June 18, 2019: Supreme Court on Christian bakers, Hong Kong protests, millennials
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— Supreme Court sends gay wedding cake case back to lower court
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated a ruling against a Christian couple forced to pay $135,000 for refusing to make a gay wedding cake.
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The justices sent the case against Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes back to the Court of Appeals of Oregon for further consideration in light of the high court’s ruling last year in favor of Christian baker Jack Phillips.
The Kleins had declined for religious reasons in 2013 to make a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding which later led to a fine of $135,000 against the bakery for violating the state’s nondiscrimination law. The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the ruling against the Kleins, who had to close their bakery.
They view the Supreme Court’s move as a positive sign for religious liberty.
— Protesters in Hong Kong sing Christian song
As record numbers demonstrate in the streets of Hong Kong to protest a proposed extradition law and the mainland Chinese government, a Christian song penned in 1974 has become an "unofficial anthem.”
Christian groups in the autonomous territory have been singing "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord.”
Approximately 2 million protesters have taken to the streets to express their opposition over a proposed law that would send suspected criminals to be extradited to mainland China to be prosecuted and to demand that China-backed Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam resign.
— Pro-life film ‘Unplanned’ finally coming to Canada
The pro-life movie “Unplanned” will be debuting in Canada this summer after filmmakers were able to find an independent distributor.
Earlier this year, Canada’s two largest film distributors refused to distribute the movie, which sparked outrage and a petition signed by more than 212,000 people.
The film, based on the life of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic worker who later became a pro-life activist, experienced success at the U.S. box office with double the expected sales. It will now be distributed in Canada by Cinedicom and is expected to be on the big screen there beginning July 12.
— New York City sets aside $250,000 to fund abortions
New York City has created a $250,000 fund out of the city's 2020 budget to pay for abortions.
The New York Abortion Access Fund was launched over the weekend and was created with the expectation that more women will seek abortions in the state as access becomes restricted in other parts of the country.
New York City is reportedly the first city in the U.S. to directly fund abortion.
Pro-lifers have denounced the fund and called for an end to taxpayer funding of abortions.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/new-york-city-sets-aside-250000-to-fund-abortions.html
— How innovative ministries are bringing millennials back to church
With research showing the large percentage of millennials leaving the church, some ministries are taking an intentional and innovative approach to bring them back.
That means putting in the time and resources to invest in young adults rather than making them an afterthought.
Antwuan Malone, director of Elevate Young Adult Ministry, commented that very little is invested in young adults which "ends up looking like you are giving us the scraps. And it ends up working against you more often than it works for you.”
Elevate ministers to about 60 to 90 young adults in Collin County, Texas, and helps connect them with churches in the area. The ministry helped 24-year-old Danielle De Guzman get plugged in to a home church after years of never feeling like she belonged to any church.
