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CP U.S. | MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2022
By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter

Christian actor Kirk Cameron said that two public libraries are working with him to host a reading of his new faith-based children's book once Cameron indicated he was prepared to seek legal help after multiple libraries across the United States refused to host him.

The actor is scheduled to speak at the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Dec. 29 and at the Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York, the following day. The two libraries, which have previously hosted drag queen story hours and other programs celebrating the diversity of opinions, initially refused to host Cameron.

The libraries changed their minds after the actor and his publishing house, Brave Books, threatened to challenge the denials in court.

"I'm happy that the two libraries changed their decision and will allow my voice to be heard and my book to be read," the actor said in a statement published Monday by Fox News.

"I hope they realized that their position of denying me a story hour reading was not only unfair and illegal but that we would all be better off if we listened to each other's perspectives."

The 52-year-old actor hopes that "children from Indianapolis and Scarsdale can learn something about biblical wisdom and the fruits of the Spirit from 'As You Grow.'"

Cameron is best known for his work on the television sitcom "Growing Pains." Earlier this month, the actor published a book titled, As You Grow, which teaches children about biblical values, such as love, joy, peace, kindness and faithfulness.

In a Friday interview with CBN's Faithwire, the actor and children's book author revealed that he and his publishing house wrote a letter to libraries across the U.S. that refused to host him. They also sent a free copy of Cameron's book for the libraries to share with their patrons.

"If they double down on their discrimination and excluding certain viewpoints just because they think that they don't like them, well, then, I told them that I'm prepared to assert my constitutional rights in court," Cameron said.

"It's not OK to say 'yes' to drag queen story hours and teach children one kind of value and say 'no' to other community members who would like to have their children taught other values in the same library, in the same room, for the same amount of time as other people are allowed."

The "Growing Pains" star expressed surprise that libraries would hesitate to teach the values found in his book to children, emphasizing a need for the country to "get back to the Word of God."

In an interview with The Christian Post earlier this month promoting his film "Lifemark," a pro-life movie about adoption, Cameron encouraged Christian parents to involve themselves in the culture after over 50 libraries refused or ignored his request to host a reading of his book.

"We need all hands on deck. The family of faith needs to get off the defense, get on the offense, and when we do, we will join that great cloud of witnesses from the past," Cameron assured. "We will be part of God's loving army of compassion that cannot be stopped and the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it."

One of the libraries that declined to host Cameron, the Rochambeau Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island, told the actor's publisher, "No, we will pass on having you run a program in our space. We are a very queer-friendly library. Our messaging does not align."

https://www.christianpost.com/news/kirk-cameron-to-host-storyhour-at-libraries-that-rejected-him.html

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CP U.S. | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter

A new poll suggests that most Evangelical pastors serve in churches that don't allow women to serve as senior pastors but are open to letting females serve in other leadership roles.

Lifeway Research released a survey based on responses from 1,000 Protestant pastors Tuesday, inquiring about their views on the role of women in the Church. The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus +3.2%.

The poll, conducted from Sept. 1-29, 2021, revealed near-unanimous support among senior or sole pastors at Protestant churches for allowing women to take on some leadership roles within their churches, while support was much more divided regarding the ability of women to serve as senior pastors.

Scott McConnell, the executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement that "the reason some pastors make a distinction between women leading as pastors or deacons or even teaching men compared to other leadership roles is because of how they interpret the Bible."

"In the Apostle Paul's letters, he gives instructions to churches regarding these specific roles. But Protestant churches disagree on his intent," McConnell said.

Overall, 94% of respondents reported that their churches allow women to minister to children, 92% said that their church permits women to serve as committee leaders and 89% of those surveyed indicated that women can minister to teenagers at the church.

Most pastors responded that women at their churches may teach coed adult Bible studies (85%) and serve as deacons (64%). In comparison, a slight majority (55%) stated that women can become senior pastors at their churches.

Only 1% of the sample led churches that forbid women from serving in all of those roles. Forty-four percent of Evangelical pastors and 14% of Baptist pastors answered in the affirmative when asked if their church permitted women to serve as senior pastors.

Like Baptists, less than half of pastors affiliated with the Church of Christ (25%) and the Lutheran Church (47%) and 43% of non denominational pastors serve at churches that allow female senior pastors.

Majorities of Methodists (94%), Pentecostals (78%) and Presbyterian/Reformed Pastors (77%) come from churches that allow women to serve as senior pastors.

The overwhelming majority of Baptists noted that their churches allowed women to minister to children (90%) and teenagers (81%) and let them lead committees (87%). Still, the survey found that Baptist churches were less likely to allow women to minister to children than Pentecostals and Methodists. Almost all (99%) of pastors in both traditions asserted that women can serve in that role.

Lutherans (89%) and members of the Church of Christ (88%) were just about as likely as aptists (90%) to permit women to minister to children.

