In today’s News:
A church gets its day in court
Attorneys for Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church prevailed in yet another hearing yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court, arguing that MacArthur and the church are entitled to a full trial on the merits of their challenge to the constitutionality of the government shut-down orders and the preliminary injunction. Los Angeles County has sought to shut down the church and hold MacArthur in contempt, but Thomas More Society attorneys argued that a final determination on the constitutionality of the orders must occur before the county could seek contempt against MacArthur for merely holding church. Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff indicated that he agreed there are serious constitutional concerns that have not been fully tried, and he reiterated that his prior ruling on the preliminary injunction was not a decision on the merits regarding the constitutionality of those orders. Because a contempt hearing is a quasi-criminal proceeding, Beckloff agreed that MacArthur and Grace Community Church are entitled to constitutional protections at any such trial.
Prayers will continue outside an abortion clinic
A church operating outside an abortion clinic in Washington State will continue holding services directly adjacent to the facility after a court order was issued this week and forced it to make changes. A Washington Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday ordering the Church at Planned Parenthood, a monthly service held outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Spokane organized by Covenant Church, to move its services across the street from the facility and coordinate service times to avoid coinciding with the clinic’s hours of operation.
Black leaders protest black abortion rate
Black pro-life leaders, including Alveda King, gathered in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday in support of Life Legal’s petition to protect black children from abortion. Life Legal filed the petition with the Alabama Supreme Court this Tuesday, arguing that black children deserve equal protection under the law. More than 60 percent of abortions in the state are committed on black children — yet blacks make up less than 27 percent of the total population of Alabama. Black children are more than three times more likely to be aborted than children of other races.
Chinese teachers can’t talk about God
Teachers in China who mention God or religion risk employment termination as communist authorities increasingly control education materials and expand their list of banned topics teachers are not allowed to discuss in classrooms. According to Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion that reports on human rights issues in China, the Chinese Communist Party is strictly monitoring what teachers say in schools and universities. Teachers are observed in their classrooms by authorities who watch for “reactionary thoughts” or “improper remarks,” ensuring students are not taught about democracy, religion, or exposed to any criticism of the regime. Schools in china are government-controlled, and therefore communist in ideology.
