According to Christian News Network, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has filed a petition asking that the Court order all county clerks to uphold Proposition 8 and not continue issuing “marriage” licenses to homosexuals. ADF “has been one of the main legal entities defending Proposition 8 in the courts, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to rule on the matter last month. The court had stated that those defending Proposition 8 in Hollingsworth v. Perry did not have legal standing in the case, since California government officials decided not to appeal the lower court’s ruling, which found the state’s marriage amendment unconstitutional.”
Author Archives: Marsha West
Judge Blocks Wisconsin’s New Abortion Law: Restrictions Will Cause ‘Irreparable Harm’ to Women–Garret Daily
Federal Appeals Court Rejects Christian University’s Request to Overturn ObamaCare
Fox News reports:
A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday rejected a Christian university’s bid to overturn the Obama administration’s health care law.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing Liberty University’s lawsuit.
Liberty argued the employer health insurance mandate of the Affordable Care Act violates the school’s religious rights by requiring it to provide coverage for abortion inducing drugs. The appeals court found no merit in the claim.
What Would Jesus Have You Do?
The question all Christians must ask themselves in their decision-making process is not so much “What would Jesus do?” but “What would Jesus have you do?” The way in which Christians conduct their lives is to be based on solid biblical principles—what Jesus says—certainly not based on what our corrupt culture deems appropriate. Yet a large number of professing Christians live as if they’re excused from the moral example God has set forth for His people in Scripture.
In this piece Marsha West offers food for thought on the do’s and don’t’s of Christian living. She begins:
No question, we are a culture that loves to be entertained. Even churches have caught on to the public’s desire for 24/7 entertainment. As a consequence, a large number of evangelical churches are now driven by a need to fulfill this desire in their congregants. And what better way to pack the house in ginormous auditoriums than to offer a 90 minute stage show enhanced with state-of-the-art sound, lighting and video systems.
Lights, camera, action!
Gay couples to sue for the right to marry in Pennsylvania
Bush on Homosexuality: ‘I Shouldn’t Take Speck Out of Someone’s Eye When I Have Log in My Own’
Christian News Network reports:
During a recent trip to Africa to help renovate a cancer screening clinic in Zambia, former president George W. Bush used Scripture to outline his belief that the world should not be “overly critical” of homosexuality.
A Zambian reporter had asked Bush how he feels about the issue of same-sex “marriage,” and whether it is compatible with Christianity.
IVF Baby Born Using Revolutionary Genetic-Screening Process
In this piece, The Guardian reveals IVF’s slippery slope:
The first IVF baby to be screened using a procedure that can read every letter of the human genome has been born in the US. Connor Levy was born on 18 May after a Philadelphia couple had cells from their IVF embryos sent to specialists in Oxford, who checked them for genetic abnormalities. The process helped doctors at the couple’s fertility clinic in the US select embryos with the right number of chromosomes. These have a much higher chance of leading to a healthy baby.
Video: Medical Experts Confirm Unborn Children Feel Pain During Abortion
Life News reports on this disturbing story and shares a video from Texas Right to Life:
Three medical specialists discuss the science of preborn children experiencing pain during an abortion procedure. House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 1, currently considered in the Special Session of the Legislature, establish the state’s interest in protecting the lives of preborn children who feel pain.
Dr. Paul Liu, Dr. Ingrid Skop, and Dr. Greg Bonnen all speak to the behavioral and physiological evidence confirming that preborn children feel pain.
‘Preachers of L.A.’ Brings the Prosperity Gospel to Reality TV
Here We Stand
In this article found at The Cripplegate, Mike Riccardi reflects on the Supreme Court’s rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. Now, more than ever before, Christians are being pressed to soften their stance on the Word of God. Many Christians have caved to the pressure. Riccardi gives fair warning that we must not back down—not now, not ever. As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we are to hold our ground. We have no choice but to stand firm! And when the spiritual forces of evil tempt us to soften on a particular doctrine of Scripture, “we must be ready to look that tempter in the face, to raise our copy of the Word of God, and say, “Here I stand!”
Creation Evangelist Mounts America’s First Atheist Monument at Unveiling, Preaches Gospel
Christian News Network reports:
An internationally recognized creation evangelist mounted the nation’s first-ever atheist monument on Saturday and began to preach the Gospel to the crowds gathered for the unveiling ceremony.
Eric Hovind of Creation Today and a number of other Christians attended the event, which was held at the Bradford County Courthouse in Starke, Florida. As previously reported, the monument is part of a settlement between officials in Bradford County and the organization American Atheists of Cranford, New Jersey. Last year, American Atheists sued the county for permitting the display of the Ten Commandments on the premises, which was placed by a group known as Community Men’s Fellowship.
UK May Approve Creating Babies with DNA from 3 People
According to Fox News:
Britain may allow a controversial technique to create babies using DNA from three people, a move that would help couples avoid passing on rare genetic diseases, the country’s top medical officer says.
The new techniques help women with faulty mitochondria, the energy source in a cell, from passing on to their babies defects that can result in such diseases as muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, heart problems and mental retardation. About one in 200 children is born every year in Britain with a mitochondrial disorder.
Justice Kennedy Denies Request to Halt Gay Marriages in California
Fox News reports:
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has denied an emergency request by opponents of same-sex marriage to halt gay weddings in California.
The decision means same-sex marriages can resume in the state. Gay marriage foes had filed the motion Saturday asking the high court to step in, less than 24 hours after the state started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling earlier in the week.
