Graham slammed for saying Chick-Fil-A remains a godly enterprise

Last updated on: November 24, 2019 at 6:11 pm By Barry Duke

AFTER picking up the phone and calling Chick-fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy to find out whether Chick-Fil-A has abandoned is faith-based principles, US evangelist Franklin Graham said he was satisfied that the food chain ‘remains committed to Christian values’.

This, insists Mat Staver, above, founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel is wrong, wrong, WRONG!

In a LifeSiteNews piece authored by “non-practising” homosexual Doug Mainwaring, Staver says the truth is that Cathy had effectively lied to Graham and that the company was on a leftist, pro-gay trajectory – and has been for some time.

While Dan Cathy may say the company has the same values, the company’s statements and actions tell a different story. Franklin, you have done a huge disservice by not doing more investigation into Chick-fil-A’s betrayal and capitulation to the LGBT agenda.

Staver pointed out CFA is donating money to Covenant House, which he described as:

A radical LGBTQ activist organization that celebrates homosexuality, transgenderism, and the entire LGBTQ agenda. Covenant House also proudly supports the New York City Gay Pride parade with its own float, banners, t-shirts, and hastag #CovUnity. Covenant House is recognized as a national funder of LGBTQ causes. And Covenant House does not stop at LGBTQ activism; it also takes girls to abortion clinics.

CFA this month revealed that Covenant House had received $225,000 in 2018 in support of national and local programmes (in California and Georgia) that support youth facing homelessness. The Chick-fil-A Foundation has since committed to a significant partnership with Covenant House in 2020.

And for the record, Covenant House – a Catholic charity – is not “a radical LGBTQ activist organisation”. According to this report:

While Covenant House is not an LGBTQ organization, any institution serving homeless young adults is aware that anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of their clients are LGBTQ.

Its President Kevin Ryan said:

There are more LGBTQ young people sleeping under a Covenant House roof than any other entity, because we are in six countries.

Staver thundered on:

To save its own corporate skin, Chick-fil-A has thrown good, biblical, organizations under the bus and legitimized the false narrative of the LGBT activists. Chick-fil-A voluntarily surrendered to gain entrance into more liberal communities. In doing so, the company has caused incredible damage to the greater Christian community.

Enter Tony Perkins, above, President of the Family Research Council (FRC) – and another crazy homophobe. He is quoted as saying:

To a lot of Americans, the company’s decision to walk away from years of biblical truth is upsetting. To us, it’s personal.

And conservative author and radio host Todd Starnes revealed this week that Chick-fil-A’s corporate headquarters had forbidden two book-signing events that local CFA franchise owners had planned to host for Starnes at their restaurants.

Starnes said he had previously kept quiet about the troubling intervention by Chick-fil-A executives but now feels free to tell the story because it further reflects on the company’s “change in values.”

Starnes kicked off his piece by saying:

There have been quiet whispers in the conservative movement for quite some time that Chick-fil-A had moved to the far left of the political chicken coop.

Mainwaring concluded:

Though a few have accused LifeSiteNews and certain members of the Catholic blogosphere as having ‘rushed to judgment’ regarding CFA’s move, a closer look at its history reveals that the kick-in-the-gut betrayal felt by so many this week has actually been a slow-motion betrayal rolled out over time.

And in what suspiciously sounds like call to Christians to start boycotting CFA, Mainwaring added:

Chick-fil-A’s recipe for expansion as it tries to spread into Canada and the U.K. is proving not only to be poison for its most loyal customers. Perhaps it is a form of corporate suicide.

On the other hand, thousands of members of LGBT communities who have boycotted the chain for years may fill the void left by pissed-off faith-heads and the company will continue to thrive, as do other enterprises that proudly embrace tolerance and inclusivity.

Chick-Fil-A did not cave in to ‘hateful’ gays, insists Franklin Graham

Last updated on: November 22, 2019 at 2:31 pm By Barry Duke

THE Christian bigotry of S Truett Cathy, above, founder of a chain of food outlets who went to Glory Everlasting in 2014 aged 93, remains firmly embedded in the company, according to evangelist Franklin Graham.

