"Pastor Brent Kipfer of Maple View Mennonite Church in Wellesley told the magazine that his church began a discernment process after members of the evangelical congregation noticed a 'more widely varying theological diversity within MC Eastern Canada and MC Canada.'" - CPost
"Many U.S. United Methodist leaders see the delay as a blessing, allowing more time and cooler heads to consider a split. But some have also expressed concern over continuing harm to many in the denomination eager to move on after decades of debate over the role of LGBTQ Christians in the church." - RNS
"The 53-year-old Tilson, a retired hedge fund manager by trade who now pens a newsletter on investment, told RNS he finds Samaritan’s Purse to be an 'incredibly impressive organization … delivering world-class critical care to my fellow New Yorkers stricken with COVID-19.'" - FaithWire
April 14, "a group of LGBTQ activists stood several yards away from the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital on the East Meadow lawn and blasted city and state officials and Mount Sinai Hospital for partnering with the evangelical humanitarian relief organization treating overflow patients suffering from the coronavirus." - RNS
"Currently a bill to ban 'conversion therapy' is being considered in the Canadian Senate (Bill C-8), as well as in multiple states in the US. Unfortunately, in most cases there is tremendous ambiguity about which practices and services are being prohibited....Sadly, few politicians have read the primary research, and the prevailing narrative in the mass media is that it is social “justice” to ban conversion therapy." - The Public Discourse
"Instead of wading into the legal minefield of anti-discrimination law and attendant religious exemptions ... the hearing was an exercise in low-grade biblical exegesis.
What is courage? According to the dictionaries courage, or bravery, is the ability to something which frightens one. It is the mental and moral willingness to act on one’s beliefs despite danger, difficulty or disapproval.
It’s important to note individuals who act bravely or exhibit courage aren’t necessarily moral or virtuous. Definitions of morality and virtuousness are subjective and often fluid. These traits are subject to change by the “spirit of the age” and cultural-diversity trends.
A footballer lauded for courageous on-field exploits will lose honor if it emerges that he is a serial rapist. The 9/11 terrorists would have drawn on courage based upon their convictions to fly the planes into the Towers. They were lauded by their Islamic sympathizers. Likewise, western sympathizers often re-imagine terrorists as courageous freedom fighters. Others see them as murderers.
It might take courage for a pregnant girl to walk through a line of pro-life protestors to get to that clinic. But it also takes courage to bring the gospel to that hurting girl against the shouts of the pro-choice community. It takes courage to rob a bank.
So, we can see that courage can be misguided, depending upon our point of view. We all want to be considered courageous. It is a trait found in books and sons and which society admires. But as we’ve seen, it is also up for interpretation.
Is there some standard of courage which Christians should strive after?
Fred Deutsch: "I am grateful for the input on both sides of the issue. I set out to have a conversation and bill supporters were successful in that because it heightened parents’ awareness about the issue...I don’t believe Gov. Kristi Noem will welcome legislation like HB 1057 during the remainder of her term based on her behind-the-scenes opposition.” - National Review