Pentecostals (98%) and Methodists (97%) were also more likely than Baptists (81%) to enable women to serve their churches by ministering to teenagers. A slightly higher share of Lutherans (87%) allowed women to minister, while the Church of Christ was the least likely to do so (74%).

When asked if women can lead committees at their churches, nearly all Methodist pastors (98%) said that they could, followed by 92% of Lutherans and 90% of Presbyterian/Reformed pastors.

Only 84% of pastors affiliated with the Church of Christ serve at churches that permit women to lead committees, a slightly smaller share than the 87% of Baptists.

Twenty-nine percent of Baptist pastors come from churches that allow women to serve as deacons, making them the least likely to allow women to obtain such a role.

About half of respondents affiliated with the Church of Christ (49%) say their churches permit female deacons, along with 60% of Lutherans, 83% of Pentecostals and 88% of Methodists.

All Methodist pastors surveyed let women lead coed adult Bible study groups, followed by 92% of Pentecostals, 88% of Presbyterian/Reformed pastors, 77% of Lutherans, 74% of Baptists and 62% of those leading congregations affiliated with the Church of Christ. While most non-denominational pastors represented churches that do not allow female pastors, 93% of them say their churches let women lead coed adult Bible study groups. The ability of churches to appoint female pastors has emerged as a source of contention within the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

When megachurch Pastor Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church ordained three women last year, others within the SBC wanted to expel his church from the association. Prominent SBC theologians released a statement affirming the declaration in Article VI of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 that "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."

The survey noted variances based on the geographic location of the church, the degree of educational attainment obtained by the pastors, their ages and the sizes of their churches.

Pastors in the Northeast (75%) were most likely to serve at churche that let women serve as pastors, along with 60% of pastors with a master's degree, 60% of pastors aged 65 and older, 59% of pastors between the ages of 55 and 64 and 66% of pastors leading churches with less than 50 members.

On the other hand, less than half of pastors between the ages of 18 and 44 (49%), pastors with a bachelor's degree (46%), pastors leading congregations with attendance ranging from 100 to 249 (46%) and those with more than 250 congregants (41%) say their churches allow women pastors.

Similarly, pastors in the Northeast (77%) and Midwest (69%) are more likely than their counterparts in the South (56%) to say their churches allow female deacons.

Pastors with a master's degree (69%) were also more likely than those with a bachelor's degree (68%) or no college degree at all (56%) to represent churches permitting women to serve as deacons. Leaders of small churches with less than 50 attendees (71%) were also more inclined to say their churches allow women to serve as deacons than pastors of churches with 100 or more attendees (59%).

Ninety-one percent of pastors with master's degrees represent churches allowing women to minister to teenagers compared to 85% of pastors with bachelor's degrees. At the same time, 92% of pastors leading congregations between 50 and 99 members say their churches permit women to serve in such roles compared to 85% of pastors with congregations of 250 or more.

Older pastors were more likely than their younger counterparts to lead churches allowing women to serve as coed adult Bible study teachers, with 89% of pastors between the ages of 55 and 64, 87% of pastors aged 65 and older and 80% of pastors between the ages of 18 and 44 leading churches allowing women to serve in that role. Pastors in the Northeast (89%) were likelier than those in the Midwest (81%) to say the same.

The survey also identified pastors between the ages of 55 and 64 as the most likely group to say their churches allow women to minister to children (97%) and pastors without a college degree as the least likely group to say their churches permit female committee leaders (82%).

Most Evangelical churches don't let women serve as senior pastors | U.S. News (christianpost.com)

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The Tennessean
Angele Latham, Nashville Tennessean
November 27, 2022

A national religious liberty law firm, which recently won a major U.S. Supreme Court case on prayer at high school football games, is now supporting a Tennessee county’s inclusion of Judeo-Christian references in an official document.

First Liberty, which defends cases of religious liberty and expression, won before the high court on behalf of Washington football coach Joseph Kennedy in the recent Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case.

Kennedy accused the school district of violating his First Amendment rights after he was put on administrative leave for refusing to stop praying with students mid-field after games ended. In a historic decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Kennedy’s favor, changing decades-held precedents on the separation of church and state and spurring debates on how far the new standard goes.

Now, the firm is weighing in on the controversy in Sumner County. The county commission included a sentence in a newly passed preamble to an official document ensuring the commissioners act “reflective of the Judeo-Christian values inherent in our nation's founding.”

The Kennedy case is spurring disagreement on if and how it can apply to Sumner County.

Kennedy case establish new First Amendment test, lawyer says

Roger Byron, senior counsel at First Liberty, sent Nov. 9 letter to the commission detailing the results of the Kennedy case and assuring the commission that its decision was not in violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

“Kennedy was a landmark decision that clarified and now controls Establishment Clause matters under the First Amendment,” Byron said in the letter.

In an interview with The Tennessean, Byron said in his view conversations surrounding the preamble were leaving out key legal arguments.

“None of the commentary — none of the advice that we saw — even mentioned Kennedy and its requirements," Byron said.

