Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- More Americans Now See Homosexuality as Orientation From Birth
- Boy Scouts of America Approaches Vote on Gay Membership
- James Dobson Ministry Accuses IRS of Discrimination
- Cleanup Underway After Deadly Texas Twisters
More Americans Now See Homosexuality as Orientation From Birth
Currently, 47 percent of Americans view being gay or lesbian as a sexual orientation individuals are born with, while 33 percent instead believe it is due to external factors such as upbringing or environment, according to a new Gallup poll. That 14-percentage-point gap in favor of "nature" over "nurture" is the largest Gallup has measured to date. As recently as two years ago, the public was evenly divided. The poll also found that 65 percent of Americans believe gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal -- numerically the highest Gallup has measured by one percentage point, but not materially different from what Gallup has measured for the past three years. Americans' support for legal gay marriage has also solidified above 50 percent.
Boy Scouts of America Approaches Vote on Gay Membership
Next Thursday, some 1,400 members of Boy Scouts of America's national council are expected to vote on the resolution seeking to revise the organization's membership policy on homosexuality at their annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. If accepted, the resolution would lift an existing ban on youth who are "open or avowed" homosexuals. A ban on adult leaders, however, would remain in place. "There is going to be a showdown in Grapevine Texas," said Cathy Ruse, senior legal fellow at Family Research Council, on Tuesday. "There are troubling reports of an influx of delegates. Votes at meetings are done by voice votes, this time it will be paper ballots filled out in delegates' hotel rooms and counted by friends of the BSA executive," said Ruse in describing what she believes is a calculated and elaborate push to deceive the organization's delegates to support the resolution.
James Dobson Ministry Accuses IRS of Discrimination
A Colorado-based Christian ministry says it has been the subject of biased treatment from the Internal Revenue Service, CBN News reports. Religious broadcaster James Dobson says it happened when his Family Talk Action Corporation applied for tax-exempt status. According to Family Talk's Dr. Meg Meeker, the IRS sat on the application and said the organization was "not educational" and did not present all views. Family Talk now has the tax-exempt designation, but it came after a threat of litigation.
Cleanup Underway After Deadly Texas Twisters
Massive cleanup is underway in Texas after 16 tornadoes ripped through the state Wednesday night, leaving at least six people dead and several still missing, CBN News reports. Entire neighborhoods are still cordoned off as rescue teams and police with cadaver dogs search for survivors in the debris. The devastation is spread across four counties near the Dallas-Fort Worth area; the community of Granbury, west of Dallas, saw the most damage, with homes in two neighborhoods obliterated. Several churches have opened their doors as Red Cross shelters for tornado victims and their families. Other relief organizations, including Operation Blessing and Samaritan's Purse, have also sent help.
Publication date: May 20, 2013
