MANSFIELD — Throughout the Buckeye Bible Belt, Christians attended Sunday morning services on Christmas Day. Frontlines Ohio is showcasing one of these local messages given at Journey Life Center.
Part one of a two-part sermon series given by Pastor Bruce Philippi. In his Christmas message, Pastor Philippi discusses the supernatural events that occurred in the Bible at night. With angels appearing to shepherds to announce the arrival of the Messiah, anyone can have hope that GOD chooses the unlikeliest people to reveal His glory in the darkest of circumstances. Pastor Philippi encourages his congregation to keep Christ in Christmas and to remain faithful.
Reverend Philippi has served in ministry for over forty-years.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Luke Chapter Two, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
View the video below of Pastor Philippi’s sermon “Dancing in the Dark” from Journey Life Center(29 min.)
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — While some have been without power during a recent polar vortex that has swept across the nation, Richland County has no shortage of hope at the beginning of this winter. Despite frigid wind chills of twelve degrees on the first night of Hannukuh, several local observances of Hannukuh took place lighting up both the communities of Ontario and Lexington.
“The message of Hannukuh is about being dedicated and not compromising,” says Rabbi William Hallbrook of Sar Shalom Center in Ontario. “The menorah or ‘hanukkiah’ is a lampstand that shines in the darkness. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand to give light to everyone in the house. If the Messiah calls His followers the ‘light of the world,’ then having done all, we must stand.”
Community observance of public menorah lighting in Lexington December 18th. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
The eight-day celebration known as Hannukah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., where Jews rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. The Menorah is a lampstand that was used in the ancient temple and has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times.
The Ontario gathering included a recitation of three blessings over the menorah lights and a traditional reading of Psalm 30. Hot chocolate and doughnuts were provided to those who braved the cold. The Lexington gathering incorporated songs and prayers.
“The City of Ontario has been very gracious these last two years to allow our congregation to utilize Marshall Park for the menorah display,” says Rabbi William Hallbrook. “It is our hope the menorah will be a radiant light for the community.”
Last year when City Council was first approached about allowing a menorah display on city property, Council President Eddie Gallo stated he believed local elected officials should know the pulse of their community, and not the pulse of other in-vogue metropolitan centers.
“Our First Amendment allows all types of speech to be showcased in the marketplace of ideas. If the United Nations is free to declare the birth of Israel as ‘a catastrophe,’ or if the New York Times is free to depict a swastika in its newspapers, then we should be free to display a holiday menorah in our own community. Those mistaken groups need to keep in mind, our light is shining on their deeds.”
Benjamin Mutti, Faith-based advocate for Israel
“We have to recognize and be in tune with the pulse of our community,” Gallo said. “I believe this is a faith-based community. I believe that not just Ontario but all of Richland County is faith-based. I want to operate in their best interests with the understanding of who my neighbors are, what they believe, and what they put us in these positions with those beliefs for. I am not interested in the beliefs of Los Angeles or Columbus for that matter.”
One of the coordinators of the public menorah lighting observances is grateful the City of Ontario protects the First Amendment and is distinctly set apart with its own corporate identity.
“Our First Amendment allows all types of speech to be showcased in the marketplace of ideas,” says Benjamin Mutti. “If the United Nations is free to declare the birth of Israel ‘a catastrophe,’ or if the New York Times is free to depict a swastika in its newspapers, then we should be free to display a holiday menorah in our own community. Those mistaken groups need to keep in mind, our light is shining on their deeds.”
Community observance of a public menorah lighting in Ontario December 18th . (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Weeks before Hanukah, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the rebirth of the Nation of Israel, calling it Nakba, or “a catastrophe.”
On the first day of Hannukuh, the New York Times was exposed for publishing a controversial crossword. The silhouette of a crossword puzzle bore an uncanny resemblance to a swastika, a symbol of hate during the Nazi regime that led to the extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust.
Despite the rising tide of anti-Semitism, North Central Ohio remains known for its staunch support of Israel thru its county government investment of Israeli bonds and strong advocacy from the faith community. Last year local clergy received a thank you letter for their efforts from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin Matthew Chapter Five, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
View the slideshow below of several public menorah lightings in North Central Ohio.
The menorah is a symbol most often seen during the Hanukkah holiday. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Holiday display of menorah at Marshall Park in Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Group gathers in Ontario with 12 degree wind chill. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Holiday display of menorah at Lexington Community Park. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
SHELBY — School Superintendent Tim Tarvin told a boisterous crowd last night’s board meeting had the largest attendance in over a decade. After the district gave no public notification they were allowing transgender students into opposite sex restrooms, several recent incidents occurred generating outrage. In response, over one-hundred area clergy sent a letter to Shelby school officials calling for the district to revert back to the status quo of biological restrooms. The letter appeared to motivate others to attend Monday’s meeting.
School Board President Lorie White told those in attendance, “The board must make decisions based on legal, moral, financial, and public relation considerations. We (school board) have to make decisions based on things beyond our personal convictions.” She went on to explain, “There are no plans to change the process (restrooms) now….We want to work with your cisgender students as well as our transgender students.”
Shelby City School Board meeting Dec. 19th, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
All eight persons speaking during public comment spoke in favor of biological restrooms; they recommended transgender students use single-unit unisex restrooms. When asked by the crowd why School Administration could not require transgender students to use three unisex restrooms in the school, there was no response. After the pause, Superintendent Tarvin advised the agitated crowd that public comment time does not involve discussion. However, much of the public comment time included back and forth dialogue between board members and attendees.
Comments made by citizens with grandchildren and children in the district expressed general anxiety over the privacy and safety concerns involving female students like the 2021 rape of a female student in Loudoun County, Virginia. Citizens also alluded to the Shelby incident where a transgender biological boy grabbed a female student in the school girls’ restroom. Two different parents stated they were unwilling to have their children use school restrooms.
One twelve year-old female student told the board “I do not want to walk into a restroom and be scared about who I will see in there. Girls spend more time in the restroom and are more vulnerable.”
Bishop Anthony Cooper commented, “Being politically correct is not always correct; there is agenda behind politics. We need answers, if you cannot protect the security and privacy of our students, I am calling for you (board members) to resign. We could easily get the churches to start another school and take our kids out of Shelby schools. This is our town too.”
“Being politically correct is not always correct; there is agenda behind politics. We need answers, if you cannot protect the security and privacy of our students, I am calling for you (board members) to resign. We could easily get the churches to start another school and take our kids out of Shelby schools. This is our town too.”
Bishop Anthony Cooper
Board Member Carl Ridenour shot back, “What all of you are asking us (board) to do is ignore laws!” Several in attendance shouted back “Which law?”
Both school board seats occupied by White and Ridenour are up for election this coming November 2023. Board Member Kim Nadolsky publicly gave her support for biological restrooms.
According to Pastor Brad Gentille who attended the meeting: “The national average for transgenderism is .3%. What is concerning to me is, in a nation under God, God’s gender assignment is being usurped by children who are early in the process of learning to make wise choices; and adults are actually acquiescing their parental and school authority to these children!
“Also very compelling from a legal risk perspective is that 99.7% of the students in any given school district are being subjected to fear, inappropriate exposure, and risk of harm from the “gender choices” of .3% of the school population. This restroom issue carries with it a huge legal liability from the 99.7% of students and their parents who are not transgender in any school system deciding to allow trans children to choose the restroom of their “gender identity.” Ultimately the government and these school systems are thumbing their nose at God.”
Clergy cosigners of a letter sent to Shelby Superintendent include: Reverend El Akuchie, Bishop Anthony Cooper, & Pastor Hank Webb (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
While Superintendent Tarvin read aloud the only voice of support for gender-identity restrooms in a letter from City Councilman Garland Gates, Tarvin did not read the clergy letter supporting biological restrooms. Nine of those pastors were present during the meeting.