"And Kennedy is the landmark Establishment Clause decision.” Byron argued the Kennedy decision cleared the Sumner County Commission, as the Kennedy case established “where the line is” for religious expression.

“Kennedy makes it clear — where is the line between what is fine under the First Amendment, as far as Establishment Clauses go, and what isn’t,” he said. “And the line is, ‘Does the government action or government decision faithfully reflect the understanding of the founding fathers? ’… The Establishment Clause must be interpreted by reference to that — by the historical practices and understanding of the founders.”

Byron said the standard for the past 50 years — known as the Lemon Test and the Endorsement Test — are no longer applicable in the wake of the Kennedy decision.

Under the Lemon Test, governments could could assist religion only if the primary purpose was secular, the aid neither promoted nor inhibited religion and there was no excessive entanglement between church and state.

“The court made clear that (the Lemon Test) has been abandoned and that in place of that test, we now have Kennedy’s requirements," Byron said. "Now we to evaluate these questions on whether or not the government is faithfully reflecting the understanding of the founding fathers."

Based on Kennedy, Byron said the Sumner County preamble easily falls within the realm of allowable religious expression.

“When you look at the historical practices and understandings of our founding fathers, and where the county refers to Judeo-Christian values,  we're talking about the values of honesty, integrity, fair-dealing, hard-work, justice and basic morality,” he said. “Those values permeate our founding documents. They permeated the understandings of the founding fathers. So yes, I see what this dedication to these values is and it’s perfectly in line with established law.”

Although Byron considers this case to be “in line” with established law, he would not detail what he considered a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Bryon said the same arguments would not apply if the preamble mentioned a faith tradition beyond Christianity.

“We know that many of our founders were deeply committed and all of them deeply influenced by what we call Judeo-Christian values,” he said. "So the question there would be: were they deeply influenced by Hindu values, for example? Do we find historical practices in understanding that indicate that?”

Essentially, according to Byron, the preamble is acceptable because it references values that are consistent with “historical practices and understandings” — values that happen to be Judeo-Christian. If a different religion was referenced, it would only be acceptable if the values referenced could be backed up by historical evidence.

‘History and tradition’ misconstrued, Freedom From Religion lawyer says

Pushback against the preamble came swiftly after its adoption in early October. The county's own interim attorney advised the commission against passing it, saying it would be an Establishment Clause violation.

David Hudson, a professor at Belmont University’s College of Law and a First Amendment expert, called it “clear violation,” and Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said it was “illegal” and “just plain rude.”

Following First Liberty's letter to the commission, Sammi Lawrence, a legal fellow with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, disagreed with the interpretation that the Kennedy case applies to Sumner County.

“First off, I would say that the Kennedy case is very much confined to its facts in the public school context, and in the ‘individual private prayer within the school context’ for school employees,” Lawrence said.

“I don't really see Kennedy applying to this situation much at all. It is true that the court and in the Kennedy opinion said that the Establishment Clause should be evaluated based on history and permission, but they were not specific as to what that even meant.”

Lawrence said Kennedy could not be used as a testing standard as Lemon was before.

“I don't agree that there is a so-called Kennedy test,” she said. “I think that right now we're in a space where we don't know what ‘history and tradition’ necessarily even means. But I would argue that history and tradition certainly does not mean a local government just gets to declare that it's based on Judeo-Christian values.”

Lawrence did agree the Lemon Test was overruled, but said the boundaries of the Establishment Clause are still being explored under this new case.

“But they weren't specific as to what test replaces it," she said. "They just said the Establishment Clause should be evaluated based on history and tradition — but that's not really a test. That's a very vague statement, right? What history what tradition? How far back is that going?”

If the case is purely based on the merit of tradition, Lawrence said it is a prime example of the misconstruing of America’s religious history.

“This is actually a fantastic example because the entire concept of ‘Judeo-Christian values’ did not even exist until the mid-1900s,” she said. “That term was not a term that anyone used. So ‘Judeo-Christian values’ were not a part of the framing of the Constitution because the Founding Fathers would never have conceptualized Judaism or Christianity that way.”

Lawrence said the preamble undoubtedly showed favoritism to Christianity.

“And under current Supreme Court precedent, the government is supposed to be neutral towards religion, non-religion and between religions," she said. "Even in the Supreme Court cases of Kennedy and Carson v. Makin — those reinforced the majority opinion that the government is supposed to be neutral.”

Turbulent future predicted

Going forward, both Lawrence and Byron are preparing for a turbulent future for the standards of the First Amendment, as a majority-conservative U.S. Supreme Court sets the stage for rulings that are friendlier toward religious expression than previous iterations of the court.

“That is something that we are monitoring,” Lawrence said. “We are looking at strategies as an organization to determine what we think the direction of the First Amendment and religious cases are going to be, and how we will have a place in that.” 

In a social media post, the First Liberty Foundation expressed their eagerness to “go on the offense to restore faith in America” following the Kennedy case.

