Just the facts.

Entire Faculty Senate Resigns After LGBT Activist Professor Denied Promotion

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Gordon College, a private evangelical Christian college in Massachusetts, made the news when the entire faculty senate resigned in a “show of solidarity” for a professor who says the administration denied her a promotion because of her criticisms about the school’s policy on homosexuality. Gordon’s student newspaper The Tartan has the story:

Photo credit: John Phelan

All seven faculty members of Gordon College’s Faculty Senate resigned from senatorship on Wednesday, citing ongoing disagreement with the administration over shared governance, specifically in the processes of approving faculty promotion.

Professor Ivy George, the Senate chair prior to the resignations, read a letter outlining the decision at an all-faculty meeting. Also resigning were fellow professors Tim Sherratt, Bruce Herman, Bryan Auday, Irv Levy, Steve Hunt and Jonathan Senning.

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Cannabis Church in Denver to Offer ‘Sacred Flower’ Sacrament

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According to Leah Jessen of LifeZette, “An organization of pot smokers is in pursuit of a ‘love, create and elevate’ religion.”

Photo credit: Fox 13

It’s come to this: Pot smokers in Denver have formed their own church “religion,” all based on the “high” of the marijuana lifestyle.

The International Church of Cannabis is set to open April 20. Steve Berke and Lee Molloy founded the “church” with a small group of people who were, and still are, “unsatisfied with the outdated organized religions” available.

“There are rumors that this is a rasta smoking lounge or a nightclub,” Berke told Westword, a Denver newspaper. “It’s not. It’s a safe place to congregate and consume.”

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AI programs exhibit racial and gender biases, research reveals

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According to The Guardian “Machine learning algorithms are picking up deeply ingrained race and gender prejudices concealed within the patterns of language use.” So the question is, will robots display human prejudices?

An artificial intelligence tool that has revolutionised the ability of computers to interpret everyday language has been shown to exhibit striking gender and racial biases.

The findings raise the spectre of existing social inequalities and prejudices being reinforced in new and unpredictable ways as an increasing number of decisions affecting our everyday lives are ceded to automatons.

In the past few years, the ability of programs such as Google Translate to interpret language has improved dramatically. These gains have been thanks to new machine learning techniques and the availability of vast amounts of online text data, on which the algorithms can be trained.

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Trinity Broadcasting Network campus sale price revealed: $18.25 million

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Orange County Register reports:

When Trinity Broadcasting Network announced in March that it sold its highly visible campus in Costa Mesa, the price was not revealed.

Now it’s public. The landmark building sold for $18.25 million, according to CoStar Group, a commercial property database.

The 65,000-square-foot, three-story building on the 6.19-acre campus is familiar to many beyond TBN’s audience for its brightly lit holiday displays along the 405 Freeway on Bear Street.

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President Donald Trump Signs Bill to Overturn Obama Rule Forcing States to Fund Planned Parenthood

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According to LifeNews:

Photo credit::Kelsey Lucas Visualsey,The Daily Signal

President Donald Trump signed into law today a bill to overturn a rule pro-abortion President Barack Obama put in place preventing states from defunding the Planned Parenthood abortion business.  The rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prevented states from blocking Title X funding to abortion companies like Planned Parenthood.

After the House first passed the measure, the Senate voted 50-50 for the bill, with a couple of liberal pro-abortion Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the abortion giant and Republicans voting pro-life. The tie vote made it so pro-life Vice-President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the measure.

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Read why Planned Parenthood should be defunded: Congress’s Planned Parenthood Investigations Find Horrifying Criminal Practices 

23 and Me (and You): Let the Buyer Beware

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“Curious about genetic testing and what the results will tell you?” asks Chris Woodward of LifeZette. “Be sure you’re comfortable with privacy issues (or lack thereof).” Woodward writes:

Let the buyer beware! That is the message for people thinking about using home kits promising personal genetic information and details in exchange for something as simple as a saliva sample. The firm 23andMe is the latest company looking to become a household name — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted it authorization to market genetic reports on personal risk for certain diseases.

The authorization includes reports on genetic risk for 10 conditions, including late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and harmful blood clots, among others.

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No Substitute For Marriage: Co-Habiting Parents More Likely to Break Up, Hurt Kids

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Tyler O’Neil over at PJ Media fills us in on the study — that will come as no surprise to Bible believing Christians:

Children’s well-being depends on family stability, researchers agree. But some say marriage is not a critical factor in that stability — that cohabiting parents are just as likely to stay together long-term and provide the love and support children need. According to a new study from the Brookings Institution, that just isn’t the case: There’s no substitute for marriage.

“It is easy to see why some conclude marriage per se does not matter. But here’s the thing: marriage itself is strongly associated with family stability,” wrote Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and Laurie DeRose, sociology professor at Georgetown University.