After the meeting, Tarvin discussed a court opinion involving a U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2016 decision. According to Tarvin, the district is basing its policy on Jane Doe v. Highland School District, where the Sixth Circuit ordered Highland Local Schools to allow an eleven year-old biological boy identifying as a girl to have access to girls’ restrooms.
Since the 2016 Court ruling, the Sixth Circuit Court has had a makeover, with President Trump filling six vacancies making it a 10-7 conservative majority.
Bishop Cooper responded, “Either the school district can do what is right and reinstitute biological restrooms or the district can face dropping enrollment and declining public support.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Second Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and sound mind.”
Ohio parents are stunned to learn that a complete overhaul of Ohio education is being proposed at the Statehouse with rushed hearings and little debate, during the lame duck session of the Ohio General Assembly at the end of 2022. It’s a bill that’s been around for a while but suddenly, it’s everyone’s top priority. The bill that would do this is Sub. Senate Bill 178, sponsored by Sen. Bill Reineke.
The proposal would largely incapacitate the Ohio Board of Education, which has some elected and some governor-appointed members, and replace it with a new Department of Education and Workforce. That agency will report directly to the governor and the department head will be appointed by him ( or her, depending on the future).
Some say this will give more direct accountability of education performance because education is a mess. We agree. But the problem is, the current governor, Mike DeWine, has been ignoring and even opposing the education concerns of parents and grass roots Republicans for most of his tenure. DeWine opposes the Save Women’s Sports Act. He has lent no support to a bill to stop gender mutilation treatments for children.
He has installed school-based health clinics and enthusiastically backed big funding for more school counselors. We don’t need any of this, but we do need stronger academic performance and less “woke” ideology.
DeWine is an education bureaucracy fan, and loves loading education programs with big bucks. He seems unaccountably dense when it comes to the poor outcomes of social programs in public education, many of which install anti-family, anti-life, anti-Christian measures. Why should Ohio families give him some new, super-enhanced authority over education? He has not shown us he deserves anything like this. Quite the opposite.
Homeschooling families have little trust that new regulations would not come their way under a DeWine-controlled Department of Education. Pro-family and pro-life Ohioans already see many areas where, under twelve years of GOP governors, the current Ohio Department of Education has been allowed to install harmful leftist programs with no objections from the governor’s office.
Governor Mike DeWine taking his oath of office on his family Bibles. (Photo courtesy Screenshot)
Why the rush to push this two-thousand page bill through the Ohio General Assembly?
And then there’s the “workforce” piece of this. Children need well-rounded education to become cogent, enlightened citizens, not narrow, limited “workforce” education. This is a favorite goal of Democrats. Why are we being urged to put a rubber stamp on a program Hillary Clinton would love? Or Barack Obama?
Below is the testimony I submitted to Senate and House committees that explains more of my concerns….
“I submit this testimony in strong opposition to Senate Bill 178, which seeks to capture the oversight of education in Ohio within the executive branch. This is a dangerous and unwarranted concentration of influence in the administration, and leaves virtually no means of recourse for the public to have input.
I will present below some specifics that, with all due respect, show this Republican Administration as well as previous Republican administrations (which have dominated Ohio’s politics for the last thirty years) do not deserve this kind of power. They are already failing to defend the values of most Republican voters on education issues.
Certainly under a possible future Democratic Party Administration, parents with strong Christian or conservative moral principles would see high risk behaviors and identities actively and proudly promoted to our kids, which is why this re-make of Ohio education oversight is highly risky.
Yet anti-family, anti-Christian efforts are already well-established, evidenced by the current work of the Ohio Department of Education. For instance, “LGBTQ” behaviors and identities for students and teachers are specifically named in numerous ODE programs. These should all be eliminated. Homosexuality and gender confusion practices are high risk for youth and not inborn (research has failed to demonstrate the “born that way” claim). Millions of Ohio families are furious when the behaviors and identities of homosexuality and gender confusion are actively promoted as worthwhile, low risk and normal to Ohio children, or proudly lauded by their teachers.
“One would think that a Republican Administration would dial back that kind of leftist activism within the ODE. That has not happened. The Republicans have had years to do this, either through their administrative influence or thru eight appointed OBOE members. Why have Republicans not prevented this risk to children? And why should we give this Republican Administration more power to disappoint and betray Republican families even further?”
LInda Harvey, MIssion America
One would think that a Republican Administration would dial back that kind of leftist activism within the ODE. That has not happened. The Republicans have had years to do this, either through their administrative influence or thru eight appointed OBOE members. Why have Republicans not prevented this risk to children? And why should we give this Republican Administration more power to disappoint and betray Republican families even further?
Here are a few disturbing examples. Under Project AWARE, a mental health program administered by ODE, the Trevor Project appears as a resource for “LGBTQ” youth. Quick exit keyboard instructions are given to initial youth visitors to this high-risk, anti-parent, blatantly discriminatory site. When a troubled teen logs on to the Trevor site, they learn it’s where they can “explore their gender or sexuality in an affirming place.” Trevor is in reality a homosexual activist website which advises troubled youth that entering a homosexual life or attempting to change sexual identity are safe and normal, and that their parents are wrong if they object. Ohio children should not be misled and Ohio parents should not be undermined in this insidious, unhealthy manner.
Trevor Project hosts Trevor Space, featuring unmonitored chat rooms. Adults can easily enter chat areas and gain access to troubled youth. Why not just post a sign, “Sex traffickers welcome”?
Trevor Project and “Trans Line” are both listed as worthy resources by the Ohio School Safety Center. These activist groups hold positions that pose an imminent threat to children. They claim “support” for youth and are allowed respectable inclusion on the ODE site by this Republican administration, yet are a red flag for emotionally vulnerable teens.
ODE adopted “social emotional learning” as the focus of its strategic plan in 2019. Most SEL vendors promote acceptance of homosexual behavior and gender confusion as part of “self-awareness, ”“social awareness” or “relationship skills” competencies.
And this administration and ODE support school-based health clinics, even though such clinics are well-known by the pro-life community to be an access point for contraceptives for underage minors, even without parental consent, as well as referral for abortion. In the ODE position paper on school-based health clinics on the website, “Higher contraceptive use among females” is listed prominently as a benefit for students.
105North Central Ohio clergy stand against Eastern Religion in public schools. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Yet Ohio has a law that schools are to encourage abstinence until marriage (ORC 3313.6011). Is the current ODE, under a Republican administration, exempt from following Ohio law? This is what’s happening now. Why should we expect improvement under a new education empire?
There’s another deeply disturbing issue. The blatant discrimination in favor of every faith alternative except Christianity is accelerating and frankly, believing families in Ohio are sick of it. On an ODE website with recommendations to alleviate trauma in the school setting, the highly questionable practice of “mindfulness” is recommended:
“Mindfulness: Facilitate activities that teach skills like mindfulness. Breathing exercises, yoga or meditation can be taught and practiced as a standalone lesson or incorporated as part of another lesson. Practice these skills and re-teach as necessary.”
Mindfulness and yoga are Eastern occult practices (it’s not just “breathing”). This goes far outside stress relief into sketchy religious practices. Several years ago, a group of northern Ohio clergy warned about yoga in 39 Ohio school districts. So, if we are allowing blatant religious practices, where is a recommendation for PRAYER? Under a Republican administration, surely someone could have made sure ALL viewpoints were represented.
Please discard the plans for a non-representative Ohio education bureaucracy. There are no good reasons to go this direction.”
Linda Harvey is President of Mission America, a Christian pro-family organization that tracks current cultural issues. She has a weekly e-newsletter and an Ohio-wide radio show on the Salem Network station in Columbus, OH, 880 AM WRFD.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysin James Chapter One, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
SHELBY — Last month a group of parents attended a public school board meeting enraged over a district policy allowing biological males into female restrooms. With a school board member requesting for more public input and Joe Biden touting transgender theory as gospel truth, a wide-reaching group of clergy are not hesitating to warn school officials they should affirm Bible-based, biological truth.
