Wednesday, June 11, 2008
11 June 2008
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Three Churches Demand Drastic Action from South African Government
[2] California Court Won't Delay 'Gay Marriages'
[3] American Bible Society Investigates President
[4] Presbyterian Church in Canada Commissioner Calls for Help from Churches
[5] Embattled Pro-Life Prosecutor Seeks Re-Election
[6] Ecclesiastical Trial Reveals Dramatic Testimony of Sexual Abuse
Quick Links
[1] In Memoriam: Mrs. Edmund P. (Jean) Clowney
[2] Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies Offers Courses
[3] Reformed Theological Seminary Chancellor’s Surgery Successful
[1] Three Churches Demand Drastic Action from South African Government
Three Reformed churches in South Africa have sent a strong letter to their government, declaring that South Africa was in a crisis that required drastic action from the government. They cited several areas that were driving South Africans citizens to despair and fear, including Violence, crime and corruption, Shortcomings in security and infrastructure, racism, agriculture and food provision, and the Zimbabwe crisis.
The three churches declared that innocent people in the land were living in fear and that rape, child molestation and large-scale corruption were becoming daily occurrences. Most people had the perception that the land was taking rapid strides backwards. They noted the country was losing many persons with necessary social skills to emigration.
The letter said that the failure of South Africa President Mbeki to take a clear standpoint in the Zimbabwe crisis against the immoral and undemocratic conduct of the ruling party, and its accompanying violation of human rights, created the impression that this could also happen in South Africa.
The Dutch Reformed Church (NGK), the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (NHKA) and the Reformed Churches of South Africa (GKSA) were the signatories of the letter.
+ The Reformed Ecumenical Council, 2050 Breton Road Southeast, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, 616-949-2910, rvh@recweb.org
[2] California Court Won't Delay 'Gay Marriages'
The California Supreme Court turned back pro-family groups June 4 by refusing to delay its "gay marriage" decision from going into effect, giving the green light for same-sex couples statewide to get "married" 17 June.
The 4-3 margin ruling -- identical to its earlier decision -- came without comment and was a serious blow to social conservatives who had hoped the justices would stay their ruling until citizens consider a proposed constitutional marriage amendment on the November ballot.
Two Christian legal groups, the Alliance Defense Fund and Liberty Counsel, had filed legal briefs requesting the delay.
+ The Baptist Press, 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-3699, bpress@sbc.net
[3] American Bible Society Investigates President
Rusty Leonard and Warren Cole Smith report that a board member of the American Bible Society (ABS) confirmed that a forensic accounting firm will probe the organization's financial records. The investigation comes after ABS suspended its two top executives following embarrassing revelations in The New York Times that linked ABS president Paul Irwin to a technology company, Exciting New Technologies (ENT), with ties to the internet-pornography and gambling industries.
Founded in 1816, ABS is one of the nation's oldest and best-endowed charities, with nearly $693 million in cash and investments on its balance sheet at the end of 2007. But ABS had a $72.8 million operating deficit in 2003 and operating deficits totaling more than $160 million between 2002 and 2006.
When the story of Irwin's and the Bible Society's association with ENT was laid out in the 4,000-word Times exposé, the ABS board acted quickly, suspending with pay CEO Irwin and Chief Financial Officer Richard Stewart. ABS spokesperson Roy Lloyd said the suspension was "without prejudice," meaning that there is no assumption of guilt on the part of either Irwin or Stewart. However, said Lloyd, "We want to deal with any hint of impropriety." Lloyd also said ABS has terminated all ties with Exciting New Technologies.
Ironically, before these recent revelations, it appeared that some of Irwin's innovations at ABS had been working. In 2007, the organization saw a dramatic rebound in revenue, to $120 million, much of the increase coming in the form of increased donations.
+ World Magazine, 85 Tunnel Road, Suite 12, Asheville, North Carolina 28805, 800-951-4974, mailbag@worldmag.com
+ American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, New York 10023-7505, 212-408-1200, rlloyd@americanbible.org
[4] Presbyterian Church in Canada Commissioner Calls for Help from Churches
Andrew Thompson reports that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into Indian residential schools has begun its work with a call to Canada's largest churches for help in healing decades-old wounds.
