Items included for this subject area come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.
NCAA Tells LGBT Activists It Won’t Divest from Christian Colleges Seeking Title IX Exemptions: The National Collegiate Athletic Association will not divest from Christian colleges seeking waivers from Title IX standards, telling a group of LGBT organizations that it cannot. Earlier this month, about 80 organizations led by the LGBT activist group Campus Pride sent a letter […]
Federal Agency Sues Companies: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed two lawsuits, arguing that sexual orientation discrimination is barred by the sex discrimination ban in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The move is the latest in the EEOC’s aggressive efforts in recent years to seek protections for LGBT workers under existing civil rights […]
Nathan Deal makes a forceful, biblical case against Georgia’s ‘religious liberty’ bill: Students can evaluate the journalism, theology, and politics conveyed by this report on a bill moving through the Georgia state legislature.
Former Employee’s Fraud Claim Against Diocese Dismissed: A Missouri state court dismissed a fraud claim against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City brought by the former director for social ministries of a local parish who was dismissed after a newspaper article disclosed that she was in a same-sex marriage. Inquiry “into the knowing falsity of the […]
SCOTUSblog resource page on Zubik v. Burwell: The several cases are now consolidated and the amicus deadline has passed on whether the HHS contraceptive-coverage mandate and its “accommodation” violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by forcing religious nonprofits to act in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs.
EEOC Fiscal Year 2015 Enforcement and Litigation Data: In fiscal 2015, the agency received 89,385 charges of workplace discrimination. Of those, only 3,502 (3.9%) charged religious discrimination. A further breakdown of the data shows that the EEOC found no reasonable cause in 68% of the cases of alleged religious discrimination.
Have the recent undercover videos about Planned Parenthood had any affect on your actions? LifeWay Research found that 1 in 5 (18 percent) Americans spoke out against Planned Parenthood after the videos became public. One in 8 (12 percent) spoke in support Planned Parenthood. Americans who are aware of the videos disagree on how to respond. […]
Court Rules Against Fontbonne Academy Constitutional Claim: In a decision being called the first of its kind nationally, a state judge has ruled that an all-girls Catholic school in Milton discriminated against a gay man when it rescinded a job offer after learning he was in a same-sex marriage. This case is emerging as the […]
Teaching about Religion in a Children’s Museum: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum in the world, has taken on a potentially controversial subject: world religions. The exhibit follows children and families of several faiths as they participate in religious pilgrimages and rituals. In addition to covering religious history and culture, the exhibit explores contemporary […]
FDA Committee Cautiously Endorses MRT: An elite panel of scientists and bioethicists offered guarded approval of a form of genetic engineering that could prevent congenital diseases but would result in babies with genetic material from three parents. The committee concluded that it is ethically permissible to “go forward, but with caution” with mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRT). […]