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Profane ‘Pastor’ Welcomes Open Homosexuals, Admits He ‘Doesn’t Care’ What Bible Says

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Christian News has the story. They’ve posted a video at the end of the piece where you will hear the so-called pastor using profanity and saying some pretty provocative things, such as “I don’t care if the Bible says gay people suck…I have lots of things I disagree with about the Bible.” Yes, Bible believing Christians are few and far between these days.

A profanity-laced preacher who has lost hundreds in his congregation over his decision to allow open homosexuals to serve in leadership positions, and who says he “doesn’t care” what the Bible has to say on the issue, is featured in a new online video that has received over a million views in less than a week.

Ryan Meeks is the founder of EastLake Community Church in Bothell, Washington, which identifies itself as “an inclusive Christian community where faith is less about a story to be believed as it is a life to be lived.”

In 2015, Meeks announced that he believed a “move of the Spirit” caused him to rethink how he had handled the issue of homosexuality. In the April 8th video released by Upworthy, Meeks—amid clips of profanity usage—noted that he used to shy away from the topic.

“When it came to the conversation around the LGBT community and church policy, or what does the Bible say about homosexuality, I always felt awkward about it. I didn’t want to bring it up,” he explained.

“I felt like I needed to scare people into believing the right thing because the God who loves them is going to send most of human history to Hell,” Meeks said. “That’s the Good News? Sounds pretty [expletive]!”

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App Delivers Birth Control Without Doctor’s Visit, Ages 12 and Up

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According to Leah Jessen of LifeZette, a “San Francisco-based firm says it ‘won’t tell parents or anyone else’ if a young woman has ordered this medication.”  She writes:

Teenage girls and women can order birth control from an app that will deliver the medication straight to their home, all without the “hassle” of a doctor’s visit. The app, deemed the “uber of birth control,” is called Nurx and is sure to create a wave of controversy.

If you have health insurance, Nurx is free in most cases.

“Our country’s medical system doesn’t always work very well for patients,” Dr. Jessica Knox, Nurx’s medical director, told the Daily Dot. “We sort of hold women hostage.”

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Trump: Hillary Was ‘Guilty of Every Charge’

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Newsmax reports:

Hillary Clinton was “guilty of every charge,” and FBI Director James Comey “saved her life” with his revelation that he would not pursue charges against her for her use of a private email server and the handling of classified information, President Donald Trump said in an interview airing Wednesday.

“When he was reading those charges, she was guilty of every charge,” Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo about Comey’s 2016 press conference.  “When he was reading those charges, she was guilty of every charge, and then he said she was essentially OK.”

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Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy

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Hank Hanegraaff addressed his conversion to the Orthodox faith on his radio show The Bible Answer Man in response to a caller who expressed concern that in becoming Eastern Orthodox, Hank had left the Christian faith. Following is his response:

I am now a member of an Orthodox Church, but nothing has changed in my faith. I have been attending an Orthodox church for a long time—for over two years, really, as a result of what happened when I went to China, many years ago. I saw Chinese Christians who were deeply in love with the Lord, and I learned that while they may not have had as much intellectual acumen or knowledge as I did, they had life. And so I learned that while truth matters, life matters more, and I remember flying back from China after spending time with just common people who had a deep, intense love for the Lord, and wondering, “Was I even a Christian?”

I was comparing my ability to communicate truth with their deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus Christ… One man, by the way, said to me, truth matters but life matters more. In other words, it is not just knowing about Jesus Christ, it is experiencing the Resurrected Christ. As a result of that I started studying what was communicated by the progeny of Watchman Nee with respect to theosis and that drove me back to the early Christian Church.

And I suppose over that period of time I have fallen ever more in love with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s sort of like my wife—I have never been more in love with my wife than I am today, and I’ve never been more in love with my Lord Jesus Christ than I am today. I’ve been impacted by the whole idea of knowing Jesus Christ, experiencing Jesus Christ, and partaking of the graces of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table. And that has become so central in my life, but as far as the statement that you mentioned, that I’ve left the Christian faith—nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact I believe what I have always believed, as codified in the Nicene Creed, and as championed by mere Christianity.

Hanegraaff recited the Nicene Creed and then concluded:

In other words, I am as deeply committed to championing mere Christianity and the essentials of the historic Christian faith, as I have ever been.

Articles that come from different perspectives:

Evangelical Apologist Hank Hanegraaff Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy

“Bible Answer Man” Hank Hanegraaff Joins Orthodox Church

The Bible Answer Man, Hank Hanegraaff, Leaves the Christian Faith?

Research:

Why Write About the Orthodox Church?

“We need to write about the Orthodox Church because it has a membership of over 200 million people worldwide and because it claims to be the only true Church on earth. When any such claim is made involving so many people, it is necessary to  research and write about such a group and compare it to scripture.”

