The 3 - August 7, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, a review of three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes analysis of a pro-life amendment that was rejected by the voters of Kansas last week.  Also, two pro-life organizations have found themselves censored by Big Tech companies.  And, health care employees in Illinois will be receiving a financial settlement in a lawsuit filed after their religious exemptions to the COVID shot were denied.

Kansas voters reject pro-life amendment

It was called the "Value Them Both" Amendment, a reference to a woman and her unborn child.  Going into a vote on that amendment, on the ballot in Kansas last Tuesday, the polling data indicated it had a good chance of passage.  But, the only poll that counted told a different story, and it was defeated by an almost 60-40 margin.

Live Action News reported on the vote, stating that the amendment "would have confirmed there is no right to abortion in the state constitution and allowed the state legislators to create pro-life laws. The amendment would not have banned abortion but would have simply allowed pro-life protections to be enacted in the state." The amendment "would have overturned the state Supreme Court’s decision to deem abortion as a right in the Kansas constitution."

The Washington Stand quoted from state Rep. Ron Estes, who said, "Unfortunately, there was a lot of money that came in from out of state. And a lot of confusion was created in people’s minds about what really was being voted on and what it really meant..." Noted pro-life professor Michael New, who serves with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said, "It wasn’t really clear what the implications of this amendment were,” adding, “Many thought that would result in a statewide abortion ban, which is not the case. But that’s the messaging the other side used to great effect.”  The article noted:

Those who wish to increase protections for unborn children should not let the Kansas vote convince them to throw in the towel. “We are not promised an easy-glide path to victory after Dobbs. We’re going to have to take this to the states, and we’re even going to run into resistance, even in conservative states,” New explained.

Pro-life groups face media censorship

There are those who would want to distort or silence the pro-life message in a number of ways, and the run-up to the Kansas vote is illustrative of that.  Plus, enormous amounts of pro-abortion money can threatened to drown it out - but not if pro-life people continue to engage one-on-one and on social media.

But, censorship by Big Tech, unfortunately, is another strategy that is being used against pro-lifers.  The organization Live Action has found itself censored by TikTok.  Its Life Action News website related:

Another tech company has censored Live Action, with TikTok completely blocking Live Action founder and president Lila Rose’s account. In addition, the Live Action account has been barred from advertising on the platform altogether.

In a Twitter thread, Rose shared what happened. “My account (@lilaroselife) has been BANNED from [TikTok] and [Live Action] has been BANNED from advertising,” she wrote. “This extreme political bias by Tiktok is a blatant double standard and places the lives of children in danger. All [Live Action] advertisements have been BANNED; [TikTok] claim our ads were ‘driven by partisan political motives.’ But TikTok is the one being partisan & political — allowing pro-abort groups to run ads while penalizing pro-life groups.”

National Religious Broadcasters reported on its website that a Faith Radio programmer has experienced social media censorship.  Life Issues Institute President Brad Mattes stated: “We knew that we had a window of time when people were more focused on abortion,” adding, "Capitalizing on public interest in the Supreme Court’s then-forthcoming decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, we put together a program focused on those individuals who were not pro-life but could be persuaded.”

The article notes:

But after the leaked Dobbs decision appeared in the media, rather than spiking in visibility, the campaign took a sharp downturn. Life Issues Institute’s compelling videos, previously viewed by over 10,000 people per day, began averaging approximately 2,500 daily views.

The organization had run into some issues even trying to get its content on Google, being required to submit pieces of information over and over again. A "media professional" working with Life Issues said that this recent occurrence was, according to the NRB article, "'the most blatant example of censorship' they had ever seen."

Health care workers win financial settlement from lawsuit, reinstated

Its deeply troubling to see how health care workers who had been lauded for the bravery in responding to the coronavirus pandemic were maligned by employers and government authorities because of their refusal to receive a COVID shot because of religious objections.

Standing for Freedom Center reports that a class action lawsuit by health care employees has been settled for over $10 million.  The article reports:

The state of Illinois had put in place a mandate that required all workers in the healthcare system to be vaccinated or receive weekly testing and wear masks. NorthShore, which operates six hospitals and a large physician group with more than 140 locations in the Chicago region, initially gave employees the impression that they would allow religious accommodations, but later informed them that no religious exemptions would be granted.

Liberty Counsel represented the plaintiffs, and the complaint they filed, said, according to the Cook County Record, quoted in the Standing for Freedom article: “Despite being willing and capable of complying with all social distancing, testing, monitoring, and facial covering requirements (and all other reasonable requests arising from accommodation for their sincerely held religious beliefs), Plaintiffs are being discriminatorily targeted, singled out, and punished for the exercise of their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The settlement of in excess of $10 million would result in each plaintiff receiving $25,000, according to Liberty Counsel.  Also, according to the article:

NorthShore also agreed to allow any terminated workers to be rehired if they apply within 90 days and to be reinstated to their previous seniority level. The health system will also change its vaccine policy to allow for religious exemptions.

The 3 - July 31, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a development regarding the mandated COVID vaccine for members of the military.  Also, almost two dozen state attorneys general have sued a federal government agency for implementing a policy that ties funding for school lunches to LGBTQ ideology.  And, a flight attendant who criticized pro-abortion views of her union on her personal social media and was fired has received a major financial award from a jury.

Air Force members protected from dismissal for objections to COVID vaccine

The effect of the COVID vaccine mandate on those in our Armed Forces has been devastating, while the services continue to give relatively few exemptions to service members on religious grounds, dishonoring their conscience rights and potentially depleting the ranks of our military.

This week, a federal judge continued his quest to hold at least one branch of the military accountable for its actions, or inaction, regarding the vaccine. Fox 19 out of Cincinnati reported that:

A federal judge in Cincinnati on Wednesday blocked the Biden administration for the foreseeable future from enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate globally on any servicemembers in the Air Force, Space Force and Air National Guard who requested religious exemptions.

U.S. District Court Judge Matthew McFarland’s preliminary injunction stops the military from discharging or disciplining servicemembers in this local lawsuit that now has an international impact on the military and class-action status as it heads toward trial.

The judge had written two weeks ago: "Members face the same injury: violation of their constitutional freedom by defendants’ clear policy of discrimination religious accommodation requests..."  The story notes that an attorney for some of the clients said the action could affect seven to nine thousand servicemembers nationwide.

Liberty Counsel stated on its website: "Thousands of these service members who oppose receiving the shot due to their sincerely held religious beliefs have been denied their religious exemptions." The site quotes Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, who said: “This order vindicates religious free exercise protected under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which the Department of Defense has violated with this unlawful COVID shot mandate. This is a great victory for religious freedom, especially for these Air Force service members who love God and love America. We commend this Ohio court for recognizing the unconstitutional way the military is treating these honorable service members.”

State attorneys general challenge attempt to force LGBTQ agenda into school lunch program

It seems to be a certainty that governmental officials are attempting to inject a radical ideology centered on the LGBTQ agenda into multiple areas of American life - including, of all things, school lunches.

The Christian Post reported recently that 22 state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit challenging the Administration for its attempt to require recipients of federal dollars in a school lunch program to observe certain LBGTQ-friendly regulations.  The article said:

On May 5, the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service announced its intention to interpret "the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972" to include "discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

In a memorandum published that same day, the agency informed state and regional directors of all Food and Nutrition Services programs of the policy change.

The department cited the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County finding that the provision of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting discrimination based on sex also applies to sexual orientation and gender identity as the justification for the new interpretation of Title IX.

