| | CDC survey sheds lights on poor mental health, suicidal ideation among high schoolers | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Wednesday, February 15, and today's headlines include research on high schoolers' mental health, four details about the Ohio train derailment, New Hampshire high school students staging a walkout over their school district's trans bathroom policy, and the "He Gets Us" campaign's response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's advertisement criticism. | | The Youth Risk Behavior Survey prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health has revealed that, among high school students, nearly "all indicators of poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors increased from 2011 to 2021." While the report found that "the percentage of students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, seriously considered attempting suicide, made a suicide plan, and attempted suicide increased," the percentage of students who were injured in a suicide attempt remained unchanged. "[S]ome 42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing their usual activities" in 2021, the report indicated. Almost 60% of female students were found to be more likely to experience such feelings, followed by Hispanic and multiracial students who were more likely than Asian, black and white students to harbor these feelings. Nearly 70% of LGBT-identified students or students involved in same-sex relationships reported feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Some 10% of female students attempted suicide, compared to 3% of students overall. | | Students who experienced higher school connectedness, which researchers measured by asking whether students felt close to people at their school, were less likely "to experience risks related to substance use, mental health, violence, and sexual behavior," according to the report. Researchers also found that high parental monitoring—which was defined as "parents or other adults in a student’s family most of the time or always knowing where they were going or who they would be with"—was associated with decreased sexual risk, substance use, experiences of violence, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. 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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| 4 facts about the Ohio train derailment | | It's been more than a week since a train derailment caused a leakage of toxic chemicals in eastern Ohio, and there are many still many questions regarding the air and water safety for millions living in the Ohio River Basin. Despite state and federal authorities claiming the burning of chemicals poses no threat, there have been multiple reports of dead fish and animals and people getting sick, leading to public health concerns. This article from CP reviews four key details about the Ohio train derailment, including the controlled release of chemicals to avoid an explosion and the Environmental Protection Agency potentially finding Norfolk Southern liable for the train derailment. Read more. | | Students stage walkout over district's trans bathroom policy | | More than 100 students at Milford High School in New Hampshire, as well as some teachers and administrators, staged a walkout on Friday in protest of the New Milford School District's 4-1 vote last Monday to limit the number of people allowed in school restrooms to the number of stalls in the bathroom and cover up urinals with trash bags as the district looks into the price of installing all-stall restrooms. Superintendent Christi Michaud told The Boston Globe that her team has fielded many concerns this week from Milford’s male high school students. "Nobody asked for this," a student named Autumn Diveley told WMUR9. "Nobody but the few parents who complained to the school board asked for this." A student named Lena Silva cautioned, "As a female, I don't think it's safe to have males in our bathroom." School board secretary Joseph Vitulli, who opposes the decision, believes that the students' actions make it clear that the board "must deal with this issue ASAP" because "immediately changing" the bathroom policy was "not well thought out by the board." School board member Noah Boudreault, who proposed the prohibition on urinals, told The Globe that his proposal was somewhat of a "compromise." The board enacted the recent change in response to a proposal brought forward to alter the district's bathroom policy permitting trans-identified students to use whichever bathroom they choose. The new proposal would have required students to use restrooms that correspond with their biological sex. Read more. | | Texas: Dead baby found by tenant in drainage pipe | | Police officers in south Texas near the Mexico border said an investigation is underway after a tenant in an apartment complex discovered the remains of a baby inside a drainage pipe. The tenant was working to unclog a pipe in their apartment on Jan. 30 when they discovered the baby's remains, possibly from a chemical abortion and flushed down the toilet, and called 911. The Mission Police Department confirmed that it is investigating the incident. The tenant had been having issues with the backflow of the water in their apartment and found the baby's remains "next to the drainage pipe." Students for Life Action's Kristi Hamrick said the incident highlights concerns about women being advised to flush their babies' remains down the toilet, along with chemically tainted blood and tissue that go into the wastewater system. "Though the information is scarce on this case, it's clear that an infant's body has not been handled with dignity and care, and as Students for Life and SFLAction have noted, the advice to flush human remains can harm aquatic, animal and even plant life," Hamrick told CP. Read more. |
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| The steamrolling of nations: The fall of America? (pt 2) | | In the second part of his series on the steamrolling of nations and societies, exclusive columnist Wallace B. Henley discusses the stages empires move through as described by Sir John Glubb, a British military officer who focused on societal changes, how they are maneuvered, and the process that brings about the collapse of nations and civilizations. Henley reflects on Cal Thomas' prediction of the fall of America based on the application of Glubb's theories and further highlights the stages revealed in God's dealings with ancient Israel, cautioning that society, its churches, institutions and the consensus elites must repent to find hope "before the decadence drags us into Hell itself. Cal Thomas’s book sounds the urgency of our moment in time." Read more. | | Asbury University revival: What to expect in a spillover effect | | Dare 2 Share Ministries International's Greg Stier discusses the Asbury University revival and why now is the time to pray that what started at this university spreads across America. "We need revival now in this country more than ever. We need what’s happening right now at Asbury University to experience the spillover effect of true revival: the Gospel being proclaimed beyond the chapel walls," he writes. Read more. |
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| Professor says discernment is key when it comes to ChatGPT | | When it comes to Christians and artificial intelligence technologies, discernment is key, according to Brian Page, the vice president and chief information officer at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Paige, who also teaches in the computer science department, says Christians will need to become more heart-focused as AI develops and evolves. "Just because a machine can do something, a Christian needs to have wisdom to know if it should do something," Paige explained, adding that it might sound like strange advice to someone who hasn't worked with AI. He said while advances such as Generative Pre-trained Transformer technology (or what’s known as ChatGPT) might lead to the creation of artificially-created prayers, for example, that doesn't change the fact that a robot wrote it. "An AI may be able to write a theologically accurate and even aesthetically beautiful prayer. However, if it's not a prayer from the heart of the participant, it is just words," Paige asserted. He believes there are important opportunities for AI to transform not only our religious experiences, but foundational theological premises such as "where can we worship" or "how do we learn about God," provided humans don't end up worshipping their own creation. "[T]he concern would be if it becomes a distraction to or, worse, an idol to our true theological foundation," he said. Read more. |
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| Terry Crews on having a praying wife | | Actor and professing Christian Terry Crews celebrated the power of a praying wife at the 30th annual Movieguide Awards on Friday. Crews, who hosted the event at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot, praised his wife, Rebecca, in a red carpet interview with CP, saying, "She has prayed us through so many things. One thing I know is that to have a woman like that, who really wants the best for you, let me tell you, there's no replacing. It's absolutely the best feeling in the world." The "America's Got Talent" host further shared how his wife's prayer life has made them "tighter" as a couple, adding, "It makes us better." The Movieguide Awards recognizes family-friendly entertainment in Hollywood, with Crews stating that despite popular opinion, "[t]here are a lot of Christians in Hollywood ... a lot of God-fearing people in Hollywood. We just don't always get an awards show." Read more. | | Kendrick brothers' latest film to hit theaters in 2024 | | Filmmaking brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick have announced that a new faith-based film will arrive in theaters next August. While they are keeping the title and plot under wraps, the film will be defined by "humor and heart" to inspire "audiences everywhere," according to details shared with CP. The project, which is set to begin this summer, is being developed in partnership with AFFIRM FILMS, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Read more. | | 'He Gets Us' campaign responds to AOC | | The He Gets Us campaign has responded to criticism it received following its Super Bowl push, namely, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Sunday night in response to the ads. One ad featured several pictures of children of different backgrounds embracing one another, while another featured multiple images of people engaged in tense conflicts before concluding by saying, "Jesus loved the people we hate." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jason Vanderguard, a spokesman for the He Gets Us ad campaign, stated, "What could possibly be louder and more powerful than hate? Love can. But not just any love. Confounding love. Unconditional love. Sacrificial love. The love we see in Jesus. What if we tried to love our enemies the way Jesus loved his? How would it change the tenor of our conflicts and our conversations?" Watch the ads here. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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