What is the Eastern Orthodox Church and what are the beliefs of Orthodox Christians

“The Orthodox Church claims to be the one true church of Christ, and seeks to trace its origin back to the original apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic succession. Orthodox thinkers debate the spiritual status of Roman Catholics and Protestants, and a few still consider them heretics. Like Catholics and Protestants, however, Orthodox believers affirm the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as God the Son, and many other biblical doctrines. However, in doctrine, they have much more in common with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant Christians.”

Video:

Hank Hanagraaff expresses his view of Eastern Orthodoxy and Theosis

Is the Eastern Orthodox Church the Only True Church?

Gender Expert: Teens Are Trying to Be Transgender Because It’s Trendy

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According to Heatstreet:

One of Australia’s top experts on gender has raised concerns that children and teens are overdiagnosed as transgender.

Adolescents are “trying out being transgender” to stand out or gain attention from their peers, psychiatrist Stephen Stathis told the Courier Mail last week. “One said to me, ‘Dr. Steve … I want to be transgender, it’s the new black,” he recalled.

Stathis, who runs Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, said a gender dysphoria diagnosis will be given to only a tiny minority of the 180 minors who seek treatment at his clinic this year.

A gender dysphoria diagnosis is the first step for a transgender person to begin transitioning. Though children under 18 cannot get gender-reassignment surgery in Australia, they can receive hormonal therapy or treatment to suppress puberty.

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‘I Have Deep Regrets’: Graphic Artist Who Designed ‘Shack’ Novel Renounces Book

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According to Christian News, the artist lamented: “I look back and see how little discernment I had. And I regret and apologize also for waiting this long to publicly share this.” Heather Clark has the story.  She writes:

The graphic artist who helped design the controversial best-selling novel “The Shack” has come forward to express his regret for being a part of the project out of his concern that it contains false doctrine.

“[O]ver 10 years ago, I was captivated by the story and felt honored to be part of the graphic creation of the book. I was so drawn into it, wanting to know the God it portrayed,” Dave Aldrich of Aldrich Design posted to social media on Tuesday. “The Shack’s story wonderfully painted this picture to me of an incredibly knowable and loving God, one full of forgiveness, but without being judgmental.”

He said that the novel led him into reading other authors such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, and he found himself at the edge of accepting universalist beliefs before he came to realize the danger.

“I thank the Lord that He pulled me back from that edge,” Aldrich wrote.

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Transgender Texas Boy Gets New Birth Certificate

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Breitbart reports that the nine year old child’s parents are going to have a “do-over” baby shower to celebrate the revised paperwork:

Born Mary Grace, a nine-year-old North Texas child is now officially named Max. His parents petitioned a court to change all of his legal documents, including his name, birth certificate, and Social Security card to reflect his male name and identity.

Max Briggle’s mother Amber told WFAA: “He’s always going to be transgender, but having that piece of paper, my hope is that it’s going to make it a little easier for him.”

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Trump Nominates Former Army Officer Mark Green For Army Secretary

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According to Jonah Bennett of The Daily Caller, Mark Green calls himself a “conservative Christian, veteran, father, husband and businessman.” Bennett writes:

President Donald Trump has tapped Mark Green for the position of secretary of the Army.

The White House announced Friday that Trump has picked Green, a former Army officer from West Point, for the position, USA Today reports.

Green is a favorite among many Tea Party Republicans and currently serves as a state senator in Tennessee. He’s also filed paperwork for the gubernatorial race in 2018 in that state, but should he be confirmed to secretary of the Army by the Senate, he’ll have to abandon those plans.

As a former Army lieutenant colonel, Green has seen a lot of action, having served as a special operations flight surgeon. He was the first to interrogate Saddam Hussein after his capture in 2003.

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Target Stock Continues to Tumble Year After Company Went Public With Restroom Policy

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Christian News reports:

The national retail chain Target continues to watch its stock prices tumble a year after the company went public with its restroom and changing room policy, which allows customers to use the facility that corresponds with their “gender identity.”

As of press time, the stock price is $53.24 a share, compared to $81.57 a share a year ago on this day. While the company saw an uptick in November and December, by mid-January, stock prices began falling again. Just a month ago, the price was $63.57 and has now sunk another $10. View Target’s stock chart here.

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Senate Confirms Gorsuch to Supreme Court

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NewsMax reports:

President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court by the Senate Friday morning, after Republicans tore up the Senate’s voting rules to allow him to ascend to the high court over furious Democratic objections.

While the votes were still being tallied, Gorsuch by 11:45 a.m. had reached the 51-vote threshhold required for confirmation under the “nuclear” rules change.

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Young Americans Are Killing Marriage

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Millennials are delaying marriage, having kids, and buying homes, but at least they’re educated.  Bloomberg has the story:

There’s no shortage of theories as to how and why today’s young people differ from their parents.

