Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 4327 into law on Wednesday, banning most abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, with the measure being enforced via litigation brought by private citizens. While Stitt had previously signed a six-week abortion ban, this new law–which was modeled off of a Texas law– bars abortions through the entire length of a pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest, and life-threatening medical emergency for the mother. "From the moment life begins at conception is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect that baby's life and the life of the mother. That is what I believe and that is what the majority of Oklahomans believe. If other states want to pass different laws, that is their right, but in Oklahoma, we will always stand up for life," Stitt declared. Read more.

The Arizona Department of Education's list of student resources includes links to LGBT-themed chat rooms where minor children can discuss gender and sexuality, possibly without their parents' knowledge. The ADE website directs students to the Gender Spectrum and Q Chat Space under its "Online Chat Spaces." The site also includes information about local and national LGBT organizations. The Arizona Department of Education, Gender Spectrum and Q Chat Space did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. Read more.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's recent comments blaming "fundamentalist Christians" for the "theocratic" push against abortion and suggesting that Judaism is OK with abortion have drawn the ire of some non-Christians. The New York City lawmaker took to Instagram last Thursday to write, "[T]here are so many faiths that do not have the same definition of life as fundamentalist Christians," she said, expressing concern about the ability of non-Christians to "exercise their faith. "It's ridiculous and it is theocratic, it's authoritarian, it is wrong." Public figures were quick to criticize the progressive leader, with The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, saying, "Explain to me where in Jewish law abortion is widely permissible. I’m waiting to hear, rabbi." Terrisa Bukovinac, a pro-life atheist and the founder of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, also pushed back against Ocasio-Cortez's comments, describing Ocasio-Cortez's "claim that you have to be religious to oppose killing children in their earliest stages of life" as a "lie" being "perpetuated by the Abortion Industrial Complex since before Roe v. Wade." Read more.

Providence Forum Executive Director Jerry Newcombe discusses the U.S. border crisis and why problems will worsen should the Biden administration get its way with an expiration of Title 42. Noting the situation is unsustainable and will get far worse with a surge of millions of additional illegal immigrants crossing the U.S. border, Newcombe draws on expert analysis to caution that an influx of human trafficking, terrorists, and drug smugglers awaits. Pointing to New York City's latest move allowing non-citizens to vote, Newcombe quotes radio host Kerby Anderson: "I think the hope is that these might be future Democratic voters. And so what we'll do is we'll just kind of incrementally allow non-citizens to vote." Read more.

Dr. Michael Brown writes about the tragedy of mass shootings and why partisan politics must be set aside to create real solutions. Pointing to an array of school shootings that have occurred in recent years, Brown concludes, "[W]hen it comes to the terrible, inexcusable loss of children’s lives on our watch, we must put away our pet peeves and our partisan politics, and we must ask: "To the best of our ability, what can we do together to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future without turning our country into a giant, authoritarian police state?" Read more.

Starting Over // S09E09 We are all broken, whether we realize it or not. We are all rebellious, whether we realize it or not. And we all need Christ, whether we think we do or do not. When we realize our need for Him, for His leadership in our lives we can finally be made... Listen Now

The Pantry Podcast | Spiritual Nutrition for Christians Craving Christ A Bible-rooted podcast for Christians looking to curb harmful cravings and increase their daily intake of Christ. / Are you unsure how to have a personal relationship with Jesus? Do you struggle to see how God’s Word and God himself tie into your daily life? Find yourself constantly back where you started? Husband/wife team Shea and Michelle Watson (and their amazing guests!) serve up spiritual nutrition to jumpstart your detox from the junk that does more harm than good so that you’re at your best for the spiritual battles that come your way. God isn’t just a spice on the shelf—He’s the whole meal.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and some pastors and church leaders are using the month as an opportunity to urge their congregations to shatter the stigma that mental health always boils down to a "spiritual issue." Licensed clinical social worker Ryan Albrecht, a private psychotherapist practitioner, preached a guest sermon Sunday at The Experience Vineyard Church in Rockville Centre, New York, where he said the Church needs to approach mental illness in a way that does not judge based on what someone has attained or what someone looks like, explaining anyone can have a mental illness. "I love the combination of spiritual direction and therapy at the same time because the whole process [involves getting] to understand our heart, our emotions, how our body is responding. … We're going to separate trauma, emotional content, family relationships—all that," Albrecht said. Read more.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church is suing the former head of its retirement service, Rev. Jerome Harris, and 10 other individuals and entities, alleging a sophisticated scheme to defraud millions from the retirement funds of its pastors. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis. The litigation comes about two months after retired pastor Rev. Cedric V. Alexander filed a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming the denomination lost 70%, or nearly $100 million, from its retirement plan through "foolish" and risky investments that affected around 5,000 plan participants. "Dr. Harris and/or Eaton, without the knowledge (and accordingly, without consent) of AMEC General Board, the AMEC Commission on Retirement Services, or any other AMEC bodies or officers, created various entities that purported to either perform services for the Department or use Department and/or Annuity Plan funds," The AMEC lawsuit says. In the complex scheme alleged by the historically black denomination, Harris repeatedly stole through his professional capacity with AMEC and the help of his alleged accomplices while presenting investors with "a deceptive, false, and grossly inflated value for the Annuity Plan." Read more.

Jill and Derick Dillard, Josh Duggar's sister and brother-in-law, released a statement Thursday in reaction to Josh Duggar's sentencing to more than 12 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The former "Counting On" stars said they are "thankful" the case is over and stressed the sentencing was part of God's "vengeance." The duo wrote, "Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence and still fewer believe he should have received a lighter sentence, God has carried out his vengeance today for his unspeakable criminal activity." Read the full statement here.