Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Evangelical Influencers Pan Trump as Driven by “Grievance and Self-Importance”
posted on December 1, 2022Yonat Shimron of Religion News Service reports that some influential evangelical leaders are criticizing former President Donald Trump after he announced that he intends to run for president in 2024. Robert Jeffress, one of Trump’s 2016 evangelical advisors, said he will not support Trump unless he becomes the nominee. David Lane, the leader of the American Renewal Project which works to elect pastors to public office, said in an email to his 70,000 subscribers, “Unfortunately, the former president’s penchant for settling political scores and his compulsion to keep the spotlight upon himself have both become threadbare and trite.”
The Students Quietly Distributing Emergency Birth Control on Campus
posted on December 1, 2022For The Washington Post Magazine, Mattie Kahn reports that students at universities across the country are organizing to hand out emergency contraception to their peers as part of an effort called Emergency Contraception for Every Campus, or EC4EC. The effort began in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling that eliminated the right to abortion, a decision that many saw as a worrying sign that birth control could come next. Andi Beaudouin, a student who helped launch her university’s EC4Ec chapter, said, “It’s like, if universities aren’t going to do it, we have to. Because students deserve it.” The group has already begun work on a Jesuit campus and is looking into options to expand their work to Catholic and evangelical campuses around the country.
Jesus Christ, Streaming Star
posted on November 29, 2022Ruth Graham of The New York Times reports that the television show “The Chosen” is advertised “as the first multi-season show about the life of Jesus —and one of the biggest crowd-funded media projects ever produced.” She writes, “Conceived by a little-known creator, featuring no major stars and funded primarily, at first, through small contributions without the support of a Hollywood studio, the series began on an obscure proprietary app and is now given away for free.” Its long-shot success has made it a hit with many Christians, as it mixes biblical narratives with modern-day dialogue and relatable personal struggles, while steering clear of most current political and cultural issues.
Conservative States Are Blocking Trans Medical Care. Families Are Fleeing.
posted on November 29, 2022Annie Connell-Bryan, Joanne Kenen, and Jael Holzman of Politico report that transgender youth and their families are leaving conservative states due to new laws and orders restricting transgender-affirming care. Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed one of these bills into law, saying in a statement, “I believe very strongly that if the Good Lord made you a boy, you are a boy, and if he made you a girl, you are a girl.” These new policies have taken a toll on transgender teens’ mental health. Marci Bowers, a doctor and president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, said, “Nothing is more ominous than allowing politicians and attorneys to render medical judgments on our nation’s children.”
Iran Calls for Discipline After U.S. Soccer Briefly Scrubs Emblem From Flag
posted on November 29, 2022ESPN News Services reports, “The US Soccer Federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday in Qatar.” The Iranian government said that the move was tantamount to removing the name of God from their flag. Their football federation added that the U.S. should be expelled from the World Cup for their actions due to FIFA regulations. U.S. soccer officials restored the emblem to the Iranian flag within a day on all social media platforms.
A Clergy Mental Health Crisis
posted on November 29, 2022Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans of Christian Century writes that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated an already existing clergy mental health crisis. She writes, “Researchers who have assessed clergy well-being over time say that they are concerned by the toll congregational conflicts and ebbing congregations are taking on ordained leaders.” Researchers have begun initiatives around the country to explore solutions to the problem, including the Flourishing in Ministry project at Notre Dame. Matt Bloom, the project’s director, said, “I’m not going to be surprised if we do see more clergy resigning from local church work. It’s not because they want to leave ministry. Not at all. But what they want is to be able to do ministry of the kind they feel called to do.”
Georgia High Court Reinstates Ban on Abortion After 6 Weeks
posted on November 29, 2022Sudhin Thanawala of the Associated Press reports, “The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated the state’s ban on abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, abruptly ending access to later abortions that had resumed days earlier.” The order put on hold a lower court’s ruling that had blocked the law from going into effect until the high court finished the appeal process. Alice Wang, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights which represents the plaintiff in the case, said, “This legal ping pong is causing chaos for medical providers trying to do their jobs and for patients who are now left frantically searching for the abortion services they need.”
Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach
posted on November 22, 2022Jodi Kantor and Jo Becker of The New York Times report, “As the Supreme Court investigates the extraordinary leak this spring of a draft opinion of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, a former anti-abortion leader has come forward claiming that another breach occurred in a 2014 landmark case involving contraception and religious rights.” The former leader, the Rev. Rob Schenck, said that he was told the result of the landmark Hobby Lobby case in advance. Schenck recruited couples who shared his values to get close to the conservative justices on the Court. He claims that one of these couples learned about the decision from the Alitos and passed that information along to Schenck. Alito denied the allegation.
Latter-day Saints Leaders Condemn Colorado Springs LGBTQ Club Shooting
posted on November 22, 2022Tad Walch of Deseret News reports, “Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement Monday about the Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting, saying they ‘condemn most especially violent acts that are the result of intolerance against any of God’s children.” The alleged perpetrator’s family is part of the church, though the perpetrator himself, Anderson Lee Aldrich, has not been involved with the church for several years.
Probe of Baltimore Archdiocese Finds Over 600 Clergy Sex Abuse Victims
posted on November 22, 2022Michelle Boorstein and Erin Cox of The Washington Post report, “A nearly four-year investigation of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore tallied more than 600 young victims of clergy sexual abuse over 80 years, a court filing by the Maryland attorney general said Thursday.” The court filing sought to make the entire 456-page report public. The report is only the second of its kind in the country and included allegations of cover-up and failure to report abuse. Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said in a statement, “Upon reading today’s motion, we feel renewed shame, deep remorse and heartfelt sympathy, most especially to those who suffered from the actions of representatives of the very Church entrusted with their spiritual and physical well-being.”