The 3 - May 18, 2014

In this week's edition of "The 3," my week-in-review feature, I offer a follow-up to a story that broke last week, involving 2 Christian brothers whose plans for a cable television reality show were suspended, presumably because of their faith perspective.   And, a Sudanese lady faces death for marrying a Christian and refusing to convert to Islam.  The top story involves the continuing story of the hundreds of Nigeria girls who have been kidnapped and some of the efforts to bring their freedom - a story that can bring a greater awareness of Christians in peril around the world.

3 - Benham brothers remain in the news, bank rejection reversed

It appeared a few days ago that the strong faith stands of David and Jason Benham had cost them not only a television program on HGTV, but a relationship with their bank.  On Friday, The Daily Caller reported that SunTrust Banks had pulled all of its listed properties with the Benham brothers’ bank-owned property.

At the time, Jason Benham responded by saying, “If our faith costs us our HGTV show and our business, then so be it." Brother David said that, “Keeping us off television wasn’t enough, now this agenda to silence wants us out of the marketplace.”

Later on Friday, TheDC reported that after an uproar from conservative customers, SunTrust Banks had announced that afternoon that the decision to end its relationship with the Benhams had been reversed.

The bank didn’t go into detail about why they originally cut ties with the Benham brothers, though SunTrust said the decision was made by a third party vendor.  TheDC had reported earlier Friday that the vendor had told a Benham Brothers franchisee that the bank itself made the decision.

SunTrust spokeswoman Beth McKenna said, “We clarified our policies with our vendor and they have reinstated the listings with Benham Real Estate."  She added, “Mid-2013, we consolidated the management of certain residential assets with a third party vendor, which has the relationship with Benham Real Estate...While we do not publicly comment on specific vendor relationships, we don’t make choices on suppliers nor base business decisions on political factors, nor do we direct our third party vendors to do so.”

She added: “SunTrust supports the rights of all Americans to fully exercise their freedoms granted under the Constitution, including those with respect to free speech and freedom of religion.”

After publication of TheDC’s story earlier Friday, the publication stated that conservatives expressed outrage at the bank.

Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer, had been quoted by The Daily Caller as saying, “SunTrust Banks appears to have punished David and Jason Benham by taking action against their business purely based on their Christian beliefs...This sends a loud and clear message to people of faith in America, you’re not welcome at SunTrust, take your business somewhere else.”

2 - Sudanese woman faces death penalty for marriage to Christian

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim is a women from Sudan, who was arrested in February and charged and sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and death for apostasy, after Sudanese authorities were made aware of her marriage to a Christian man, according to a report on the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) website. CSW reports that the court had given the Christian mother, who is pregnant with her second child, until this past Thursday to convert to Islam, implying that her sentence could be annulled or reduced if she did so.   She is currently detained in Omdurman Federal Women's Prison along with her 20-month-old son, Martin Wani.

In March, Meriam had testified that she is a life-long Christian, producing her marriage certificate where she is classified as Christian as proof of her religion.  Reportedly, three potential witnesses from western Sudan who went to the hearing to testify of Mrs Ibrahim’s lifelong adherence to Christianity were prevented from giving evidence.

After the court confirmed the death sentence, her lawyers asserted their intention to launch an appeal, a process which could take several months.  Her husband, Daniel Wani, has complained that throughout her incarceration his wife has been prevented from receiving visitors and, more seriously, from accessing vital medical treatment. A family member said: "we are concerned for her wellbeing; it is not very safe for her to be in the prison with dangerous criminals."

If the sentence is carried out Mrs Ibrahim will become the first person to be executed for apostasy under the 1991 penal code, prompting concerns that the charge may increasingly be used against anyone who converts from Islam.

CSW’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Dipper said, “CSW continues to call for the annulment the inhumane and unwarranted sentence and for the immediate of Mrs Ibrahim and her son, who is being held in violation of article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  As a Sudanese citizen Mrs Ibrahim is entitled to freedom of religion of belief under the constitution; consequently, this sentence amounts to a violation of the Sudanese Constitution and of international conventions to which Sudan is party, including the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.”
Christianity Today reports that the sentence is to be carried out two years after her second child's birth later this month.

1 - Nigerian kidnapping crisis continues, persecution of Christians moves front and center

Prayers, diplomacy, and even military assistance are elements bring a solution to the tragic situation involving almost 300 Nigerian girls, most of whom are from a Christian background, who are being held by the terrorist group Boko Haram.   Now, CBN.com is reporting that the Nigerian government could be ready to open a dialog with the terrorist organization in hopes of securing the release of the girls.

Since their kidnapping one month ago, it has been reported that some of the girls have been forced to convert to Islam and some have reportedly been forced to marry.

One Nigerian cabinet official says engaging in talks with the terrorist group could be key in bringing the girls home.

Nigeria's Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki is quoted as saying, "A lot of promises have been made; we are still pursuing those promises."

That news comes one day after Mike Omeri, the director of the government's information agency, said the government will "use whatever kind of action" it takes to free the young women.  He said, "At the moment because all options are open, we are interacting with experts, military, and intelligence experts from other parts of the world...So these are part of the options that are available to us and many more."

Meanwhile, the United States, Israel, and Britain are assisting Nigeria in its rescue efforts. U.S. surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft have already begun flying over the West African nation.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said that, "...this is no small task. But we are certainly bringing resources to bear in our effort to assist the government."

A prayer vigil was held in the nation's capital on Wednesday, according to a report at the ChristianHeadlines.com website.  The vigil was set to feature 276 flowers, one for each of the kidnapped girls. An online stream was scheduled to be offered to the families of the young women.

Vigil organizer Reverend Patrick Mahoney is quoted as saying, “We stand in solidarity with all the kidnapped girls of Nigeria, their families and loved ones. We agree with Dr. Martin Luther King when he says, ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,’”

The New York Times reports that the heads of state of five West African countries, including Nigeria, met Saturday with Western officials and agreed to share intelligence and strengthen military cooperation to combat the regional threat from Boko Haram.

At the request of Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, President François Hollande of France organized the meeting, which was also attended by the heads of state of Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin, countries that border Nigeria and that have long been suspicious of one another. The borders among the countries are notoriously porous, and Boko Haram’s adherents have easily slipped across them.

This incident is just another example of persecution of Christians at the hands of radical Isalmists.   The subject of Christian persecution has been elevated in the news recently; representatives of a variety of religious organizations held a press conference almost 2 weeks ago calling for assistance to persecuted Christians.  A WORLD News Service piece on the Christian Headlines website states that Reps. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), co-chairs of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, hosted the event and urged American believers to pray, give, and advocate on behalf of suffering Christians. They also called on the U.S. Senate to pass legislation to create a State Department special envoy for religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia, which the House has twice passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.  In this instance, the nations of Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were highlighted.

And, a rally yesterday in Dallas called attention to the persecution of Christians in countries with predominantly Muslim governments, calling for the U.S. to cease funding these nations.   Pastor Stephen Broden organized the rally, and he spoke with me for Friday's edition of The Meeting House.    

These are all reminders of the dangerous world in which we live, and how important it is for believers in Christ to stand with those who are facing persecution for their faith.

The 3 - May 11, 2014

This week's edition of "The 3," my week-in-review feature, includes an apparent U-turn by a cable network regarding a planned series featuring 2 evangelical Christians.  Also, tragedy in the nation of Nigeria, where a militant group has apparently kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls, many of them Christian.  And, the top story includes a Supreme Court decision involving the right of people to pray before governmental meetings according to the dictates of their conscience.

3 - House flippers flipped out of new cable series

This fall, HGTV - Home and Garden Television - had planned for a show called "Flip It Forward," starring twin brothers David and Jason Benham.    According to a report on the Baptist Press website, each episode was to feature the brothers finding a "fixer-upper" house and remodeling it for a family with limited financial resources.

On Wednesday, May 7, the cable network tweeted out that, "HGTV has decided not to move forward with the Benham Brothers' series."  There is speculation that the cancellation of the series came after a report on the website, RightWingWatch.org quoting one of the Benhams as opposing gay marriage and abortion and allegedly saying that Christianity is superior to Islam.

The brothers reportedly told CNN they believe HGTV was pressured into its decision.

David Benham was quoted as saying that he felt HGTV was bullied.  He said, "There's an agenda that's out in America right now that demands silence, especially from men and women who profess Jesus Christ and hold to His standards."

The Benhams wrote in a statement on their website that they would choose their faith over a television show if those were the alternatives.

They wrote, "We were saddened to hear HGTV's decision...With all of the grotesque things that can be seen and heard on television today you would think there would be room for two twin brothers who are faithful to our families, committed to biblical principles, and dedicated professionals. If our faith costs us a television show then so be it."

The Christian advocacy group Faith Driven Consumer launched a petition drive asking HGTV to reinstate "Flip It Forward" to its fall lineup. The petition, available at FlipThisDecison.com, garnered more than 8,500 signatures by May 9.

David Benham said on CNN May 8 that he and his brother have never practiced discrimination.   He is quoted as saying, "We love all people. I love homosexuals. I love Islam, Muslims, and my brother and I would never discriminate. Never have we -- never would we."  He added, "Never have I ever spoken against homosexuals, as individuals, and gone against them...I speak about an agenda. And that's really what the point of this is -- that there is an agenda that is seeking to silence the voices of men and women of faith."

Jason Benham told Baptist Press that HGTV vetted the brothers a year and a half ago, saw some of the material unearthed recently by Right Wing Watch and spoke with the twins about it.

"They got to know us a little better and then they made a judgment call, recognizing that David and I have no hate in our heart for anyone," Jason Benham told CNN. "We've been running a successful real estate company for the last 11 years and we help all people. There is no discrimination."

2 - Hundreds of Nigerian girls, including multiple Christians, kidnapped by militant group

There is great concern over the kidnapping of hundreds of girls from Nigeria, most of them Christians, by the Boko Haram militant group.   According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a disturbing video was released last Monday, in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the kidnapped girls were “slaves” and that he would sell them “in the market”, claiming: “it is Allah that says I should sell human beings” and “instructed us [to] soak the ground of Nigeria with Christian blood and so-called Muslims contradicting Islam.”

The total number of children kidnapped on April 15 from the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) in Chibok remains unclear. Some sources state that over 300 were abducted and around 276 are still missing. Last weekend, the Borno State Police Commissioner said 276 girls were captured by the group and 53 had managed to escape.

Christianity Today reports that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) recently released the names of 165 Christian girls and 15 Muslim girls it says were kidnapped from Chibok. Many are affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. 

Also, CSW reports that this past Monday, Boko Haram gunmen abducted eight more girls aged between 12 and 15 during an attack that included house to house searches of Warabe Village in Borno State, which is located close to Sambisa Forest where the group has a stronghold.   On the same day Boko Haram militants are reported to have destroyed most of Gamboru Town in Borno State, killing at least 250 people.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is quoted as saying that, “the targeting of children and schools is against international law and cannot be justified under any circumstances.” The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned there is no statute of limitations for grave international crimes such as slavery and sexual slavery, pointing out the sale of the girls could constitute a crime against humanity. France, the United States and the United Kingdom are providing specialist assistance, while the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls went viral, drawing support from a host of celebrities and resulting in protests on behalf of the missing girls in cities throughout Nigeria and across the world. 

And, the leading mosque in Sunni Islam, Al-Azhar Mosque, said: “this action does not relate to the noble teachings of Islam in any way.”  CSW points out that given that it is one of the oldest Sunni institutions and is highly respected throughout the Islamic world and particularly in Africa, Al-Azhar’s intervention constitutes an authoritative and significant riposte to Boko Haram’s claims of divine sanction.

1 - U.S. Supreme Court upholds right to prayers before governmental meetings, including explicitly Christian prayers

A long-time tradition in the city of Greece, New York, had been challenged in court - the practice of inviting volunteers from a variety of churches in the area to pray before the town council's meetings.  CitizenLink reports that after more than five years of legal battles, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of public prayers — including those “in Jesus’ name” — before government meetings.

Thomas Hungar, an allied attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented the town, is quoted as saying, “The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the practice of prayer before legislative bodies is firmly embedded in the history and traditions of this nation...Americans should be free to speak and act consistently with their own beliefs.”

The court affirmed that as long as the prayers are respectful, those praying may say essentially what they like. It also affirmed that if one prayer should wander outside what’s proper, that alone is not a reason to stop public prayers. And because most of the congregations in Greece are generally Christian, it’s acceptable for most of the people who pray to be Christians—no need to go outside the community to bring some unattainable sense of “balance” to what’s said in the prayers.
In the majority opinion in the 5-4 decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy underscored the rights of Americans:

From the earliest days of the Nation, these invocations have been addressed to assemblies comprising many different creeds. These ceremonial prayers strive for the idea that people of many faiths may be united in a community of tolerance and devotion. Even those who disagree as to religious doctrine may find common ground in the desire to show respect for the divine in all aspects of their lives and being. Our tradition assumes that adult citizens, firm in their own beliefs can tolerate and perhaps appreciate a ceremonial prayer delivered by a person of a different faith.

CitizenLink points out that the Supreme Court’s ruling will likely affect similar cases still in progress in lower courts, according to ADF. Attorneys with the group plan to resolve those cases in light of the decision.

The 3 - May 4, 2014

This week's edition of "The 3", my week-in-review blog feature, includes a push for immigration reform by evangelical leaders in the nation's capital.  Also, some concern arose this week about a claim by a pro-abortion group that it had successfully lobbied Google to remove ads for many pregnancy resource centers. And, the top story involves the annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, which is set aside for the first Thursday in May.

3 - Evangelical pastors continue push for immigration reform

For some time now, evangelicals have been involved in trying to help reform the Federal immigration system. One example is a resolution passed by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2011 that called for a pathway to citizenship but not amnesty, according to a recent piece on the ReligionNews.com website, which quotes former convention president Bryant Wright, Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in the Atlanta area, as saying, “There’s just a greater sense of urgency that the time is now for the Congress to act."  He said that he was frustrated with the lack of progress on the issue.

The article reports that this past week, some 250 evangelical pastors gathered on Capitol Hill to press for immigration reform. It stated that in the past couple of months, religious leaders have met with President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, as well as House Speaker John Boehner’s staff. Faith leaders also recently met with members of Congress in their home districts.

John Perkins, a civil rights activist and co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association, noted that many evangelicals were silent during the civil rights movement but have now spoken up for immigration reform.

“We haven’t always been there,” he said. “We have a possibility to redeem ourselves for the cause of the gospel.”

Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas and another former SBC president, said he’s hopeful that the meetings will move Congress as they hear from more people who want to see reform achieved.

“I believe that in the end you’re going to have the overwhelming support of most of the Republicans in the Congress,” he said.

Eugene Cho, Pastor of Quest Church in Seattle, who is of Korean descent, was among the new faces demonstrating support for immigration reform across racial and ethnic groups and denominations. He pointed out that one out of five Korean-Americans are undocumented.

The Evangelical Immigration Table hosted the conference and worship service before the Hill visits. Among those participating were plenty of returning pastors, too.

