|
|
|
Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, February 28, and today's headlines include a Christian college asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration's trans dorm directive, Project Veritas whistleblowers throwing their support behind founder James O'Keefe, and the film "Jesus Revolution" coming in third at the box office.
|
College of the Ozarks in Missouri has filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directive forcing the academic institution to open up gender-specific campus dorms to those of the opposite sex. "The Directive requires the College to reverse its housing policies for 1,300 students," read the petition, in part. "And, unless the Directive is enjoined, it makes the College cease statements of its policies, preventing it from following through on ongoing plans and communications for student housing consistent with its religious beliefs." The petition asserts that the Biden administration's directive "jeopardizes the College’s ability to function, causes emotional harm
to students who rely on the College's housing policies, and dissuades Christian students from attending the College."
|
President Joe Biden issued an executive order in 2021 that required the Fair Housing Act anti-discrimination measures to include gender identity under the category of sex. College of the Ozarks filed suit against the federal government in April 2021 in response, arguing that the new policy would force the school to house male students in women's dorms. Legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom is helping to represent the Christian college. Continue
reading.
|
P.S.Want to read more stories like this? If so, make sure to subscribe to Freedom Post, a free, twice-weekly newsletter featuring headlines on key issues ranging from parental rights in education to religious liberty. Sign-up today to get Freedom Post delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
|
|
Listen to the CP Daily Podcast
|
|
|
|
A group of former Project Veritas whistleblowers is speaking out following founder James O'Keefe being forced out of the company last week after a prolonged conflict with its board of directors. Zach Vorhies, who describes himself as the "Google whistleblower via James O'Keefe" who "disclosed Google's 'Machine Learning Fairness,' the [artificial intelligence] system that censors and controls your access to information" and blacklisted
The Christian Post, released a video on his Twitter account Friday featuring more than a dozen Project Veritas whistleblowers proclaiming "I stand with James O'Keefe." The tweet encourages people to "retweet if you #StandWithJames." The whistleblowers in the video also wrote a letter in support of O'Keefe along with additional whistleblowers, condemning O'Keefe's removal as "extremely disappointing and shocking." The letter also agreed that "Without James O’Keefe, there is no Project Veritas." Read more.
|
|
The National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., says the security guard who told a group of students to conceal their pro-life attire was a private contractor who has since been removed from a contract with the museum. The visitors claim that during a visit to the museum on the morning of the March for Life on Jan. 20, the officer told them to remove or cover up their hats, buttons and other attire containing messages such as "Life is a Human Right" and "Life Always Wins." Earlier this month, a group of Republican senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, penned a letter to NARA's acting archivist, requesting information about any disciplinary action taken and whether the museum has a policy prohibiting pro-life attire. In a Feb. 22 response letter, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall said that the museum has no such policy in place. "The irony that this happened just steps away from the permanent display of the original Bill of Rights is not lost on me or any of the employees who proudly welcome more than one million annual visitors to
the Museum," Wall wrote, adding that she publicly apologized and took steps to investigate the incident. "Our vendor conducted its own investigation of the incident and determined a supervisor that it employed, who was working that day, provided instructions to other security officers who work for the same vendor that were contrary to our policy. The vendor has removed this supervisor from NARA's contract, and that individual is no longer working in any NARA facility," Wall added. Read more.
|
|
|
|
Author and Rock Church Senior Pastor Miles McPherson shares why he believes it is important to celebrate diversity. Noting that diversity in the body of Christ is not about ignoring differences but recognizing believers' unique contributions, McPherson writes that such contributions ultimately help people "work together in unity, guided by the Holy Spirit." Read more.
|
|
In this op-ed, Myrna Porter discusses the importance of developing a positive mindset, particularly as one grows older. Reflecting on the need to find purpose, which often comes through a willingness to embrace change and some risks, Porter concludes, "Change is hard, but support from others often makes the process easier. With others, it gives one an opportunity to bounce off ideas, release our frustrations and add a social aspect to our life." Read
more.
|
|
|
|
As we think about February being the month of love, we wanted to take a moment and celebrate an inspirational, Christian community that encourages, prays, and financially supports each other in difficult times.
|
Our friends at Medi-Share have gathered a community of believers who commit to loving each other by praying for each other’s health concerns and sharing in the costs of each other’s medical bills, every single day. Since 1993, they have shared in almost 6 billion dollars in medical expenses from their community.
|
For Medi-Share, it’s more than just the dollars they’re able to help with… it’s about the people and families on the other side who are experiencing the love of Jesus through sharing burdens and prayers. Learn more about this loving community today!
|
|
|
|
|
St. Andrew Methodist Church of Plano, Texas, has voted to leave The United Methodist Church after previously trying to leave the UMC without a congregational vote. However, after holding a congregational vote last week, 98.6% of those present voted in favor of disaffiliation from the UMC, totaling 871 members voting in favor versus 12 opposed. In a statement to CP, St. Andrew leadership said that after announcing the initial plan to leave the UMC, the congregation "engaged in meaningful and productive conversations" with regional UMC leadership "to finalize terms of our disaffiliation." Part of the final agreement to disaffiliate will include a settlement with the regional body involving the "payment of necessary apportionments and pension liabilities." The Texas
megachurch is one of the largest congregations located in the UMC North Texas Annual Conference headquartered in Plano. The regional body said in a statement last Wednesday that the next step will be for the disaffiliation vote to be affirmed at a Special Called Session this Saturday. Read more.
|
Also of Interest...
|
|
|
Every year before Easter Sunday, hundreds of millions of Christians engage in a time of solemn contemplation found on the liturgical calendar that is known as Lent. It is common for people observing Lent to give up something, with that fast being practiced Monday through Saturday. Some believers use this season as an opportunity to take up another spiritual discipline. This article from CP details five traditional hymns commonly sung at church services during the season of Lent, including their historical background. Among the bunch: "Again We Keep This Solemn Fast" and "Forty Days and Forty Nights." Read more.
|
|
|
|
The faith-based film "Jesus Revolution" finished third at the box office over the weekend, coming in just behind "Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania" and "Cocaine Bear." The movie, which explores the revival of the 1960s and 1970s, beat out other box office contenders such as "Magic Mike’s Last Dance," "80 for Brady" and "A Man Called Otto." Deadline called the film's success "miraculous," adding: "You never see that on any movie, including MCU and Star Wars titles." The film follows Greg Laurie in the 1970s as he searches for truth and meaning on the West Coast. There, he meets a charismatic young evangelist, Lonnie Frisbee, who introduces him to Jesus and invites wandering youth to church, challenging traditional church culture. What followed was a countercultural movement that continues to impact society and the Church today. Director Brent McCorckle encouraged Christians to go see the film in theaters during a recent interview with CP, stating, "You vote for your content at the box office and opening weekend will determine a lot. It'll determine how long it stays in theaters, it will determine Hollywood paying attention to the numbers. If this is content that you want to see, if you want to see more of this, you have to go support the content that you want to see more of." Read more.
|
|
A June 1971 cover of Time magazine trumpeted "The Jesus Revolution," with the cover story declaring that "Jesus is alive and well and living in the radical spiritual fervor of a growing number of young Americans." Just five years earlier, Time featured a bleak cover that questioned in bold red ink: "Is God Dead?" In this episode of the "Crossmap Podcast," movie producer Kevin Downes discusses how the Gospel has the power to change lives as evidenced by the "Jesus Movement" of the early 1970s. Downes, co-founder of Kingdom Story, the company behind "Jesus Revolution," says he's never been more excited about a film that Kingdom Story has made "because the whole movie is about hope. There is hope because there is a Savior that died on the cross for us." Listen to the full
episode now.
|
|
|
|
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors
|
|
|
|