Pro-lifers March on D.C. Amid Government Shutdown

Federal bureaucrats closed Washington D.C. on Friday in the face of the deadly winter weather front closing in on the city, but tens of thousands of citizens braved the weather in D.C. for the 43rd annual March for Life to denounce the deadly politics of Roe v. Wade that is responsible for killing scores of millions of unborn children.  The national mainstream media was virtually absent the event and only one 2016 presidential candidate showed up — a woman!

“The establishment media and political class don’t want us to talk about what the abortion industry is doing. You saw what happened when I talked about the horrific truth of the planned parenthood videos during a Republican debate. Unlike the media, you’ve watched the videos. You’ve seen an aborted baby, it’s legs kicking, it’s heart beating while the technician describes how they would keep these babies alive to harvest their organs.”
-- Carly Fiorina, Republican presidential candidate, at the March for Life

For background, read Planned Parenthood Caught Selling Aborted Babies on Video

Also read 'Free' Abortions Promised by Hillary Clinton for Planned Parenthood Endorsement





Also read President Obama Praises Abortion as Americans March Against It

-- From "As DC shuts down for a blizzard, a small, faithful crowd still joins the March for Life" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post 1/22/16

With much of the D.C. region in the midst of complete shut-down frenzy – grocery and sled stores were packed, though downtown D.C. was quiet — for what is predicted to be a historic snow storm, city officials had suggested to the March for Life organizers that they prioritize participants’ safety – what sounded like a hint to cancel. But actual snow held off for the first hour or so of the event, giving protesters a chance to rally at the foot of the Washington Monument, before the temperatures plunged and the snow began to fall as the march up to the Supreme Court began.

The overall scene was dramatically smaller than normal, with usually-crowded sidewalks and lawns all along the Mall instead dotted with protesters, including nuns and priests in their garb and packs of Catholic school students holding signs and wearing hats that matched their group. Evangelical leaders made a concerted effort this year to bring their activists to what is traditionally a strongly Catholic event and several national evangelical leaders spoke from the stage to the rally.

Among those in the crowd was Richard Stith, 71, an Indiana law professor who called himself a part of a segment he dubbed “lefties for life” — Catholics whom he said support issues like the death penalty and LGBT rights as part of “a consistent ethic for life.” He said he had been a member of a group called Socialists for Life as well and always felt welcome at the march.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Snowstorm keeps turnout low, but spirits stay high at March for Life" by Bradford Richardson, The Hill 1/22/16

Tens of thousands of the movement’s faithful — made up largely of high school and college students outfitted in matching jackets, scarves or hats — took to the streets to protest on the 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Event organizers also took notice [of the youthful demographic], passing out signs proclaiming the arrival of the “Pro-Life Generation.”

“A lot of us are young people — the pro-life generation — who care about life from womb to tomb,” said Victor Esposito, 20, who was with a group of students from Catholic University of America wearing red embroidered scarves.

“There’s come this recognition that as more and more science and technology comes out, we begin to recognize that life really does start at conception,” he added.

The theme of the March, “Pro-life and pro-women go hand in hand,” sought to emphasize the gender diversity of the anti-abortion-rights movement, challenging the narrative that opposition to abortion constitutes a “war on women.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Fiorina becomes pro-life favorite through struggling presidential bid" by Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Examiner 1/22/16

In her trademark pointed and articulate style, Fiorina launched an attack on abortion rights and the groups that promote them . . . "You can scream and throw condoms at me all day long — you cannot scare me," Fiorina said, to cheers from the crowd of activists gathered on the National Mall. "I know the value of life."

While nearly all of Fiorina's Republican opponents hold the same positions on abortion, favoring more restrictions on it and backing recent efforts by Congress to block public funding for Planned Parenthood, Fiorina has eagerly embraced the topic in a way the others haven't.

"Ideological feminism now shuts down conversation on college campuses and in the media," Fiorina said at the March for Life. "If you are a conservative who doesn't believe the litany of the Left, you are waging a war on women."

There's broad feeling among the anti-abortion movement that it needs more focus on how abortion affects women, partially to counter the "war on women" messaging that Democrats, Planned Parenthood and other supporters of abortion rights have pushed. Fiorina agrees with that goal.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Wheaton College Prof. in Muslim Garb for Christmas

A political science associate professor at a well-known evangelical college in suburban Chicago is wearing a hijab to class and everywhere else during Advent to show “religious solidarity with Muslims” and to launch a Christian movement with Islam by wearing the mandatory head scarf for oppressed Muslim women.

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”
-- Professor Larycia Alaine Hawkins, Wheaton College faculty member since 2007

For background, read Leftist Teaching at Wheaton College

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Teaching Christians Muslim Dress in Illinois School

CAIR Teaching Girls to Wear Muslim Hijab in California School

U.S. Schools Force Islamic Terror Singing, Posters

Massachusetts Students Forced To Learn Muslim Conversion

Pennsylvania School Staff to Mosque for Islamic Training

-- From "Christian college professor wears hijab in solidarity with Muslim women" by Joshua Chavers, WPTV-TV5 (West Palm Beach, FL) 12/13/15

“I don't love my Muslim neighbor because s/he is American. I love my Muslim neighbor because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity,” Hawkins said in [her Facebook page last week showing herself wearing a hijab].

The professor says as part of the Advent season, she will wear the hijab “to work at Wheaton College, to play in Chi-town, in the airport and on the airplane to my home state… and at church.”

Hawkins notes that she checked first with the Council on American Islamic Relations [CAIR] to make sure it was not offensive in any way for non-Muslim women to wear the hijab and she invites other women to join her effort as a way to express support and unity.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Wheaton College Prof. to Wear Hijab During Advent to Show Solidarity With Muslims" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 12/11/15

[Hawkins wrote:] "I stand in human solidarity with my Muslim neighbor because we are formed of the same primordial clay, descendants of the same cradle of humankind — a cave in Sterkfontein, South Africa that I had the privilege to descend into to plumb the depths of our common humanity in 2014."

"I invite all women into the narrative that is embodied, hijab-wearing solidarity with our Muslim sisters — for whatever reason. A large scale movement of Women in Solidarity with Hijabs is my Christmas #wish this year," Hawkins continued. "Perhaps you are a Muslim who does not wear the veil normally. Perhaps you are an atheist or agnostic who finds religion silly or inexplicable. Perhaps you are a Catholic or Protestant Christian like me. Perhaps you already cover your head as part of your religious worship, but not a hijab."

"I asked whether a non-Muslim wearing the hijab was haram (forbidden), patronizing, or otherwise offensive to Muslims. I was assured by my friends at CAIR-Chicago that they welcomed the gesture," she explained. "So please do not fear joining this embodied narrative of actual as opposed to theoretical unity; human solidarity as opposed to mere nationalistic, sentimentality."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelical Christian professor dons hijab because 'we worship the same God'" by Harry Farley, Junior Staff Writer, Christian Today 12/14/15

. . . in a more recent post she explained she had received criticism "almost exclusively from other Christians."

