John Ross
Editor's Links of Interest
Wayside Cross child sex offender residents receive new notices citing proximity to Aurora park – The Beacon-News
For the second time this year, child sex offenders who live at Wayside Cross in Aurora were given eviction notices stating they must find a new place to live within 30 days. Source: Wayside Cross child sex offender residents receive new notices citing proximity to Aurora park – The Beacon-News
The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law...
Supreme Court upholds Kentucky abortion law
by Mark Maynard and Tom Latek/Kentucky Today WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2019 (BP) — Pro-life supporters in Kentucky were pleased with a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that left in place a Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients before abortions. The justices did not comment in refusing to review an appeals court ruling that upheld the law. The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law on behalf of Kentucky’s lone remaining abortion clinic in Louisville. The ACLU argued that “displayRead More
“I believe our heroes, real heroes in the world, are the ones who are like Rob Bilott...”
Actor Mark Ruffalo blends film and faith-fueled activism in ‘Dark Waters’
by: Emily McFarlan Miller Dec. 10, 2019 (RNS) — Actor Mark Ruffalo said he’s had a hard time melding his activism with storytelling. Then Ruffalo encountered the story of the people of Parkersburg, West Virginia, who were exposed for decades to “forever chemicals” produced by DuPont, one of the world’s largest corporations. And he was moved by attorney Robert Bilott’s 15-year battle to bring DuPont to justice, putting his family, his career and his health at risk for others. “In a moment in time where the stories that we areRead More
SMU was notified of the lawsuit late Wednesday (Dec. 4), according to the statement from the school.
SMU sued as it moves to cut ties with United Methodist Church
by: Emily McFarlan Miller Dec. 6, 2019 (RNS) — Southern Methodist University is being sued over a recent move to sever control of the school from the United Methodist Church. The move is part of the latest fallout over the global denomination’s decision earlier this year to strengthen language in its rulebook barring LGBTQ members from marriage and ordination. Afterward, SMU President R. Gerald Turner issued a statement saying the school appreciated its Methodist roots and clarifying its day-to-day operations were not under church control. And more recently, trustees of theRead More
The so-called “Fairness for All” bill, introduced by Rep. Chris Stewart and eight other Republican legislators, is the culmination of a three-year effort...
Republicans introduce bill to protect LGBTQ rights and religious freedom
by: Yonat Shimron Dec. 6, 2019 (RNS) — With the backing of a consortium of Christian colleges and universities, a Utah congressman introduced a bill Friday (Dec. 6) that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ people while also protecting religious institutions that uphold traditional beliefs about marriage and sexuality. The so-called “Fairness for All” bill, introduced by Rep. Chris Stewart and eight other Republican legislators, is the culmination of a three-year effort to bridge the divide between two typically warring groups: LGBTQ people and religious conservatives. “All of God’s children, regardlessRead More
The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Hebrew Israelites a black supremacist group.
Official: Black nationalist link to Jersey shooting probed
by: Paul O’Donnell JERSEY CITY, N.J., Dec. 11, 2019 (AP) — Authorities are investigating potential connections between the Jersey City attackers and the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, a black nationalist theology, a law enforcement official familiar with the inquiry said Wednesday. Investigators also are scouring social media postings of at least one of the attackers in search of a motive, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains ongoing. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Hebrew Israelites a black supremacist group. SomeRead More
Organizers of Friday's gathering of pastors and other Christian leaders said they were continuing Wilson's work.
Wheaton mental health summit remembers Jarrid Wilson’s ‘legacy of hope’
by: Emily McFarlan Miller WHEATON, Ill., Dec. 6, 2019 (RNS) — The day pastor and mental health advocate Jarrid Wilson died was the day organizers began planning a one-day evangelical Christian summit about pastors and mental health. Wilson, a pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, spent his life advocating for mental health through his nonprofit, Anthem of Hope. He shared openly about his depression, offering words of hope on social media and calling on the church to better understand mental health. He died by suicide in September. OrganizersRead More
Wheaton summit examines mental health and wellbeing for clergy
by: Roxanne Stone Dec. 6, 2019 (RNS) — When Ed Stetzer heard that Jarrid Wilson, a popular California church leader and mental health advocate, had died by suicide in September, he got on the phone to Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren, who lost his son to suicide in 2013. Together Stetzer and Warren knew they had to do something more to bring these conversations to the forefront. By October, they had announced a summit on “leadership, burnout and mental health,” to be held Friday (Dec. 6) at the Billy Graham CenterRead More
The 3-2 vote by the Burleigh County Commission...
North Dakota county votes to take limited number of refugees
by: Roxanne StoneBISMARCK, N.D., Dec. 10, 2019 (AP) — A North Dakota county on Monday (Dec. 9) voted to accept no more than 25 refugees next year, after initially signaling it would be the first to ban them since President Donald Trump ordered that states and counties should have the power to do so. The 3-2 vote by the Burleigh County Commission, which included a provision for further study of the issue, followed a four-hour meeting and came a week after a vote was postponed when the audience overflowed theRead More
“As a Catholic, I resent your using the word 'hate' in a sentence that addresses me,” she said. “I don’t hate anyone.”
Opinion: Why Nancy Pelosi doesn’t hate the president and prays for him instead
by: Thomas Reese Dec. 5, 2019 (RNS) — The political atmosphere in our country has become so toxic that it becomes a news story when the speaker of the House says she does not hate the president. “I don’t hate the president,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “I pray for the president all the time.” Pelosi was responding to a reporter’s question after she had announced that she was asking the House of Representatives to impeach the president. She was asked if she hates the president by a reporter who citedRead More