Is God Using #MeToo Fallout to Upend the Sexual Revolution?

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Is God Using #MeToo Fallout to Upend the Sexual Revolution?

(Photo: Courtesy of EPPC Staff)Mary Anne Layden, psychotherapist and director of education at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania speaks at the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s “Second Thoughts About the Sexual Revolution” discussion in Washington, D.C. on May 31, 2018.

WASHINGTON — The #MeToo movement is bringing about a radical reconsideration of the sexual revolution and its implications, according to leading female Christian scholars. 

Hundreds of women attended an event jointly presented by the Washington-based Catholic Women’s Forum of the Ethics & Public Policy Center and the Center for Ethics and Culture of Notre Dame on Thursday where several female professionals surveyed the cultural landscape five decades after the start of the sexual revolution.

The panelists and speakers explored the breadth of medical, psychological, mental, and other physical and spiritual harms that have plagued women in particular. And despite all the carnage that has come about since the ’60s, some suggest a “rebirth” of God’s design for sex is possible since “truth wins” in the end, they maintain.

“The #MeToo movement has forced us to confront the reality that when it comes to sexual politics, women remain very much at risk,” said Suzanne Hollman, an academic dean and program director of a doctoral program in clinical psychology at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences at Divine Mercy University.

“The sexual revolution over promised a landscape that would allow women to experience
‘no strings attached,’ sex without physical or emotional risk,” Hollman said. “It…

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Will He or Won’t He? Paige Patterson’s Role in Southern Baptist Meeting in Doubt

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Will He or Won’t He? Paige Patterson’s Role in Southern Baptist Meeting in Doubt


Will He or Won’t He? Paige Patterson’s Role in Southern Baptist Meeting in Doubt


Paige Patterson is still listed on the program as giving the sermon at his denomination’s upcoming annual convention, despite being condemned for expressing views “antithetical to the core values of our faith,” in the words of a member of a seminary board that fired him as president emeritus last week.


As the Southern Baptist Convention’s meeting approaches, the question remains: Will Patterson give the sermon or won’t he?


Denominational leaders say that the decision is up to Patterson. “It will be his call to make as to whether or not he would voluntarily withdraw prior to the annual meeting,” Roger S. Oldham, spokesman for the SBC’s Executive Committee, said Friday (June 1).


Long a lionized figure in the Southern Baptist Convention, considered a patriarch or founding father by many, Patterson was until recently best known for pushing back against feminism and the women’s movement. Last month, in a dramatic #MeToo moment, he was fired for demeaning women.


But according to the bylaws of the SBC’s meeting, to be held June 12-13 in Dallas, since Patterson was elected by the messengers, or delegates, at last year’s meeting to preach the sermon at the upcoming gathering in Dallas, that body must also vote to remove him.


“The only body that would have the authority to change that would be the messengers of this year’s meeting or…

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Victory for US cake maker prompts fresh hope for Ashers bakery

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Victory for US cake maker prompts fresh hope for Ashers bakery

Lawyers hope a US Supreme Court ruling on Monday that Jack Phillips was within his rights to refuse to cater for the wedding of a same-sex couple may influence the UK Supreme Court’s decision concerning Ashers Baking Company in County Antrim.

 

Paul Coleman from ADF International – a team of Christian lawyers which has been supporting Mr Phillips – told Premier’s News Hour: “We’re hoping that the timing of this case will have an impact on the UK Supreme Court’s deliberations.

“We hope that the UK Supreme Court will follow suit and protect the freedom of conscience and freedom of speech of Ashers bakery in the way the US Supreme Court protected Jack Phillips.”

The McArthur family, which runs Ashers, is currently waiting to learn whether it has successfully appealed the ruling of a junior court that it infringed upon the rights of a civil rights campaigner who placed the cake order in May 2014. A decision may not be announced until early next year.

On Monday, the most senior court in the United States ruled in favour of Mr Phillips – a Christian businessman from Lakewood, Colorado who was drawn into a lawsuit by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission acting on behalf of a gay couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins.

Explaining the outcome of case, Paul Coleman from ADF International said: “It gives many people who hold the same views as Jack – and there are many, many…

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United Methodist Annual Conferences Meet with Position on Homosexuality Uncertain

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United Methodist Annual Conferences Meet with Position on Homosexuality Uncertain


United Methodist Annual Conferences Meet with Position on Homosexuality Uncertain


When United Methodists gather at their annual conferences, they often sing the opening words of a hymn by the early Methodist leader Charles Wesley, “And are we yet alive, and see each other’s face?”


It’s a throwback to the days when circuit-riding ministers on the American frontier were lucky to live past age 40 and paused for a spell of fellowship.


But this year, “Are we yet alive?” resonates as United Methodists wait to see how the denomination will move forward despite paralyzing disagreements over homosexuality.


“Our denomination is in chaos,” said the Rev. Mike Slaughter, pastor emeritus of Ginghamsburg Church, a United Methodist congregation near Dayton, Ohio. “Our bishops don’t agree with each other. I hear fear. I hear denial. We’ve come to this place where we reflect what’s going on in our national politics now. It’s a sad day.”


“Annual conference” has two meanings in the United Methodist Church: The term refers to the yearly regional gatherings, part revivals and part business meetings, that occur in each region across the United States — usually a state or a portion of one — and across the world. (The church’s membership is almost 7 million in the U.S. and 12.5 million worldwide.) It also refers to the regions themselves.


The 56 annual conferences in the U.S. meet between late May and early July each…

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Franklin Graham praises God after Christian cake maker is backed by Supreme Court

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Franklin Graham praises God after Christian cake maker is backed by Supreme Court

The most senior court in the country concluded on Monday that Jack Phillips from Colorado was within his legal rights to turn down an order made by two men at his bakery in Lakewood in July 2012.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Graham said: “We thank God for answered prayer!

