| | USDA says religious schools have exemption to new Title IX interpretation | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Thursday, August 18, and today's headlines include the USDA's clarification on exemptions to new interpretations of Title IX, a private school in Ohio that is serving as a model of affordable private education, and the World Boxing Council banning trans-identified males from competing against women. | | The United States Department of Agriculture has clarified that it would not require religious schools to broaden their definition of sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity in order to receive federal meal funding. The news comes following the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service announcement on May 5 that it planned to interpret "the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972" to include "discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity." In a memorandum published the same day, the agency clarified that its interpretation of Title IX applied to all recipients of FNS funds, with the USDA's policy change requiring schools and other qualifying organizations receiving funds from FNS to update their non-discrimination policies and signs accordingly to include gender identity and sexual orientation. It also required all qualifying groups to investigate allegations of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. | | In announcing exemptions to the new policy, the USDA stated that religious educational institutions wouldn't need to submit a written request for exemption in order to claim one. "If, however, a religious educational institution wishes to seek USDA recognition of their religious exemption, it may do so through a written request under USDA regulations. The written request seeks USDA assurance of exemption from applicable sections of USDA’s Title IX regulations," the document reads. "Those that have neither sought nor received prior written assurance from USDA may still invoke their exemption after USDA receives a Title IX discrimination complaint or initiates Title IX compliance efforts." Read more. | | P.S. From daily news to weekend headlines, we've got you covered. Whether you're interested in religious liberty or inspiring faith stories, there is something for everyone. Check out CP's full newsletter lineup to subscribe to our latest free offerings. See more. |
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| Ohio school aims to be 'model' of affordable private education with gov't funds | | Westside Christian School is gearing up for its Aug. 25 launch at Memorial Baptist Church in the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The school will serve around 40 students between kindergarten and second grade. In an interview with The Christian Post, Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer discussed his organization's goal to provide kids with a "high-quality Christian education," asserting that the Columbus Public School District is "an unacceptable system" that was made worse by COVID. Noting that many graduate without knowing how to read or do basic math, Baer explained that Westside is a pilot project for CCV: "We wanted to set out to develop a model to build an affordable, scalable way of starting schools in churches. You know, the body of Christ does not need more brick and mortar. We've got churches on every street corner that are empty six days a week." Seven churches helped raise funds for the new school, with Baer adding that the state's EdChoice Scholarship Program allows students who enroll to use a voucher for $5,500 per child. Read more. | | Group sets ambitious goal for Bible translations | | The 4.2.20 Foundation’s Institute for Biblical Languages & Translation is working to accelerate the translation of the Old Testament to reduce the language barrier that prevents some people from reading the Bible. The organization aims to have complete Bible translations in the works for every language by 2033. Ricki Gidoomal, chief of staff of the 4.2.20 Foundation, told The Christian Post that the organization has a growing team of more than 35 people, including teachers, and explained that the organization works with more than 47 Bible translation agencies to ensure "those who are trained continue to serve in projects into the future." Ninety percent of the world's languages do not have a full translation of the Bible, and just one of the world's more than 400 sign languages has a complete Bible. Read more. | | Pastor apologizes for outburst over luxury watch | | Pastor Carlton Funderburke of Church at the Well Kansas City in Missouri has apologized for throwing a tantrum from the pulpit and calling his congregation "broke, busted and disgusted" and "cheap sons and daughters" for not "honoring" him with a watch from the luxury brand Movado. After a video clip of the outburst went viral on social media, Funderburke confirmed his comments were from an Aug. 7 sermon. "Though there is context behind the content of the clip, no context will suffice to explain the hurt and the anguish caused by my words. I've spoken to those I'm accountable to and have received their correction and instruction," Funderburke said. Read more. |
