KFUO Radio News Break

In today's News:

LCMS aids hurricane victims

Tim Hetzner, Lutheran Church Charities President/CEO, was invited to Louisiana to meet with the Rev. Ross Johnson, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Director Of Disaster Response, The Rev. Michael Meyer, LCMS Director of Disaster Response Training and The Rev. Eric Johnson, President Southern District LCMS, to survey extensive damage from Hurricane Laura and discuss recovery plans. Hetzner was able to bring the Rev. Eric Johnson donated funds to be used to help meet immediate needs within the Southern District. During this visit, they met with Pastor Charles Miller from St. John Lutheran Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Pastor Shane McCoy from Trinity Lutheran Church in Sulpher, Louisiana, and also\visited Grace Lutheran Church in Orange, Texas, to see the damage at each of these churches. St. John Lutheran sustained the most damage. Pastor Miller stated that his home is badly damaged, as well as the homes of most of his congregation members. Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Disaster Response plans to open a camp at St. John Lutheran church in Lake Charles as a base for volunteers.

Retreat planned for pastors

As pandemic restrictions hit the six-month mark in many places across the United States, church workers — especially pastors — report feeling weary, discouraged and anxious amid this time of great uncertainty. In many cases, their workload has significantly increased, while they may wonder if they are doing enough or doing the right thing. “Generally, we can handle this kind of stress for short periods of time, but it doesn’t take long for the adrenaline to wear off and for fatigue to set in,” said the Rev. Michael Meyer, Director of Disaster Training for the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod’s Disaster Response. As part of the Soldiers of the Cross — amplified program, the LCMS Office of National Mission has partnered with DOXOLOGY: the Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel to provide resilience training and respite for pastors through two upcoming retreats. The “Take Heart! Strength and c\Confidence for Demanding Days” retreats are scheduled to take place Sept. 28–30 in Bel Aire, Kan., and Oct. 5–7 in Donaldson, Ind.

Pro-life activists are arrested

Ten pro-life activists were arrested last Thursday for blocking access to an abortion business in Sterling Heights, Mich., just outside of Detroit, in an attempt to stop unborn babies from being killed in the facility. The Christian pro-lifers showed up at Northland Family Planning Centers on Thursday morning, beginning their “rescue” minutes before 9 a.m. The term “rescue” refers to people blocking access to an abortion center to prevent unborn babies from being killed, or entering the waiting room and directly interacting with mothers who are scheduled for an abortion.

California seeks to ease adult-child sex restrictions

The California legislature passed a bill on Monday relaxing sex offender registry requirements for sodomy and other sexual acts with minors in efforts to end “Discrimination against LGBTQ young people on the sex offender registry,” according to the bill’s sponsor. The bill has not yet been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In today's News:

Preemie babies saved in Louisiana

Thousands of people from Lake Charles, La, were forced to evacuate as Hurricane Laura approached from the Gulf of Mexico last week. The powerful Category 4 hurricane threatened 150 mph winds and catastrophic storm surges, causing nearly one-million people to flee from Texas and Louisiana, with the Lake Charles area ultimately the hardest hit. Yet a small group of brave people remained behind to care for babies who weren’t able to leave. Nineteen babies remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, and a team of 14 nurses, two neonatal nurse practitioners, three respiratory therapists, and one doctor stayed behind to make sure they stayed safe. Some of the babies weighed as little as one pound, others relied on ventilators, feeding tubes, and respirators, and some were born premature as early as 23 weeks. The team slept in shifts when they could to make sure someone was always caring for the babies. The babies had been moved from the women’s hospital to the main hospital in advance of the storm, as the main building had a generator and was built to withstand hurricane-force winds.

California churches fight to stay open

As California officials continue threatening residents for exercising their First Amendment right to religious assembly, one Christian pastor is standing up to offer to pay any legal penalties for those who worship in defiance of state mandates. Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has banned indoor religious services, along with various types of secular gatherings, in 29 counties representing 80 percent of the state’s population, in the name of containing the spread of covid-19. Numerous churches have defied the order, including Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, Cornerstone Church of Fresno, Destiny Christian Church of Rocklin and Harvest Rock Church of Pasadena. Last week, Pastor Ché Ahn Of Harvest Rock Church announced that he would pay for any tickets given to those who choose to attend in person despite the order, Pasadena Now reported. Local officials have threatened Ahn with fines, jail time, or worse for his civil disobedience.

