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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

The Briefing: Ali heard the gospel, Baylor struggles with sexual assault

ib2newseditor —  June 7, 2016

The BriefingMuhammad Ali heard Gospel from Graham, Rogers
Billy Graham, Adrian Rogers, and Dan Dumas are among the Christians who have told of Gospel conversations with the late  boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Concern over Ali’s religious beliefs once led his father to take the boxer to visit evangelist Billy Graham. Rogers, a former Southern Baptist Convention president, told in at least three sermons between 1986 and 1994 of sharing the Gospel with Ali.

Moore: Trump ‘lost’ soul’ who must repent
Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore has not been shy about mixing it up with Donald Trump, and now Moore is at it again, telling an interviewer that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a “lost person” who needs to find Jesus. Moore has for months blasted what he sees as Trump’s boorish behavior and character flaws.

How the transgender directive could affect Christian education
In response to President Barack Obama’s order that public schools allow students to use the restrooms and changing facilities that correspond to their gender identities, Christian Schools International (CSI) and Association of Christian Schools international (ACSI) issued gender policy guidelines to their members. The transgender directive will most immediately affect Christian schools participating in state sports competitions as public schools adopt new transgender policies or other policies related to LGBT students.

Baylor story shows how religious schools struggle with sex assault
Reports that Baylor University fired Ken Starr due to his handling of a sex assault scandal rocketed around political circles, but the allegations were equally big for a different reason: Baylor is the world’s largest Baptist university. The reports about Starr were explosive among many evangelicals because they tap into a couple of the most basic contemporary debates at religious schools: What is the impact of the honor codes many religious schools have around sexual behavior? Is there a conflict between being a religious school and trying to be a major athletic powerhouse?

Evangelicals feel alienated, anxious
Religious conservatives could once count on their neighbors to at least share their view of marriage. Those days are gone. Now, many evangelicals say liberals want to seal their cultural victory by silencing the church.  The Associated Press reports evangelicals see evidence of the threat in every new uproar over someone asserting a right to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages — whether it be a baker, a government clerk, or the leaders of religious charities, and schools.

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion News, WORLD Magazine, Washington Post,  Napa Valley Register

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The Briefing: Gorilla’s death fuels sanctity of life debate, Curry’s witness in the NBA

ib2newseditor —  May 31, 2016

The BriefingSanctity of life argued after gorilla killing
The protests after Cincinnati Zoo officials killed a gorilla to protect the life of a young boy reveals a modern confusion over the dignity and sanctity of human life. Al Mohler says this confusion is not only a matter concern, but one of deadly significance as some call the endangered animal’s death “worse than murder.”

Pro-abortion bill on governor’s desk
Last week, the Illinois House passed SB 1564 by a vote of 61-54 — a bill that would force doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to distribute information to help patients find morally objectionable medical services such as abortion, sterilization, and certain end-of-life care. This proposal was passed by the Illinois Senate in 2015 by a vote of 34-19. The bill now awaits Governor Bruce Rauner’s signature.

Methodists reverse abortion support
The UMC held its quadrennial General Conference (GC) and considered more than a thousand resolutions. LGBTQ activists, anti-Israel advocates, and pro-choice “reproductive rights” feminists all lobbied to liberalize the denomination. Instead, the denomination moved in the opposite direction, making substantive progress toward a biblically-founded social witness.

States sue over Obama restroom rules
Eleven states and two school districts filed a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s directive demanding all federally funded schools apply a controversial interpretation of Title IX requiring schools to define a student’s sexual identity based not on biological traits, but on feelings. Declaring the federal demands are “unlawful” and “capricious and arbitrary,” the lawsuit calls for a permanent injunction preventing the administration from implementing and enforcing its rules.

Christians lead NBA teams to finals
NBA watchers called the Western Conference finals one of the most exciting playoff series ever, with two excellent teams led by two men known for their basketball prowess and outspoken Christian witness: Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. It’s Curry’s team that will now take on the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Sources: AlbertMohler.com, Illinois Family Institute, ERLC.com, Baptist Press, WORLD Magazine

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The Briefing: SBC’s Floyd and others to meet Trump, protecting military chaplains,

ib2newseditor —  May 24, 2016

The BriefingFloyd among evangelicals to meet with Trump
Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd is among 500 evangelicals and other conservatives planning to meet with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about his faith and values at a June 21 meeting in New York. Floyd is part of a small group of leaders to spearhead the meeting as the steering committee.

Trump’s other outreach efforts include an address at the Washington conference of conservative Christians sponsored by the Faith & Freedom Coalition and Concerned Women for America June 10.

