A panel of experts with conservative values is set to discuss their views of the risks involved with a proposed change in the Boy Scouts of America that would allow gay youths to join local troops while continuing to exclude gay leaders. The discussion will be hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

John Stemberger, Eagle Scout and Founder of OnMyHonor.Net, a coalition of concerned BSA parents, Scoutmasters, Eagle Scouts and other Scouting leaders, says the Christian-based organization will not only lose a large number of members and financial sponsorships, but will run the risk of creating an environment where boys will be susceptible to homosexual encounters.

"The most important point is, and the BSA knows this, but they are not talking about it or entered it into their analysis, is that this move will absolutely dramatically increase boy-on-boy sexual contact," Stemberger told The Christian Post on Thursday. more >>

Libby Anne, a blogger for the atheist channel of Patheos, has accused the Home School Legal Defense Association of protecting child abusers. HSLDA has responded that it does not condone nor defend child abuse and has only been concerned with legal issues regarding homeschooling.

Some child abusers, Anne says, use homeschooling as a way to cover up their crimes. By keeping their kids out of schools, they are able to avoid monitoring by other adults who might detect a problem.

HSLDA was founded to defend the right of parents to homeschool their children. It provides legal help to homeschoolers and advocates for homeschooling rights at the federal and state level. more >>

A California judge has ruled against a conservative breakaway Anglican congregation in a property dispute between it and The Episcopal Church.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Kim G. Dunning ruled last week that the property of St. James Anglican Church of Newport Beach belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

"As a matter of law, the Diocese is entitled to enforce the trust in its favor and eject the current occupants," reads the court order. "All the church property acquired by and held in the name of St. James Parish is held in trust for the Episcopal Church and the Diocese, which have the exclusive right to possession and dominion and control." more >>

After a judge denied a request to delay the start of his nearly 14-year prison sentence, music producer and convicted financial fraudster Michael Winans Jr. is making an appeal to the public in an attempt to set the record straight about the investment scheme that prosecutors said netted him $8 million from 1,200 people, many of them churchgoers.

"There are numerous stories out there claiming I stole millions of dollars from innocent people. That is not true," says an emphatic Winans in a video statement sent this week to The Christian Post and many other media organizations. The video, included in a press packet, is part of Winans' efforts to revamp his case after he was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to 13 years and nine months in federal prison in February in a Detroit, Mich., courtroom.

"I'm not blameless and I'm willing to take responsibility for my mistakes, but I am not willing to take responsibility for what others did in my name," Winans states in the video. "Let it be clear, I did not start this investment. My name was used without my permission to solicit money by a lot of people, including Tim Hunt, the creator of the fraudulent [Saudi oil bond] investment." more >>

A South Carolina high school will be paying an $85,000 settlement to a former teacher who was removed from the classroom after stomping on a U.S. flag as part of a lesson on freedom.

"Prior to his resignation, attorneys for Mr. Compton informed district attorneys that he had prepared a complaint for filing in federal court," said Lexington-Richland District 5 spokesman Mark Bounds, according to The State.

Chapin High School teacher Scott Compton is also going to be receiving his salary through to June 7, and the school district will have to pay nearly $32,000 for attorney fees, The Associated Press reported. more >>

A city in Michigan has issued a formal apology to a group of Christian evangelists who were arrested during the 2010 Arab International Festival under the charge of breaching the peace.

The City of Dearborn agreed to a settlement Monday that involved a public apology and an undisclosed amount of compensation to members of the group Acts 17 Apologetics Ministries.

"The City of Dearborn regrets and apologizes for the decisions to arrest and prosecute David Wood, Nabeel Qureshi, and Paul Rezkalla and the hardship caused to everyone involved," reads the official apology. more >>