“But if the watchman see
the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the
sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Fighting Since 2003, Sports Leader Challenges Joe
Biden's Pro-transgender Policies Coming This Week
[2] RPCNA Office of Education & Publication Seeking
Editorial Assistant
[3] New Mexico Churches Fined $10,000; Ontario Pastors Face Possible Fine of $10,000
[4] World Communion of Reformed Churches Issues Invitation to the COVID & Beyond
Discerning Circle
[5] Christian Literature Fund Publishes in PDF “The
Churches in South Africa, Covid-19 and the Future”
---
[1] Fighting Since 2003, Sports Leader Challenges Joe
Biden's Pro-transgender Policies Coming This Week
NEWS PROVIDED BY
4 WIND
USA
Jan. 18, 2021
MADISON, Wis., Jan. 18, 2021 /Christian
Newswire/ -- "On his first day
in office, Biden will reinstate the Obama-Biden guidance revoked by the
Trump-Pence Administration, which will restore transgender students' access to
sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity.
He will direct his Department of Education to vigorously enforce and
investigate violations of transgender students' civil rights." (From Biden
campaign website)
Joe Biden will force the DoED to switch sides in two key legal battles. The
first is in Connecticut where the DoED stopped funding schools where
transgender athletes were beating girls in sprinting.
The second battle is in Idaho where legislators outlawed transgender athletes.
Currently, the Idaho law is in the federal court system.
Last year, anti-transgender athlete bills were brought up in seventeen states
with only Idaho passing a law. Ultimately, Congress may be forced to change
Title IX, the 1972 civil rights law that guarantees equal opportunities for
women and girls in sports. Liberals want transgenders included in Title IX.
In 2003, 4 WINDS USA President Steve McConkey started fighting against the
International Olympic Committee's transgender policies. He was the only one who
stood against this publicly.
From there, the transgender movement spread to state high schools, the NCAA,
NFL, NBA, and MLB. McConkey has fought this LGBT agenda every step of the way.
"Joe Biden has been talking for months about being the transgender rights
leader," states McConkey. "Also, he tells people he is the science
president, however, science says men athletes posing as women dominate women.
This is a scientific issue, but most importantly, it shows the decline of
morals in the United States. When people cannot tell the difference between a
man and woman, we are in extreme moral decline."
McConkey tried to sue the International Olympic Committee before the 2016
Olympics in Rio. He was concerned that intersex athletes (not transgender)
would sweep the women's 800 meters. That is exactly what happened as they were
allowed to have high testosterone levels.
The Olympics are postponed until next summer. After the Olympics, the Olympic
Committee plans to make it tougher for transgenders to compete by lowering
testosterone levels down to 5 nanomoles instead of 10. They have already done
so for intersex athletes.
Recently, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study reporting
that transgender athletes were still 12% stronger than women, even after two
years of hormone treatment and/or surgery.
Founded in 1988, 4 WINDS USA stands up worldwide for Christian athletes and
provides Big Planet Watch (4WindsUSA.com). Starting in world-class track and field ministries in 1981, Steve
and Liz McConkey have worked through nine Olympics. In 2013, McConkey started
standing up worldwide for Christian athletes in all sports. He was a successful
USA National Track and Field Club Coach (82-92) and has ran over 68,000 miles.
McConkey graduated with honors from Western Kentucky University (Master of
Public Health), Minnesota State University, Mankato (BS-Community Health), and
Webster High School (WI).
SOURCE 4 WINDS USA
CONTACT: 608-469-7956
Related Links
4WindsUSA.com
+ Christian
News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue
Northwest, Washington
DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[2] RPCNA Office of Education & Publication Seeking
Editorial Assistant
Editorial Assistant Position
RPCNA Office of Education & Publication
Overview
The Editorial Assistant executes the editorial calendar for the Reformed
Presbyterian Witness, a thirty-six-page bi-monthly magazine, and assists in
production of books and other materials for Crown & Covenant Publications.
The ideal candidate will be experienced with Adobe Creative Suite (especially
InDesign and Photoshop), exhibit professional and organizational skills, have
mastery over English grammar and conventions, and have a Christian faith that
aligns with the publishing house’s convictions.
Responsibilities
Contact and correspond with writers
Copyedit articles and manuscripts
Lay out book and magazine text and images in InDesign
Correct images in Photoshop
Write press releases and social media posts
Help update web content
Provide occasional customer service
Other responsibilities as assigned
Requirements
Daytime availability Monday through Friday, on site
Mastery of English grammar and conventions
Strong copyediting and proofreading skills
Excellent customer service etiquette
Meticulous adherence to deadlines
Proficient with InDesign and Photoshop
Preferred: social media marketing experience
Preferred: proficiency with Apple computers
This is a full time, salaried position with pension and life insurance
benefits.
