN.com:

...after over a decade of court battles, Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, recently won a major victory at the Colorado Supreme Court — something over which he’s elated.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Phillips recently told CBN News of the legal win. “And I didn’t expect it right now, but it was good news.”

The baker first found himself in the crosshairs more than a decade ago, when he declined to make a same-sex wedding cake. After that case made its way through the courts, he again found himself facing a new battle after he refused to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.

John Bursch, Senior Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, stated: “The court did not address any of the First Amendment claims,” adding, “It only dismissed based on the procedural ground, although that’s enough to end the case.”  He added:

“In the meantime, we also had the U. S. Supreme Court decide the 303 Creative case on behalf of our client, Lorie Smith, and there the U.S. Supreme Court made it very clear that the First Amendment broadly protects the right of all Americans to not be forced to speak messages that violate their conscience.”

CBN noted that Bursch "said that the case helps solidify a scenario in which every American 'wins' and can exercise their freedoms to create messages that comport with their worldview."

When considering for whom you will vote on Tuesday, make sure that religious freedom is a consideration.  Troy Miller, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, on Friday's Meeting House on Faith Radio, discussed the importance of free speech, reminding believers of the negative consequences if our freedoms of speech and religion are curtailed.

The 3 - October 27, 2024

On this week's edition of The 3, spotlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there are three states who are suing the FDA due to its loosening of restrictions concerning the distribution of the abortion pill. Also, there's a ruling from the federal court that enables a major Christian satire site to continue to post its content, even in light of a new California law that threatens to prevent that.  And, a university in the U.K. has placed a warning on certain classic literature due to Christian themes.

Three states take FDA to court over abortion pill regulations

After the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the legality of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's loosening of restrictions on availability of the abortion pill earlier this year, three state attorneys general have gone back to court to try to tighten up its distribution.

The states are Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho, and Liberty Counsel reports on its website:

The new amended lawsuit, which could end up back at the Supreme Court in the future, asserts that the three states have legal standing because the relaxed restrictions undermine state pro-life laws protecting women, girls, and unborn children by putting lives and health at risk.

The article notes the high court did not rule in the abortion pill case this year because it deemed that the pro-life doctors who brought the action did not have "standing."

Liberty Counsel states:

From 2016 to 2021, the FDA deregulated Mifepristone so it could be used through the 10th week of pregnancy, rather than only through the 7th week; allowed healthcare providers who are not physicians to prescribe the drugs; relaxed adverse reporting requirements; and allowed the drug to be prescribed online through telehealth appointments and sent through the mail defying the federal Comstock Act that prohibits sending abortion through the mail. The FDA made these changes despite the drug’s questionable safety record.

The Christian legal organization says, "The states are asking U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who presided over the original abortion pill case, to impose a preliminary injunction that reinstates Mifepristone’s regulations that were in place prior to 2016."

Bee stings California officials

With free speech becoming an increasing concern in our country, according to a recent survey, The Babylon Bee turned back an attempt to curb its freedom of speech. Alliance Defending Freedom reports:

Less than one month after Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging two California laws that censor online content, including political satire and parody, California officials agreed they cannot enforce one of those laws against The Babylon Bee and Kelly Chang Rickert, a California attorney and blogger, after a federal district court ruled that the law likely violates the First Amendment. The Babylon Bee and Rickert are now free to post their political content online during the current election season without fear of violating the law while the case continues.

ADF attorneys representing The Babylon Bee and Rickert filed the lawsuit after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the two laws, AB 2839 and AB 2655, that censor freedom of speech by using vague standards to punish people for posting certain political content online, including political memes and parodies of politicians. Because one of those laws, AB 2839, went into effect immediately, The Babylon Bee and Rickert—as well as a plaintiff in another case—asked the federal judges to immediately put that law on hold.

Bee CEO Seth Dillon said, in response: “Our job is hard enough when our jokes keep coming true, as if they were prophecies...But it becomes significantly more difficult when self-serving politicians abuse their power to try to control public discourse and clamp down on comedy. Unfortunately for them, the First Amendment secures our right to tell jokes they don’t like.”

British university calls out and issues warning about classic literature due to Christian content 

A university in the U.K. has issued a warning about content found in certain literature at the school.  International Christian Concern reports:

The University of Nottingham in England has issued a “trigger warning” to students studying various medieval literature, in part because of Christian themes in the texts. The Daily Mail on Sunday discovered the warning through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The British university warned students that the course “Chaucer and His Contemporaries” contained issues of “violence, mental illness, and expressions of Christian faith.”

The article refers to Geoffrey Chaucer as "a Christian," and notes that he "...is referred to by some as 'the father of English poetry' and is said to have influenced C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien."

It goes on to say:

According to Frank Furedi, a professor at the University of Kent, placing a trigger warning on Chaucer is a strange phenomenon.

“Warning students of Chaucer about Christian expressions of faith is weird,” Furedi stated. “The problem is not … student readers of Chaucer but virtue-signaling, [and] ignorant academics.”

As ICC notes in the article:

Whether subtle or outright insidious, the grouping of violence and mental disorders with Christianity draws a psychological line between the three as though there was some shared common ground. The warning also draws stealthily close to censoring Christian voices, which continues to elicit concern among Christians and anyone concerned with basic human rights.

The 3 - October 20, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, which features three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features news on a ministry organization that has filed a lawsuit against two federal government agencies regarding policies that promote abortion and possible sex change procedures.   Also, a lawsuit has been filed claiming fraud in the gathering of signatures to put a pro-abortion constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida.  And, a man in Iran who founded a Christian ministry and was imprisoned for it, has been released after serving around half of his 10-year sentence. 

Ministry organization sues two federal agencies

The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, along with a consortium of businesses called PublicSquare, described as "a values-based commerce ecosystem," have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas challenging three directives of federal agencies.

That is according to the Institute's website, which states that in the spring, the Department of Health and Human Services and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission "...issued several regulations advancing the administration’s radical agenda regarding abortion services and gender transition. These mandates attempt to force JDFI, PublicSquare, and other Christian-based ministries and businesses to violate our religiously-based biblical values and moral conscience."

Senior Director at JDFI, Owen Strachan is quoted as saying:

“This radicalized immoral movement often speaks in the dulcet tones of tolerance and inclusivity concerning public morality; it often seeks to bind society to its vision and punish anyone who dares dissent with severe consequences. This is evident in HHS’s regulation requiring employer health plan coverage of abortion and so-called gender-affirming care, as well as in the EEOC’s regulation requiring employer accommodation of abortion and immoral infertility treatments, and its enforcement guidance requiring employers to grant access to bathrooms and other single-sex spaces to those of the opposite sex. Such rules crush the liberty that aligns with the order of creation as defined by God and reflected in nature.”

Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk can be heard weeknights at 8:30 on Faith Radio.  

Fraud charged in abortion amendment petitions in Florida

In state by state, amendments have been placed on ballots that would allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy.  So far, including last year in Ohio, all such ballot initiatives have been approved by the voters.

This year, Florida voters have the chance to vote on what is called the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion." It is Amendment 4, and according to Liberty Counsel, "Amending the state’s constitution requires approval by a 60 percent majority." The Christian legal organization's website states:

Amendment 4 would make abortion a constitutional right in Florida up to birth at any time for any reason. If passed, the misleading amendment would then nullify Florida’s six-week “heartbeat” law, invalidate parental consent laws allowing minors unfettered access to abortion independently of their parents, and would also invalidate all health and safety regulations protecting women and girls during abortion procedures. Specifically, it would remove the physician requirement that mandates only licensed physicians are to perform abortions.

Abortion supporters have collected signatures to get the amendment on the Florida ballot, but Liberty Counsel reports that a lawsuit has now been filed, stating: "The citizen plaintiffs seek an injunction to invalidate the amendment citing the state’s preliminary audits that found pro-abortion petitioners knowingly used forged petitions and other fraudulent means to reach the threshold number of constitutionally-required signatures." The language of the lawsuit says, "...without the substantial fraud and illegality in the petition gathering process in support of Amendment 4, it never would have qualified for ballot placement.”

As Liberty Counsel points out, even though it appears Amendment 4 will still be on the ballot, the results could be invalidated if the courts find that fraud existed, according to the attorney for the plaintiffs.

Ministry founder released from prison in Iran

Even though he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for launching a Christian ministry in Iran, a man has been released from prison after serving only about five years. 

Worthy News cites a report from Church in Chains, or CIC. The Worthy News article states:

A convert to Christ from Islam, Mehdi Akbari was released from Evin prison in Tehran on September 29, having served four years and nine months of his sentence, CIC reports. The reduction of Akbari’s sentence by Branch 21 of Tehran’s Appeals Court followed repeated court applications.

The article notes:

Akbari was arrested in January 2019 during a raid on his home in Tehran in January 2019. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for “acting against national security by forming an illegal evangelical Christian group,” CIC reports.

The 3 - October 13, 2024

In the latest edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there's a story about a ruling by a federal judge in New York upholding the free speech rights of pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion pill reversal.  Also, the U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will not hear a challenge to an appeals court ruling involving a Texas case in which the federal government was attempting to force emergency room doctors to perform abortions. And, four schools on the collegiate level have announced their plans not to compete against a ladies' volleyball team that has a male member identifying as female.

Federal judge in New York allows free speech of pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion pill reversal

A federal judge in New York has issued another temporary ruling protecting the rights of pro-life pregnancy resource centers to share information about abortion pill reversal, according to Liberty Counsel's website, which outlines that the reversal process can be implemented within 72 hours after the first dose of the abortion pill regimen. 

This ruling follows a similar ruling in another case involving 51 pro-life centers, which has now been consolidated with the case of two more centers.  Liberty Counsel relates:

The preliminary injunction protects Summit Life Outreach Center and The Evergreen Association from the state’s attempts to silence them with threats, intimidation, and prosecution under the state’s false advertising law. New York’s attorney general claims APR is “unproven” and has accused pregnancy centers across the state of fraudulent business practices and false advertising.

Referencing New York Attorney General Letitia James, the website notes: 

However, Summit and Evergreen allege the state’s actions violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments and that James’ illegal targeting of pregnancy centers unconstitutionally censors their speech about the safety and efficacy of abortion pill reversal. In the previous ruling, District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. stated that pregnancy centers are “likely to succeed on the merits” with their Free Speech claims since restricting speech about APR “casts a chill” on the First Amendment.

And, CBNNews.com reports on a similar lawsuit out of California, reporting:

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit legal group, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and SCV Pregnancy Center in Santa Clarita, California, against state Attorney General Rob Bonta.

As CBN News reported, Bonta filed a lawsuit last year against Heartbeat International (HBI) and RealOptions, two faith-based pregnancy centers, to stop them from advertising abortion pill reversal services, claiming that the natural hormone used to reverse the abortion pill is "risky" and "has no credible scientific backing."

SCOTUS says "no" to hearing abortion ER case out of Texas

Just months after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on a similar case out of Idaho, it has decided not to hear a case out of Texas, in a ruling that would, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom website, "deny the federal government’s request to hear the case Becerra v. State of Texas, upholding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s ruling, which prevented the federal government from 'illegally using federal law to force emergency room doctors to perform abortions...;"

ADF Senior Counsel Matt Bowman is quoted on the website, stating, "Hospitals—especially emergency rooms—are tasked with preserving life. For this reason, the 5th Circuit correctly ruled that federal bureaucrats have no business compelling doctors or hospitals to end unborn lives...Emergency room physicians can, and do, treat life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies. And every state allows doctors to do whatever is necessary to preserve the life of a mother. But elective abortion is not life-saving care—it ends the life of the unborn child—and the government has no authority to force doctors to perform these dangerous procedures. We are pleased that the Supreme Court decided the 5th Circuit’s ruling should stand, allowing emergency rooms to fulfill their primary function—saving lives.”

Four collegiate volleyball teams refuse to play team with male member

Last week, I spotlighted the brave stand taken by a school in Vermont, in which it did not allow its girls' basketball team to play in a game in which a male athlete was allowed to participate.  This resulted in a suspension for the school in numerous sports.

There are developments now on a collegiate level, with four teams announcing they would not compete against a team with a male athlete presenting as female.

FoxNews.com recently reported that:

The Utah State Aggies are the latest women’s volleyball team to choose not to participate in a scheduled match against San Jose State University due to a biological male playing on its women’s team.

The university issued a statement saying it would not be participating in its Oct. 23 volleyball match at SJSU.

Utah State joins Southern Utah, Boise State and the University of Wyoming in refusing to compete against SJSU.

The Fox piece, as well as a Christian Post story noted that a teammate of the male player, Blaire Fleming, is part of a lawsuit against the NCAA.  The Post article related:

One of Fleming’s SJSU teammates, Brooke Slusser, is a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit filed against the National Collegiate Athletic Association over alleged violations of Title IX.

Filed in March by the group Independent Council on Women’s Sports, the lawsuit alleges that the NCAA has violated Title IX by allowing men to compete in women’s sports.

Slusser told OutKick that she joined the lawsuit because “it's something I truly believe in” and that this was “something that so many people do care about,” saying that having Fleming on her team was “a really hard pill to swallow.”

"I couldn't comprehend the fact that there was a man on the team, and it was almost as if I was in denial for a really long time that this was happening," Slusser said. "So it was just really hard for me to wrap my head around.”

Writing for FoxNews.com, Macy Petty, a legislative strategist for Concerned Women for America and former NCAA volleyball player, stated:

Without any underlying research to justify it, the NCAA has compromised women’s sports to the detriment of female athletes around the world. Despite an outcry of public opposition, the NCAA has continued to invite men into women’s private spaces and competition. 

Petty laments the lack of prior notice about men identifying as women playing on female sports teams; that previous Fox piece stated that Petty...

...spoke with Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten about how players are feeling "blindsided" because the NCAA has not informed teams of the presence of transgender players on opposing squads.

"There's no informed consent for the schools or for the female athletes here. They're totally blindsided when they walk up to the court, and they see that there's a male athlete on the other side," Petty said.

In her Fox op-ed, Petty writes: 

Women’s voices in college sports matter. We fought hard for – and deserve – the right to say no when we do not consent to playing alongside men. It’s time to hold the NCAA responsible for this reckless disregard for women’s safety and fair play in college sports.

The 3 - October 6, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes good news for a teacher in Virginia fired for declining to use "gender" pronouns of a female student presenting as male.  Also, a local judge in Georgia has struck down the state's pro-life heartbeat law. Plus, a consortium of Christian employers have won a court case against a federal government agency. 

Fired VA French teacher receives massive payday in pronoun flap

Peter Vlaming was a French teacher in Virginia, but he lost his job because he chose not to lie to a student on the basis of biology.  The Daily Citizen reports that Vlaming...

...was a well-liked teacher at West Point High School. In 2018, when one of his female students began presenting as a male and using masculine pronouns, Vlaming wrestled with how to respond. He believes – for religious, philosophical and scientific reasons – that sex is an innate biological trait.

He chose to call the student by her new, assumed name, but did not use the requested pronouns.

But that wasn't satisfactory. The article says, "The superintendent demanded Vlaming refer to the student using pronouns inconsistent with her sex. When he refused, the school board fired him. In response, Vlaming filed a lawsuit against the school board with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom..."  The article says:

Last December, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in Vlaming’s favor, issuing a landmark decision affirming that the Virginia Constitution protects public employees’ right to free speech and freely exercise their religion.

And, the news got better.  As The Daily Citizen notes:

Following that decision, the West Point School Board agreed to pay $575,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees to settle the lawsuit. The school board also cleared Vlaming’s record and changed its policies to conform to Virginia’s new education policies protecting parental rights.

Local judge strikes down Georgia's heartbeat law

The Georgia law that had as its goal to protect life, banning abortion after a heartbeat is detected, has been under scrutiny recently.  There has been misinformation about the law's protection of not only unborn children, but of women in emergency situations concerning their pregnancy.

Now, a local judge has decided that the law is unconstitutional.  Live Action News reports:

Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney, who struck down Georgia’s LIFE Act in 2022 before the state Supreme Court reversed his decision, has again ruled to strike down the Act as unconstitutional. This means abortion is now legal in Georgia up to 22 weeks gestation.

The article says: 

McBurney noted in his ruling that the plaintiffs in the case had asked the court to declare that a ‘right to abortion’ is included within the state constitution’s “protections for liberty and privacy.” And, consistently, McBurney repeatedly emphasized the ideas of a woman’s liberty and privacy over the very existence of a developing human being.

In its analysis, Live Action News also relates that the judge...

...went on to argue that until a preborn child is ‘viable’, the only person who can assume that child’s care is the mother, and she cannot be forced to do so… because she has “fundamental rights” to make “healthcare choices” that include ending the life of her child in the womb until that child can be cared for by someone else.

Of course, intentionally and directly killing a defenseless human being cannot reasonably be considered “health care.”

The article, published last Monday, included these responses:

Governor Brian Kemp sent a statement to Newsweek today following Judge McBurney’s decision, with spokesperson Garrison Douglas stating, “Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives has been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge. Protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us is one of our most sacred responsibilities, and Georgia will continue to be a place where we fight for the lives of the unborn.”

NBC News reports the state’s plans to appeal, writing, “Kara Murray, a spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr, said, ‘We believe Georgia’s LIFE Act is fully constitutional, and we will immediately appeal the lower court’s decision.'”

On Monday afternoon, October 6, the Georgia Supreme Court, for the second time, overruled Judge McBurney, and reinstated Georgia's pro-life heartbeat law.  

Christian employers' lawsuit finalized after positive ruling

An organization representing Christian businesses, coming off a court ruling in its favor, has been on the receiving end of an agreement from a federal agency to pay an amount of $210,000 for "attorneys' fees and costs."  The Alliance Defending Freedom website notes that...

...a federal district court decision earlier this year that stopped the administration from forcing nonprofit and for-profit religious employers and health care providers to violate their religious beliefs by paying for and performing harmful “gender transition” surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments.

The website reports: 

The lawsuit, Christian Employers Alliance v. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, filed in October 2021, argued that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is misinterpreting and improperly enforcing discrimination based on sex in Title VII to force religious employers to pay for and provide health insurance coverage for such surgeries and procedures. Additionally, the lawsuit challenged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ reinterpretation of “sex” in federal law to include gender identity, thereby forcing religious healthcare providers who receive federal funding to physically perform or facilitate surgeries and procedures that conflict with their deeply held beliefs.

The article quotes Shannon Royce, Christian Employers Alliance President, who said: “We are overjoyed our members will not have to choose between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide, and the threat of federal enforcement and massive costs for practicing their faith..."

The 3 - September 29, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes news of a recent letter sent by just under a-third of the nation's state attorneys general chiding a large organization of pediatricians for its support of gender-change treatments and surgeries.  Plus, an American pastor who was doing ministry in China in the 1990's, when he was imprisoned and received a life sentence has been released and is back on American soil.  And, a survey by a leading pro-life organization shows that out of over 700 Christian colleges and universities surveyed, over a-tenth of them have a relationship with Planned Parenthood.

Attorneys general call out pediatricians prescribing puberty blockers

Across the nation, state legislatures have been passing laws to curb the proliferation of treatments and procedures that offer a false promise of enabling a minor child to change his or her gender.  Now, a consortium of attorneys general has called on the American Association of Pediatrics to stop its promotions of these therapies, "including puberty blockers and surgeries."

That's according to a FoxNews.com report that "Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sent a letter...to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) accusing the organization of abandoning 'its commitment to sound medical judgment.'"

The letter stated, "That halt on what is fairly described as medical experimentation on children is long overdue – particularly since the majority of children initially diagnosed with gender dysphoria desist and 'grow out' of the condition by the time they are adolescents or adults..."

Labrador was joined by the AG's of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and over a dozen other states in signing the letter.

Pastor imprisoned in China since 2009 freed

The hostility of the Chinese government toward the Christian faith is quite tangible and of great concern.  And, in the case of pastor David Lin, that was extended toward an American who was imprisoned for sharing his faith.