2 - Pro-abortion group claims Google has removed scores of pro-life ads

The National Abortion Rights Action League, or NARAL, made a stunning claim this week, as it said that it had persuaded Google to remove the majority of the ads for crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), claiming their content is deceptive.  According to a Christianity Today article, NARAL claimed this week that nearly 8 in 10 ads displayed on Google searches for "abortion clinic" are funded by pro-life groups misrepresenting the actual services they offer.

NARAL President Ilyse Hogue is quoted as saying, "We will continue to work with Google to ensure that their commitment results in women being directed to the resources and services they are seeking when they search online, ending this manipulation of women making vital health decisions."

This is a concerning development - if it were completely or even partially true.  But some pro-life groups claim their ads have not been affected, reports LifeSiteNews.  Online for Life was not aware of any removed ads, and says it has a "long and positive relationship with Google."  Heartbeat International told America's largest pro-life group, the National Right to Life Committee, that  it is "well-versed in using Google AdWords effectively" and its guidelines prohibited misleading ads.

The Christianity Today piece points out that:

The true fate of CPC search ads is hard to measure. What isn't is the recent number of court cases favoring how crisis pregnancy centers present themselves.

CT has reported how disclosing information to pregnant women—a long-established pro-life legal strategy—has been cutting both ways as a number of cities have passed laws requiring CPCs to disclose that they don't provide abortions or have medical staff. But courts continue to overturn many such requirements.

1 - National Day of Prayer offers united prayer opportunities across America

In 1952, Congress has authorized a national observance of the National Day of Prayer, according to the website of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.   The law was signed by then-President Truman.  In 1988, the law was amended and the first Thursday of May was established as the annual date.   Then-President Reagan signed that into law.  The Task Force's Facebook page said that there were more than 40,000 gatherings set to take place this past Thursday, May 1.

The Honorary Chairman of the event is Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham.
CBNNews.com reported that at one rally in Washington, D.C., attendees prayed for the government, including the president and members of Congress.  It said that Mrs. Lotz told the crowd that natural disasters and social and economic problems are warnings that God's "judgment is coming."  She said, "The answer will not be political or military or economic or education. The answer is to fall on our face before God and cry out to Him in humble repentance of sin."

She admonished, "Just because the National Day of Prayer is ending doesn't mean we stop praying...This is the beginning. Now it's up to you. It's up to you to cry out to God."

Other prayer leaders echoed that sentiment, urging Americans to repent and pray for spiritual revival.

This year's theme was "One Voice United in Prayer." 

Throughout the nation and in the Faith Radio broadcast area, special events were scheduled at a variety of locales.   For example, prayer breakfasts kicked off the day in Montgomery and Prattville, a number of locations were open during stretches of the day in cities such as Dothan, Deatsville, and Prattville, and the lawns of county courthouses were transformed into prayer sites in Andalusia and Opelika.  In Ozark and Troy, Bible reading marathons had begun on the preceding Sunday.   Alabama Governor Robert Bentley was a featured prayer leader at the state NDP meeting on the State Capitol steps in Montgomery.   Other cities were the sites of special events throughout the day and even into the evening hours.

The 3 - April 27, 2014

In this week's edition of "The 3," there is a variety of stories from 3 different countries: from Canada, a Christian university has finally been given the go-ahead to establish a law school, but it continues to experience opposition.   In the U.S., plans continue for representatives of the Army to be part of the National Day of Prayer event at a Congressional office building on Thursday.  And, at the Vatican, a historic ceremony took place over the weekend, involving the canonization of 2 Popes, witnessed by 2 others.

3 - Canada's first Christian law school continues to deal with difficulty 

This past week, J.C. Derrick of WORLD News Group joined me on The Meeting House radio program and discussed the long and arduous process that Trinity Western University had gone through in order to establish a law school.  A newly released piece on the WORLD website summarizes some of the activities:

...Last December, TWU received back-to-back approvals from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Minister of Advanced Education in British Columbia. The Law Society of British Columbia followed with another approval on a 20-6 vote earlier this month, joining affirmation from five other provincial bodies of the federation—which essentially hold veto power over federation decisions.

However, in the aftermath of this string of victories, a number of potential setbacks have emerged. On Thursday, the Law Society of Upper Canada voted 28-21 not to allow TWU graduates admission to the bar in Ontario. The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society did the same by a 10-9 vote Friday.

University President Bob Kuhn is quoted as saying, “We are very disappointed...These decisions impact all Canadians and people of faith everywhere. They send the chilling message that you cannot hold religious values and also participate fully in public society.”

The big issue surrounding the law school which has drawn opposition is TWU's requirement that employees and students sign a community covenant pledging to abstain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”  This has set off gay rights advocates in Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal.

Last week, a gay activist in Vancouver filed suit against the Minister of Advanced Education in British Columbia, Amrik Virk, claiming TWU’s community covenant equates to a discriminatory admissions policy. And the Law Society of British Columbia must now convene a special proceeding to hear complaints about its two-week-old decision after receiving a petition with more than 1,000 signatures.

2 - Army defends National Day of Prayer participation

A USA Today report from a writer for the Army Times states that Army officials have said they will not back away from participating in a Capitol Hill prayer event next month despite complaints that the event amounts to an endorsement of evangelical Christians.

Officials from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation demanded the Pentagon withdraw all support from a May 1 National Day of Prayer celebration at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, calling it a "private fundamentalist Christian religious event."   Foundation Director Mikey Weinstein is quoted as calling the event a "sectarian spectacle" and said the Army's stance was "ridiculous."

Planners of the three-hour event, which has close ties to evangelical Christian groups, have said they are nondenominational and nonpartisan, but foundation leaders say support for the event amounts to favoritism for conservative Christians.

Army officials disagree. In a statement, service officials said they would continue to provide numerous personnel for the event, including a chaplain to offer a "prayer for the military," an armed forces color guard, a brass quartet and a vocalist for the national anthem.

They also said they had no formal response to the foundation's complaint.

The National Day of Prayer has been held on the first Thursday in May since 1952 when Congress passed a joint resolution to create the observance and President Harry Truman signed it.  The private National Day of Prayer Task Force is organizing the congressional event at the Cannon building and broadcasting it online. The group's chairwoman, Shirley Dobson, is the wife of James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. Task force officials say the two organizations have no connection.

Scheduled speakers for the Capitol Hill event include both James and Shirley Dobson; evangelist Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the Rev. Billy Graham; Campus Crusade for Christ co-founder Vonette Bright; and several current and former lawmakers.

1 - History in Rome: 2 living Popes attend canonization for 2 Popes at Vatican

Major religious news grabbed headlines over the weekend, as an unprecedented ceremony took place at the Vatican.  Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, who presided over enormous changes within the church and across the world, were proclaimed "saints" on Sunday before a crowd of nearly 1 million people in an historic ceremony celebrated by Pope Francis with his predecessor, Benedict XVI, according to a report on the Religion News Service website.

Around 100 heads of state and government leaders joined those who crammed into St. Peter’s Square under gray and dreary skies. Thirty Jewish leaders were among the official delegations who took part at the Vatican.

Pope Francis declared to the crowd in Latin during the two-hour ceremony, "We declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be saints, and we enroll them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole church..."

Francis acknowledged John and John Paul as among the most influential popes of the modern era, living through some of the momentous changes of the 20th century. John convened the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) that revolutionized Catholic life and reordered the church’s relationship with non-Catholics, and John Paul stared down communism and globalized the papacy.

He described them as "men of courage." Pope Francis said, "They lived through tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful, faith was more powerful.”  But just because they we highly-regarded popes, that did not qualify them for being considered a formal "saint" in the Catholic church.  After all, of the 266 popes, 83 (including John XXIII and John Paul II) have been made saints; almost all of them were canonized in the first millennium of Christianity, according to Religion News Service, which reports there are three basic steps to formal sainthood: First, a formal inquiry is opened and if a person’s “heroic virtues” are initially confirmed the candidate is called “venerable.” Beatification, usually by the pope, is the second step and the candidate is called “blessed.” Canonization is the third and final step, when a candidate is formally declared a saint.

