| Christian university sues Washington AG over probe into LGBT hiring policies | Curated for you byCP Editors | Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, August 2, and today's headlines include a Christian university that is suing the Washington State attorney general, a pro-life teenager who was assaulted during a door-knocking campaign, and a judge's decision rejecting Visa's request to be dismissed from a lawsuit over the alleged monetization of child pornography. | Seattle Pacific University (SPU) has filed a lawsuit against state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is investigating potential illegal discrimination over the Christian university's refusal to hire LGBT applicants based on its statement of faith. In its 22-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, SPU said Ferguson "is wielding state power to interfere with the religious beliefs of a religious university, and a church, whose beliefs he disagrees with." They further asserted the AG is "using the powers of his office (and even powers not granted to his office) to pressure and retaliate against Seattle Pacific University." The university says that Ferguson's investigation compels SPU to release information on "internal religious matters and decisions, detailed review of religious hiring practices, communications with ministerial employees, and even the selection of the University's president, senior leadership, and board of trustees." | Ferguson sent a letter to the university in early June requesting SPU produce its policies regarding the hiring, promotion, discipline, and/or termination of University faculty, administrators, and staff specifically as related to sexual orientation or status of being in a same-sex relationship or marriage. While SPU maintains the AG's probe is beyond the legal scope of authority, Ferguson released a statement confirming the civil rights investigation and accused the university of believing "it is above the law to such an extraordinary degree that it is shielded from answering basic questions from my office regarding the University's compliance with state law." Read more. | P.S. Did you hear? CP has launched Freedom Post, a free, twice-weekly newsletter highlighting breaking news and headlines on key issues ranging from freedom to religious liberty. Sign-up today to get Freedom Post delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday. Check out these headlines from our latest issue of Freedom Post:Archie Battersbee's life support to end after UN appeal rejectedAtheist group demands investigation of teacher over Easter coloring bookReport: 5 babies born alive after abortions in Minnesota | | Listen to the CP Daily Podcast |
| | Pro-lifer in Kansas reportedly attacked ahead of abortion referendum | Grace Hartsock, a pro-life student in Kansas who was canvassing on behalf of the "Value Them Both" amendment that will go before Kansas voters Tuesday, was assaulted while participating in a Students for Life of America door-knocking campaign, the group says. In an interview with The Christian Post, Dana Stancavage, the press specialist and online editor for Students for Life of America, shared details about the incident, explaining that Hartsock was part of a team that had broken up to reach different streets. Fellow pro-life activists were nearby when, after about two hours of door-knocking, a woman shoved Hartsock "with both hands in the chest." Stancavage said, "Grace didn't fall, but the woman with closed fists began hitting her in the head, and Grace was trying to just block herself and move out of the driveway and flee from that woman." The woman allegedly told the 18-year-old Hartsock, "I hope you get raped," and "I hope you get hit by a car." She also threw a piece of bread that hit the teenager in the face. Read more. | Also of Interest... | Pro-lifer punched in front of Supreme Court day after Amy Coney Barrett nominationNew poll shows Kansas voters leaning toward supporting pro-life ballot measure‘Baby Lives Matter’ activist beaten, bloodied by Antifa rioters in Portland4 things to know about state abortion laws if Roe is overturned | Judge says it's reasonable to infer Visa helped monetize child porn on Pornhub | U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney ruled Friday that Visa likely knew it was monetizing child pornography hosted on Pornhub and other sites owned by its parent company, MindGeek, which has faced increased scrutiny amid allegations its sites host videos and photos depicting sexual abuse. The lawsuit, Fleites v. MindGeek, was filed last Monday in the U.S. District Court Central District of California. The plaintiff, Serene Fleites, alleges that in 2014, when she was 13, Pornhub hosted a sexually explicit video of her titled "13-Year Old Brunette Shows Off For the Camera." Fleites has argued that Visa, one of the world's largest credit card companies, knew that MindGeek's websites contained child pornography and that the company had failed to purge such content. The lawsuit states that, despite such knowledge, "Visa and its agent banks explicitly agreed with MindGeek to continue to process transactions without restrictions on all MindGeek sites provided MindGeek maintained pretextual window dressing claims that it had technology, processes, and policies in place to prevent such content." Read more. |
| | Let's get some facts straight on ethanol | Clean Fuels Development Coalition Executive Director Douglas Durante responds to a recent opinion piece on ethanol, addressing why he believes it was an "unnecessarily vicious attack on farmers and bioethanol based on ignorance of laws, facts, and realities." The executive director provides clarity on a restriction recently lifted by the U.S. EPA, as well as issues pertaining to small refineries, cost, and the purpose for growing corn, contending that it is important for people to speak to those on the ground to understand the time, money and technology that goes into feeding people around the world. Read more. | How some Christians misunderstand what really matters in the Church | William Wolfe calls out "divisive diversity rhetoric" in the wake of Rick Warren's tweet about being a minority in Heaven. Pointing out that "majority" and "minority" are manmade concepts—the "things of earth" that "will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace"—Wolfe asserts there is nothing intrinsically valuable about diversity. "What matters is being humble, respectful, and willing to learn from others of different races and backgrounds, all while seeking and prioritizing objective and transcendent truth together," he concludes. Read more. |
| | The graduating class of 2023 is in for a big surprise this year. Are they ready for it? | After a lackluster couple of years of job creation, 2023 is poised to be a much stronger year for new graduates. According to The New York Times, "Seniors and graduates are again in demand as companies revive recruiting, underscoring the economic premium that comes with a diploma." | This is good news for this emerging generation, but there will still be obstacles. With more employers opening back up, the experienced employee will still be in demand, making things a challenge for new grads. Fortunately, "challenge" is not an unfamiliar word for Gen Z... Read more. | |
| | SBC theologians clarify definition of 'pastor' | Three prominent Southern Baptist theologians have published a statement clarifying the meaning of the word "pastor" amid controversy in the denomination following Rick Warren's Saddleback Church ordaining female pastors last year. The document, which was signed by The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley, and Richard Land, who served as the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission from 1988-2013 and is the president emeritus of Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina. The theologians stated that when it comes to the word "pastor," Southern Baptists have always understood the term. In keeping with the spirit of Baptist Faith and Message 2000, "pastor" means "one who fulfills the pastoral office and carries out the pastor's functions," a role that "is biblically defined and is to be held only by men as qualified by Scripture." Read more. | Arkansas church the latest to vote to leave UMC amid homosexuality schism | First United Methodist Church of Jonesboro in Arkansas voted Sunday evening to leave The United Methodist Church amid the denomination's ongoing debate over homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Approximately 1,300 members reportedly took part in the vote, with 69% voting in favor while 31% were against. The church plans to join the Global Methodist Church, a recently launched conservative alternative to the UMC. Read more. | Also of Interest... | Alabama megachurch votes to leave The United Methodist Church106 Florida churches sue United Methodist Church over disaffiliation processUMC Bishops president decries schism over LGBT stanceGeorgia megachurch to pay $13.1 million to leave UMC, end litigation |
| | Podcast: 'Misinformation' is the latest frontier in the abortion battle | "Misinformation" is one of the newest frontiers of the U.S. abortion debate. Christian Post reporter Ryan Foley joined "The Inside Story" this week to discuss what the YouTube crackdown on abortion misinformation means and why critics believe it could spark problems. Listen now. | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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