Dec. 19, 2019: Supreme Court to hear religious institutions cases; Coptic activist arrested; NY schools reverse Christian club ban
Daily Radio Script - Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
Supreme Court to hear 2 cases on employment decisions for religious institutions
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear appeals brought forth by two California Catholic schools sued for terminating religion teachers, a case that could determine how far ministerial exceptions go in protecting employment decisions for religious institutions.
Although courts have traditionally held that employees who perform religious functions cannot sue over job discrimination even if they are not considered ministers, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the teachers’ responsibilities were not ministerial even though they taught religious subjects. Thus, the court allowed the plaintiffs to sue.
The two elementary schools are being defended by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which argues that the schools have the right to choose ministers that embody their faith without government interference.
Coptic activist arrested on 'preposterous charges' in Egypt; UN agency demands release
The international community is condemning Egypt’s imprisonment of a prominent Coptic Christian activist Ramy Kamel who they say has been jailed on “preposterous charges” despite the government’s promises to promote religious coexistence.
Kamel is a prominent member of an activist group fighting for equality and civil rights for the long-persecuted Coptic community in Egypt.
Kamel has also written on the mistreatment of Copts in Egypt as well as their displacement from homes by the Egyptian government.
New York school district reverses decision to reject student's Christian club
Wappingers Central School district have reversed a decision that had blocked Daniela Barca from forming her “OMG! Christian Club” at Roy C. Ketcham High School this fall.
“I am so happy that school officials are going to allow us to start the club at school so we can support each other in our beliefs,” Barca said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.
First Liberty Institute lawyer Keisha Russell sent the school district a letter last Wednesday arguing that the school district officials ignored the Equal Access Act of 1984 by rejecting Barca’s attempt to start an exclusively Christian club.
Trump says Pelosi 'offending Americans of faith' by saying she prays for him, calls it untrue
President Donald Trump has taken issue with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s recent comment that she prays for him, claiming that what she said was “untrue.”
In a letter sent to Speaker Pelosi on Tuesday centered on the impeachment debate, President Trump wrote, “Even worse than offending the Founding Fathers, you are offending Americans of faith by continually saying ‘I pray for the President,’ when you know this statement is not true, unless it is meant in a negative sense.”
Christine Pelosi, author and daughter of Speaker Pelosi, responded, “Whew this angry, nasty, lying screed by President Trump to Speaker Pelosi is really concerning. We’d better pray harder for his well-being.”
Christian university blocks pro-life group but says it doesn't support abortion
The student senate at Bethel University in Tennessee, an institution affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with over 4,500 undergraduates, rejected a bid by students to have their Students for Life chapter recognized as an on-campus club in early November.
After some expressed concern with the decision to not grant Students for Life recognition on campus considering it is a Christian institution that holds pro-life views, the Bethel University administration issued a statement saying in part, “Learning and personal development can be a messy process.”
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