The sainthood process remained largely unchanged until John Paul II approved revisions in 1983; the biggest change was to eliminate the “devil’s advocate,” who was charged with trying to poke holes in a person’s sanctity.

Two miracles are generally required for canonization, although the pope can dispense with that requirement, as Francis is doing in canonizing John XXIII, who was credited with just one miracle.  Nearly all miracles are unexplained medical cures, and they are verified by a panel of medical and scientific experts — not all of them Catholic — who must affirm that there was no possible natural cause for the cure. The cures are usually instantaneous.

The 3 - April 20, 2014

In this edition of my week-in-review blog, "The 3", the top story undoubtedly is the celebration of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead - each year, you find that there are creative ways in which people are commemorating the significance of His life and the new life we can have in Him.   I'll explore some information related to the Easter season, coming up.  Also, in pro-life news, another Federal judge has struck down a bill passed by a state legislature banning abortion after the heartbeat of an unborn child is detected, and in Colorado,it was decided by the legislative leadership a bill that could have stymied pro-life legislation in the future would not move forward.

3 - Fetal heartbeat bill in North Dakota declared unconstitutional

For the second time in about a month, a Federal judge has ruled unconstitutional a state's bill banning abortion when a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child.   This time, a George W. Bush appointee has struck down North Dakota's fetal heartbeat bill.  ChristianNews.net reports that Federal District Judge Daniel Hovland issued a permanent injunction against the legislation, officially declaring the law to be “invalid and unconstitutional.”  He wrote, “The United States Supreme Court has spoken and has unequivocally said no state may deprive a woman of the choice to terminate her pregnancy at a point prior to viability...The controversy over a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion will never end. The issue is undoubtedly one of the most divisive of social issues. The United States Supreme Court will eventually weigh in on this emotionally-fraught issue but, until that occurs, this Court is obligated to uphold existing Supreme Court precedent.”

In issuing a temporary injunction against the new law last July, Hovland had pointed to the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, writing that, "The state has extended an invitation to an expensive court battle over a law restricting abortions that is a blatant violation of the constitutional guarantees afforded to all women."

This comes on the heels of a decision by another Federal judge, Susan Webber Wright, an appointee of George H.W. Bush, who had struck down an Arkansas law that banned abortions after 12 weeks if a heartbeat is detected.

According to a ChristianNews.net story, Wright wrote in her opinion that the standard for abortion restrictions according to Roe v. Wade is whether the child is viable,  rather than whether the baby has a heartbeat.

She wrote, “The Court notes that the [state] conveys that viability ‘begins’ with a heartbeat; it does not declare that viability is fully achieved with the adept of a heartbeat...Such a declaration would undoubtedly contravene the Supreme Court’s determination that viability in a particular case is a matter for medical judgment, and it is attained when, in the judgment of the attending physician on the particular facts of the case at hand, that there is a reasonable likelihood of sustained survival outside the womb.”

2 - Colorado lawmakers do not bring up legislation that would have kept pro-life laws from being passed

The Legislature in Colorado was considering a piece of legislation that would essentially be a pre-emptive strike against future pro-life bills, but it was turned back and did not come to the floor.

CitizenLink reports that, “It would have left it open for absolutely no regulation, ” according to Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of issue analysis at Focus on the Family. She added, “We’re talking late-term abortions, informed consent and regulation of the abortion industry. This would have shut down any policy debate and prevented the passage of any pro-life legislation in the state.”

Legislative leaders claimed they had enough votes to pass the bill, but a flood of emails and calls from constituents and a prayer rally by approximately 1,000 people on the Capitol steps proved to be effective, according to the report.  Leadership dropped the bill without a vote.

Jessica Haverkate of the Colorado Family Institute said, “The faith community united together in a public debate about one of the most important issues to all of us — the protection of unborn life...Let us all remember… what we were able to accomplish by stepping out in faith and engaging in our communities.”

As Carrie Gordon Earll points out, there was a lot at stake with SB 175 – and not just for Colorado. She is quoted as saying, “This is the sort of thing that we need to be diligent about as a pro-life movement...because a bill like this can get legs in other states once it passes. We want the nation moving toward a pro-life position, not the other direction.”

1 - Easter, Holy Week commemorate Christ's death and resurrection

Across the world, Christians were involved in special Easter presentations this week.  And, this is undoubtedly the top story each year during the week of Easter, for without the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we would have no Savior and our faith would have no meaning.

So we have the opportunity to take a few moments during this special season to reflect on the meaning of Christ's sacrifice for us and to rejoice in the risen Lord.   I found a ChristianExaminer.com story taken from Baptist Press about a Barna survey from 2010, in which 67 percent of the respondents mentioned some type of theistic religious element in Easter, including the fact that it's a Christian holiday or it's a special time for church attendance.

Only 42 percent of those surveyed said the meaning of Easter was the resurrection of Jesus or that it signifies Christ's death and return to life, Barna said. Two percent said they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.

David Kinnaman, Barna's president is quoted as saying that, "Perhaps most concerning, from the standpoint of church leaders, is that those who celebrate Easter because of the resurrection of Christ are not particularly likely to invite non-churched friends to worship, suggesting that their personal beliefs about Jesus have not yet translated into a sense of urgency for having spiritual conversations with their acquaintances." He noted a substantial gap between people's openness to inviting an unchurched person to worship on Easter and the likelihood of them actually doing so.

During this season, we commonly find that churches are utilizing creative means of presenting the gospel message. And, social media is an effective tool through which we can share the good news.  One example I discovered was the use of the #EasterMeans hashtag, documented in a piece on the ChristianToday.com website.   This is used in the Church of England's Twitter campaign, which kicked off on Thursday, inviting people to share their thoughts on what Easter means to them.

Among those joining in was theologian Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching), who said: "I'm excited about the #EasterMeans campaign - it encourages Christians to give the world a window into their personal faith; why Easter matters to them and how the events of Jesus' death and resurrection have impacted their life."

#EasterMeans is a follow-up to the #Christmasmeans Twitter campaign, which reached more than four million people between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Bishops weighed in about what Easter means to them in a series of podcasts.  The Bishop of Ramsbury, Edward Condry, who gave up his car for Lent, estimates he has saved 2,000 car miles over the last six weeks just by cycling, walking and using public transportation.  He found his Lent challenge to be a conversation starter, saying, "I really have enjoyed it. When I turn up for a service on Sunday I've had lots of good conversations and people want to go deeper and find out what motivated me."

The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend John Pritchard, said that Easter means "nothing is impossible". He shared, "You can't keep a good God down."

The practice of reflection and worship that we commonly find during the Easter season can be a springboard for growing deeper in our relationship with Christ throughout the year as we recognize that Jesus is alive and He is alive in us!

The 3 - April 13, 2014

On this week's edition of "The 3", my week-in-review feature, a rejection by the Supreme Court means that a New Mexico photographer will have to pay for its refusal to be involved with a same-sex marriage ceremony, in case with significant religious freedom implications.  Also, a college professor who spoke out in a manner consistent with his Christian views will receive the promotion that he was denied as a result of expressing those views.  And, students all across America were involved in the Day of Dialogue this week, an opportunity to affirm God's plan in relationships.