How does he know this? Because Graham, enraged by last week’s statement by the company that will stop donating to anti-gay organisations, got straight onto the phone to Chick-fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy, and demanded to know whether it was true that the company would be ceasing charitable donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

While critics have accused Chick-fil-A of capitulating to LGBT activists, Graham insisted that, off the back of his call with Cathy, it was clear that this was not the case. In a Facebook post yesterday, the evangelist wrote:

Dan was very clear that they have not bowed down to anyone’s demands, including the LGBTQ community. They will continue to support whoever they want to support. They haven’t changed who they are or what they believe. Chick-fil-A remains committed to Christian values. Dan Cathy assured me that this isn’t going to change. I hope all those who jumped to the wrong conclusion about them read this.

The preacher concluded that the LGBT crowd’s “hatred for Chick-fil-A” is rooted in founder S Truett Cathy’s strong stand for biblical “traditional” values and “his desire to honor God,” values that he insists are still very much alive at the highest echelons of the company.

No fast food chain does a better job. I went through the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A yesterday morning, and I thought I might get dinner there – but a whole lot of other people had the same idea! A Chick-fil-A sandwich with waffle fries sounds really good right now!

Graham suggested that:

The gay movement wouldn’t ever be happy with Chick-fil-A unless they were open on Sunday, gave all of their charitable donations to LGBTQ organizations, and flew the rainbow flag over their stores!

Despite Graham’s claims, Chick-fil-A has not issued any official statements regarding the specific reasons for why they dropped The Salvation Army and FCA in particular, nor have they expressed a view on the group’s Biblically-informed positions on sexuality.

From the little information Chick-fil-A has released on the decision, it appears that it simply had enough to negative press reports, which led to the impending closure of its first UK outlet.

Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos told BisNow of the company’s controversial decision.

We need to be clear about who we are. There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.

On the company’s future donations, a BisNow report noted that:

Partners could include faith-based and non-faith-based charities, but the company said none of the organisations have anti-LGBT positions.

Writing for Faithwire, Will Maule, said:

It is unclear what BizNow [sic], or Chick-fil-A for that matter, would define as ‘anti-LGBT.’

The chain did explicitly state that it would be refocusing charitable funds toward the tackling of issues such as “hunger and homelessness.”

Maule commented:

That’s a confusing assertion in itself, not least because the Salvation Army is internationally renowned for its work in helping the poor and homeless – something the charity honed in on when responding to the controversy.

The Salvation Army itself entered the fray by issuing a statement that said:

We serve more than 23 million individuals a year, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, we believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population.

The Salvation Army was mocked in Spain by two partipants at Benidorm’s 2018 Pride event. Photo: Barry Duke

The Salvation Army’s statement went on to call upon the public to avoid spreading “misinformation” about the church’s stance on LGBTQ issues.

When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk

We urge the public to seek the truth before rushing to ill-informed judgment and greatly appreciate those partners and donors who ensure that anyone who needs our help feels safe and comfortable to come through our doors.

Fanatics cry ‘capitulation’ after Chick-Fil-A ends religious donations

Last updated on: November 19, 2019 at 7:21 pm By Barry Duke

RELIGIOUS news outlets are beside themselves with fury following an announcement by US fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A that it is to stop funding the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

For example, beneath the headline “Chick-Fil-A Surrenders to LGBT Bullies,” homophobe Rod Dreher, above, writing for The American Conservative said in a lengthy rant:

I despise the LGBT bullies, but I’m not letting Chick-fil-A’s leadership off the hook …

Shame on you, Chick-fil-A. You had no reason to capitulate. You have successfully resisted the mob for years, and built a booming business in spite of it! But capitulate you did. I love Chick-fil-A, but it’s going to be a while before I go there again. This is nothing but gutless surrender.

And it’s a lesson to all of us. The LGBT lobby, and their progressive allies, will never, ever leave you alone. Never. You watch: within five years, Chick-fil-A will be embracing woke advertising campaigns. Just this morning, I was looking across the breakfast table at my kids’ cereal box, saw this rainbow, and wondered why Honey Nut Cheerios had gone gay.

Meanwhile, over at LifeSiteNews, Calvin Freiburger squealed:

For years Chick-fil-A has risen in the fast-food ranks thanks in no small part to its proud Christian identity. But in a stunning reversal, the chicken restaurant announced Monday that it will end charitable donations to several Christian groups branded by pro-LGBT activists as ‘anti-gay.’

For years, LGBT activists have attempted to brand Chick-fil-A as ‘hateful’ due to CEO Dan Cathy’s stated opposition to same-sex ‘marriage’ and the company’s donations to social conservative groups such as Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. But while the company has no shortage of detractors in politics and media, the complaints have fallen on deaf ears among actual customers.

Freiburger ends by publishing the contact details of the company, and urges Christians to voice their complaints.

What put a spike up Dreher and Freiburger’s arses is a Monday statement from the company that sent shockwaves through the ranks of True Believers™. It announced it was making a major change to perhaps the most controversial part of the company: its charitable-giving arm.

The company said it would:

Deepen its giving to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger.

A Chick-fil-A representative confirmed that the company would no longer donate to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army, two organisations that have been criticised by LGBTQ advocates.

The rep said:

We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018. Moving forward you will see that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support the three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger and education.

According to Business Insider, Chick-fil-A has faced backlash for its donations and those of its top executives for years. Before 2012, Chick-fil-A made significant donations to right-wing and religious organisations known for lobbying against LGBTQ rights through the WinShape Foundation.

It stopped making donations to almost all of those controversial groups after facing backlash in 2012, when CEO Dan Cathy said he did not support same-sex marriage. However, the company continued its relationships with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army.

Rodney Bullard, the head of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, defended the donations in an interview with Business Insider earlier this year, saying they were:

Relevant and impactful in the community. For us, that’s a much higher calling than any political or cultural war that’s being waged.

The latest protest against the company took place last week. Dozens of students at West Linn High School in Oregon participated in a walk-out over the presence of a Chick-fil-A food truck at football games. The protest was organised by the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn

Chick-fil-A’s Texas airport exclusion has escalated into a major row

Last updated on: April 1, 2019 at 12:08 pm By Barry Duke

A COUPLE of days ago the Friendly Atheist reported that former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, above, went into melt-down over the fact that the San Antonio City Council voted last week to exclude Christian-operated Chick-fil-A from a list of proposed food outlets for San Antonio International Airport.

Huckabee said on the Todd Starnes Radio Show:

I wish that Chick-fil-A would sue the city of San Antonio It’s a restraint of trade. It’s really denying them the ability to do business.

We now learn that Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton has entered the fray, and is pushing for both state and federal investigations into the matter.

Paxton sent letters dated March 28 to Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the city council notifying them that he has:

Directed my office to open an investigation into whether the City’s action violates state law.

He has also written to US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao requesting that her department investigate whether the decision:

Violates various federal statutes and regulations to which the City is subject as a recipient of Department of Transportation grant funds.

There is no evidence indicating that Chick-fil-A has ever maintained any policy or practice of discriminating against any group of people, and the City offered no such evidence as the basis of its action. Indeed, shortly after the City’s decision was announced, a member of the City Council who dissented from the City’s decision openly apologized to the Chairman of Chick-fil-A, noting that the restaurant ‘employs and serves everyone, without prejudice, discrimination or hate.’

Furthermore, Chick-Fil-A apparently agreed in the present instance to abide by all applicable nondiscrimination rules imposed by the contract with the City.

The “Jesus Chicken” chain as some call it, was one of several vendors the company Paradies Lagardère proposed adding to the airport’s Terminal A, but its inclusion was voted down 6-4 last week. Councilman Roberto Treviño accused the company of a “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behaviour” and claimed that its mere presence would harm travelers’ ability:

To feel welcome when they walk through our airport.

For years, liberals have advocated boycotting the Christian-owned chain due to CEO Dan Cathy’s stated opposition to same-sex marriage and the company’s past donations to hate groups such as Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. Most recently, activists have objected to recently released tax filings showing that the company donated more than $1.8 million in 2017 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the Salvation Army, all of which have been attacked as anti-LGBT for taking traditional biblical stances on homosexuality.

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz criticised the City Council’s decision as “ridiculous” and inconsistent with the Lone Star State’s values.

One council member, Manny Pelaez, who voted to exclude the outlet, is having second thoughts.

