(RNS) — The final days of 2019 are typically a time for celebrations and congratulations. But for some United Methodists, the closing days of the year may also hold a note of anxiety.

On Jan. 1, the country’s second-largest Protestant denomination will usher in new, stricter standards barring LGBTQ United Methodists from ordination and marriage. Those bans, voted on by the global denomination in February, include new penalties for clergy violating the rules.

Three days before they go into effect, First United Methodist Church of Dallas, a venerable 172-year-old downtown institution, will take the bold step of offering a special service reaffirming marriage vows — heterosexual and same-sex.

A diverse congregation of 1,800 members, with 700-800 in attendance most Sundays, First United Methodist is not an attention-grabbing church. It does not affiliate with the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization that seeks the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the United Methodist Church. But neither does it take a hard line on sexuality. Its members span the theological and political spectrum from conservative to centrist to liberal.

Which makes the ceremony reaffirming wedding vows especially noteworthy. 

Senior pastor Andy Stoker said it was the recommendation of a commission he assembled shortly after the denomination’s vote to clamp down on LGBTQ inclusion.

That commission,…

A comedian who previously performed at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ dinner said in a new Netflix special that her abortion made her feel like God.

“You can feel any way that you want after an abortion,” said 34-year-old writer and comedian Michelle Wolf in her Netflix special “Joke Show.” 

She said, “Get one! See how you feel! You know how my abortion made me feel? Very powerful. You know how people say you can’t play God? I walked out of there being like, ‘Move over, Morgan Freeman. I am God!'”

She added later in her performance what she thought about the limits of abortion laws.

“A lot of people think that even if you’re allowed to get abortions, it should only be for a very few, specific reasons,” she says. “Well, I think you should be able to get an abortion for any reason you want.”

In April 2018, Wolf roasted President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. Trump did not attend.

She also joked about then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Wolf was criticized for her performance at the dinner, but she addressed it in her new Netflix special.

“It was a job,” she said. “It didn’t pay well.”

“Then, afterward, all of these people were like, ‘You ruined the dinner,’” she recalled, “and I was like, ‘I ruin every dinner. Did you do no research?’”

She also talked about how female comedians are sometimes treated differently than their male…

Just days before a looming deadline, Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee has consented to participate in a federal refugee resettlement program in 2020, a move that has angered conservative state leaders.

In a December 18 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Lee thanked the Trump Administration for a Sept. 26 executive order requiring consent from local and state governments before thrusting refugee settlement programs on those jurisdictions.

“Thank you for consulting with the states to ensure this process is successful,” Lee wrote in the letter. “We feel strongly that this consultation is appropriate and that the federal government would be overstepping by requiring states to participate in this program.”

Lee’s decision makes Tennessee one of only a handful of Republican-led states agreeing to participate.

“The United States and Tennessee have always been, since the very founding of our nation, a shining beacon of freedom and opportunity for the persecuted and oppressed, particularly those suffering religious persecution,” the governor said in a news release announcing his decision. “My administration has worked extensively to determine the best outcome for Tennessee, and I will consent to working with President Trump and his administration to responsibly resettle refugees.”

Lee’s announcement came a…

The newly passed 2020 omnibus budget will ensure that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) receives funding for a further three years.

The USCIRF, which keeps tabs on violations of religious freedom across the world, was set to expire at the end of the month.

“Pleased to report that we have reached a bipartisan compromise on our bill to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) & it will pass this week,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted Wednesday.

Pleased to report that we have reached a bipartisan compromise on our bill to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) & it will pass this week. https://t.co/JlwiQyXPRV

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 18, 2019

The $1.7 trillion spending bill was passed in the Senate Wednesday via a vote of 71-23 and will fund government programs through Sept. 30, 2020.

Not everyone was happy with the hastily agreed budget, however. Sen. Ted Cruz called it a “$1.4 trillion spending monstrosity [that] plunges our nation even further into debt,” according to the Texan.

“This ridiculous, rushed, end-of-year spending process, year after year, is an example of government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists,” he added.

President Trump is set to sign the bill shortly. “He’s very happy with…

So-called porch pirates can quickly ruin a family’s Christmas, but as one pastor in North Carolina discovered, they also can hamper a ministry.

Pastor Jeff Williams of West Franklin Baptist Church in Gastonia, N.C., was expecting three boxes of study Bibles delivered to his front door this month but found only two. When FedEx confirmed that the boxes had been delivered, Williams realized he had been the victim of a porch pirate – someone who steals boxes off front porches in hopes of finding high-priced items.

In this case, the porch pirates stole 24 study Bibles worth more than $1,000, WSOC-TV reported.

“We’re kind of curious as to what the folks thought when they opened the Bibles, and I would say this: If it’s something that you’ve taken and you’re not interested in, just bring them back.” Williams said. “Drop them off in the driveway because we need to get them out to folks who want them.”

Williams and his wife lead a ministry, Inspiration for Inmates, for individuals in prison. The ministry has personal meaning for the pastor. His daughter, who was addicted to meth, is serving a five-year sentence.

“To my surprise, Bibles are not readily available to each individual inmate,” the ministry’s GoFundMe page reads. “These ladies have to go to the library in the institution to read when their schedules permit and they may not have but a few moments to read. Having access…

A British court ruled this week that a woman was properly dismissed from her job after she posted several messages about transgenderism on Twitter, including the statement that “male people are not women.”

Maya Forstater, 45, lost her position at the Center for Global Development following a series of tweets in 2018, and subsequently filed a complaint with an employment tribunal. The think tank has offices in London and Washington, D.C., and chose not to renew her contract. 

Several of Forstater’s tweets criticized potential changes to the British Gender Recognition Act, including one that would allow people to self-identify with whichever gender they choose. Forstater argued that even if a biological man has a “Gender Recognition Certificate” that states he’s a woman, he remains a biological man.

Employment judge James Tayler, in a 26-page decision, ruled against Forstater.

“The Claimant’s position is that even if a trans woman has a Gender Recognition Certificate, she cannot honestly describe herself as a woman,” Tayler wrote. “That belief is not worthy of respect in a democratic society. It is incompatible with the human rights of others that have been identified and defined by the [European Court of Human Rights] and put into effect through the Gender Recognition Act.”

Forstater tweeted on Sept. 2, 2018: “I share the concerns of @fairplaywomen that…

The NFL quarterback who is the heavy favorite to win this year’s Most Valuable Player award says his Christian faith helps him stay grounded.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has guided the Ravens to a league-best record of 12-2 and leads the league in several key categories, including passing touchdowns (33) and quarterback rating (81.3). The duel-threat Jackson also leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards (1,103).

Asked this week what keeps him humble, Jackson responded simply, “the Lord.”

“I give Him all his praise, the glory, the honor, because without Him I could have been doing anything,” Jackson said.

“I’ll be thinking about it, talking to Him throughout the day like, ‘Man, appreciate You. I thank You.’ Because, when you feel like you’re bigger than the Lord, that’s when all that success dies. It goes away. You have to let Him know He’s the reason you’re having that much success.”

Jackson also referenced his teammates, coaches and family.

“We’ve just got to keep going and let the Lord know he’s No. 1,” he said.

“What keeps you humble, @Lj_era8?” pic.twitter.com/SJRN6VB1JO

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 18, 2019

Jackson won college football’s Heisman Trophy in 2016 during a breakout season at the University of Louisville before being drafted by Baltimore.

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl…