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’ Vision – Tony Perkins
Bern Victim: Christians Need Not Apply – Patrina Mosley
This Pill Could Reverse a Third of Abortions – Arina Grossu
President Trump Names Abstinence Education Leader to Top Post at HHS Department – Tony 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 Constitution – Alliance Defending Freedom
Trump Administration Considering Rule That Would Help Little Sisters of the Poor – Rachel del Guidice, The Daily Signal
The Campus Speech Police Come to Fresno State – Jake Curtis, National Review
Town Stands up to Atheist Bullies, Refuses to Remove Cross – ToddStarnes.com
Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Think Christians Are Fit For Public Office – John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist
School: Students May Not Pray or Mention Jesus – ToddStarnes.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 homes – Lianne Laurence, LifeSiteNews
Ireland's abortion law violates human rights, UN rules – Kenza 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 verse – Samuel 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 women – Samantha Gobba, WORLD
Harvard Law Journal: Unborn Babies are Constitutional Persons – The Stream
Israel’s modern-day midwives offer solutions, not abortion – Jay Hobbs, The Stream
Most Pro-Life Laws are Based on Sound Science – Michael J. New, National Review
Why We Kill Disabled Kids: For the Same Reason Cain Killed Abel – John 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 Illinois – Doug Mainwaring, LifeSiteNews
Streamlining adoption the goal of bipartisan working group – David Meade, Lexington Herald Leader
Bioethics
Basic bioethics: How Christians should think about bioethics – Joe Carter, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Doctor: Insurance companies are denying treatment and pushing assisted suicide on patients – Cassy Fiano, Live Action News
Oregon Senate votes to allow dementia patients to be starved to death – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
Canadian nurse forced out for refusing to participate in euthanasia – Pete Baklinski, LifeSiteNews
Obamacare
States scramble to prevent ObamaCare exodus – Rachel Roubein and Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill
Fate of Planned Parenthood funding tied to Senate moderates – Jennifer 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 father – Michael 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 Love – Kat Talalas, Family Studies
What It Feels Like To Be A Man Struggling With Infertility – Aaron Gleason, The Federalist
The global culture each child needs – Patrick F. Fagan, Mercatornet
Faith/Character/Culture
How Christians Should Engage in Culture – Rob Schwarzwalder, The Stream
Authentic community: How online substitutes damage our empathy – Jonathan C. Edwards, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Manages The Tough Task Of Winsomely Portraying Virtue – Gracy Olmstead, The Federalist
The Bible Got It Right: Why Going to Church Keeps You Alive Longer – Lorie Johnson, CBN News
Kathy Griffin and the Vanishing of Argument – Bp. 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 sex – Kiley Crossland, WORLD
4 biblical truths to help fight sexual temptation – Casey 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 Thank – Kate Shellnutt In Phnom Penh, Christianity Today
Pornography
How Porn Dehumanizes Women Through Sexual Objectification – Fight the New Drug