Before the vote, I originally was thinking of ways to get more San Antonio-based restaurants in the airport. We were looking for local restaurants because we have a lot as a city to offer here. The second reason I was thinking to replace Chick-fil-A was because they close on Sundays and I wanted a business that stayed open during that time. Number three, the news broke out about where some were upset about their charitable giving.

Then I made comments about Chick-fil-A and what I had been told about their practices, which were perceived as hostile toward the LGBTQ community. I said things that were not accurate. Turns out, Chick-fil-A actually does protect its employees from harassment and discrimination at the workplace. They got policies and enforce those policies. Their charitable giving is innocuous.

Pelaez added that he recently went so far as to meet with 40 religious leaders to apologise.

The Texas-based First Liberty Institute has also called for a religious discrimination investigation into the matter, and Republican Texas representative Chip Roy said it would be:

Unfortunate if the council’s decision negatively impacted our ability to effectively advocate for San Antonio in Congress due to such rampant discriminatory action against a well regarded business with such a significant presence in our communities in central Texas and across the nation.

Hospital staff get an earful of Jesus from critically ill preacher

Last updated on: August 2, 2021 at 4:42 pm By Barry Duke

THE headline in today’s Christian Post reads “Billy Graham’s grandson shares Gospel with hospital staff while battling COVID in ICU.”

It goes on to gloomily report that Billy Graham’s grandson, Jonathan Lotz (pictured) – son of Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the late evangelist Graham – is critically ill with Covid-19, but that he’s using his time to “bring the good news of Jesus” to hospital staff.

The report say that Anne Graham Lotz, pictured above with her son, revealed in a Facebook post that he had told her:

I am continually pouring over the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) in ICU. I have had the privilege of sharing Jesus with the ER & ICU staff! What a Savior! God is so good!

Graham Lotz called for prayers and added:

He is not on a ventilator at this time. Please be encouraged that God is hearing and answering your prayers – just please don’t let up. Pray he will not have to go on a ventilator, that his oxygen levels would increase, that his lungs will be strengthened, healed and that his health will be fully restored – with no long term complications. My heart is filled with gratitude for your prayers.

Fifty years ago I could hold my son in my arms. Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus.

The Independent reports that Jonathan Lotz, 51, is an ordained minister and a cancer survivor, who previously worked with his grandfather – a man considered to be one of the most influential Christian leaders of all time.

It is so far unknown if Mr Lotz has received the Covid-19 vaccine.

In 2018 it was reported that, in addition to being a minister, he was the manager of a “Jesus Chicken” food outlet in Clemmons, North Carolina – Chick-fil-A, a faith-based chain of eateries that’s long been boycotted by LGBT communities for its support of anti-gay causes.

The chain was most recently in the headlines when students at Notre Dame University in Indiana protested against a branch being opened on its campus. A letter written a local newspaper, The Observer, said

Bringing Chick-fil-A to campus would run contrary to Notre Dame’s commitment to inclusion and desire to create good in the world.

That letter was signed by nearly 180 students and staff.

Hat tip: Stephen Harvie

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Profit trumps health: faith-based US hobby chain to remain open

Last updated on: March 23, 2020 at 2:52 pm By Barry Duke

THE billionaire Christian owners of the Hobby Lobby chain – David and Barbara Green – last week notified staff that they intended keeping their stores open during the COVID-19 pandemic because Babs got a message from On High saying that staff would be protected by the power of prayer.

In a letter sent to staff, David Green – who has an estimated net worth of more than $6 billion – revealed that his wife was a “prayer warrior” who’d been in touch with the Almighty:

In her quiet prayer time this past week, the Lord put on Barbara’s heart three profound words to remind us that He’s in control. Guide, Guard, and Groom. We serve a God who will guide us through this storm, who will Guard us as we travel to places never seen before, and who, as a result of this experience, will Groom us to be better than we could have ever thought possible before now.

Hobby Lobby, which is based in Oklahoma, is the nation’s largest privately-owned arts and crafts store with over 900 locations across the nation and 43,000 employees.

As stated on their official website, Hobby Lobby is taking precautionary methods to prevent shoppers and employees from catching COVID-19, such as “enhanced cleaning” and prohibiting “all international travel,” but they have not shut their doors, and employees are expected to show up for work.

The statement added:

If an employee is suspected of having COVID-19 based on symptoms and/or known direct or indirect exposure, we will send that employee for medical care and to self-isolate at home, and will promptly coordinate with public health officials.

His March 19 letter was addressed to “all the wonderful employees of Hobby Lobby and Mardel” and said:

To help ensure our Company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes, we may all to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future’… I ask that you all pray for our health and a return to normalcy very soon.

This did not go down well on social media. Among the many who slammed the company was Democrat politician, author, human rights campaigner and attorney Qasim Rashid, above, who in January announced his candidacy for Virginia’s District 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives, tweeted:

Hobby Lobby CEO David Green is worth $6.4B

He could give every one of HL’s 32K employees a $100K check & still have $3.2B

Instead – he pays his cashiers $10/hr, denies them paid sick leave, is warning they’ll have to ‘tighten their belts,’ & is making them work during #Covid_19

Like the Jesus chicken chain, Chick-Fil-A, Hobby Lobby is no stranger to controversy. In 2014, it went to the Supreme Court to fight against having to be required to supply employees with birth control in their healthcare coverage.

Hobby Lobby believes that birth control amounts to abortion, and didn’t want to pay for such contraception because of their Christian values. In Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, The Supreme Court ultimately voted 5-4 in Hobby Lobby’s favour.

In 2017, Green and his family donated $500 million to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. In 2018, Hobby Lobby was forced to pay a $3 million fine after illegally smuggling ancient stone and clay artifacts into America from Iraq.

‘Atheist’ gets red carpet treatment at ‘Christian Oscars’ ceremony

Last updated on: February 25, 2020 at 1:55 pm By Barry Duke

BENEATH the headline ‘Atheists who see Christianity as good for society’ the Christian Post reveals that Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies, above, best known for playing the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings films, strongly defended Christianity at last week’s Movieguide awards ceremony, a celebration of piss-poor faith-based movies.

Rhys-Davies told the Christian Post:

We seem to forget that Christian civilisation has made the world a better place … We owe Christianity the greatest debt of thanks that a generation can ever have, and to slight it and to dismiss it as being irrelevant is the detritus of rather ill-read minds, I think.

Is Rhys-Davies, as the headline suggest, really an atheist? Wikipedia describes him as a “rationalist” and a “skeptic” and also points out that the ardent Brexiteer one became a poster boy for the fascist British National Party for his anti-Islamic views.

He also garnered praise for his views in National Vanguard, an American white nationalist, neo-Nazi organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Way Back Machine link in the Wiki footnotes No 26).

The Christian Post reports that Rhys-Davies, who recently starred in an animated adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress and is the lead in an upcoming biopic of Saint Patrick, said he often finds himself sticking up for Jesus in his line of work.

Rhys-Davis is just one of many skeptics, atheists, and secularists of late who reject the rhetoric of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris and recognize the immense good the Gospel has done for the world. Whereas the so-called New Atheists slandered Christianity as being backward and poisonous, a new crop of unbelievers see it as beneficial, beautiful, and maybe even in some limited sense, true.

As for Movieguide, I love it because it’s a great resource for finding top class films. If Movieguide uses the the word “abhorrent” – as it frequently does to describe a film – you can be sure that it’s well worth watching. In 2018 I wrote a piece pointing out that Movieguide went on the warpath against the Kevin Hart comedy Night School. It warned that the movie contains:

Irreverent portrayals of a Christian chicken restaurant patterned after Chick-fil-A … Teddy’s job at a restaurant called Christian Chicken has him wearing a chicken suit while holding a sign out front that says its food is ‘heavenly’, and yelling ‘Honk once if you love chicken, honk twice if you love the Lord!’

There’s also a scene where he tries to break free from taking part in an employee prayer circle. This scenes [sic] and the restaurant’s overly happy Christian boss sometimes appear to be mocking Christians.

But a 2017 that really sent Movieguide into outrage overdrive was the highly-acclaimed The Shape of Water, which it described as “a vile lust story.“

The underlying worldview in the movie is that our sexual impulses aren’t something that should be suppressed or rebuked, but instead should be lived out totally and openly. This is no surprise coming from [Guillermo] del Toro since his last movie centered around an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister.