Military chaplains need the Russell Amendment
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives kept in place an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that protects the rights of military chaplains. The Russell Amendment is a provision that applies to the religious exemption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to federal contractors. It provides important protection to chaplains who have substantial discretion to supplement religious support programs via Department of Defense contractors and vendors.

Methodists postpone debate of LGBT issues
Amid protest, song and fears of a denominational breakup, United Methodists at their quadrennial General Conference decided yet again not to decide anything regarding LGBT rights. However, delegates voted 428-405 to allow the church’s Council of Bishops to appoint a commission to discuss whether to accept same-sex marriage or ordain LGBT clergy.

Same-sex marriage advocates work to oust WY judge
In what could be the nation’s first religious litmus test for holding a judicial post, the Wyoming Supreme Court is being asked to dismiss a municipal court judge because of her biblical views about marriage. Attorneys for Judge Ruth Neely argue the efforts of an unelected state commission to remove her from office are rooted in religious bias and misinterpretation of the law.

Churches hosting job fairs
Churches are partnering with Church Job Fairs, a faith-based organization that helps churches plan and promote job recruitment events. The events take place in local churches for the local community. The idea is simple: A church is meant to be a place of hope, encouragement, and love to its community. So why not host a job fair in a church and meet both physical and spiritual needs?

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion News, The Hill, Religion News, Baptist Press, WORLD Magazine

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The Briefing: Directive harmful to transgendered, abortion mandate cases returned

ib2newseditor —  May 17, 2016

The BriefingRestroom directive harms the transgendered
The Obama administration’s directive regarding restroom use for transgender students at public schools and universities likely will harm children struggling with their gender identity and increase the number who become transgendered. That’s the conclusion of two Southern Baptist psychologists who have treated adolescents with gender dysphoria.

Transgender bathroom laws worry even liberal parents
Girls from a swim team in New York City’s Upper West Side are too scared to use the women’s locker room at a Parks Department swimming pool. In March, a sign appeared noting that everyone has the the right to use the restroom or locker room consistent with their “gender identity or gender expression.” Around the same time, the girls became concerned after they saw a “bearded individual” in the women’s changing room.

Abortion mandate cases returned to lower courts
The U.S. Supreme Court returned to the lower courts for reconsideration a disagreement between religious objectors and the federal government over the Obama administration’s abortion/contraception mandate, which requires employers to make contraceptives available to their workers, including ones that can potentially induce abortions. The appeals involve the Little Sisters of the Poor and GuideStone Financial Resources.

Stetzer leaving LifeWay for Wheaton College
Dr. Ed Stetzer has been appointed to a newly created chair, The Billy Graham Distinguished Endowed Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism. In this role, he has been named Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College (BGCE). Stetzer shared some of the details as to why he’s making the move.

Going to church could help you live longer
Researchers have found that women who went to church more than once a week had a 33% lower risk of dying during the study period compared with those who said they never went. Women who regularly attended religious services also had higher rates of social support and optimism, had lower rates of depression and were less likely to smoke.

Sources: Baptist Press, Time, Baptist Press, Christianity Today, CNN

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Briefing: Moore and Trump battle, bathroom war escalates

ib2newseditor —  May 10, 2016

The BriefingTrump: ‘Moore Is Truly a Terrible Representative of Evangelicals’
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lashed out at ERLC President Russell Moore with a tweet May 9. The tweet comes after Moore told “Face the Nation”that “the Donald Trump phenomenon” is an “embrace of the very kind of moral and cultural decadence that conservatives have been saying for a long time is the problem.” He also noted some conservatives “now are not willing to say anything when we have this sort of reality television moral sewage coming through all over our culture.”

Evangelicals feel abandoned by GOP
Some conservatives whose voting decisions are guided by their Christian faith find themselves dismayed and adrift now that Trump has wrested control of the Republican Party. Even progressive Christians — evangelicals and Catholics, among others — who don’t necessarily vote Republican are alarmed that Trump is attracting many voters who call themselves religious.

Justice Dept., NC sue over bathroom law
The Justice Department and North Carolina filed dueling lawsuits May 9 over the state’s controversial “bathroom” law, with the Obama administration answering an early-morning lawsuit filed by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory with legal action of its own.

51 Illinois families sue over transgender bathroom policy
A group of 51 families whose children attend a Palatine, IL high school filed a federal lawsuit attempting to reverse a policy that allows a transgender student to use girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-specific facilities. They are challenging a policy at District 211 that was mandated by the U.S. Department of Education to accommodate the transgender student, who was born male but identifies as a female.

111 Methodist clergy come out as LGBT
Dozens of United Methodist clergy members came out as lesbian, gay or bisexual on May 9, defying their church’s ban on “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” serving in ministry and essentially daring their supervisors to discipline them.

