Dear Friends,
The great season of Advent, a time of waiting and preparation for Christians in anticipation of Christ’s birth, is about to begin.
One beautiful way of reflecting on this season is to think about the first Advent, when an expectant Mary and her husband Joseph awaited the birth of God’s Son. For expectant mothers and soon-to-be fathers, pregnancy is often a time when careful preparations are made around the house for the coming baby—the nursery is rearranged to accommodate cribs and changing tables, diapers and wipes are stockpiled, baby clothes are carefully organized in drawers, linens are freshly washed, etc.
In the same way, Christians should spend Advent carefully preparing their hearts and minds for the coming of the Savior. This can take on the form of a kind of spiritual reinforcement and house cleaning—spending a little extra time in prayer each morning to prepare ourselves to live for Christ in the day before us, and to make peace with anyone we may have ill will toward and repent of our sins. Just as soon-to-be parents desire to make their home as clean and comfortable as possible for their newborn, Christians should desire to prepare and cleanse their hearts to fully welcome the coming Christ child. This may require us to detach ourselves from worldly attachments to obtain the true freedom that God desires for us. Is a nightly TV-watching habit cutting in to our prayer and family time? Is a regular habit of eating out cutting in to our budget so that we have less for gift-giving and those in need?
Thinking about the first Advent is also to contemplate the Holy Family traveling from Galilee to Bethlehem, and the difficult journey that must have been for them. Imagine the exhaustion that Mary must have felt in her third trimester on such a long and arduous journey over rough roads on the back of a donkey, with Joseph enduring mile after mile of dust and rocks in leading her and the animal along. Amongst this shared suffering and journeying, the Holy Family must have grown ever closer to each other. In the same way, Advent is an opportunity for us to draw ever closer to our own families. Maybe this could take the form of creating hand-crafted gifts for loved ones, baking Christmas cookies, assembling care packages for those serving in the military, or perhaps joining a Christmas carol troupe that your church has organized—the point here is to spend quality time together as a family doing acts of service and growing in virtue.
The season of Advent points to the coming of our Lord. Let us make the most of this wonderful time and prepare our hearts to receive the perfect gift of Christ.
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
LGBT advocates seek to scuttle a vital Constitutional right – Travis Weber
ACLU: Forcing Faith Out of Adoption – Travis Weber
Love to Give: An Adoption Story – Alison Contreras
Adoption: Multi-Racial, Multi-National, Heaven-Blessed – Rob Schwarzwalder
The Unexpected Blessing of Adoption – Harold Harper
10th Circuit Lets Police Officers Off the Hook After Telling Woman She Could Not Pray in Her Own Home – Travis Weber and Natalie Pugh
Why It Is Unnecessary to Force Jack Phillips to Bake a Wedding Cake – Travis Weber
Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty in the Public Square
2 Gay Men Explain Why They Support Baker’s Refusal to Make Same-Sex Wedding Cakes – Ian Snively and Peter Parisi, The Daily Signal
Stop Misrepresenting Masterpiece Cakeshop – David French, National Review
Designated haters – Juliana Chan Erikson, WORLD
UNL campus not ‘safe’ for conservatives, public records reveal – Conservative Review
Why the Conscience Protection Act is critical – Jeff Pickering, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Little Sisters of the Poor Are Returning to Court – Rachel del Guidice, The Daily Signal
GOP senators defend military officer disciplined for refusing to sign same-sex certificate – Diana Stancy Correll, Washington Examiner
American Muslims, Lot’s Wife, and the Christian Baker – Ismail Royer, Public Discourse
International Religious Freedom
The UN doesn’t recognize the Christian genocide in Iraq. This new documentary does. – Miriam Diez Bosch, Aleteia