3 - U.S. Supreme Court decides not to take case of photographer who would not take pictures at gay wedding

There was some hope that the U.S. Supreme Court would take up the case of a New Mexico photographer that had been fined by a state agency for refusing to take pictures at a same-sex ceremony in a state where gay marriage was not legal (at the time). On Monday, the high court declined to hear the case. The photographer, Elane Photography, owned by Jonathan and Elaine Hugenin, had been told by the New Mexico Supreme Court that she must, as “the price of citizenship,” use her creative talents to communicate a message with which she disagrees or suffer punishment, according to a report on the Alliance Defense Fund media website.

This series of events began in 2006, when Elaine was approached with photographing the ceremony. She politely declined to use her artistic expression to communicate a message at odds with her beliefs. The woman who approached Elaine easily found another photographer for her ceremony—and for less money. Nevertheless, the woman filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. After a one-day administrative trial in 2008, the commission ruled against the Huguenins and ordered them to pay over $6,600 in attorneys’ fees. The case then made its way through the New Mexico state court system, and the New Mexico Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence pointed out, “The First Amendment protects our freedom to speak or not speak on any issue without fear of punishment. We had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court would use this case to affirm this basic constitutional principle; however, the court will likely have several more opportunities to do just that in other cases of ours that are working their way through the court system.”   Cases in which ADF are involved include a florist and a cake artist who did not wish to endorse a gay wedding through their participation, as well as a T-shirt printer who did not provide shirts for a "gay pride" event.

Senior Counsel David Cortman added, “Elaine and numerous others like her around the country have been more than willing to serve any and all customers, but they are not willing to promote any and all messages. A government that forces any American to create a message contrary to her own convictions is a government every American should fear.”

2 - College ordered to promote professor who spoke out with Christian views

Dr. Mike Adams is a professor of criminology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  He was hired in 1993 and became an associate professor in 1998.  When he was hired, he was an atheist, but things changed in 2000, according to a report on the ChristianNews.net website.

That year, he became a born-again Christian, and his worldview began to change. He became a columnist for TownHall.com and also appeared on radio and television broadcasts, where he spoke about a broad spectrum of issues, from religion to morality to freedom of speech.

However, Adams’ conversion to Christianity and his outspokenness on current events drew some opposition, as some, including the atheist who was appointed to head the department in which he served, disagreed with his views and manner of presentation.  In 2006, when he was up for consideration of a promotion to full professor status, Adams was denied.

Therefore, in 2007, Adams filed suit, contending that university officials discriminated against him because of his Christian beliefs. In 2010, a District Court ruled against Adams, who then appealed his case to the 4th Circuit. In April of the following year, the court ruled that Adams provided sufficient evidence to warrant a trial, which was held last month.

At the conclusion of the trial, the jury agreed with attorneys for Adams, concluding that he was unjustly denied a promotion because of the views he expressed in print and broadcast media, which were protected by the First Amendment.   This week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Southern Division, ordered the school to promote Adams and to pay him $50,000 in back pay after the jury's decision.

1 - Students urged to speak out on God's plan for relationships on Day of Dialogue

This week, students across America were scheduled to participate in the Day of Dialogue, a student-led event that encourages young people to enter the conversation about controversial, but important, subjects already being discussed among their peers and promoted in their schools. Focus on the Family sponsors the event.

CitizenLink quotes Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, as saying that, "The student guide has a lot of resources – tips for students on how to have a successful event, a legal section that explains their rights and, of course, the free speech tools...Day of Dialogue helps students give a balanced perspective on the difficult issues of the day.”

She said, “As we have seen from headlines in recent weeks, it does require great courage in this culture of spiritual relativism to acknowledge the existence of redemptive truth."

The Day of Dialogue website says that there are 7 guiding principles for the day.  In the relationships area, the components are: having healthy relationships, developing a healthy identity, and protecting others.   The sexuality area covers experiencing God's best for sexuality and understanding why gender is important.   And, the spirituality principles include: realizing that God cares and having a relationship with God.

What was formerly known as the Day of Truth became the Day of Dialogue in 2011, according to the Focus on the Family website.  At the time, Cushman said that the program's name change reflected a key goal of equipping students with an opportunity to articulate a Christian perspective. She said, "We're trying to raise awareness that more than one side needs to be heard on the issue of homosexuality, and we're helping to ensure Christian students have the chance to express their viewpoint...What is freedom of speech, after all, but a guarantee of the right to have dialogue?"

She was quoted as saying that she believed dialogue is more helpful than staying silent on this meaningful issue, which is what Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network's Day of Silence encourages. Day of Silence was held this past Friday, April 11.  Cushman pointed out that, "Silence is a media op, but dialogue is a learning op."

The 3 - April 6, 2014

This week's edition of "The 3," my week-in-review feature, includes a major conference on the West Coast which was designed to inspire and inform leaders.   Also, this week, there has been discussion about the resignation of a high-profile, high-tech CEO who was forced to step down due to his support of traditional marriage.  And, the top story involves a court ruling regarding the right of churches to rent public school buildings in New York City.

3 - High-profile Christian speakers challenge leaders at Catalyst West

According to its website, Catalyst was conceived as a Next Generation Leaders Conference in 1999 by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, John Maxwell, Lanny Donoho and several young leaders. Catalyst was created to meet the felt need that existed within the church leader space for a leadership event that was focused on a new generation of church leaders. Everything within this space seemed built around a forty to sixty year old mindset and medium. This team was convinced that this needed to change.

Since its beginnings with a gathering at North Point Community Church in Atlanta, over 100,000 leaders have made the annual trek to Atlanta to participate in the Catalyst Conference experience, and this October, once again over 12,000 young leaders are expected to gather to experience Catalyst up close. This past week, the Catalyst West conference was held at Mariners' Church in Orange County, California, and another conference will convene in Dallas later this month.

Speakers at the latest event, which drew over 4,000 people, according to a report on the Christian Post website, included Frances Chan, Matt Chandler, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Jim Collins, and Jud Wilhite.  

Catalyst President Brad Lomenick is quoted as saying that, "We were praying that for every leader here this would be a bench mark for them or a marker on the road of leadership for them."  He said that he hopes leaders would be able to look back at the conference and say that it was a significant turning point in their lives.

Lomenick also said, "There's so much hope we can still have in the present regardless of circumstances...We love this idea that we should be hopeful leaders, encouraging and more excited about tomorrow, but equally present in today. Part of the reason that we created an environment at Catalyst that is fun and is hopeful is to give people permission to enjoy and find joy in the present."

2 - Christians stand with CEO forced to resign over traditional marriage support

I've been searching the Internet for something that could clue me in to why the recently-appointed CEO of the Mozilla, which is known for the Firefox web browser, gave $1000 in support of Proposition 8, the marriage amendment in California.  That donation raised the ire of a vocal group of people who called for his resignation, which he tendered earlier this week.  Even though I see no identification with a Christian church or organization, the set of circumstances has resonated with some in the Christian community, who are crying foul in this case, where an apparent litmus test was instituted for Brendan Eich, who was appointed to run the company of which he has been a leading participant for many years.

Terry Mattingly over at the Get Religion blog said he was waiting for the "religion shoe to drop."   He says that:

Right now, the framing for this story is that his actions were anti-gay, not pro-something, something doctrinally and legally different.

Over at the normally gay-news-driven New York Times, this story is not receiving major attention. A “Bits” feature in the business pages does provide an interesting summary of the raging debates surrounding this case, including the fact that some liberals — including some in the gay community — are quite upset with the illiberal campaign by many “liberals” to punish Mozilla, while making Eich an untouchable in the highly influential tech world.

He mentions that the article also noted that Eich has consistently stressed, and so far no one has contradicted this, that he was committed to inclusiveness in the Mozilla workplace and had never discriminated.  However, Mattingly points out that Eich has also asked not to be judged for his “private beliefs.”  He says that, "In a way, that is also interesting in that fierce defenders of the First Amendment have long argued for free expression, even in public (with others, yes, having the right to freely protest in return)."