Bono wants Christian music to get honest
When U2 musician Bono reads Psalms he sees the full range of human emotions: anger, irritation, sadness, bliss. Bono, who has become more outspoken about his Christian faith in recent years, is advocating Christian music return to the raw and honest emotion of the Psalms.

Sources: Christian Post, Baptist Press, Washington Post, Fox News, Daily Signal, CNN, Huffington Post

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The Briefing: ESPN edits out Schilling, companies oppose religious freedom bills

ib2newseditor —  May 3, 2016

The BriefingESPN edits Schilling out of sports history
ESPN edited out footage from Curt Schilling’s legendary “bloody sock” game when replaying a 2010 documentary about the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series comeback win. The move to cut him out of the documentary happened less than two weeks after the network fired him for objecting to laws allowing men who identify as transgender to use a women’s restroom.

Companies oppose religious freedom bills
Almost 200 bills have been proposed this year in more than 30 states that would limit or prohibit protection against discrimination for LGBT individuals, according to the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In response, large companies that have already contributed millions of dollars to HRC and other advocacy groups have been taking steps to coordinate their lobbying activities.

1 million Americans boycott Target
More than one million people have decided they will no longer buy their Nutter Butters or Wet Wipes at Target. The American Family Association launched a boycott of the nation’s second largest retailer over a week ago – over Target’s corporate policy allowing men who identify as women to use the bathrooms and fitting rooms of their choosing.

Student expelled for views on homosexuality
Former Missouri State University student Andrew Cash is suing the college for expelling him from the school’s counseling program based on his opposition to same-sex relationships. Cash, who began his master’s in counseling in 2007, was expelled from the program in 2014 for expressing his views on counseling homosexual couples on relationship issues.

Religious freedom deteriorating around the world
Religious freedom remains under “serious and sustained assault” around the globe, according to a new annual report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “At best, in most of the countries we cover, religious freedom has not gotten better,” commission chairman Robert P. George said May 2. “In the worst cases, it has spiraled further downwards.”

Sources: The Federalist, Bloomberg, Fox News, Baptist Press, Religion News

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The Briefing: Restroom battles continue, Bible museum to open in 2017

ib2newseditor —  April 26, 2016

The BriefingTransgender student wins restroom case appeal
In Virginia, federal appellate court has “for the first time ever” held that a public high school may not provide separate restrooms and locker rooms for students on the basis of biological sex alone, according to dissenting judge’s opinion. Although gender identity is not mentioned explicitly in Title IX, the judges said Supreme Court precedent requires that the Department of Education be allowed to interpret its own regulations where ambiguity exists.

#BoycottTarget reaches 500,000 signers
Less than a week after Target, the nation’s second-largest discount retailer, announced that transgender customers may use the restroom that “corresponds with their gender identity,” nearly 500,000 people have signed a #BoycottTarget online petition launched by the American Family Association.

Building the Museum of the Bible
When finished in 2017, the Museum of the Bible will be 430,000 square feet of exhibits dedicated to the Bible. The total cost will exceed $1 billion. The Green family, the same clan that owns the Hobby Lobby retail chain, has put up the seed money behind the project, including about $50 million to purchase the real estate on which the building sits in Washington, D.C.

Pro-abortion baby-shaped cookies
Pro-choicers go to great lengths not to use the term “babies” when it comes to unborn children. Which is what makes it ironic that a University of North Georgia pro-abortion group decide to feature cookies in the shape of said babies to promote keeping abortion legal.

Ga. fires physician for lay sermons
First Liberty Institute has filed a lawsuit for a bivocational lay minister and physician Eric Walsh, alleging the state of Georgia fired him because of sermons he delivered in the pulpit before his employment as a district health director. The termination violates Walsh’s rights to free speech, free exercise of religion and freedom of association guaranteed under the First Amendment, the suit asserts.

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion News, World Magazine, National Review, The Guardian, Baptist Press

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The Briefing: Call to prayer, most persecuted, tax-exemption questioned

ib2newseditor —  April 19, 2016

The BriefingSouthern Baptists called to prayer
On June 14, the entire Tuesday evening session of the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis will be committed to praying for spiritual leaders, our churches, nation, and world. Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd issued the call stating, “the critical need of the hour in America, the state of our churches, the needs of our pastors, the status of our evangelism or lack of it, and the exponential lostness of the world while we are bringing home hundreds of our missionaries… it is time to pray.”

New churches outpace dying ones
America is launching new Protestant churches faster than it loses old ones, attracting many people who previously didn’t attend church anywhere, new LifeWay Research studies show. More than 4,000 new churches opened their doors in 2014, outpacing the 3,700 that closed, according to estimates from 34 denominational statisticians.