Canada rejects Christian couple for adoption – Kiley Crossland, WORLD
Africans Put Parental Rights Back in UN Sex Ed Policy – Stefano Gennarini, C-Fam
Repairing the Ravages of ISIS on Iraq’s Nineveh Plains – George J. Marlin, The Catholic Thing
Military Religious Freedom
Senators Cruz, Rubio demand justice for Air Force colonel fired for standing up for pro-family values – Fr. Mark Hodges, LifeSiteNews
Life
Abortion
World-famous supermodel gracefully obliterates every argument for abortion – Save the Storks
Abortion rates in US hit historic low, CDC report finds – Fox News
The push to force pro-life centers to provide free advertising for the abortion industry – Ken Connelly, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
It’s Official: Arkansas Cuts Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood – Jerry Cox, Arkansas Family Council
Adoption
Let Foster Children Wait No More – National Review
10 Things You Should Know about Adoption – Russell D. Moore, Crossway
Do you believe these 5 myths about adoption? – Sophia Swinford, Aleteia
‘Open your heart’: Adoptive mom debunks three modern adoption myths – Natalie Brumfield, Live Action
Bioethics
Basic Bioethics: What Christians should know about surrogacy – Joe Carter, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
The Overlooked Risks of Surrogacy for Women – Mary Rose Somarriba, Family Studies
From Darwin to Iceland: The Eugenic Solution to the ‘Undesirable’ – Roberto Rivera, The Stream
Family
Economics/Education
Undoing the Dis-Education of Millennials – Adam J. MacLeod, NewBostonPost
This may be one of the biggest benefits to marriage we’ve ever seen – Catey Hill, Moneyish
The state of marriage as an institution – The Economist
Marriage
Over One-Quarter of Children Under Age 18 Live With One Parent – U.S. Census Bureau
When Your Partner Is Down and Can’t Get Up – Glen Scrivener, The Gospel Coalition
Understanding Your Feelings to Stay Connected In Your Marriage – David and Jan Stoop, Focus on the Family
Can Marriage Help Prevent Dementia? – Carolyn Moynihan, Intellectual Takeout
Your Spouse Doesn’t Need Your Unconditional Support – Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, Christianity Today
Why I Stopped Comparing My Marriage to My Parents’ Marriage – Laura Triggs, Verily
Faith/Character/Culture
Netflix Thinks You’re Bored and Lonely – Trevin Wax, The Gospel Coalition
Do You Talk to Your Children About Race? – Trillia Newbell, Desiring God
This Is a More Important Goal Than Being Happy – Julia Hogan, Verily
3 Creative and impressive ways people are helping the homeless – Elizabeth Pardi, Aleteia
Politics is About More Than Winning – Rob Schwarzwalder, The Stream
Jesus: the Heart of Christian Morality – Fr. Timothy V. Vaverek, The Catholic Thing
4 things I want a new mom to know – Jill Waggoner, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Human Sexuality
You Can Protect Your Kids from Hyper-Sexualized Culture – Eliza Powell, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
How to talk to your kids about sexual assault and harassment scandals – Phillip Bethancourt, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Seven Questions for Couples to Consider Before Moving In Together – Rhonda Kruse Nordin, Family Studies
Men, Stop Virtue-Signaling and Return to Rules – Ben Shapiro, National Review
Let’s rethink sex – Christine Emba, The Washington Post
Scam Artists and Sex Education – Carl R. Trueman, First Things
Consent is Not Enough: Harvey Weinstein, Sex, and Human Flourishing – Angela Franks, Public Discourse
The Pragmatic Benefits of God-Given Sexual Boundaries – Melinda Penner, The Stream
Human Trafficking
Tackling Modern-Day Slavery, Online Sex Trafficking – Lisa L. Thompson, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
Pornography
Porn Epidemic Hampers Fight Against Child Pornography – Stefano Gennarini, C-Fam
The Pathway from Porn to Adultery – Kent Butterfield, Desiring God
Porn is the Missing Piece in the Louis C.K. Story – Mary Rose Somarriba, Public Discourse
Behind the harassment scandals, another dirty little secret: pornography – Zac Crippen, Los Angeles Times
Louisiana is the 5th State to Formally Recognize Public Health Harms of Pornography – National Center on Sexual Exploitation