She said her position was "one held for centuries by countless Christians (church fathers, saints, and regular Christian folk like)" and insisted that "asserting our religious solidarity with Muslims and Jews will go a long way toward quelling religious violence and enervating religionist fear of the religious other."

Hawkins' gesture has been welcomed by the council on American-Islamic relations [CAIR] . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Hijab-Wearing Wheaton College Prof. Responds to Critics Who Question Her Devotion (Interview)" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 12/14/15

Since her controversial Facebook post last Thursday, Hawkins said that at least ten other people, including students, friends and even a mother of one of her former students, have told her that they will be taking part in wearing hijabs this Christmas season. She is not certain if all of them plan on wearing the hijab throughout the entire Advent or just for a day or two.

"I think that is the kind of unity through religious diversity that I am trying to accomplish through this is to have unity with women who are easily targeted because they wear their religion on their head," Hawkins stressed. "I really find it imperative to think about what it means to coexist as religionists. There are Christian missionaries who uphold these models of the faith who are doing the same thing as a way of reaching out to Muslims even as they try to spread the gospel. I am not sure if we see this is a way of sharing the gospel or as an act of religious solidarity. I think people do it all the time, just not in the U.S."

"I think woman wearing a cross or a man wearing a cross isn't necessarily deemed Christian but a woman wearing a hijab is always assumed to be Muslim, even though Jesus' mom wore a hijab. Mary, the mother of God, wore a hijab," Hawkins highlighted. " The context in the time is fortuitous to remind ourself that in some context, this is a cultural element of dress. Some of my friends who are missionaries in the Middle East wear the hijab while they live there everyday."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 2/10/16: From "Wheaton College 'Same God' Prof. Says Jesus Is Her Rock on Difficult Journey From Advent to Lent" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter

. . . Wheaton Provost Stanton Jones recommended last month that the school begin the termination proceedings for Hawkins, who was placed on administrative leave in mid-December after she asserted that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

On Saturday, it was announced in a press release that the school and Hawkins "found a mutual place of resolution and reconciliation." The statement added that the two sides "reached a confidential agreement under which they will part ways."

Although Hawkins issued a four-page theological statement on the matter days after she was suspended, the institution still felt that more theological discussion was needed before she could return to teach. Hawkins, however, made it clear to the administration that she would no longer have theological dialogue over the matter.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 2/10/16: From "Deal between Wheaton College, professor creates scholarship in her name" by Jessica Cilella, Daily Herald (Chicago suburbs)

[Wheaton College President Philip] Ryken said reconciliation is not always easy or perfect, but the college and Hawkins are "moving forward in genuine friendship, wishing each other well and wanting to bless each other in our work."

The debate over Hawkins' comments continues to resonate throughout the Wheaton College community. Even as Ryken and Hawkins stood together in Chicago, roughly two dozen students, alumni and religious leaders were gathering outside the school's Edman Chapel to announce the launch of a nationwide fast that calls upon the Wheaton community and other evangelical Christian institutions to "confess and repent of the sins of racism, sexism and Islamophobia, and recognize that all humans have dignity and are created equal in the eyes of God."

As president, Ryken said he is committed to restoring "what is lost and repair what is broken" on campus. To do that, he has asked the college's board of trustees to review ways the college can improve how it addresses faculty and personnel issues in the future, particularly when questions arise that relate to the college's statement of faith. He added that the school stands for religious freedom and against the repression of anyone, including Muslims.

Wheaton College theology professor George Kalantzis said Hawkins provided great spiritual and moral leadership, as well as a safe and inviting learning environment, on a campus that greatly needed it.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Christian Wheaton College 'Gay Alumni' Homecoming

Muslim President? How About Christian — Ben Carson

After the fury over presidential candidate Ben Carson saying that he wouldn't support a Muslim for president because Islamic Sharia Law is in conflict with the Constitution, liberal attack media have dug up old video of Carson explaining to a Christian audience that evolution is a satanic theory.

Thus, the media is asking, Can a Bible-believing Christian be president?

“[Socialists] have to knock down the strongest pillars: the Judeo-Christian belief system and the strong family values.”
“[The theory of evolution] has become what is scientifically, politically correct. Amazingly, there are a significant number of scientists who do not believe it but they’re afraid to say anything.”
-- Dr. Ben Carson, retired director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Science Limited to Godless Origins at Ball State University

Scientists Call to Outlaw Non-evolution Theories & Beliefs

Scientist Fired for Finding Fossil that Challenges Evolution

Also read of other presidential candidates who challenged evolution.

And read how the media devise anti-Christian strategies every election year, as they ponder questions like, Can an Evangelical Woman be President?



-- From "Ben Carson Says Darwin's Theory of Evolution 'Encouraged by' the Devil" by Chris Joseph, New Times Broward-Palm Beach 9/22/15

On Tuesday, Buzzfeed uncovered a speech given by Carson in 2012 in which he called the Big Bang Theory part of the fairy tales created by scientists and said Darwin's theory of evolution was "encouraged" by the devil.

The speech, titled "Celebration of Creation," also includes Carson calling scientists "highfalutin" and the Big Bang "ridiculous."

Carson, who has always been outspoken about his views on creationism, is no stranger to bombastic viewpoints and opinions.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ben Carson’s Religious Beliefs Come Under Scrutiny" by David Knowles, Bloomberg 9/23/15

[This week] several articles have been written pointing to a 2011 speech Carson delivered to fellow Seventh Day Adventists. Titled “Celebration of Creation” . . .

“I find the big bang really quite fascinating. I mean, here you have all these highfalutin scientists and they’re saying it was this gigantic explosion and everything came into perfect order. Now these are the same scientists that go around touting the second law of thermodynamics, which is entropy, which says that things move toward a state of disorganization,” Carson said in his 2011 speech. “So now you’re gonna have this big explosion and everything becomes perfectly organized and when you ask them about it they say, ‘Well we can explain this, based on probability theory because if there’s enough big explosions, over a long period of time, billions and billions of years, one of them will be the perfect explosion,” continued Carson. “So I say what you’re telling me is if I blow a hurricane through a junkyard enough times over billions and billions of years, eventually after one of those hurricanes there will be a 747 fully loaded and ready to fly.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ben Carson Believes Big Bang Is Fairy Tale, Evolution ‘Encouraged’ By Devil" by The Associated Press - CBS News (Washington, D.C.) 9/23/15

In a speech at Cedarville University Tuesday, Carson defended his comments, saying he shouldn’t be denigrated for his faith.

“Here’s the key, I then say to [evolutionists] look, ‘I’m not going to criticize you. You have a lot more faith then I have.’ I don’t have enough faith to believe that,” he said, according to BuzzFeed News.

He added, “I give you credit for that, but I’m not going to denigrate you because of your faith and you shouldn’t denigrate me for mine. And that’s the kind of attitude … that I think is very important in the society in which we live today.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dr. Ben Carson’s Life Story Rests on a Deep Adventist Faith" by Jack Martinez and Matthew Cooper, Newsweek 9/20/15

Carson has argued for the superiority of creationism over the theory of evolution. In an interview with Newsweek earlier this year, he distanced himself from certitude about the Earth’s age. “I don’t know how old the earth is and the distance between ages,” he said. “There could be a billion years between ages.” He has said that his beliefs about science and religion “correlate.”