Abortion Doctor Compares Killing 27-Week-Old Baby to Flu Shot
LifeNews reports:
A new undercover video shows a New Mexico-based abortion practitioner telling a woman considering an abortion that killing a 27-week old baby is no different than getting a flu shot.
The pro-life group Live Action has released the latest in a series of videos exposing late-term abortion practitioners showing no compassion over killing babies late in pregnancy. In this new video, Dr. Carmen Landau, of Southwest Women’s Options in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a counselor employed at the same facility, are shown making shocking statements.
Gender-bending Action Hero Cartoon ‘SheZow’ to Debut on Children’s Network ‘The Hub’
The entertainment industry is now promoting transgender themes to young people. The New York Daily Mail reports this disturbing story:
Children’s network The Hub is introducing a new super-heroine named SheZow in an animated series debuting Saturday.
The catch is that SheZow’s alter-ego is actually a 12-year-old boy named Guy, who transforms into a female costumed crime-fighter by uttering the phrase “You Go Girl!” and using a power ring inherited from his dead aunt.
Obama Admin OKs Morning-After Pill for Young Girls, Sexual Predators
LifeNews reports:
The Obama Administration has dropped its legal battle against a judge’s decision that would allow young girls to purchase the Plan B morning after pill over the counter.
The decision allows anyone to purchase the drug and opponents of the decision say it paves the way for male sexual predators to purchase the drug for girls they victimize, by removing safeguards currently in place.
Liberty Baptist Seminary’s Enrollment of Homosexual Activist Called Into Question
Christian News Network reports:
The enrollment of an openly homosexual student at a prominent Baptist theological seminary is being called into question by those who wonder why the institution is seemingly overlooking immoral behavior by those it will be sending out into the ministry.
As previously reported, The Atlantic recently published an essay written by Liberty University graduate Brandon Ambrosino, in which the former student outlined his personal experience of coming out as a homosexual on campus.
Churches to Have ‘Hard Discussion’ about Scouts
Baptist Press reports:
With the decision Thursday (May 23) to open the Boy Scouts of America membership to homosexual youth, the 70,000 faith-based organizations, including many churches, that have championed the virtues of “duty to God” and moral straightness by sponsoring local troops must decide whether to cut ties with the Scouts or continue their association with evangelistic outreach in mind.
Of the 100,000 chartered Scouting units in the United States, 70 percent are sponsored by faith-based organizations. Some took decisive stands against loosening membership standards, while leadership from other church groups voiced murkier positions. Numerous Southern Baptist leaders voiced opposition to the policy change.
The First Word in ‘BSA’ Now Stands for Betrayal
On May 24, 2013, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) voted to revise its membership policy on the issue of homosexuality. The 1,400 voting members of the BSA voted to allow openly gay boys into its ranks.
Rick Scarborough and Robert Knight are outraged by the decision. They believe “it’s a betrayal of the boys in the Scouts’ care. It’s a betrayal of trusting parents. It’s a betrayal of a 103-year-old institution that has molded millions of boys into men. It’s a betrayal of truth and honor.” Moreover, “It’s a betrayal of God, in Whose name the organization furthered the priceless worth of being morally straight.”
Scarborough and Knight also believe the decision was motivated by the BSA’s greed for corporate dollars and the organization’s fear of being “on the wrong side” of what they deem “an increasingly coarse culture that not only rejects biblical truth but openly attacks it.”
Appeals Court Hears Hobby Lobby’s Argument Against Obamacare’s Abortion Pill Mandate
Christian News Network reports:
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument on Thursday surrounding the popular craft chain Hobby Lobby and its desire to obtain a federal injunction against the abortion pill mandate in Obamacare.
As previously reported, the company takes no issue with covering the birth control costs of its employees, but refuses to make provision for two contraceptives that it believes cause abortions: the morning-after and week-after pill.
More Americans Linking Homosexuality to Birth
The discussion about homosexuality seemingly is never-ending. One question repeatedly raised is whether homosexual tendencies are genetic, or a choice. Baptist Press examines a recent Gallup poll that not surprisingly reveals that “a record number of Americans believe homosexuality is morally acceptable and is something people are born with.”
IRS’ Lerner Went after Christian Coalition While at FEC
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Openly Gay Members
Fox News reports:
The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders — a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors.
Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1.
‘Faith-based FEMA’ to Be ‘Huge Part’ of Oklahoma Recovery Effort
In the wake of the tragic tornado-wrought destruction in Oklahoma, many groups of various beliefs and convictions are rallying to help the victims. Baptist Press shares an interesting observation:
Southern Baptists throughout social media took note that NBC News anchor Brian Williams and reporter Harry Smith mentioned on air the quick response of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers in Moore, Okla., Tuesday (May 21).
“In the briefings today it was apparent there’s FEMA and then there’s the faith-based FEMA,” Williams said, standing in front of rubble left by the tornado that devastated the area Monday. “There are no fewer — I counted — than 30 churches that are banding together, and that’s going to be a huge part of this recovery.”
Poll: Americans Say Abortion, Assisted Suicide and Cloning Immoral
Life News reports:
Gallup released the results of its annual poll on whether Americans do or don’t find a couple dozen practices morally acceptable. As has frequently been the case, Americans do not find abortion to be morally okay.
The new poll finds a plurality of Americans, 49-42 percent, find abortion to be morally unacceptable. A 49-45 percentage point plurality also found assisted suicide morally unacceptable and an 83-13 percent majority find cloning human beings to be morally bad as well.