“What I see now is that we have a judiciary, including the Supreme Court, that is willing to apply and interpret the actual law and faithfully do so,” Byron said. “Clearly with Kennedy we have returned to that. We are going to apply what the law actually is. We are going to take the Constitution and apply it for what it actually says. So when you have a judiciary or a court that clearly sees and understands the importance of preserving and defending religious freedom, our free speech rights and all of our enumerated rights in the Constitution, I think only good things are coming.”

The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fresh off prayer win, firm backs Sumner County Judeo-Christian preamble
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fresh-off-us-supreme-court-030112837.html

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CP U.S. | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 06, 2022

57% of churchgoers younger than 50 want other members to vote the same way they do
By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter

As voters prepare to cast their ballots for the midterm elections, a recent study says that most Protestants prefer to attend a church where the congregation’s political views align with theirs.

According to a study released Tuesday by Lifeway Research, an organization that surveys ongoing trends in church ministries, 50% of non-Catholics surveyed in the U.S. prefer to attend a politically homogenous church, while 41% disagreed and 10% were uncertain.

At least 55% of participants believe they are attending a church that shares their political views. Fewer than a quarter disagreed (23%) or aren’t sure (22%).

Lifeway Research conducted the survey online from Sept. 19-29, using a national prerecruited panel of over 1,000 Americans. The study’s margin of error was +/- 3.3%, with a 95% confidence level.

“Studies have shown that voting patterns and political affiliation correlate with the type of church and amount of church involvement someone has,” Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement. “But when asked if churchgoers want political similarity to flow back into their church relationships, this is desirable for only half of churchgoers.”

In a 2017 Lifeway Research study, 46% of participants said they would rather attend a church with people who share their same politicalpreferences. The recent study found that 1 % of Protestants strongly agree they prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, up from 12% in 2017.

The recent survey also found that younger churchgoers were more likely than older ones to prefer the church they attend to share their views.

Fifty-seven percent of those younger than 50 said they want their fellow congregants to vote the same way they do. In comparison, 47% of churchgoers ages 50 to 65, and 41% who are 65 and older said the same.

Ethnicity and education also played a factor in how much emphasis U.S. churchgoers placed on politics. Fifty-four percent of whites said they prefer to attend church with people who share their politics, compared to 53% of African Americans and 25% of Hispanics.

Individuals with no college degree or less than a high school education (44%) were among the least likely to care whether they attended church with people who hold the same political views.

How many participants cared about their fellow congregant's politics varied based on denomination. Eighty-eighty percent of Methodists and 80% of Restorationist movement churchgoers were more likely to care about other members' political alignments.

Forty-seven percent of Baptists and Presbyterians/Reformers prefer to attend church with people who share a common political perspective, compared to 38% of Lutherans.

Another 38% of participants who identify as nondenominational voiced a preference for churches that share their politics.

Respondents with Evangelical beliefs (44%) were less likely than those who don’t fully accept the four core Evangelical theology statements (54%) to care if other church attendees shared their political opinions.

“If one looks at the culture today, you might assume that most churches have been arguing over politics as well,” McConnell said.

“While it appears more churchgoers notice the political views of other attendees, only 28% of pastors agree (14% strongly) that their church has experienced significant conflict in the last year,” he continued, citing a 2021 Lifeway Research study of more than 1,500 Evangelical and Black Protestant pastors.

“Those who want political continuity may simply want a respite from political strife at church, and others may want to move together in political action,” McConnell said.

Earlier this month, Rasmussen Reports released a national survey of 1,155 U.S. adults. It found that 42% of respondents said they think the U.S. would be better off if more people attended religious services regularly, with responses varying depending on participants' political views.

Thirty-six percent of Democrats and 65% of Republicans said the country would benefit from more people attending religious services regularly. Thirty percent of people unaffiliated with either party said the same thing. Another 13% said more Americans attending services more often would make the country worse, while 15% said they weren't sure.

The survey was conducted online and by phone from Sept. 20-21, with the margin of sampling error at +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.

More Protestants want church to share their politics: survey | U.S. News (christianpost.com)

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BY BEN JOHNSON/THE WASHINGTON STAND NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Dawn broke crisp and clear over Mount Sinai on Sunday morning, as half a dozen climate activists gathered to adorn their cause with religious overtones. They chose the site based on its proximity to COP27, a global climate summit now underway at Sinai coastal resort Sharm El-Sheikh, but once chosen they couldn't resist conscious parallels to Moses receiving the Old Covenant.

Organizer Yosef Abramowitz, a solar energy CEO who stands to profit from a global commitment to green energy, was convinced he had received a heavenly sign to "proceed with the climate covenant, the 10 climate commandments." Participants took turns reading out the "commandments" -- or rather, "principles," more like guidelines than actual rules -- before Abramowitz smashed two stone tablets on the ground, in clear imitation of the prophet Moses.

