Jan. 15, 2020: Christian film ‘Breakthrough’; Hindus protest 114 foot tall Jesus statue; man honored for stopping church shooter
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020
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— Christian film ‘Breakthrough’ gets Oscar nomination
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The 2019 blockbuster hit “Breakthrough” was nominated for an Academy Award on Monday, putting faith-based content on a platform where it’s rarely recognized. The movie, which is based on a true story, was nominated for Best Original Song for the song “I’m Standing With You,” performed by lead actress in the film Chrissy Metz and written by award-winning songwriter Diane Warren.
Universal Music Group Nashville was behind the soundtrack for the 20th Century Fox picture and after news of the Oscar nomination circulated it was made known that the label offered Metz a record deal. The “This Is Us” actress performed “I’m Standing With You” at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April and is now working on her debut country album.
— India: Hindu extremists protest 114 foot tall Jesus statue
Hundreds of hardline Hindus gathered to protest a planned Jesus statue that will rival Rio de Janeiro's "Christ The Redeemer" for its size, claiming the structure will go “against the spirit of communal harmony.” On Monday, members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the hardline parent organization of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, staged protests in the southern state of Karnataka's Ramanagara district, the Times of India reports.
Carrying saffron flags as around 1,000 police stood by, protesters demanded that the state government reverse its decision to allot land for the proposed 114 foot Jesus statue or face further demonstrations. The Jesus statue is expected to stand atop a hillock named Kapalabetta in Harobele, a village of 3,500 where Christians form a majority. The land is owned by the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
— Security guard gets Texas’ highest civilian honor for stopping church shooter
Jack Wilson, the 71-year-old volunteer security guard who stopped a gunman at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, ahead of the new year was honored Monday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his bravery. Wilson was honored during a formal ceremony with the newly minted Governor’s Medal of Courage, which Abbott’s office describes as the highest honor given to civilians by the governor for those “who display great acts of heroism by risking their own safety to save another’s life.”
The firearms instructor who has also been a reserve sheriff’s deputy stopped 43-year-old Keith Thomas Kinnunen last month after he opened fire at the West Freeway Church of Christ, killing two people — security guard Richard White, 67, and grandfather Anton "Tony" Wallace, 64, who had just handed out communion.
— Illinois to let birth mother identify as father on child's birth certificate
The state of Illinois is now allowing parents who identify as transgender to change the parental sex listed on their children’s birth certificates. This change comes after a female who identifies as "transmasculine" asked to be officially listed as her child's father.
In August, Illinois passed a law allowing people to identify as nonbinary instead of male or female on state identification documents and driver’s licenses.
— Denying communion to Joe Biden was ‘right and just,’ Cardinal says
Influential American Catholic Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who is a member of the Vatican's highest court, says a recent decision by a South Carolina priest to deny communion to Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden over his abortion advocacy was “right and just.”
Last October, Biden, who is a lifelong Catholic, was refused communion at the 9 a.m. mass at Saint Anthony Catholic Church where Father Robert E. Morey serves as pastor. Morey confirmed that Biden was denied the sacrament because of his advocacy for abortion rights.
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