This is absolutely abhorrent and detrimental to society. Add on the fact that The Shape of Water has extreme violence, strong foul language, and lots of political correctness, it’s one of the worst movies in recent years, a movie that every viewer should want to avoid.

The Shape of Water was named one of the ten best films of the year, was considered one of del Toro’s finest since Pan’s Labyrinth, and it won numerous awards.

Texas judge sues for being reprimanded over same-sex marriages

Last updated on: December 18, 2019 at 5:40 pm By Barry Duke

‘BIBLE-believing’ judge Dianne Hensley wants $10,000 in compensation for an alleged violation of her religious rights.

That violation, according to the wacko from Waco, took the form of a public warning she received last year from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct for refusing to perform same-sex marriages.

A Justice of the Peace in McLennan County, Hensley is a devout Christian who said her conscience prohibited her from doing same-sex weddings. She felt she was entitled to a “religious exemption” from performing them.

The complaint lodged against Hensley said that while Hensley would perform traditional marriages she refused to conduct same-sex marriages.

Hensley made the decision to not perform weddings that went against her beliefs after the US Supreme Court ruled on same-sex couples marrying as a constitutional right in the Obergefell decision.

Instead, she vowed to “politely refer” gay couples to others who would perform the service.

Hensley responded by appealing to her right to follow her beliefs as she sees fit.

For providing a solution to meet a need in my community while remaining faithful to my religious beliefs, I received a ‘Public Warning.’ No one should be punished for that.

According to the Texas Tribune, Hensley believes the state violated the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and is seeking a

Declaratory judgment from the court decreeing that any justice of the peace may refuse to officiate a same-sex wedding if the commands of their religious faith forbid them to participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The First Liberty Institute, first port of call for “persecuted Christians” – a law firm closely aligned with the Texas Attorney General’s Office – will represent the Hensley in the lawsuit filed yesterday (Tuesday) in McLennan County District Court.

The public warning issued by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct on November 12, 2018, did not carry a fine. But Hensley claims the investigation and warning:

Substantially burdened the free exercise of her religion, with no compelling justification.

That’s why she is seeking damages of $10,000.

Her attorney on the case, Jonathan Mitchell, is a former Solicitor General of Texas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has made religious liberty a priority of his office, has worked alongside the First Liberty Institute in the past, including on a lawsuit against the city of San Antonio after it banned Chick-fil-A from opening a location in its airport.

A spokesman for the Attorney General’s office said the State Commission on Judicial Conduct is an independent agency authorised to represent itself in legal proceedings, “which it typically does.” It has not yet asked the AG’s office for representation, but can, he added.

The interim Executive Director of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct said the agency had not yet been served with the lawsuit and had no comment.

Hensley’s case has already generated significant public attention. Two former members of the state’s disciplinary board for judges claim Governor Greg Abbott ousted them for initially voting to sanction a Hensley.

Abbott appointed Amy Suhl, a retired technology executive, and Maricela Alvarado, a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Army, to the commission in June 2018 for terms set to expire in 2023. But in a highly unusual move, the Governor’s office ultimately excluded them from a list of appointees up for confirmation from the Texas Senate, effectively axing them from the agency.

The appointees said the governor’s office claimed he had “decided to go in a different direction”, but they believe they were ousted because they had favoured penalising Hensley.

Suhl said:

What the Governor’s doing is wrong. They’re not supposed to be trying to coerce people to vote a certain way. It’s just not right.

A spokesman for the governor said all nominations are based on merit.

Ricardo Martinez, above, CEO of Equality Texas, said in a statement that as a justice of the peace, Hensley took an oath:

To serve all Texans. These elected officials continue to waste taxpayer money in an obsession to discriminate against gay and transgender Texans. This is not what Texans want or expect from elected officials. Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. Their actions are mean spirited, futile, a waste of taxpayer money and most importantly, it’s wrong.