Carson’s rise in the polls as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination has spurred interest in the church that has shaped so much of his life. If he continues to gain momentum, Americans are bound to have questions about the Seventh-day Adventists, just as they did about Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith and, at another time, John F. Kennedy’s Catholicism.

Adventists share many of the ideological tenets of evangelical Christianity. Carson the Adventist is another voice in a large field of Christian conservative presidential candidates, such as Baptists Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz and Catholic Rick Santorum. By some estimates, there are 1.2 million Adventists in the U.S.

Evangelicals make up a major part of Carson’s current base . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ben Carson: Darwin’s Evolution Theory ‘Was Encouraged by the Adversary,’ Satan" by Michael W. Chapman, CNSNews.com 9/25/15

“You know, scientists like Sir Isaac Newton – considered one of the most scientific minds ever, inventor of calculus, so many things – had a strong belief in God, big mission outreach,” said Dr. Carson.  “Einstein!  When you think about genius, what is the word you come up with?  Einstein. He believed in God.”

“One of the things I’m hoping to do over the next few years, one of the books coming up on my docket,” Carson continued,  “is called The Organ of Species – not The Origin of Species, The Organ of Species – and we’re going to talk about the organs of the body and how they completely refute evolution, and several other things as well.”

In 2004, Carson served on the President’s Council on Bioethics and in 2008 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2010, Dr. Carson was elected into the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, considered one of the most prestigious honors in medicine.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Most Americans Reject Godless Theory of Evolution

And read Families are Greatest Enemy of Democrats at Polls

Full video of Dr. Carson:

Pastors' Hands Bloody: Abortion Parts Trafficking

Presidential candidate U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is pleading with all Bible-believing Christians to pray and call on their own local church leaders to engage the battle against abortionists and stop government funding of Planned Parenthood.  Yesterday, Sen. Cruz told thousands of Christian leaders via a conference call that they have the utmost duty to protect the unborn.

"How did America become a country that harvests organs from unborn children? And who has the courage to stop it?"
-- Ted Cruz campaign ad

For background, read Sen. Ted Cruz Rallies Christians in Iowa for Religious Liberty and also read Planned Parenthood Caught Selling Aborted Babies on Video as well as Kill Baby to Save Mother? No! Says Gov. Scott Walker

In addition read Rev. Franklin Graham Says Pastors Cowering from 'Culture War' Deserve Hell and read Study Finds Pastors Conceal Culture Truth to be Successful



-- From "Ted Cruz Rallies Evangelicals In Campaign To Defund Planned Parenthood" by Don Gonyea, NPR National Public Radio 8/25/15

[Ted Cruz'] latest pitch to religious voters came in a conference call Tuesday with church pastors from around the country.

In the conference call earlier, and at every campaign event, Cruz attacks Planned Parenthood. He highlights the recent series of undercover videos from an anti-abortion-rights group accusing the organization of selling fetal tissue from abortions for profit.

Cruz argues that he can win the nomination — and the presidency — by motivating real conservatives and not worrying at all about winning moderates. That's something he and others argue imperiled Republicans' chances in the last several elections.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Cruz’s evangelical outreach shifts into high gear" by Katie Zezima and Tom Hamburger, Washington Post 8/23/15

More than 100,000 pastors received e-mail invitations over the weekend to participate in conference calls with Cruz on Tuesday in which they will learn details of the [defund Planned Parenthood] plan to mobilize churchgoers in every congressional district beginning Aug. 30. The requests were sent on the heels of the Texas Republican’s “Rally for Religious Liberty,” which drew 2,500 people to a Des Moines ballroom Friday.

Heading into the primary season, it wasn’t clear how significant a role social issues would play in the selection of the Republican nominee. But social conservatives and evangelical voters say they have been galvanized by a one-two punch this summer: first, the Supreme Court’s decision that same-sex marriage should be legal in all 50 states — and then, the release of hidden-camera videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the donation of fetal tissue in a seemingly cavalier fashion.

All of the Republican candidates have found themselves spending more trail time on both issues over the past few months. Those fighting most fiercely for religious voters have made them central to their campaigns. But few candidates have made the burgeoning “religious liberty” movement in opposition to same-sex marriage and the fight to deny funding to Planned Parenthood as much of their campaign centerpiece as Cruz has — and perhaps no one is as well positioned to benefit politically from a renewed focus on those issues.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz Teams With Pastors To Defund Planned Parenthood" by David Brody, CBN News Chief Political Correspondent 8/23/15

Dear Pastor,

The recent exposure of Planned Parenthood's barbaric practices of harvesting the body parts of innocent babies and selling them to the highest bidder has brought about a pressing need to end tax payer support of this institution.

As the son of a pastor, I know you bear a high and holy calling on your lives. I am urging you to confront this evil in our nation by praying and preaching with an unbridled passion until funding for Planned Parenthood ends, and this barbaric practice is purged from the land.

Over the next two weeks, with the support of your prayers and the impact of your preaching, I intend to lead an effort to end taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood.

The battle we face is not political. It is spiritual. To enter this arena in a prayerless condition invites failure. . . .

To read the entire E-mail from Sen. Ted Cruz above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz tries to rouse evangelicals with campaign against Planned Parenthood" by Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service 8/26/15

Cruz is working with the American Renewal Project, a conservative group that encourages pastors to run for elected office on a campaign to defund Planned Parenthood.

“Our call to action primarily, number one, is to get the pastors to return to prayer on this and every issue,” said the Rev. Ken Graves, who spoke on Tuesday’s teleconference call.

Too many of of the nation’s evangelical pastors “have come to believe that we have no freedom, no right to speak,” said Graves, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel in Bangor, Maine, and a speaker on the 20-minute call. He encouraged his fellow pastors to exercise their right to talk about Planned Parenthood and other issues according to their understanding of Scripture.

And Graves said the pastors stand on firm legal ground. “The word is out that pastors have the freedom, that they’re not a lower caste of American people,” he said. They can both speak out and engage in the process.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz recruiting pastors in push to defund Planned Parenthood" by Bob Allen, Baptist News Global 8/24/15

The phone call is part of a larger 50-state campaign by Cruz to end taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood — a campaign likely to raise his profile in a Republican primary race where the vote of social conservatives is seen as up for grabs.

[Sen. Cruz] asked that pastors preach a message Aug. 30 “calling on your people to enter into this spiritual battle for the soul of their nation.” A link on the American Renewal Project points to an outline for a sample sermon titled: “The Cry of the Innocent for the Soul of a Nation.”

Finally, Cruz asked pastors to lead congregations in a “Day of Prayer and Fasting,” on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and use Wednesday night services asking God “to move in the hearts of men and women in government to vote to end the slaughter of the innocents.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz calls out pastors to fight abortion" by Jack Minor, World Net Daily 8/25/15

“Now more than ever it is the role of the church, as well as our pastors and faith leaders, to stand up and speak the truth with absolute clarity,” Cruz said in a telephone conference call.