Yet the imitation lacked the weightiness of the original. In this ceremony was no "blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them" (Hebrews 12:18-19). Once so holy that Moses must walk unshod (Exodus 3:5), the mountain is ordinary, if ruggedly beautiful without the manifest presence of God; these activists needed not, and did not, bother to remove their shoes.

The tablets for smashing were "already a little bit broken," cracked into several pieces. The commandments were not chiseled into stone by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18) but "written in handwriting" on a paper notepad. For a group so overtly appropriating religious symbolism, they treated the whole affair far too lightly.

That was only the beginning of the inconsistencies. The authors of the climate principles couldn't even make it through one without usurping God's authority for mankind. Climate Principle 1 states, "Creation is not our possession. We are grateful for God's gifts and the gift of life itself [so far, so good]. Taking our rightful place as a partner and co-creator, we recognize our human responsibility to love and protect the natural world."

They must have missed the part where it says, "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day" (Exodus 20:11). If someone can invent his own organisms and matter out of nothing, then he can claim co-creator status. Not to mention the implication that, as God's "partner," we aren't required to keep his commandments. Not only does this principle rob God of all his authority, but it claims it is "our rightful place" to do so.

Climate Principle 2 is worse, if that's possible. "Nature is permeated by God's presence and being, by the spiritual, manifesting ultimate reality in every particle. We must treat all life with reverence and awe." That could pass as a textbook definition of a class of worldviews known as "panentheism." It is quite distinct and incompatible with the Bible's teaching that God is a personal, spiritual being.

As the Ten Commandments begin, "And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery'" (Exodus 20:1-2). Either God has a personal relationship with his people and accomplishes their salvation through distinct acts, or he permeates all of nature as a mystical reality. Both cannot be true.

These first two principles combine radically unbiblical teachings with relatively biblical ethical implications. We are God's stewards of everything he has given us. We should care about other creatures and the natural world. But we must reach neither conclusion by making ourselves equal with God or degrading his character.

In retrospect, the opening song of the semi-religious ceremony portended the theological anarchy to follow. Jewish and Christian participants (who disagree most profoundly about whether Jesus is or is not "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16) joined in the agnostic dirge, "Hallelujah" -- not the chorus, but the pop song.

A third noteworthy statement is Climate Principle 4, which states, "Humanity's task is to nurture and serve life, to resist the temptation to greed, arrogance, exploitation, waste, and harm. We recognize human responsibility for the well-being of all life today, and for future generations." It's curious that they have replaced the responsibility for "father and mother" from the fifth commandment, which conveys a promise of living long in the land, with a responsibility "for future generations."

The well-being of future generations is too great a burden for man "for he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?" Everything we work for, we "must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?" (Ecclesiastes 8:7, 2:18-19). It's difficult to recognize the wisdom in replacing God's instructions with their own.

The rest of the principles rely on vague platitudes from "we are all part of a greater, interdependent whole" to "act mindfully." Taken together, they communicate the notion that humanity is only an insignificant but potentially destructive part of a vast ecosystem.

There is little, if any recognition, that only mankind possesses the dignity of being created in God's own image and being tasked with rightful dominion to "fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:26, 28).

When God delivered the Ten Commandments, he spoke with all the authority of the omnipotent, sovereign Creator, who had just humiliated and destroyed the ancient world's superpower and itsentire pantheon. "You shall" or "you shall not," he ordered. The people trembled in fear and agreed to obey (Exodus 20:18, 24:7).

So, when Moses smashed the stone tablets on which God had written the words of the covenant, it signaled the Lord's just wrath towards them for violating the covenant.

When the Ten Climate Principles were delivered, it authors could muster no authority over others. "We must," was its not-veryimperative form. Interfaith climate activists have used at least three other sets of "ten climate principles" this week. "We look down to Sharm el-Sheikh and we're not satisfied," said Abramowitz. In contrast, the eternally happy God declares, "my counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose" (Isaiah 46:10)

The climate activists did get one thing right: COP27 is unlikely to yield the drastic, international policy alterations activists demand (Abramowitz declared himself dissatisfied with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement). Egyptian sources have confirmed that 400 private jets have arrived at Sharm el-Sheikh for the conference -- hardly a sign of deep, ideological commitment from the attendees.

One major obstacle, as Abramowitz has noted, is that countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, and China will block or water down language requiring too much renunciation of fossil fuels. Without their cooperation, the ambitious targets he seeks will be mathematically impossible to meet (that's why President Joe Biden is lobbying China on climate change, not genocide). But in keeping with the climate movements religious fervor, Abramowitz is hoping for a miracle.

Originally published at The Washington Stand
https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5729

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CP POLITICS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022
Fundraiser references forcible conversions of Christians
By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter

A coalition of Christian and interfaith leaders in Texas are calling on members of U.S. Congress to condemn "anti-Christian hate and bigotry" from a local nonprofit they say is raising funds to demolish churches in India.

The Federation of Indian American Christian Organization in North America (FIACONA) held a news conference Tuesday, warning that the Texas-based Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) is raising money in the United States to level churches and forcibly convert Christians and Muslims in India to Hinduism.