Commissioner Claudette Dumont-Smith, a nurse, writer, and member of the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin community near Maniwaki, told about 300 Presbyterians yesterday that Canada needed to "fill blank pages and move forward as a nation" through a "truth-sharing process."
Formerly a senior health adviser with the Native Women's Association, Ms. Dumont-Smith made her first public remarks as a commissioner to the Presbyterian Church in Canada's 134th General Assembly at Carleton University.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially opened on 9 June with a five-year mandate. It resulted from the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement implemented last September between former students, churches, the federal government and aboriginal groups after the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history.
The last residential schools, run by churches on behalf of the federal government, were closed in the 1970s. Thousands of aboriginal and Métis children attended the schools, where they were not allowed to speak their languages or practice their culture. Many students reported physical, psychological and sexual abuse while in the schools.
The Presbyterian Church has agreed to provide documents and take part in commission events. The commission hopes its presence at the General Assembly will carry over to other denominations.
A public confession and apology issued by Presbyterians in 1994 was repeated yesterday, followed by a lengthy prayer for truth and forgiveness.
The Presbyterian General Assembly concludes 10 June.
+ The Ottawa Citizen, 1101 Baxter Road, Box 5020, Ottawa, OntarioK2C 3M4, 613-829-9100, ottawae-mails@reachcanada.com
+ The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 50 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1J7, 800-619-7301, fhogg@presbyterian.ca
[5] Embattled Pro-Life Prosecutor Seeks Re-Election
Tom Hess reports that Phill Kline, the Kansas City-area district attorney who’s waging a court battle over allegations that Planned Parenthood violated state law, announced late Monday to family and friends that he’s running for re-election.
Pro-life leaders in Kansas applauded his decision.
“I’m elated, because he won’t let Planned Parenthood off the hook,” said Pat Adair, Kansas director for Women Influencing the Nation. “The rule of law is what this campaign will be about. The law is broken here in Kansas.”
Kline filed 107 charges in Johnson County last October against Planned Parenthood over allegations of falsified reports and illegal late-term abortions. If he leaves office, the case likely would die.
Kline’s opponent in the Republican primary on Aug. 5 is Steve Howe, one of seven assistant prosecutors Kline fired when he took office. Howe and the others then sued Kline.
Kline told CitizenLink he and his wife and daughter prayed for months before making the decision.
“I’ve been a prosecutor for quite some time now, and I’ve never seen a greater threat to the rule of law, such a powerful interest to purchase positions in government,” he said. “For a long, long time, I’ve been an advocate for the mentally disabled, the elderly, those who are particularly vulnerable and exploited by people with more power.”
Kline will ask the Kansas Supreme Court in Topeka on Thursday to reject demands by Planned Parenthood that he surrender records that he says show evidence of the abortion provider’s criminal activity.
+ Focus on the Family Action, Incorporated, 8605 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920, 866-655-4545, citizenlink@family.org
[6] Ecclesiastical Trial Reveals Dramatic Testimony of Sexual Abuse
David W. Virtue reports that on the first day of the ecclesiastical trial of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison, victim Martha Alexis told a hushed court of five bishops, two clergy and two laity that Bishop Bennison stumbled in on his brother John's sexual activity with her… turned on his heel in the church office and walked away.
The then 14-year-old victim described to the court and some 60 persons at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, how she was repeatedly sexually abused by the Rev. John Bennison, describing his acts as "persistent, intense and frequent" as many as "three or four times a week, for four years."
Alexis, now 50, and the mother of three, said that what occurred in 1973 between herself and Bennison was "unspeakable perversion and too horrific to name."
Alexis said Charles Bennison witnessed two occurrences of his sexual behavior in the summer of 1973. The second occasion occurred when she was 15 (Bennison was married to Margaret Bennison and 25). Charles was the priest of St. Mark's Church in Upland, California in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Other testimony at the trial included June Alexis, Martha's mother and Andrew "Andy" Alexis her brother, both of whom testified that Charles Bennison knew about the sexual abuse and that he did nothing about it.
Church attorney White said, in his opening statement, that the church took no pleasure or relish in this trial, but that he was clear that Bennison had committed acts unbecoming a member of the clergy and should be deposed under Title IV.5 of the Church canons.