Some of the claims by the group of AG's, according to The Christian Post:

Among other things, "The plaintiff states requested...declarations preventing retaliation against Title IX and Food and Nutrition Act recipients that 'maintain showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, residential facilities, and other living facilities separated by biological sex or regulate each individual's access to those facilities based on the individual's biological sex.'" Also, the article notes that the states have requested that the court "prohibit retaliation against schools" "that do not require employees or students to use a transgender individual's preferred pronouns," "maintain athletic teams separated by biological sex," or "assign individuals to teams based on biological sex."

Flight attendant wins major settlement over expression of pro-life beliefs

The question of freedom of religious expression on a company employee's personal social media page was at the center of a recent lawsuit filed by a flight attendant, according to a CBN News report.  

From 1996 to 2013, Charlene Carter was a member of the Transport Workers Union, but split with the group when she discovered that the union's ideology was different than hers in some areas, according to the National Right to Work Foundation.  However, she was still forced to pay dues to the TWU.

Fast forward to 2017 - according to the story:

In January 2017, Carter learned that TWU Local 556 president Audrey Stone, and other officials, had used union money to attend the Women's March on Washington D.C., which endorses groups such as Planned Parenthood.

The flight attendant denounced the union's attendance at the event on social media and sent messages to Stone about a recall effort against her.

Officials with the airline for which she worked, Southwest "met with (Carter) regarding her social media posts and questioned why she posted them."  The article notes that, "Southwest authorities claim that Stone considered the social media comments to be a form of harassment toward her, and the airline company subsequently terminated Carter's employment."

Charlene Carter filed a lawsuit that year and recently, a jury in a federal district court handed down and awarded her $4.15 million from Southwest and $950,000 from Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union. Most of the money was for punitive damages.

The article says: "In a Facebook post..., Carter commented, 'Thank You all for your PRAYERS … I GIVE JESUS all the Glory for this WIN.'" She told FOX Business: "Today is a victory for freedom of speech and religious beliefs. Flight attendants should have a voice and nobody should be able to retaliate against a flight attendant for engaging in protected speech against her union..."

The 3 - July 24, 2022

This week's edition of The 3 includes developments concerning a bill in Congress, that has already passed the House, that would represent legislative agreement with the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. Another bill passing the House, under the guise of a bill providing for access to contraception, actually, according to opponents, favors Planned Parenthood and promotes abortion. And, an attempted ban on counseling to help people deal Bibically with unwanted same-sex attraction has survived a challenge on the federal appeals court level.

Gay marriage on the agenda in the U.S. Senate after House passage

This week, a series of votes, driven by leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, were taken in response to comments by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that suggested that, following the Dobbs decision, other decisions could be on the table.

One of those votes had to do with same-sex marriage.  Since the high court at the time essentially created a right to so-called "same-sex marriage," the U.S. Congress has not taken action to curb same-sex marriage legislatively. 

CBN News reports that:

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the "Respect for Marriage Act" Tuesday which would enshrine same-sex marriage into federal law.

The purpose of the bill is to repeal the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) which was passed in 1996 to define marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA also allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages approved by other states.

The U.S. Supreme Court previously declared DOMA to be unconstitutional.

Now that it has been suggested that Obergefell is on the legal chopping block, even though the Dobbs decision said otherwise, those in favor of same-sex marriage are trying to shore up that previous ruling with supporting legislation.  And, the House passed the bill - it now goes to the Senate, where it would require 60 votes to move forward.

It's not a foregone conclusion the Senate won't cobble together that vote total.  As of last Friday, Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, writing at The Washington Stand, said only nine senators had voiced opposition to the so-called "Respect for Marriage Act."  It appears there are 54 or 55 votes to advance the legislation, which would provide a firewall, an extra layer, of federal protection of gay marriage if Obergefell is revisited.

So-called "contraception" bill actually promotes abortion

And, hidden within another of those bills that passed the House, a bill purportedly designed to protect access to contraception, is a laundry list of protections for abortion, according to LifeNews.com, which reports that: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America "has informed members of Congress that it is scoring a vote on the bill as a vote" for "abortion and abortion funding." SBA claims this “Right to Contraception Act," "...is better described as the Payouts for Planned Parenthood Act."

In a letter to members of Congress, SBA states: “Far from being a bill that simply allows for access to contraception, this bill seeks to bail out the abortion industry, trample conscience rights, and require uninhibited access to dangerous chemical abortion drugs.”  The Life News article says:

The letter points out that, although domestic family planning was federally funded at nearly $1.8 billion in FY 2020, this legislation:

• Seeks to guarantee funding to abortion businesses by barring federal and state governments from redirecting contraception funding to life-affirming health care providers.
• Would override state and federal freedom of conscience laws.
• Explicitly excludes application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
• Could overturn laws regulating chemical abortion and mandate access to dangerous abortion drugs, due to its overbroad definition of contraceptives.

Good news for counselors who help people to overcome same-sex attraction

Even though a recent executive order has attempted to crack down on so-called "gender transition therapy," which has become a negative term, but includes the ability of Christian counselors to talk - talk - counselees through their unwanted same-sex attraction, in an attempt to lessen its impact.  When Canada implemented a ban on this type of counseling, pastors across the country, including here in America, spoke out against it. 

And, a counseling ministry in Florida has won a victory over those trying to ban Bible-based counseling to help someone to overcome same-sex attraction. Liberty Counsel reported on its website that a three-judge panel of the U.S Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit had issued a ruling in 2020 that "struck down laws in 2020 that ban counselors from providing minor clients and their families with any counsel to reduce or overcome unwanted same-sex attractions, behaviors, or gender confusion."

Palm Beach County and the City of Boca Raton had requested an "en banc" hearing of the complete court, but that was denied.  The three-judge panel had written:

“The perspective enforced by these local policies is extremely popular in many communities. And the speech barred by these ordinances is rejected by many as wrong, and even dangerous. But the First Amendment applies even to—especially to—speech that is widely unpopular…The panel opinion thoroughly explains why a fair-minded and neutral application of longstanding First Amendment law dooms the ordinances.”

Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, who is heard on Freedom's Call on Faith Radio, described the denial as "a huge victory for counselors and their clients to choose the counsel of their choice and be free of political censorship from government ideologues." He went on to say: "...Under the laws that were struck down, a counselor could encourage a client to take life-altering hormone drugs or even undergo invasive surgery to remove healthy body parts but could not help a client who seeks to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions, behavior, or confusion. Clients have the right to self-determination. They have the right to select a counselor. Counselors are like a GPS helping the client to reach the desired objective. Yet, these counseling bans injected a government mandated ideology to override the counselor and the client. These laws clearly violate the First Amendment.”

The 3 - July 17, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes responses to threats against pregnancy resource centers in the wake of the Dobbs decision. Also, the attempt by one branch of the military to remove members due to their decisions not to take the COVID vaccine on religious grounds was dealt a blow recently by a federal judge.  And, the integrity of women's sports, which has been challenged recently by the allowance of males to compete in them, received a positive ruling from another federal court.

Under threat from members of Congress, pregnancy resource centers fight back against Google censorship

It's important that Christian pray for local pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life ministries.  While there is certainly celebration over the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling, even before it was handed down, there were instances of vandalism at numerous centers across America. 

