| | Court rules Biden can’t redefine Title IX to include LGBT mandate | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Wednesday, November 16, and today's headlines include a court ruling against the Biden administration's attempt to redefine Title IX, former Vice President Mike Pence's comments about the Jan. 6 riot and former President Donald Trump's 2024 bid for the White House, and a study revealing that suicide rates are higher in countries that have legalized euthanasia. | | In a decision released Friday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, ruled against the Biden administration’s requirement that healthcare providers perform sex-change procedures, concluding that federal Title IX’s definition of sex discrimination does not include sexual orientation or gender identity. Kacsmaryk wrote, "Title IX operates in binary terms—male and female—when it references ‘on the basis of sex.’" The case involved two Texas physicians who filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Notification of Interpretation and Enforcement of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which interpreted Title IX’s definition of sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The physicians argued that the Notification forced them to provide services such as body-mutilating surgeries on people suffering from gender dysphoria, including castration and double mastectomies, and that it violated federal administrative procedures. | | In issuing the ruling, Kacsmaryk concluded, "If ‘on the basis of sex’ included ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity,’ as Defendants envision, Title IX and its regulations would be nonsensical. Title IX expressly allows sex distinctions and sometimes even requires them to promote equal opportunity," adding, "Defendants' reinterpretation of Title IX through the Notification imperils the very opportunities for women Title IX was designed to promote and protect—categorically forcing biological women to compete against biological men." Continue reading. | | P.S.Looking for a way to close out your week? Stay in the know with In Case You Missed It, a Friday-only newsletter that features a roundup of the top stories of the week and a selection of faith-based highlights. Subscribe here. |
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| 6 reactions to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign announcement | | On Tuesday evening, former President Donald Trump announced that he is planning a 2024 presidential run. "In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," Trump stated, adding that he believes Republicans cannot nominate "a politician or conventional candidate" if they want to win. This article highlights six reactions to Donald Trump's 2024 candidacy from leaders such as President Joe Biden, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Evangelical Christian author and radio host Eric Metaxas. Read more. | | Pence condemns Trump's 'reckless' Jan. 6 actions | | Ahead of former President Donald Trump's announcement that he will seek another term in the White House, former Vice President Mike Pence discussed Trump's actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot with ABC News' David Muir. Pence reflected on conversations with the former president about voter fraud, asserting that Trump "became very irate on the phone" when Pence rejected Trump's claims that the vice president had the authority to unilaterally reject electoral votes from states if enough people raised questions about the authenticity of the vote. When questioned about Trump's tweets the day of the riot, Pence characterized Trump's words as "reckless," stating, "The president's words that day at the rally endangered me, my family and everyone at the Capitol." When questioned about whether Trump should be the president again, Pence insisted the answer was "up to the American people," while predicting that there will be "better choices in the future." Read more. | | Pastor faces up to 20 years in prison after child porn arrest | | The Justice Department has announced that David Lloyd Walther, a pastor who led Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas, for 18 years, could now face up to 20 years in prison after he was arrested for searching for, downloading, distributing and possessing child pornography. Walther, 56, allegedly downloaded and made child pornography available to others using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, per a criminal complaint filed in Austin federal court. Further details from the affidavit cited by Law & Crime said Walther, who admitted to investigators that he has a "pornography addiction," downloaded content at both his church and home. Officials say the former pastor had a "BDSM" folder containing an image of a nude boy with a collar on his neck being abused and a similar image of a female toddler. He also had images of nude children being restrained by ropes and tools, as well as a bestiality video with a dog and a female toddler "likely less than 3 years old." Read more. | | Florida school employee complains colleague's Bible verse is 'attacking' her | | Florida high school instructional assistant Marina Gentilesco says she's "not OK" after discovering a colleague painted Philippians 4:13 in their personal parking space. The verse, one of the most widely quoted of the New Testament, reads, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Gentilesco