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Washington State School Searches Child’s Backpack, Confiscates Bible
A Washington state public school district is facing a federal lawsuit after officials allegedly searched a Christian child’s backpack for religious materials, confiscated her Bible and later told her she had “no choice” but to participate in school programming that violated her family’s faith.
The American Center for Law and Justice says the dispute involving Highline Public Schools began in 2022, when J.H. was a second grader at North Hill Elementary School.
School officials repeatedly searched the girl’s backpack and confiscated her Bible and Gospel tracts because she had been talking about her Christian faith with classmates, according to the ACLJ. The legal organization says the district ultimately acknowledged the conduct was wrong and promised in writing that J.H. would be allowed to exercise her faith.
“It is abundantly clear that school officials must be able to affirmatively establish that they have a substantial reason to interfere with a student’s First Amendment rights, and stating ‘because it is upsetting parents’ as the reason certainly does not meet this constitutional threshold,” ACLJ said in a statement.
But the controversy did not end there.
Now a sixth grader at Sylvester Middle School, J.H. was allegedly pulled from class earlier this year after distributing Gospel tracts during lunch. The lawsuit alleges a vice principal told the child that students could share “opinions” at school, but not religious beliefs.
Then came a mandatory May 29 “Inclusion Assembly.”
The ACLJ says J.H. became visibly upset when the presentation addressed subjects that conflicted with her Christian beliefs. She quietly asked to leave and explained why.
A teacher allegedly responded, “They aren’t forcing their belief on you, but they are informing you about this.”
When the girl again objected, she was allegedly told, “You have no choice,” and sent back into the gym, where the ACLJ says she sat crying.
The ACLJ filed suit July 8 in federal court on behalf of J.H. and her father, Jonathan H. Local news outlet The Highline Journal reported that Highline Chief Communications Officer Tove Tupper initially said the district had not yet received the lawsuit and would review it once served. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The district’s own published student-rights policy states that students “possess the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion” and should not be pressured to choose between participating in school activities and their religious beliefs.
The ACLJ argues the incidents demonstrate a continuing pattern of religious discrimination.
“Three separate incidents. Three separate violations. The same student. The same district,” the organization said.
Back in 2022 a school district spokesperson told CBN News that sometimes the district must restrict student expression.
Highline Public Schools Chief Communications Officer Catherine Carbone Rogers disputes the ACLJ’s account of what happened. She tells CBN News, “The student was not banned from discussing her Christian faith with classmates, she was asked to invite classmates to talk about her faith and honor their wishes if they chose not to. This came after several students reported being scared by her talk of Satan and Hell, and multiple parents complained about their children coming home with religious pamphlets.”
Rogers told CBN News that the school contends the little girl was also standing dangerously on a playground table while sharing her faith and her words reportedly made other children cry. She says school district staff informed her that she can’t tell other children they’re going to hell and that the little girl must stop distributing what the school considers to be unacceptable religious materials.
“As reflected in its policies and procedures, the Highline Public Schools agrees with the core principles raised in the ACLJ letter of governmental neutrality to religion, avoidance of discrimination against religious viewpoints, and allowing students to express themselves at school, including potentially through the distribution of written materials. At the same time, we must sometimes restrict student expression to avoid undue interference or disturbance—especially at the elementary school level,” Rogers stated.
Sources: Breaking Christian News
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Jim Bakker, Televangelist and PTL Founder, Dies at 86, Wife Lori Bakker Announces
Televangelist Jim Bakker, a longtime Christian broadcaster and founder of the PTL television ministry, has died at 86, according to an announcement from his wife, Lori Bakker.
The Jim Bakker Show announced his death Monday evening, sharing a statement from Lori Bakker about her husband’s passing:
It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening.
For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry.
Jim loved people deeply. He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years. Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world.
Our family is grieving and we ask for your prayers and privacy during this time.
Jim finished his race with faith. His voice, his vision, and his legacy will never be forgotten.
— Lori Bakker
Bakker became one of the most recognizable figures in Christian television through “The PTL Club,” which he launched with his former wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, in the 1970s.
Bakker would go on to host “The Jim Bakker Show” alongside Lori, where he continued discussing faith, Biblical prophecy and current events.
In her statement, Lori Bakker said her husband remained focused on ministry and spreading the Gospel even in his final days.
The family is asking for prayer and privacy as they grieve.
Additional details surrounding Bakker’s death were not immediately announced.
Sources: Breaking Christian News
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സംഗീതജ്ഞൻ ജെ. വി. പീറ്ററിന്റെയും സാങ്കി പീറ്ററിന്റെയും ഓർമ്മക്കായി ഡാളസിൽ സംഗീത സായാഹ്നം
ഡാളസ്: ക്രൈസ്തവ സംഗീത ലോകത്തിന് സമാനതകളില്ലാത്ത സംഭാവനകൾ നൽകിയ പ്രശസ്ത സംഗീതജ്ഞൻ ഇവാ. ജെ. വി. പീറ്ററിന്റെയും അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ മകൻ സാങ്കി പീറ്ററിന്റെയും സ്മരണാർത്ഥം ഡാളസിൽ പ്രത്യേക സംഗീത സായാഹ്നം സംഘടിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.
