Several Items of Interest

Only 57 Churches Remain in Iraq, Down From 300 in 2003
Iraq had 300 churches and 1.4 million Christians in 2003, but now only 57 churches and about half a million Christians remain, with members of the minority fleeing Islamist attacks, the Christian Post reports.  "The last 10 years have been the worst for Iraqi Christians because they bore witness to the biggest exodus and imigration in the history of Iraq." said WilliamWarda, head of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, a registered local non-governmental organization.  Patriarch Louis Sako of the Chaldean Church said the remaining 57 churches also continue to be targeted.  Iraqi Christians have faced several bomb attacks, killings, abductions, torture and forced conversions to Islam ever since the U.S.-led liberation war began in 2003.  Christians have not only been targeted for their faith by al Qaeda and related terror groups, but have also been caught in the crossfire of the Arab-Kurd and Shi'a-Sunni conflicts, which rose to new heights after the 2003 U.S. operations.

Oregon High School Creates Unisex Bathrooms for Transgender Students
An Oregon high school has created six unisex bathrooms to be used by transgender students, Fox News reports.  Officials at Portland's Grant High School, the district's largest, say four student restrooms and two staff restrooms will be open to all students, but create an option for five to 10 transgeneder students at the school.  The move is a first in the district and an unusual move for a K-12 school when compared to others in the country.  Typically, according to The Oregonian,  schools make staff or other small bathrooms available.  "We just need to make sure that all students are safe and comfortable here, and that they have their needs met," said Kristyn Westphal, Grant High vice principal.  "If they feel unsafe using the bathroom, that's a problem."  The conversion cost less than $500, most coming from changing to interior locks.

Rob Bell Affirms Gay Marriage
Rob Bell, controversial author and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, affirmed and openly endorsed gay marriage Sunday at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in response to a question regarding same-sex marriage , the Christian Research Network reports.  Bell said: "I am for marriage, I am for fidelity.  I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man.  I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs  -  I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are."  Bell went on the say that while it used to be fair to equate evangelicals with social conservatism, that assumption no longer holds true.  "I think we're witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn't work," he said.  "...We have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive.  And we've done it in the name of God and we need to repent." Bell is known for quesitoning, challenging and redefining the beliefs of orthodox Christianity.  His book Love Wins caused a stir by discounting the existence of hell and his newest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, is said to "tackle misconceptions about God."

Kansas House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill Declaring Life Begins at Fertilization
Members of the Kansas House of Representatives have overwhelmingly passed a sweeping abortion bill that, among other regulations, declares life begins at fertilization, the Christian News Network reports.  The bill declares: "The legislature hereby finds and declares the following: (1) The life of each unborn human being begins at fertilization; (2) unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected, and (3) the parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health and well-being of the unborn children of such parents." HR 2253, which passed the House 92 to 31, also restrains the abortion industry in a number of ways, including prohibiting abortionists from receiving tax breaks, barring doctors in training at the state medical school from performing abortions on state time, requiring that all abortionists notify women of the risks associated with abortion, and prohibiting organizations that perform abortions from teaching in state sexual education classes.  The bill will make its way through the state Senate in the near future, and is expected to pass.  If it passes the Senate, it will move to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback for signing.  Brownback, a Roman Catholic, has remarked in the past that he would sign any pro-life bill into law that made it to his desk.

( Religion Today Daily Headlines, March 19, 22 & 26, 2013)