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"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

High school student’s fight for religious freedom secures victory for future students

By Lacey McNeil, First Liberty Institute communications BEAVER, Pa. - Almost six months after First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the Beaver Area School District (BASD) regarding the district’s religious censorship of high school senior Moriah Bridge’s graduation remarks, BASD has changed course. BASD has enacted a new policy explicitly stating the expressions of students and/or other private speakers at future graduation ceremonies “shall not be restricted because of religious, anti-religious, or non-religious content.” “Students retain their constitutional rights to freedom of expression from the schoolhouse gates, all the way through the graduation ceremony.,” said Jeremy Dys, deputy general counsel for First Liberty. “By adopting this new policy, the BASD is taking the important step of protecting future students who wish to reference their religious beliefs in a personal speech to their classmates.” In addition to the new policy, the superintendent of BASD apologized to Moriah for the lack of clarity under the previous policy.  The action by the BASD comes soon after a meeting between Moriah, members of the BASD and First Liberty Institute attorneys. … [Read more...]

Church of England leader encourages children to explore gender, but says he is baffled that U.S. Christians backed Trump

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby endorsed new rules for the 4,700 schools of the Church of England that essentially say there should not be any value judgment made about any little boy who chooses to wear a tutu and tiara. Welby claimed the guidelines are meant to reinforce anti-bullying policies issued in 2014, but observers of the denomination noted that the new regulations illustrate the growing chasm between Anglican conservatives, who are fighting to defend traditional values, and liberals like Welby who are intent on establishing a new moral order. In a separate public statement, Welby shared his shock that U.S. evangelicals supported then-candidate Donald Trump in such overwhelming numbers in the 2016 presidential election. Speaking with the British television network ITV, Welby said he would meet with Trump if the U.S. president makes an official visit to Britain, adding that he has met worse people including those "who had killed many, many people." … [Read more...]