For the right candidates, a
job sharing situation with two part-time employees would alternately be
considered.
Start date would be in April.
If interested in this position, please email (a) your resume, (b) three
samples of your work, and (c) two professional or academic references to drew@crownandcovenant.com <mailto:drew@crownandcovenant.com>
+ Crown
& Covenant Publications, 7408
Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-241-0436, info@crownandcovenant.com
+ Reformed
Presbyterian Church of North America
(RPCNA),
[3] New Mexico Churches Fined $10,000; Ontario Pastors Face Possible Fine of $10,000
The following is excerpted
from “New Mexico megachurches fined,” The Christian Post, Dec. 31, 2020:
“Calvary Church and Legacy Church, both based in Albuquerque, have been fined
for violating restrictions on in-person worship services and mask mandates implemented
by the New Mexico Department of Health to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The restrictions, effective Dec. 15, require churches located in ‘red-level’
counties to cap attendance at twenty-five percent of capacity. ... After noting
that the churches ‘operated at or close to capacity’ during their respective
Christmas Eve services, the letters informed them that they would face ‘a civil
administrative penalty of $5,000 for operating in violation of the public
health order and a $5,000 policy for violating the COVID Safe Practices by
failing to wear masks or face coverings.’ In a statement, Legacy Church
defended its decision to hold a Christmas service: ‘We have taken the pandemic
seriously from the start, and have prudent measures in place. But when
governments exceed their constitutional authority and contradict what we are
called on by God to do, we answer first to His authority.’” The following is
excerpted from “Six Ontario Elders Fined,” The Christian Post, Jan. 4, 2021:
“Six elders of a church in Ontario, Canada, have been asked to appear in a
criminal court for holding in-person services in violation of COVID-19-related
restrictions. The elders, who face a fine of up to $10,000, say the action is
‘a violation of God-given rights.’ The members of Trinity Bible Chapel in
Waterloo were charged last week under Section 10.1 of the Reopening Ontario Act
for exceeding the number of permitted people in attendance--10 people indoors
and 10 people outdoors--during a worship service on Dec. 27, according to CBC
News. Officers from the Waterloo Region Police Service visited the homes of the
elders at night and gave them each a summons to court. The church says no
outbreak has been traced back to its services since they reopened in June. But
they ‘have heard a plethora of stories from many of our congregants about how
they were negatively affected spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and
financially during the first lockdown,’ the elders said in a statement. ‘We are
peaceful family men seeking to pastorally care for our families and our church
in sincere obedience to God. We are not criminals,’ they said.”
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
[4] World Communion of Reformed Churches Issues Invitation to the COVID & Beyond
Discerning Circle
He has told you, O mortal,
what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
—Micah 6:8
Greetings in the name of
Christ,
In December we began a process of discernment asking, “What does God require of us?” in this
time of COVID-19 and beyond. Hundreds of people from around the Communion
joined the core group of discernment participants through our livestreams
on Facebook and YouTube.
Participants were invited in to the discernment process, heard stories of how
members are addressing the injustices revealed by the pandemic, and were
introduced to a working paper, “What Does God
Require from Us: Discerning, Confessing, and Witnessing in the Time of Covid-19
and Beyond.”
The process will continue with a second Communion-wide session
on Wednesday, 27 January, beginning at 15:00 (Central European Time). Linked
to the church calendar, this Advent/Epiphany section of the process will focus
on discernment.
The working paper will be centerpiece of this session, with presentations from
its drafting team, including Allan Boesak.
You are invited to join in this session through a livestream on the WCRC YouTube Channel or Facebook page,
participating through the commentary functions of either, which will be taken
into the discernment process. The session will be available in English, French,
and Spanish.
As this process continues in the coming year, we will keep you informed. You
may also find more information on our website, at wcrc.ch/require.
Blessings,
Chris Ferguson Najla
Kassab
General Secretary President
+ World
Communion of Reformed Churches, 150
route de Ferney, Post Office
[5] Christian Literature Fund Publishes in PDF “The
Churches in South Africa, Covid-19 and the Future”
THE CHURCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA, COVID-19 AND THE FUTURE is an electronic
“practical manual” assisting congregations to reflect on being church and on
their ministry while the disrupting results of pandemic are still prevalent. It
reflects on six relevant themes which could be discussed over a period of six
weeks. The manual presents GUIDELINES
for discussion in groups, SERMON NOTES and a GUIDE FOR LEADERS for use in
congregations. There are also links to stimulating VIDEOS on the respective
themes. The six themes are: The churches, the past and the present; The
possible, the probable and the desirable future; Church shrinkage and the
nature of a missional church; Unity and reconciliation; The church in rural
parts, in the midst of Covid-19; Covid-19 and the future. This manual stems
from a more comprehensive research project by a Study Group of South African
church historians from the four biggest reformed churches in South Africa,
under the leadership of Prof Hoffie Hofmeyr. The electronic “practical manual”
can be downloaded FOR FREE at https://clf.co.za/resource-toolkit/
Alternatively - from CLF’s
homepage (www.clf.co.za) go to Resources and click on “Toolkits for ministry”.
For further enquiries, please
contact Prof Hoffie Hofmeyr on 082 452 7778 or per email on linhof@mweb.co.za.
Download the English Manual Here:
+ Christian
Literature Fund, 19 Oude Pont Street, Wellington, 7655, South Africa, +27 (0)21 873 6964, info@clf.co.za
Today (26 January) the
middle-aged Polish citizen, referred to in court documents as 'RS', passed away
after being deprived of fluids and nutrition by University Hospitals Plymouth
NHS Trust since 7 January 2021.
Following a courageous legal and diplomatic battle fought by members of his
family and the Polish government to have RS repatriated to Poland,
RS lost his life just as Poland was seeking to enforce a judgment of its
courts to have him airlifted to a Polish hospital for further treatment and
care.
Last night (25 January), the family's lawyers urgently wrote to the
Hospital's lawyers, insisting that nutrition and fluids be reinstated in view
of the diplomatic status granted by Poland and the decision of a Polish court.
The Hospital refused to re-commence life-sustaining treatment in the morning,
and reported RS's death later during the day.
The Polish government is to be commended for its diligence which included
granting RS diplomatic status in its efforts to bring him home to Poland.
Similarly, legal efforts supporting the family were tireless and included
exhausting all available appeals including two applications to the European
Court of Human Rights.
RS’s mother (whose name cannot be published under the Court order) said: “I
am devastated that the British authorities have decided to dehydrate my son to
death. What the British authorities have done to my son is euthanasia by the
back door. Depriving him of nutrition and hydration is functionally the same as
giving him an injection to end his life, except that the entire process is
longer, degrading and inhumane treatment.”
Sustaining life “not in his best interests”
After RS was taken to hospital following a heart attack in early November, the
doctors at University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust concluded within a few days
that it was in his best interests to withdraw all life-sustaining treatment. In
the end of November, an application was made to the Court of Protection to
resolve the dispute with RS’s mother and other members of his family, who
insisted on preserving his life.
Following an online court hearing earlier in mid-December, Mr Justice
Cohen agreed with the NHS doctors that, with appropriate treatment and care, RS
could survive “for up to five years or more”. Since the heart attack RS
has been recovering, but the judge found that he would never recover beyond “a
minimally conscious state” where he could barely “acknowledge a presence of
another human being”.
RS’s wife, who lives with him in England, tearfully told the Court that RS was
a devout Catholic who believed that every life is precious, but also said that
if he became seriously ill and “beyond saving”, he would not want to be a
“burden” on his family. RS wanted to be buried in Poland when he dies. The
judge refused to allow any questions to be asked to RS’s wife by the lawyers
acting for other members of his family, as she was distressed.
In his judgment the judge found that RS “would not want to be kept alive in a
state which provides him with no capacity to obtain any pleasure and which is
so upsetting to his wife and children”. The judge concluded that it was not in
RS’s best interests to be kept alive.
RS’s mother has already spent most of her savings trying to save her son. Her
fight to save her son’s life is supported by her children and grandchildren,
although not by RS’s wife.
The Christian Legal Centre – the same pro-life group which helped the parents
of Alfie Evans at the final stage of their dramatic legal battle to save the
infant’s life in 2018 – has agreed to cover the future legal costs of the
impoverished family.
The family says RS holds strong pro-life views, and was outraged by the
decision to remove Alfie’s life support; it is ironic that he now finds himself
a victim of a similar decision.
“We have done cases of this kind out of number”
The appeal from members of RS’s family was considered at an urgent hearing on
23 December, chaired by Lady Justice King, who in 2018 dismissed three appeals
by the parents of Alfie Evans against the orders to withdraw his life support.
At the hearing in the Court of Appeal, she commented in open court: “Sadly,
we have all done cases of this kind out of number. We’ve done trials as a
matter of hours. We are all used to dealing with these cases at short notice.”