According to a news report, several incidents have occurred surrounding the Shelby City School restrooms. To no one’s surprise, irate parents have compiled statements from at least ten female students who no longer feel safe using the restrooms. In response, area clergy opposing the current school policy delivered a correspondence to Superintendent Tim Tarvin. Historically the faith leaders have been vocal on this issue.
Ohio clergy Hank Webb, Anthony Cooper & El Akuchie (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“It is our expectation the Shelby School Administration have a zero-tolerance policy to incidents of misconduct in school restrooms, locker rooms, and showers,” says Bishop Anthony Cooper. “As clergy, we will not sacrifice the safety and privacy of children on the altar of political correctness.It bears worth repeating, the Bible says GOD is the “Father of Lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
During the November 21st school board meeting, Tarvin was quoted as saying, “three transgender girls (biological boys) at school use the girls’ restrooms.” One mother stated a boy hugged her daughter against her will in the restroom which has led to her daughter not wanting to come to school. Additionally, another parent reported a transgender boy (biological girl) has made threats against girls.
The letter, sent by lead clergymen representing over one hundred diverse area congregations, is calling for all students to use the restrooms, corresponding to biological sex and for questioning students to have the choice of using three existing gender-neutral staff restrooms. The pastors believe allowing some students to have the special privilege of arbitrarily choosing whichever restroom they want at the expense of the physical welfare of other students is unfair and misguided.
According to another cosigner of the letter, Reverend El Akuchie comments, “Allowing boys into girls’ restrooms and showers-it was said we would never go down that road. Now we are moving to the next taboo. When you move away from GOD’s ways, there are no guardrails. If we do not bring moral clarity to our culture, it is only a matter of time before the car goes off the cliff.”
In their letter the clergy pointed out several years ago after Target Stores announced a restroom policy based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), criminal incidents abounded, and the company sustained financial losses in the tens of millions of dollars.
“It is our expectation the Shelby School Administration have a zero-tolerance policy to incidents of misconduct in school restrooms, locker rooms, and showers. As clergy, we will not sacrifice the safety and privacy of children on the altar of political correctness.“
Bishop Anthony Cooper, Shelby Ohio
The clergy then referenced the fifteen-year-old girl from Louden County, Virginia who last year was sexually assaulted while in a school bathroom. The attack was committed by a teenage boy wearing a skirt who entered the girls’ bathroom. This same student was accused of committing a second sexual assault against a girl at a different school.
“The Creator of the universe does not change His character, nor His Word, therefore we (clergy) do not change our position,” says Pastor Hank Webb. “With society saying people can choose from 112 different genders, some are confused and in need of basic biological truths found in the Bible. GOD defines truth. In Genesis, GOD created male and female in His image, period. People do not choose their gender, their DNA-specifically their 23rd pair of chromosomes, determines gender. Believing otherwise is rejecting science. The school board needs to have courage of true convictions.”
Incensed by the recent Shelby restroom policies, one area pastor last Sunday announced to his congregation that he will be running for one of the two Shelby Board of Education seats this coming Fall.
With both the State Attorney General and State Board of Education weighing in on school restrooms by opposing the Biden Administration’s proposed redefinition of sex in Title IX, the clergy agree there is no excuse legally for the school district to not have restrooms based on objective biological gender.
The clergy wrote, “In the State of Ohio, parents have more school alternatives when there is perceived mismanagement. With open enrollment and options like home schooling, private schools and charter schools, it is in the best interest of Shelby City Schools to implement policies protecting privacy and safety. Future passage of the Backpack Bill is expected to further strengthen parents’ grip of tax dollars.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Proverbs 2, “If you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding….discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, and deliver you from the way of evil.”
COLUMBUS — Faith leaders are applauding Ohio’s top school board as it voted 10 to 7 to approve a resolution Tuesday affirming local control and parents’ rights. The resolution was written after radical changes were proposed by the Biden Administration in June to Title IX, a federal program protecting students from discrimination based on sex. One pastor is elated.
“This resolution passed today by the State Board of Education is further confirmation Ohioans do not accept the Biden Administration’s radical redefinition of biological gender,” says Pastor J.C. Church. “The federal government has no right to come in between parents and their children. According to the Bible, it would be wise for Joe Biden to not move ancient boundary stones from our Western Civilization.”
Pastor J.C. Church of Victory in Truth Ministries (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
State Board Member Brendan Shea, of London, introduced the resolution in October stating the proposed Title IX changes “contradict the plain language of the original law,” and requires school “sports teams to be based on gender identity rather than biological sex” while granting “access to sex-separate facilities based on gender identity rather than on biological sex.”
“This is a foundational issue,” said Shea. “The issue of boys and girls and restrooms and sports it’s a foundational issue and I think if you’re going to consider yourself a leader, as an individual or as a board, at the state level I think you ought to take a position.”
Further, the resolution states the Biden Administration’s proposed regulations “require K-12 schools to socially transition minor children to a different gender without requiring parental consent.” Shea also states the regulations deprive students of their First Amendment right to speech.
“This resolution passed today by the State Board of Education is further confirmation Ohioans do not accept the Biden Administration’s radical redefinition of biological gender. The federal government has no right to come in between parents and their children. According to the Bible, it would be wise for Joe Biden to not move ancient boundary stones.”
Pastor J.C. Church
The State Board of Education in the resolution calls upon the Ohio General Assembly to resist federal executive branch attempts to undermine the original intent of Title IX. It urges the General Assembly to safeguard the inviolable rights of parents, the innocence of children, the rights, privacy, safety, and opportunities of women and girls in schools and athletics, and local control of school districts.
Ultimately the resolution supports Ohio’s status as a local control state and is intended to inform schools districts, not to compel them to take a particular course of action.
In it the resolution directs the acting Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue within twenty-one days, a copy of the resolution to every Ohio public school indicating that while the board opposes the proposed changes, it does not compel public schools to take a particular course of action.
State School Board Member Brendan Shea (Photo courtesy of The Ohio Channel)
Regardless, the changes to Title IX remain unenforceable until the U.S. Department of Education reviews the more than 200,000 comments submitted during a public comment period this past summer. The process to finalize the regulations could take months or even years.
The resolution states the board supports the efforts of the Ohio Attorney General. A lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General David Yost and twenty-one other attorneys general claim the Biden Administration’s proposed policies are illegal. In July, a federal judge in Tennessee ruled in their favor, temporarily blocking parts of the new Title IX protections. A final ruling is still pending.
According to Pastor Church, “In the long run, this decision may strengthen the resolve of local school boards who want to resist the divisive identity politics coming out of Washington D.C.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Proverbs 23, “Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you.”
Crime is out of control. Not just in our cities but in our news media. Journalists lost control of the narrative before, during, and after the election. They are furious that social media allows voters to see attacks on citizens, hate crimes and huge mobs robbing stores.
The legacy press tried to suppress the crime narrative leading up to Election Day. Then just 19 days after the vote, The Washington Post admitted, “During the last three years, homicides nationwide have reached their highest levels in decades.”
Dan Gainor, Media Research Center
That should have resulted in a come to Mencken moment for the political press. Instead, they either ignored it or tried to rationalize it.
The Post’s own “National Columnist” Philip Bump followed up that news report in his own newspaper with, “The overblown, heavily political fear of American cities.” (Worth noting that when reporters become columnists at major news outlets, it typically reflects the reporter’s inability to even pretend neutrality. Like Bump.)
Bump actually had the nerve to compare crime in 1990 to now. The birth rate has been near 4 million a year since that time. So more than 120 million weren’t even born then, not counting new immigrants – legal and illegal. Still Bump argued, “Crime in New York City is up — but it has been far worse.” Wow, comforting. Your coworker was just murdered on the subway, but, hey, 32 years ago it was more dangerous! You just won a free subway token.
