Pastor Tim Moore puts a spotlight on peer pressure in today’s culture “Bow Down or Else”

man with Bible on city street

Important Takeaways:

  • I recently had the opportunity to interact with a senior executive from a major US corporation. The man was a former military officer and has publicly testified to his faith.
  • My conversation focused on his recent corporate statement fully endorsing the LGBTQ+ agenda. In a statement celebrating what is ironically called “Pride Month,” this man offered glowing affirmation for “gender fluidity.” Dad to dad, I asked him if he actually believed in what he wrote and if it would apply to his own children.
  • His response was telling.
  • He said his personal beliefs are different, but that he must sound a different note in his corporate position. His gushing enthusiasm for the entire spectrum of LGBTQ+ ideology was simply “expected.”
  • None of us wants to stand out as the sore thumb in any group. Teenagers supposedly succumb to peer pressure the most, but in my experience, many adults also find it very difficult to stick out as different. They may talk big, but their hearts melt away and they act like cowardly lions.
  • The repercussions may not involve the threat of a fiery furnace, but many Christians have lost opportunities, jobs, income, friends and family, and even their lives for their determination to live out their Christian testimony. And in our own nation, the pressure to conform is growing greater by the day.
  • Pope Francis’ infamous wavering on Catholic doctrines. Plainly stated, the Catholic Church claims many doctrines that are antithetical to Scripture, but it has been clear in its support for life, marriage, and natural order defined in the Bible. With Francis equivocating on those foundational beliefs, Evangelical Christians will soon find themselves further isolated as we stand firm on the Word of God.
  • [Remember] Houston’s mayor already tried to pre-approve pastor’s sermons and other Western nations have tried to label the Bible as hate speech.
  • Does anyone really doubt that if America elected a far-Left President and majority in Congress that they would not seek to undermine religious liberty in the United States? They have already expressed their disgust for Christian “troublers” who are standing in the way of their progressive ideology.
  • Our culture often demands loyalty that is not earned. For instance, I can sing along with Lee Greenwood, “I’m proud to be an American!” But much of what our government tolerates and promotes is abhorrent to me as a Christian. I’ve said it before: whereas pop culture once revered “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” I doubt a majority of Americans could even agree on those terms anymore. And our present national leaders seem determined to undermine all three according to the definitions that align with a biblical worldview.
  • Our Commander has given us certain orders and assured us of victory. He has commanded us to stand firm and hold until He comes. He alone is worthy of our loyalty—not because He demands it, but because He has earned it, because He is worthy, and because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

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Pride month is here and Mpox remains a threat

MPox

Important Takeaways:

  • As the LGBTQ+ community gears up for Pride celebrations this month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging more people – particularly some gay and bisexual men – to get the Mpox vaccine.
  • The US Department of Health and Human Services plans to be at dozens of Pride and community events across the country to remind people that Mpox is still a problem in the United States
  • According to recent case reports, 90% of those who got Mpox in the US during this outbreak who reported their sexual orientation were men who identified as gay or bisexual.
  • Health organizations will want to emphasize that mpox vaccines provide not only protection but real peace of mind.
  • “You don’t have to be worried about being in contact with people if you’ve been vaccinated,” Hujdich said, “So it gives you the freedom to enjoy and be proud during Pride.”

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Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and arrogance before failure; Target’s Pride month Backlash

Target Pride Month

Important Takeaways:

  • Pride Month backlash hurt Target’s sales. They fell for the first time in six years
  • Target’s quarterly sales fell for the first time in six years as consumers pulled back on discretionary goods and fierce right-wing backlash to Target’s Pride Month collection took a toll on the brand.
  • Target’s sales at stores open for at least one year dropped 5.4% last quarter, including a 10.5% drop online. The company also cut its annual sales forecast.
  • The controversy cost Bud Light’s parent company about $395 million in lost US sales and Bud Light lost its top beer spot to Modelo.