Another pro-abortion group accused of racism

The National Organization for Women (NOW) appears to be the latest pro-abortion group accused of racism at the highest levels of leadership. Abortion giant Planned Parenthood has dealt with numerous accusations of racism in recent weeks, as has NARAL Pro-Choice America. NOW, founded in 1966 by feminist icon Betty Friedan, fractured after two pro-abortion men, Lawrence Lader qnd Bernard Nathanson, convinced Friedan to add abortion rights to the organization’s platform. Lader maintained that in order for abortion to be legalized, the eugenic agenda must be hidden from the public, and “women… and some blacks” must be kept “out front” once recruited to the cause. Recently, The Daily Beast reporter Emily Shugerman conducted interviews with nearly a dozen members and employees of now who claim that women of color were being “heckled, silenced, or openly disparaged at now meetings and offices.” As a result, 26 of 35 now state chapters signed a letter demanding the resignation of NOW’s president, Toni Van Pelt.

In today's News:

Lutherans respond to Hurricane Laura

Thursday, at around 1 a.m. CDT, Hurricane Laura came ashore near the tiny town of Cameron, La., as a Category 4 storm. With sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, Laura snapped trees, knocked down power lines, tore roofs off buildings and shattered windows across the area. According to weather.com, the storm left parts of coastal Louisiana underwater, hundreds of thousands of people without power, and at least six people dead. While the worst damage was in Louisiana, the storm’s impact was also felt in parts of Texas and Arkansas. One of the areas most devastated by the storm was Lake Charles, La. St. John Lutheran Church in Lake Charles sustained significant damage to its sanctuary. Yesterday, LCMS Disaster Response Director the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson and Director of Disaster Training The Rev. Michael Meyer traveled to Louisiana to meet with Southern District President The Rev. Eric Johnson, do an initial assessment and begin planning a response. Ross Johnson emphasized that the response will be a shared effort by multiple parties, including the affected congregations, the LCMS Southern and Texas Districts, the Synod and several LCMS recognized service organizations.

Concordia Seminary St. Louis opens its 182 year

With the theme “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” Concordia Seminary, St. Louis began its 182nd year with an opening service Friday morning in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Due to social distancing measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, in-person attendance was limited, but the service was available for all to watch via livestream at csl.edu/live. During the service, Seminary Interim President Dr. Daniel Preus welcomed new students, preached and introduced the 2020-21 academic theme, which is based on Hebrews 13:8. New faculty and staff were recognized during the service, as well as new positions for existing faculty and staff. The seminary anticipates a fall enrollment of 623 students.

Los Angeles County evicts a church

On Aug. 12th Los Angeles County filed charges prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding religious services. But a local judge decided in favor of Grace Community Church to allow religious service if congregants wore face coverings and practiced social distancing. Pastor John MacArthur said at the time that the church was meeting indoors because it was their constitutional right and that it was commanded by God for his people to come together in worship. Factories, pot shops, liquor stores and department stores are allowed to stay open but not houses of worship. Yesterday, Los Angeles County sent a letter of eviction to Grace Community Church from a county-owned parking lot. They informed the church it can no longer use the parking lot it has for more than four decades. Los Angeles officials gave church officials 30 days to evacuate the premises. The county broke their agreement that was in effect for 45 years.

In today's News:

LCMS sends missionaries into the world

As the world continues grappling with the effects of covid-19, the church continues sending missionaries into that world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. During an Aug. 7 service of sending at the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod International Center In St. Louis, the Rev. Daniel McMiller, executive director of the LCMS Office of International Mission, told four new LCMS missionaries that they don’t go into that world alone, but with the entire church behind them. Of the four new LCMS missionaries, one will be serving in Asia, two in Central America and one in Eurasia.

Court rules in favor transgender

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a trans-identifying student as it pertains to use of school restrooms. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that Gavin Grimm, a biological female who identifies as transgender and has been at the center of a lengthy legal battle starting several years ago, had been discriminated against and that maintaining sex-specific bathrooms was a violation of Title IX, the civil rights statute pertaining to the educational arena. The Richmond-based court held that for a school to prohibit a transgender-identified student from using the restroom of his or her "gender identity" is not constitutional.

Christian school fights to reopen

First Liberty Institute this week sent a letter to Santa Cruz County, California, health officials urging them to allow its client, At. Abraham’s Classical Christian Academy, to safely reopen next week. The state of California permits schools to open in counties that have been off the monitoring list for 14 days. Santa Cruz will have met this goal today, as case rates continue to decline. However, the county has threatened to refuse to allow schools to open next week, even if state guidelines are met. The county currently allows schools to open as childcare centers, serving classes of 12 students provided no “in-person instruction” is provided.

City sued for funding abortion

Yesterday, attorneys from the Thomas More Society sued the city of Austin, Texas, for giving taxpayer money to organizations that help women obtain abortions in violation of state law. The lawsuit alleges that the city’s expenditures are prohibited by the state’s abortion laws, which impose criminal liability on anyone who “furnishes the means for procuring an abortion knowing the purpose intended.” The lawsuit also alleges that the city’s expenditures violate the state constitution’s gift clause, which prohibits transfers of public funds to private entities unless the payment serves a legitimate public purpose and affords a clear public benefit received in return. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Texas Values, an Austin-based nonprofit, as well as several individual taxpayers. Austin recently passed a budget that gives $250,000 in taxpayer money to organizations that provide travel, lodging, and other logistical support to pregnant women seeking to abort their unborn children.

In today's News:

Texas fights to end dismemberment abortion

Texas officials have asked the Fifth U.S. Court of Appeals to allow the state to enforce its ban on a certain type of second-trimester abortions, pending further court decisions. The rule in question bars “dismemberment abortions,” known medically as “dilation and evacuation” abortions. The procedure uses forceps and other instruments to kill and remove the unborn baby from the womb. The Texas legislature declared the procedure “brutal and inhumane.” While a panel at the New Orleans-based appellate court has already declined a motion to allow Texas to enforce the law, state officials are now asking the full appellate court to stay the decision. Republican-appointed judges outnumber Democratic-appointed judges on the court 12-5.

One charge dropped against undercover journalist

San Francisco Superior Court ruled that the charge for “false identification documents” brought against Sandra Merritt by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Dec. 13, 2019, is now permanently dismissed due to fact the statute of limitations had long expired. Liberty Counsel Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel Horatio Mihet presented arguments before Judge Christopher Hite yesterday via Zoom. Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos previously dismissed the criminal charge, concluding there was insufficient evidence that Merritt used a “deceptive ID” that did not contain the disclaimer required by the statute. Liberty Counsel has already filed an appeal requesting the dismissal of the remaining eight charges brought against Merritt by Becerra for her undercover journalism work in exposing Planned Parenthood’s trafficking in baby body parts. 

Supreme Court asked to rule on abortion pill

The Trump administration asked The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to restore federal regulations banning the abortion pill from being administered without an in-person doctor’s visit. Last month, District Judge Theodore Chuang agreed to the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU’s) request to allow mifepristone, the first half of the chemical abortion cocktail RU-486, to be taken home without medical supervision, arguing that the requirement posed a “substantial obstacle” during a pandemic, and ruled that, “particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur.” The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) appealed the ruling, and now the Justice Department is calling on the nation’s highest court to render an immediate verdict on the temporary suspension, CNBC reports.

In today's News:

The LCMS examines pandemic's impact on Synod

2020 has been an unpredictable year, and the long-term repercussions of the covid-19 pandemic are only just starting to emerge. In an effort to begin to examine the pandemic’s impact on the Synod, LCMS Rosters, Statistics and Research Services sent a survey to every congregation with a valid email address — 4,787 in total — in June. More than 1,200 congregations responded, providing a representative sampling of what’s going on in congregations of every size, district and community type such as urban, suburban or rural. While many of the survey results are in line with what one might expect, there were a few surprises and bright spots regarding congregational finances and the Synod’s ability to walk together during difficult times. There’s no question that the pandemic has taken a financial toll on many Americans, who may have been laid off or furloughed during the shutdown. Based on the survey results, LCMS Rosters, Statistics and Research Services estimates that nearly 65,000 LCMS households have lost income. And yet, early signs suggest that this situation and the economic upheaval it has caused may be less severe for churches than originally thought. Most congregations have not had giving decrease due to the pandemic. Less than 12 percent say that it is down significantly, while more than 25 percent report that giving is actually up from the previous year. “I was encouraged by the overall resilience of our congregations and their determination to continue to proclaim Christ come what may,” LCMS President the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison said of the results. “and despite the challenges, the evidence of collegiality and trust in circuit, district and Synod is a blessing in our life together.”

Restraining order against California church is denied

In California Superior Court, Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued a five-page opinion, County of Los Angeles et al. V. Grace Community Church et al., Denying the County of Los Angeles’ renewed application for a temporary restraining order against the church and Pastor John MacArthur. Thomas More Society attorneys are defending the pastor and his congregation against an aggressive assault by the county over the right to hold indoor worship services. In an analysis of the prior proceedings, the court held that the county’s attempt to obtain a restraining order did not meet statutory requirements and that the court of appeal’s order did not justify a new temporary restraining order; rather, it simply stayed Judge Chalfant’s Aug. 14 order and gave the county permission to enforce its own health order.

More children are finding adoptive homes

The number of children in the U.S. foster care system has dropped for a second year in a row, and a record number of children in the child welfare system were able to find adoptive homes, according to new federal data released Monday. The annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services counted about 424,000 children in foster care as of Sept. 30, 2019, down from about 435,000 a year earlier.

In today's News:

Another undercover video is released

A new video from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) once again reveals that abortionists at Planned Parenthood have been committing illegal partial-birth abortions while harvesting the body parts of preborn children. In the video, Planned Parenthood leaders discussed how best to obtain intact body parts and organs from aborted children when abortion procedures are so destructive. Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s senior director of medical services from 2009 to 2016, now the medical director for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, is featured in video footage of a deposition, along with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast’s Tram Nguyen and Dr. Mary Gatter, medical director for Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. Planned Parenthood instructs its abortionists to describe their “intent” in medical records, and to check off a box allowing them to skirt federal law outlawing partial-birth abortions. In a previous video, Nucatola said, “The federal abortion ban is a law, and laws are up to interpretation. So there are some people who interpret it as, it’s intent. So if I say on day one, ‘I do not intend to do this,’ what ultimately happens doesn’t matter.”

California clamps down on churches

California Pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks appeared before Judge Vincent O’Neill in Superior Court of Ventura County last Friday and was held in contempt of court. Godspeak Calvary Chapel was fined $500 per three services, for two Sundays, or a total of $3,000. Pastor McCoy received an order from a Ventura state judge on Aug. 7, banning the church’s in-person services. Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco issued a temporary restraining order to Pastor Rob McCoy, the church, and Does 1-1000, along with anyone “acting in concert with them” who might attend worship in the future. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered no singing or chanting, and then ordered no worship, even in private homes with anyone who does not live in the home. Godspeak Calvary Chapel held three worship services on Sunday, Aug. 9 and Aug. 16. An evidentiary hearing is set for Aug. 31. North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., was also fined $5,000 for holding the morning service and $5,000 for the evening service. In addition it was served a written citation for singing in each of the two worship services, although social distancing was practiced. Santa Clara County acknowledged in its cease and desist letter they had been sending agents into the church to spy on the congregation during worship services.

A federal judge rules faith schools must stay closed

A federal judge in Oregon has ruled against three Christian schools seeking to re-open for in-person learning this fall, arguing that the state’s restrictions on in-person learning during the covid-19 pandemic are Constitutional. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled in favor of Gov. Kate Brown’s June executive order last Thursday and denied a motion by Horizon Christian School, McMinnville Christian Academy and Life Christian School.

In today's News:

Gun pulled on pro-life demonstrators

Police said they responded to the parking lot of Planned Parenthood In Dover, Delaware, after receiving calls from a group of pro-life demonstrators that a man pulled a handgun on the group. Police said the man went on the public sidewalk and started an argument with the group, he then pulled out a black handgun and made a threatening statement to them.

Pro-life journalist facing deadline

Pro-life investigative journalist David Daleiden must raise $600,000 in less than two weeks to pay an appeal bond or Planned Parenthood can begin seizing his assets and those of his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, according to a San Francisco judge’s ruling. United States District Judge William H. Orrick’s Wednesday judgment is the latest turn in Planned Parenthood’s retaliatory lawsuit against Daleiden and four others, which it launched after the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released undercover videos in 2015 exposing the abortion giant’s trafficking in aborted baby body parts. Daleiden was the mastermind behind a 30-month-long undercover sting operation during which he and others secretly recorded gatherings of abortionists and organ-harvesting companies. After Daleiden took his evidence to law enforcement agencies to limited effect, CMP began releasing the videos in July, 2015. The footage of top-level Planned Parenthood executives haggling over prices of aborted baby body parts and discussing how to change abortion procedures to obtain more intact organs, and of abortion facility staff picking through pie trays of baby parts, sparked public outcry, house and senate hearings, and an ongoing department of justice criminal investigation into Planned Parenthood.

School district wants parents out

A central Tennessee school district sparked concern when it asked parents to sign a form agreeing not to monitor their children’s online classes. The Rutherford County School (RCS) letter asking parents to steer clear of their children’s virtual classroom for privacy reasons was reported Aug. 15 by the Tennessee Star, which received a copy of the form. Parents are asked to sign the form, which warns that “vVolation of this agreement may result in RCS removing my child from the virtual meeting,” the Tennessee Star reported. The RCS incident comes as the Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation is warning parents to be exceptionally vigilant about what their children are doing online after tracking an increase in cyber-activity by sexual predators since March, as Fox13 reported. Concerns over the RCS form also come a a Philadelphia teacher complained n a private chat last week that the increased parental oversight that comes with virtual classrooms will “damage” sex education.

