Meanwhile, On The Religious Freedom Front

[Valin]

Hugh Hewitt Blog:

John Schroeder

August 10 2016

 

While we debate the POTUS race, the most serious challenge to religious freedom our nation has seen in quite some time is making its way through the California legislature – SB1146. That link will take you to the text of the bill as it currently stands. Decent summary here and just a few of the ramifications:

 

Faith-based institutions in California would no longer be able to require a profession of faith of their students.

These institutions would no longer be able to integrate faith throughout the teaching curriculum.

These institutions would no longer be able to require chapel attendance for students, an integral part of the learning experience at faith-based universities.

These institutions would no longer be able to require core units of Bible courses, nor offer students spiritual direction or pastoral care.

Athletic teams would no longer be able to lead faith-based community service programs.

 

(Snip)

 

What can you do? Here is contact information for every member of the California State Assembly, where the bill currently is making its way through various committees. Let them know how you feel. If you are not a California resident, they are likely to snub you. Send snail mail, use the email link. Support the universities linked above or any of the other 40 or so faith-based higher education institutions in California.

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

Audio: Al Mohler

 

Audio: Hugh Hewitt

[Valin]

California Lawmaker Drops Controversial Proposal to Regulate Religious Colleges
SB 1146 won't be the religious liberty threat many Christians feared.
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
8/10/2016

A day after religious leaders released an open letter calling on California to protect religious liberty in higher education, the lawmaker behind a controversial bill dropped the proposal in question, allowing religious schools to keep exemptions to anti-discrimination laws related to sexuality. Under state Senator Ricardo Lara’s amended bill, schools must “disclose if they have an exemption and report to the state when students are expelled for violating morality codes,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

“HUGE NEWS! Sponsor of #SB1146 is amending bill to keep exemptions in place,” tweeted Andrew Walker, director of policy studies at the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). “#SB1146 is still bad, because it has the disclosure (public shaming) element, but this, for now, is good.”

“Sighs of relief and prayers of gratitude that California #SB1146 bill (restricting religious liberty of colleges) has been dropped,” tweeted National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) president Leith Anderson.

(Snip)

“Glad to see the horrific #SB1146 targeting of religious schools dropped. Thanks to those of you who stood with us,” ERLC president Russell Moore tweeted after the change was announced. The controversy shows “the stakes of a state that imperils the free exercise of religion and the freedom to dissent” and “how important it is for religious freedom advocates to stand together,” he added.

 

Two years ago, California removed certain religious student groups, including InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, from state-run colleges. The state reinstated the groups last year.

[Draggingtree]

I Believe in God

By Erick Erickson | August 11, 2016, 12:30am

Let’s pause on politics for a minute here. On a personal note, I’m headed out of town for a few days. I’ll be officiating my first wedding. I started seminary just over a year ago because I kept declining invitations to preach on Sunday mornings. I figured I needed to go to seminary before I committed.

 

Well, my producer is getting married and I’m going to officiate the wedding. My postings will be light over the coming days. In preparing for the wedding, and doing a lot of reading, I realized I had not put up my sermon from Colorado. I believe I put up the video. But as there is a growing secularism in the country and we see that legislation moving forward, though amended, in California, it is worth taking a time out from Presidential politics to focus on something more important.

 

I believe in God.

http://theresurgent.com/i-believe-in-god/

[Valin]

@Draggingtree

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"
Martin Heidegger

A pastor I had many years ago asked a simple question


This Just Happened Purely Be Accident?

 

 

 

Now Physicists have come up with answers...but the seem to me to violate Occams Razor.