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| Biden's Title IX takeover will give America an extreme makeover | | In this editorial, The Radiance Foundation's Ryan Bomberger calls out the Biden administration for using pseudoscience to erase women with its proposed radical changes to Title IX. Bomberger points to the indoctrination occurring in government-run schools across the country, noting students and teachers "live in fear of violating rules that are unconstitutional, anti-science, and demand a new kind of discrimination that elevates all things LGBTQ above everything else." Pointing to a Virginia teacher who was fired for using a trans-identified student's actual name instead of her "preferred pronouns," Bomberger writes, "There’s nothing loving about promoting a lie. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. And that starts with being told the truth." You can let the federal government know your opinions about the proposed Title IX policy changes here before September 12th. Read more. | | Sacrificial love that spreads goodness in the world | | Because there is no limit to the unconditional and everlasting love of God, it is important for Christians to share that they are saved to help others be saved, too—even when it involves making sacrifices, writes Oscar Amaechina. "Christ loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatian 2:20). It should be a privilege to give ourselves wholeheartedly to the work that lies so close to His heart," he explains. Read more. |
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| Only the Pulpits Have the Power to Change America | | One thing is crystal clear in America: If we truly want change, we must re-spark biblical boldness and flame the fires of biblical action. If we won’t fight, then spiritually speaking, we will fade away. | | I recently attended a large gathering of pastors in San Diego organized by Turning Point USA Faith. During one of the opening sessions, it was said that the pastors in attendance could change the nation. | | To some, that may seem impossible, but it’s definitely within reach if pastors return to their true calling: To preach the unadulterated Word of God and awaken a spiritually dead culture, not coddle her back to sleep. Read More. | | |
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| World Boxing Council bans trans-identified males from competing against women | | The World Boxing Council has issued a "Statement/Guidelines Regarding Transgender Athletes participation in professional Combat Sports," which specifies that participants in the sport must compete against members of their biological sex. "The WBC advocates for two equally skilled and matched athletes competing in the cage or ring, on a level playing field and to keep matches fair, competitive, entertaining, and most importantly safe for all combatants. At present level of scientific knowledge, the WBC consensus is that allowing transgender athletes to compete raises serious health and safety concerns," said the statement, which was published on FightNews.com. Read more. |
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| Hollywood creators push studios to cover court costs for 'abortion-related crimes' | | The Hollywood4AbortionAccess coalition, comprised of more than 1,400 directors, producers and showrunners, sent a letter Monday to the heads of all the major studios in the hopes of mobilizing efforts to protect abortion access, Variety reports. A-listers in the group include J.J. Abrams, Judd Apatow and Shonda Rimes. The coalition is asking for guarantees for employees in need of "reproductive health care" to be transported across state lines in the event they live in a state where abortion is illegal following the Supreme Court’s ruling in June that overturned Roe vs. Wade. In referencing concerns for "women and people who can become pregnant," the letter asks producers to "guarantee job security and non-retaliation if a member of a production must take time off" to travel out-of-state for an abortion and urges the studios to guarantee "coverage for attorneys’ fees, court expenses, and fines for any employees or other production workers who are prosecuted for abortion-related crimes." The coalition has called on studios to present proposals for addressing their requests by Sept. 5. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Biden executive order urges HHS to consider Medicaid funds for abortion travelCorporations announce plans to pay for employees' abortion travel after Roe's reversalVeteran-owned business announces it will cover employees' parental leave, adoption costs | | Kirk Cameron shows the power of adoption in latest film | | In this interview with The Christian Post, Kirk Cameron shares how watching a documentary about a woman's decision to adopt instead of having an abortion led to the creation of "Lifemark," a film that follows the story of David Scotton as he embarks on a journey to meet the birth parents he never knew with the support of his loving adoptive parents. "There's lots of real life in this in this movie, including dialogue that we didn't even script; we just use the words that the real people spoke to us when we asked them what they said to one another and how the whole thing happened. We just wrote it down because we couldn't script anything," Cameron explains. He also discusses today's increasingly polarized society and challenges the Church to approach the issue of life from a place of love, saying believers should focus on how they can help and support mothers, fathers, and children. "[I]f we begin to look at this issue, not through a political lens, but we look at it through the lens of love, which is what Jesus told us to do ... It can bring us the courage to do the difficult things, and it brings us compassion." Watch 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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