“I would encourage every pastor on this call to preach the truth about what is happening with Planned Parenthood. I recognize these are topics that are not without controversy, and they invite criticism when faith leaders speak candidly about them,” he said.

“If we cannot speak about this, there is very little that we can stand up and speak about. Preaching from the pulpit biblical values on life and comparing those values, the teachings of Jesus, to this nationwide business of trafficking in the body parts of unborn children is a message that needs to be heard across this nation.”

Cruz urged the pastors to lift up America’s leaders in prayer as well as pray for action against the sale of human body parts by the abortion provider.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Urging Pastors to Register Their Flocks to Vote (David Lane, American Renewal Project)

Religious Liberty vs. Gay Agenda: Ted Cruz in Iowa

Christians persecuted for their faith went on stage at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa last night to discuss how they were victimized by their own government and stripped of their jobs, businesses and religious liberty.  Republican presidential candidate and Texas U.S. senator Ted Cruz, hosting the event, told the crowd that America is nearing the end of its founding principle of freedom of religion if Bible-believing Christians don't rise up immediately.

Click here for complete rally video
Click here for shorter clip

"Is the next victim of persecution your pastor?  Your charity, where you volunteer your time at a crisis pregnancy center?"
". . . there is this liberal intolerance that says that anyone that dares follow a Biblical teaching of marriage, that is the union of one man and one woman must be persecuted, must be fined and must be driven out of business."
-- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

For background, see Sen. Ted Cruz explain in 2013 how the Gay Agenda will end freedom of religion and also read how it has come to pass in 2015:  Religious Liberty in Homosexualists' Crosshairs

UPDATE 8/23/15 - Sen. Cruz asked about same-sex marriage (CBS News Face the Nation video):


Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Homosexuals Force Closure of Iowa Christian Wedding Chapel

Gay Agenda Forced on Christian Colleges by Supreme Court

Kentucky Forbids Pastors Calling Homosexuality 'Sinful'

Pastors Lead Local Battles Against 'Gay Rights'

Houston Lesbian Mayor Subpoenas Pastors' Sermons

9th Circuit Court Forces Christians into Abortion Business

Atheists, Satanists Force Bible Ban in Florida Schools

Atheists Force Bible Bans at Colleges Across America

13 States vs. ACLU in Appeals Court over Civic Prayer

Also read how President Obama and his federal government agencies are elevating the Gay Agenda above religious liberty.

-- From "Ted Cruz: there is a ‘war on faith’" by Katie Zezima, Washington Post 8/21/15

Cruz, looking to gain traction in an early voting state with a heavy concentration of evangelical Christians, held a highly organized and produced "Rally for Religious Liberty" Friday night. The rally featured live music, interviews with people who said their religious liberty was violated and sermon-like speeches from Cruz, who tried to cement himself as the candidate of choice for evangelical voters in a crowded Republican primary field.

"There is a war on faith in America today," Cruz said, later noting that 54 million evangelical Christians stayed home during the 2012 election.

"I'm here to tell you, we will stay home no longer," he said as the audience, which filled a ballroom and the campaign estimated to number 2,500 people, cheered.

While Cruz will be competing for the evangelical vote with candidates including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former senator Rick Santorum and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, few have been as vociferous about the notion that religious liberty is under attack than Cruz. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz preaches to the field" by Katie Glueck, Politico 8/22/15

First up onstage Friday night were Dick and Betty Odgaard, an Iowa couple who would not host a gay wedding at a venue they owned because they felt doing so would violate their religious beliefs. The two have been the subject of a lawsuit and closed their business. The senator sat down with the Odgaards onstage and prompted them to tell their story, bringing Betty Odgaard to the verge of tears.

“I know this has been a very hard journey,” Cruz told them, leaning over to hold Betty Odgaard’s hand in a rare public display of softer emotions from the senator. “Scripture tells us, God ordered our steps.”

“Amen,” she replied.

“I’m convinced you have gone down this road, endured the pain, endured the attacks, endured the hatred, precisely to put you where you are here today, for such a time as this,” he said, to applause.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "In Iowa, Ted Cruz rallies religious right" by Betsy Klein and Maggie Loughran, CNN 8/22/15

Cruz spoke about his experience defending freedom of religion at the Supreme Court and what he said were the threats facing religious liberty.

"These threats have been growing, they have been growing for decades but never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than they are right here and now today," he said.

"These threats are not imagined, they're not made up. These are real people leading real lives who found themselves facing persecution simply for living out their faith. There is a war on faith in America today."

The event featured guest speakers who had faced consequences of upholding their religious beliefs, from losing a job to vandalism to losing a business.

"They didn't ask for confrontation and the government came to them and said, 'Choose between faith and obedience to government power,' and they said, 'I follow a higher power and that is God almighty,'" Cruz said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Cruz: Threats against religious liberty never greater" by Matthew Patane, Des Moines Register 8/21/15

In his opening remarks [at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center] during the “Rally for Religious Liberty,” Cruz referenced a number of Supreme Court cases regarding religious issues that came down to a 5-4 decision.

“You want to know what this election is about? We are one justice away from the Supreme Court saying ‘every image of God shall be torn down,’” said Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas said.

Iowa radio host Steve Deace, who endorsed Cruz earlier this week, interviewed the other guests. They included Barronelle Stutzman, a florist sued for declining to provide flowers to a same-sex marriage, and Oregon bakers Melissa and Aaron Kline, who declined to provide a cake to a same-sex marriage, among others.

“These are just everyday people like all of you in this room and yet they find themselves on the front line in the battle for the soul of this culture,” Deace said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ellen Page Confronts Ted Cruz on Gay Rights at Iowa State Fair" by Josh Haskell and Jessica Hopper, ABC News 8/21/15

While Sen. Ted Cruz was grilling pork chops at the Iowa State Fair today, actress Ellen Page, wearing a hat and sunglasses, snuck her way up to the grill and asked the GOP presidential candidate about "the persecution of gays in the workplace and LGBT rights."

"Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith," Cruz responded.

The Texas senator, 44, went on to argue today that "no one has the right to force someone else to abandon their faith and their conscience."

"Imagine, hypothetically, you had a gay florist and imagine two evangelicals wanted to get married and they decide, ‘You know what, I disagree with your faith and I don’t want to provide flowers,’" Cruz posed to Page.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



Also read RINO Illinois Gov. Favors Homosexuals over Kids

And read Republicans Going Gay, to be 'Moderate' & Likeable

Gay Agenda Forced on Christian Colleges by Supremes

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court blessing of the Gay Agenda, homosexualists are gearing up to launch legal assaults against Christians on all fronts.  In response to those threats, Christian colleges are girding up with lawyers — perhaps to defend themselves, or simply to surrender.

