Social Conservative Review - June 15, 2017

June 15, 2017

Dear Friends,

In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, “You have heard it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

This passage in Scripture comes to mind in reflecting on the tragic incident that occurred yesterday in Alexandria, Va., in which a murderous gunman attempted to kill members of Congress and their aides on a baseball field, wounding five. It’s important to ponder and take heed of this vital teaching of Christ in the volatile times in which we live.

Christ is teaching us that when we harbor malicious thoughts about other people in our hearts, they can easily fester into physical action, like angry outbursts and violence. This is why Jesus says that we must go well beyond the avoidance of outright killing. We have to get at the root of the problem, which starts in our hearts. We must root out every thought and attitude that causes us to hate others. (In these polarized times, we must insist on the true definition of “hate,” which is “intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.” Therefore, disagreeing with certain lifestyles and public policies is, by definition, not “hate.”)

This is an important lesson for all of us who are involved in public policy and government. When it comes to politics, most of us have passionate viewpoints, which lead to passionate disagreements, which is very fitting in a free democracy such as ours that requires open and free debate in order to function. However, we must never let our passionate viewpoints turn into anger, as Christ said. As we have witnessed time and time again in our country, anger can lead to vindictiveness towards others, which can lead to violence and murder. Christ has perfect understanding of this dangerous fallibility that is present in every human heart, and therefore warns against it in the strongest terms.

May all of our most passionate views always be rooted in love for our fellow man, never anger. Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of FRC and the family.

Sincerely,

Dan Hart
Managing Editor for Publications
Family Research Council

 

FRC Articles

The Bigotry of Bernie Sanders – Travis Weber

Trump’s Rule on the HHS Contraceptive Mandate Ensures Religious Freedom for All – Travis Weber

Sanders’ Religious Test Goes Against Founders’ VisionTony Perkins

Bern Victim: Christians Need Not ApplyPatrina Mosley

This Pill Could Reverse a Third of AbortionsArina Grossu

President Trump Names Abstinence Education Leader to Top Post at HHS DepartmentTony Perkins

Community Health Care Centers Offer Full Spectrum of Primary Care, Unlike Planned Parenthood – FRC

An Open Letter to Bernie Sanders from a Vermont Pastor – Tim Counts

FRC Summer Reading List – Dan Hart

Testimony in Opposition to H. 1190 and S. 62 – Peter Sprigg

We’re Better Together – Dan Hart

Standing for Christ – Travis Weber

Even Liberal Feminists Can’t Resist Committed Love and Marriage – Chris Gacek

Giving to Caesar and to God – Peter Sprigg

 

Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty in the Public Square

Bernie Sanders’s Religious Test for Christians in Public Office – Emma Green, The Atlantic

Policy at Michigan College Results in Arrests for Handing Out ConstitutionAlliance Defending Freedom

Trump Administration Considering Rule That Would Help Little Sisters of the PoorRachel del Guidice, The Daily Signal

The Campus Speech Police Come to Fresno StateJake Curtis, National Review

Town Stands up to Atheist Bullies, Refuses to Remove CrossToddStarnes.com

Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Think Christians Are Fit For Public OfficeJohn Daniel Davidson, The Federalist

School: Students May Not Pray or Mention JesusToddStarnes.com

This Farmer Won’t Host Same-Sex Weddings at His Orchard. Now a City Has Banned Him From Its Farmers Market.Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal

International Religious Freedom

Petition calls for repeal of ‘totalitarian’ bill allowing children to be taken from Christian homesLianne Laurence, LifeSiteNews

Ireland's abortion law violates human rights, UN rulesKenza Bryan, Independent

Public board orders Christian school to stop reading ‘offensive’ Bible passages – Dorothy Cummings McLean, LifeSiteNews

Military Religious Freedom

Supreme Court refuses to review case of Christian Marine who claims she was discharged over Bible verseSamuel Smith, The Christian Post

 

Life

Abortion

Daughter’s thank you note to her parents who chose life as teens goes viral – Nancy Flanders, Live Action

More abortions, more money, less real support for womenSamantha Gobba, WORLD

Harvard Law Journal: Unborn Babies are Constitutional PersonsThe Stream

Israel’s modern-day midwives offer solutions, not abortionJay Hobbs, The Stream

Most Pro-Life Laws are Based on Sound ScienceMichael J. New, National Review

Why We Kill Disabled Kids: For the Same Reason Cain Killed AbelJohn Zmirak, The Stream

Delaware legalizes abortion through all nine months – Samantha Gobba, WORLD

Adoption

Christians who reject transgenderism banned from adoption, working with children in IllinoisDoug Mainwaring, LifeSiteNews

Streamlining adoption the goal of bipartisan working group – David Meade, Lexington Herald Leader

Bioethics

Basic bioethics: How Christians should think about bioethicsJoe Carter, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Doctor: Insurance companies are denying treatment and pushing assisted suicide on patientsCassy Fiano, Live Action News

Oregon Senate votes to allow dementia patients to be starved to deathClaire Chretien, LifeSiteNews

Canadian nurse forced out for refusing to participate in euthanasia – Pete Baklinski, LifeSiteNews

Obamacare

States scramble to prevent ObamaCare exodusRachel Roubein and Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill

Fate of Planned Parenthood funding tied to Senate moderatesJennifer Haberkorn, Politico

Yes, Obamacare Really Does Disadvantage Disabled Americans – Christopher Jacobs, The Federalist

 

Family

Economics/Education

New Poll Shows What College Students Really Think About Safe Spaces – Katrina Willis, The Daily Signal

What Happens at Home Doesn’t Stay There: It Goes to School – Nicholas Zill, Family Studies

Tax Reform for Working-Class Families – Josh McCabe, National Review

Marriage

Maintaining Your Marriage During the Parenting Years – Arlene Pellicane, Focus on the Family

5 Memorable quotes that taught me how to be a better fatherMichael Rennier, Aleteia

A Vow Worth Keeping: A Review of Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give Alysse ElHage, Family Studies

Millennials Are Looking for Parental Guidance on LoveKat Talalas, Family Studies

What It Feels Like To Be A Man Struggling With InfertilityAaron Gleason, The Federalist

The global culture each child needsPatrick F. Fagan, Mercatornet

Faith/Character/Culture

How Christians Should Engage in CultureRob Schwarzwalder, The Stream

Authentic community: How online substitutes damage our empathyJonathan C. Edwards, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Manages The Tough Task Of Winsomely Portraying VirtueGracy Olmstead, The Federalist

The Bible Got It Right: Why Going to Church Keeps You Alive LongerLorie Johnson, CBN News

Kathy Griffin and the Vanishing of ArgumentBp. Robert Barron, National Catholic Register

Bernie Sanders and the Danger of Theological Ignorance – Rob Schwarzwalder, The Stream

Human Sexuality

Study: Less sex education leads to less sexKiley Crossland, WORLD

4 biblical truths to help fight sexual temptationCasey B. Hough, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Same-Sex Attraction and Therapy: It’s Time to Let People Choose – Arther Goldberg, Public Discourse

Human Trafficking

Cambodia’s Child Sex Industry Is Dwindling—And They Have Christians to ThankKate Shellnutt In Phnom Penh, Christianity Today

Pornography

How Porn Dehumanizes Women Through Sexual Objectification – Fight the New Drug