The legacy press has come full circle. They can’t stand that people don’t trust their spin on crime. It was the same leading up to the vote.
CNN’s Jake Tapper tried to blame the 2020 crime spike not on liberals looting, burning and violently attacking others in an orgy of rioting instead on … then-President Donald Trump. “Between 2019 and 2020, the Trump years, the U.S. homicide rate rose about thirty-percent. That’s the highest increase recorded in modern history.”
Jake’s smugness comes through even when you read his comments. He continued, “If you don’t feel safe, if you or someone you care about has been accosted or assaulted, that’s your experience. Fear is primal. It’s a crucial emotion.” In other words, don’t be irrational, don’t listen to worries about crime. Be like common man Jake, worth $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
NBC’s Lester Holt tried the same strategy right before the election. He brought on “civil rights attorney” Alec Karakatsanis who blamed conservatives, “I see an attempt by the right-wing to scare people into unwinding certain very small reforms,” he claimed. Get back to me the next time you see a bunch of legacy media elites risking their lives on the New York subway.
It was the same on Election Day. The Atlantic was worried about crime: “The pollster Stan Greenberg has found that worry about rising crime under Democrats is a more potent fear than any other issue this cycle.” The article added more feelgood numbers about crime. “FBI data released in October show that violent crime was roughly flat last year (with a drop in robberies canceling out an increase in murders).”
Ah, yes, murders and robberies always just cancel each other out in that great Excel spreadsheet in the sky.
“The left and their buddies in the legacy press can’t hide crime anyone. People are going to see videos and get reports about assaults and murders, homelessness, drug use and the horrific decline of our once-great cities. And no amount of government propaganda or media spin can stop it.”
Dan Gainor, Media Research Center
The same time, NPR ran a rationalization about why crime really isn’t so bad, headlined, “Stories about crime are rife with misinformation and racism, critics say.” You are stupid or racist if you worry about being mugged.
Republicans won the House of Representatives, in large part because of New York seats the GOP gained tied to its anti-crime campaign. Then came the Post article, admitting, “Even now, as the bloodshed has slowed, the homicide rate outpaces pre-pandemic levels.”
But the Post buried its lede. It profiled nine cities ravaged by murder, admitting, “Victim data collected from each city profiled here show Black people made up more than 80 percent of the total homicide victims in 2020 and 2021.”
Can you imagine a major news outlet hiding something so horrible to people of color? Unless, of course, journalists were worried the problem might cause African-Americans to vote Republican.
But the news gets out. The New York Post reported, “Felony crimes — including murder, rape and robbery — have surged on the subway system by 40 percent so far this year compared to 2021, according to newly released NYPD stats.”
Those were the kind of stories even CNN reported early this year. Like, “New York man arrested in connection with 7 separate attacks against Asian women.” Or, “Horrified by the surge of anti-Asian violence, she’s giving her community tools to protect themselves.”
The left and their buddies in the legacy press can’t hide crime anyone. People are going to see videos and get reports about assaults and murders, homelessness, drug use and the horrific decline of our once-great cities. And no amount of government propaganda or media spin can stop it.
But the more journalists try to bury the story, the more the only thing they bury is their own credibility.
Dan Gainor is the Vice President of Business and Culture for the Media Research Center. He is a veteran editor with more than three decades of experience in print and online media. Dan has appeared on Fox News. This column first appeared on Fox News Digital.
Christmas at Crestline Village Gazebo on Seltzer Street. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
WASHINGTON DC — Liberty Counsel has launched its 20th annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign that is designed to educate and, when necessary, litigate to ensure that religious viewpoints are not censored from Christmas and holiday themes.
Liberty Counsel monitors cases each year across the country where there is intimidation by officials and groups to remove the celebration of Christmas in public and private sectors. Liberty Counsel also provides a memorandum to offer guidance regarding the public celebration of religious holidays.
Christmas at Crestline Village Gazebo on Seltzer Street. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
In public schools, classroom discussion of the religious aspects of the holidays is permissible. A holiday display in a classroom may include a Nativity scene or other religious imagery so long as the context also includes secular symbols. Public school music teachers have the freedom to include both religious and secular Christmas songs in their musical programs. If the students select their own songs independent of the direction of school officials, there is no requirement that the songs include secular selections. Students may distribute religious Christmas cards to their classmates during non-instructional time, before or after school, or between classes. If the students are not required to dress in uniform, they may wear clothing with religious words or symbols as well as religious jewelry.
Liberty Counsel also provides a Naughty and Nice List that catalogs some of the stores that are censoring Christmas and some that are publicly celebrating it.
“The First Amendment prohibits censorship based on religious viewpoint. Nativity scenes on public property are constitutional, especially when the display includes other secular symbols of the holiday. Nothing prohibits public schools from teaching objectively about Christmas or other holidays with religious significance, from displaying religious and secular Christmas symbols side by side or singing sacred and secular Christmas songs together.”
Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel
Years ago, Walmart had banned its employees from even responding with the phrase “Merry Christmas.” Now the company has moved to the “Nice List,” completely embracing the Christmas season. Thankfully, many other companies have done the same to acknowledge Christ’s birth during the season. Belk, JCPenney, Walmart, Staples and Kohl’s are examples of stores on the “Nice List” for acknowledging Christmas and offering Christmas gifting options. Barnes & Noble, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gap and TJ Maxx are on the “Naughty List” for censoring Christmas and offering nothing more than generic “holiday” decorations and gifts.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “The First Amendment prohibits censorship based on religious viewpoint. Nativity scenes on public property are constitutional, especially when the display includes other secular symbols of the holiday. Nothing prohibits public schools from teaching objectively about Christmas or other holidays with religious significance, from displaying religious and secular Christmas symbols side by side or singing sacred and secular Christmas songs together. This season is about the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Even retailers should acknowledge Christmas and not censor it as a ‘winter holiday.’”
Liberty Counsel advances religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and the family through litigation and education.
View video below from Liberty Council’s Mat Staver from 2017 (3 min.).
WASHINGTON DC — This week the Senate voted on a bill sponsored by Ohio Senator Rob Portman to allow pedophiles to marry children, the codification of same-sex marriage, and any other perversion of marriage you can imagine. Twelve Republicans joined fifty Democrat Senators to move forward a vote for HR 8404. While the future horizon may look bleak, one prominent Christian legal scholar is still optimistic.
“The battle is not over. It’s not over in the courts and it is not over in our plans,” says Matt Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Do not get discouraged-I never get discouraged anymore. Today I am as hopeful as I have been on any previous day. I know the Author of marriage, I know the King of Kings and the LORD of Lords. I know that with GOD all things are possible. We will never ever give up, especially for what is GOD’s design.”
Members of the U.S. Senate have proposed an amendment to HR 8404, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, that fails to provide protection for people or organizations with sincerely held religious beliefs about biblical marriage.
The proposed amendment does nothing to protect religious liberty because the Religious Freedom Restoration Act only applies to the federal government. Therefore, state action will not be affected.
The amendment states: “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to alter or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or Federal law. H.R. 8404, Section 6(a).
The Amendment severely restricts the purported exemption for religious organizations by restricting it to a limited subset of only nonprofit entities. H.R. 8404, Section 6(b) (‘Consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution, nonprofit religious organizations, including churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, nondenominational ministries, interdenominational and ecumenical organizations, mission organizations, faith-based social agencies, religious educational institutions, and nonprofit entities whose principal purpose is the study, practice, or advancement of religion, and any employee of such an organization, shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage” (emphasis added).
“HR 8404 will trample upon religious freedom. It will undermine the 303 Creative case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and will force individuals who engage in artistic expression to violate their religious convictions concerning marriage. Congress has absolutely no authority to regulate marriage within the several states.
Matt Staver, Chairman & Founder of Liberty Counsel
Nothing in HR 8404 or the proposed amendment will provide any protection for religious individuals or organization, and the subsequent amendments to the bill exclude a large percentage of constitutionally and statutorily protected religious organizations.
If HR 8404, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, passes, gender will be irrelevant, not only in marriage, but also in any aspect of American life.
According to Staver, Congress does not possess the constitutional authority to define marriage and to enact such legislation under Article I. “In striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the reverse of the ill-named Respect for Marriage Act, the U.S. Supreme Court stated in United States v. Windsor that “[b]y history and tradition the definition and regulation of marriage . . . has been treated as being within the authority and realm of the separate States.”
By comparing HR 8404 to DOMA, the bills are virtually identical with the opposite conclusion. DOMA said that marriage would only be recognized at the federal level as between a man and wife. HR 8404 by contrast, expands that definition to include all individuals. If Congress cannot enact the one, then the necessary constitutional corollary is that Congress cannot enact the other as well.
Mat Staver says, “HR 8404 will trample upon religious freedom. It will undermine the 303 Creative case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and will force individuals who engage in artistic expression to violate their religious convictions concerning marriage. Congress has absolutely no authority to regulate marriage within the several states. This bill should be defeated now or it will be defeated in the courts later.”
View video produced by LIberty Counsel below on Matt Staver’s response to Senate vote on HR 8484.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Daniel 6, “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO–Values are colliding between the Silicon Valley and the Buckeye Bible Belt. A group of diverse stakeholders representing a multi-cultural faith community sent the Intel Corp. CEO a letter of concern. The letter by clergy from eighteen counties expressed their dismay over Intel’s corporate philosophy that directly conflict with their state’s values. As Intel is breaking ground in Ohio to build the largest microchip facility in the world, the earth happens to be shaking near their company’s headquarters.
One month after the clergy letter was sent, the largest earthquake in fifteen years hit the outskirts of San Jose, California with the epicenter just thirteen miles from the Intel world headquarters. While some said they heard a ‘thunderous explosion,” multiple aftershocks followed. No injuries were reported. Some clergy believe GOD is trying to get the attention of Intel officials.
“If insurance companies call earthquakes an act of God, then as a pastor, I am inclined to believe this earthquake was also an act of God,” says Pastor Robert Caw. “The Bible instructs all of us to walk humbly with the fear of the LORD. If people do not fear the LORD and His ways, He will shake them, even Big Tech giants.”
As the largest financial donor of Planned Parenthood on the 500 S&P, Intel is funding the abortion industry and the illegal sale of aborted baby parts. In addition, Intel continues working with global supply chain partners in Chinese districts where widespread religious persecution, forced labor, rape, torture and forced sterilization are occurring. The United Nations has officially confirmed China is responsible for serious human rights violations in Xinjiang Province.
Meanwhile, at the same time the clergy letter was sent to Intel, a CNN Business article headlined “Intel is the DOW’s biggest loser.” The article came in the wake of the company’s announced losses and cutbacks.
“Based on their response, Intel Corporation is not addressing our concerns, they are choosing to ignore them. Intel can turn a deaf ear to our clergy letter, but they cannot turn a blind eye to the genocide and infanticide their company is sponsoring.”
Pastor Robert CAw
Earlier in the summer CEO Pat Gelsinger stated Intel’s performance was “below the standards we (Intel) have set for the company and our shareholders,” One of the clergy letter’s co-signers agreed.
“As community stakeholders, there is one thing we do agree with Pat Gelsinger on,” says Pastor Walter Moss. “We agree Intel has performed below our standards regarding the preservation of religious freedom and the sanctity of life when it comes to the Chinese genocide and the infanticide occurring within our country’s borders. Intel needs to drop the social engineering and stick to making microchips.”
October 25, 2022 earthquake epicenter in Seven Trees, CA (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey)
In response to the Ohio clergy letter, Intel Ohio Public Affairs Director Emily Smith wrote,
“Our new Ohio colleagues will have access to a broad range of Employee Resource Groups to support them in their professional and personal lives, including religious Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). We are pleased that Intel has been recognized by the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation in both 2021 and 2022 as one of the most religiously inclusive companies.”
The Intel response did not meet the expectations of the faith leaders.
The clergy contend Intel’s special recognition for ‘religious inclusivity’ has no merit considering Intel’s strong friendship to China and the character of other award recipients. Three companies broadly known for their censorship and hostility toward conservative viewpoints: Google, Target, and PayPal, were also given the same award in 2022.
“Based on their response, Intel Corporation is not addressing our concerns,” says Pastor Caw. “They are choosing to ignore them. Intel can turn a deaf ear to our clergy letter, but they cannot turn a blind eye to the genocide and infanticide their company is sponsoring.”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — The blood red moon early on election day was a foreshadowing of things to come in the Buckeye State as the GOP took key races on election night in the House, Senate, and Supreme Court. With all three conservative justices winning their respective races, the State Supreme Court will turn from a 3-4 conservative minority to a 4-3 majority.
“This is evidence when Ohioans are properly informed on issues, they will choose candidates who hold conservative positions like on the sanctity of life,” says Pastor Mark Wireman. Wireman led a group of 112 lead clergy endorsing conservative justices for the State Supreme Court and for lower courts in Tuesday’s general election. The clergy called the election a “matter of life and death.” All five judicial candidates won.
Wireman hopes the State Supreme Court can be used to bring an end to abortion. He points out that in coming days, Governor Mike DeWine will fill the vacancy created by Sharon Kennedy’s election to Chief Justice with a fourth conservative judge.
“Judges play a key role in our society, especially in the post-Roe era. As GOD says in the Book of Isaiah, ‘I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
In addition to the Supreme Court, Republicans swept statewide races for Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, and Secretary of State. Unofficially the GOP controls the State House by a 64-30 margin and the State Senate by a 25-7 margin. Many of the GOP candidates are pro life advocates.
“This (2022 election results) is evidence when Ohioans are properly informed on issues, they will choose candidates who hold conservative positions like on the sanctity of life,”
Pastor Mark Wireman
Melanie Miller (R) defeated Drew Burge (D) for 67th State District seat by an 70-30% unofficial count. State House District 67 includes all of Ashland County and part of Medina County. Miller is the Executive Director of the Ashland Pregnancy Care Center. She commented, “It goes without saying, the life issue is of utmost importance to me. So of course I’m going to continue being a champion for that issue and for families,”
Meanwhile, Jim Obergefell (D) was defeated in his bid to become a State Rep. for the 89th District. Obergefell was the lead plaintiff against the State of Ohio in a U.S. Supreme Court case that led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. The controversial decision broke over four hundred years of western civilization precedent.
Also in the 2020 midterms, Republicans won ten of the fifteen U.S. Congressional seats. With the new redistricting maps, Congressman Jim Jordan will be representing Richland County where he originally began his career.
Pregnancy Care Center Director Melanie Miller won her election Tuesday night, for Statehouse 67th District. (Photo courtesy of Melanie Miller for Ohio House)
Senate Candidate J.D. Vance (R) defeated Tim Ryan to replace Rob Portman in the U.S. Senate.
In statewide issues, Ohioans overwhelmingly chose to prohibit non-citizens from voting in local elections and for public safety to be taken into consideration before determining bail for
Conservative judges on the down ticket also won their respective races. Both conservative candidates for the Fifth District Court of Appeals including Craig Baldwin won, their races. Attorney Beth Owens also won her race for Richland County Common Pleas Domestic Court unofficially by a 61-39% margin.
The Bottom Line:
Proverbs Chapter 29 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
MANSFIELD — A lunar eclipse will turn the moon a blood-red color in North America on Tuesday, November 8th between 5:16-6:41 AM EDT. For the first time in recorded history, a lunar eclipse is set to occur on Election Day before Ohioans go to the polls.
