UNWOKE: Does the Constitution Mandate the Separation of Church and State?

In our new video series, UNWOKE, Communications Director Moses Bratrud and other MFC staff and guests tackle tough questions that Christians are asking, like what the Constitution really has to say about the separation of church and state. Two videos have already been released, and 10-20 more are planned. These videos are meant to be a resource for Christians, particularly young people, who want a straight answer to the questions facing us today. In upcoming episodes, we'll deal with conspiracy theories (next week) and helping young people with gender dysphoria (week of May 10).

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In this week's episode, we're talking about something many in our culture don't understand: the "separation" of church and state. Click below to learn what the Bible has to say on this issue!

Biden Administration Targets Religious Hospitals

The Biden administration is appealing a federal judge’s ruling affirming that religious hospitals should not be required to perform gender transition surgeries in violation of their deeply held beliefs.

In January, U.S. District Court Judge Peter Welte cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act when he ruled in favor of Sisters of Mercy, an order of nuns committed to providing medical care to people in need. The Biden administration wants to see this ruling overturned and has filed an appeal in hopes of forcing religious hospitals to comply with the transgender agenda. Recently appointed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is leading the charge.

Contrary to the claims of LGBT activists, this case is not about a “right to discriminate” but a right to operate in accordance with deeply held religious beliefs. Luke Goodrich, Vice President and senior counsel at Becket Law, writes,

The plaintiffs are religious doctors, hospitals, and clinics who joyfully serve ALL patients regardless of sex or gender identity. They routinely provide top-notch care to transgender patients for everything from cancer to the common cold. They also provide millions of dollars in free and low-cost care to the elderly, poor, and underserved—care that is jeopardized by the government’s attempt to punish them with multi-million dollar penalties.

Federal Judge Slaps Down Athletes Seeking to Protect Women's Sports

After watching biological males win their athletic events, four young women in Connecticut have stood up to the policy that cost them titles, opportunities, and potential scholarships. This week, a federal judge dismissed their case challenging the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s policy allowing biological males to compete in female athletics. Rather than weigh the merits of the case, the judge dismissed it as no longer relevant because the two male athletes who had been competing have since graduated. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, the four athletes are appealing the ruling.

In 2017, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) began to allow biological males who identify as female to compete in female athletic events. Very quickly, two male athletes, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood began to dominate in girls’ track and field, and young women watched by the sidelines as their athletic events were won by young men. Alliance Defending Freedom has noted that two male athletes had, between the two of them, taken 15 women’s state championship titles and more than 85 opportunities to participate in higher-level competitions from female track athletes in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons.

Selina Soule was one of the young women who lost opportunities to these young men. At 16 she missed qualifying for the 55-meter in the New England Regionals by two spots. Those two spots were taken by Miller and Yearwood. In 2019, with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, she filed a federal complaint. She was joined by three more female athletes who had also lost opportunities — Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and Ashley Nicoletti.

Judge Robert Chatigny, after policing the language used by the lawyers throughout the proceedings in a way that slanted the case against the four girls, dismissed the case. (Continue reading. . .)