WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former President George H.W. Bush was recalled as a man of “quiet faith” during a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral, a fitting site to memorialize the longtime Episcopalian.

“With faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the body of our brother George for burial,” intoned Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the start of the Wednesday (Dec. 5) ceremony as the 41st president’s casket was carried by military members into the cathedral.

All of the living former and current presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump — joined the 3,000 dignitaries, family and friends at the invitation-only ceremony.

The senior Bush’s eldest child, former President George W. Bush, gave an emotional tribute to his father, highlighting his service to country and his focus on giving back to others. 

“Dad taught us that public service is noble and necessary, that one can serve with integrity and hold true to the important values like faith and family,” the 43rd president said. “To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light.”

Other family members took turns reading Scripture, including Jenna Bush Hager — daughter of the 43rd president — who touched her grandfather’s flag-draped casket before she read from Revelation 21, whose first verse begins: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

The Rev. Russell Levenson Jr., rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, said the elder Bush made Levenson’s job as his pastor for almost a dozen years…

Experts in the field are urging caution for parents of transgender children and teens, citing studies that show minors often change their minds about transitioning when they’re adults.

The phenomenon of kids and teens changing their minds about their transgender status once they grow older is called “desistance,” according to KQED, a public radio station in San Francisco. This happens — for example — when a child who is born male identifies as a girl during the child or teens years but then changes back to a male identity when an adult.

Studies show that anywhere from 63 to 94 percent of self-identified transgender children and teens change their minds, KQED reported. 

“Problem is, nobody can tell the difference between the kids who will continue to have gender dysphoria and those who will not,” Dr. Jack Drescher, a Columbia University professor, told KQED.

Drescher urges caution on the use of surgery, which can be difficult to “undo.” Surgery isn’t available until age 18 for transgender teens. 

In 2013, Amsterdam researcher Thomas Steensma released a study showing that 63 percent of transgender teens he studied had desisted by the ages of 15-16. Drescher works at the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria.

Despite criticism of the study, Steensma said, “the only evidence I have from studies and reports in the literature … is that not…

A Virginia teacher was put on administrative leave after using feminine pronouns while addressing a student who was born female, but chooses to identify as male.

Peter Vlaming, the teacher in question, stated: “I won’t use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as a male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns.”

“Administration is requiring that I use masculine pronouns in any and every context at school. I was informed that any further instances of using female pronouns would be grounds for termination.”

Vlaming, who teaches French at West Point High School, is currently on paid administrative leave awaiting a public hearing by the school board that’s set to take place later in the week.

An online petition was created by those in support of the teacher requesting that he not be fired, and received over 1,100 signatures by Wednesday morning.

ABC news affiliate WRIC in Richmond contacted a few of Vlaming’s students regarding the controversy. One of the students that spoke with the news outlet declared that he was “outraged” over the teacher possibly facing termination.

“He’s a really nice guy, he wanted to do everything about his students. He really does care about his students,” the student stated. “The thing he will not do is change his…

As thousands of people gather at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, TX, to celebrate the life of America’s 41^stpresident George H.W. Bush, the president’s good friends and country stars the Oak Ridge Boys, paid tribute to him by singing Amazing Grace.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the former president wrote that he wanted his favorite group to sing the classic hymn at his funeral. 

During the service in Texas, the Oak Ridge Boys noted that they first sang for Bush in October 1983, when he was Vice President of the United States. Joe Bonsall of the group recalled the then Vice President asking the group to sing for him. 

He said, “We first sang for him in October of 1983 on the lawn of the White House when he was Vice President and he said, ‘Fellas,’ he always called us fellas, ‘would you sing me a few songs? I’m a big fan.’”

The group then sang Amazing Grace for the President, noting what a great honor it was to sing for him one last time. 

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Oak Ridge Boys took a private jet to Texas, Wednesday night, after finishing their concert in Spokane, Wash. Following their early morning arrival, the group had about four hours to prepare for their tribute to President Bush.

The group’s lead singer, Duane Allen noted, “It’s what you do for friends.”

Reba McEntire…

A Twitter user recently attempted to connect the “#MeToo” movement to the story of the virgin birth that takes place in the New Testament. 

Eric Sprankle, who mentions that he is an associate professor of clinical psychology and sexuality studies from Minnesota, shares his interests in “cats” and “Poe” on his Twitter profile. 

Sprankle claimed the “virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen.”

“There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario,” he stated.

He concluded the tweet by writing “Happy holidays.”

An article from WND reports that Sprankle refused to abandon the idea as numerous Twitter users responded by indicating that the Bible, in Luke, “states clearly that the angel communicated God’s plan for Mary and in verse 38 she agreed. Whether you believe or disbelieve, it helps if you actually read the text.”

“The biblical god regularly punished disobedience. The power difference (deity vs mortal) and the potential for violence for saying ‘no’ negates her ‘yes.’ To put someone in this position is an unethical abuse of power at best and grossly predatory at worst,” he noted.

Twitchy, a popular site that combines Twitter with the news, hosted a comment that read: “One thing we see a lot of on Twitter is trolling of Christians;…

The most shared, bookmarked and highlighted Bible verse on the popular YouVersion app this year wasn’t one you’d see plastered on a handmade sign at a football game.

This year’s most popular verse worldwide was Isaiah 41:10, which reads, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Last year’s most popular verse was Joshua 1:9. In 2016, it was Romans 8:28.

The YouVersion Bible app is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. 

“This year’s data shows people worldwide are continuing to turn to the Bible in search of comfort, encouragement, and hope,” said Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor at Life Church and YouVersion founder. “We’re humbled that 10 years after its release, people continue to use the YouVersion Bible App in record numbers to connect with God’s Word.”

The YouVersion app includes more than 1,800 versions of the Bible in more than 1,250 languages. 

Data showed a 27 percent increase in “daily active users” compared to 2017. YouVersion users “listened to 4.2 billion chapters and read more than 27.2 billion chapters of the Bible” in 2018, which “is a year-over-year increase of 40 percent and 62 percent, respectively,” according to a news release.

YouVersion also showed growth in its Bible App for…