Total lunar eclipses, commonly known as a “blood moon,” only happen during full moons when the Earth completely shields the moon from the sun. Once the sun, Earth, and moon are exactly aligned, light form simultaneous sunrises and sunsets around the Earth project onto the moon, briefly causing a red appearance.
Click on the above image to watch what the November 7–8, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse will look like (Courtesy of timeanddate.com)
Given the magnitude of unanswered questions that remain from the 2020 Presidential Election, the parallels to recent U.S. election history are uncanny.
According to a Newsweek article, in ancient Mesopotamia, a lunar eclipse was considered a direct assault on the king. Given their ability to predict an eclipse with reasonable accuracy, they would put in place a proxy king for its duration. Someone considered to be expendable (it was not a popular job,) would pose as the monarch, while the real king would go into hiding and wait for the eclipse to pass. The proxy king would then conveniently disappear, and the old king be reinstated.
Interestingly, President Donald J. Trump was born on June 14, 1946. a day that also experienced a blood moon!
The next lunar eclipse will not take place until March 14, 2025.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in the Book of Revelation, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood….”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — While GOP candidates have fared well in statewide races, Democrats have won three of the past four Ohio Supreme Court elections. With the issue of abortion now going to the states and a slim 4-3 conservative majority on the Court, this midterm election is one of the most important Ohio Supreme Court races in memory.
A group of clergy believe the magnitude of just one court decision illustrates the importance of electing Pro-Life state and local judges. Presently, the Ohio Heartbeat Law has been put on hold by a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge. With all of the courtroom drama, the clergy have released an open letter endorsing five judicial candidates, hoping to keep a Pro-Life majority.
112 Ohio clergymen have formally endorsed five conservatives for Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Appeals Court, and Richland County Domestic Court. Pictured L to R: Steve Schag, Mark Wireman, & Sylvester Ginn. (Photo courtesy Frontlines Ohio)
“Based on merit, we promote candidates who represent the best interests of faith, family, and freedom. As 112 leading clergymen in our state, we encourage Ohioans to show up at their polling places in person on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 and vote in favor of the following…”
The clergy formally endorsed the re-election of conservative Justices Sharon Kennedy, Pat Fischer and Pat DeWine for Ohio Supreme Court for 6-year terms. They also supported the re-election of Justice Craig Baldwin for Ohio Court of Appeals 5th District and the election of Atty. Beth Owens for Richland County Domestic Court Judge. The candidates made the clergy list after a review of candidate websites and a review of voter guides Buckeye Ballot and ivoterguide.
The clergy believe abortion strips the autonomy of millions of babies in the United States, in particular those coming from households with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities.
“While judicial activists are producing a two-tiered system of justice, we believe Judeo-Christian values establish a framework of morality necessary for limited government. There is no constitutional right to abortion,” says Pastor Steve Schag, one of the cosigners of the open letter.
“Elections have consequences. With three of the seven seats up for election, the next term of the Ohio State Supreme Court will decide if the barbaric abortion of children is a constitutional right. There is no question, this Ohio election is a matter of life and death.”
Bishop Sylvester Ginn
“As GOD says in the Book of Isaiah, ‘I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
The clergy co-signers of the open letter are from fourteen counties throughout the state. Counties with the most clergy represented include: Richland (66), Crawford (10), Ashland (6), Trumbull (6), Wayne (6).
The faith leaders are convinced the endorsed candidates can be judged by their record. All three Supreme Court Justices running for office have ruled in favor of the sanctity of life on two critical occasions. Once in 2018 to reinstate the order of the Ohio Department of Health revoking and refusing to renew the license of a Toledo abortion clinic, and in 2016 stating a Cleveland abortion clinic did not have standing to challenge a state budget bill which included additional requirements for abortion providers.
Earlier this past summer after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, Ohio clergymen called for the General Assembly to pass the Human Protection Act prohibiting all abortion. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Liberal Justice Jennifer Brunner who is running for the Chief Supreme Court Justice seat believes the State of Ohio should follow the United Nations which says abortion is a ‘human right.’ Pastor Mark Wireman disagrees with this premise.
“Founding Father John Adams stated the U.S. Constitution was made ‘only for a moral and religious people and is wholly inadequate for any other government.’ Herein lies the problem. We have Godless people reinterpreting the Bible and the Constitution to destroy the morality which our freedom and rule of law was founded on.”
The clergy contend life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are GOD-given inalienable rights for all people, even those without a voice.
“Elections have consequences,” adds Bishop Sylvester Ginn. “With three of the seven seats up for election, the next term of the Ohio State Supreme Court will decide if the barbaric abortion of children is a constitutional right. There is no question, this Ohio election is a matter of life and death.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible saysinIsaiah Chapter 1, “I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning: afterward you shall be called, the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
COLUMBUS — Joe Biden is leading the way when it comes to gender confusion. Not only has Biden appointed a Justice to the nation’s top court unable to define what a woman is, Biden has also constructed a Department of Education that gets a failing grade when it comes to biology.
In response, David Yost is leading the way when it comes to opposing the Biden agenda to allow boys into girls’ school locker rooms and restrooms. Yost has spearheaded an effort along with a group of state attorneys general to oppose proposed radical rulemaking by the Biden Department of Education entitled, “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.”
Ohio Attorney General David Yost. (Photo courtesy of Ohio Attorney General website)
Attorney General Dave Yost has authored a letter to the Biden Administration signed by Attorney Generals from eighteen other states. Yost raised numerous arguments in his 30-page letter to the Department of Education.
The letter stated, “The Proposed Rule (Biden’s radical Title IX mandates) will hurt women’s’ scholarships. Most universities offer women-specific scholarships, particularly in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). While that practice can be controversial (if a school disadvantages men), under the Proposed Rule, a school would be unable to preserve scholarships to benefit either women or men. That may affect women’s long-term earning and career potential. Women make up only twenty-one percent of engineering majors and nineteen percent of computer science majors. If opportunities for women are reduced by the Proposed Rule, that gap will only widen. “
“If the women’s locker room allows male entrants, would-be witnesses are not likely to think much of biological men entering the room. And that makes it easier for non-transgender sex criminalsto enter areas wherewomen are vulnerable. There is a reason that humans, for millennia, have seen fit to separate the sexes with respect to certain activities. It is passing arrogant to assume these barriers can be torn down without consequence.”
Ohio Attorney General David Yost
Yost wrote, “When it comes to sexual assault, the main problem with failing to separate the sexes is that it becomes easier for non-transgender sexual predators to infiltrate women’s-only spaces where women are likely to be vulnerable. After all, if the women’s locker room allows male entrants, would-be witnesses are not likely to think much of biological men entering the room. And that makes it easier for non-transgender sex criminals to enter areas where women are vulnerable. There is a reason that humans, for millennia, have seen fit to separate the sexes with respect to certain activities. It is passing arrogant to assume these barriers can be torn down without consequence.”
Yost provided examples.
“Just last year, in Loudon County, Virginia, a “pansexual” biological male assaulted a girl in a girl’s restroom—a restroom he had access to because the school had a policy of resisting sex-based bathroom distinctions. And female athletes, like college swimmer Riley Gaines, experience “extreme discomfort” in sharing locker rooms with biological men.”
In 2016 a group of 102 clergy advocated for biological gender in school restrooms (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Similarly in 2016, the Obama administration informed educators in Ohio that failure to permit biological boys into girls-only facilities would result in the loss of federal funds. Now Biden and the democrats are threatening Ohio once again with the loss of funds.
In response, over one hundred clergymen from Richland County wrote a letter to local school superintendents and state officials to defy the Obama restroom mandate. They asserted the “Department of Education lacks authority to unilaterally redefine sex. They also said the radical mandate jeopardizes the privacy and safety of vulnerable and women and children, defies objectivity and logic, exploits low income and disabled students by aborting funds for school meals, eliminates funding for students with disabilities, and triggers intolerance with people of religious conviction and/or differing opinion.”