+ VirtueOnline, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380, david@virtueonline.org
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008
4 June 2008
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Eritrean Authorities Jail 34 More Christians In House Church Raid
[2] EPC's Meet with the Roman Pontiff
[3] Youth Essay Contest
[4] Douwe Visser is WARC's New Theology Secretary
[5] Free Church of Scotland General Assembly Moderator's Address
[6]
[1] Eritrean Authorities Jail 34 More Christians In House Church Raid
Eritrean security police cracked down on more Christians again last week, arresting 34 evangelicals gathered for prayer and fellowship in a local home in Keren.
The police raid on 28 May targeted members of the Berhane Hiwet (Light of Life) Church in
All 24 men and 10 women present were taken to prison, with their children left behind.
The Keren raid was the second round of arrests last week in
Worshippers caught disobeying the blanket restrictions are arrested and tortured for weeks, months or even years. They are never allowed legal counsel or brought to trial.
The new arrests followed a spate of unconfirmed reports that began circulating throughout the capital of
The government recognizes only the Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches as legal religions, in addition to the traditional Islam practiced by half of the population.
+ Compass Direct News Service, Post Office
[2] EPC's Meet with the Roman Pontiff
Moderator-elect Allen Roes represented the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (
The
In his address, the Pope spoke of Christ as the only Hope we have for unity in our world. Following the service and dinner, the Pope's book Jesus of Nazareth was given to each attendee as a parting gift.
+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church,
[3] Youth Essay Contest
Fundamental Presbyterian Publications is once again sponsoring a Youth Essay Contest. This year the contest is for three groups: ages 10-12, 13-17, and 18-21.
ESSAY SUBJECT for the 10-12 and 13-17 age groups.
Explain one of the Shorter Catechism questions that deals with the subject of Creation. These are Shorter Catechism questions 9 and 10. The essays should be 800 to 1,000 words.
ESSAY SUBJECT for the 18-21 age group.
Develop the theme "The Biblical Basis for God's Creation of Man." The essays should be 1,000 to 1,500 words.
FORMAT
All essays should be typed double-spaced. Handwritten entries will be accepted, if written neatly. The judges will disqualify any entries which they deem to be illegible. In addition to the printed copy, if possible, provide your essay (as a text file) on a computer disk, or send it via e-mail. All quotes must be properly footnoted from primary sources.
INCLUDE
Your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and your photograph.
DEADLINE
PRIZES
Age groups 10-12 and 13-17: $100 cash, plus Christian books.
Age group 18-21: $200.00 cash, plus Christian books.
The winning essays will be published and distributed by Fundamental Presbyterian Publications.
Typed entries and computer files will become the possession of Fundamental Presbyterian Publications and will not be returned.
SEND
Fundamental Presbyterian Publications
704-596-9000
+ Bible Presbyterian Church
[4] Douwe Visser is WARC's New Theology Secretary
Dutch theologian and pastor Douwe Visser, 54, is the new Executive Secretary for Theology and Ecumenical Engagement for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). He joins the Geneva 2 June 2008 .
Visser replaces Odair Pedroso Mateus who left WARC for a position at the World Council of Churches (
WARC and REC have agreed to merge in 2010 to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Visser resigned as president of REC to join the WARC staff team.
+ World Alliance of Reformed Churches, 150 route de Ferney, Post Office Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, +41 22 791 6240, warc@warc.ch
[5] Free Church of Scotland General Assembly Moderator's Address
The Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, the Rev Kenneth M. Ferguson, has chosen the theme of holiness for his Address to the General Assembly.
Ferguson says: 'There are many who would describe holiness as a bleak kind of doctrine: an unattractive, outdated, discouraging concept that is in essence, either a series of prohibitions against sin, or a framework of legalistic rules, so that those who claim success in living this way invariably adopt a "holier than thou", intolerant attitude to others.'
But Ferguson insists that such attitudes are not the result of true holiness but of a judgmental, legalistic lifestyle like that of the Pharisees, whom our Lord condemned for their hypocrisy. 'Holiness on the other hand is not hypocritical but beautiful - it beautifies a person's life because God Himself is the Author of it. His gracious presence and blessing adorn His people's lives. Those who are most holy are most Christ-like.'
In the pursuit of such Biblical holiness Ferguson recommends the Shorter Catechism and quotes the philosopher John Stuart Mill, who said in his essay On Liberty: "The Shorter Catechism and study of the Bible have sharpened the wits of Scotsmen, as to make them stand foremost in the ranks of mental philosophy", and adds 'Maybe it is time for our Nation to re-discover the treasure that is the Westminster Shorter Catechism!'
Ferguson quotes the Anglican writer, John Stott, who said that we, Christ's followers, are sent into the world as His witnesses, 'In order to penetrate other people's worlds, as He penetrated ours; the world of their thinking, their misunderstandings of the Gospel, the world of their feeling, their pain, and the world of their living.'
Yet, this involvement with the world is to be undertaken, says Mr. Ferguson, while at the same time maintaining untarnished the standards of Jesus Christ, and not compromising our own Christian integrity. In fact, He says 'True holiness is a Christ-likeness that is lived out in the real world.'
+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS, Scotland, 0131 226 5286, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk
[6]
The following is a letter, edited for clarity, from Yousif Al-Saka, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Churches in Iraq:
"Please distribute this message to all brothers and sisters in churches which have an interest in the Baghdad Presbyterian Church."
"We are pleased to inform our brothers in all of the churches that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in
"The election was carried out in a brotherly democratic manner. The required reports were presented by the outgoing president of the council, and by the cashier - concerning church accounts, which is reviewed by a legal auditor assigned for this purpose. The reports were discussed and approved."
"The church council election results were announced:
1- Elder Yousif J. Al-Saka President of Church Council
2- Elder Mazin D. Kaia Vice President of Church Council
3- Elder Jalal Salomy Cashier of the Church
4- Elder Kasi Kabas Council secretary"
"Additionally, five brothers were elected as Church Council members."
"Elder Yousif Al-Saka remained in his post as General Secretary of the Presbyterian Churches in
"We thank the Lord for this arrangement, as we believe that any management in the church is from the Lord and by His direction. Pray with us that the Lord may keep these brothers safe and give them strength and power in their work for the service of the Church. Amen."
+ Yousif Al-Saka, General Secretary,
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
28 May 2008
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Appeals Court Considers State Responsible for Illegally Strip-Searching Children
[2] South Carolina Principal Resigns Due to High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club[3] Daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman Killed in Tragic Accident
[4] Algerian Court Pressures Woman to Renounce Christ
[5] Westminster Seminary California News Now Comes to You
[6] Colorado Legislation 'Tramples Religious Freedoms'
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Corrections: The 21 May 2008 Presbyterians Week item “Presbyterian Pastor Arrested on Prostitution Charge” included the Chicago Tribune’s since-corrected reference to the PCUSA’s Presbytery of Chicago. The correct reference was the PCA’s Chicago Metro Presbytery.
Additionally, the correct spelling of the subject pastor’s surname is “Haltom”.
[1]Appeals Court Considers State Responsible for Illegally Strip-Searching Children
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of two Wisconsin children who were strip-searched by a state social worker at a private Christian school. The court unanimously ruled that the social worker, Dana Gresbach, violated the Fourth Amendment rights of the children to be free from an unreasonable search.
The eight-year-old boy, his nine-year-old sister and their parents are represented by Stephen Crampton, Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Liberty Council, and Wisconsin attorney Michael D. Dean.
The court held the social worker personally responsible for violating the students' rights because the law in this area is so clear that she should have known her actions were unconstitutional. Although the school principal allowed the social worker to interview the students, that permission was not the same as consent to a physical search.
Gresbach was an employee of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, which was previously found to have violated the constitutional rights of a child at a private Christian school, and also the rights of the school and the child’s parents under remarkably similar circumstances. Crampton and Dean also represented the parents in that case.
+ Liberty Council, Post Office Box 540774, Orlando, Florida 32854, 800-671-1776
[2] South Carolina Principal Resigns Due to High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club
Michael Baggot reports that principal Eddie Walker of Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina has gained national attention after announcing his resignation on Wednesday in response to his school’s decision to approve a “Gay-Straight Alliance Club” (GSAC).
“Allowing the formation of this club on our campus conflicts with my professional beliefs and religious convictions,” wrote Walker in a letter to Lexington-Richland School District Five officials.
Walker also contended that the GSAC would conflict with the goals of the school’s abstinence education program.
Walker also agreed to continue as principle during the 2008-2009 school year, in fidelity to his previous commitment to the school.
