The Billy Graham Rule Goes to Court

A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy sues his former employer for religious discrimination after it wouldn’t accommodate his request to not train a female officer one-on-one. A former North Carolina sheriff’s deputy may be the first to file a lawsuit alleging he faced discrimination for his commitment to the “Billy Graham Rule.” Manuel Torres, 51, claims in a federal lawsuit that he requested a “religious accommodation” from the Lee County, North Carolina,... Read More

Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Clinics Have the Same Adoption Referral Rate: 1%

Why adoption has become a less popular option. As the wave of pro-life legislation continues to roll across the United States—nine states have passed significant abortion restrictions already this year—adoption inevitably comes up as an alternative. But it’s not a popular one. Chuck Johnson, president of the National Council For Adoption, told The Atlanticin May that both pro-life and pro-choice pregnancy centers fail to adequately promote adoption as a viable option. Among... Read More

The Power of Biblical Hospitality

Four characteristics that distinguish biblical hospitality from merely entertaining guests. We all like to be entertained. An entire global industry has emerged to satisfy our longing to be amused, to somehow lift us out of the drudgery and doldrums of our ordinary lives. We take it in with reckless abandon, fully expecting to be transported to someplace better, someplace different. And just like any other idol, the gods of entertainment leave us feeling more unsatisfied, desperate, and... Read More

Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual lockup detailed in records, from jailhouse panties to contraband facial exercise manual

In a July 2008 memo, A. Marie Villafaña, who was assistant U.S. attorney at the time, noted that Epstein had made false statements about The Florida Science Foundation, the nonprofit organization he supposedly worked for. The foundation was incorporated in November 2007, not a “couple of years ago” as Epstein had said. The nonprofit’s downtown West Palm Beach office was a suite that belonged to Epstein’s attorney, and the foundation was not listed in the building’s directory. ... Read More

Jeffrey Epstein signed his will two days before his suicide

Marquez said he believes the assets listed simply were in Epstein’s name, and the will on Aug. 8 was a way to title them under the trust in order to control where the assets would go in the event of Epstein’s death. Without the will, Marquez noted, the assets would have gone to Epstein’s brother. “Therefore, he needed to do something so they went where he wanted them to go,” Marquez said. ... Read More

Interview: Are You Close to God? Your Answer Affects How You Read Scripture

Women tend to feel more connected to God. But a new study says that both men and women who seek spiritual intimacy view the Bible more literally. Sociologists have long suggested that Christian women are more religious than men, but Blake Victor Kent wondered if this discrepancy has something to do with gender differences and intimacy. A former pastor who grew up in the evangelical church, Kent took interest in how gender roles were articulated abstractly but then lived out differently. He... Read More

Celebrate Sexual Ethics; Don’t Apologize for Them

We can take pride and joy in the historic, biblical view of human sexuality. Over the last five years, an increasing number of believers have changed their stance on sexual ethics and slipped from the grounded banks of orthodoxy into the current of the times. Several public figures, in particular, have come out as “affirming” and brought thousands with them. Those of us with a historic, biblical view feel at times defensive or discouraged, and our posture—quite... Read More

Planned Parenthood Drops Title X Funding Over Abortion

UPDATE: Trump administration upholds Title X funding cuts for abortion providers. Update (August 19): After a court of appeals ruled in favor a Trump administration policy barring federal funding for clinics that offer abortion referrals, Planned Parenthood announced on Monday it will withdraw from a government program that offers low-income women reproductive healthcare. Title X currently provides 1.5 million women with contraception, pregnancy tests, and STD screenings. It does not fund... Read More