| | Female athletes rip IOC's trans athlete guidelines | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Thursday, December 22, and today's headlines include female athletes calling out the International Olympic Committee's revised guidelines for trans-identified individuals, the FBI issuing a national alert over the sextortion of minors, a school social worker in Maine who reportedly gave a young girl a breast binder and told her to keep it a secret from her mother, and details on President Joe Biden's Wednesday press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. | | The International Olympic Committee has revised its guidelines regarding trans-identified athletes' participation in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. The IOC, which describes itself as "a catalyst for collaboration between all Olympic stakeholders" as well as "the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement," released an updated position statement outlining its "framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations." The framework, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Friday, builds on a previous document unveiled last year ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The principles behind the IOC framework include "inclusion," the "prevention of harm," "non-discrimination," "fairness," "no presumption of advantage," an "evidence-based approach," the "primacy of health and bodily autonomy," a "stakeholder-centered approach," a "right to privacy" and "periodic reviews." Most of the principles in question contain non-binding resolutions advising individual countries on how to handle trans-identified athletes while giving individual sports leeway to implement their own rules governing the participation of such athletes. | | Female athletes, many of whom have emerged as staunch opponents of allowing trans-identified males to directly compete against biological women, slammed the new IOC guidelines on social media. Sharron Davies, a retired British Olympic swimmer, took to Twitter to chastise the IOC as a "f***ing disgrace" while warning that female athletes will lose their sports if they do not protest. Davies’ remarks came in response to two-time Olympic runner Mara Yamauchi’s concern about principle 8 of the framework, which "aims to ensure that sports bodies consider the perspectives and lived experiences of those who may be affected by the development and implementation of eligibility criteria." Continue reading. | | P.S.Get rewarded for sharing our newsletters! Sign-up for the CP referral program—the more you share, the more you earn. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to get started today! |
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| FBI issues national alert over 'sextortion' of minors | | The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Homeland Security Investigations, has issued a national public safety alert in response to law enforcement receiving more than 7,000 reports of online sextortion of minors. Sextortion refers to minors being forced to send explicit images online and being extorted for money. There have been at least 3,000 victims, most of whom are boys, and over a dozen suicides. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Bureau "has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys." U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston says parents need to be more attentive to their children’s online activities, explaining, "Unbeknownst to many parents, kids get caught on-line, tricked by adult predators into revealing something private or personal, even exposing themselves." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says its CyberTipline has received more than 262,000 reports of "Online Enticement," a category that includes sextortion, since 2016. Read more. | | School social worker accused of giving child breast binder | | A mother in Maine says a school social worker, who only has a conditional license to practice, gave her 13-year-old daughter a breast binder and told her to keep it a secret from the mother. Amber Lavigne, whose daughter attends Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, found the breast binder in her daughter's bedroom. Breast binders, which are often used by girls who identify as boys to flatten their breasts, come with potential side effects such as breathing difficulties, breast tissue damage, and cracked ribs. School Superintendent Lynsey Johnson appeared to address the allegations in a public statement on Monday, asserting that the administration follows "specific policies and procedures" that align with state law. Johnson condemned individuals who "have sought to use this issue to try and divide" their community. Meanwhile, The Maine Wire reported Saturday that Lavigne contends that the social worker, Samuel Roy, and other staff members started encouraging her daughter to identify as the opposite sex in October without her knowledge or consent. Roy reportedly started addressing her daughter with masculine pronouns without the mother knowing and gave her a breast binder after meeting with her for less than two weeks. Read more. | | Episcopal bishop promises to allow gay marriage if consecrated | | The Rev. Charlie Holt was twice elected bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Florida this year, only to have both election results formally challenged by delegates. In a statement released Tuesday, Holt promised that, if put in power, he will allow for the blessing of same-sex unions in the diocese. Holt won an election to determine a successor to the diocese's current bishop coadjutor, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, who intends to retire next year. However, a group of 37 clergy and lay deputies argued that the vote was invalid due to last-minute changes to the voting process and other complications. An investigation by the denomination's Court of Review concluded that the election had been improperly conducted. After Holt won a second election in November, a group of 29 clergy and lay delegates disputed the results, arguing that the process was "fundamentally unfair" and included issues like unfairly excluding certain clergy delegates. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | ‘Fundamentally unfair’: Episcopal bishop's election challenged for the second time |
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| Thousands of Christians will be alone on Christmas | | Dr. Rex Rogers, the president of SAT-7 USA, shares that many Middle East Christians will worship in isolation this Christmas, forced to remain silent under threat of discovery and possible execution. Rogers discusses SAT-7 USA's launch of Church4Afghanistan, a live social media program that "brings interactive encouragement in the local Dari language to isolated Christians across the country," including in remote mountain and desert areas. "This Christmas, these believers will rejoice together over the most glorious event in history. The miracle Child born in the Middle East. God’s greatest gift of love and joy to the world. Are they isolated? Yes. Alone? Never," Rogers declares. Read more. | | The true essence of Christmas generosity | | Lifeline Children’s Services President Herbie Newell reminds believers of Christ's sacrifice to conquer sin and death. While it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season, "[a]s much as Easter, Christmas should remind us of the sacrificial generosity found most fully in Jesus, and it should propel us to act in ways that reflect the sacrifice and kindness of our Savior," Newell writes. Read more. |
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| Make your year-end giving go further | | War. Disasters. Disease. Threatening famine. 2022 was tough for kids in extreme poverty. | | But at World Vision, we believe no child is lost. No situation is hopeless … because our hope is in Jesus. | | Join with other believers to meet the needs of today and tomorrow, empowering kids to rise above poverty with fresh dreams for the future. | | Your gift to the World Vision Fund will help tackle injustice to protect kids, deliver emergency aid when devastation hits, and equip families to thrive — for good. | | You’ll go beyond quick fixes to help make lasting change possible, empowering kids and families with reliable access to basics like clean water, nutrition, healthcare, education, and more. | | Show God’s love to vulnerable children with your year-end gift. | | Donate Now | | |
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| Podcast: What does it mean to be ‘called’ by God? | | Have you ever had a strong urge or impulse toward a particular course of action in your life, especially when you feel driven by a strong conviction? Statistics show that from 1992 to 2017 the percentage of pastors under the age of 55 dropped from 75% to 50%. Has God stopped calling people into ministry? No, says Dr. Scott Pace. The issue is that many churches have forgotten how to cultivate the divine urges of young people, leaving a significant void in raising up leaders for the next generation. In this episode of "The Crossmap Podcast," Pace joins host Chris Carpenter to talk about what a calling actually is and how to boost conversations about discipleship and the call to ministry. 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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