“In my opinion failure to fulfill my contract would constitute a breach of trust with School District Five of Lexington and Richland County, my student heroes, returning Irmo High School employees, and new employees who have chosen to work at Irmo High school for the 2008-2009 school year.”
+ LifeSiteNews.com, Inc., Post Office Box 25382, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania15220-3514
[3] Daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman Killed in Tragic Accident
According to an Associated Press report, the family of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman suffered a horrible tragedy 21 May 2008 when their 5-year-old daughter Maria was struck and killed by an SUV in her own driveway. Deepening their loss is the fact that the Toyota Land Cruiser was driven by Maria's older teenage brother, who apparently did not see his little sister.
Maria is one of three daughters Chapman and his wife Mary Beth have adopted from China. The couple has been very active in promoting international adoption, having created a ministerial foundation called Shaohannah's Hope to financially assist couples in the process, the AP reports.
Chapman is a winner of five Grammys and 51 Dove awards.
+ Crosswalk.com, Salem Communications, 4880 Santa Rosa Road,Camerillo, California, 805-987-0400
[4] Algerian Court Pressures Woman to Renounce Christ
An Algerian public prosecutor has demanded a three-year sentence for a convert to Christianity in western Algeria for practicing her faith “without license.”
Habiba Kouider, 35, was plucked off an inter-city bus outside of her home town of Tiaret on March 29 when police found several Bibles and books on Christianity in her hand bag. Held for 24 hours and interrogated by police regarding her conversion, Kouider was eventually brought before a state prosecutor.
“You reinstate Islam and I will [drop the case]; if you persist in sin you will undergo the lightning of justice,” the prosecutor told her, according to French daily Le Figaro.
Passed in February 2006, a law governing non-Muslim worship has been cited in a number of arrests and trials of Algerian Christians this year. The law, known as Ordinance 06-03, outlaws proselytism of Muslims, as well as the distribution, production and storing of material used for this purpose.
A total of 10 Christians visiting or residing in Tiaret have been detainedor tried on religious grounds since January. More than half of the country’s 50 Protestant churches, many of which meet in homes, have been ordered to close down.
“For several months a there has been a hunt for Algerians who converted to Christianity,” wrote el Watan columnist Taybe Belghiche on 22 May 2008. He said that Kouider’s case was one example of the hunt, which he described as a violation of freedom of worship enshrined in the constitution.
+ Compass Direct News Service, Post Office Box 27250, Santa AnaCalifornia 92799, 949-862-0304
[5] Westminster Seminary California News Now Comes to You
Westminster Seminary California information technologist Adam Claus has made available a free news feed for Google, Yahoo, and other blog readers.
+ Westminster Seminary California, 1725 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, California 92027, 888-480-8474
[6] Colorado Legislation 'Tramples Religious Freedoms'
Jennifer Mesko writes that the next time you visit Colorado, you may run into members of the opposite sex when you use a public restroom.
Under a bill sitting on Gov. Bill Ritter's desk, all "public accommodations"must be open to men, women, bisexuals, transsexuals and "transgendered" individuals.
Senate Bill 200 adds religion and sexual orientation to state nondiscrimination statutes. Supporters claim the bill will prevent discrimination; in reality, the bill endangers religious freedom by opening the door for the state to punish any person or organization — including small and home-based businesses — that refuses, for religious or other moral reasons, to offer or sell goods or services to homosexuals, bisexuals, 'transgendered' and transsexual individuals.
SB 200 would apply to all "public accommodations" in Colorado — including gender-specific public restrooms in shopping malls and movie theaters, and public locker rooms in athletic facilities, which would suddenly be required to permit equal access to men, women and cross-dressers. Churches, mosques and synagogues would be exempt.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action says, "SB 200 threatens public safety and tramples religious freedoms," he said. "This bill needs to be vetoed and sent back to the Legislature with instructions to come back next session with something that all Coloradans can be proud of."