"Weakening the churches will leave individuals subject to the direct control of the state. Weakening the churches erodes freedom."
-- Peter Leithart, President of the Theopolis Institute

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

South Carolina Seminary: Homosexuality Sinful — Media Outraged

Massachusetts Christian College Ostracized by City & Media for Opposing Gay Agenda

Gays and Media Attack Nebraska Christian College for Being Moral

Liberal Media Pounce on Evangelical Liberty University

Religious Liberty in Homosexualists' Crosshairs

ACLU Sues Christians for Refusing 'Gay Marriage'

Kansas Gov. Protects Religious Liberty, Homosexualists Attack

Homosexualists Admit Goal to End Religious Liberty

Michigan Christian Business Trashed by Homosexualists

Homosexuals Force Closure of Iowa Christian Wedding Chapel

Pastors Face Fines, Jail for Refusing 'Gay Wedding'

U.S. Catholic Bishops vs. U.S. Supreme Court Gay Agenda

-- From "3 Christian schools shift their policies on homosexuality" compiled by Massarah Mikati, Deseret News 7/12/15

"In employment policy and practice, Hope College [in Holland, Michigan] has always followed the state's legal definition of marriage," school president, John Knapp, wrote in a statement. "Spouses are eligible for benefits, so long as their marriage is legally recognized the state of Michigan."

"Notre Dame is a Catholic university and endorses a Catholic view of marriage. However, it will follow the relevant civil law and begin to implement this change immediately," the university emailed to employees.

And on Tuesday, Baylor University — the world's largest Baptist university — dropped a ban on "homosexual acts" in its sexual conduct policy, according to the Houston Chronicle.

While before, Baylor's policy said homosexual acts were a misuse of "God's gift," it now says the university "will be guided by the biblical understanding that human sexuality is a gift from God and that physical sexual intimacy is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Hope College to extend spousal benefits to gay couples after high court ruling" by Amy Biolchini, Holland Michigan Sentinel 7/5/15

Hope provides benefits to spouses legally recognized by the state of Michigan, said Jennifer Fellinger, vice president for public affairs and marketing at Hope.

Prior to June 26, that meant if a Hope employee was married to someone of the same sex in another state, the couple would not receive the benefits that a heterosexual married couple would at Hope.

As a result of Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, a same-sex spouse of a Hope employee is now eligible for spousal benefits.

Hope is a private, Christian college affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. The RCA has historically stuck to a Biblical definition of marriage — between one man and one woman.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Two Christian Colleges Extend Employment Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 7/12/15

On Monday, Hope College President John Knapp sent an email to the Hope community explaining that while Hope will continue to offer benefits to spouses of employees recognized by the state, the Supreme Court's ruling has effectively changed the definition of marriages recognized by the state of Michigan to include same-sex couples.

Knapp explained that after consulting with members of the Hope community and other Christian educators, it was determined that it's in the best interest of the school to keep the same employment policy and extend benefits same-sex spouses recognized in Michigan.

Knapp also explains that although the school will extend benefits to same-sex spouses, that does not mean the school will open use of the Dimnent Chapel for same-sex wedding ceremonies.

Although employees' same-sex spouses will now receive benefits from Hope college, Hope's statement on sexuality still states: "This biblical witness calls us to a life of chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Why Baylor University’s sexual conduct policy no longer calls out ‘homosexual acts’" by Abby Ohlheiser, Washington Post 7/8/15

Baylor University, one of the nation’s most prominent Christian colleges, has dropped a phrase from its student policy on sexual misconduct that specifically forbade “homosexual acts.” Although the revised code does not appear to alter the school’s policy barring same-sex relationships, the change comes as many Christian colleges grapple with how to define their standards for student conduct.

In a document outlining how the school will apply the new policy, Baylor says that it will “be interpreted by the Baptist University in a manner consistent with the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963,” a reference to a doctrinal document from the Southern Baptist Convention. That document, among other things, defines marriage as “the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.”

Lori Fogleman, Baylor’s assistant vice president for media communications, said in an e-mail to The Washington Post on Monday that the changes “were made because we didn’t believe the language reflected Baylor’s caring community.” The new policy went into effect in May of this year.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "The Supreme Court Ruling and Christian Colleges" by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed 6/29/15

In a dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the [majority, ruling] decision's language did not go far enough. "Hard questions arise when people of faith exercise religion in ways that may be seen to conflict with the new right to same-sex marriage -- when, for example, a religious college provides married student housing only to opposite-sex married couples," Roberts wrote.

[Christian evangelical colleges], some legal experts believe, may now face challenges to their tax-exempt status or other government benefits. . . .

Seventy leaders of Christian colleges and schools wrote to congressional leaders this month -- prior to the Supreme Court's ruling -- asking Congress to enact a law to protect religious colleges and schools that want to keep their current policies on gay people. . . .

Michael A. Olivas, director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance at the University of Houston and author of The Law and Higher Education, said that the Supreme Court ruling should prompt Christian colleges to rethink their policies. "In an area of social change that is as well defined as this issue is, why would any college want to violate the law by banning relationships that are not only legal, but if they led to marriage would be legal and recognizable in every jurisdiction in the country?" he asked

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Is tax status the next front in the same-sex marriage battle?" by Mariana Barillas, Michigan Campus Correspondent, Campus Reform 7/14/15

As reported by Catholic Education Daily, Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly told EWTN News Nightly he expected the religious freedom of educators will be attacked, but said no one can take the right of Catholics to teach their faith to the next generation.

“I think that we’re going to suffer a lot, and I don’t mean to suggest that we won’t,” Reilly said. “We may not have schools and colleges in the form that we have them now.”

Ave Maria Law Dean Emeritus Eugene Milhizer told Catholic Education Daily that “religious freedom is endangered,” arguing “the recasting of the right of ‘freedom of religion’ to a notion of ‘freedom of worship’” as “an effort to expel religious influence from the public square.”

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah has introduced the First Amendment Defense Act, which he said in an NPR interview is designed to protect the freedom of religious colleges and universities that recognize marriage as "an institution between a man and a woman."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "What does the Supreme Court gay marriage ruling mean for Christian colleges?" by Mark Woods, Christian Today Contributing Editor 7/13/15

A campaign by the Americans United for Separation of Church and State launched after the Supreme Court decision seeks to thwart colleges and other religious institutions seeking exemption from the implications of the ruling. Its "Protect thy Neighbor" project is aimed among other things at preventing policies that would "allow government-funded grantees and contractors to use religion as a reason to hire, fire, and withhold services in taxpayer-funded programs".

According to the Christian Post, its executive director Rev Barry Lynn said: "We will work to put a stop to reckless definitions of 'religious freedom' that are really just excuses to infringe on the rights of others."

Lynn said: "Even now, I would not want to be a person at a fundamentalist academy who is trying to defend the practice, that is taking a reasonable amount of government funds and refusing to allow a same-sex married couple to live in the married student housing. I think even now, that would be on the edge of the indefensible."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Christian Colleges' Right to Deny Married Housing for Gay Couples Is 'on the Edge of the Indefensible,' Barry Lynn Asserts" by Samuel Smith, Christian Post Reporter 7/7/15

Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling, Americans United worked to stop Religious Freedom Restoration Acts in Indiana, Arkansas and other states that could, but not necessarily would, provide businesses and individuals with greater religious protections from being forced to serve and participate in same-sex weddings.