The Bible saysin Romans One, “For this cause GOD gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly…”
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — Last month, Intel broke ground on a massive brick and mortar mega plant set to bring thousands of high-tech jobs to Ohio. For some, there is concern the Silicon Valley Giant’s arrival may transform Ohio from a conservative red state to liberal blue. While they welcome the new manufacturing jobs, over one hundred clergy are sending a signal to the tech company they do not want the company’s ‘California values’ embedded into their culture.
Recently a group of stakeholders representing a multi-cultural faith community sent the Intel CEO a letter expressing their concern over the corporation’s ‘reputation of alienation’ towards faith-based groups. Although Pastor Robert Caw’s home county stands to profit economically, he believes the company is also bringing baggage.
Last month Intel held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new microchip facility. Recently Ohio clergy sent a letter to the Intel CEO. Pictured clergy co-signers include: Robert Caw, Walter Moss, and Rev. El Akuchie. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“Intel’s corporate values and philosophy closely align with California which conflicts with our State’s values,” the Ohio clergyman said. “It’s like mixing oil with water.”
Intel is investing $20 billion and creating 3,000 high-tech jobs, but the company has also committed $300 million to support its goal to accelerate diversity and inclusion of its supply chain and vendors. According to the clergy letter, the company has a history of promoting political LGBTQ causes. On the other hand, the clergy point out Intel is not very inclusive of faith-based organizations with other viewpoints.
“Intel mandates diversity and inclusion requirements and continues to go too far by forcing third-party stakeholders to embrace a “one size fits all” approach to social issues. This approach is incompatible with the diverse values and missions of local companies,” says Pastor Caw.
The clergy believe this may have a ripple effect on institutions across Ohio. For example, when the City of New Albany was being considered as one of the finalists for the Intel project, the city gave its first-ever proclamation recognizing LGBTQ Pride month in June of 2021.
“Intel’s reputation is on the line. Corporate political activism domestically risks alienating employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders. Additionally, corporations should resist lending support to any action that undermines protections for fundamental human rights. In other words, we are asking Intel to drop the social engineering and focus on manufacturing microchips.”
Ohio clergy letter to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger
According to Pastor Walter Moss, one of the clergy co-signers of the letter, “If we do not address the values of this company now, we will be beholden to their values down the road. After the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned, Ohio saw ten abortion mills close. What is alarming is Intel donates more money to Planned Parenthood than any other company in the S&P 500. When it comes to our identity, we must choose the moral high ground and not the silicon valley.”
Arguably the most controversial position Intel has taken is its position towards China where the corporation has third-party suppliers located. The Ohio clergy call Intel’s position “disgraceful.”
“As Intel donated one million dollars during the violent protests of the Summer of 2020 to divisive BLM causes, Intel turned a blind eye to genocide conducted in the region of Xinjiang, Chinawhere some of its global supply chain contractors are located,” indicated Reverend El Akuchie, another co-signer.
According to federal reports, crimes against humanity are occurring inside the Xinjiang Province, including imprisonment, torture, rape, forced sterilization, and persecution of religious minorities. In spite of the human trafficking, modern-day slavery and organ harvesting, the clergy are aghast Intel still conducts business in the region. Intel even sponsored the 2021 Winter Olympics in China.
Rendition of proposed Intel mega semiconductor manufacturing plantto be built in New Albany, Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Intel)
The clergy believe Intel’s reputation is on the line. They say the Tech Giant should resist lending support to any action that undermines protections for fundamental human rights. The clergy wrote, “In other words, we are asking Intel to drop the social engineering and focus on manufacturing microchips.”
The clergy continued, “We are asking Intel to respect the dignity of all human beings and the diverse religious and ideological views of their employees, customers, and shareholders. Practically, this means avoiding charitable giving and public advocacy that drive narrow political agendas corrosive to basic human rights and religious freedom. All business ties, including with global supply chain partners inside jurisdictions implementing genocide should be severed. GOD will not be mocked.”
Reverend Akuchie hopes the clergy letter will meet its goal since the Intel CEO was born in nearby Pennsylvania and professes to be a Christian. “We believe Mr. Gelsinger may be just the right person to address our concerns. Perhaps he was brought to his position for such a time as this. As our State Motto says, “With GOD, all things are possible.”
Clergy co-signers are from 18 counties throughout Ohio. Counties with the most congregations represented include: Richland, Crawford, Ashland, Wayne, and Trumbull.
GALION — Oktoberfest is the City of Galion’s annual fall festival. It is held on the last weekend of September in Galion’s Uptowne Business District. The three-day event features food vendors, kids’ rides, and live music.
For the second year in a row, Galion Oktoberfest entertainment will feature all Christian music groups on the first night of the three-day festival. Organizers would rather not refer to the stage venue as “entertainment.” as much as they are worship leaders.
Past music at the three-day Galion Oktoberfest. This year is scheduled to begin Thursday, September 29th. (Photo courtesy of Bill Seymour)
“Our schedule consists of different genres,” says Carol Kable, one of the organizers of Gospel Music Stage. “Several of the genres vary from traditional to country to contemporary Christian, bluegrass and rock. What unites it all is Jesus, Yeshua Messiah. They are all making music for Him.”
Beginning at noon, there will be almost two hours of “open-mic,” for individuals, especially local pastors and ministers, who would like to bring sound tracks, or a scripture reading, or offer a prayer on behalf of the nation, in Jesus’ name.
Another one of the organizers drew his inspiration from the history books.
“We began praying and planning this months ago,” Bill Seymour, another one of the other organizers recalls. “It was not until two weeks ago that a friend gave me a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation 85. It was written a few months after the start of the Civil War. Lincoln appointed the last Thursday in September of 1861, recommending all Americans, especially ‘Minister and teachers of religion of all denominations to unite for a day of ‘public humiliation, fasting and prayer,’ that God would restore the divided nation to its former greatness.”
“If you believe in coincidences, the first night of Oktoberfest, featuring the gospel music stage, is the last Thursday in September. Our nation once again is very divided, so we want to use the platform to help unite the churches to stand in the gap for our country.”
Bill Seymour, organizer of Gospel Music Stage
“Co-incidentally, if you believe in coincidences, the first night of Oktoberfest, featuring the gospel music stage, is the last Thursday in September. Our nation once again is very divided, so we want to use the platform to help unite the churches to stand in the gap for our country,” says Seymour.
Beginning at 2pm, “the Bridge,” musical intercessors from Morrow County will be leading a two hour “Worship Burn,” interspersed with special prayers and declarations for Galion, Crawford County and the United States.
At 4pm, prayer ministers will be reading Lincoln’s Proclamation 85 and other scriptures to bring an atmosphere of hope and celebration for the remainder of the evening. Also, there will be a sounding of shofars. All who can participate with shofars are invited to join.
Scene from 2019 Galion Oktoberbest. (Photo courtesy of
To kick off the evening, “Stones Cry Out,” will bring a lively Christian Rock style worship at 4:30pm. They were a favorite from last year, returning.
Another popular group, returning from last year, at 8pm, is Dale Powers and Friends. Powers, a Richland County native whose music now is centered on Christ, is a founding member of The Ohio Express. Dale and Friends has a strong local following, and depending on which “friends” accompany him that evening, you may hear more or less country, soft rock, or bluegrass.
Other musical groups include Tabernacle of Praise, Set Apart, The Warriors, and Keagan Nicolades.
Kable and Seymour both expressed their appreciation of the Galion Area Ministerial Association (GAMA), which agreed to help cover the cost of the Thursday Christian event.
