Daily briefs of the top Christian news and persecution stories impacting believers around the world.
In today's edition:
- Supreme Court: Christian Group Can't Bar Gays, Get School Funding
- Methodist Church Lifts Sanctions against Claremont Seminary
- .xxx Domain for Porn Appears Likely
- Afghanistan Christians Detained Amid Execution Threats
Supreme Court: Christian Group Can't Bar Gays, Get School Funding
The Christian Legal Society (CLS) at California's Hastings College of the Law will have to change their charter to include gays and atheists if they want campus recognition. According to The Christian Post, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the school has the legal right to official status to campus groups that do not abide by its anti-discrimination policy. CLS's attorney, Jordan Lorence of Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says the group allows anyone to join the group, but voting members must sign a statement of belief. ADF says the ruling is specific to Hasting's unique policy, and should have little immediate effect. "It is very frustrating that the Supreme Court chose to rule on a policy that very few universities have," said Lorence.
Methodist Church Lifts Sanctions against Claremont Seminary
Los Angeles Times reports that the Claremont School of Theology will not lose its ties to the United Methodist Church in spite of a new plan to include Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis in its training. On Friday the United Methodist University Senate, which oversees all Methodist-affiliated seminaries, said it had taken back sanctions against Claremont and restored funding. Claremont President Jerry Campbell said the change of heart came after the school managed to allay fears "that we were turning a United Methodist-related seminary into something very different." He continued, "If you come here as a United Methodist, we believe you will leave here as a United Methodist who better understands his or her neighbors."
.xxx Domain for Porn Appears Likely
Baptist Press reports that the .xxx Internet domain for pornography is a major step closer to becoming a reality after an authoritative body announced June 25 its approval of the proposal. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the creation of Web addresses, reversed course after a decade of denying the request and voted to allow the application for the domain to move forward. Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land described the decision as "a bad idea that will have damaging and far-reaching consequences." He contends the new domain will only expand the amount of and access to pornography. Donna Rice Hughes, president of the anti-pornography Enough Is Enough organization, says the new domain will just allow pornographers to locate content on two places instead of one.
Afghanistan Christians Detained Amid Execution Threats
Worthy News reports that more than 20 Afghan Christians have been detained in Afghanistan after leaked video footage led to official demands for the execution of Christian converts. Conversion and proselytizing are illegal in the Islamic nation. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the Christians were detained since last week and added that non-Christians with ties to Westerners have also been targeted for interrogation. The crackdown began early this month after an Afghan TV station showed Afghan men praying in Farsi and being baptized. One member of the Afghan parliament, Abdul Sattar Khawasi, called for immediate action. "Those Afghans that appeared in this video film should be executed in public, the house should order the attorney general and the NDS (intelligence agency) to arrest these Afghans and execute them," Khawasi said.