In response to a question from The Christian Post, Lynn, who is an ordained minister for the Church of Christ, contended that Christian colleges refusing to provide married housing to married same-sex couples is akin to schools not allowing interracial married couples to occupy married housing.

In 1983, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Bob Jones University could legally have its tax-exempt status revoked for engaging in the discriminatory practice of not allowing mixed-race dating.

. . . Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United, said that the organization will work to oppose the First Amendment Defense Act [recently introduced in Congress by Senator Mike Lee of Utah].

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read The Gay 'Untied' States of America

And read Gay Agenda will be Complete when Christians are Muzzled, Say Homosexualists as well as Senator Ted Cruz Says the Gay Agenda Ends Christian Liberty

Fewer Americans Claim Christian, Media Cheer: Poll

Don't believe the media headline spin . . .

In an effort to make President Obama's claim true (that America is NOT a Christian nation), the mainstream media have incorrectly hyped results of a new Pew Research survey — a poll which actually shows that MORE Americans claim to be devout Christians while formerly nominal Catholics and mainline churchgoers now more honestly report no religious affiliation.

Separately, read academic report:  Christians Will Flourish Demographically

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

20% in U.S. Have No Religion, yet ARE Spiritual

Secularists Revel in Aspirations of an Atheist America

Media, Secularists Revel in Reporting Failure of Christian Religion

However, Atheists & Liberals Lament Recent Supreme Court Religious Liberty Rulings

Also read Liberal Media Ignore 40,000 National Day of Prayer Events

So what is this ObamaNation?  It's a 'Fake Church,' Says Catholic Cardinal



For myriad attacks on the Bible and Christian faith, read CBS Gives Voice to Atheists, Heretics, & Apostates



From "Big Drop in Share of Americans Calling Themselves Christian" by Nate Cohn, New York Times 5/12/15

The Christian share of adults in the United States has declined sharply since 2007, affecting nearly all major Christian traditions and denominations, and crossing age, race and region, according to an extensive survey by the Pew Research Center.

The Christian share of adults fell to 70.6 percent from 78.4 percent between 2007 and 2014, with declines among all major Christian denominations.

The decline has been propelled in part by generational change, as relatively non-Christian millennials reach adulthood and gradually replace the oldest and most Christian adults. But it is also because many former Christians, of all ages, have joined the rapidly growing ranks of the religiously unaffiliated or “nones”: a broad category including atheists, agnostics and those who adhere to “nothing in particular.”

Not all religions or even Christian traditions declined so markedly. The number of evangelical Protestants dipped only slightly as a share of the population, by 1 percentage point, and actually increased in raw numbers [to 62.2 million].

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Study: Americans becoming less Christian, more secular" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press 5/11/15

The number of Americans who don’t affiliate with a particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years, making the faith group researchers call “nones” the second-largest in total numbers behind evangelicals, according to a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday.

Researchers have long debated whether people with no religion should be defined as secular since the category includes those who believe in God or consider themselves “spiritual.” But the new Pew study found increasing signs of secularism.

Last year, 31 percent of “nones” said they were atheist or agnostic, compared to 25 percent in 2007, and the percentage who said religion was important to them dropped.

Pew researchers said Christian losses were driven by decreases among mainline, or liberal, Protestants and Roman Catholics.

Mainline Protestants declined by about 5 million to 36 million between 2007 and 2014. Pew found 13 percent of U.S. adults are former Catholics. The study put the number of Catholic adults at 51 million, or just over one-fifth of the U.S. population, a drop of about 3 percent over seven years. In 2007, Catholics made up about one-quarter of Americans.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "American Religion: Complicated, Not Dead" by Emma Green, The Atlantic 5/12/15

. . . the survey actually reveals something more complex than a slow and steady march toward secularization. Those who didn’t identify with any particular religion were asked a follow-up question: “How important is religion in your life?” The answers reveal that this group might be churchless, but it’s not wholly faithless: 44 percent said religion is “very” or “somewhat” important to them, while 56 percent said religion isn't important to them, according to Greg Smith, Pew’s associate director of research. . . .

The survey gives at least a partial look at what the researchers call “religious switching”: People converting to other faiths, joining new kinds of churches, or ditching religion altogether. If you count switches among the major traditions in Protestantism (mainline, evangelical, and historically black congregations), roughly 42 percent of Americans no longer consider themselves part of the religion in which they were raised. . . .

This [survey] may make it sound like Christianity has entered a tailspin, but given its continued prominence in American life, that’s probably overdramatic. America is still a Christian nation, just by a somewhat smaller margin. . . .

The most important caveat to keep in mind in reading this survey is that religion, and particularly Christianity, is not losing its overall influence in American culture. Culture-war rhetoric often implies an epic battle between Christian conservatives and the creep of secularity; in general, that narrative is an oversimplification of American religion. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Nominals to Nones: 3 Key Takeaways From Pew’s Religious Landscape Survey" by Ed Stetzer, Christianity Today 5/12/15

The percentage of convictional [devout] Christians remains rather steady, but because the nominal Christians now are unaffiliated the overall percentage of self-identified Christians is decline. . . .

1. Convictional Christianity is rather steady.

Evangelicals now make up a clear majority (55%) of all U.S. Protestants. In 2007, 51% of U.S. Protestants identified with evangelical churches.

One of the primary reasons it appears as though “American Christianity” is experiencing a sharp decline is because the nominals that once made up (disproportionately) Mainline Protestantism and Catholicism are now checking “none” on religious affiliation surveys.

Nominal Christians make up a higher percentage of Mainline Protestants and Catholics than any other denomination of Christian, and this is why their numbers continue to sharply decline.

2. There have been significant shifts within American Christianity.

One of the most notable shifts in American Christianity is the evangelicalization of church in America. Fifty percent of all Christians now self-identify as “evangelical” or “born again,” up from 44 percent in 2007. In 2007, 44% of American Christians, who made up 78% of the U.S. population identified as evangelical. In 2014, 50% of American Christians, who make up 70% of the U.S. population identify as evangelical.

3. Mainline Protestantism continues to hemorrhage.

Only 45% of those raised in the Mainline Protestant tradition remain in Mainline churches. . . . If Mainline Protestantism continues its trajectory it is only a couple of generations from virtual extinction.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

From "The New Pew Survey on Religion & Lament for Nominal Christianity" by Mark D. Tooley, Christian Post Contributor 5/13/15

Evangelicals are the one Christian group to have grown numerically and almost retained their population percentage, now at 25%. A growing majority of Protestants are now Evangelical, and half of all Christians now identify as Evangelical or born-again. Liberal Mainline Protestantism unsurprisingly continues its fast decline, dropping from 18 to under 15%. Catholics dropped from about 24% to 21%.

