By Christy Barritt

FDA Considers Allowing Three-Parent Babies

In February, a U.S. advisory board within the Food and Drug Administration met to discuss the possibility of allowing babies to be created from the DNA of three people. Officials said their goal in pursuing this technology was to prevent major genetic diseases from being passed from mother to child.

Three-parent babies would be formed by combining the eggs of two women, using only healthy DNA from each. That egg would then be fertilized to produce an embryo.

A top U.S. researcher said his goal with this new research was to “replace these mutated genes, which by nature have become pathogenic to humans.”

The issue has raised ethical questions. Critics believe allowing this would lead to “designer babies” and fear other genetic ramifications years down the road.

So far this method has only been used on monkeys. If the FDA approves it, human testing could begin for the first time.

Homeless Jesus Sculpture Finds Home

A controversial sculpture called “Jesus the Homeless” has finally found a permanent home with a North Carolina congregation.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church of Davidson officially installed the artwork on their property. Sculpted by a Canadian, it shows Jesus lying on a seven-foot-long bench covered in a blanket, a reference to Matthew 25.

People have had mixed reactions to the sculpture. In fact, other churches rejected the chance to display the piece. Some reported displeasure with the artwork, saying that Jesus wasn’t a vagrant or a homeless person who needed our help.

Other people said they were grateful that the sculpture had gotten people talking about the issue of homelessness and how to be Christ within the community by treating the least of these as if they were Jesus.

Preacher Partners with Casino to Find Jobs

A minister in Baltimore recently helped city leaders find qualified workers to fill 1,700 jobs at a new casino.

Alvin Hathaway said helping his church members find employment is one of his top priorities. His church, Union Baptist, is located in the Upton neighborhood where the average income for a family of four is $13,000.

Job interview stations were set up at the church for potential employees after services. Nearly 130 church members attended.

He received some criticism for his efforts, however. Some said he shouldn’t promote jobs in the gambling industry.

Hathaway told The Christian Post that people of faith could work in the industry without being tainted or polluted.

Gunmen Execute Christians in Libya

Gunmen in Libya went door-to-door in February, hunting down Christian residents and executing them. Seven Christians were found horrifically murdered in this way.

Witnesses said that the gunmen asked residents to identify themselves as Muslim or Christian. The Christians were dragged into the streets and killed with a bullet through the head.

The area where this took place was near Benghazi. Other Christians have been killed in the country recently, including an American Christian chemistry teacher, a U.K. man, and a woman from New Zealand. Extremists have also burned down churches.

Open Doors, a persecution watchdog group, reported that since the Libyan government was overthrown, nearly 75 percent of Christians have fled the country.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons.
www.christybarritt.com