+ Focus on the Family Action, Inc., 8605 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920, 866-655-4545
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
21 May 2008
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Confessing Movement Calls UCC to Suspend Dialogue on Race
[2] RPTS Hires Dr. George C. Scipione to Establish New Biblical Counseling Institute
[3] Presbyterian Pastor Arrested on Prostitution Charge
[4] Dr. Dobson's Response to California Supreme Court Decision
[5] UC Berkeley Staff Face Lawsuit Over Pro-Evolution Bias
[6] Alliance Defense Fund Helps Pastors Reclaim the Pulpit
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[1] Confessing Movement Calls UCC to Suspend Dialogue on Race
The Biblical Witness Fellowship (BWF), a confessing movement in the United Church of Christ (UCC), issued a press release on 14 May calling on UCC leadership to suspend plans to initiate a church wide “dialogue on race,” scheduled to begin 18 May.
BWF charges UCC leadership with damaging the candidacy of Barack Obama, in support of UCC Pastor Jeremiah Wright, by “refocusing attention on racial division in a way that, sadly, energized racism in the nation.” BWF calls on the UCC “not to compound this error by engaging in ‘dialogue’ on the pain of the past or the issues that divide.”
“Now is the time to authenticate the unity that begins with personal transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. Only when we die to ourselves and receive life in Jesus Christ do we become a people of one blood, one name, one character, one history and one future. We call on the United Church of Christ to live our Christ-given unity in repentance and humility rather than presume to dialogue about race.”
+ Biblical Witness Fellowship, c/o Clifford & Associates, 4150 Belden Village St. NW Suite 601, Canton, Ohio 44718
[2] RPTS Hires Dr. George C. Scipione to Establish New Biblical Counseling Institute
The Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in Pittsburgh announces the hire of Dr. George C. Scipione to establish and be the director of its Biblical Counseling Institute.
Scipione will also serve as adjunct professor of pastoral theology and expand the seminary's counseling course offerings.
+ Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 7418 Penn Avenue,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208-2594, 866-778-7338
[3] Presbyterian Pastor Arrested on Prostitution Charge
Rev. Phillip Haltom, 52, of Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Hinsdale,Illinois was arrested in an online undercover prostitution sting the week of 4 May.
Haltom’s future role within the church is being considered by the Chicago Metro Presbytery and Trinity church leaders.
Haltom is scheduled to appear at the Kane County courthouse on 22 May.
+ Chicago Tribune, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611-4041
[4] Dr. Dobson's Response to California Supreme Court Decision
Focus on the Family founder and Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., on 15 May issued a statement in response to a California Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in that state.
Dobson writes, “…four imperious and unelected justices have just overridden the will of the voters. In 2000, Proposition 22 defined marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman; the initiative passed by an overwhelming margin of 61 to 39 percent. That emphatic expression of the will of the people has now arrogantly been declared null and void.”
“In so doing, the justices have undermined and endangered the basic building block of society, which has been honored and preserved in every nation on earth through most of human history. What an outrage. It will be up to the people of California to preserve traditional marriage by passing a constitutional amendment in the November elections. Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny.”
+ Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80995
[5] UC Berkeley Staff Face Lawsuit Over Pro-Evolution Bias
Alexander J. Sheffrin reports that staff members at the University of California-Berkeley are being sued in court over a pro-evolution Web site, hosted by the school’s science program, that ridicules religious denominations that do not agree with evolution.
The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a religious liberties group, claims that the Web site – which was designed with $500,000 in federal backing –endorses religious views that support evolution while deriding those that do not, thus constituting an illegal and public endorsement of religion by the university.
PJI President Brad Davis emphasized that the case was a clear situation of viewpoint discrimination.
“Government actions that demean a group's faith clearly express state hostility toward religion and must be contested,” he said.
The lawsuit, which was originally filed by PJI in 2005 and dismissed because of what judges said was a “lack in standing,” will be reviewed this week by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street NW, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734
[6] Alliance Defense Fund Helps Pastors Reclaim the Pulpit
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has launched the Pulpit Initiative to help pastors take back their First Amendment rights to discuss political candidates from the pulpit.
ADF is equipping pastors nationwide to deliver a sermon Sunday, Sept. 28 —Pulpit Freedom Sunday — that will challenge Internal Revenue Service (IRS) restrictions prohibiting pastors from engaging their congregations in politics.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the IRS rule, which threatens to remove a church’s tax-exempt status, is an unconstitutional restriction on religious expression.
“It's time for the government to stop making laws and regulations that violate the free-speech rights of churches and ministers,” he said, “and for liberal secular groups to stop making a living out of bullying people of faith from standing up for righteousness in our government and our public officials.”
+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
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