Commentary: Rapidly Declining Mainline Church Seeks to Require Ministers to Support Transgenderism, Gay Marriage

Woman Pastor

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has permitted, but not required, its ministers to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies since 2014. But that allowance is no longer sufficient for the progressive denomination; it now aims to mandate that future ministers affirm transgenderism and same-sex marriage as prerequisites for ordination. At its General Assembly this June, the denomination will take up legislation that would implement that requirement.

The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s proposed requirement stands out for its inclusion of affirmation for transgenderism alongside same-sex marriage. Specifically, it does so by adding “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to its list of groups protected from discrimination, included in “worship, governance, and emerging life.” The proposal would also change the denomination’s “[s]tandards for ordained service” to make it obligatory for ministry candidates to pledge adherence to this principle of “non-discrimination.”

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Commentary: The Left’s ‘Christian Nationalism’ Fearmongering Is Untethered to Reality

Church Sign

Is America on the verge of establishing a theocracy? The Left’s recent warnings about the rise of “Christian nationalism” suggest that a powerful, conservative Christian cabal is pulling the strings behind the scenes to forcibly convert the entire nation, or something.

In the past week, Politico’s Heidi Przybyla has been hammering the drum on this issue, first claiming—apparently without concrete evidence—that former Trump administration official Russell Vought has prioritized “Christian nationalism” by name in documents for a potential Trump second term, and then defining Christian nationalism as the doctrine that rights come from God, not government.

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Nashville’s Jason Whitlock Suggests Himself for Twitter CEO

In the wake of Elon Musk’s indication that he will resign as chief executive officer of the social-media platform Twitter, Nashville-based journalist and sportscaster Jason Whitlock is suggesting himself as an apt replacement.

Musk tweeted out a poll to Twitter users last weekend asking whether they wished him to remain as the website’s CEO or leave the post. The survey garnered 17 million responses, 57.5 percent of whom voted for Musk’s departure. The founder of the auto company Tesla and the spacecraft creator SpaceX acquired Twitter in late October for $44 billion and is expected to remain the platform’s owner while giving up direction of the company to another individual whom he has not yet selected.

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Retiring Ohio Senator Portman Helps Codify Gay Marriage into Law

Same-sex marriage is on track to becoming codified in federal statute and retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) is celebrating his role as a key driver of the change.

In 2013, Portman became the first Republican senator to support redefining marriage as something other than the matrimonial union between one man and one woman. He attributed his reversal of his prior opposition to gay marriage to his son having come out two years earlier.

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Mormon Church Comes Out in Support of National Gay Marriage Bill After Backing Campaigns Against Same-Sex Marriage

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicated support Tuesday for legislation that would require states to recognize same-sex marriages performed under other states’ laws and repeal any federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, despite previously supporting efforts against same-sex marriage legalization.

The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July, with five of six church members in the House voting in favor of the bill. The church’s Tuesday statement expressed gratitude “for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.”

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University of Florida Students, Faculty Protest Sasse Appointment over Gay Marriage Stance

University of Florida students and faculty are protesting the appointment of Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) as president of the school because of his positions on same-sex marriage. 

During a question-and-answer session that Sasse attended on Monday at the university, protestors claimed the senator’s stance on same-sex marriage makes him an unsuitable choice for being the university’s president, The Hill reported. 

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Commentary: The Real MAGA Movement Does Not Back Down

Everyone wants to be an America-First Republican these days. This includes a bevy of #NeverTrump types who have rebranded themselves as born-again MAGA Republicans. 

While I am all for converts, I’m always skeptical of grifters. It should have been obvious that the GOP had gone off the rails prior to Trump. In the Bush years, the country lost its way fighting endless wars in the Middle East while abandoning all fiscal discipline. The fully Republican-controlled federal government presided over the continuing deindustrialization of America and did nothing to stop the disunifying policy of massive, sustained immigration. In 2008 and 2012, the Republican establishment ran sketchy neoconservatives for president, even though neoconservative policies had authored George W. Bush’s failures. 

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Despite the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Gay Marriage, Almost Two-Thirds of States Define Marriage as Union of One Man, One Woman

The Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the nation is in the news again with the House’s passage last week of legislation codifying that 2015 ruling as part of U.S. law.

In the years before the high court ruled in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, 38 states defined marriage by law as an exclusive union between one man and one woman.

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Florida Republican Congressional Delegation Split on ‘Gay Marriage’ Vote

Earlier this week, Florida’s Republican Congressional Delegation were split on the passage of H.B. 8404 entitled the “Respect for Marriage” Act. The impetus for the bill is out of fear from left-leaning lawmakers that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) might overturn the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case which struck down marriage laws across the country in 2015.

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House Republicans Block Final Attempt to Bring Constitutional Amendments on Felon Voting, Gay Marriage to the Floor

Virginia House Democrats tried one last time to pass a rule change to bring constitutional amendments to the floor for a vote on Wednesday. The amendments would automatically reinstate felon voting rights and to eliminate Virginia’s defunct gay marriage ban. They were passed for the first time in 2021, but needed to pass again this year to go to Virginia voters for approval. House Republicans killed the bills in committee, a tactic used by both parties to prevent a few moderate legislators from joining the minority party to pass bills on the floor.