While there continue to be calls for the Department of Justice to prosecute those engaging in these violent acts, The Daily Citizen that a bill has been introduced into the U.S. Senate by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley that "amends existing federal law by increasing penalties for damaging or destroying clinics or places of worship."  The website states:

Hawley’s bill would protect PRCs and churches by:

• Increasing criminal penalties from a misdemeanor to a felony for first-time offenses, and increasing the criminal fine from $10,000 to $25,000
• Guaranteeing that pregnancy resource centers and religious facilities that successfully sue will receive no less than $20,000 (a $10,000 increase)
• Imposing a 7-year mandatory minimum when attacks involve arson (up from a 5-year mandatory minimum)...

The Daily Citizen piece notes that, "The dangerous climate for pro-life organizations has only been exacerbated by recent statements from pro-abortion politicians such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren..., who described the work of PRCs in counseling women about alternatives to abortion as “torture.” Warren also declared she wants to see all PRCs in her state and across the nation shut down. She has even co-sponsored a bill in Congress to punish them for what she calls “false advertising.”

And, three organizations representing these PRC's across the nation have attempted to counter Congressional intimidation of one of the foremost tech giants. Pregnancy Help News reports that: 

The leaders of the nation’s three major pregnancy help networks wrote to the CEO of Google recently, repudiating abortion industry falsehoods used by Members of Congress to push for the tech giant to squelch search engine results involving pregnancy help organizations.

The heads of Heartbeat International, Care Net, and NIFLA wrote to Sundar Pichai earlier this month to convey accurate information about pregnancy help organizations (PHOs) and request assurance that Google would not concede the suppression of pregnancy help search results sought in an earlier letter from abortion supporters in Congress.

“The letter you received from several members of Congress is a blatant attempt to pull Google into an ongoing debate surrounding the abortion issue,” the pregnancy help leaders stated. “It relies on objectively false accusations promoted by the abortion industry to shut down its competitors – namely pro-life, pro-woman pregnancy centers.”

The article stated that:

The lawmakers term pregnancy help organizations, "anti-abortion fake clinics," in the letter, while claiming that 37 percent of Google Maps results and 11 percent of Google search results for "abortion clinic near me" and "abortion pill" were for pregnancy help clinics in "trigger law" states.

Judge prevents Air Force from removing members due to religious objections

Opposition to the attempt by the U.S. Military to remove members of the Armed Forces due to their exercising their freedom of religion by refusing, on religious grounds, to receive a COVID vaccine, is far from over. Liberty Counsel reports that a federal judge recently ruled, temporarily, that Air Force members could not be separated from the service if they have filed a religious exemption. 

The Christian legal organization quoted from District Judge Matthew McFarland on its website; the judge wrote that any member of various sections of the Air Force, "who has sworn or affirmed the United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office and is currently under command and could be deployed, who: (i) submitted a religious accommodation request to the Air Force from the Air Force's COVID-19 vaccination requirement, where the request was submitted or was pending, from September 1, 2021 to the present; (ii) were confirmed as having had a sincerely held religious belief by or through Air Force Chaplains; and (iii) either had their requested accommodation denied or have not had action on that request” are, according to Liberty Counsel, covered in the temporary restraining order.

The judge noted that the Air Force "have uniformly maintained a policy of overriding Airmen's religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccine," and have "acted ‘on grounds that apply generally to the class." In other words, apparently the judge is contending that the issue should not be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel states: "No service member should be required to choose between service to the country and service to God. Liberty Counsel will be pursuing class-wide protection for the remaining branches of the military.”

Administration order allowing boys to compete in girls' sports put on hold

More crazy news from the "genderverse" this week: A biological male has been nominated for a Woman of the Year award. The Post Millennial reports that Will Thomas, whose alternative name is Lia...

...has been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. If Thomas wins, the award meant to honor women student-athletes who have "distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college career" would go to a biological male.

The article stated, "Thomas is not female, but a biological male who transitioned only a few years ago, in 2019, abandoning a spot on the UPenn men's swim team for one on the women's team. Thomas broke records and won championships while female teammates quietly and anonymously complained that Thomas was in the women's locker room, taking space on the women's team, and was not actually a female."

Meanwhile, The Daily Wire reported that:

Two members of the Biden administration, transgender Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine and “non-binary” Department of Energy official Sam Brinton, made a splash at a party at the French ambassador’s home Thursday.

The report says that Brinton "dresses in drag" and has "boasted online" about his/her inappropriate activities, "wore a blue dress and high heels."  It goes on to say, "Levine, who Biden elevated from Pennsylvania health secretary to health 'admiral' despite a highly controversial handling of COVID lockdowns, wore a uniform with a skirt and heels."  This occurred at a Bastille Day celebration.

The article contained a tweet by commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, who posted the picture and captioned it as follows: "You go back in time and have to explain this picture to someone from 2005. How do you explain what’s going on and how we got here?"

Back in the real world, Alliance Defending Freedom reports that:

A federal district court issued an order late Friday that temporarily blocks, in 20 states, Biden administration guidance documents that illegitimately reinterpret federal law to allow, among other things, males to participate in women’s sports. The court concluded that the guidance is based, in part, on a flawed interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling about employment discrimination.

There is certainly wordplay at work here - there have been attempts to redefine the word "sex," in civil rights legislation to mean sexual orientation or gender identity.  In the Bostock case, that principle was allowed to move forward.  But, it is important to note: Bostock was a narrowly-decided case, and according to the federal court: 

The Bostock decision only addressed sex discrimination under Title VII; the Supreme Court expressly declined to ‘prejudge’ how its holding would apply to ‘other federal or state laws that prohibit sex discrimination’ such as Title IX. Similarly, the Supreme Court explicitly refused to decide whether ‘sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms, and dress codes’ violate Title VII.

ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs stated that, "The Biden administration’s radical push to redefine sex in federal law—and without the required public comment period—threatens to erase women’s sports and eliminate the opportunities for women that Title IX was intended to protect. We are pleased that female athletes will be protected in 20 states while this lawsuit moves forward.”

The 3 - July 10, 2022

The week's edition of The 3, highlighting three recent stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes the Administration's formal response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, in the form of an Executive Order promoting abortion.  Also, a number of state executives have issued orders designed to promote abortion; meanwhile, state laws on the subject are becoming more clear.  And, the U.S. State Department is reportedly involved in a program to promote "atheism and humanism" overseas.

President issues Executive Order promoting abortion

In the wake of rhetoric denouncing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion policy to state legislatures, the Biden Administration, consistent with statements made by its chief health officer, has issued an executive order stating its intent to promote abortion, under the guise of protecting women (but not protecting the unborn).

Live Action reported on the order on its website, stating:

Under the order, access to abortion pills will be expanded, while strengthening enforcement of the Obama Administration’s birth control mandate, and organizing pro bono lawyers to defend anyone facing charges relating to abortion. Additionally, the order will provide $3 million in new funding for family planning organizations, provide leave for federal employees traveling for abortion, and protect access to abortion for female service members in the military.

The website said that the President "also has vowed to see Roe codified into law and appoint pro-abortion judges throughout the country to keep abortion protected."

The response was swift and stern from Christian leaders and organizations. Denise Harle, Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom and Director of the ADF Center for Life, shares examples of what she contends is disinformation regarding abortion:

...women undergoing abortions already receive the same privacy protections guaranteed by HIPAA as other medical patients, and no one has even suggested outlawing seeking information online about abortion—yet, reading this executive order, you’d think this was happening everywhere.

Harle also notes:

Instead of asking federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute the recent perpetrators of violence, vandalism, and harassment toward pregnancy care centers and houses of worship, the president is ordering his attorney general to focus on abortion facilities, even though the law requires the U.S. Department of Justice to give equal protection to pro-life and faith-based organizations and churches. 

