Welcome to G3 Weekly—a summary of this week’s top news stories on Christianity and the public square.
This week, a young Christian street preacher was arrested as he read from the Bible near a drag queen performance targeted for children. A court in the nation of Chile ruled in favor of education freedom for parents. Meanwhile, the Ark Encounter was identified as the most popular tourist attraction in the state of Kentucky.
Young Christian Arrested while Reading the Bible
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
Marcus Schroeder, a young Christian who lives in Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with unlawfully using noise amplification while reading the Bible at a drag queen event.
Footage of the incident circulated on social media this week showing multiple police officers surrounding Schroeder, forcefully removing a microphone from his hands, and leading him away in handcuffs. The young street preacher said in an interview with the Republic Sentinel that he did not regret his arrest, sharing his desire to protect the children and share the gospel.
“Jesus told us to disciple the nations and teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded us, and part of the nations includes the culture,” he told the outlet. “It’s not that we’re just trying to get political. This is God’s world, and people have to live by God’s rules.”
National media outlets covered the drag show in Wisconsin because an alleged Nazi group protested a portion of the drag performance. Jason Storms, a minister at the church where Schroeder is a member, affirmed to the Republic Sentinel that the Christians had no affiliation with the Nazis, while some young Christians even attempted to preach the gospel to them.
Schroeder and other Christians present at the drag show noted that Wisconsin law forbids exposing minors to sexually explicit conduct, although the police did not arrest the performers.
Chilean Court Rules in Favor of Homeschoolers
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the LORD” (Ephesians 6:4).
An appeals court in the nation of Chile ruled in favor of a student and his parents desiring to receive an education remotely through a foreign-based homeschool program.
José Antonio Widow Aldunate and his parents, Felipe and Carolina, sought legal relief after the Chilean Ministry of Education refused to recognize the high school diploma he earned virtually from a school based in Texas, preventing him from applying to universities. Judges ruled unanimously, however, that the degree from the foreign institution was legitimate, according to a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom International.
“This is a victory for rights of parents in Chile in line with the guarantees of international human rights law,” Alliance Defending Freedom International Director of Advocacy for Latin America Tomás Henríquez said in the release. “Parents in Chile, under both the Chilean constitution and international law, have every right to choose the type of education that they believe is best for their children, even programs abroad.”
Educational freedom and parental rights for homeschoolers vary across countries. Nations such as Germany entirely forbid homeschooling, a reality which offers difficulties to parents who desire explicitly Christian education for their children. Homeschooling remains legal in the United States but has been increasingly opposed in recent years by some progressives.
Ark Encounter Named Most Popular Attraction in Kentucky
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Ark Encounter, a theme park constructed as a large representation of Noah’s Ark, was named the most popular tourist attraction in the state of Kentucky.
The educational museum has garnered 60,000 searches online over the past twelve months, according to an analysis from Bet Kentucky, showing that interest in the attraction exceeded interest in Churchill Downs, which is the home of the Kentucky Derby.
Ark Encounter was created by Ken Ham, an apologist who engages in debates with secular atheists about young earth creationism. “As we answer questions that will point people to the truth of God’s Word, we also clearly present them with the gospel,” he recently said on social media. “We’ve never hidden the fact that evangelism is our ultimate purpose.”