A Dec. 13 letter obtained by The Christian Post and addressed to U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the Internal Revenue Service and others alleges GHHF is "one of many Hindu supremacist groups" using the U.S. as an "operating base" to promote violence against Christians in India.

Founded in 2006, GHHF advocates an ideology known as Hindutva, or extremist Hindu supremacism, which holds that India belongs solely to Hindus to the exclusion of an estimated 220 million Indian Christians and Muslims, according to the statement.

The letter — which was also co-signed by Church of The Way in Frisco and Concerned Indian American Christians in DFW — accuses GHHF and similar groups of "funding and actively promoting" attacks on churches in India, including vandalizing prayer spaces, harassing Sunday worshippers, molesting women and breaking into church buildings. In addition to the letter, a copy of an invitation to a Nov. 27 gala dinner hosted by GHHF was also shared at the news conference.

The invitation — which includes the GHHF logo and contact info for its chairman, Dr. Prakasarao Velagapudi — states that part of the event's agenda included "Ghar Vapsi," which is the forced religious conversion of Indian Christians and Muslims to Hinduism and Sikhism.

"We find it extremely disturbing and dangerous that GHHF would use U.S. soil and Texas land to explicitly advertise their goal to cause such great harm to Indian Christians, who already face enormous persecution daily," the letter stated. GHHF did not respond to a request for comment from CP.

In front of a large Christmas tree outside Frisco City Hall, several pastors and other Christian leaders joined members of the local Indian Christian community to call for lawmakers to take a closer look at the activities of GHHF.

One of those who spoke at the press conference was Pastor Bryan Nerren of the International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Nerren was detained in India for seven months in 2019 after an airport customs dispute.

Nerren's ordeal ended in May 2020 when India dropped all charges against him and returned his passport.

"At that time, all of us here would've thought the battle and the fight and the persecution for the Christians were in India on the other side of the world," Nerren said at Tuesday's news conference. "But here I am, three years later, in Frisco, Texas, to say out loud that fight there has made its way to our community."

Bishop Justin Meyer of the Anglican Diocese of the Emmaus Way warned that the fundraising issue is not just about Indian Christians but about "our national security and the ability for law enforcement to do their jobs effectively."

"Historically, India has been a place of peace and plurality, but today many groups have become radicalized and have exported that hatred here to the United States," he said. "If we don't open our eyes now to what is happening in our own backyards, the consequences will be dire."

Ray Willkins, the pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church, said the fight for religious liberty for people of other faiths should also involve Christians here at home.

"We believe that if we don't have religious liberty for all, then we don't have religious liberty for any, because once we start denying religious liberty for one group, then it's a slope where all groups begin to have their rights and freedoms ... taken away," said Wilkins.

Pieter Friedrich, freelance journalist and activist specializing in the issue of Hindu nationalism, delivered a dire warning for Christians in India, whom he said to face "impending genocide" at the hands of the "Hindu supremacist" movement.

Calling for GHHF to be "investigated, exposed and stopped," Friedrich said the nonprofit "has a long track record of promoting a similarly toxic, hateful and supremacist agenda."

"It has described Christian pastors as leeches and has patined the entire Muslim community as engaging in persistent terror," he said. "GHHF has further declared, for instance, that if Christians are coming to convert our Hindus, we should drive them away, and we should not even allow them to talk about their religion."

Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney declined to comment on GHHF, saying only that "international relations and concerns being raised about GHHF are beyond the City of Frisco's level of governance."

Hindus comprise more than 80% of India's population, while about 2% are Christians and about 15% are Muslims.

Last year, Open Doors USA ranked India as the 10th most dangerous nation for Christian persecution. Christian persecution watchdog Voice of the Martyrs labels India a "hostile" country because of efforts by extremist Hindu organizations to forcibly "unite" India under Hinduism.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom warns that religious freedom conditions in India have taken a "drastic turn downward" in recent years as "national and various state governments" have tolerated "widespread harassment and violence against religious minorities."

Texas charity fundraised to demolish churches in India | Politics News (christianpost.com)

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The Sault News
Sharon Kennedy
November 12, 2022

Regardless of how Tuesday’s election went, if you’re not aware of the roadshow Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn is putting on, you should be. It hasn’t received much media attention, but if ever there was a mockery of Christianity, this is it.

As Flynn and his band of devotees hit the road, they lead their audiences in a prayer that the “Angel of Death will visit Trump’s critics and reign vengeance upon them.” If you’re familiar with the Old Testament, you know such a curse smacks of the God of Wrath, not of Jesus who spoke of love and forgiveness.

Christian nationalism has been around a long time, but never has it been more vocal in its hatred of the truth and outright rage against Democrats. If the concept is new to you, it’s an ideology promoting extreme right-wing political views that declare the foundation of our country is rooted in Christianity.