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Florida joins states to ban transgender girls from sports

By Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) -Florida on Tuesday became the latest and by far the largest U.S. state to ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports, part of a campaign in statehouses nationwide this year assailed as discriminatory by equal rights activists.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, enacted the law on the first day of Pride Month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community.

DeSantis signed the bill at an event at a Christian school in Jacksonville where he was flanked by several teenage women athletes. He said the law was needed to ensure fairness for women participating in sports across the state.

“I can tell you this: in Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports and boys are going to play boys’ sports,” the governor said. “We are going to go based off biology, not based off ideology when we are doing sports.”

Supporters of the sports bills say transgender female athletes have an unfair advantage, having been designated male at birth but having since transitioned. Florida’s law defines an athlete’s sex as that stated on official documents at birth.

The law, rushed through the state legislature as an attachment to a charter school bill, passed over the objection of Democrats and civil rights advocates who call the banning of transgender girls and women from sports unnecessary and discriminatory and accuse Republicans of portraying them as a provocation to energize the right wing of their party.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, issued a proclamation to mark the start of Pride Month, urging Congress to LGBTQ people from discrimination by passing the Equality Act and pointing to a lack of protection of their rights in many states.

Trump, his Republican predecessor, did not officially recognize Pride Month during his four years in office.

The Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group, said it would challenge the law in court as having been based on a “false, discriminatory premise” that threatened the wellbeing of transgender children.

“Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like all children, they deserve the opportunity to play sports with their friends and be a part of a team,” Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said in a statement.

Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and West Virginia have passed similar legislation and South Dakota’s governor has signed an executive order supporting a sports ban. All have Republican governors.

The Republican governor of North Dakota and the Democratic governor of Kansas have vetoed similar bills that passed their statehouses.

Idaho passed the first such ban last year but a federal court has blocked the law.

Arkansas passed one banning certain types of gender-affirming healthcare treatment to transgender youth, after overriding the Republican governor’s veto.

Around 100 bills have been introduced in more than 20 states this year that would limit transgender rights. Transgender advocates have called on businesses to boycott states that pass such laws.

While corporate America has yet to respond as it has on the issue of voting rights restrictions, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs college sports, responded to Florida’s bill in April by saying it would only hold events in states that are “free of discrimination.”

DeSantis said he would not be swayed by the stances taken by the NCAA or other organizations.

“We will stand up to groups like the NCAA who think they should be able to dictate the policies in different states. Not here. Not ever,” DeSantis said.

The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Howard Goller)

Biden says nearly 14% of his 1,500 agency appointees identify as LGBTQ

By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly 14% of U.S. President Joe Biden’s 1,500 federal agency appointees identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, he said on Tuesday in a proclamation marking the start of Pride Month celebrating the LGBTQ community.

A Democrat, Biden urged Congress to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination by passing the Equality Act. Donald Trump, his Republican predecessor, did not officially recognize Pride Month during his four years in office.

“For all of our progress, there are many States in which LGBTQ+ individuals still lack protections for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, public accommodations, and other spaces,” Biden said.

“We will not rest until full equality for LGBTQ+ Americans is finally achieved and codified into law.”

Biden cited what he called a tragic spike in violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color and LGBTQ youth who face bullying and harassment in academic settings and run the risk of self-harm and death by suicide.

Biden recognized the service of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in the Cabinet, and Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender person confirmed by the Senate.

Activists describe the Biden administration as the most pro-LGBTQ in U.S. history.

On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to protect LGBTQ people under all federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex. Biden also reversed a ban on transgender people openly enlisting and serving in the military.

The Biden White House also reversed an order issued by Trump’s then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on flying the Pride flag and some U.S. embassies, including in India and Australia, are highlighting their support for LGBTQ people.

In Florida on Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis, who is closely aligned with Trump, signed into law banning transgender women and girls from participating in school sports, part of a campaign in state houses nationwide this year that equal rights activists assail as discriminatory.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller)