The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been sliding for decades, so it probably comes as no surprise that the denomination is planning to vote this coming summer at its General Assembly meeting in Salt Lake City to further expand some of its already heretical policies.

If the proposal known as “OVT-001” passes, clergy who don’t affirm LGBT-identified individuals in their sexual confusion and sin won’t be allowed to minister.

Ironically, the change in the PCUSA’s “Book of Order” comes under its “Unity in Diversity” section. The proposed new section reads, in part:

“The unity of believers in Christ is reflected in the rich diversity of the Church’s membership. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, God unites persons through baptism, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, [gender identity, sexual orientation,] disability, geography, or theological conviction. There is therefore no place in the life of the Church for discrimination against any person. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall guarantee full participation and representation in its worship, governance, and emerging life to all persons or groups within its membership. No member shall be denied participation or representation for any reason other than those stated in this Constitution.”

The statement starts strong, but quickly goes downhill. It’s true that within the Christian Church, the world’s social categories are flattened. This is what the apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28-29).

The Vatican published a document on Monday reflecting on contemporary threats to human dignity. It addresses many of today’s most pressing moral and ethical issues — including modern gender theory, abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia — all of which it rejects in strong terms.

The document Dignitas Infinita (Infinite Dignity) was released on 2 April 2024, the nineteenth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. It was published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (the DDF — the Catholic Church’s top doctrinal office), signed by Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández and approved by Pope Francis.

Abortion

The document’s paragraph on abortion reaffirms the Catholic Church’s always-held position that abortion is a grave evil.

The document quotes Pope John Paul II, who compellingly wrote against abortion in Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). Because of its moral clarity and prophetic nature, it is worth highlighting at length, just as Dignitas Infinita does:

“Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable.

“But today, in many people’s consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behavior, and even in law …”

This legislative season, eighteen states are working to create age verification legislation — laws that force pornography companies to verify online users’ age.

Age verification laws garner broad support because most people believe pornography shouldn’t be available to kids. The relative universality of porn’s inappropriate content makes age verification an easy bandwagon to jump on.

Age restrictions for social media, however, have proven a much harder undertaking.

Few doubt that social media is dangerous for kids, and many advocate parents keep children off social media until well into their teenage years. But people disagree whether legislation keeping kids off social media empowers parents or weakens them.

Both positions can be reasonable depending on the laws’ content. Each one restricts kids of different ages in different ways, allots different amounts of power to the state and to parents, and tasks social media companies with different legal responsibilities.

The variability of social media age restrictions makes it difficult for legislators and voters to agree on which bills truly help parents. Social media companies further muddy the waters with aggressive legal tactics. Internet trade association NetChoice, of which Meta, X, Snap Inc. and TikTok are members, has sued states requiring social media companies spend money and time enforcing their own age limits.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) voted on Monday to prohibit male athletes from competing in female sports.

The NAIA’s Council of Presidents unanimously (25-0) adopted the official “Transgender Participation Policy.”

The organization becomes the first college sports association to prohibit males from competing against women.

The new policy states:

“The NAIA supports fair and safe competition opportunities for all student-athletes. Title IX ensures there are separate and equal opportunities for female athletes. As a result, the NAIA offers separate categories of competition in all sports except for competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are both co-ed.”

The new policy permits all eligible NAIA student-athletes to participate in male sports. However, the guidelines state:

“Only NAIA student-athletes whose biological sex is female may participate in NAIA-sponsored female sports.”

Female students who have begun “masculinizing hormone therapy” can still participate in internal university sports activities including workouts, practices, and team activities, but they cannot compete in NAIA-sanctioned competitions.

“With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants,” the new policy states.