Four takeaways from this week’s release of the State Department’s 2020 IRF report. The rollout of the US State Department’s most recent report on international religious freedom (IRF) this week was a study in the contrasts between the Trump and Biden administrations. But there were also continuities. Here are two of each that stand out to me as a religious freedom scholar and former staffer in the IRF office: 1. Humility At last year’s rollout, then Secretary of State Mike... Read More
Month: May 2021
Broward lawmaker fails to disclose how she spent $47,994 in campaign cash. Prosecutor looking at whether she violated election law.
Her predecessor, state Rep. Barrington Russell of Lauderdale Lakes, failed to qualify by the deadline. So Omphroy, who had been facing a tough primary election, won the seat automatically because there were no other candidates, and she went on to represent central Broward County. ... Read More
Church Discipline in a Christian Non-Profit? Church Discipline Part 4
How to apply the biblical concept of church discipline in a non-profit environment. Although church discipline is reserved for the shepherds of God's people within the church, what about Christian organizations? Should they, like Christian schools or non-profits, exercise church discipline? The short answer is no. However, we believe there are some principles Christian organizations can extrapolate from the biblical purpose, pattern, and practice of church discipline. In this article, we... Read More
Church Discipline in a Christian Non-Profit? Church Discipline Part IV
How to Apply the Biblical Concept of Church Discipline in a Non-Profit Environment Although church discipline is reserved for the shepherds of God's people within the church, what about Christian organizations? Should they, like Christian schools or non-profits, exercise church discipline? The short answer is no. However, we believe there are some principles Christian organizations can extrapolate from the biblical purpose, pattern, and practice of church discipline. In this article, we... Read More
NSU Student-Athletes Continue Streak of Academic Records
Story Links FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The past year of adversity and new challenges in society and competition has done little to slow down the Sharks in the classroom. In fact, Nova Southeastern University’s student-athletes have taken those challenges in the complete opposite direction, again setting semester program bests to round out the fourth consecutive year with an annual departmental Grade Point Average record. For the 2021 Winter semester, NSU’s Sharks earned a... Read More
DeSantis ready to change gambling landscape in Florida with sweeping new deal with Seminoles
Two years ago, the Seminole Tribe ended annual payments of roughly $350 million made through a 2010 revenue-sharing agreement it had with the state. The agreement granted the tribe exclusivity on lucrative blackjack and other banked card games at its casinos. The tribe stopped payments amid concerns that its competitors’ designated player card games, which include a hybrid of three-card poker, violated the exclusivity terms. ... Read More
Why Having Babies Is Controversial in 2021
How the church can have a better conversation about the falling fertility rate and society’s changing expectations for mothers. Last year, the US birthrate experienced its largest single-year drop in nearly 50 years. For years, America’s 2.1 fertility rate made it an outlier to other developed countries. But for the last decade, the number had begun trending downwards, plummeting to last year’s figure of 1.6 children per woman. These numbers entered the news the same week the... Read More
After Three Lockdowns, Irish Churches Can Finally Meet Again
Pastors gear up to welcome evangelicals back to the “greater glory” of church life following 14 months of isolation. On Monday, Ireland emerged from one of Europe ’s strictest lockdowns, allowing Christians to return to in-person church services for the first time since December. Members of Solid Rock Drogheda couldn ’t wait until Sunday and met to worship together as soon as the restrictions lifted. The church, located in a town north of Dublin, started praying for Ireland... Read More
DeSantis promises pardons for everyone accused of violating COVID restrictions
DeSantis appeared alongside Michael and Jillian Carnevale, who were arrested last summer, at the height of the pandemic, for continually not requiring patrons to wear masks. The couple, owners of Fitness 1440 gym in Plantation, were charged with violating the county’s emergency order, which itself echoed the order DeSantis had in place at the time. ... Read More
Sheriff, Miami police oversight panel dispute Marsy’s Law ruling
“In light of the First District’s decision, the CIP (the Civilian Investigative Panel) expects it will be asked to withhold the identity of an officer under investigation,” attorneys for the panel said in a document filed Tuesday at the Supreme Court. “Honoring such requests, though, would undermine the CIP’s function of providing an open, public forum in which grievances may be addressed.” ... Read More