CBN.com reported that:

...Lin had frequently traveled to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel, according to China Aid, a U.S.-based advocacy group for persecuted activists in China.

Chinese authorities questioned Lin in 2006, while he was building a Christian training center in Beijing that the regime did not approve. In China, all Christian churches must pledge loyalty to the ruling Communist Party or face punishment.

Lin denied all wrongdoing but was still sentenced to life in prison on fraud charges in 2009, a method that's frequently deployed against leaders of churches that operate outside the regime's parameters.

As the article reports, Lin was freed recently from his imprisonment. CBN quotes from a text from Lin's daughter to Bob Fu of China Aid, who was described as a "longtime supporter." The text said: "Praise God! We got the call late last night!!! Dad is free and over Alaska now..."

Over 80 "Christian" colleges have connections with nation's largest abortion provider

One would think that an institution of higher learning that claims to be "Christian" in nature would not have a relationship with an organization that supports and participates in the taking of human life in the womb.  But, as Live Action reports:

A recent report from Students for Life of America (SFLA) revealed that 83 Christian colleges and universities across the United States have ties to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading abortion provider.

The investigation by SFLA’s Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement examined 732 Christian-affiliated institutions for the fourth year in a row for any connections to abortion services, including listing Planned Parenthood as a health resource, promoting its events on campus, and advertising the abortion corporation’s volunteer, internship, or career opportunities.

The article relates: "SFLA President Kristan Hawkins urged on her X account, 'We must demand these institutions sever all connections with abortion providers immediately and fully commit to the pro-life values they were founded on...'"  Live Action says that: "According to the study, schools were graded from A+ to F based on their level of affiliation with abortion services. An 'F' grade is assigned to institutions with four or more infractions."

The study also found that "65 professors at Christian schools have connections to the abortion industry through events or publications, and 14 of those professors have been directly affiliated with abortion industry leaders like Planned Parenthood through previous employment or board positions."

But, there is good news out of the survey.  Live Action reports that out of over 700 schools which were surveyed...

...58 institutions earned an “A+” for having no infractions and actively supporting pro-life alternatives, such as local pregnancy resource centers—a 32% increase compared to 2023. Another 591 schools received an “A” for either having no infractions or cutting ties with Planned Parenthood after being notified by SFLA.

The 3 - September 22, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes an action by the governor of Kentucky that has serious negative implications for Christian counselors who help minors deal with gender confusion.  Also, two Georgia ladies have died from complications resulting from the abortion pill - not because of the state's pro-life heartbeat law.  Plus, a Seattle pastor who had been arrested twice for reading from the Bible in public has received a positive outcome from the courts.

KY governor issues order that bans therapy to help minors overcome gender confusion

Christians are called to speak God's truth and to share a message that the presence of Jesus can help a person overcome sin.  But, in Kentucky, if a minor sees a counselor to help him or her overcome sinful sexual desires, including same-sex attraction, it's against the law for a counselor to help that minor to win victory over these desires.

Liberty Counsel reports: "Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order...banning counseling for minors who want to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors, and gender confusion. The governor’s action sidesteps the Kentucky legislature after it has repeatedly protected children by denying attempts to enact an actual law banning counseling."

The Christian legal organization stated:

Liberty Counsel has represented licensed counselors who have used talk therapy to help many people. Through Liberty Counsel’s efforts, city ordinances in Florida and Iowa banning this type of counseling have been struck down or repealed preserving the free speech rights of counselors so they can help their clients to reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors, or gender confusion.

Mat Staver, heard on Freedom's Call on Faith Radio, who is the Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, is quoted as saying: "Governor Beshear’s executive order is unconstitutional. He should wise up because his executive order will cost the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He will lose. Counselors and their clients should have the freedom to choose the counsel of their choice. Gov. Beshear has no business inserting himself between a client and a counselor.”

Abortion pill usage, not Georgia's heartbeat law, results in deaths of two ladies

Amber Nicole Thurman was a 28-year-old woman who was pregnant with twins.  She was past six weeks, so Georgia's pro-life, heartbeat law prevented her from taking their lives. So, she went to North Carolina.  The Daily Citizen reported that, according to a New York Times article: "...she felt she needed an abortion to preserve her newfound stability.” The Daily Citizen continued:

According to the story, Thurman missed her appointment. Instead, the clinic gave her the abortion pill, which she took – but then proceeded to suffer serious effects in the days following.

The article said, "Thurman was eventually hospitalized back in Georgia, diagnosed with sepsis and died following emergency surgery."  It continued:

The New York Times speculates that Georgia officials may have delayed performing a D&C out of “fear” – but offer no evidence to back up the accusation. Despite claiming otherwise, D&C’s are not illegal in Georgia to save a mother’s life – they’re only illegal if they’re specifically performed in order to kill the preborn baby.

The Times also glosses over the risks of chemical abortion itself – even though the pills have been known to cause serious problems. Goldberg claims that abortion pills are “safer than penicillin or Viagra and significantly less perilous than childbirth.”

LifeNews.com stated, "Doctors monitored her condition and hospitalized her but she died before they could do a D&C medical procedure to remove the parts of the unborn babies left inside her and finish the incomplete abortion caused by the failed abortion pill."

The article also reported: 

Now, a Georgia woman named Candi Miller has died following a botched aboriton [sic] due to the abortion pill.

According to multiple reports, the 41-year-old woman ordered abortion pills online, but they caused an incomplete abortion, leaving parts of the baby’s body inside her. She would need a would need a dilation and curettage procedure, which is not an abortion, to remove the parts of the baby, but she stayed at home and did not go to the emergency room or a doctor for the care, which is fully allowed under Georgia law.

The article quotes from Ingrid Skop, an OB-GYN who serves as Vice-President and Director of Medical Affairs for the Charlotte Lozier Institute:

“The tragic deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller in Georgia demonstrate conclusively how dangerous medically unsupervised, ‘self-managed’ abortion drugs are, as we have been warning for years. Yet, the FDA has steadily removed important safeguards on these drugs, allowing them to be ordered online and delivered in the mail without a single in-person doctor visit. Both women suffered failed abortions requiring surgical treatment. Amber died from sepsis, a complication the FDA alerts physicians to watch for in its ‘black box’ warning on mifepristone. Physicians must be aware of this risk and swiftly intervene.

“Candi’s family states she did not seek medical care because she was worried about prosecution, but every pro-life state law prohibits prosecution of women for seeking an abortion. Intentional misinformation by pro-abortion media regarding criminal penalties and claims that abortion drugs are ‘safer than Tylenol’ frighten women so that they do not seek medical care when they suffer complications like severe pain and heavy bleeding. This misinformation is to blame for these women’s tragic deaths, not pro-life state laws protecting them and their unborn children.”

Samuel Sey at the Slow to Write blog took issue with attempts to blame Georgia's heartbeat law fo4 Thurman's death.  He stated:

...MSNBC published an article saying:

“If the Christian right had not had its way at the Supreme Court, Amber Nicole Thurman would be alive today. She would have been able to get the medical care she needed in 2022…The true crime is that Thurman’s life was cut short because of ideologues who for 50 years trumpeted ‘biblical’ values as they sought to make women pay for unwanted pregnancies, even with their lives.”

The author’s hatred for Christianity is clouding her judgment. Amber Thurman didn’t die because of Christians or Georgia’s pro-life laws. She died because people like MSNBC refuse to tell the truth about the abortion pill.

Seattle pastor arrested for reading Bible in public vindicated

A pastor in Seattle who had been arrested for reading the Bible in public has been completely cleared, according to a piece at the First Liberty website, which said: 

In the summer of 2022, Seattle police arrested Pastor Matthew Meinecke for sharing the Gospel at two public events. This week, First Liberty entered a consent order that represents a complete victory for the Pastor, who brought his case against the City of Seattle.

The consent order provides Pastor Meinecke all the relief he sought in the case. He is now free to read his Bible or share the gospel on the streets of Seattle without fear of arrest. He also received monetary damages for the two false arrests, along with reasonable attorney fees and expenses.

The article states that the pastor "...went to a Seattle pro-abortion rally to read the Bible aloud, hold up a sign and hand out literature. He was censored and arrested on two separate occasions for simply reading the Bible to others because his Gospel-oriented message triggered hostile reactions from activists." That included some Antifa members, who defaced the Bible, tore out pages, and knocked the pastor to the ground.  Two days later, he experienced more harassment when he attempted to share God's Word at the Seattle PrideFest event.  

First Liberty noted, "Hecklers mistreated Meinecke again, and Seattle police officers silenced Meinecke again. The officers then arrested Meinecke for refusing to depart from his intended audience." The article relates:

In April, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Pastor Meinecke, concluding that the city’s policy amounts to an unconstitutional heckler’s veto and remanded the case with instructions for the district court to enter a preliminary injunction for Meinecke.

The recently-released consent order "mirrors the decision of the appellate court," according to the Christian legal organization.

The 3 - September 15, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes news out of a federal appeals court, which upheld a ban on the practice of offering young people with gender confusion an alternative to their same-sex attraction by offering gospel-centered direction.  Also, a challenge is underway to IRS guidelines on how non-profit organizations are allowed to participate in political speech.  And, a well-known football star and TV personality has been involved in speaking out on legislation that is designed to protect children from online exploitation.

Law banning so-called "conversion therapy" upheld by federal appeals court

When young people are experiencing confusion about their gender, they need someone to talk to, hopefully, someone who will give them guidance, from a Biblical perspective, about God's love for them and the truth about their identity.  But, in Colorado, it is illegal for people to engage in counseling that is designed to provide Christ-centered direction regarding their gender struggles. 

And, that continues today, as the result of a recent ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.  The Daily Citizen reports:

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld Colorado’s counseling censorship law that bans so-called “conversion therapy.” Colorado’s law prohibits mental health professionals from helping minors struggling with unwanted homosexuality or transgenderism.

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado, brought a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent enforcement of Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which was passed in 2019. Kaley helps clients with many issues – including unwanted sexual identity confusion and same-sex attraction.

But Colorado’s law prohibits her from helping minor clients, who struggle with these issues, live according to a biblical sexual ethic.

The article notes:

According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing Chiles, Colorado’s therapy ban violates her – and all counselors’ – freedom of speech and infringes on her free exercise of religion. It also censors the speech of her clients by prohibiting certain private client-counselor conversations regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. It also removes agency and autonomy from clients who desire such therapy.

The article also refers to previous content on the website that stated: “‘conversion therapy’ is a term invented by activists who oppose the truth that some people with same-sex attractions or gender identity confusion don’t want to embrace those thoughts, feelings, identities or behaviors. It is a non-existent practice – but these bans have the effect of prohibiting legitimate professional therapy for those with unwanted sexual identity confusion or homosexual identity, attractions and behaviors.”

Religious broadcasters' organization joins with others to file complaint about IRS rule on political activity

A complaint has been filed by the National Religious Broadcasters organization, Intercessors for America, and two Texas churches in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler, Texas. Together, they are challenging what is known as the Johnson Amendment; according to NRB's website, "plaintiffs argue that their speech has been wrongfully silenced under the language known as the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits from supporting or opposing candidates for public office, including restrictions against comparing the positions of candidates to the positions of the organization."

The NRB website notes, "The complaint details the fact that many 501(c)(3) organizations engage in electoral activities that are open, obvious, and well-known, yet the IRS allows some, but not all, such organizations to do so without penalty."

Troy Miller, NRB President & CEO, is quoted as saying, "For too long, churches have been instructed to remain silent on pressing matters of conscience and conviction during election season or risk their 501(c)(3) status...We believe that all nonprofits should have the constitutional right to freely express their point of view on candidates, elections, and issues on the ballot. Our challenge to the Johnson Amendment is about securing the future of free expression for all Americans, particularly those standing in the pulpit.”

Former Heisman winner devotes energy to protecting children

Tim Tebow, former Heisman Trophy winner and current SEC Network analyst, as well as founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, has devoted energy to protect children from online sexual exploitation. He has been a leading spokesman for the Renewed Hope Act of 2024.  The Christian Post reported:

The former Heisman Trophy winner read chatroom posts from sex offenders to help people understand the threat predators pose to children during a press conference on Capitol Hill this week to introduce a bill to fight exploitation.

The article says that, "The legislation would enhance the ability of U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to rescue exploitation victims and identify predators. The measure aims to provide the agencies with the resources to hire and train personnel and equip them with advanced victim identification methods."  It goes on to say:

Tebow stressed that the issue is about people, not politics, specifically the boys and girls who are victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Some may not understand the implications behind an explicit photograph or video, he said.

"It's not just images; it's not just videos," Tebow stated. "It's boys and girls that are in the worst moments of their life. And then people are celebrating it."

The Foundation has established itself as a force to combat human trafficking, and supports special needs individuals through the annual partnership with churches known as the "Night to Shine."

The 3 - September 8, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features news about a federal appeals court decision against a California law providing for certain requirements for social media companies. Also, a federal judge has put a new Administration rule that would prevent states from enforcing legislation that would ban gender-change procedures. And, several companies have announced they are backing down from progressive policies, including special treatment shown toward the LGBT agenda.