The Get Religion blogger says that over on the other side of the Atlantic, The Telegraph dug a bit deeper and published a few additional facts that have also appeared — with interpretation — in the comments pages on many of the gay-press coverage of Eich’s fall. Here is the crucial passage:

The father of five responded to allegations of homophobia levelled at him over the donation in a blog post refusing to discuss his involvement with the campaign, which was initially passed but later overturned by the US Supreme Court. …

In an interview this week with the Guardian Eich refused to be drawn on his stance on gay rights. “I don’t want to talk about my personal beliefs because I kept them out of Mozilla all these 15 years we’ve been going,” he said. “I don’t believe they’re relevant.” He said his donation to the campaign was “personal” and said Mozilla’s code of conduct formalised the principle of “keeping anything that’s not central to our mission out of our office”.

Prior to his short spell as CEO, the Pittsburgh-born programmer studied maths and computer science at Santa Clara University before working on network and operating system code at Silicon Graphics.

Mattingly points out that Santa Clara is a campus in Silicon Valley. It is a Jesuit university, too. Both pieces of that equation many turn out to be relevant in this ongoing story.

Dr. Robert George from Princeton, a co-author of the Manhattan Declaration, wrote this on the First Things website: 

Now that the bullies have Eich’s head as a trophy on their wall, they will put the heat on every other corporation and major employer. They will pressure them to refuse employment to those who decline to conform their views to the new orthodoxy. And you can also bet that it won’t end with same-sex marriage. Next, it will be support for the pro-life cause that will be treated as moral turpitude in the same way that support for marriage is treated. Do you believe in protecting unborn babies from being slain in the womb? Why, then: “You are a misogynist. You are a hater of women. You are a bigot. We can’t have a person like you working for our company.” And there will be other political and moral issues, too, that will be treated as litmus tests for eligibility for employment. The defenestration of Eich by people at Mozilla for dissenting from the new orthodoxy on marriage is just the beginning.

Isn't it odd that a company that espouses so-called "equality" and "tolerance" did not support its new CEO's rights to express his opinion?

1 - Court ruling allows NYC schools to refuse to lease space to churches

Another chapter in the 20-year struggle for local churches to have the right to lease space in public school buildings in New York City concluded this past week, as a 2-1 decision in the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals said that a policy of prohibiting churches from gathering in schools “was consistent with its constitutional duties.” So the court has spoken that schools in the city can now legally ban churches from holding services in buildings outside of school hours, according to a report on the ChristianHeadlines.com website.

The piece quotes New York Times, which reported that the new policy will allow religious and community organizations to use buildings for programs after hours, but not as a “house of worship.”

In 2012, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska had ruled against the ban, under the argument that holding a worship service in a school did not associate that establishment with a particular religion; Thursday’s decision overturned Preska’s ruling.

The church involved in the dispute, the Bronx Household of Faith, believes that the policy is in violation of its right to worship freely without government interference, according to a report on the Charisma News site.

Jordan Lorence, attorney to Bronx Household of Faith, was disappointed in the outcome of the decision, but said that the church will now consider appealing to the circuit bench or taking the case to the Supreme Court.

But, just because the court has ruled that schools can refuse to rent to churches, that doesn't mean that they will, and a leading voice against the ban, Councilman Fernando Cabrera is quoted on the Capital website as saying that, "The Mayor with a single swipe of his pen can offer immediate relief to thousands of his fellow New Yorkers who now face the prospect of not knowing if they will have a place to celebrate the Easter or Passover holiday."

This week, according to that website, Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated his belief that church groups should be able to use school facilities, in the wake of that decision.

After saying his administration's corporation counsel, Zachary Carter, would review the ruling and "assess from there," the mayor sided with religious organizations who have sued for the right to hold services in public schools on weekends.

He said, "I stand by my belief that a faith organization playing by the same rules as any community nonprofit deserves access...They have to go through the same application process, wait their turn for space, pay the same rent, but I think they deserve access."

He said the non-secular groups "play a very, very important role in terms of providing social services and other important community services and I think they deserve that right."

The 3 - March 30, 2014

This week's edition of "The 3," my week-in-review feature, includes some significant activity of movies with a Bible component that have done rather well at the box office.  Also, 2 companies were before the nation's highest court this week challenging a law that forces them to provide drugs that violate their religious beliefs, in that they could cause abortion.  And, the top story involves a major Christian charity which dramatically changed its employee policy this week to include same-sex married couples, only to reverse the decision 2 days later.

3 - Movies with Biblical components score at box office

There's a new theatrical box office champion, and it's not even close.   The new adaptation of the Biblical story of "Noah" exceeded $40 million over the weekend, according to estimates at BoxOfficeMojo.com. And, in what I would regard as a surprise, another movie with Biblical themes remained in the box office top 5: "God's Not Dead", which apparently came close to equalling its take from last weekend, has now exceeded $20 million.  And, factor in the Mark Burnett/Roma Downey movie, "Son of God", which took in another million and was #2 at the box office just about a month ago, and you have an impressive display of faith-related themes at the box office.

Of course, in the Christian community, there has been plenty of discussion about the "Noah" film from director Darren Aronofsky.   Some Christian leaders are seeing this as a great sign that Hollywood might be paying attention to the faith audience, even with an embellished version of a Biblical narrative.   It is being seen as an opportunity perhaps to open doors about the real story of Noah and its implications regarding salvation and God's mercy.   But, others are put off by the liberties that the filmmakers took with the Biblical story, missing the mark on the real meaning of the narrative.

My wife and I have had plenty of discussion about the film, even though neither of us have seen it.  I'm fascinated by the abundance of opinion that is out there, that can be healthy as long as it doesn't become divisive.  She made me aware of Ed Stetzer's series featuring comments and analysis from Dr. Jerry Johnson, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, who worked with the studio to craft a disclaimer that appeared on promotional materials saying that the film was "inspired" by the Noah story in the Bible.   Here are Dr. Johnson's 5 positives and 5 negatives regarding the film:

5 Positives:

Noah's context among all films is positive.

Noah knows its place among Bible films.
Johnson points out that Aronofsky is known for films that have a maverick and mystic quality, and that "Noah" is no different. 

 

Noah follows the basic plotline of the biblical story.
Human beings have brought much evil on the earth, God judges through a flood, Noah's family is saved from the destruction through the ark, and the human race begins again upon a renewed earth.  Johnson says, "It is nice to see the main lines of the biblical narrative portrayed dramatically.

Noah takes some key Gospel doctrines seriously.
He believes that the concepts of sin and judgment are front and center throughout the whole film. Johnson says that Noah, Methuselah, and the heroic characters of this movie all affirm God as the Creator and just Judge. 

Noah takes some textual elements literally.
He points out that the flood scenes are compelling and appear to represent a global, rather than a local, flood.  He also says that the ark in Noah is a big box measured to biblical specifications, not shaped like a boat as seen in Sunday school literature and so many other evangelical representations. 

Johnson also pointed out what he sees as 5 negatives:

Noah's main character does not ring true.

He says that Aronofsky's Noah becomes so disturbed by human sinfulness that he obsesses on the idea that the race should not survive. God must be using the hero's family just to save the animal kingdom and then mankind will die out.

He adds, "The portrayal of Noah during this part of the movie is so dark that you do not want to like him."

The environmental agenda is overdone.

While showing images of war, violence, theft, and sexual sin, the main evil of humankind according to "Noah" is the abuse of the environment, according to Johnson, but the message may have been moderated during the editing process.

The theistic evolution scene will be a concern for many.