told WFLA the words remind her of stories from her parents about the Holocaust, saying, "I feel like it’s attacking me as a Jew. You put it on a state-funded property … I’m not OK with it." WTVT reports that Gentilesco said it was specifically the use of the word "Christ" that upset her. Pasco County Schools spokesman Stephen Hegarty told The Christian Post he believes she is the only employee who has "questioned the appropriateness" of the words, explaining that students and staff are sometimes given the opportunity to personalize their parking space. A representative for the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) told WTVT that it’s unlikely the parking space would constitute a violation of the First Amendment because it's not related to the school curriculum. Read more. |
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| Adoption: The heart of the Gospel | | In recognition of National Adoption Month, Family Research Council's David Closson and Joy Stockbauer share the power and beauty of adoption and why it's important to acknowledge its ability to rescue children from dangerous alternatives. "[A]s we consider the theme of adoption this November, Christians should reflect on the great love of God in welcoming us into His family. Likewise, as we give thanks for our own adoption, let us look for practical ways to champion adoption by celebrating the courage of birth mothers and considering whether the Lord is calling us to grow our own families through adoption," they write. Read more. | | 5 lessons from experiencing trauma | | Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author Mark McNear discusses learning to enjoy the holiday season after a childhood of trauma and abuse. McNear offers five lessons he has learned from trauma recovery, including that the past is not the past when it shows up in the present and recovery is not a procedure but a process. Read more. |
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| A Nation Hangs in the Balance — What Can We Learn? | | As I write this, it appears that the Democrats will retain control in the Senate. The election results were shocking and eye-opening. There is no doubt that some form of voter fraud took place — sending out millions of mail in ballots with little verification, ballot harvesting through the roof, collecting and counting ballots until you get the number you want. Regardless of fraud or not, I believe that a lot more is at play. | | Even in the midst of unbelievable crime, enormous border and security issues, spending like a drunken sailor on furlough, and the approval of transgender agendas and sexual perversion being slammed down our throats, it’s crystal clear that America has jumped into the cesspool of moral filth and enjoys it. Read more. | | |
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| Study: Suicide rates higher in countries that legalized euthanasia, assisted suicide | | A study published by the Anscombe Bioethics Centre has revealed that nations that have legalized assisted suicide or euthanasia have higher rates of "self-initiated" suicides. The study, which drew its conclusions from multiple studies in North America and Europe, found that rates of self-inflicted suicides increased alongside the number of physician-assisted suicide deaths and that women were the most likely to die by self-inflicted suicide in jurisdictions that have permitted euthanasia and assisted suicide. Wesley J. Smith, chair and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism, said in a statement to The Christian Post, "A society can’t be pro-some suicides and then be surprised that some suicidal people outside the permitted categories think it includes them." Smith expanded on this messaging in an opinion piece for The National Review, writing, "Encouraging and aiding suicide for some—while trying to prevent others from killing themselves—is inconsistent and over time, untenable. We either try to prevent them all, or eventually we will end up akin to where Germany is now, thanks to a court ruling: suicide on demand for any reason—or no reason at all." Read more. |
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| Ministry board disputes investigative report, says former RZIM VP is qualified for ministry | | The board of directors for Embrace the Truth, the apologetics ministry co-founded by former RZIM Senior Vice President Abdu Murray, is defending its president after a group of apologists released an investigative report claiming that Murray and two other former RZIM leaders are "not fit to be in ministry and leadership positions." The report contends that Murray, along with Ravi Zacharias' daughter Sarah (Davis) Phillips and former top RZIM executive Michael Ramsden "have not displayed a godly sorrow nor demonstrated the fruit consistent with repentance for their actions." However, Embrace the Truth's board has disputed the report's findings, declaring that they "profoundly disagree" with the conclusions derived by a "self-appointed tribunal of university professors and apologists." The apologists say their report is based on thousands of hours of research, interviews, and "copious amounts of supporting documentation," as well as consultations with "experts on abuse and institutional response to abuse, including Dr. Wade Mullen." Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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