Dear Friends,
From its very beginnings, America has always been the destination of freedom seekers. Immigrants from all over the world have flocked to America’s shores in the hope of finding something that their own native countries often lacked, but which they knew in their hearts must be possessed by every human person: freedom.
But what is “freedom”? This is a debate that we continue to have as a country. As hundreds of U.S. citizens can attest, even a free democracy such as ours is prone to infringe upon the freedoms of its people unless it possesses a proper understanding of “freedom.”
Many think that freedom is simply the ability to choose whatever one wants. The problem with this thinking is that when someone chooses evil, it is not only bad for that person but also bad for everyone who is affected by that person’s evil choice. True freedom, in the words of one author, “is a calling to realize in ourselves what is true about us, a calling to actualize in us all what is true, good, and beautiful.” This Christian understanding of freedom is not constraining, as many argue. Rather, it is freeing. How? Because “the more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin.’”
The lightness of being and the joy that we experience when we freely choose good is a testament to God’s design for freedom. This Fourth of July, let us celebrate the true freedom that Christ has fashioned in our lives and in our great country.
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
Report: Attacks On America’s First Freedom Increased 76 Percent In Three Years – Travis Weber
We Must Act While We Still Can – Tony Perkins
Trump, Congress Should Halt Transgender Military Policy that Costs Billions – Peter Sprigg
Supreme Court Delivers Big Wins for Religious Freedom – Travis Weber
Abortion Activists are Still Trying to Put David Daleiden in Jail for Exposing Planned Parenthood – Tony Perkins
Pentagon Transgender Agenda Won't Improve Military Readiness, Costs $3.7 Billion – Tony Perkins
Trump Set to Follow in Gipper’s Footsteps, Making Work Center of Social Welfare Policy – Ken Blackwell
FRC’s Updated Hostility Report Shows Religious Organizations on the Front Lines of the Fight for Religious Freedom – Chris Baldacci
School Board Rigs System for Transgender Win – Cathy Ruse
When Campuses Become Battlefields: Protecting Free Speech in a Hostile Environment – Ian Frith
Taxpayer-Funded Transgender Tutorial for Schoolchildren Tanked – Cathy Ruse
5th Circuit Rejects Effort to Take Down Conscience Protections – Travis Weber
10 Things Every New Father Should Know – Dan Hart
Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty in the Public Square
Nonprofit Tracker Smears Dozens of Conservative Organizations as ‘Hate Groups’ – Rachel del Guidice, The Daily Signal
The Southern Poverty Law Center Bears False Witness – Samuel D. James, First Things
Supreme Court Rules 7-2: Yes, Christians Are Citizens Too – Kathy Schiffer, National Catholic Register
Missouri Tried to Discriminate Against a Church for No Good Reason. How the Supreme Court Leveled the Playing Field. – Emilie Kao, The Daily Signal
Federal Judge Rules Cross Violates Law and Must Be Removed – ToddStarnes.com
Prejudice and the Blaine Amendments – Philip Hamburger, First Things
Indiana Christian school at center of LGBT voucher debate – Brian Slodysko and Maria Danilova, The Washington Times
Mississippi can enforce LGBT religious objections law: court – Fox News
University to remove cross and Bibles from campus chapel – Todd Starnes, Fox News
Legal Radicals Don’t Want the ‘Separation of Church and State’ – David French, National Review
International Religious Freedom
Peru Fights Back Against Gender Ideology – Victor Gaetan, National Catholic Register
Russell Moore, Franklin Graham Orgs. Urge Trump to Tackle Severe Persecution of Sudanese Christians – Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post
Swedish Midwife to Fight for Rights at European Court – Bob Paulson, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Life
Abortion
New Study Shows Why Fathers Matter in the Abortion Fight – Vincent DiCaro, Care Net
US Rejects UN Resolution Supporting Abortion – The Christian Post
This Is The New Face Of The Pro-Life Movement – Torey Van Oot, Refinery29
Oregon House Democrats pass bill providing free abortions for all, including illegal aliens – Valerie Richardson, The Washington Times
Bioethics
Video: How Adult Stem Cells Helped Jackie Stollfus be a Mom – Charlotte Lozier Institute
Doctor: Insurance Wouldn’t Pay for Patients’ Treatments, but Offered Assisted Suicide – Kelsey Harkness, The Daily Signal
The Court-Ordered Killing of Charlie Gard – Ian Tuttle, National Review
When the “Right to Die” Becomes a Death Sentence – Matthew Archbold, National Catholic Register
Physicians Without Chests: On the Call to End Conscientious Objection in Medicine – Michael D. Stark and Grace Stark, Public Discourse
Yanking Life Support From UK Baby Demonstrates Dangers Of Socialized Medicine – Nicole Russell, The Federalist
Obamacare
Americans Struggling Under Obamacare Tell Pence ‘Real Story’ – Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal
Family
Economics/Education
Why Genuine Liberal Arts Degrees Are A Perfect Fit For Today’s Uncertain Economy – Christine Goss, The Federalist
The Crisis of the Economic Right and the Case for Reform Conservatism – Max Bloom, National Review
DeVos Should Take on Education’s Reformocracy – Frederick M. Hess & Michael Q. Mcshane, National Review
From playgrounds to classrooms – Leigh Jones, WORLD
We’re having fewer babies. Could that kill the economy? – Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post
Marriage
Ruth and Boaz: A Romance That Models God's Love for Us – Ray Vander Laan, Focus on the Family
Faith and Marriage: Better Together? – W. Bradford Wilcox, Principles
The Most Important Text on Marriage – David Mathis, Desiring God
As Wedding Costs Rise, Perhaps It’s Time to Invest More in Marriage Prep – Amber Lapp, Family Studies
PTSD and marriage: Advice from someone who’s been there – Patricia Eden, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Faith/Character/Culture
Why Can’t Americans Enjoy Life? – John Horvat II, Crisis
A Map of the Soul – Michael Egnor, First Things
The ‘Church’ of Facebook? – Alex Duke, The Gospel Coalition
In Defense of Doubt – Robert B. Greving, Crisis
Christianity: A Bargain That Will Cost You Everything – Joe Heschmeyer, Word On Fire
Human Sexuality
Problems with Puberty Suppression in Treating Gender Dysphoria – Paul W. Hruz, Lawrence S. Mayer, Paul R. McHugh, The New Atlantis
The Transgender Agenda vs. the Science – Rick Fitzgibbons, The Catholic Thing
Same-Sex Attraction and Therapy: It’s Time to Let People Choose – Arthur Goldberg, Public Discourse
German Parliament votes to legalize same-sex ‘marriage’ – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
LGBT Mega-Donor Reveals Next Goal: 'Punish the Wicked' Gay Marriage Opponents – Samuel Smith, The Christian Post
Pornography
The Brain’s Delete Button: How You Can Erase Years Of Watching Porn – Fight the New Drug
Our Odyssey Against Sexual Temptation – Jimmy Needham, Desiring God