The ongoing trend seems to be that nominal, mostly non-practicing Mainline Protestants and Catholics increasingly identify as unaffiliated. Most of this group still professes belief in God, many pray and some attend church. But they no longer claim ties to a specific tradition. Less than a third, about 7%, are atheist or agnostic.

. . . Active Christianity remains robust in America. Orthodox Christian expressions are displacing declining liberal forms. But there is cause for concern and sadness, as Mainline Protestantism, once central to American life, and a unifying spiritual and civil force, recedes ever more dramatically. An America more and more torn between secularists and the spiritually ambiguous on one side, against Evangelicals and believing Catholics on the other, will be even more polarized, missing the common language that Mainline Protestants offered so effectively for centuries.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

From "5 key findings about the changing U.S. religious landscape" by Michael Lipka, Pew Research Center 5/12/15

1.  Christians are declining, both as a share of the U.S. population and in total number.  . . .

2.  Within Christianity, the biggest declines have been in the mainline Protestant tradition and among Catholics. . . .

3.  The growth of the “nones” has been powered in part by religious switching. Nearly one-in-five U.S. adults (18%) were raised as Christians or members of some other religion, but now say they have no religious affiliation.

4.  . . . the decline of Christians and rise of the “nones” – have occurred in some form across many demographic groups, including men and women, older and younger Americans, and people with different levels of education and different races and ethnicities.

5.  The share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths, such as Islam and Hinduism, has grown modestly in recent years, from 4.7% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2014. Muslims now account for 0.9% of the U.S. adult population (up from 0.4% in the 2007 Landscape Study), while Hindus make up 0.7% of U.S. adults (up from 0.4% in 2007).

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "America’s Changing Religious Landscape" posted at Pew Research Center 5/12/15

To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world . . .

Because the U.S. census does not ask Americans about their religion, there are no official government statistics on the religious composition of the U.S. public. . . .

While many U.S. religious groups are aging, the unaffiliated are comparatively young – and getting younger, on average, over time. As a rising cohort of highly unaffiliated Millennials reaches adulthood, the median age of unaffiliated adults has dropped to 36, down from 38 in 2007 and far lower than the general (adult) population’s median age of 46.4 By contrast, the median age of mainline Protestant adults in the new survey is 52 (up from 50 in 2007), and the median age of Catholic adults is 49 (up from 45 seven years earlier).

. . . the size of the historically black Protestant tradition – which includes the National Baptist Convention, the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Progressive Baptist Convention and others – has remained relatively stable in recent years, at nearly 16 million adults. And evangelical Protestants, while declining slightly as a percentage of the U.S. public, probably have grown in absolute numbers as the overall U.S. population has continued to expand.

The new survey indicates that churches in the evangelical Protestant tradition – including the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, Churches of Christ, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Presbyterian Church in America, 0ther evangelical denominations and many nondenominational congregations – now have a total of about 62 million adult adherents. That is an increase of roughly 2 million since 2007 . . .

. . . people in older generations are increasingly disavowing association with organized religion. About a third of older Millennials (adults currently in their late 20s and early 30s) now say they have no religion, up nine percentage points among this cohort since 2007, when the same group was between ages 18 and 26. Nearly a quarter of Generation Xers now say they have no particular religion or describe themselves as atheists or agnostics, up four points in seven years. Baby Boomers also have become slightly but noticeably more likely to identify as religious “nones” in recent years.

. . . The evangelical Protestant tradition is the only major Christian group in the survey that has gained more members than it has lost through religious switching. Roughly 10% of U.S. adults now identify with evangelical Protestantism after having been raised in another tradition, which more than offsets the roughly 8% of adults who were raised as evangelicals but have left for another religious tradition or who no longer identify with any organized faith.

. . . Whites continue to be more likely than both blacks and Hispanics to identify as religiously unaffiliated; 24% of whites say they have no religion, compared with 20% of Hispanics and 18% of blacks. But the religiously unaffiliated have grown (and Christians have declined) as a share of the population within all three of these racial and ethnic groups.

. . . The percentage of college graduates who identify with Christianity has declined by nine percentage points since 2007 (from 73% to 64%). The Christian share of the population has declined by a similar amount among those with less than a college education (from 81% to 73%). Religious “nones” now constitute 24% of all college graduates (up from 17%) and 22% of those with less than a college degree (up from 16%).

. . . Since 2007, the share of evangelical Protestants who identify with Baptist denominations has shrunk from 41% to 36%. Meanwhile, the share of evangelicals identifying with nondenominational churches has grown from 13% to 19%.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Liberal Mainline 'Churches' Continue to Wither as they Conform to the Decadent Culture

New Atheist 'Churches' in America Give Competition to Mainlines

Colleges Hire Humanist & Atheist Chaplains for the Nonbelievers

Congress: America No Longer a Christian Nation

Jesus' Virgin Birth NOT Worth Celebrating: Poll

America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

President Obama Provokes Second 'In God We Trust' Movement

Fla.: Christian Attacked for 'Anti-Gay' Cake Order

Joshua Feuerstein wanted to demonstrate that businesses have the right to refuse service based upon their beliefs, but after he asked Cut the Cake, a pro-homosexual bakery in Longwood, Florida, to bake a cake saying "We do not support gay marriage," he now faces a lawsuit by the bakery and may face criminal charges.

"I actually believe that Cut the Cake Bakery has the right to refuse my request, that's my point. They should have that right the same way that a Christian bakery should have the right to refuse something that goes against ethics and morals.”
-- Joshua Feuerstein, Christian citizen of Arizona

For background, read Colorado Rules Homosexualists CAN Discriminate Against Christians (but not vice versa)





-- From "Bakery may sue evangelist over anti-gay cake request" by The Associated Press 4/8/15

An Arizona man who caused controversy after his request to a Longwood bakery to make a cake with an anti-gay marriage message, says he is being unfairly portrayed.

Cut the Cake bakery says it has lost business and been harassed since evangelist Joshua Feuerstein posted a video of the bakery's owner refusing to make a cake that said, "We do not support gay marriage."

The bakery's owner said she may pursue criminal charges against Feuerstein for recording the phone call without her consent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelical says he was wrongly portrayed in bakery 'gay marriage' controversy" by Amanda Ober, WESH-TV2 (Orlando, FL) 4/7/15

Feuerstein talked to WESH 2 News via Skype on Tuesday and said he opposes same-sex marriage, but he has no hatred for the LGBT community.

"We wanted to see if a pro-LGBT bakery would bake a cake for something that it was opposed to, what they believed in, and you know what, I actually believe that Cut the Cake has every right as an American to refuse to print that on a cake. But now, of course, the news story all across the nation is that I'm a bigot and a homophobe," he said.

As for the impact of Feuerstein's phone call on the baker, he said he quickly removed the [video] posting when he learned that the owners were being harassed.

A GoFundMe account for the bakery has brought in over $13,000 to cover its losses.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Evangelist conducts social experiment over controversial debate" posted at FOX TV-46 (Charlotte, NC) 4/6/15

In the video, Joshua Feuerstein can be heard ordering a cake over the phone.

