The 3 - May 12, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of interest to the Christian community, includes news from the Alabama Legislature, where the state Senate rejected legislation that would allow a vote on gambling expansion in the state.  Also, the venerable Boy Scouts of America have announced a name change in the light of an erosion of its founding principles.  And, Christian leaders are continuing to stand with the nation of Israel in its attempt to defeat the Hamas terror group.

Alabama Legislature rejects gambling expansion

As in previous years, most recently in 2021, the Alabama Legislature came down to the last day of the regular session with a gambling proposal needing to pass one chamber.  In this case, a massive gambling package that would provide for a statewide vote on expanded gambling in the areas of casinos, sports betting, and a state lottery passed the Alabama House very quickly, went to the Senate, where the House package was whittled down somewhat in order to satisfy some Senators.  

Having passed the Senate, the legislation went to a conference committee to craft one bill for both chambers to vote on.  The House passed the conference committee version, but the Senate fell one vote short of the 21 votes needed for passage.  On the final day, the House slowed down the consideration of the state education budget in order to allow time for the Senate to try to find a way to 21 votes.  But, it never did.  And, so yet again, the possibility of gambling expansion, complete with its unbiblical baggage and the threat of significant social costs, has failed.

On Friday, the Alabama Citizens Action Program, or ALCAP, sent out an update, which appears at its website. It noted that due to "filibustering and the final push for gambling, several bills that ALCAP supported were on the Senate calendar for a vote but never received debate. These bills include HB111 (Defining Man and Woman in Alabama Law), HB167 (Porn Filter Bill), HB385 (Obscenity Bill), and HB195 (Sex Ed)."

So, due to the thirst by some lawmakers to pass gambling legislation, there were good bills that did not pass the legislature. Some did, but the net effect was that the Legislature spent too much time and attention on gambling, and was hoodwinked into passing insufficient legislation on in vitro fertilization that essentially ignored an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos produced out of IVF are indeed living human beings. Pro-life leaders all across America have called for the legislature to protect these lives.  

Boy Scouts announce name change

The organization that was founded 114 years ago, the Boy Scouts of America, has announced it will be changing its name to Scouting America next February, according to a Newsmax article, which quoted from Franklin Graham, who said, in a tweet:

"Talk about losing your way — that's the @BoyScouts," Graham posted on X. "They want to be more 'inclusive,' so they're changing their name. Being woke isn't the need — staying focused & true to what God calls you to do is what's important."

He added, "They should've just stuck with what they were founded to be 114 years ago...The Boy Scouts Oath says, 'I will do my best to do my duty to God.'" He also stated, "It's no surprise that thousands of parents are choosing other options like @TrailLifeUSA, which is a great Christ-centered alternative."

Trail Life USA was born in response to the Boy Scouts' embracing of unbiblical views of masculinity.  A Daily Citizen article from last summer stated:

As we’ve previously written, “The group had about five million members in the 1970s, with 2.1 million reported in 2019.

“Now renamed Scouts BSA, the organization faced more than 95,000 separate claims of sexual abuse, ranging from 8-year-old boys to men in their nineties. The organization settled for $850 million with one group of victims in July 2021, and for $1.9 million with another group in September of that year.

“In 2013, Scouts BSA went from boys only and reverent toward God to allowing gay-identified boys (2013), then openly gay adult leaders (2015), then girls who identify as transgendered boys (2017), to ultimately allowing girls to join (2017).”

Trail Life CEO Mark Hancock was quoted in the article, saying: “We know that boys and girls are different, and we’re not afraid to say that.” He added, “We are unapologetically Christian...We’re not an outdoor organization that’s having a Christian experience. We are at our core a Christian ministry that uses the outdoors to turn boys into godly men.”

Christian leaders continue to stand with Israel

Because of the Biblical origins of the people of Israel and God's covenant with this special group of people, throughout the years, evangelical Christians have stood with the modern-day nation of Israel, established in 1948 in what has been regarded as a event consistent with Bible prophecy.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, Christian leaders have continued to stand with the nation of Israel.  American Christian Leaders for Israel, a sister organization to International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, sent out a press release about a letter signed by a number of high-profile Christian leaders, stating:

One hundred fifty-seven Christian leaders, including Gary Bauer, Troy Miller, Juan Rivera and Star Parker, united under the banner of American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI) to write a letter expressing their disappointment with recent actions taken by the Biden administration regarding Israel and warning him that these actions will embolden both nations’ mutual enemies and encourage a course correction. The signatories represent many diverse streams of Christianity and over 60 million Christians across the country.

That press release and the letter, from last month, were attached to an e-mail sent a few days ago referencing the threat by the U.S. administration to withhold assistance for Israel in the battle for the Hamas stronghold of Rafah is the latest in a string of betrayals by the President of this historic ally for the U.S.

Among the previous actions by the U.S. that have produced concern are the following:

• Holding Israel responsible for civilian casualties and drawing moral equivalency between Hamas and Israel noting that Israel warned civilians of the impending attack and advised them of where they could go for safety. Hamas ordered them not to go, making them human shields.
• Accusing Israel of intentionally blocking humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza while ignoring the reality that for years, Hamas had redirected international aid to build rockets and military infrastructure and is currently commandeering aid for their own survival at the expense of the people.
• • Abandoning Israel in the U.N. Security Council, demanding a cease-fire, and initially condemning the planned incursion into Rafah. The administration has stated that it agrees with Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas. However, this cannot be done without destroying its remaining infrastructure in southern Gaza.

The letter said:

If Israel is abandoned and Hamas’s attack rewarded, it will endanger the safety of the United States. We urgently ask you to:

• Demand that Hamas surrender and immediately release all the hostages.
• Unequivocally support Israel’s effort to completely defeat and eliminate Hamas.
• Reinstate all sanctions against Iran.

By taking these simple steps, the United States can show its support for our longstanding ally, Israel, and signal strength to America’s enemies.

The 3 - May 5, 2024

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three relevant news stories regarding the Christian community, includes an update on the United Methodist General Conference, which concluded days ago in Charlotte, NC.  Also, there's an update on federal attempts to expand elements of the LGBT agenda, including redefining the meaning of the word, "sex."  Plus, amidst unrest on college campuses where anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protests have been occurring, a different sort of spirit has shown up on other campus - a spirit that is influenced by the Spirit of God.

United Methodist Church changes policies on homosexuality, LGBT affirmation

The affirming of LGBT behavior has been taking hold in a variety of churches across America, and for years, you have had members of the United Methodist denomination stand strong on behalf of Biblical sexuality, resisting those within the church body who have supported a more permissive approach to LGBT issues.  

That issue became a contributing factor to thousands of United Methodist churches disaffiliating from the denomination over the last several years.  With representatives of these churches absent from the latest United Methodist General Conference held in Charlotte over the past two weeks, the denomination took multiple moves to be more LGBT-affirming. 

The Christian Post reported on votes that were taken, stating:

In a vote of 523 to 161 following around 90 minutes of debate on Thursday, the churchwide legislative gathering opted to remove a clause from the Book of Discipline, ¶ 304.3 under "Qualifications for Ordination."

"The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching," read the clause, which had been originally added to the Book of Discipline in 1972.

That vote also included a statement, which said...

"...marriage [is] a sacred, lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith (adult man and adult woman of consenting age or two adult persons of consenting age) into a union of one another and into deeper relationship with God and the religious community."

The Post article noted:

The vote was among a series of votes taken at the gathering this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, which removed the UMC's bans on clergy officiating same-sex marriages, the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the funding of LGBT advocacy groups.

Advance of gender ideology seen in federal agencies

Even though the recently announced Title IX revisions have been the most talked-about move by the federal government to enact its agenda via executive action rather than legislation, there have certainly been other instances recently in which the LGBT agenda has advanced.

The U.S. Department of Education, in its Title IX rewrite, as it's been pointed out, has changed the meaning of "sex" in the law to include gender identity and sexual orientation.  And, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and other AG's from across the country are determined to not allow the federal government to get away with it, according to 1819 News, which reports:

Opponents say it would abolish the distinction between male and female sports and do away with female-only spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms.

