The Equal Rights Amendment, which some believe could be used to fight for abortion rights, is dead, according to the Justice Department.

The Amendment, which was first introduced in Congress in 1923, states that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex,” as reported by NPR. Congress finally passed the law nearly fifty years later in 1972 and sent it onto the states for ratification, requiring 38 states to ratify by 1979. Only 35 states ultimately ratified, so Congress extended the deadline to 1982. Still, not enough states signed off.

But in recent years, the ERA has gained traction in several states. Nevada ratified in 2017 and in 2018, Illinois joined them. Virginia has now stepped up to the plate as the 38th state who wants to ratify.

The Justice Department finds this movement irrelevant, however.

“We conclude that when Congress uses a proposing clause to impose a deadline on the States’ ratification of a proposed constitutional amendment, that deadline is binding, and Congress may not revive the proposal after the deadline’s expiration.”

Three other states—South Dakota, Alabama, and Louisiana—have also fought to keep the ERA from inclusion in the Constitution, filing a federal lawsuit against it.

What the ERA would do, should it be ratified by 38 states, is up for debate. Professor…

A second Fuller Theological Seminary student has joined a discrimination lawsuit against the school claiming that he was expelled because of his same-sex marriage.

Christianity Today reported that Nathan Brittsan, an American Baptist Churches USA minister, filed a complaint with Joanna Maxon, another former Fuller student, on Tuesday for more than $1 million each in compensation for the alleged discrimination.

“It’s a very important case at this time in our nation’s history,” said Paul Southwick, the attorney representing Maxon and Brittsan. “This case could set an important legal precedent that if an educational institution receives federal funding, even if it’s religiously affiliated, even if it’s a seminary, that it’s required to comply with Title IX prohibitions on sex discrimination as applied to LGBT individuals.”

Title IX forbids discrimination against LGBT individuals, but several Christian schools have received exemptions even in the midst of gay rights groups pressuring the Obama administration to publicly list these schools.

The original lawsuit against Fuller was filed in November by Maxon, who was expelled in 2018 after administrators saw her wife listed on her tax returns. She was in her final semester after completing three years of work.

Brittsan was expelled in 2017 as he was finishing his first quarter with the school. His orientation was discovered after…

In her years advocating for pro-life causes, Abby Johnson recently saw an unmet need for women facing unplanned pregnancies: connecting them with charities, according to Faithwire. Johnson found that pregnant women struggled to find public assistance or were required to wait too long for support to pay their bills or put food on the table.

So, Johnson did something about it. She launched a new ministry called LoveLine, a dedicated central database of public assistance programs and 24/7 helpline for anyone in crisis.

Since its launch, generous donors have provided over $22,000 in household and material goods for 43 women and 66 children. Several women have also received over $4,000 in college tuition and over $18,000 in financial assistance for rent and utilities. One woman’s deductibles were paid for the remainder of her maternity care.

“We’ve tapped into a deep need for people to help others, to feel like they are doing something to make a positive difference in another’s life,” said Pamela Whitehead, director of ProLove Ministries and LoveLine. “The immediate response from people to help has been overwhelming.”

LoveLine also sets up registries for pregnant women in crisis, which allows donors to meet a direct, tangible need quickly.

“It has been both a humbling and exciting experience to witness the love from people all over the nation who have stepped up to give these women in…

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is imploring the U.S. Senate to begin President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial next week.

According to Fox News, Graham says he has created a resolution asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

He says in the resolution that Pelosi lacks “the power to effectively veto a resolution passed by a duly elected majority of the House of Representatives by refusing to transmit such a resolution to the Senate.”

He added that not turning over the articles of impeachment is a “flagrant violation of the separation of powers expressly outlined in the bicameral impeachment process under the Constitution of the United States.”

Experts say Pelosi is refusing to turn over the articles of impeachment until the Senate changes trial rules to allow more testimony from witnesses. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, said the rules will remain the same.

Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he believes Pelosi’s “dam is about to crack,” adding that the Democratic Party is dividing over the issue of impeachment.

“You said it was urgent,” Graham said. “If you believe it to be urgent, send it to the Senate for disposition.”

Thursday, Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith announced he was pulling support for impeachment. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D-Calif.) says she believes…

A Brazilian judge has ordered Netflix to remove from its streaming platform a comedy special that sparked international outrage by insinuating Jesus is gay.

The ruling, handed down Wednesday by Rio de Janeiro Judge Benedicto Abicair, only applies to the South American country and is valid unless another court intervenes, according to the Associated Press.

As Christian Headlines reported in mid-December, there was widespread opposition to The First Temptation of Christ, a Christmas comedy that shows Jesus returning home to Joseph and Mary to celebrate his 30^th birthday. He brings with him his boyfriend Orlando. A character used to depict “God the Father” also pursues Mary for sex. At one point, “Jesus” appears to abdicate his calling by asking “God the Father” if he can leave the party to go backpacking with Orlando.

The 45-minute film, produced in Portuguese by the Rio-based comedy group Porta dos Fundos, prompted a Change.orgpetition that has garnered more than 2.36 million signatures. On Christmas Eve, the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was attacked with Molotov cocktails. No one was injured in the attack.

Judge Abicair issued his decision in response to a complaint filed by a Brazilian Catholic organization, which argued the “honour of millions of Catholics” was hurt by the film’s airing. In his ruling, the judge determined the video’s withdrawal “is…

Legislators in at least five states have introduced bills in recent weeks that would require athletes in high school and lower grades to compete on teams that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate. 

The bills in Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, New Hampshire and Washington are intended to prevent what has happened in Connecticut, where two biological boys who identify as girls have won multiple girls’ state championship track titles. 

Tennessee state Rep. Bruce Griffey introduced the bill in his state.

“There’s no ill will intended toward anyone regarding this legislation,” Griffey, a Republican, told WTVF. “What it’s simply trying to do is, I think science and experience and just society – we all know that traditionally males generally have bigger hearts, bigger upper body strength, and that can give them a genetic advantage when competing against women in a number of sports.”

Georgia state Rep. Philip Singleton, a Republican, said his bill would prevent biological males from having an “unfair advantage” if they choose to compete as females. His bill would not impact team sports such as football and basketball.

“The Student Athlete Protection Act is designed to ensure that biological boys will only compete in sports against other biological boys and vice-versa for girls,” Singleton told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The intent of…

A complaint has been lodged with the University of Southern Maine after a defaced Bible was used as part of an art display.

Riley Harris was the USM student behind the installation, which featured a Bible with torn pages and Satanic images splashed across the face of Christ.

It was a Christian man, Charlie Flynn, who said he couldn’t help but be disturbed by the display after being informed about it by his young daughter – she had noticed the bizarre piece on show outside a classroom after the family had attended a church gathering at the Wishcamper Center.

The Casco Bay Church of Christ is one of several religious groups that rent various spaces on USM campus grounds.

“This is someone’s sacred text being desecrated, destroyed and displayed in a public place,” Flynn said, according to Central Maine. “I couldn’t help but feel no one’s sacred text should be treated that way… I think it’s very inappropriate and repugnant.”

Harris defended his piece, titled “Unholy Bible: Very Revised Standard Edition,” insisting that it was part of an art assignment that challenged students to “repurpose a book into something new.”

“I was thinking a lot about questioning authority in general,” Harris explained. “People question different types of authority, but for some reason, religious authority seems too taboo to question, so I thought I would give…

JOS, Nigeria, January 7, 2020 (Morning Star News) – A leader of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) pleaded for help on a video released on Sunday (Jan. 5) after Islamic extremists with Boko Haram kidnapped him last week.

The Rev. Lawan Andimi was abducted by terrorists of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP, known as Boko Haram before affiliating with the Islamic State) on Thursday (Jan. 2) in attacks on Michika County and a nearby area in northeast Nigeria’s Adamawa state, sources said.

Pastor Andimi, area EYN district chairman and chairman of the local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, pleads with church leaders to ask Adamawa Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri to intervene for his release in the video.

“I have never been discouraged, because all conditions that one finds himself is in the hands of God – God who made them to take care of me and to leave [me with] my life,” Pastor Andimi says. “I am appealing to my colleagues, reverends, particularly my president, Rev. Joel Billy, who is a strong man, a man of compassion and man of love. He can do all his best to speak to our governor, Umaru Jibrilla [Fintiri] and other necessary agents for my release here.”

Pastor Andimi says he has been treated well with food and a comfortable place to sleep.

“I believe that He who made them to act in such a way is still alive and will make all arrangements,” he…

As promised, Iran fired back at the United States Wednesday, striking two Iraqi military bases that house American soldiers.

According to the Associated Press, Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at the military bases. No casualties have been reported.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strike was in response to a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The General was popular with some Iranians but widely regarded as a terrorist on the international stage.

“Last night they received a slap,” Khamenei said in a speech after the missile strikes. “These military actions are not sufficient (for revenge). What is important is that the corrupt presence of America in this region comes to an end.”

Iran’s foreign minster also tweeted that Tehran had taken and “concluded proportionate measures in self-defense,” and said Tehran did “not seek escalation.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also released a statement about the missile attack: “We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted.”

Trump, however, said there were no casualties in the attack on the U.S. troop housing.

“All is well!” President Donald Trump tweeted after the missile attacks, adding, “So far, so good.”

Iraqi Prime…