In today's News:

Cash-strapped postal service cancels money-making program

The United States Postal Service (USPS) pulled the plug on a profitable custom stamp program rather than let Americans use religious imagery the cash-strapped agency generated millions of dollars by allowing customers to design their own stamps before eliminating the program in June. Jeremy Dys, special counsel at nonprofit religious freedom law firm First Liberty, said the decision came shortly after several people attempted to create stamps featuring religious backdrops and imagery. Dys criticized USPS —which requested $75 billion from taxpayers in April — for leaving money on the table. A USPS spokesman said that the decision to end the program resulted from the "insignificant" revenue, adding that the program had become an "unacceptable risk" to the service's brand.

Supreme Court will hear free speech case

Last month, the Supreme Court agreed to take up a case in which a Georgia public college weaponized its speech zone policies to silence a black Christian student who preached the Gospel on campus. While the college has since dropped its speech zone restrictions, the student is seeking damages so the college cannot claim it was in the right to silence him. In the course of defending the college, Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. Carr Briefly argued that preaching of the Gospel constituted “fighting words” and therefore was not protected by the First Amendment. Carr later disavowed this argument.

Turkey converts another Christian landmark into a mosque

A month after the former cathedral Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum into a mosque, another Istanbul church-museum, renowned for its exquisite Byzantine mosaics, will undergo the same transformation. Turkey’s president ordered Friday that the 700-year-old Chora Church — currently the Kariye Museum — be turned into a fully functioning mosque. The building’s history mirrors that of the famous former Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia. Holy Savior in Chora is a 4th-century Greek Orthodox church whose structure was originally part of a monastery in Byzantine Constantinople.

Planned Parenthood drops suit

Indiana’s 18-hour ultrasound law will go back into effect on Jan. 1, 2021, as a result of Indiana’s largest abortion chain, Planned Parenthood, conceding it will not win its suit, which has blocked the law since 2017. The ultrasound law, part of the 2016 Dignity for the Unborn Act signed by then-Gov. Mike Pence, requires that women considering abortion be provided the opportunity to view a fetal ultrasound at least 18 hours prior to an abortion. A significant decline in abortions is expected in Indiana as a result of the ultrasound law going back into effect. From July through December 2016, while the ultrasound law was in effect, there were 496 fewer abortions in Indiana compared to the period of July through December 2017, when the ultrasound provision was blocked and abortions spiked to a 13 percent increase.

In today's News:

Concordia St. Louis begins 182nd year on Aug. 28

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will begin its 182nd year with an opening service at 10 a.m. CDT Aug. 28 in the Chapel of St. Timothy And St. Titus. Due to social distancing measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, in-person attendance will be limited to service participants; new students, their spouses and children; faculty and staff members who are being installed or ordained; and deans, department chairs and program directors. The service will be available for all to watch via livestream at csl.edu/live. Vicarage and internship assignments also will be announced for pastoral and deaconess Students In The Specific Ministry Pastor program, Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology program, Center for Hispanic Studies program and the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center.

Parishioners threatened with jail

California’s Harvest Rock Church received a letter from the city of Pasadena’s chief assistant city prosecutor threatening daily criminal charges unless in-person worship services cease. The letter from the Pasadena prosecutor states, “Each day in violation is a separate violation and carries with it punishment up to one year in jail and a fine for each violation…. Your compliance with these orders is not discretionary, it is mandatory. Any violations in the future will subject your church, owners, administrators, operators, staff and parishioners to the above-mentioned criminal penalties as well as the potential closures of your church.” Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry Against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s covid-19 orders.

Puberty blockers cause sterility

Consent documents from Children's Hospital Los Angeles that were made public this week reveal that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones used on gender dysphoric children do in fact cause sterility, contrary to repeated assertions made by some California Democratic lawmakers. Democrats in the California State Senate have in recent days dismissed those who've warned that a bill under consideration would fund the sterilization of physically healthy minors. They assert that such concerns raised by constituents amount to "fear-mongering. The informed consent documents from Children's Hospital Los Angeles — which has one of the largest transgender centers in the country — obtained by the California Family Council, reveal that the hospital has also warned patients and parental guardians that the drugs do indeed yield infertility in those who undergo the experimental procedures.

Library paints over children’s display

The town of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, has painted over a Biblical display on a library playground following a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist group. Stevens Memorial Library had featured at its playground a turning picture game of NOAH'S Ark, which FFRF said violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Madeline Ziegler, a staff attorney at FFRF, sent a letter to Terri Antsiss, director of the library, on July 22 on behalf of a “concerned community member.”