Prayer ministers from will be available throughout the evening for anyone attending who would like prayer for healing or salvation.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in the Psalms 95, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
David’s comfortable world is turned upside down when his birth mother unexpectedly reaches out to him, longing to meet the eighteen-year-old son she’s only held once. With the encouragement of his adoptive parents, David embarks on a journey of discovery that leads to a staggering truth from his past. From executive producers Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick Brothers—creators of War Room and Fireproof—comes LIFEMARK, inspired by an incredible true story that celebrates the gift of life. (Rated PG-13)
Movie Lifemark comes out in theaters on September 9th. (Photo courtesy of screenshot)
The film is being released two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Although the primary theme of Lifemark is adoption, it does reference abortion. One scene takes place at the site of a former abortion clinic.
“The reality of this theme in this issue is that it is a very sensitive topic. It’s become a political battleground in our country,” Stephen Kendrick, the movie’s producer says. “And we are acknowledging both sides, we’re acknowledging the difficult decision to choose to place your baby for adoption, but it is the better decision. And we are also showing the adoptive parents and what a blessing and a joy – and the journey that they have to go through this.
“The reality of this theme is that it is a very sensitive topic. It’s become a political battleground in our country. And we are acknowledging both sides, we are acknowledging the difficult decision to choose to place your baby for adoption, but it is the better decision. And we are also showing the adoptive parents and what a blessing and a joy – and the journey that they have to go through this.”
Stephen Kendrick, Lifemark movie producer
“It is such a beautiful thing when our hearts start beating along with God’s heart in valuing the orphan and caring for them,” Kendrick says. “God is a father to the fatherless, and He places the lonely into families. He created not only the family, but He created adoption.Kendrick said it was important that the film told the story through the eyes of the birth parents and the adoptive parents.
Kendrick comments, “We believe Lifemark will inspire countless people and churches at this pivotal time to get more involved in supporting life and adoption. This movie has something for everyone. It’s inspirational, entertaining, and also life-changing.”
Kirk Cameron, who is also an adoptive father, says the film includes multiple biblical themes. “This movie is pro-family. It’s pro-love. It’s pro-forgiveness. It’s pro-reconciliation and new beginnings,” Cameron says.
Lifemark will be distributed in more than 1,400 theaters, including Cinemark 14 Mansfield Town Center. Fathom is the distributor.
View the Lifemark movie trailer below.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James Chapter One, “Religion that GOD our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
America was hoodwinked. Some of us knew it from the start. Some of us should have known better from the start. The Black Lives Matter movement pretended to be about racial injustice. Mainstream media swooned. Churches centered the propaganda instead of Scripture. And Corporate America groveled at their feet. Seven years and nearly $200 million dollars later, the world has been conned.
Ryan Bomberger (Photo courtesy of Radiance Foundation)
Several years ago, I published my “Top 10 Reasons I Will Never Support the Black Lives Matter Movement.” I received lots of love for it as well as some predictable hate from those who accused me of being a traitor, an “Uncle Tom,” not black enough, and a self-hater. It never ceases to amaze me when people think calling me an “Uncle Tom” is a put-down. To be compared to an individual who gave up his life so that others could be set free is an honor. So, thank you. And I love people regardless of their color. I don’t excuse bad behavior because of someone’s color.
The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t about self-sacrifice. It’s about sacrificing the truth for personal gain. And a lot of it. Just ask Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) co-founder Patrice Cullors, a self-proclaimed “trained Marxist,” about her not-so-secret love of capitalism. Mostly white corporate CEOs lavished her black-led organization with loads of white guilt in the form of a color hucksters love: green. Who knew that BLM actually stood for Buy Large Mansions or Become Loaded Marxists. Cullors, who is “married” to a woman, now owns a reported four homes worth over $3 million, you know, because economic egalitarianism is her goal. Her house-buying “binge” (in white neighborhoods, by the way) started in 2016. Cullors pretended that her massively increased income wasn’t a direct result of her involvement in BLM.
Now, there’s a lawsuit accusing yet another BLMGNF leader — Shalomyah Bowers — of stealing $10 million from the organization. Follow me here. The Black Lives Matter Grassroots coalition filed the lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (the one with all the money). There are only three Board members of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, an organization that received $90 million in donations in 2020 and another $77 million in 2021. Three! And one of them is Shalomyah Bowers. According to the lawsuit, he only made “$2,167,894 million dollars from BLMGNF in less than eight months.” What’s a trained Marxist to do when your shady organization is awash in cash?
“I don’t care what beautiful hue of skin you have. If you’re a crook who steals donated money, you should be in jail. Yeah, the same prisons that the BLM movement wants to abolish. How convenient. How many times do we have to hear the pathetic and racist justifications of BLM leaders? I run a non-profit organization. I’m brown. I don’t complain about the same IRS laws that apply to every non-profit organization. To say that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is corrupt is an understatement.”
Ryan Bomberger, The Radiance Foundation
Who’s to blame? White people, of course. The 3-member Board fired back at the lawsuit, brought on by other black BLM activists, with this classic response: “To the contrary, they would rather take the same steps of our white oppressors and utilize the criminal legal system which is propped up by white supremacy (the same system they say they want to dismantle) to solve movement disputes.”
Black lies matter. In fact, all lies matter. You’re not being oppressed BLM. You’re being held accountable.
Frederick Douglass famously proclaimed on his North Star paper’s masthead: “Right is of no sex. Truth is of no color. God is the Father of us all. And all men are brethren.”
I don’t care what beautiful hue of skin you have. If you’re a crook who steals donated money, you should be in jail. Yeah, the same prisons that the BLM movement wants to abolish. How convenient. How many times do we have to hear the pathetic and racist justifications of BLM leaders? I run a non-profit organization. I’m brown. I don’t complain about the same IRS laws that apply to every non-profit organization. To say that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is corrupt is an understatement. Good luck trying to follow the trails of cash. Even BLM chapters can’t get any transparency. Some of them have been calling for it for years.
BLMGNF Board writes (and I’m trying not to laugh): “Our hearts are broken at this moment because white supremacy is the winner when movement leaders take the approach of publicly ‘calling out’ comrades instead of ‘calling-in.’” Yes, Marxist comrades don’t like to be called out when they give capitalism a bad name by taking millions (they didn’t earn) for personal gain. It’s not “white supremacy” that’s the problem. It’s greed, dishonesty, pride, and jealousy. That’s sin supremacy. Corruption knows no color. It can be carried out by people of any hue, either gender, or any political affiliation.
With all the hyperbole and racist rhetoric that continues to serve as the foundation of the BLM movement, it’s almost like the whole predictable imploding situation of BLM Grassroots versus BLM Global Network Foundation is a case of Black-on-Black crime. The movement swindled the nation and the entire world … even its own grassroots activists. The movement repeatedly failed to distinguish between what was true and what was a lie. It failed to identify between truly systemic (i.e., the inherent racism of the abortion industry) and specific instances (i.e., the exploited and tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery). Now, it seems, BLM leaders cannot distinguish between what money belongs to a public charity (yes, BLMGNF files as a 501c3 entity) and what goes into their personal piggy banks. The IRS is hiring 87,000 more agents, so I’m sure they’ll have time to look into BLMGNF and any questionable grassroots chapters of BLM. (Who am I kidding? Accountability and public scrutiny are soooo racist, obviously.)
Maybe some of that $42 million in BLM assets could help begin to defray the $2 billion worth of destruction BLM’s “mostly peaceful” protests caused to cities (including many minority-owned businesses) across the country.
Sorry, BLM. Look into the mirror. The real oppressor just might be looking back at you.
Ryan Bomberger is the Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation. He is happily married to his best friend, Bethany, who is the Executive Director of Radiance. They are adoptive parents with four awesome kiddos. Ryan is an Emmy Award-winning creative professional, factivist, international public speaker and author of “Not Equal: Civil Rights Gone Wrong.”