Christian women most persecuted
A survey of 192 countries has demonstrated scientifically what many have long known anecdotally to be true: Christian women are more religious than Christian men. The lesser known fact: those women bear the brunt of persecution in the 50 countries where it is hardest to be a Christian.

Tax-exemptions for churches questioned
Massachusetts authorities have challenged the tax-exempt status of a Catholic shrine and retreat center. The center offers daily Masses, religious conferences, a soup kitchen for the hungry, and a Christmas festival of lights. The case which has gone to the state’s supreme court, begs a deeper question: Do religious organizations decide for themselves what they require for their devotional and educational missions, or do municipal tax authorities decide for them?

Porn labeled ‘public health hazard’
The effort to reverse the spread of sexually explicit material and its effects received a boost when Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution saying pornography is establishing “a public health crisis.” The first-of-its-kind resolution, which National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) helped craft and the state legislature approved unanimously, recognizes “the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change” to confront “the pornography epidemic.”

Sources: IB2news, Facts & Trends, Christianity Today, Boston Globe, BPnews.net

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The Briefing: ‘Ridiculous’ travel bans, abortion stories, unwelcome student groups

ib2newseditor —  April 12, 2016

The BriefingBans on travel to Miss., N.C., called ‘ridiculous’
At least nine U.S. cities and five states have banned non-essential travel by government employees to North Carolina, Mississippi or both, claiming religious liberty bills adopted there discriminate against homosexual and transgendered persons. Pastors and other Christian leaders call the bans “ridiculous.”

Women share abortion stories with the Supreme Court
Twenty-five years ago, two women found themselves in the same position: freshmen in college, pregnant and scared of derailing all they had worked toward. Both women walked into a Dallas abortion clinic. It’s what happened when they walked out, and in the weeks and decades that followed, that places them on opposite ends of the most significant abortion case to be heard by the Supreme Court in a quarter of a century. These and other women are sharing their abortion stories through friend-of-the-court briefs in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.

Colleges welcome diversity, except evangelical Christians
San Diego State University recently withdrew official on-campus recognition from an evangelical sorority and an evangelical fraternity, stripping them of the privileges that all other on-campus student organizations possess. The problem according to the university was that these Christian student organizations were engaging in discrimination because they restricted their members to Christians in agreement with their statements of faith.

The footnote that could split the Catholic church
Some believe a footnote in Pope Francis’ new exhortation on marriage and the family, Amoris Laetitia could cause fractures in the Catholic church. There is an ongoing debate in the church about admitting remarried couples to the Eucharist. The footnote could further inflame that debate. Francis wrote, “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments. Hence, ‘I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber, but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy’.”

Bible makes list of books most challenged
On the latest list of books most objected to at public schools and libraries, one title has been targeted nationwide, at times for the sex and violence it contains, but mostly for the legal issues it raises. The Bible.

Sources: Baptist Press, Washington Post, World Magazine, Gospel Coalition, Fox News

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The Briefing: Survey says Christians complain too much, IL judge says they must host same-sex weddings

Lisa Misner —  April 5, 2016

The BriefingIllinois judge orders Christian B&B to host same-sex wedding
An Illinois administrative judge has given the owners of a bed and breakfast one year to provide their facility to a gay couple “for an event celebrating their civil union.” The order, part of a decision handed down March 22 in a discrimination case filed by the two men, also includes an $80,000 fine.

Religious liberty focus of new study
A growing number of Americans believe religious liberty is on the decline and that the nation’s Christians face growing intolerance, according to a survey by LifeWay Research. Two-thirds (63%) say Christians face increasing intolerance, up from half (50%) in 2013. Those surveyed also noted American Christians complain too much.

Feds threaten NC aid over transgender law
The Obama administration is considering whether North Carolina’s new law on gay and transgender rights makes the state ineligible for billions of dollars in federal aid for schools, highways and housing. Cutting off federal money would put major new pressure on North Carolina to repeal the law, which prohibits transgender people from using public bathrooms that do not match the sexes on their birth certificates.

Abortion pill guidelines eased
The Food and Drug Administration has updated its guidelines concerning the abortion drug mifepristone, allowing women to take it later in pregnancy and with reduced medical supervision. The New York Times called the update “an unequivocal victory for abortion rights advocates.”

Evangelicals love baseball
Religion, it turns out, is a better predictor of who is a baseball fan than age or where one lives. A poll last year by CBS found that while there is a gender gap (but evangelical women are among baseball’s biggest fans), there are also religious differences. The “nones” are less likely to be fans; Catholics and evangelicals are more likely to root, root, root for the home team.

Sources: WORLD Magazine, Facts & Trends, New York Times, Baptist Press, Religion News Service

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