She also states that the Order "violates the constitutionally protected freedom of pro-life doctors to give their patients information on the risks of abortion."

More state abortion laws become clear, governors issue EO's to support abortion

While abortion is being promoted on the federal level through the Executive Branch, state executives are also attempting to flex their muscle on the abortion issue, with several Governors last week issuing Executive Orders of their own.  ABC News reports that North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an order that "takes several steps to defend the existing services in North Carolina, including to state that patients who receive abortions or providers who perform abortions will not be penalized or criminalized for providing, receiving or inquiring about reproductive health care services."  The ABC report also says that:

Cooper's order establishes that all cabinet agencies, or those who are part of the governor’s office, “should coordinate with each other and pursue opportunities to protect people or entities who are providing, assisting, seeking or obtaining lawful reproductive health care services in North Carolina.”

It's been reported that North Carolina has more permissive laws on abortion that other southeastern states.  Other governors, according to ABC that have issued executive orders on the subject include the chief executives of Colorado, Maine, Rhode Islands, and a handful of other states. 

Meanwhile, laws to protect life are continuing to go into effect. Liberty Counsel reported that:

Florida’s 15-week abortion ban is now in effect after a court order blocking its enforcement was put on hold this week while Attorney General Ashley Moody swiftly appealed it.

Planned Parenthood and others previously requested that Leon County Circuit Court Judge John Cooper block the 15-week ban, known as HB 5, (which includes exceptions but not in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking) from taking effect, arguing the state constitution guarantees access to abortion. Judge Cooper ruled that the ban violates privacy protections in the state constitution. But that ruling was put on hold as soon as it was appealed.

Other states where life-protecting legislation has gone into effect include Mississippi, where a trigger law passed since the 15-week ban was passed, has been allowed to take effect.  Liberty Counsel notes:

Mississippi is one of at least 13 states with “trigger” laws designed to ban or restrict abortions once the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, as it did in a case upholding a different Mississippi law barring abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Other states have pre-Roe laws that remain on the books and will come back into effect now that Roe has been overturned.

The website also states that "While judges in Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah have temporarily blocked bans from taking effect, the state high court in Texas has allowed a pre-Roe ban to go into effect, and Ohio’s top court declined to block the heartbeat bill, which bans abortion when a heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks."

New federal grant program rewards "atheism and humanism"

Intercessors for America has noted that a new grant program based in the U.S. State Department to allegedly promote religious freedom actually promotes "atheism and humanism."  The ministry's website states:

Recently the State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor offered a funding opportunity--an open competition for a half-million dollars in taxpayer funding for projects that support global religious freedom. Wow, that sounds like an amazing opportunity except when you see that the "religious freedom" project is to promote atheism and humanism. Our state department is funding people to promote atheism and humanism abroad--all at the expense of taxpayers.

The website notes that "Wisconsin Representative Glenn Grothman's office picked up on this egregious anti-Christian promotion and is pushing back on this wasteful and harmful project."  

The Federalist reported that 15 U.S. House members "wrote a letter to the White House and the State Department...expressing 'grave concern that the State Department is using appropriated funds to support atheism and radical, progressive orthodoxy across the world.'”

The letter stated, "It is one thing for the Department to be tolerant and respectful of a wide range of belief systems, and to encourage governments to respect the religious freedom interests of their citizens,” adding, “It is quite another for the United States government to work actively to empower atheists, humanists, non-practicing, and non-affiliated in public decision-making.”

The 3 - July 3, 2022

This week's edition of The 3 includes more response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, concentrating on real and potential federal action.  Also, another high court decision in the area of religious freedom provided legal relief for a football coach who prayed on the field after games. Plus, the gender ideology continues to influence the Administration, with one federal agency proposing that Title IX, which was designed to promote girls' and women's sports, now allows biological males to compete with females.

HHS reveals action plan on promoting abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case, overturning Roe vs. Wade, produced a response from federal government officials.  Even though the high court stated that the U.S. Constitution did not contain a right to abortion, statements by Administration leaders indicated they would do all that was within their power to ensure that women could continue to terminate their pregnancies.

The Daily Wire reported on a press conference that was held by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, in which he laid out ways that the Executive Branch would attempt to uphold the so-called "woman's right to choose" abortion.   The story related:

The secretary announced the launch of the HHS Reproductive Access Task Force to “plan for every action necessary to protect women’s access to reproductive health care.”

“There is no magic bullet,” he added. “But if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS. Indeed, that was the instruction I received from the President of the United States.”

An official U.S. Government website, reproductiverights.gov, outlines the HHS strategy to promote abortion, including a link through which women can find an abortion provider in their area.  The secretary was initially non-committal to establish abortions on federal lands, as well as to use taxpayer dollars to provide transportation for women to travel to other states to get an abortion, if their state does not have an abortion clinic in operation. The Saturday after the ruling, Becerra told an NBC News reporter, according to The Daily Caller: "I always tell my team at HHS ‘if you’ve done your homework, then we have no right to do mild,’ and so we’re going to be aggressive and go all the way … We are looking at every option and among those is transportation.”

Former high school football coach victorious in challenge over midfield prayer

The story of former high school football coach Joe Kennedy has become quite well-known, having been in court for a number of years following his termination for engaging in prayer on the football field following games.  He received, at last, relief from the U.S. Supreme Court recently.

CBN News reported on the Court's ruling:

The court pointed out that teachers and students alike still maintain their freedom of speech, even if they're working at a state-funded school.

"When it comes to Mr. Kennedy's free speech claim, our precedents remind us that the First Amendment's protections extend to 'teachers and students,' neither of whom 'shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,'" the majority opinion stated.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority, “The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”

First Liberty represented the coach and on its website, it included a quote from Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel for First Liberty: “This is a tremendous victory for Coach Kennedy and religious liberty for all Americans," adding, “Our Constitution protects the right of every American to engage in private religious expression, including praying in public, without fear of getting fired. We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognized what the Constitution and law have always said – American’s are free to live out their faith in public.” Coach Kennedy is quoted as saying: "This is just so awesome...I thank God for answering our prayers and sustaining my family through this long battle.” He expressed his gratitude "to the Supreme Court, my fantastic legal team, and everyone who has supported us..."

Anniversary of Title IX brings new action on gender ideology from Administration

Recently, President Biden issued an Executive Order that death with different aspects of the gender ideology agenda that embraces so-called "gender identity."  The order included opposition to so-called "conversion therapy," which threatens Christian counselors who wish to talk clients through overcoming unwanted same-sex attraction and indicated support for therapies and surgeries that intend to help a person change his or her gender.

The 50th anniversary of Title IX has also led to the opening of another front in promoting this ideology that contrasts with a Biblical worldview perspective. The Christian Post reported:

The U.S. Department of Education has unveiled proposed changes to federal civil rights law to clarify that protections against sex discrimination "include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

The report mentioned concerns "that the Biden administration is working to redefine 'sex' over half a century after Title IX was enacted to protect women from discrimination in education. Progressive organizations celebrated the rule proposal as a 'critical step' in protecting LGBT students from discrimination."

In other words, this new proposal would, in the name of "equality" under Title IX, allow male athletes to compete against female athletes, leading to a marginalization of girls' and women's sports. The Department issued a fact sheet that said these amendments to Title IX "...would make clear that preventing someone from participating in school programs and activities consistent with their gender identity would cause harm in violation of Title IX, except in some limited areas set out in the statute or regulations."