UK school apologises for telling kids the truth about Santa

Last updated on: December 18, 2019 at 12:12 pm By Barry Duke

TRUE story*: an American kid aged 4 is taken by his mum into a play area at branch of Chick-Fil-A before it abandoned its Christian values. There he loudly declared that Santa Claus and Jesus Christ aren’t real. He compounds the offence by saying he is Jesus Christ! Mayhem ensues.

His mum wrote:

Chick-fil-A asked us not to return … I am apparently the lesbian mother of the second coming of Christ.

I was reminded of that incident when I learned today that Archbishop Sentamu School in Hull has been forced to apologise after its deputy head told pupils “there is no Father Christmas”.

The comments were made during an assembly where pupils were asked to focus on Jesus this festive season instead of Santa

The deputy teacher is reported to have told pupils:

Christmas isn’t a time for presents, parties or dinners. It is a time for remembering the baby Jesus and the miracle of his birth, because as we all know there is no Father Christmas.

The aunt of one boy is said to have been shocked:

He is only 11, and we were in the queue with his younger brother to meet Santa at a grotto, and he whispered to me that Father Christmas wasn’t real. I asked him what he meant and who told him that, and he said a teacher had told all of the kids in assembly.

I didn’t want to say anything too much at that time, because there were lots of children around, but he finally told me the whole story later on.

According to the woman, identified only as “Amy”, her nephew had remained “tight-lipped and upset” by the teacher’s comments, and he only spoke about what he heard days after the assembly.

He told me the teacher kept going on about Jesus, instead of Father Christmas, so I told him Christmas can be about whatever you want it to be.

I told him Father Christmas is magic and so is Jesus, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to believe in both.

The school have no right to ruin the magic of Christmas for anyone.

Archbishop Sentamu Academy has apologised for any upset that has been caused, adding that the assembly in question was focused on the celebration of advent.

Academy principal Chay Bell said:

We as an academy are deeply sorry for any upset that has been caused. It was certainly not our intention to do that.

The collective worship over a week ago was focused on advent. As you would expect for a Church of England School our focus was on the birth of Christ and the second coming.

A colleague who carried out the collective worship said advent is about the arrival of Jesus and not Father Christmas.

We did have a concerned parent who contacted the academy and that colleague has spoken to that parent and apologised. It was certainly not intentional to upset any students.

* I discovered the Chick-Fil-A story here (scroll down to No. 62). Here’s another corker from the Bored Panda site (No 52):

The priest stood up for the second time to speak at my grandson’s Christening yesterday and as he began to speak my 5 year old son yelled, “Oh no, not again”.

Hats off to Montana pupils for opposing an anti-gay Christian club

Last updated on: November 19, 2019 at 9:51 pm By Barry Duke

STUDENTS at Bozeman High School in Montana are protesting against a Christian club that’s part of a national organisation which had been receiving funds from US fast food outlet, Chick-Fil-A.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was in the news yesterday (Monday) as a result of Chick-Fil-A’s statement that it would stop funding the FCA as well as the Salvation Army.

Also in the news yesterday was the Montana FCA, headed by Bob Veroulis, above, who has found himself at the centre of a row at Bozeman High School, where students let it be known that they won’t tolerate the club’s biblical beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

FCA’s National Statement of Faith says:

God instituted marriage between one man and one woman as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.

Their protest prompted the school to tell the club that it has to abandon this nonsensical stance or forget about being an official school club.

Earlier this year, four female students spoke out against the FCA club and its position on homosexual relationships. The girls, above, argued that FCA’s statement of faith goes against Bozeman’s motto which encourages “acceptance, respect, and integrity.”

The girls also disagree with the FCA’s pledge to abstain from sexual relations until marriage.

A beleaguered Veroulis, State Director of the Montana FCA, insists the group does not discriminate against any students or require children to sign purity pledges. But it does require adult leaders to ensure they represent the FCA’s values.

Bozeman School Superintendent Bob Connors said:

We’re happy the girls did come forward. They’ve handled it appropriately. I’m glad they took an active role in questioning the policy and procedures.

He added in this report:

We want to make sure it’s an inclusive place where every student is treated the same and has the same access to any club or activity, and so the inclusion factor is very important to us.

The school district gave the Bozeman High FCA two options – disassociate from the national organisation, change its name and follow the school district’s policy on inclusion or remain with the FCA but no longer be recognised as a school club.