VALLETTA, Malta (New York Times) — Lawmakers in Malta, a predominantly Roman Catholic country, voted to legalize same-sex marriage on Wednesday, joining much of Western Europe by replacing the traditional “you are now husband and wife” declaration in civil ceremonies with “you are now spouses.” Only one lawmaker out of 67 in the Maltese Parliament […]
LifeWay Christian Stores, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, says that it will not pull the “Message Bible” or any of Eugene Peterson’s other writings now that the author has retracted his initial statements about same-sex “marriage.” “Based upon Eugene Peterson’s retraction, we will continue to sell his resources,” Carol Pipes, the director […]
A well-known Reformed apologist, elder and professional debater is drawing concerns after presenting, and continuing to defend, an interfaith dialogue event at a Mississippi church with a Muslim imam, which he says was meant to help Christians and Muslims engage in conversation and to “get along without compromise.” Some objectors, while noting that they support dialoguing with and […]
HONOLULU, Hawaii — A church that operates a pro-life pregnancy center and an organization that operates a chain of pregnancy centers have filed suit to challenge a new Hawaii law that they believe wrongfully forces them to provide advertising for government abortion and contraception coverage programs against their conscience, purpose and mission. A Place for Women Pregnancy […]
HAVANA, Cuba — A Cuban appeals court has overturned a prison sentence leveled against a pastor who was punished in May for homeschooling his children. “This is a far better outcome than I had expected,” said Mike Donnelly of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) in an update on Wednesday. “Based on my understanding of […]
Eugene Peterson, the creator of the 2002 “Message Bible” modern paraphrase, states that he has changed his mind on the issue of homosexuality and would be willing to officiate a same-sex ceremony if he were pastoring a church today. “I wouldn’t have said this 20 years ago, but now I know a lot of people […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Citizens Police Review Board has decided that a Florida police officer should receive a letter of reprimand for marking “male” on a traffic ticket when the driver identified as a woman. The board also recommended that the entire police department receive transgender sensitivity training. According to reports, in January, Officer James Brinton […]
SALEM, Ore. — A prominent professing atheist organization is seeking the removal of roadside cross memorial in Oregon, which it states is an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity because it sits on public property. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) recently sent a letter to the mayor of Salem to advise that it had received […]
(Evangelical Focus) — The Ibero-American Congress for Life and Family has sent a letter to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing concern about the LGBT non-discrimination and equality bill that could be approved in September. The draft law was vindicated by political parties and social organizations in the recent World Pride mass demonstrations in […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has pushed back the date on when transgenders will be formally permitted to enlist in the military, stating that the matter needs further consideration. As previously reported, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted the ban on open transgenders last year and set July 1 as the deadline for the […]