The Christian Post story included a quote from Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project, who said: "Fifty years ago, Congress passed Title IX to safeguard educational opportunities for women and girls." He charged that the President "and his administration have officially gutted those protections, endangering female students and foisting gender insanity on our schools..." He described the regulations as "a severe threat to the safety of women and girls" and "an outrageous infringement on the privacy of students."

The 3 - June 26, 2022

On this week's edition of The 3, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the faulty Roe vs. Wade decision, and there is news and reaction.  Also, the high court has upheld religious freedom in a case out of the state of Maine concerning parents who, until the ruling, could not use available public dollars to attend religious schools.  And, the White House has issued an executive order that threatens Christian counseling to overcome same-sex attraction and promotes questionable gender-change methods.

Supreme Court strikes down Roe, sending abortion policy to each state

The ruling handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court almost 50 years ago, Roe vs Wade, has now been overturned. CBN News quoted from the majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito:

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision..."

In other words, the Constitution doesn't address abortion, and therefore, the majority of the court held that the federal government is out of bounds in setting abortion policy.  Each state has to set its own policy on the topic.  As the CBN story points out:

Joining Alito were Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The latter three justices are Trump appointees. Thomas first voted to overrule Roe 30 years ago.

Chief Justice John Roberts would have stopped short of ending the abortion right, noting that he would have upheld the Mississippi law at the heart of the case, a ban on abortion after 15 weeks...and said no more.

CBN reports that 13 states already have trigger laws in place meaning that the laws were set to be implemented once Roe was overturned.

Alabama did not have a trigger law, but passed a strong pro-life bill in 2019, the Human Life Protection Act.  WSFA.com reported on Friday that Attorney General Steve Marshall...

...gave notice that the state will “immediately” file motions to dissolve any injunction on state laws dealing with abortion that had been halted by the courts. Among those laws was the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, which was one of the strongest bans on abortion in the country when Gov. Kay Ivey signed it into law in 2019. The law made performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony unless the mother’s health was in danger. It did not provide any exceptions for rape or incest.

Later in the day, according to the website, "...U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson dismissed the lawsuit against the Alabama Human Life Protection Act."  Marshall also called on abortion clinics in the state to cease operations and spoke strongly against acts of vandalism in response to the high court's action.

Christians have been speaking out forcefully against abortion, which is the taking of human life. The CEO of National Religious Broadcasters hailed the ruling; Troy Miller said: “Today’s decision is a great victory for sanctity of life on the federal level. We stand with our members who are on the frontlines of this battle as they pursue laws and reforms at the state level that protect and value life,” adding, “We continue to ask for God’s protection on all Supreme Court justices as they continue in their public service.”

The NRB website featured responses from a variety of Christian leaders, including:

Michael Farris of Alliance Defending Freedom, who said, "The Supreme Court acknowledged that it improperly seized the power of the people and their legislatures half a century ago. Now it has relinquished that power and given it back to the people. That’s a marvel worth celebrating.”

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family, who stated, “This is a day to give thanks to God. It’s also a day to give thanks to the tens of millions who have marched in the snow and cold on the anniversary of Roe these last fifty years as faithful witnesses to the value of human life. It’s a day, as well, to give thanks to those who have committed their lives and their resources to serving mothers and protecting innocent children. We remain dedicated to fostering and furthering a culture of life, which recognizes the dignity of each and every person."  

He included that reference to the March for Life, that has been an annual event since Roe was handed down, a peaceful protest of pro-life people that attracted hundreds of thousands to the nation's capital.  There have been Marches in other U.S. cities as well.  News coverage has been scant for these events, which were peaceful and respectful.

The Hill quoted from a statement by March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, who said: “For nearly fifty years, the Supreme Court has imposed an unpopular and extreme abortion policy on our nation, but as the annual March for Life gives witness to, Roe’s allowance of abortion-on-demand, up-until-birth has never represented where most Americans stand on life!” She added, “We are so grateful to the countless pro-life people of goodwill who contributed and sacrificed to make today possible — including the millions of those who have marched for life over the years — and we recognize that this is just the beginning of our work to advance policies that protect life..."

Religious students can now participate in Maine program allotting public funds for public and private schools

There was other good news from the Supreme Court last week.  The justices, in a 6-3 ruling, put an end to a program that offered residents of Maine in remote areas the opportunity to receive public funds, to be applied to public and private schools, but not religious schools. First Liberty, one of the firms involved in a challenge to the law, stated in a press release last Tuesday, "For school districts that do not maintain a high school, Maine pays students’ tuition at the public or private school of the family’s choice. Until today’s ruling, families were prohibited from using the scholarship program to attend religious schools."

Kelly Shackelford, who serves as President, CEO, and Chief Counsel for First Liberty Institute, stated, “We are thrilled that the Court affirmed once again that religious discrimination will not be tolerated in this country. Parents in Maine, and all over the country, can now choose the best education for their kids without fearing retribution from the government. This is a great day for religious liberty in America.”

Gender identity agenda reflected in executive orders

The Bible speaks plainly to issues surrounding sexuality: for instance, we are told in Scripture that God created male and female. The Bible also describes homosexual behavior as sinful.  Yet, in this age of so-called "gender identity," "gender fluidity," and "sexual orientation," we have seen a flurry of actions that have been taken, including attempts to change one's gender. It has also become popular to try to persuade people that sexual orientation cannot be changed. 

In a sweeping attempt to exert federal control over these personal matters, the White House issued an executive order.  According to the Alliance Defending Freedom website, the order "villainizes and grossly misrepresents religious Americans and others holding to commonsense American values and violates their constitutionally and legally protected freedoms."

ADF Senior Counsel Julie Marie Blake stated, in part:

“Every American is protected under the Constitution to freely live and work according to their religious beliefs, and President Biden can’t remove those fundamental rights with a stroke of his pen. It is a gross overreach of his authority, for example, to mandate what Christian counselors can say, or not say, in private conversations with their clients, as is the case with our client Brian Tingley in Washington state, or demand faith-based foster care and adoption homes, like our client Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Tennessee, violate their religious beliefs or lose needed funding to help children find a forever home. Further, with this new order, the president is threatening to erase the entire category of women’s sports—egregiously, on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the civil rights law designed to protect fair competition for women..."

Speaking of Title IX, The Christian Post reported:

The U.S. Department of Education has unveiled proposed changes to federal civil rights law to clarify that protections against sex discrimination "include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

The proposal sparks concerns from conservative groups, female athletes and civil rights groups that the Biden administration is working to redefine "sex" over half a century after Title IX was enacted to protect women from discrimination in education. Progressive organizations celebrated the rule proposal as a "critical step" in protecting LGBT students from discrimination.

Back to that executive order; Christian Medical and Dental Associations Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy Jeff Barrows stated that the Executive Order "claims to be safeguarding health care and preventing youth suicide, but medical research shows it will do the exact opposite,” adding, “It’s not protecting children, and it’s certainly not safeguarding their health care; instead, it is a prescription for bad medicine.”  

For instance regarding what is called, Conversion Therapy, the CMDA statement says: "Bans against counseling choice are one-sided ideology that places our patients and our children squarely against the tide of science and evidence-based healthcare. The federal government should be supporting change-allowing therapy instead of suppressing it."  Unfortunately, bans on this therapy would likely include talk therapy by Christian counselors. 

Regarding so-called "gender-affirming care," CMDA states: "Individual states are well within their rights to ban gender-affirming care in an effort to protect at-risk youth. These bans are not hateful attacks or discrimination against children suffering from gender dysphoria, as the Executive Order claims."