That's why Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is leading a lawsuit to stop the Biden administration's plans. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, the Independent Women's Forum (IWF), and Parents Defending Education and Speech First have also joined the suit.

Marshall is quoted as saying that "our schoolchildren are the target" of an attempt "to use federal funding to force radical gender ideology.  He said, "The threat is that if Alabama's public schools and universities do not conform, then the federal government will take away our funding."

The article states:

The suit claims the new rule is "unlawful" and "arbitrary and capricious," exceeding the Education Department's statutory authority.

Meanwhile, The Daily Signal reports that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has instituted new rules in the area of privacy.  An article states:

Under new federal guidelines, an employer would be guilty of harassment for requiring someone to use a restroom that comports with his or her biological sex, or for referring to someone by a pronoun the person doesn’t want used.

The new EEOC proposal was opposed by 20 state attorneys general; the article notes:

In November, the attorneys general contended what was then the proposed “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” updates would threaten the First Amendment rights of employers, employees, and possibly customers.

In a letter, they said:

“Here, the proposed guidance would require employers to affirm or convey to employees and customers—often against religious conviction or deeply held personal belief—messages that a person can be a gender different from his or her biological sex, that gender has no correlation to biology, or that they endorse the use of pronouns like ‘they/them,’ ‘xe/xym/xyrs,’ or ‘bun/bunself..."

And according to Alliance Defending Freedom, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidance regarding health care; the ADF website notes that a new rule "redefines 'sex' in federal healthcare nondiscrimination law to add gender identity..."

ADF Senior Counsel Julie Marie Blake stated:

“The Biden administration’s new healthcare mandate is a vast overreach that turns medicine upside-down. Congress never voted to redefine sex in the Affordable Care Act to add gender identity. The rule harms families and children by promoting dangerous, life-altering ‘gender-transition’ procedures that remove healthy body parts or block puberty. The Biden administration’s egregious rule would alter the United States’ medical system for the worst.”

While protests turn violent at some college campuses, God is at work on others

Pastor Greg Laurie, according to Crosswalk.com, wrote concerning protests, which have turned unruly and even violent at various college campuses across America.  The article includes material from the blog from his website, in which he wrote: “While many of these students have no idea what they are even supporting when they hold signs that say, ‘We are Hamas,’ ‘Gas the Jews,’ and ‘Final Solution,’ many of them do. Even more alarming, professors, who certainly know what they are doing, are joining these protests.”

Crosswalk went on to say:

The modern state of Israel, Laurie wrote, “was formed on the heels of the holocaust where 6 million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered by the Nazis.”

“They realized that they needed a homeland where they could live in peace and prosperity and raise their families,” he wrote. “But also the Jewish community has had a continual presence in their land since the first kingdom of Israel, since King David. How could they be colonizers? They are indigenous people.

CBN.com contrasted the behavior on numerous campuses with the outcome of the most recent Unite.us event, the movement among college students that started at Auburn, and has held event at Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, and now at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. A recent article said: "Against the backdrop of anti-Israel protests, violence, and death chants among colleges and universities recently, some GenZers are choosing instead to uplift Jesus Christ...," adding that last week, "8,000 students gathered on the campus of the University of Tennessee to praise His Name alone."

Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook: 

I’m sick of these protestors on college campuses who hate our flag and our country—so I was thrilled to see what happened at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this week! 8,000 students came out on campus to worship and hear a message from God’s Word. 150 were baptized right there on the spot! Praise God for each one. We should all be encouraged by this and pray for God to move mightily in this generation.

The CBN article also noted that recently...

...as students in other campuses were engaged in antisemitic rioting, Liberty students chose to close the semester with the "ultimate wrap-up" giving glory to God well into the night.

Chancellor Jonathan Falwell told the students, "How amazing it is that Liberty students come to our lawn, and what we do rather than attacking one another is lift up the name of the only One who is worthy of our praise, and that is Jesus Christ, King of kings, and Lord of lords."

The article said that what is occurring among college students "...is a movement that is a stark contrast to the violence taking place at universities across the U.S. But the 'light' of what God is doing shines like a beacon on a hill and it is gaining momentum."