This is a reference to Noah's retelling of the creation story to his family, referring to the Creator, but the visuals point to evolution.  However, Johnson says, "That cinematic slight-of-hand notwithstanding, there is a clean break in the cycle when Noah speaks of the first man and woman. They just appear hand in hand, no anthropoid halfling in between."

The Nephilim concept seems convoluted.

Johnson cites what is called a "CliffsNotes" summary: The "Watchers" helped mankind with technology; humans abused it for evil; God cursed the angels for this and turned them into rock giants; these fallen angels help Noah build and defend the ark; when they die in the battle against the bad guys, the mysterious beings go up to heaven.

Secondary biblical details are blurred.

I think this is a great summary of pros and cons, from someone who has worked with Paramount in the marketing of the film to the Christian community.  Again, there are Christian leaders who recommend seeing the film, others who advocate staying away, and it's important that regarding this choice, as well as other choices in our lives, that we exercise spiritual discernment based on God's word, and not allow our differences over this matter to be divisive.

2 - Contraceptive and abortion pill mandate on trial at Supreme Court

Oral arguments were held at the U.S. Supreme Court this week in cases involving two companies owned by Christian families who attempt to run their businesses according to Biblical principles:  Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, who challenged the government's mandate that employers provide free contraceptives in their health care plans that could cause the termination of life in an abortion.

CitizenLink offered coverage about the proceedings before the high court, quoting Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who is representing the family that owns Conestoga.  He is quoted as saying:

“The justices were extremely concerned that the government’s position is so extreme that it could force families to fund abortion and not even have their day in court, because they object and have sincere religious beliefs against that. We are hopeful and ask for your prayers that the court will protect religious freedom and the sanctity of human life.”

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty represents the Green family, who own Hobby Lobby. Barbara Green, Co-Founder of Hobby Lobby, said the company was “built on our faith and together as a family.”

“We’ve kept that tradition for more than 40 years, and we want to continue to live out our faith in the way we do business,” she said after the hearing. “We are thankful that the Supreme Court has heard our case, and we prayerfully await the justices’ decision.”   Her husband, CEO David Green, said that the company could face crippling fines over $1 million per day if the outcome of the lawsuit is negative.

Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council senior fellow for legal studies, was also in the courtroom.

“After listening to the oral arguments today,” she said, “I am cautiously optimistic that a majority of the court understands that a family’s choice to make a living shouldn’t mean giving up your religious freedom.”

I interviewed David Cortman of ADF and Erin Mersino of the Thomas More Law Center (which has almost 2 dozen clients challenging the mandate), who offered their viewpoints of the proceedings.

1 - World Vision shifts employee policy on gay marriage, the rescinds decision

I would say that many in the evangelical community were stunned at the announcement on Monday that international Christian relief organization World Vision had changed their employee policy to include those who were in same-sex marriage relationships.

WORLD News Group reported that many evangelical leaders lambasted the decision as a severe compromise of the authority of Scripture. Christian author and ministry leader John Piper called the move “a tragic development for the cause of Christ, because it trivializes perdition—and therefore, the cross …”

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission noted that afternoon: “We’re entering an era where we will see who the evangelicals really are, and by that I mean those who believe in the gospel itself. … And many will shrink back.”

But, as WORLD said, by Wednesday afternoon, World Vision had shrunk back from its decision. The ministry announced that it would reverse the new policy, and apologized for the “pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends, who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to biblical authority.”

WORLD said that as the development broke, some Christians expressed continued confusion over the massive shift in thinking over the course of 48 hours, and concerns over the judgment of the ministry’s leaders.

In a Thursday morning interview, Moore said those concerns are fair, and that Christians should watch carefully how events unfold: “But we should do that with a hermeneutic of charity—of being willing to take an apology that comes from an organization that says it did something wrong.”   Moore did add that Christians should remain discerning about any organization they support, and the fact that a longtime Christian organization had been “willing to barter away gospel orthodoxy on such a crucial gospel point is a warning signal to us about the kind of culture we live in.”

Assemblies of God general superintendent George O. Wood had urged members of the denomination to begin shifting their support away from World Vision in the wake of the original announcement.  Wood did applaud the group’s reversal and encouraged members to reinstate support to the child sponsorship program.

As World Vision moves forward, it will have to regain the trust of those who are skeptical of the leadership of an organization would make such a decision as the original policy change.   This series of events can also serve to challenge Christians to be discerning about the ministry associations in which they engage.

The 3 - March 23, 2014

This week in my week-in-review feature, "The 3", more court action concerning same-sex marriage, as another singular Federal judge has decided that the traditional definition of marriage is unconstitutional in another state.  Also, a Christian professor who had been denied a promotion, allegedly because of his Christian beliefs, was granted a positive outcome by a jury.  And, the top story involves the progress of pro-life legislation in several states, the week after a pro-life bill was dealt a setback over a week ago.

3 - Another Federal judge rules a state marriage amendment unconstitutional

Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer are two lesbians from Michigan who want to get married. They also wish to adopt one another's children - three children who have special needs. But, they can't jointly adopt each other's children because joint adoption in the state is tied to - marriage. So, they went to court in 2012 to overturn Michigan’s ban on joint adoptions by same-sex couples.   The WORLD website has a report.

Out of that case came a ruling by a Federal judge this week that struck down Michigan's constitutional amendment, approved by 59 percent of voters, that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman released his 31-page ruling exactly two weeks after the rare trial that mostly focused on the impact of same-sex parenting on children. Attorneys for the state said during the trial that the plaintiffs, a Detroit-area lesbian couple, were great parents. Nevertheless, the state urged the judge to respect the results of that 2004 election when the marriage amendment was approved.

Judge Friedman stated that, “Many Michigan residents have religious convictions whose principles govern the conduct of their daily lives and inform their own viewpoints about marriage...Nonetheless, these views cannot strip other citizens of the guarantees of equal protection under the law.”

Attorney General Bill Schuette is quoted as saying that he would immediately ask a federal appeals court to freeze Friedman’s decision and prevent same-sex couples from marrying while he appeals the case.

The Windsor case decision from last summer, overturning a portion of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, has continued to open the door for marriage amendments to be overturned in various states.  Seventeen states and the District of Columbia issue licenses for same-sex marriage. Since December, bans on gay marriage have been overturned in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, and Virginia, but those rulings have been put on hold pending appeal.

2 - Jury finds Christian professor experienced discrimination

There was an encouraging court ruling in the area of academic freedom issued this past week, according to a report on the CitizenLink website.

Dr. Mike Adams was hired at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington in 1993 and promoted to associate professor in 1998. He became a Christian two years later. He then began sharing his faith in published columns. After that, he was turned down for a full professorship, despite his exemplary record as a professor.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Allied Attorney Travis Barham said that university officials had "...passed along false and misleading information about his academic record, explicitly considered the content of his protected speech in promotion documents...and — incredibly — allowed a professor who’d filed a false criminal complaint against Dr. Adams to cast a vote against his application.”

In 2011, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that: “No individual loses his ability to speak as a private citizen by virtue of public employment.”

Last year, a federal court found sufficient evidence to have a trial. This happened after an appeals court determined the First Amendment protects the views Adams published in opinion columns with which university officials disagreed.

Lead counsel David French with the American Center for Law and Justice praised the jury verdict.

“We’re grateful the jury determined what we have long known to be true — that the university violated Dr. Adams’ constitutional rights when it denied his promotion,” he said. “This is an important victory for academic freedom and the First Amendment.”

1 - States continue to consider limitations on abortion, Federal judge rules AR fetal heartbeat abortion ban unconstitutional

Even though a Federal judge struck down the portion of an Arkansas law over a week ago that provides that an abortion cannot be performed involving an unborn child who has a detectable heartbeat and is at 12 weeks' gestation or greater, there are still provisions of the bill that remain in place.  And, more pro-life legislation is advancing in other states.

LifeNews.com reports that Arkansas may still require testing for a heartbeat before performing abortion and, when a heartbeat is detected, require disclosure to the mother that her unborn child possesses a heartbeat.

In striking down the abortion ban, the court cited U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding viability of the unborn child as the point when the government may prohibit abortion in some cases. This rule is often called the “viability rule.” Viability is not a precise event but usually occurs, in the current state of medical development, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Arkansas heartbeat law banned abortions at 12 weeks when a heartbeat was detected. Therefore, the district court ruled that the law violated Supreme Court precedent.

LifeNews.com points out that this ruling is a victory for advocates seeking to protect unborn children by requiring that mothers considering abortion be informed if their unborn babies possess a heartbeat.

In other pro-life news, legislation to stop abortions after the point at which the unborn child can feel pain was introduced in the Minnesota Senate this week. The measure would prohibit the taking of the lives of innocent unborn children at 20 weeks from conception, approximately the point at which scientists have determined that an unborn child can feel pain.

Scott Fischbach, Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), is quoted by LifeNews.com as saying that, “For far too long, Minnesota’s abortionists have been inflicting unconscionable suffering on unborn babies by killing them when they are already extraordinarily developed and pain-sensitive,. “It is illegal to treat animals in such a brutal way; this bill will finally protect unborn children at 20 weeks and older from the torturous pain of abortion.”

And, the website reports that in South Carolina, the House has approved a similar bill that would enact a 20-week abortion ban.  Meanwhile, in Alabama, legislation that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected is still awaiting action before the state Senate, part of a 4-bill package of pro-life bills that have already passed the House.  The Alabama Legislature is in recess this coming week.

The 3 - March 16, 2014

This week's edition of "The 3", includes some news from 2 mainline denominations - a large California church is moving from one Presbyterian denomination to another, and a United Methodist bishop in New York has decided he will not allow church trials for ministers who violate church law and perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.  And, the top story involves news surrounding religious freedom in the military - this time, a cadet leader at the Air Force Academy had a Scripture verse removed from the whiteboard outside his room.

3 - Large California church approved to leave its denomination

A story that has been developing for some time now is nearing its conclusion, as the departure of California's Menlo Park Presbyterian Church from the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., has been approved.

It took place on Tuesday, when the Presbytery of San Francisco approved the congregation’s request for dismissal by a voice vote. The church, whose Senior Pastor is noted author John Orterg, will now begin the formal transfer process into another Presbyterian denomination, ECO, according to a press release issued by the church and linked to the website, Layman.org.  

On Sunday, March 2, members of the church voted to request the transfer. About 64% of the church’s members participated in the vote, with 93%, or 2,024 members, voting to approve the motion. There were 158 members who voted to oppose the motion.

Ortberg is quoted as saying, “This has been a spiritual journey of discernment for our church...I’m grateful
for the learning, praying, and engagement of the whole congregation, including those who voted for a different outcome. We are committed to moving forward together in fulfilling our mission as we discern God calling us.”  The church and Presbytery agreed upon dismissal terms of $8.89 million, in order for the church to be dismissed with title to its property.

The church noted that the reasons for its Session’s recommendation to change denomination fell under four key areas: identity, mission, governance and property. As a multisite church seeking to open five new campuses in the next five years, MPPC leaders felt that ECO’s flexible, innovative denominational structure would best help the church achieve its mission.

The Blaze reported that in a document published by Menlo Park last year, leaders described their reasons for seeking a split with the PCUSA, noting that the church’s “evangelical identity around who Jesus is and our understanding of the authority of scripture are increasingly out of alignment” with the denomination as a whole.

Specifically, the church expressed concern that many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders do not believe in the deity of Jesus, nor do they embrace salvation through Christ. The Blaze article points out that these are central tenets of most mainstream Christian churches, leading to a difficult ideological splintering.

2 - United Methodist bishop refuses to hold church trial of minister who performed same-sex wedding

Within the United Methodist denomination, there has been quite a bit of wrestling with the topic of homosexuality, and events this week may cause a heightened level of concern regarding ministers who perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.   According to a report on the Christianity Today website, Bishop Martin McLee of New York committed to end all church trials dealing with ministers who perform such ceremonies, even though they violate the church's Book of Discipline.

McLee wrote in a statement that, "The just resolution provisions of the Book of Discipline are clear in voicing just resolution as the preferred response in Judicial Administration...Church trials produce no winners."   He committed to "a cessation of church trials for conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions or performing same-gender wedding ceremonies and instead offer a process of theological, spiritual and ecclesiastical conversation."

Thomas W. Ogletree, a minister who performed a marriage ceremony for his son and partner in 2002, was set to go on trial.   The cancellation of his and future church trials under this Bishop's jurisdiction was, according to CT, frustrating for those who support the Methodist Book of Discipline, which affirms "the sanctity of the marriage covenant … between a man and a woman."

Randy Paige, one of the pastors who brought the complaint against Ogletree, wrote in a statement, "The impact of this settlement today will be that faithful United Methodists who support the church's teachings will feel ignored and will face their own crisis of conscience, as to whether they can continue to support a church that will not abide by its own rules...Far from avoiding schism, today's settlement increases the probability that schism will take place."

Tom Lambrecht, vice president of the conservative Good News ministry, agreed. "When certain parts of the church decide they can no longer live according to church teachings, you've got an intolerable situation in the church," he told the Boston Globe.

Also this week, according to a report on the Religion News Service website, complaints were filed against retired United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, who officiated at an October 25th ceremony in Birmingham, even after the local bishop and the executive committee of the Council of Bishops urged Talbert not to go ahead with the ceremony.

The denomination’s Council of Bishops had requested complaints be filed against Talbert. According to the complaints lodged with the bishops in the denomination’s Western region, Talbert is alleged to have “violated the sacred trust of his office.”

1 - Controversy at the Air Force Academy over cadet writing Scripture on whiteboard

Questions over religious freedom in the military are continuing to proliferate, and the flame was fanned this week in the aftermath of an incident involving a cadet leader at the U.S. Air Force Academy, who had written the text of Galatians 2:20 on the whiteboard outside his room.   The message was removed, apparently as the result of a complaint filed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, according to a report by Todd Starnes for the FoxNews.com website.

The head of the MRFF, Mikey Weinstein, told Starnes, "It clearly elevated one religious faith [fundamentalist Christianity] over all others at an already virulently hyper-fundamentalist Christian institution...It massively poured fundamentalist Christian gasoline on an already raging out-of-control conflagration of fundamentalist Christian tyranny, exceptionalism and supremacy at USAFA."

Starnes reports that exactly two hours and nine minutes after Weinstein complained to Air Force Academy Superintendent Michelle Johnson, the Bible verse was erased from the cadet leader’s whiteboard. Johnson said in a written statement that the verse was removed because there was a “potential perception” problem.

The removal of the Bible verse led what Starnes referred to as "a small uprising among cadets."  At least a dozen posted Bible verses on their personal white boards and some even went so far as to post passages from the Koran. Those verses were not removed, presumably because the cadets were not in leadership positions.

Family Research Council reports that the incident at the Air Force Academy has been aired in the halls of Congress. At a hearing before a House committee, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Walsh were originally scheduled to talk about branch spending until some lawmakers demanded a detailed explanation of the events that unfolded at the Academy. Representatives from Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) to Democrat Mike McIntyre (N.C.) took turns grilling the duo on the incident.

The Restore Military Religious Freedom coalition, a group of two dozen like-minded religious liberty organizations, announced Thursday that they are ready to offer assistance to any Air Force Academy cadet who faces repercussions for writing Bible verses on their hallway whiteboards.