The FBI this morning released its much-anticipated report on sexual allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and reaction – not surprisingly – split along party lines. Republicans said the report revealed nothing new that wasn’t already known, while Democrats said the FBI didn’t interview enough people.

Kavanaugh’s nomination Thursday afternoon seemed to be hanging on the votes of four undecided senators: Democrat Joe Manchin (W. Va.) and Republicans Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.).

Republicans hold a 51-49 seat advantage in the chamber. A 50-50 tie would result in Vice President Mike Pence casting the tiebreaking vote for confirmation. 

Forty-eight senators – all Republicans – have publicly said they would support him. Kavanaugh needs at least two of the undecided senators to support him to be confirmed. Forty-eight Democrats have announced their opposition, according to Politico.com.

The secret report could be read only by senators and a handful of staff members. Contrasted to the Democratic reaction, Collins said it “appears to be a very thorough investigation,” while Flake said “we’ve seen no additional corroborating information,” according to Politico.com.

Murkowski said she didn’t attend a briefing on the report “because I’m going to read it myself. I’m going to go…

In its strategic plan that went into effect Oct. 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ policy now defines life as beginning at conception.  

“HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving and protecting Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception,” the plan says.

 “A core component of the HHS mission is our dedication to serve all Americans from conception to natural death,” the plan says.

The strategic plan is part of what seems like moves by the HHS to support pro-life policies.

In June, an official with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spoke at the National Right to Life convention.

“Our president is fearless when it comes to life and conscience,” said Roger Severino, who directs the Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. “We’re just getting started.”

According to Newsweek, the Obama administration plan had identical language to its plan, but the 2018-2022 adds in the phrase “beginning at conception.”

It is language that President Donald Trump has also used in the past. Earlier this year, Trump declared April as “Child Abuse Prevention Month,” calling children a “blessing from our Creator” and adding that they are “endowed from conception with value, purpose and…

Sadie Robertson partnered with an organization called Focus on the Family to create an event that encourages young Christians to be bold in their faith; Bring Your Bible to School Day. 

The event is happening Thursday, October 4 and is sponsored by Focus on the Family, a global Christian ministry that focuses on helping families around the world thrive.

Robertson was named the honorary co-chair for the Bring Your Bible to School Day event, and as such created a video to encourage students to use this opportunity to celebrate religious liberty and freedom.

“Be bold, don’t be afraid, it’s time to do it. Go ahead and bring your Bible to school,” Robertson said in the promotional video.

Students can register online as a participant in the event and get a free guide, downloadable poster, T-shirt designs and are entered in to a contest to meet Robertson.

According to CBN News, some 500,000 students brought their Bibles to school for the event last year. 

The event left lasting impacts on many of the students who participated and many of them shared testimonials with Focus on the Family. 

One 17-year-old named Matthew, told Focus on the Family “At my school, I see so many of my classmates acting and making choices like the Bible is just some random book. I was excited for the chance to share my faith and stand up for what I…

October 4, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Police in Jambi, on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, last week escorted members of a Methodist church congregation out of their building and sealed the door shut.

While church members wept, the Jambi Civil Service Police pasted a notice declaring the building was sealed due lack of a permit, as seen in a video clip on YouTube. Christian leaders said authorities closed the church building and two others on Sept. 27 to appease Muslim hard-liners preparing a protest for the next day, according to news outlet Gatra.com and social media sites.

Authorities cited lack of permits and violating public order for closing the Indonesian Methodist Church (GMI, Gereja Methodist Indonesia), Indonesia Christian Huria (HKI, Huria Kristen Indonesia) and Assemblies of God Church (GSJA, Gereja Sidang Jemaat Allah), but the general secretary of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) told Voice of America that the local government delays and rejects permits without giving any reason.

“There are thousands of other places of worship that don’t have permits but continue to operate,” he told VOA. “I just can’t understand why they won’t let us have our churches. I can understand if [the local government] prohibited us from having the permits if we used the buildings for criminal activities, but we used them to praise God.”

The PGI issued a…

A Maryland elementary school’s small plaque displaying seven words from the Lord’s Prayer is unconstitutional and should be removed, a national atheist group says.

The wooden sign in the lunchroom at Jarrettsville (Md.) Elementary School reads, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and hangs near the doors where students enter to get their lunch. It is approximately three feet wide and six inches tall. 

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) says the sign violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The group sent a letter to the school district requesting its removal.

“The plaque at Jarrettsville Elementary is directly from the Christian Bible and is part of the most well-known Christian prayer, the Lord’s Prayer,” FFRF senior counsel Patrick Elliott wrote in a letter to the superintendent. “Despite the absence of any mention of ‘god’ or a concluding ‘amen,’ the plaque functions as a prayer.”

A parent notified the group about the sign.

The sign, the FFRF letter said, is a form of “proselytizing to a captive audience.” 

“We request that you take immediate action and remove this unconstitutional religious plaque from the cafeteria wall,” the letter said.

Said FFRF attorney Annie Laurie Gaylor, “It is disturbing that a public school would be preaching a New Testament message to a…

Heavily Trump-supporting, Trump-loathing, or politically uniform churches can be making some Christians feel uncomfortable, Reformed evangelical theologian Kevin DeYoung has warned.

DeYoung wrote in a blog for the The Gospel Coalition on Wednesday that he encourages Christians to be well-informed and engaged in the political process. At the same time, he explained that there are a number of things that he as the pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, refuses to do.

“As a pastor, I do not provide voter guides for the congregation. I know there are other pastors who advocate the practice, but in my experience even non-partisan voter guides are never completely non-partisan,” he wrote.

“There’s also the practical issue of how visitors and ‘outsiders’ tend to view these guides. For millennials and minorities, ‘values’ voter guides usually signal ‘this is a church for Republicans.’ We can say that’s not the intent, and I believe most Christians passionate about these guides are motivated by a sincere desire to inform people about the issues, but the fact is most…