New CA law governing speech ruled unconstitutional by federal appeals court

A California law that would place limitations on free speech by social media companies has faced multiple court challenges.  Last year, National Religious Broadcasters, joined by The Babylon Bee and others challenged the law in court. An article on the NRB website noted that this bill, AB 587 "would require social media companies to report content deemed 'hate speech' and 'disinformation' to the government." NRB President and CEO Troy Miller was quoted as saying, “We are proud to act on behalf of NRB members who would be impacted by or required to comply with this censorship law,” adding, “In an environment where much religious viewpoint expression is considered ‘controversial’ speech, NRB is acting to stop the weaponization of new laws against Christian communicators.”

Also challenging the law was social media platform, X. And, last week, according to NRB's Washington Next Week e-mail newsletter, General Counsel Michael Farris wrote, "Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California Assembly Bill 587 violated the First Amendment by requiring social media companies to report detailed information about their community standards."

Farris listed a number of categories that enumerated areas of speech that companies would be required to "track and report;" he stated: "these categories are largely subjective and give wide latitude for silencing people who simply disagree with the views of either the social media company or the Attorney General of California."

Farris noted that the lawsuit in which NRB was a party had been dropped due to questions about standing on the part of the plaintiffs.  He noted that X used "essentially the same arguments."

Federal judge puts nationwide hold on new federal regulation overriding state laws on medical mutilation

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a new rule back in May, according to Liberty Counsel's website, "requiring federally-funded health care doctors and state insurance plans to perform and pay for harmful puberty blockers, hormones, and mutilating surgeries."  

The states of Texas and Montana filed a lawsuit against the federal government and in an expansion of an earlier ruling applying to just those two states, a judge issued an order that "expands a previous injunction from July 3, 2024, that only applied to Texas and Montana, and at the behest of the two states, he applied it nationwide noting certain provisions of the rule 'are unlawful to all participants.'”

U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle, according to Liberty Counsel, had said that the two states challenged the rule, "claiming the rule would 'override' state laws protecting children from medical mutilation. He also noted that the rule would threaten health care providers and states with the loss of millions in federal funding if they decline to provide and pay for these experimental gender interventions for children and adults alike."  Liberty Counsel states that...

...As a result, every state and medical provider receiving federal financial support is now protected from being forced to comply with the rule under financial threats from the federal government. For the 26 states who have laws protecting children from medical mutilation, this injunction also keeps this rule from preempting those laws.

In other court action on the topic, Liberty Counsel had announced in late August that "the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order allowing Florida to protect children and enforce its state law banning harmful puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and mutilating surgeries for minors. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to preliminarily remove a lower court’s block on the law allowing it to take immediate effect for now. The Appeals Court also agreed to hear full oral arguments in the case later this year to make its final determination on the law’s future."

More corporations get "back to business," reject pro-LGBT policies

Robby Starbuck is a podcast host and a commentator. His website says about him, as well as his wife, Landon, "Their Christian faith is very important to them as they are active members of their church and God is at the center of everything they do."

Starbuck has been involved in an effort to persuade companies to abandon progressive employment policies.  The Christian Post reported:

Starbuck urged Tractor Supply customers to contact the retailer's leadership to express opposition to its embrace of "LGBTQIA+ events at work" and "LGBTQIA+ training for employees," funding "pride/drag events" and "sex changes" for its employees, engagement in "climate change activism" and display of "pride month decorations in the office."

Tractor Supply announced it was backing off on some of their policies, including providing "data" to the pro-LGBT organization, the Human Rights Campaign.  Other companies contacted by Starbuck also made similar announcements.  For instance, as The Christian Post related:

In a statement posted on X in July, the farm equipment retailer John Deere insisted that it was "always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve" and making several commitments based on recent "conversations."

The business explained that it would "no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events."

Other companies announcing a regression in their progressive policies include Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniel's, Lowe's, and Ford Motor Company.

The 3 - September 1, 2024

On this Labor Day Weekend, two of the stories on The 3 focus on people who stood on their Christian faith and lost their employment.  One involved a Christian officer in the Idaho Army National Guard, who had a complaint filed against him based on his expression of Christian beliefs on personal social media. Then, there's the nurse at a Texas hospital who observed that gender-change treatments were continuing at her place of employment even after a Texas law banning these practices was passed. And, the issue of gender was involved in a lawsuit against a Ohio school district, whose policy against "misgendering" has been upheld in court. 

National Guard officer removed from command, forced out of military for Christian beliefs

John is, or was, an officer in the Idaho Army National Guard.  He is a Christian, and now faces a future apart from his military service.  As the Liberty Counsel website explains:

In 2023, a subordinate officer who identifies as homosexual complained to John’s chain of command, claiming that the posts John made on his own personal social media account made the subordinate officer feel “uncomfortable” and “unsafe.”

John never discussed his Christian views and beliefs about LGBTQ issues with this subordinate officer or anyone else in his command. Instead, the officer’s complaint was SOLEY based on John’s personal social media posts.

Yet the subordinate officer claimed that John’s posts created a “hostile work environment.” The subordinate officer claimed that John’s views were aligned with “hate groups” and “extremists.”

As the website points out, John posted on his personal Facebook account. He shared about his Christian beliefs, but "they were never derogatory, simply a reflection of commonsense parenting based on a Christian worldview."

The website notes that, "Following the complaint, the Idaho Army National Guard removed John from his command, citing an Department of Defense Policy issued in 2009 that "unjustly labels Christians as 'extremists' who need to be removed from military service." Liberty Counsel contends that "The Idaho Army National Guard and the DOD’s policy have violated the First Amendment, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Idaho Constitution."

Whistleblower regarding gender treatments at TX hospital dismissed from job

Vanessa Sivadge was a nurse at Texas Children's Hospital, and according to Decision Magazine, "worked closely with parents in helping with their children’s prescription refills and general care questions on behalf of the physicians in the unit. TCH is the nation’s largest children’s hospital." But, in her capacity, she observed some activity that was troubling to her. On her GiveSendGo page, she wrote, “My faith in Jesus compels me to speak the truth about what I’ve seen while having the utmost compassion and love towards children confused about their sex..."

The Decision article relates that Vanessa shared with...

...independent journalist Christopher Rufo that she had asked the hospital on May 31 for a transfer back to her “core competency” in the cardiology clinic because of a religious objection to the cross-sex hormone treatments that she was having to indirectly participate in. Her letter to the hospital specifically asked for a religious accommodation.

Sivadge, along with a former TCH resident surgeon named Eithan Haim, blew the whistle on TCH for what she and Haim allege were continued gender-altering treatments on minors after a new Texas law banned such practices in September 2023 and after an earlier opinion from the Texas attorney general that such treatments constituted child abuse. Sivadge also alleged the hospital engaged in Medicaid fraud to pay for the treatments.

Sivadge was fired on August 16, and she told Rufo that, "It is retaliation for my coming forward with information on TCH’s egregious pattern of deception and Medicaid fraud,” adding, “and this action also illegally disregarded my request to transfer due to my belief that these procedures bring irreversible harm and lifelong regret to children confused about their sex.”

The article goes on to detail how Vanessa and her husband were visited by FBI agents following her accommodation request who attempted to force her to testify against Haim.  The article states:

In an interview with The Christian Post, Sivadge said, “I am a Christian, and my faith is the foundation of everything. That’s the reason why I’ve spoken out as I have.”

Decision says that she referred to the "weaponization" of the federal government against people of faith, and according to that Christian Post article, she said: “I never thought that [my identity] would come to light, and that I would be ultimately visited by the federal government, wanting to intimidate me into silence,”adding, “Ephesians 5 says to have nothing to do with the worthless deeds of evil and darkness...but instead expose them, and that everything exposed by the light becomes visible."

Court rules against "misgendering" in Ohio school

The use of pronouns that correspond to a person's stated gender, not his or her biological sex, is an affront to the Biblical viewpoint that there are two genders - male and female. Yet, you have officials who are trying to force people to essentially lie about biological fact by embracing so-called "gender pronouns."

The Daily Citizen reports that the practice of not using these pronouns, an act known as "misgendering," is unconstitutional, according to a federal appeals court.   The article reports:

In February 2023, a parent-member of the organization emailed the Olentangy Local School District, inquiring whether their “devoutly Christian child who believes in two biological genders” would “be forced to use the pronouns that a transgender child identifies with or be subject to reprimand from the district.”

The District responded that a “student purposefully referring to another student by using gendered language they know is contrary to the other student’s identity would be an example of discrimination under” the District’s policies.

This prompted a lawsuit against the school district by an organization called Parents Defending Education. The Daily Citizen article stated that "a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently upheld a lower district court’s ruling against Parents Defending Education."

It was a 2-1 decision, and the dissenting judge, Senior Judge Alice Batchelder, wrote this:

The plaintiffs’ position – based on their scientific (biology, physiology, and genetics) and religious beliefs – is that biological gender is immutable, people are either male or female, and there is no such thing as “gender transition”; that is a made-up thing, imaginary or make believe, and a public school cannot force their children to pretend it is a real thing.

Batchelder stated, "The First Amendment forbids the District from compelling students to use speech that conveys a message with which they disagree, namely that biology does not determine gender."

The 3 - August 25, 2024

All three stories in this week's edition of The 3, are centered around the issue of the sanctity of life.  One story has to do with two state Supreme Courts that have taken action in cases surrounding amendments scheduled to be on their respective ballots in November that would expand abortion.  Also, a British woman who was arrested twice for praying - silently - in the vicinity of an abortion clinic has received a financial settlement.  And, seven pro-life protestors were found guilty in court recently in Michigan and face stiff penalties.

One state Supreme Court keeps abortion amendment off the ballot, one allows impact statement

One of the disturbing trends affecting the pro-life movement is the series of attempts by pro-abortion individuals and organizations to place initiatives on state ballots that would expand the availability of abortion in those states. So far, these type of amendments, such as the one passed last year by Ohio voters, have been approved.

A number of states will be confronted with these types of amendments on the November ballot, and there's significant action in two of them.

In Arkansas last week, the state Supreme Court said that the proposed abortion amendment could not go on the ballot. The Christian Post reported:

In a decision released Thursday, the court ruled 4-3 against a petition by Arkansans for Limited Government for a referendum on the November ballot. The issue is whether the organization has collected enough signatures from certified canvassers.

Justice Rhonda Wood authored the majority opinion, concluding that "the petitioners failed to comply with the statutory filing requirements for paid canvassers."

The day before that, the Florida Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision, allowed a 150-word statement to be posted on the ballots in the state. Liberty Counsel reported on its website: "The Florida Supreme Court voted 6-1 to allow the revised financial impact statement for Florida’s Amendment 4, which proposes to codify unrestricted abortion in the state’s constitution, to be on the November ballot." The website states:

The ballot will now contain a brief, 150-word allotted warning about how it will likely cost the state a significant amount of taxpayer dollars. The warning states the amendment may require the state to use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, invalidate parental consent laws, and negatively affect the growth of the Florida budget over time due to less people being born and due to litigation to resolve legal uncertainties.

British woman arrested twice for praying in front of abortion clinic receives financial settlement

Perhaps you've heard the name Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.  She is a lady from the U.K. who was arrested not once, but twice, for praying in the area of an abortion clinic.  Alliance Defending Freedom International announced last week that Ms. Vaughan-Spruce has received a financial reward after being acquitted last year.  The website stated:

In a victory against UK censorship, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce – the Christian charitable volunteer who was seen being arrested twice for praying silently in viral videos – has received a payout of £13,000 from West Midlands Police in acknowledgement of her unjust treatment, and the breach of her human rights.

The article notes that Isabel was first arrested in 2022 "for silently praying in a censored 'buffer zone...," in the vicinity of an abortion clinic. It goes on to say:

In what is widely thought to be the first “thoughtcrime” case prosecuted in 21st Century Britain, Vaughan-Spruce was searched by police (including through her hair); arrested, criminally charged and tried – even though she had prayed imperceptibly and not expressed any opinion outside of her own mind.

In February 2023, Vaughan-Spruce, was fully acquitted of all charges at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court after the prosecution were unable to offer evidence to support the charge. ADF UK supported her legal defence.

Yet only a matter of weeks later, Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for the same activity yet again – silently thinking prayerful thoughts on a public street within the censored “buffer zone”...

The article notes that, "With support from ADF UK, Vaughan-Spruce issued a claim against West Midlands Police for two wrongful arrests and false imprisonments; assault and battery in relation to an intrusive search of her person; and for a breach of her human rights both in respect to the arrests, and to the onerous bail conditions imposed on her."

ADF International also says, "The news comes days after reports that the Home Office will strengthen the crackdown on silent prayer near abortion facilities by expressly criminalising it in upcoming 'buffer zones' legislation, set to come into force imminently."

Seven pro-life activists found guilty in Michigan case  

Federal officials have been criticized for seemingly turning a blind eye toward those who vandalize pregnancy centers and churches, while raiding a pro-life man's home to arrest him in the early morning hours after an altercation in front of an abortion clinic, in a case that local authorities chose not to pursue.  That man, Mark Houck, was acquitted.

But, that was not the case for seven pro-life protestors in Michigan who staged a protest back in 2020.  Live Action News reported last week:

Seven pro-life activists were found guilty on Tuesday in federal court of conspiracy against rights and violations against the Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act. One of the activists is an 89-year-old concentration camp survivor.

The article said that, "were found guilty on all charges related to an August 2020 rescue at Northland Family Planning Clinic, an abortion facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan." It added:

Leif Le Mahieu for The Daily Wire noted that the trial, which began on August 6, was “packed with tension and drama.”