"I need a sheet cake and I need it to say we do not support gay marriage,” he says in the video.

"Is this a crank call? No, oh we wouldn't do that sorry," Sharon Haller, the owner of Cut the Cake Bakery says on the other end of the line.

Feuerstein said of the video, "The video I posted in no way shape or form asked or requested anybody to be hateful, to be mean, it was a social experiment.”

He later said, "I 1000 percent agree there should never be discrimination against women, African Americans, or gay people.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "This evangelist asked a gay bakery to make a traditional marriage cake. Now he may face charges" by Kirsten Andersen, LifeSiteNews.com 4/9/15

Feuerstein posted video of the phone call to YouTube with commentary explaining his position. “Cut the Cake[‘s owner]…refuses to make an anti-gay ‘marriage’ cake, so it obviously violates her principles, and so she doesn’t feel like she should be forced to make the cake,” Feuerstein said in the video. “And yet…there’s all of this hoopla going around because Christian bakeries think that they shouldn’t be forced.”

“Look, this is not about discrimination,” Feuerstein said. “This is about them having the freedom.”

[After] Feuerstein took down his video . . . Haller quickly reposted the video to YouTube, along with a description classifying Feuerstein’s phone call as an “attack.” She asked people to “put a stop to people like Joshua Feuerstein” by donating to her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $14,000.

Haller is also threatening to press charges, saying Feuerstein’s recording of the phone call without her consent violates Florida law. She has reached out to the FBI and is considering pursuing a criminal case.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

LSU Homosexualists Protest Louisiana Prayer Rally

As many as 7,000 Christians gathered Saturday on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge for "The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis" with the Louisiana governor as headline speaker, but the LSU academia could only rouse a paltry few hundred of their faithful Gay Agenda advocates outside, while inside . . .

“It's about praying to God. It's about coming together. . . . today is all about a spiritual revival.”
-- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, self-described "evangelical Catholic" since high school (he was raised Hindu)

For background, read Liberals Launch Salvo at Gov. Jindal Prayer Rally

Also read Liberal Media Ignore 40,000 National Prayer Events even though there's a long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back into public view.

In addition, read myriad examples of censorship of "politically incorrect" speech on college campuses across America.





-- From "Bobby Jindal Headlines All-Day Prayer Rally In Baton Rouge" by Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press 1/24/15

The rally attracted thousands to the basketball arena on LSU's campus but drew controversy both because of the group hosting it, the American Family Association [AFA], and Jindal's well-advertised headlining appearance [at this event, which was not publicly embraced by local Catholic leaders].

Holding his Bible, the two-term Republican governor opened the event by urging a revival to "begin right here, right here in our hearts." Later Saturday afternoon, he described his conversion to Christianity as a teenager.

"Today is about humbling ourselves before the Lord. Today we repent for our sins," he said. Later Jindal told attendees: "We can't just elect a candidate to fix our country ... We need a spiritual revival to fix our country."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "At controversial prayer rally, Jindal calls for spiritual revival" by Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 1/24/15

The event drew protests outside the basketball arena where several hundred were gathered because of accusations that the American Family Association promotes discrimination against gays and is hostile to non-Christians. Jindal briefly referred to the protests in his appearance, asking the rally's attendees to pray for the demonstrators.

Otherwise, he stuck to his personal story, describing his seven-year path to Christianity as he paced the stage in jeans, a blazer, and a TED-speech style microphone headset. He spoke of a high school friend who had told him that he would be missed when the friend and his family went to heaven but Jindal did not. Jindal recalled a girl in high school who said she wanted to grow up to be a Supreme Court justice, so she could "save innocent human lives" from abortion. He spoke of a revelation as he watched a video about Jesus dying on the cross.

By hosting the event, Jindal was unable to attend a more prominent gathering of conservatives being held simultaneously in Iowa. The Iowa Freedom Summit drew a series of possible Republican presidential contenders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "AFA prayer rally at LSU featuring governor provokes protests" by Nancy Cook, KTAL-TV6 (Texarkana, TX / Shreveport, LA) 1/25/15

"Twenty-seven years ago, I came to Christ as a teenager right here at this campus at Chapel on the campus. It is amazing to me that 27 years later, I'd be able, as Governor, to invite people to come back and offer spiritual renewal and revival that we so desperately need in our state," Jindal said.

But members of LGBTQ communities from around the state, as well as LSU students and faculty, were not buying it, or anyway were not buying that the event should be held on the LSU campus.

The LSU Faculty Senate, in fact, passed a resolution opposing the prayer rally, in part because it was funded by the AFA, which it said was classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The AFA, the resolution claimed, demonizes and makes false claims “about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, Jews, Muslims, Hispanics, Native Americans and atheists.” The resolution said the event contridicted LSU’s mission “to use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental and social challenges.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Thousands turn out for Bobby Jindal's prayer rally at LSU; students, activists protest too" by Elizabeth Crisp, The New Orleans Advocate 1/24/15

Outside LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center, about 400 LSU students, faculty and others peacefully demonstrated, calling for equality for gay people and lesbians, an end to education funding cuts, and unity among the races and religions. Despite the controversy and concern it spawned in the weeks leading up to Jindal’s much-discussed prayer rally, those who attended said they left the event feeling uplifted.

Shamaka Schumake, of Baton Rouge, was among the protestors outside the PMAC. She said she wanted to get involved in the protest because of what she sees as anti-Muslim and anti-gay rhetoric from AFA and others involved.

Though [Jindal] and others have stressed repeatedly that the prayer rally wasn’t political, the event offered Jindal another chance to court evangelicals and the Christian right as he weighs a run for president. Critics had accused him of putting on a political show, just days after his supporters launched a political action committee that would set up a financial framework if he decides to seek the GOP nomination.

He also spoke briefly to an anti-abortion rally at the outdoors Greek Theater on campus while the prayer rally was in progress nearby.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Potential 2016 candidates road test messages on immigration, marriage" by Rebecca Kaplan, CBS News 1/25/15

"If I do decide to run [for president] I think this country, I think our nation, needs leaders who have the courage to speak the truth to us. And unfortunately we don't have that right now," Jindal said. "I'll give you an example: Earlier this week I gave a speech in London where I talked about the threats of radical Islamic terrorism. I know it made a lot of people upset, but we need leaders to tell us the truth. For example, people coming to our country need to integrate, need to assimilate."

Jindal . . . reiterated his believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and took a shot at those politicians who have changed their stance on the issue.

"I know that many politicians are evolving, so-called evolving on this issue based on the polls. I don't change my views based on the polls," Jindal said.

He noted that Louisiana has a law defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, and said that if the court handed down a ruling that invalidated it, he would urge lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to pass a constitutional amendment that allowed states to continue defining marriage.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Atheists, Liberals Lament Recent Supreme Court Religious Liberty Rulings including the ruling that Christians Are Free to Pray in Jesus' Name at Government Meetings

And read Public Prayer: Poll Shows Vast Majority of Americans Want it

In addition, read President Obama Provokes Second 'In God We Trust' Movement