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Opponents of Gay Marriage Try Again in Court to Argue Tennessee’s Marriage Laws Are Invalid

A motion was filed Monday in the Chancery Court in Williamson County asking the court to set aside its earlier judgment dismissing the claims of five Williamson County residents who say Tennessee should not issue marriage licenses until a new statute is passed. The Motion for Relief from Judgment asks the court to set aside its earlier judgment on June 14, 2016, dismissing the claims of five Williamson County residents related to the administration of Tennessee’s marriage licensing statutes by the Williamson County clerk following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Former State Sen. David Fowler said in a press release that he filed the motion as attorney for the Constitutional Government Defense Fund, the legal arm of the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT). At least three of the plaintiffs are ministers at Middle Tennessee churches who say that Obergefell means Tennessee should not issue marriage licenses until a new statute is passed, according to Courthouse News Service. George Grant, Larry Tomczak and Lyndon Allen filed a lawsuit on Jan. 21, 2016 against Elaine Anderson, clerk of Williamson County. The other plaintiffs are Lyndon Allen and Tim McCorkle. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision overturned…

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United Methodist Delegates Reject Recognizing Gay Marriage

The United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, faces a likely surge in defections and acts of defiance after delegates at a crucial conference voted Tuesday to strengthen the faith’s bans on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy. Emotions were high throughout the third and final day of the UMC’s meeting. Some supporters of greater LGBT inclusion were in tears, while others vented their anger when, midway through the session, delegates defeated a proposal that would have let regional and local church bodies decide for themselves on gay-friendly policies. “Devastation,” was how former Methodist pastor Rebecca Wilson of Detroit described her feelings. “As someone who left because I’m gay, I’m waiting for the church I love to stop bringing more hate.” After several more hours of debate, the conservatives’ proposal, called the Traditional Plan, was approved by a vote of 438-384. The Traditional Plan’s success was due to an alliance of conservatives from the U.S. and overseas. About 43 percent of the delegates are from abroad, mostly from Africa, and overwhelmingly support the LGBT bans. If the bans were eased, “the church in Africa would cease to exist,” said the Rev. Jerry Kulah of Liberia. “We can’t do anything…

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Despite Years of Effort From Activists, Chick-Fil-A Poised to Become Third Largest Fast Food Chain

by Grace Carr   Despite ongoing criticism from activists, fast food chain Chick-fil-A is projected to become the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S., according to an analysis from Kalinowski Equity Research. The fast food chicken chain will rise from its seventh-place spot to rank as the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain by 2018’s close, according to the group’s research, Business Insider reported. “We have long pointed out that Chick-fil-A is the restaurant competitor with which McDonald’s … should most concern itself — and by extension, investors should, too,” analyst Mark Kalinowski wrote in his report. “But this goes beyond McDonald’s,” Kalinowski noted. Kalinowski previously predicted the chain would assume the third-place spot in sales by 2020, but changed his forecast in April to 2019, Business Insider reported. Chick-fil-A’s sales will have risen between 12 and 15 percent by the end of 2018, amounting to an over $1 billion increase in sales, according to Business Insider. Chick-fil-A sales increased by 14.2 percent in 2017, Restaurant Business reported. McDonald’s and Starbucks claim the number one and two spots for restaurant chain sales in the U.S., respectively. Subway ranks third followed by Taco Bell, Burger King and Wendy’s, according to Business Insider. “If this plays out this way, Chick-fil-A’s 2018 U.S.…

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Tennessee Gay Couples Have Equal Parental Rights, Judge Rules

Tennessee same-sex couples have the same parental rights as heterosexual couples with children born through artificial insemination, a judge ruled Friday. The judge dismissed a challenge to a new state law backed by conservatives requiring using the “natural and ordinary meaning” of words in state law. But LGBT activists consider the judge’s ruling a victory because of language in the ruling about equal parental rights, reports the Associated Press. Gov. Haslam signed the “natural meaning” bill in May despite objections from LGBT advocates and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Four married lesbian couples expecting children through artificial insemination sued after the law went into effect. But Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle dismissed the lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs didn’t prove their rights had been violated. There had been a lack of clarity over how the new law would be interpreted and how much impact it would really have. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery has maintained that the new law would have to be considered in light of another state law requiring gender-specific words to be interpreted as inclusive. Another bill considered by the state legislature this year required that the words “husband,” “wife,” “mother,” and “father” be interpreted based on the biological distinctions…

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Montreat College Defends Asking Faculty To Commit To Being Pro-Life And Pro-Traditional Marriage

A small Christian college in North Carolina long supported by the family of evangelist Billy Graham is defending a new requirement that faculty and staff sign a pledge saying they are pro-life and for traditional marriage. The Montreat College statement says that faculty and staff will “uphold the God-given worth of every human being, from conception to death, as unique image-bearers of God” and “affirm chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.” The statement also addresses aspects of personal character, such as being a person of integrity and avoiding immodesty, and expects signers to regard the Bible as “the infallible Word of God, completely inspired and authoritative, and is to govern Christians in every aspect of life and conduct.” Located in the town of Montreat near Asheville, the college has only 876 students. It was run for many years by an association affiliated with the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA) but became nondenominational more than a decade ago. The school is a member of the conservative Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Billy Graham and his late wife Ruth were married in the college’s chapel, which now bears their name, according to the Charlotte Observer.…

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