The 3 - June 19, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, with three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a brief recap of action taken at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention last week in California. Also, a Christian denomination has identified homosexuality as sin that should be confessed. And, a state Supreme Court has reversed a ruling from several years ago that found there was a constitutional right to abortion.

Southern Baptist representatives gather to elect new officers, establish sex abuse prevention measures, and more

The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention took place last week in Anaheim, and the story making headlines going into the annual meeting was the report issued by a company called Guidepost Solutions that highlighted instances of sexual abuse and alleged attempts by SBC leadership to cover up sexual abuse episodes.  The costly report consisted primarily of instances that had already been made public, and made recommendations about how to deal with the issue of sexual abuse in SBC churches.

The task force appointed following last year's convention made recommendations based on the Guidepost report, and CBN.com summarized those in this manner:

Representatives from local churches, known as "messengers," approved two recommendations from the denomination's sexual abuse task force: to create an abuse reform implementation task force to study further changes as outlined in the recent Guidepost study, and to create a website to maintain a list of pastors, staff, and volunteers who "have at any time been credibly accused of sexual abuse."

The implementation task force will be appointed by new President Bart Barber, a pastor in Farmersville, TX.  Barber won convention president by almost a 61-39 margin on the second ballot after a runoff with Cape Coral, Florida pastor Tom Ascol, who had the support of the Conservative Baptist Network, which was formed to address what its members have identified as spiritual drift in the convention.

An unexpected flashpoint at the convention had to do with the issue of women serving in pastoral roles in convention churches.  While local churches are autonomous in the SBC, a church's adherence, or lack of it, to the Baptist Faith and Message document could result in a church being disfellowshipped. A motion had been made to enact such discipline on a large church that had ordained three women into ministry and given them the title of "pastor."  The committee to which the motion was referred had initially recommended a committee be formed to investigate how the Baptist Faith and Message really addresses the issue, a recommendation later withdrawn. Therefore, no action was taken regarding the church.

What seems to be a yearly controversy over the public policy arm of the SBC, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was manifested this year in a vote taken by messengers on whether or not to dissolve the body - the motion failed after brief discussion, but there has been concern over the organization's purpose and effectiveness, with some churches having designated their funds sent to the Convention to not be used to fund the ERLC.  The body didn't do itself any favors by adopting a new slogan stating that it wanted to make abortion "unnecessary."  

Christian denomination votes to affirm homosexuality as sin

Meanwhile, as United Methodist churches strategize on how to "disaffiliate" from the denomination as a result of long-standing disagreements over policy, with issues surrounding homosexuality at the core, a smaller denomination has taken a bold stand on Scripture.

ReligionNews.com reports that: "The Christian Reformed Church, a small evangelical denomination of U.S. and Canadian churches, voted...at its annual synod to codify its opposition to homosexual sex."  It went to state:

The 123-53 vote at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, caps a process begun in 2016 when a previous synod voted to form a study committee to bring a report on the “biblical theology” of sexuality.

The vote, following a long day of debate, approves a list of what the denomination calls sexual immorality it won’t tolerate, including “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography and homosexual sex.”

The University is described as the "flagship university" for the CRC, but that could be changing. As the article points out, this move could result in faculty members leaving. The story says:

The university is known in the larger Christian higher education world for its supportive and pastoral approach to LGBTQ students. It allows a student group, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, to function on campus and in the 2020-21 school year the university did not challenge an openly gay student body president.

However, the article says, "This year it did not renew a professor’s two-year appointment after he agreed to officiate a same-sex wedding. That wedding also led the university to cut ties with its longtime research center, The Center for Social Research, where one of the marriage partners was working."

There is certainly an upheaval in Christian higher education. Another example can be seen at Seattle Pacific University, where recently the school trustees continued to uphold the policy banning staff from being in involved in same-sex relationships, according to Newsweek, an action to which students responded by giving LGBTQ flags to the acting president of the school during graduation.

Iowa Supreme Court reverses itself, declares there is no constitutional right to abortion

In 2018, the Iowa Supreme Court, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, "in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, ...declared abortion 'a fundamental right' and struck down a 72-hour waiting period that ensured women have the opportunity to receive and evaluate important health information before proceeding with an abortion. The state legislature later passed a 24-hour waiting period, the subject of the present litigation." 

That case is also known as "PPH II," and late last week, the state's high court reversed that ruling; ADF states: 

In Friday’s opinion, the court emphatically overruled PPH II, concluding that the decision “lacks textual and historical support,” and that its “constitutional footing is unsound.” The opinion continued, “textually, there is no support for PPH II’s reading of the due process clause as providing fundamental protection for abortion.”

The court stated: "Historically, there is no support for abortion as a fundamental constitutional right in Iowa."

The 3 - June 12, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes the story of five courageous baseball player who refused to bow the knee to the LGBTQ+ agenda by refusing to wear special "Pride Night" gear.  Also, the challenge filed by parents in a Virginia school district against policies that serve to separate students based on race has been turned back.  Plus, apparently, an attack on a church in Nigeria is yet another incident involving the persecution of Christians in that nation.

Baseball players opt out of team's "Pride Night" gear

The month of June has become a reminder of the demands of the LGBTQ+ community that their lifestyle choices be supported in a special way. An, unfortunately, this behavior, which runs counter to Scriptural teaching, is nothing to be proud about.

That is the perspective, it seems, of five players on the Tampa Bay Rays, who decided that wearing gear celebrating so-called "gay pride" at the team's recent "Pride Night" was a bridge too far. The Daily Citizen of Focus on the Family reported that:

Rays’ players were supposed to wear both a “rainbow burst” logo on their sleeve as well as a special “Pride” cap rather than their standard ball cap.

At least five players, with the permission of the ball club, chose not to wear the Pride emblems, and a spokesman for the group attributed their actions to their Christian faith.

According to TMZ Sports, Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson – all pitchers – were the five players who opted for standard uniforms rather than donning the special “Pride Night” gear.

Spokesman for the five players, Jason Adam, stated:

“But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different..."

The article also noted:

In a message to Tampa news station WFLA, pitcher Ryan Thompson said, “those of us who decided not to wear the patch or hat spent a couple weeks in prayer and a deep dive into scripture on the subject at hand to come to the decision that we did.”

He added, “If I believe the Bible is infallible and that everlasting life is attainable yet I bow down to public opinion in the name of tolerance, is that love? I don’t think so.

The writer of the article, Bruce Hausknecht, who has been a guest on The Meeting House multiple times, said:

While Rays management’s consideration of the five players seems gracious and reasonable, it only does so because of how unreasonable the demands of LGBT politics have gotten today. They allow no room for dissent. But there is no virtue in not forcing people to follow wokeness and proclaim something they do not believe. It is called freedom of conscience and it is a fundamental human right.  

I agree with Bruce, and while the team did allow the players to "opt-out," you have to question the purpose for a "Pride Night" in the first place.  I wonder how many potential fans stayed away from the game that night because of the promotion?  I think back about advice given by a PR firm called the Zeno Group to large companies regarding the upcoming Roe v. Wade decision, which is applicable here, as well, I think.  This is from Newsweek:

"Do not take a stance you cannot reverse, especially when the decision is not final. This topic is a textbook '50/50' issue," the email reportedly said, according to the report. "Subjects that divide the country can sometimes be no-win situations for companies because regardless of what they do they will alienate at least 15 to 30 percent of their stakeholders... Do not assume that all of your employees, customers or investors share your view."