“എണ്ണി എണ്ണി സ്തുതിക്കുവാൻ”, “നീയെൻ സ്വന്തം നീയെൻ പക്ഷം”, “നിനക്കായ് കരുതും അവൻ”, “പിളർന്നതാം പാറയെ” തുടങ്ങിയ അഞ്ഞൂറോളം ആത്മീയ ഗാനങ്ങളുടെ രചയിതാവാണ് ജെ. വി. പീറ്റർ. അനേകം പ്രതിഭകളെ വാർത്തെടുത്ത ഗോസ്പൽ ട്യൂണേഴ്സ് (Gospel Tuners) എന്ന ക്രിസ്തീയ മ്യൂസിക്കൽ ബാൻഡിന്റെ സാരഥിയുമായിരുന്നു അദ്ദേഹം. ജെ. വി. പീറ്ററിന്റെയും സാങ്കി പീറ്ററിന്റെയും ജീവിതത്തെയും സംഗീത പൈതൃകത്തെയും ആദരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ ക്ലാസ്സിക്കൽ മ്യൂസിക് ബാൻഡായ ‘ക്രോസ്സ്റിവർ വോയ്സ് ഡാളസ്’ (Crossriver Voice Dallas) ആണ് ഈ സ്മരണാഞ്ജലി ഒരുക്കുന്നത്.
നവംബർ 8, ഞായറാഴ്ച ഡാളസിലെ റോലറ്റിലുള്ള ഫിലഡൽഫിയ പെന്തക്കോസ്തൽ ചർച്ചിൽ വെച്ചാണ് പരിപാടി നടക്കുന്നത്. ജെ. വി. പീറ്ററിന്റെയും സാങ്കി പീറ്ററിന്റെയും പ്രശസ്ത ഗാനങ്ങളും അവയുടെ പിറകിലുള്ള പശ്ചാത്തല സാക്ഷ്യങ്ങളും മാത്രമായിരിക്കും ഈ സംഗീത സായാഹ്നത്തിന്റെ പ്രധാന ആകർഷണം. ‘ഗോസ്പൽ ട്യൂണേഴ്സ്’മായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് പ്രവർത്തിച്ച പ്രമുഖ ഗായകരും കലാകാരന്മാരും ഈ സ്മരണാഞ്ജലി സംഗീതവിരുന്നിൽ പങ്കുചേരും.
കൂടുതൽ വിവരങ്ങൾക്ക് ബന്ധപ്പെടുക:
ജോൺസ് പി. മാത്യൂസ്: 214-298-5415 (tel:214-298-5415)
മാത്യു കോശി: 972-415-6587 (tel:972-415-6587)
Sources:globalindiannews
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Man Convinced He’s Found Noah’s Ark Delivers Message For Critics
An independent researcher who has devoted his life to exploring a site near Mount Ararat, believed by some to be the remains of Noah’s ark, is continuing his expedition to investigate what he believes could be the real-life location.
Andrew Jones, who runs Noah’s Ark Scans, a group he described as “a loose organization of individuals interested in pursuing scientific work and promoting [the ark site],” told CBN News his organization received a permit to drill at the site and has been actively engaged in exploring the area.
“This whole project is under Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey, and I’m one of the vice presidents of the project,” Jones said. “The president is Professor Dr. Cenkur Atila, an archaeologist in Turkey, and he’s the one who got the permits for the project. The other vice president for the project has a PhD in archaeology.”
The researcher said other professionals are involved as well, sharing these details to push back on critics he said have accused him of being a lone wolf who’s “taking pictures and making up stuff.”
Jones said technology is allowing them to look 95 meters beneath the surface, deeper than the team has ever gone. He believes this could yield better clues about whether Noah’s Ark is truly underground, though he and his team haven’t yet been shown a full analysis of the findings.
“[Researchers are] seeing anomalies like right angles — some of the same things we were seeing with the 2019 traditional radar,” Jones said. “[Our researcher is] saying the same thing, anomalies that are associated with right angles, corridors, but which could be backfilled with silt, he said, but they’re showing… this pattern of a structure below the surface.”
Part of the exploration compares local and natural geology to see if there are any anomalies under the surface. In a few months, Noah’s Ark Scans will have a full radar analysis and will be able to more fully discern what’s present there. Depending on what they find, a deeper exploration will unfold next year.
“Then we’ll see what happens,” Jones said. “That will lead to … next year’s season.”
In addition to radar, the team has collected over 300 coring samples that will be analyzed at a Turkish university. The team is using various tools, including cameras, to try and dig into the site while also protecting it from damage.
“Since we believe this is Noah’s ark, the whole point is … if we hit a void or cavity, we want to film inside, not just take soil samples,” Jones said. “We have actually three different camera systems to go inside, to go down these holes because the holes are small.”
Ultimately, the researcher said he knows he can’t convince critics to believe that the site is truly where Noah’s ark came to rest. But he did deliver a powerful message to detractors.
“People are criticizing us right now,” Jones said. “I just say, be patient. Hold on. We’re doing this with a scientific team. It’s a multi-year project. We still have to get the soil analysis done. We’ll go where the data goes. So we just ask people to be patient and see what we find.”
Sources:faithwire
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