Aug. 24, 2019: Joe Biden campaign hires pastor; Medicaid to cover trans surgeries; Nigerian pastor survives murder attempt
Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019:
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— Nigeria: Priest escapes 'unhurt' after gunmen open fire on his car
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A priest in Nigeria says he nearly escaped a murder attempt on his life after armed men shot at his car while he was driving in Enugu state last week.
The Reverend Chimezie Ani told Morning Star News it was a miracle he escaped unharmed because his car and the windshield were riddled all over from bullets.
The attack follows the death of the Reverend Paul Offu who was killed earlier this month by gunmen who were also suspected of being Fulani radicals.
Following Offu’s murder, priests marched through the streets of Enugu demanding that the government protect the Christian community.
— 'Unplanned' actress launches scholarship fund for pregnant college students
Ashley Bratcher, the actress who portrays former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson in the pro-life film 'Unplanned,' is partnering with Heartbeat International to launch a scholarship fund for college students facing unplanned pregnancies.
Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International, said the Unplanned Movie Scholarship “will be a lifeline to a young mom’s future as she makes the brave choice to embrace motherhood.”
The opening date for scholarship applications has not be announced.
— Wisconsin Medicaid program must cover sex reassignment surgery, judge rules
A federal judge has ruled that state Medicaid funds in Wisconsin must cover sex reassignment surgeries and cross-sex hormones for people who identify as transgender.
The ruling last Friday struck down a state provision that blocked Medicaid funds from being used to pay for “transsexual surgery.”
U.S. District Judge William Conley, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama, sided with four transgender Medicaid recipients who claimed their sex reassignment surgeries are medically necessary.
Judge Conley agreed, reasoning that the state’s Medicaid program, which is funded by state and federal taxpayers, was discriminatory on the basis of sex under the Affordable Care Act.
— Joe Biden hires pastor as faith outreach director to woo Christian voters in SC
Pastor Michael McClain of the historic Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Catawba, South Carolina, has been hired by former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign to help woo churchgoing voters ahead of the state’s 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
The Biden campaign said McClain has already helped to secure the endorsements of many area faith leaders in his first two weeks on the job.
South Carolina will be the first state to vote in the Democratic primaries in 2020.
— Over 13,000 gather to focus on importance of congregational singing
The Sing! 2019 Getty Music Worship Conference drew over 13,000 people in Nashville, Tennessee, this week as prominent speakers John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada and Don Carson emphasized the importance of congregational singing and the theology behind it.
Worship artists featured at the event included Keith and Kristyn Getty, Shane & Shane and Matt Boswell.
Mark Dever, lead pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, in Washington, D.C., who also spoke at the conference, said: "There is nothing more powerful than us hearing the human voices speak the truths to each other in song.”
Sing! 2019 kicked off in Belfast, Northern Ireland, this month and the tour dates include performances at over 30 arenas across the U.S. and Europe over the next three years.
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