As marketing consultants never cease to point out, baby boomers and millennials appear to have starkly different attitudes about pretty much everything, from money and sports to breakfast and lunch.

New research tries to ground those observations in solid data. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University set out to compare 25- to 34-year-olds in 1980—baby boomers—with the same age group today. Researcher Lydia Anderson compared U.S. Census data from 1980 with the most recent American Community Survey 1  data in 2015.

The results reveal some stark differences in how young Americans are living today, compared with three or four decades ago.

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Appeals Court Rules ‘Sexual Orientation’ Applies as Sex Discrimination Under Civil Rights Act

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Christian News reports:

A federal appeals court has ruled that “sexual orientation” can fall under the interpretation of sex discrimination in the federal Civil Rights Act, a decision that the dissenting judges found to be a stretch.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals concluded 8-3 on Tuesday that while Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1967—which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex or national origin”—does not include the term “sexual orientation,” the existing inclusion of “sex” can apply because the discrimination surrounds a person’s actions not being normative for their sex.

“The logic of the Supreme Court’s decisions, as well as the common-sense reality that it is actually impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex, persuade us that the time has come to overrule our previous cases,” the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.

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There’s a New Cancer Treatment in Town, and It’s Here to Fight Tough

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LifeZette reports:

It used to be science fiction. Harnessing your body’s own immune system to fight cancer. But what was once the fruit of a wild imagination is today a reality.

Rather than killing cancer cells directly with traditional approaches like radiation or chemotherapy, immunotherapy harnesses the immune system’s power to eliminate the cancer or slow its growth and ability to spread. Research shows immunotherapy is improving outcomes and survival rates for some patients, including kidney and lung cancer. In fact, research from the American Association for Cancer Research shows that for advanced-melanoma patients, survival rates are improving thanks in part to these new treatment options.

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Islam set to become world’s largest religion by 2075

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According to a new study, populations with no religion will shrink while the number of Muslims and Christians will grow.  The Guardian has the story:

The number of babies born to Muslims is expected to overtake those born to Christians within two decades, making Islam the world’s largest religion by 2075, according to new analysis of data by the Pew Research Center.

People with no religious affiliation are set to shrink as a proportion of the world’s population as a result of their declining birthrate and growing numbers of Muslims and Christians.

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US Ends Funding for UN Population Fund Over Complicity in Chinese Forced Abortions

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According to Christian News:

The Trump administration has ended government funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) over concerns about its complicity in China’s one-child/two-child policy—an accusation that the organization denies.

According to reports, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker received a letter this week from the U.S. State Department advising him of the development.

“This determination was made based on the fact that China’s family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization, and UNFPA partners on family planning activities with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies,” the letter read.

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Transgender Ideology Defeated in North Carolina ‘Bathroom’ Debate

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Breitbart reports:

The National Collegiate Athletic Association will end its economic boycott against North Carolina, handing a huge strategic defeat to the gay and transgender groups which are seeking to erase single-sex bathrooms and other useful legal and civic distinctions between men and women, girls and boys.

The win, announced April 4, came when the NCAA’s university leaders “reluctantly voted” to end its boycott of the state, which began when the North Carolina legislature passed a law in March 2016 which reaffirmed the long-standing practice of keeping separate public bathrooms for men and women. Last week, the state legislature eliminated the 2016 law but passed a new law, HB142, which preserves the legality of single-sex bathrooms and shower rooms.

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Rice ‘Unmasking’ of Trump Associates Could Mean Legal Jeopardy

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Experts say top Obama adviser engaged in ‘fishing expedition’ on incoming administration officials. Brendan Kirby of LifeZette has the story:

Steps reportedly taken by former National Security Adviser Susan Rice to “unmask” names of associates of President Donald Trump before he took office could put her in legal jeopardy, according to legal and national security experts.

Bloomberg on Monday cited two unnamed sources who said Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the National Security Council’s senior director for intelligence, discovered in February that Rice made multiple requests to learn the names of Americans whose names had been disguised in surveillance reports related to Trump’s transition.

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Trump Administration Considers Far-Reaching Steps for ‘Extreme Vetting’

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According to Laura Meckler of the Wallstreet Journal it’s going to get a whole lot tougher for a foreigner to enter the U.S. The Trump administration’s “extreme vetting” measures could even apply to France and Germany. Meckler writes:

Foreigners who want to visit the U.S., even for a short trip, could be forced to disclose contacts on their mobile phones, social-media passwords and financial records, and to answer probing questions about their ideology, according to Trump administration officials conducting a review of vetting procedures.

The administration also wants to subject more visa applicants to intense security reviews and have embassies spend more time interviewing each applicant. The changes could apply to people from all over the world, including allies like France and Germany.

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