By Jonathan Howe
“On the Horizon” is a preview of newsworthy events coming within the next week.
Patterson in Focus
All eyes in the Southern Baptist Convention are on Fort Worth, Texas, this week as the trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary meet to discuss the future of the school and that of embattled president Paige Patterson. The seminary leader recently expressed regret for his past comments about women. With the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in three weeks, the future of Patterson as the president of SWBTS and his role in the annual meeting will likely be decided Tuesday.
More Papal Babble
Fox News is attributing a quote to Pope Francis indicating a softened stance on homosexuality. According to reports, the pope told a gay man that “God made you that way and loves you.” This would be an about-face to the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex relations. The Vatican is expected to address the validity of the comments this week.
Watching the Watchers
President Trump is requesting the Department of Justice to look into campaign spying allegations at the FBI. The claims stem from repeated allegations of the FBI infiltrating the Trump campaign to spy on it for the Obama administration.
Santa Fe Strong
Churches in southeast Houston are comforting victims and those affected by Friday’s school shooting that took the lives of 10 people at Santa Fe High School. Funerals for the victims are expected to be this week.
Immigration Roundtable This Week
With all the talk of trade wars with China and breaking deals with Iran, immigration has moved to the back burner in the geopolitical realm. This week, it returns front and center as President Trump hosts an immigration roundtable at the White House just a week after labeling some immigrants as “animals” in a meeting with California leaders.
Be sure to check FactsAndTrends.net throughout the week for continued coverage of these stories and much more.
JONATHAN HOWE (@Jonathan_Howe) is Director of Strategic Initiatives at Lifeway Christian Resources.