 

“Today the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage ceremony.

“This is a huge win for religious freedom!”

Alliance Defending Freedom

 

Considering arguments made against Mr Phillips by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which took the case against him, a panel of judges ruled seven to two in his favour.

The decision was branded “wrong-headed” by senior politician and Democrat representative for San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi.

Alliance Defending Freedom

 

In a statement, she said: “The Masterpiece Cakeshop case is about the most fundamental right of all Americans: to be free from persecution and discrimination because of who they are or whom they love.

“While narrowly framed to apply to the decision-making process undertaken by the state commission, today’s wrong-headed decision fails to uphold equality in this case.”

Without commenting directly on the outcome of the case, US President Donald Trump tweeted: “Big Supreme Court ruling for Baker just out!”

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Justices Hand Down 7-2 Ruling for Christian Baker in Wedding Cake Case

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Justices Hand Down 7-2 Ruling for Christian Baker in Wedding Cake Case


Justices Hand Down 7-2 Ruling for Christian Baker in Wedding Cake Case


The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian baker in Colorado who refused to design a cake for a couple’s same-sex wedding, a controversial case that was widely seen as a standoff between claims of religious liberty and LGBTQ rights.


“The Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s consideration of this case was inconsistent with the State’s obligation of religious neutrality,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion, referring to the state authority that sided with the couple after they filed a complaint. “The reason and motive for the baker’s refusal were based on his sincere religious beliefs and convictions.”


In another part of the opinion, Kennedy wrote: “The Civil Rights Commission’s treatment of his case has some elements of a clear and impermissible hostility toward the sincere religious beliefs that motivated his objection.”

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Gay priest Jeffrey John misses out on bishop role

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Gay priest Jeffrey John misses out on bishop role

He was named on a short list for the role in April earlier this year.

The job has instead gone to Very Rev Andrew Swift who moves from the Diocese of Argyll & the Isles.

 

Dr Jeffrey John was nominated as Bishop of Reading 15 years ago but stood aside after the then Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams asked him to withdraw from the process in order to avoid a church split.

Reports since suggest he’s been put forward a number of times for a role as a bishop but has yet to be successful. Last year his nomination as Bishop of Llandaff was blocked by Welsh bishops.

Jeffrey John entered into a civil partnership with Grant Holmes in 2006 after a 30 year relationship. They have stated their relationship is celibate.

Speaking about his appointment, Very Rev Andrew Swift said: “It is a wonderful and humbling honour to be elected as the next Bishop of Brechin.

SEC

The Very Rev Andrew Swift

 

“I would like to thank the electoral synod for their trust in me, and look forward very much to working with all the Scottish Episcopal Churches of Brechin to help them build up their confidence, witness and mission in Dundee, Angus, the Mearns and Carse of Gowrie.

“I am also praying for my fellow candidates in the election – thanks and blessings for them all.”

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Supreme Court rules for Christian baker

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Supreme Court rules for Christian baker

“The government, consistent with the Constitution’s guarantee of free exercise, cannot impose regulations that are hostile to the religious beliefs of affected citizens and cannot act in a manner that passes judgment upon or presupposes the illegitimacy of religious beliefs and practices.”

With these words, the Supreme Court issued a major ruling yesterday regarding religious freedom. What does it mean for us as we engage a culture that is in many ways “hostile” to our “religious beliefs”?

The story in brief

In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins made plans to be lawfully married in Massachusetts, then return to Colorado for a wedding reception. They visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, to order a custom cake.

Masterpiece owner Jack Phillips declined their request, explaining that his Christian beliefs kept him from using his artistic abilities to create such a cake. Over the years, he has declined to create many custom cakes that would display unbiblical messages. He wouldn’t make a cake celebrating a divorce, for instance.

He offered to sell the couple other baked goods in the store, but they declined and filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Commission decided in their favor and ordered Masterpiece to take steps to ensure future compliance with its ruling. Phillips appealed that ruling and chose to stop making wedding cakes, costing him 40 percent of his business. He has also faced death threats.

The State’s decision was upheld on appeal but reversed yesterday by the Supreme Court. The 7-2 majority found that the Colorado Commission’s treatment of Phillips’s case “violated the State’s duty under the First Amendment not to base laws or regulations on hostility to a religion or religious viewpoint.”

What the ruling means

Russell Moore, head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, noted that “this ruling is a win, not only for those…

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Pope: You can play sports on Sunday, if you still go to Mass

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Pope: You can play sports on Sunday, if you still go to Mass

The Vatican has relaxed it rules on how Catholics should spend the Sabbath.

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Christian couple arrested day before wedding under anti-conversion law

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Christian couple arrested day before wedding under anti-conversion law

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the accusations are false and stem from animosity from local police in the district of Simdega, Jharkhand state and villagers.

Ms Sumanti Kumari and Mr Rupash Manjhi were scheduled to be married on 30th May. However, local villagers and some from neighbouring villages voiced their opposition to the Christian ceremony.

 

CSW said when the couple sought help at a local police station; villagers brought the girl’s father to the police and alleged that the couple had forcefully tried to convert him.

The police then contacted their pastor and requested that he present himself at the station to conduct the marriage.

However, when he arrived there, the pastor, his assistant and the couple were charged with religious conversion.

The four of them are facing up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $560.

Ramnath Purti, a social activist from the district of Chaibasa, Jharkhand Sate, told CSW there is now a lot of fear among the Christian community.

He said: “Most of the people who were falsely accused are just laymen.

“The government is clearly on over-drive with anti-Christian propaganda to terrorise not just Christians but other minorities in Jharkhand.”

This case comes after eleven Christians were accused of converting the local community in Manoharpur. Their case is due to be heard on 2nd June.

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