Challenge by parents to school's policies dismissed

Parents in Albemarle County, Virginia have found that their religious views are being disregarded and filed a lawsuit to challenge the policies of the school district.  Alliance Defending Freedom had reported earlier this year that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of "an ethnically and religiously diverse group of nine parents and their children;" the circumstances in the district were outlined on the ADF website:

In 2019, the school board enacted a policy based in critical race theory, a radical ideology that requires students and teachers to view everything and everybody through the lens of race. The policy violates students’ civil rights by treating them differently based on race and by compelling them to affirm and support ideas contrary to their deeply held moral and religious beliefs. The school district goes so far as to declare that every core subject must include teaching through its new ideological lens that emphasizes racial and religious stereotypes. It then squelches debate on the issue by mislabeling any opinion not aligned with its radical ideology as “racist” and threatens to punish dissent based on its redefinition of “racism.”

ADF reported recently that the case had been dismissed by a Virginia judge. Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights, stated: “The court’s dismissal of the valid concerns of parents and students challenging the Albemarle County School Board’s racially discriminatory policy is disappointing, but the case will continue on appeal. Every student deserves to be treated equally under the law, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion. Public schools cannot attack or demean students based on these or any other characteristics. We look forward to continuing to represent these parents and students as they stand up against a school district that continues to ignore their legitimate interests and legal rights.”

The Virginia Circuit Court judge said, "the Court finds that Plaintiffs lack standing to bring their claims, and that Plaintiffs have not stated a cause of action arising under Virginia law because their claims under the Constitution of Virginia are not self-executing and the statute on which they rely does not create a private cause of action."

Nigeria church attack is stark reminder of persecution of Christians in that country

Perhaps you caught my recent conversation with Lela Gilbert of Family Research Council, who provided details of an attack on a church in Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday - the death toll was announced at around 50, but the numbers keep changing.  She wrote at The Washington Stand of Family Research Council:

The best-known extremist groups in Nigeria are the notorious Boko Haram, which has recently merged with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Meanwhile, radical Islamist Fulani tribesmen have been slaughtering Christian villagers in increasing numbers for several years. These Fulani radicals attacked St. Francis Church in the horrifying Pentecost Sunday incident, arriving on motorcycles and armed with guns and explosives.

The article quotes David Curry, President and CEO of Open Doors USA, who said: 

"...I think the key thing here is that these extremists have been allowed to flourish in the north and the government has not taken strong responsive action. I think they’re culpable in these kinds of attacks because they’ve allowed the Fulani terrorist groups to grow. They’ve let them attack, murder, and seize villages without any sort of retribution or punishment.”

As Lela Gilbert points out:

In 2021, an FRC analysis of Nigeria’s agonizing struggle reported that around 12,000 Christians had been killed for their faith since 2015. More recently, Open Doors International, monitoring global Christian persecution, stated that “…In Nigeria, a Christian is killed for their faith every two hours; that’s nearly 13 Christians a day and 372 Christians a month...

In 2020, the State Department placed Nigeria on its list of Countries of Particular Concern, but it was removed in 2021. Curry, who was just placed on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, has asked the President to restore that designation. Nigeria is #7 on the Open Doors World Watch List, identifying the countries who are the leading persecutors of Christians.

The 3 - June 5, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes a report on a new initiative designed to measure the commitment to free speech and religious freedom among large corporations.  Also, a provocative new film regarding gender ideology has been released that disputes the promotion of so-called "gender identity."  And, an attempt to place the United States under the authority of the World Health Organization regarding public health crises - real or perceived - has been turned back.

New effort highlights corporate commitment, or lack thereof, to freedom of speech and religion

There have been concerns expressed about companies being threatened if they do not exhibit certain ideologies.  The changing of corporate logos and LGBTQ-affirming statements during so-called "Pride Month" is one area where there are plenty of examples.  The judging of companies based on their ESG scores, standing for "environmental, social, and governmental," is another area. And, as Jeremy Tedesco of Alliance Defending Freedom brought out on The Meeting House recently, there are ideologues who are forcing financial institutions to restrict donors in donor-advised funds from donating to charities, which poses a danger to Christian charities.

Alliance Defending Freedom recently posted a piece on its website about a new project called, "the ViewpointDiversityScore.org website and annual Business Index." It states that:

The initiative is a joint venture of ADF and Inspire Investing, a Christian investing and financial technology firm informing investment decisions on billions of dollars around the globe. Examining 50 companies on the Fortune 1000 list, the Business Index is the first comprehensive benchmark designed to measure corporate respect for religious and ideological diversity in the market, workplace, and public square.

The article goes on to say: "As leaders from ADF and Inspire Investing explain in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, the Business Index focuses on industries that have the greatest potential to impact free speech and religious freedom. These include industries that provide essential banking, payment processing, and cloud services, or that serve as platforms for third-party expression in the digital space."

ADF notes: 

Benchmarked companies scored an average of 12% overall on respecting religious and ideological diversity in the market, workplace, and public square. While no industry performed well, a handful scored particularly poorly. The two industries with the lowest overall scores were computer software at 6%, and internet services and retailing at 7%. The financial and data services industry (8%) also scored poorly. The lackluster results paint a grim picture of corporate America’s respect for religious and ideological diversity.

Walsh promotes Biblical view of sexuality in new movie, bookseller's employees protest his books

Author and social commentator Matt Walsh posted a tweet four years ago, according to a piece on The Daily Citizen website.  He wrote:

It occurred to me that the statement ‘I identify as a woman’ doesn’t mean anything if the person making the statement, or the people telling us to take the statement seriously, aren’t able to define the thing that the person is identifying as.

To coincide with the June 1 beginning of "Pride Month," Walsh, of The Daily Wire, released a documentary film called, What is a Woman?  The article says that Walsh, at the beginning of one of his podcasts, had noted that "the film would expose the confusion of gender ideology."

The following day, the writer of the original article, Jeff Johnston, from Focus on the Family, related his observations. He wrote:

What Is a Woman? is intense, with moments of deep pathos, as when it showed the devastating damage to individuals and families – the direct result of gender theories that are completely disconnected from reality and truth.

He went on to say: 

I’d written about some of these people, but it’s different watching them tell their stories onscreen. The documentary is not for the faint of heart.

One devastating testimony came from a Canadian father who “misgendered” his 13-year-old daughter. He was imprisoned for the offense. A Canadian court mandated male hormones for the young girl, over his objections.

Another poignant story was told by a woman who had hormones and surgeries to “transition into” a man. Scott Newgent’s body, health, finances and family have been devastated by surgeries and synthetic hormones.

Other highlights:

• When asked, “What is a woman?”, people can’t say, are afraid to say, or don’t know how to answer the question.
• Many gender dogmatists are angry and defensive about being asked simple questions about their beliefs – even ones they’ve seen before the on-camera interview.
• For many, “a woman” is however someone identifies. But what is it they are identifying as? Evidently “woman” is different for everyone and can’t be defined.

Johnston noted: "Gender activists felt so threatened by the documentary that they used a cyberattack on The Daily Wire’s website to keep people from watching the film."

Meanwhile, CBN.com reported that:

Some disgruntled Amazon employees at the company’s Seattle headquarters staged a so-called “die-in” protest during a “Pride” event in response to conservative author Matt Walsh’s book sales on the website.

Some 30 employees draped themselves in blue, pink, and white transgender “pride” flags, laid on the ground during the “Pride” flag-raising ceremony, and reportedly refused to move.

American attempt to place itself under authority of WHO fails

I have reported to you about efforts by the current U.S. Administration to subject public health policy under the authority of the World Health Organization, which has enormous implications not only for national sovereignty, but for religious freedom.  The National Religious Broadcasters website stated, regarding a series of amendments that had been proposed by the U.S.:

These amendments would cede greater authority to WHO and enhance the opportunity for future public health crises (or events that the governing body deems as such) to advance the interests of a globally-controlled and funded governing body and undermine the rights of citizens. A threat to national sovereignty is a threat to individual freedom, inevitably giving rise to incursions on the conscience rights and religious freedoms that Americans cherish—and organizations like NRB exist to protect.

Liberty Counsel reported that "All 13...amendments designed to cede sovereignty to WHO were rejected by objecting member nations." Liberty Counsel stated that the amendments "sought to give the WHO Director-General sweeping power to declare a 'public health emergency' over any issue he chooses, without consulting the member nations.? One example:

...WHO’s Director-General would have the power to effectively close or open borders. If the “offending” country refuses to agree or comply with such a directive, the Director-General can compel other nations to stop trade and travel to and from the offending country. Shipments of food, medicine and consumer goods would be affected.

But, as Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel warns: "...the plan to cede American sovereignty to the United Nations and its associated globalist health group continues."

The 3 - May 29, 2022

The most recent edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes response by Christians to the tragic event in Texas at an elementary school, in which 19 children, 2 teachers, and the alleged shooter, lost their lives. Also, Southern Baptists are continuing to process the findings of a task force report on sexual abuse and how leadership dealt with it. Plus, the state of Virginia has a new law that strengthens language on protecting religious freedom.

Christian organizations minister to families of victims in Texas school shooting

People are continuing to respond to the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 elementary school students, 2 teachers, and the 18-year old young man responsible for the shooting lost their lives. Families are continuing to grieve and people across the nation are asking, "why?" and there is a search for answers.

In a piece at The Christian Post, Greg Laurie, who is heard on Faith Radio, shared that there is an even greater question; he writes:

At a time like this, we all collectively ask, "Why?"

Why did God allow this to happen?

The simple answer is, I don't know.

But here is what I do know — There are evil people who do incomprehensively evil things every day BECAUSE WE live in a fallen, sinful world. MOMENTS LIKE THESE ARE A REFLECTION ON THE EVIL OF MANY, NOT THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

He writes:

When I find myself not knowing why bad things happen, I fall back on what I do know.

THAT IS BECAUSE IN A MOMENT LIKE THIS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS NOT “WHY?” BUT “WHO?” — WHO CAN WE RUN TO FOR HELP IN THE MIDST OF THIS BROKEN WORLD?

CBN reported that:

Churches in and around Uvalde have opened their doors to the grieving community. "I want you to know that we love you," said Pastor Tony Gruben of Baptist Temple Church.

Nathan Lorick of the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas told CBN's Faith Nation, that they're sending ministers to Uvalde. "We have deployed some staff members and chaplains," Lorick said. "We have a disaster relief feeding unit on the ground."

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains have also deployed to Uvalde to offer comfort and counsel to the families and other residents.

At BillyGraham.org, a story quoted a local pastor, who said: “It’s strange, but somehow I feel guilty that my granddaughter is alive, when so many other children died. But God knows why everything happened this way...” Those were the words of Pastor José René Martínez, who was allowed to take his granddaughter home from school before the shooting happened.  The article goes on to say:

Like Pastor Martínez, most Uvaldians are struggling to make sense of the horrific tragedy that took place on Tuesday when an 18-year-old walked into an elementary school in this quiet Texan town and killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers.

In this small town of just over 15,000 people, the shocking news has affected everyone, and crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) are there to offer spiritual and emotional support for the community.

In a crisis, we are reminded how Christians can represent Jesus and show His love. The story at the Billy Graham website shared the story of chaplain Jose Mena, who drove from San Antonio - he led a man to Christ at the city's Civic Center. He is quoted as saying: “People in Uvalde and in the whole world need to hear that the enemy is doing exactly what Jesus said he would do: steal, kill and destroy,” adding, “And they also need to hear that there is a God who loves them, who sees their tears and feels their pain, and who has sent His Son to die for us so that we don’t have to live in this valley of death forever.”

Southern Baptist Task Force on sex abuse releases report, Executive Committee responds

For years, Southern Baptist Convention leaders have been calling attention to the issue of sexual abuse within the denomination.  At last year's annual meeting, the SBC voted to establish a Sexual Abuse Task Force to study the actions of the SBC Executive Committee over the last 20+ years concerning the issue.  The report was issued on Sunday, May 22, and Baptist Press quoted from the report, conducted by a firm called Guidepost Solutions, hired by the task force.  The report stated, "Our investigation revealed that, for many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to these reports of abuse. They closely guarded information about abuse allegations and lawsuits, which were not shared with EC Trustees, and were singularly focused on avoiding liability for the SBC to the exclusion of other considerations..."  Baptist Press notes:

The report says that for the two decades within the scope of the investigation, survivors of abuse and other concerned Southern Baptists have been met with “resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC.”

One of the notable aspects of the report had to do with a list that was being kept by Executive Committee staff; Baptist Press says: "The report says that though high-level EC staff kept a list of reports of abuse among possible SBC pastors, it had no plans to act on behalf of survivors." The Baptist Paper reported on the release of that list last week - it quoted from a statement by Rolland Slade, SBC Executive Committee chairman, and Willie McLaurin, interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, that said, "Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse. Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us.” 

The Baptist Paper noted that the list had over 700 names on it, with just over 400 either definitely or possibly being "SBC-affiliated." That article says, "Our investigative team reviewed the list and conducted significant research to assess whether any of the alleged abusers were still associated with an SBC church. Based on these efforts, it appears that nine (9) people remain in active ministry or connected to ministry. Two (2) of those people appear to be associated with an SBC church. The remaining seven (7) appear to be associated with churches that are not SBC-affiliated. We will provide this information to the Credentials Committee for further review, including whether the seven additional churches mentioned above are in fact non-SBC affiliated."

Law enforcement certainly has a role in dealing with sexual abusers.  So does the local church.  It has been pointed that the Southern Baptist Convention supports autonomous local churches, so it would appear that primary responsibility for handing sex abuse claims would be local congregations, working in tandem with law enforcement. 

Several of the people mentioned in the report have already issued statements challenging how they and their actions were portrayed in it. 

The Task Force/Guidepost report offered several courses of action, likely to be taken up at the annual meeting of the SBC in Anaheim in about two weeks.  Some of the recommendations include, according to Baptist Press:

• "an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, to "be appointed by the next SBC president to assist with the implementation of reform initiatives in our convention for a period of three years."

• the hiring of "a subject matter expert(s) to receive calls, provide initial guidance for reports of sexual abuse, and work with state conventions for training and educational opportunities."

• the recommendation that "all entity boards and standing committees have training regarding sexual abuse prevention and survivor care, as well as background checks as part of their orientation and selection."

Virginia religious freedom bill signed into law

Last last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia signed a bill that, according to Alliance Defending Freedom's website, "clarifies that, under certain commonwealth statutes, the definition of 'religion' includes not just belief but expression and action as well..."

ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor said that the bill, "provides a necessary and helpful clarification in the law to help ensure Virginians won’t face discrimination simply for outwardly expressing their religious beliefs." He went on to say:

"...Virginia law forbids discrimination on the basis of religion in multiple contexts yet fails to define the actual term ‘religion,’ which can leave Virginians vulnerable to hostile reactions to expressions of their faith. We commend Gov. Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly for resolving this ambiguity so that Virginians can freely live out their faith without fear of government punishment."