Is the Asbury revival spirit spreading?
PLUS: Idaho bill banning trans treatments for children advances and teachers share how they teach "woke" lessons to preschoolers
On February 8, a morning worship service on the campus of Ashbury University turned into an overnight prayer session and then an ongoing revival that has yet to cease as of this writing.
Word spread quickly on social media about the impassioned worship and prayer, and soon people were flocking to the little town of Wilmore, Kentucky — population 6,000 according to The Washington Times — to join with the worshippers.
In the days since, revival has spread to the campuses of Lee University in Tennessee, Cedarville University in Ohio, Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, and the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, among others.
“It can be traced back to movements at Asbury. Students present at Asbury on Thursday night received intentional prayer from Asbury faculty and students which encouraged them to come back and organize the worship night on Monday,” Cumberlands Campus Minister Jacob Ratliff told The Christian Post.
An ongoing prayer and worship gathering on the campus of the Christian university began on Monday and has continued all week. Ratliff said that while he would “hesitate to call it a revival at this point,” he confessed to indeed “seeing significant evidence of the Lord’s work at UC.”
“We have been encouraged by our students’ desires to see Christ exalted. They have organized two worship gatherings that have been impactful for our campus and local community,” he told the Post.
The minister described the original gathering on Monday had “a clear sweetness of the Lord’s presence.”
“Students are continuing to meet regularly and encourage one another through a group chat called the ‘Acts 2:42-47’ group aimed at encouraging prayer and Christian unity,” he explained. “We are aware of two new believers as a result and pray for much fruit in days to come.”
Link: Colleges Across the Country See Spirit-Filled Revival Inspired by Asbury University
The Idaho state House passed a bill this week that make administering so-called “gender-affirming” treatments for children a felony.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Republican-majority House, with just one GOP member voting against.
The “Vulnerable Child Protection Act” was introduced by Rep. Bruce Skaug of Nampa and prohibits all medical intervention on children relating to “gender-affirming” treatment, including surgery, hormones, and puberty blockers.
“If we as a people believe laws should prevent children from smoking, drinking alcohol, getting tattoos, signing legal contracts, how can we possibly think its ok for that child to have these procedures on their bodies before they’re old enough to make those kinds of decisions,” Skaug said when he introduced the bill. “Responsible psychology does not prescribe liposuction for bulimia.”
Interestingly, although the Associated Press noted that House members affirmed that these treatments are not being issued to children in the state of Idaho currently, it still highlighted the views of those who claimed the bill would abjectly impact transgender-identifying children.
The AP also pointed to the stance of major medical associations, including the American Medical Association, which recommend “gender-affirming” care for children.
It is worthy of note that the AMA signed off on an open letter to the Department of Justice last year demanding the agency investigate “journalists” who spread “misinformation” about these treatments, such as the Twitter account Libs of TikTok which had at the time recently shared a video produced Boston Children’s Hospital about its surgeries for minors.
The AP also noted that the legislation was promoted by groups that have also “advocated for anti-abortion legislation,” an subtle attempt to disenfranchise the rights of conservatives to advocate for legislation that aligns with their values, it would appear.
“These children need real help, not medically unnecessary procedures that result in lifelong harms,” said Blaine Conzatti, president of the Idaho Family Policy Center, which lobbied for the legislation.
The bill will now pass to the state Senate, where a similar bill was rejected by Republicans who feared it might impact non-transgender children and could unnecessarily infringe upon parental rights.
Link: Idaho Bill Criminalizes “Gender Affirming” Treatments for Children
Childcare workers in the state of North Carolina were recently required to watch a documentary highlighting how a group of West Coast teachers introduces children to concepts like gender identity and Black Lives Matter.
In the documentary, teachers discuss things like using a “non-binary” doll to explain gender theory to a group of four- and five-year olds or instructing children to write a statement of Black Lives Matters’ beliefs.
In another video, a teacher discusses how he wears a skirt to class to launch conversations with his students.
"I tell the children that I want to wear the skirt, but I want to make sure that I feel safe wearing a skirt in the classroom," he explains. "So I'm just a little bit afraid that someone might laugh or they might feel uncomfortable."
One horrified teacher who attended a training that was provided for childcare professionals to complete the mandatory training required to keep their license in the state told the Washington Free Beacon that it angered her “to the point of tears.”
"Indoctrination and exposure is not developmentally appropriate to a young child's brain development," she wrote in a letter to North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, noting that it was unclear if the parents of the children seen in the video knew what was being taught in their preschool classroom.
"As teachers, it is our responsibility to protect innocent young children, and this feels like child abuse to give such adult and societal ideas pushed as an agenda to very young children," the teacher added.
Link: Teachers Introduce Preschoolers to “Non-Binary” Identities, Black Lives Matter Protests
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