Jefferson and other Founding Fathers might disagree. Some believed in Deism, considered a philosophical “ism” relying on human reasoning to solve a nation’s problems. Some were atheists. And yes, some were Christians. However, that whack job, Marjorie Taylor Green and the organizers of the ReAwaken America Roadshow Tour, Flynn and Clay Clark, shout apocalyptic politics as attendees are baptized, their cash is gathered and the daylights are scared out of them. The event is as dramatic as any put on by evangelist Joel Osteen and his gang of thieves.

According to a recent Pew Research report, 45% of respondents think the U.S. should be a Christian nation but disagree on exactly what that term means. According to Pew, “A growing number of religious and political leaders are embracing the ‘Christian Nationalist’ label and some dispute the founders wanted a separation of church and state. Others, including leaders of many Christian churches, are pushing back against the movement calling it a ‘danger’ to the country.”

Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee which advocates for religious freedom for all, said, “Christian Nationalism undermines and attacks foundational values in American democracy. The ReAwaken cause is a partisan political tour to spread misinformation, perpetuate the Big Lie and to have a different result in the next election.”

If you want to learn more about this movement, here’s a link to get started: pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/michael-flynnreawaken-america-tour. You’ll be amazed at what you see and hear. It will literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Things once thought strange, such as the handling of snakes in some Appalachian churches, will pale in comparison.

Because I was raised Catholic, I’m aware that fear is the ultimate weapon for obedience. When God is seen as a wicked master who must be obeyed under pain of mortal sin and hell fire, I understand the necessity to frighten people into believing things that are not true.

Much of what I was taught from my Baltimore II Catechism was dependent upon church dogma, not the St. Joseph Catholic Bible. So when I listen to self-anointed preachers like Flynn and Greene who stir crowds into frenzies, I know the intent of their “Christian” agenda is questionable. It seems clear their goal is to steer mainstream Christians away from the teachings of Jesus and back to the curses of Deuteronomy if God’s law isn’t followed to the letter. A violent minority sect is pushing extremist beliefs on people who are being scared witless by liars. Where do you stand in all of this?

Sharon Kennedy: Beware Gen. Flynn’s pro-Trump roadshow (yahoo.com)

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BY JONATHON VAN MAREN/BRIDGEHEAD.CA
DECEMBER 08, 2022

One of the particularly dispiriting aspects of the LGBT movement's cultural triumph has been watching them successfully colonize beloved children's franchises, many of which feature prominently in childhood memories of parents who looked forward to introducing these stories and characters to their own children.

I've tried to keep careful track of these developments for precisely that reason--parents who loved Peppa Pig, Scooby-Doo, Arthur, and other children's stories need to know that these franchises have been co-opted by the LGBT movement to sell their ideology to children.

As I noted earlier this year, the LGBT activists have recently come for American Girl. American Girl was founded in 1986. Initially a line of historical dolls, they were released with a series of novels on each of the girls from different periods in American history.

Both the books and the dolls became explosively popular in short order, especially in the 1990s. My younger sister saved up for over half a year to buy one, and the books--which are very well-written historical novels and a great way to introduce different eras to children--made a regular appearance.

We have many of them in our home library now, and my five-yearold daughter is currently obsessed with Samantha, a little girl from the early 1900s.

Now, of course, American Girl has introduced LGBT characters into one storyline, and fuelled much online speculation that one of the characters is a lesbian (this sort of retroactive rewriting has been common--see Jo March of Little Women, etc.) But a recent development is far, far more disturbing.

To the horror of many parents, a new book released under the American Girl brand titled A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image gives advice to children as young as three years old on changing their gender. The book is targeted to girls between the ages of three and 12, and was authored by resident American Girl author Mel Hammond. It is for sale on both the American Girl websites and in bookstores nationwide.

"If you haven't gone through puberty yet," the book advises, "the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity." Another passage: "Parts of your body may make you feel uncomfortable and you may want to change the way you look...That's totally OK!"

And another: "You can appreciate your body for everything that it allows you to experience and still want to change certain things about it." Even more insidiously, the book states: "If you don't have an adult you trust, there are organizations across the country that can help you. Turn to the resources on page 95 for more information."

American Girl has been a trusted brand for parents for decades, and many might easily purchase the book for their daughters on the strength of the brand recognition--not realizing that within its covers, an activist is encouraging transition, introducing them to gender ideology, and promoting interventions like puberty blockers that cause irreversible damage.

On top of that, within the book presumably purchased by parents or adults, American Girl is providing the names of activist organizations that children can privately reach out to without the knowledge of their parents if there is no "adult you can trust."

This is grooming girls into gender ideology, explicitly without the knowledge or consent of their parents, perpetrated by one of the most recognizable brands for girls in the United States.

So parents--be warned, and be careful. The children's franchises and stories you once trusted may no longer be trustworthy. It is no longer enough to simply purchase the familiar, because many of these brands have unfortunately become a Trojan Horse for the LGBT movement.

Originally published at The Bridgehead
https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5773

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BY BEN JOHNSON/THE WASHINGTON STAND
NOVEMBER 07, 2022

President Joe Biden called laws aimed at preventing minors from undergoing transgender injections, mutilation, or castration "outrageous" and "immoral" -- a position that critics tell The Washington Stand is itself immoral, hypocritical, and guilty of inflicting greater moral damage than America's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year.

"It's wrong" to protect minors from using puberty-blockers or undergoing life-altering surgeries "as a moral question and as a legal question. ... No state should be able to do that," said Biden during an interview with a man who identifies as female, which streamed online last weekend. "The trans part's not immoral; what they're trying to do to trans persons is immoral," he clarified.

"What is immoral is the president placing parents and their vulnerable children in the crosshairs of activists by advancing this dangerous LGBT narrative and attempting to foreclose avenues of real help for those struggling with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria," Mary Beth Waddell, director of Federal Affairs at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand.

Biden's views clash with the vast majority of voters; 79% of Americans believe minors should not be allowed to use cross-sex hormones or undergo surgical procedures based on their gender identity, a new Trafalgar poll found. Biden's comments also came as the U.K.'s National Health Service banned the use of puberty blockers and transgender surgeries for anyone under the age of 18 out of concern that underage patients may be going through a "transient phase."

Studies have long shown nearly nine out of 10 children who struggle with gender dysphoria embrace their biological sex by adulthood. The NHS said a "watchful" approach would minimize the lifelong damage wrought by socalled "gender-affirming care."

Detransitioners say the process to gender transition needs far greater legal and public scrutiny. "I literally lost organs," said Chloe Cole, who had a double mastectomy at age 15 before accepting her birth sex less than a year later. "No child should have to experience what I have." Similarly, Walt Heyer wrote his book, "TransLife Survivor," for "others to catch a glimpse of the raw emotions and experiences of people who are harmed by the grand -- and dangerous -- experiment of cross-sex hormones and surgical affirmation procedures."

At its annual Pray Vote Stand summit last month, FRC hosted the CHANGED Movement, a grassroots organization of individuals who left the LGBT lifestyle to find spiritual freedom, joy, and healthy lives. "Many of these individuals did so via various forms of therapy, all of which the president would see made illegal," Waddell told TWS.

'Not in Communion with the Catholic Faith'

President Biden, who describes his opponents as immoral nearly as often as he calls himself a "devout" Roman Catholic, contradicts his faith's moral doctrines on gender identity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law," and that "everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity."

Yet the president has repeatedly implied that God designed people's inclination to reject their God-given biology. Biden's comments represent an "abject failure of catechesis," commented Andrew T. Walker, managing editor of World magazine's opinion section and a Christian ethics professor at a Southern Baptist seminary. "Misunderstanding church teaching is one thing; but praising that which is unjust is just a whole different level."

"Mr. Biden is not in communion with the Catholic faith," said Most Rev. Charles Chaput, the archbishop of Philadelphia, on Saturday concerning the second Catholic president's views on social issues, particularly abortion.

"And any priest who now provides Communion to the president participates in his hypocrisy."

Conversion for Gender, But Not Sexual Orientation?

While Biden claims critics are wrong to prevent minors from attempting to change their gender, he has attempted to ban Americans of all ages from receiving counseling about unwanted sexual attraction. This June, in the middle of Pride Month, he signed an executive order to "reduce the risk of youth exposure to" reparative therapy (which its detractors call "conversion therapy").

The White House called the practice "harmful," ordered the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether it should be considered a "deceptive" practice, and ordered the United States Agency for International Development to "develop an action plan to promote an end to its use around the world."

The White House did not say how trying to eradicate the use of counseling worldwide dovetailed with its claim to support patient autonomy.

"Everyone has the right to walk away from sexual practices and experiences that don't work for them, and to have support to do so," Dr. Joseph Nicolosi Jr., a licensed, clinical psychologist, told The Washington Stand. His late father pioneered reparative therapy; the younger Nicolosi now practices the slightly different reintegrative therapy at the Breakthrough Clinic.

"In a client-therapist relationship, the client's in the driver's seat. They set their own goals, which the therapist helps them achieve. I meet people where they're at and help them resolve the issues that are causing them conflict, affirm them in their journey, and help them achieve their goals."

"The government shouldn't be deciding" whether struggling teens access therapy to overcome unwanted feelings of sexual attraction, Nicolosi Jr. told TWS.

Yet the Biden administration calls these forms of psychological or behavioral therapy harmful, while lauding irreversible surgery. "This has nothing to do with caring for individuals. This is all about a political agenda," said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Monday's "Washington Watch."

David Reaboi, a 2012 Lincoln fellow at the Claremont Institute, called Biden's answer "a far lower moment for the United States morally and spiritually than the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan. It's hard -- probably impossible -- to make sense of this without religion."

Originally published at The Washington Stand

Biden's Dangerous And Immoral Support For Youth Trans Surgery
(prophecynewswatch.com)