The family complained that they were given too short a notice of the trial, and
had only two working days to instruct lawyers and prepare the evidence. The
family’s lawyers pointed out that earlier cases of this kind were much rarer,
and would only be decided “after many months of tests and with mountains of
expert evidence, as well as intense examination of evidence from those who knew
the patient to understand his perspective”.
They argued that RS’s case was “an example of the pendulum having swung too far
the opposite way”, where a rushed decision was made without a proper
examination of RS’s Christian belief in the sanctity of life.
The family asked for a short delay in the withdrawal of nutrition and fluids to
enable RS’s elderly mother to fly from Poland to the UK to say goodbye to her
son. However, Lady Justice King emphasised that was a matter for the Hospital,
and the Court’s order came into force immediately. The same evening, RS’s
mother booked the earliest available flight to see her son on Sunday.
However, on Christmas Eve the Hospital informed the family that nutrition and
fluids have already been withdrawn. Messages begging doctors to continue
hydration until RS’s mother’s arrival were left unanswered.
RS’s survival causes “anguish for the clinical team”
The family made an urgent application to the European Court of Human Rights for
the violation of RS’s right to life. The government of Poland declared that it
wished to intervene to support the family’s case against the UK, and made its
own application to ECHR to compel the UK to permit his repatriation. The
European Court has indicated that the case will be heard on an urgent basis in
early 2021.
The family has spent a rare 30-minute visit permitted by the Hospital taking
videos of RS, and have asked an eminent neurological consultant, Rev Dr Patrick
Pullicino, to interpret that evidence. In a written opinion, Dr Pullicino
observed that the videos showed “a clear emotional response to the presence of
family members”, and might indicate that RS’s prospects of recovery were better
than suggested by the Hospital. He recommended further tests which could help
to diagnose RS’s condition.
At an urgent hearing on 28 December, Mr Justice Holman suspended the permission
to withhold nutrition and fluids from RS until this new evidence could be considered
by Mr Justice Cohen. By that time, RS had already spent five days without being
given any fluids, and the Hospital had written to the family to confirm he was
“at the end of his life” and was expected to die within 24 to 48 hours.
However, at the hearing on Thursday 30 December, the doctors working for the
Hospital told the Court that RS’s condition had not changed. The treating
consultant (who cannot be named under the reporting restrictions) said: “We
feel very strongly that his outcome won’t be one which would satisfy him. We
should be palliating him, and that period should be made as short as possible,
not prolonged by providing hydration.”
When asked by the family’s barrister, Charles Foster, about a possible transfer
of RS to his country of origin, the consultant emotionally retorted that the
family’s new application to the court had already forced the clinicians to stop
administering palliative treatment such as morphine and midazolam, and that was
causing “anguish for the clinical team”. He added: “I find it quite
offensive to suggest that he should be transferred to another country, where he
could die in transit away from his family.”
Diplomats from the Polish Embassy attended the online court hearing, and made
submissions to Mr Justice Cohen.
However, Mr Justice Cohen said: “I unhesitatingly reject the suggestion that he
should be moved overseas”. He agreed with the treating doctor’s concern that RS
might “die in transit” as a result – instead of dying in a hospital bed if
hydration is withdrawn. The judge initially imposed reporting restrictions
prohibiting any mention of Poland as RS’s country of origin, but changed his
mind and lifted the ban on Friday 31 December.
Mr Justice Cohen also rejected the evidence of Dr Pullicino, who told the court
that the videos taken by the family indicated that RS was making a speedy
recovery, and had a 50% chance of eventually recovering to live an independent
life within his own home. The judge He refused the family’s request for
permission to arrange for an examination of RS by Dr Pullicino or another
neurologist.
The Hospital had already withdrawn nutrition and hydration from RS on Christmas
Eve, following a Court of Appeal decision the day before, but then reinstated
hydration five days later on the orders of Mr Justice Holman. The Hospital the
agreed to delay the withdrawal until 4 pm on Thursday 7 January, to await a
decision of the European Court of Human Rights.
Poland Acts
On 20 January 2020, a Polish Court, by motion of the Prosecutor’s office,
declared RS as entirely incapacitated and as a permanent resident of
Poland and therefore within its jurisdiction. The District Court in Warsaw
secured the right of R.S. to be transported back to Poland.
In addition, RS was granted diplomatic status by the Polish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, which further bolstered their right to remove RS from
England because of the diplomatic immunity that was conferred upon him as a
result of his diplomatic appointment.
At the time of RS’ s death, Poland was acting feverishly to effectuate the
court order of 20 January 2020.
+ Christian Concern,
