Thursday, March 18, 2010

Instructor Under Fire

A California college says it will take action against one of its instructors for telling students that homosexuality is a mental disorder. Fresno City College says Bradley Lopez, a science instructor, violated a campus anti-discrimination policy. Several students complained to administrators who now say Lopez was making comments unrelated to the course. Lopez has taught at the school for 18 years. Lopez also ran afoul of campus regulations by using the Bible in class. He plans to challenge the finding.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Hamas Spy and Convert

Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of one of the founders of the Palestinian Hamas party who claims he worked for Israeli intelligence for years. He's also a Christian convert. Yousef tells his story in Son of Hamas which is #11 on the New York Times’ list of hardcover nonfiction bestsellers. He says it is "a message of hope – not because son of Hamas is a great person, but because son of Hamas followed the steps of a hero, my hero, Jesus Christ... When I think about Muslims, I think about my family. I’m not going to give up on them. They disowned me. I will not disown them." The fact he has gone public makes Yousef a potential target for extremists.

City: Bible Study Needs Permit

A Southern California city has told a group of Christians they can't meet in homes for a Friday night Bible study without a permit. Rancho Cucamonga wants to stop the meetings after a neighbor complained about the traffic. The permit requires public hearings, traffic studies and other costly procedures. The city doesn't require permits for other similar sized events. The group is affiliated with Shiloh Tabernacle Church.

Prof's Claim Denied

A University of North Carolina at Wilmington professor has lost his case against the school for discriminating against him because he's a Christian. Michael Adams is a prominent conservative commentator and associate professor of criminology. He says he was denied the position of a full professor because of his Christian beliefs and conservative views. The judge in the case said because Adams included his controversial work with the material he submitted for review in consideration of his promotion and that it could not be considered opinion outside opinion. He is considering an appeal.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bible Studies Banned in Arizona Town

A small church near Phoenix Arizona has been ordered to stop holding Bible studies. Police in Gilbert cited the seven members of Oasis of the Truth Church after they put out signs inviting people to come and worship. There have been no neighborhood complaints or traffic problems. Other activities are fine, it's just "religious assemblies" and private schools that have been banned. The issue may wind up in court because the church believes the ordinance is unconstitutional. City counsel members plan to discuss the issue at their next meeting.