“The seven were prosecuted by the Biden administration, which has been using the conspiracy against rights charge, originally designed for the Ku Klux Klan, to go after pro-life activists. They face over 10 years in prison and hundreds of thousands in fines upon sentencing,” reported The Daily Wire.

The Director of Pro-Life Michigan, Lynn Mills, was quoted in the article. She was "present during the seven days of active arguments," according to the article, and "said that during closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunita Doddamani called the pro-life rescue 'the crime of the century.'” Live Action went on to say:

In addition, Mills said the prosecution told the court, “Burning a cross is protected speech, as reprehensible as that is. But once you break FACE, you lose your First Amendment right to free speech.”

“This conspiracy theory is so over the top,” said Mills. “It’s just extremely frightening what is happening in our country.”

The 3 - August 18, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, features a significant ruling late last Friday from the U.S. Supreme Court, blocking changes in Title IX from going into effect.  Also, hundreds of church leaders are speaking out against Christian persecution in the nation of India. Plus, closer to home, there has been another development in what has become a narrative surrounding Christian persecution in Nicaragua. 

High court prevents Title IX rewrite from taking effect

Ever since the Administration announced its new rules for Title IX, extending anti-discrimination protections, originally intended to protect women, to also include so-called "gender identity," challenges have been filed in court.  Among other things, this would allow biological males to play in women's sports. 

As Lathan Watts of Alliance Defending Freedom had reported on the Friday Meeting House program on Faith Radio, that Christian legal organization had successfully argued for five temporary injunctions to be put in place to prevent these policies from taking effect while the litigation continues. 

Late Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld temporary injunctions out of two federal appeals courts against the new Title IX rules.  The Daily Signal reported:

Tennessee and Louisiana are leading two lawsuits against the Education Department and its Biden-appointed secretary, Miguel Cardona, seeking injunctions to block the application of the law. The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th and 6th Circuits granted preliminary injunctions, blocking the new rules from going into effect.

Cardona appealed to the Supreme Court, and the high court denied the emergency appeal Friday.

This prevents the new rules from taking effect in 10 states. The article notes:

Tennessee, Louisiana, and others who joined the lawsuits argued that the administration’s Title IX rules unlawfully redefine sex discrimination and violate students’ and employees’ rights to bodily privacy and safety. They argued that a definition of harassment based on the creation of a “hostile environment” violates the First Amendment by requiring students and teachers to use preferred pronouns.

Persecution of Christians in India draws response from hundreds of church leaders

Sectarian violence in India, including against Christians, has been widely reported, and a consortium of church leaders have decided to speak out against it.  The Stream reported:

Over 300 Christian leaders in the U.S. have petitioned the State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) following an unprecedented escalation of state-sanctioned violence against Christians there.

The article noted that the letter was directed to Secretary of State Blinken and "signed by three archbishops, 18 bishops, 166 clergy from diverse denominations, eight current or former presidents, deans from five theological schools, and leaders from over 40 Christian organizations."

The article goes on to say:

“This surge in violence is propelled by a Hindu ethno-nationalist or Hindutva supremacist political ideology, which conflates a militant Hindu ideology with Indian citizen identities,” the letter explains, leading to a distortion of both Hinduism and India’s constitutional democracy accompanied by “alarming levels of violence” against Christians, lower-caste Dalits, and other religious minorities.

Rev. Neal Christie, executive director of the Federation of Indian-American Christian Organizations in North America (FIACONA), is quoted as saying, “This is the first public letter of its kind penned by U.S. Christian leaders addressing persecution in India..." The article says, "'As Christians do not practice caste and practice a minority religion, they are considered a national threat,' the signatories write, expressing solidarity with a petition more than 3,000 Indian Christian leaders signed in January. Those leaders boycotted a Christmas lunch hosted by India’s Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year."

Religious persecution in Nicaragua faces growing concern

Earlier this year, I became aware of what appeared to be a series of impactful evangelistic events in the nation of Nicaragua, conducted by a ministry called Mountain Gateway.  Its website, in a report filed in January, stated:

In 2023, Mountain Gateway held eight mass evangelistic gospel campaigns in the country, with the support and assistance of the Nicaraguan government. Mountain Gateway fiscally operated under strict accounting from Mountain Gateway staff and budget reviews by the Nicaraguan government to account for every dollar associated with the events. No members of Mountain Gateway have personally profited from funds sent to Nicaragua for ministry functions.

Nicaragua has revoked the registration of hundreds of non-profit and faith-based organizations in the last five years, including most recently, expelling numerous members of the Catholic Church and seizing church property. In these cases, the government often includes the charge of money laundering or other financial charges as the reason for revocation.

Three U.S. citizens in leadership of the ministry, as well as 11 Nicaraguan pastors, were charged with "money laundering and organized crime."  In March of this year, according to Mountain Gateway's website:

The Nicaraguan courts found 11 Nicaraguan Mountain Gateway pastors guilty on charges of money laundering. The pastors were not allowed to be physically present during the proceedings; they were only allowed to attend over a video livestream. At the time of the sentencing, all 11 pastors received sentences ranging between 12 and 15 years. In addition, the pastors were each fined over 80 million USD. Between the 11 pastors, they were fined almost 1 billion USD.

1819 News reported that Mountain Gateway was founded by Britt Hancock, who is from Alabama. In June, according to the website, Senator Katie Britt took to the U.S. Senate floor calling for action from the Administration; the article says:

"Let's be very clear. These Christians are imprisoned today because of their faith," Britt continued. "Their very freedom has been taken away because they chose to preach the gospel and the regime doesn't seem to want to stop there."

Britt reminded Senators the Nicaraguan government has also threatened Hancock and his family with arrest if they return to the country. Britt said Biden must utilize all sanction powers.

"Any options that are in the toolbox should be used to force Nicaragua to remedy the situation," Britt continued. "Today, I want to emphasize that we cannot and we will not stop speaking up against this religious persecution in Nicaragua."

"We are calling on the Biden administration to do more now," she added. "This regime must stop targeting American citizens, and it needs to begin faithfully upholding religious freedom and compliance with international law and universal standards of human rights."

Recently, Crosswalk Headlines reported that:

Nicaragua recently detained around a dozen priests as part of a “renewed crackdown” on the Catholic Church. As reported by The Christian Post, the majority of leaders detained were in the diocese led by exiled bishop Ronaldo Alvarez, a strong critic of President Daniel Ortega’s government who was sentenced to 26 years in prison last year for “undermining national integrity.”

The article states that Christian Solidarity Worldwide, described as a "United Kingdom-based Christian persecution watchdog," "is calling for the release of religious leaders detained by the authorities in Nicaragua." It quotes from CSW Founding President Mervyn Thomas, who said, “The continued detention and arrests of religious leaders by the Nicaraguan government are both unwarranted and unconscionable..."