In Case You Missed It

In his latest book, Raising Victims: The Pernicious Rise of Critical Race Theory, Leonydus Johnson explores critical race theory's influence on education and the media. Johnson, an African American, has been heavily criticized by progressives as a traitor to his own race for his views on CRT. "(In general), black people have a sense of collective victimhood," says Johnson, who hosts the podcast "Informed Dissent with Leonydus." The author and podcast host continued: "Whether or not they actually experienced any of it at all, it doesn't matter. So, just because of your skin color, you are associated with this group over here, and you have to be a part of whatever the outcomes were. That's not justice at all." In this episode of the "Crossmap Podcast," Leonydus explains why CRT contradicts itself. "My hope is that we begin to move into a society where race just doesn’t matter. ... We can just be individuals and we can see each other as individuals. We can treat race as an inconsequential aspect of our identity," he says. Listen now.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the implementation of an emergency regulation imposing "guardrails" on gender transition interventions for minors. Bailey asserted that "even Europe recognizes that mutilating children for the sake of a woke, leftist agenda has irreversible consequences." The regulation "clarifies that state law already prohibits performing experimental procedures in the absence of specific guardrails" and requires medical professionals to inform patients that the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones "is experimental and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)" and that "the FDA has issued a warning that puberty blockers can lead to brain swelling and blindness." The news came as Wyoming became the 19th state to pass a law prohibiting male students from competing in girls' and women's scholastic sports; the World Athletics Council similarly announced plans to ban men from competing in women's sports. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Education published a series of proposed rule changes in the Florida Administrative Register, one of which prohibits 4th through 12th-grade educators from intentionally providing classroom instructions "on sexual orientation or gender identity unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards … or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend." 

Also in U.S. news, four teenagers, including two minors, were arrested and charged with shooting dozens of 9mm pistol rounds at Clearview Church of Morgan County in Missouri. Authorities labeled the act a "hate crime." Santa Clara County in California denied the findings of an investigative report that alleged county officials used cell phone data to track members of a Calvary Chapel church that defied ongoing lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a traveling evangelist who was barred from preaching at the University of Alabama for failing to obtain a permit. And, a California missionary who was abducted in Niger by an Islamic terrorist group was released after six years in captivity. 

There were a variety of updates from the entertainment realm this week. First up: The Erwin Brothers, the filmmakers behind the faith-based hit movie "Jesus Revolution," announced details for their next film, "Ordinary Angels." The film, which is set to star Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, will center on true story of Sharon Stevens (Swank), a "fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed Schmitt (Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters." The movie is scheduled for an Oct. 13 theatrical release. On the flip side, actor Jack Black is reportedly set to star as Satan in "Dear Santa," a Christmas comedy about a boy who inadvertently writes a letter to Satan instead of Santa for Christmas. Meanwhile, Pastor Greg Locke talked with CP about his "Come Out in Jesus' Name" film, which ran in 2,000 theaters nationwide for a special one-day release. Locke revealed that all theaters except for his local hometown theater allowed for a time of prayer after the movie.

On the TV front, an "American Idol" contestant responded to allegations that judge Katy Perry "mom-shamed" her during her audition. Sara Beth Liebe, 25, discussed the now-viral reality TV show clip during which Perry got up out of her seat and acted as if she was going to fall down onto the table, shocked by the revelation that Liebe has three children. "If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out," Liebe said during her audition, which aired during the March 5 episode. Perry responded by telling Liebe, "Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much," referring to the fact that she had given birth three times. The mother characterized Perry's "joke" as not "super kind" on TikTok, adding, "I don't really have too much to say on my feelings about it because I feel like it's probably pretty self-explanatory." Also in "American Idol" news, contestant Warren Peay, 23, impressed the judges with his performance of "To the Table." Peay appeared to especially strike a chord with Perry, who dubbed him the "Christian Chris Stapleton."

Jeff Williams' fascination with science began at a young age growing up in Winter, Wis., when he avidly consumed books on the subject. Encouraged by a teacher, he pursued his passion. Little did he know that it would lead him to a remarkable career in the military, and he would eventually spend 534 days in space as an astronaut with NASA. In this interview with CP, Williams discusses how his lifelong love of science and his faith in Christ intersect and describes how he and his wife came to Christ during a difficult time in their marriage. After his wife became a Christian, Williams says he spent months trying to understand what led her to faith. "One day, I asked her to come to Alabama for a long weekend in January of 1988. And I asked her to help me pray to commit my life to Christ on that weekend," Williams shared. "And that's when we began to rebuild our marriage and how we raised our children and how we approached life altogether." Read the full interview here.

Final Thoughts ...

This week, our CP Voicescontributors tackled issues such as greed and debt, pride, the importance of children, and having a relationship with God. As we close out the week, we'd like to leave you with this thought from Dr. David Jeremiah: 

"As we read in Psalm 139, the psalmist David discovered that God knew where he was, what he was thinking, and what he would say before he spoke. Even if he had wanted to, David couldn’t escape God's detailed concern for his life. Travel to the furthest 'corner' of the universe or the deepest crevice in the ocean floor ... God knows every detail. ... When we find ourselves in the middle of a complex moment in life, the details seem overwhelming. Because we can't see a way out, because we can't manage all the details, we think that God can’t either. But He can. ... Right now, at this very moment, He knows the exact status of each of your body's more than 30 trillion cells. He sees all the details of our life—our worries, our dreams, our desires, our struggles, our temptations, our victories, and our challenges."

When it comes to all of life's ups and downs, may we remember what 1 Peter 5:7 so wonderfully says: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you."

And, that's a wrap