News Of The Day – June 18th
Supreme Court Sides With Catholic Foster Care Agency
When the city of Philadelphia learned that the a Catholic foster care agency organization would not certify same-sex couples for adoption, they claimed the city could not contract foster care services with the agency. The city based their decision on an antidiscrimination law ensuring that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, has equal access to public accommodations. But the Supreme Court decided otherwise. It delivered a unanimous defeat to the city. The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Catholic foster care agency with all nine justices agreeing that the city of Philadelphia violated the First Amendment’s protection of religious liberty when it ended the contract. Read more about the decision here.
Southern Baptists Approve Major Investigation Into Abuse Charges
During their annual convention, southern Baptists called on their denomination to launch what would be its biggest investigation into sexual abuse responses and coverup. While the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) recently commissioned its own independent inquiry through Guidepost Solutions, messengers voted at its annual meeting to transfer oversight of that investigation or launch an additional one. Thousands of messengers in the convention hall, voting with a wave of yellow cards in the air, supported the move as an additional level of accountability, while few opposed. Read more about the proposed investigation here.
The Bishop Of London Pushing Government To Lift Church Singing Ban
London Prime Minister, Boris Johnson extended the Covid restrictions another four weeks due to the Delta variant. In response, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, has said she will continue to press the Government on lifting the ban on congregational singing in churches. Although places of worship are open, congregational singing is still not permitted, a rule the government continued to defend this week. “While we look forward to restrictions on worship being lifted in the near future, I will continue to press for ongoing appraisal of choral and congregational singing.”, Mullally said. Read more about the continued ban here.
Woman Donates Kidney To Her Husband’s Ex Wife
In a rare display of love and compassion, Debby Neal-Strickland of Florida donated her kidney. But what is most remarkable, is that she donated it to her husband’s ex-wife just days after her wedding. Debby Neal-Strickland, married Jim Merthe on the 10-year anniversary of their first date. Two days afterward, Neal-Strickland donated her kidney to Merthe’s ex-wife, Mylaen Merthe, who suffered from kidney disease. “She’s a person and she needed a kidney and I had one. I was healthy enough to give it to her,” Debby said. “She’s also the mother of my guy’s kids and they were having their first two grandchildren.” Read more about the gift of love here.
