Social Conservative Review - September 18, 2018

September 18, 2018

Dear Friends,

In my daily faith journey, I confess that I sometimes fall into a bad habit: I feel like I’ve “been there, done that.” More to the point, I feel a kind of “spiritual sophistication” in which most of the preaching I hear and most of the articles on faith that I read just don’t seem to measure up to my expectations. What’s worse, I sometimes find myself getting annoyed and impatient that the preaching that I’m hearing or the article I’m reading is not what I feel to be sufficiently insightful.

As Matthew Westerholm has recently observed, this kind of “it takes a lot to impress me” attitude is actually a form of spiritual immaturity. He writes, “The more spiritually mature we become, the more we are easily edified.” This should be something that all Christians should strive for—a spirit of simplicity, humility, and openness as we encounter the sermons, writings, songs, films, and other forms of spiritual communication that we encounter. This kind of attitude will prepare us to be surprised and delighted by the unexpected insights given to us by the Holy Spirit.

This attitude can also be carried over into every aspect of our daily lives, especially with the everyday conversations we have with others. If we strive to always be open when we encounter others, and avoid going into situations with preconceived notions about what we will or will not gain from them, we allow ourselves to be receptive to what the Lord is trying to teach us.

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

Are Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) Effective? Are They Harmful? What the Evidence Shows – Peter Sprigg

California’s Effort to Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’ Failed. Here’s a Better Path We Can All Agree On. – Peter Sprigg

The Problem With Judicial Nominations? The Left Doesn't Actually Want to Follow the Constitution – Peter Sprigg

Brown University is in Denial About Transgender Reality – Cathy Ruse

Lawsuit Targeting Faith-Based Adoption Agencies Allowed to Proceed in Michigan – David Closson

A Bill Allowing College Campus Abortions Shows Reckless Disregard for Young Women – Patrina Mosley

Planned Parenthood’s New President Can’t Erase Its Atrocities – Patrina Mosley

The Department of Veterans Affairs Should Not Fund “Gender Alterations”

The Catholic Church in Crisis: Two Takeaways – Dan Hart

 

Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty in the Public Square

Christian College Says Accrediting Agency's Proposed Guideline Change May Harm Religious Schools – Samuel Smith, The Christian Post

Texas cheerleaders win a victory for freedom of religious expression – Todd Starnes, Fox News

'In God We Trust' sign offended teachers, so the school district came up with a fix – Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel

Students Ordered to Spray Paint Over the Name of Christ on Football Field – ToddStarnes.com

Upend Precedent, 11th Circuit Panel Urges in Pensacola Cross Case – Katheryn Tucker, Daily Report

Her College Told Her Not to Give Out Bible-Themed Valentines. She Isn’t Backing Down. – Troy Worden, The Daily Signal

Professor Who Defended Student’s Right To An Opinion Returns To Work After Three Years And One Major Court Battle – Ashe Schow, The Daily Wire

International Religious Freedom

Officials destroying crosses, burning bibles in China – AP

Indian Christians Refuse to Deny Christ Despite Persecution From Hindu Radicals – Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post

Nigeria: Pastor and three sons burned alive among at least 20 killed in latest Plateau massacre – World Watch Monitor

U.S. and Turkey Speak About Syria and the Detained American PastorThe Jerusalem Post

China to crack down on 'chaotic' online religious info: media – Reuters

Why Americans Should Care About the Uyghurs – Jennifer S. Bryson, Public Discourse

U.N. Is Called to Recognize Christian Genocide – Marlo Safi, National Review

Baseless Forced Conversion Accusation Lead to Arrest of 271 Christians in India – Persecution.org

Prominent Chinese pastor defiant after church closure – Channel NewsAsia

 

Life

Abortion

Pro-life pregnancy centers served nearly 2 million people last yearThe Boston Pilot

Memo to Chelsea Clinton: Freedom Does Not Require Women To Become Like Men – Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo, Public Discourse

In two years, Iowa flips from ‘worse than New York State’ to pro-life – Live Action

‘Gosnell’ Actress On Her Choice For Life: ‘Have Your Baby, It Will Mean Everything To You’The Federalist

Pro-Life Leaders Call for End of Taxpayer-Funded Research with Aborted Baby PartsCaffeinated Thoughts

Adoption

I Was Adopted Through a Faith-Based Adoption Provider. LGBT Groups Want Them Shut Down. – Ryan Bomberger, The Daily Signal

Bioethics

A viral photo shows the problems with in vitro fertilization (IVF) – Andrew T. Walker, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Dear Anonymous Dad – Mary Jackson, WORLD

A Gruesome Plan – Wesley J. Smith, The Weekly Standard

Obamacare

This 1 Move by the Trump Administration Is Boosting My Small Business – Joseph Semprevivo, The Daily Signal

 

Family

Marriage

The Thing We Learned About Marriage from the Cable Guy – Dave Willis with Ashley Willis, Focus on the Family

Confessions of a Reluctant Complementarian – Rebecca McLaughlin, The Gospel Coalition

Teach Them About Marriage Before the World Does – Jani Ortlund, Desiring God

Parenting

Close ties with fathers help daughters overcome lonelinessScience Daily

Waiting to Have a Baby Can Lead to Having Many at Once – Mollie Rappe-Brown, Futurity

Welcome to the Grieving Parents Club – Leslie Froelich, HerViewFromHome

Economics/Education

Education Should Not Be Fearful – Matthew Anderson, Crisis

Hundreds of parents flood Board of Education to demand control over their kids’ sex education – Daniel Payne, The College Fix

Parents Win: Colorado Schools End Sex Ed Program That Exposed Children to Porn – Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post

The College Campus’s Cult of Fragility – George Will, National Review

Why Small Businesses Are More Optimistic Than Ever Before – Patrick Tyrrell and Anthony B. Kim, The Daily Signal

How the Texas Model Supports Prosperous Families – Vance Ginn, Family Studies

Faith/Character/Culture

The Power of Prayer for Families – Alysse ElHage, Family Studies

How to Ruin Your Life in Your Twenties – Jonathan Pokluda, Desiring God

Prioritizing the Value of Work in a Celebrity-Obsessed World – Naomi Schaefer Riley, Family Studies

How to help a friend with mental illness – Amy Simpson, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

The Benefit of Bad Sermons – Matthew Westerholm, Desiring God

Why Millennials ARE Coming to Church – Steve McAlpine, The Gospel Coalition

What I Learned About My Sins at Sixty-Four – John Piper, Desiring God

Human Sexuality

The Heterosexual Gospel – Jackie Hill Perry, Desiring God

How to Evangelize Your LGBT Neighbors – Rosaria Butterfield, Christianity Today

California Dem withdraws bill banning help for unwanted gay attraction – Calvin Freiburger, LifeSiteNews

The Alarming Findings of a New Study on Transgender Teens and Suicide – Kelsey Harkness, The Daily Signal

Gay Rights, Hate Speech, and Hospitality – Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Desiring God

Human Trafficking

Sexual Exploitation Knows No Borders, Neither Should Our Efforts to End It – Lana Lichfield, National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Pornography

Is Pornography Your Therapy? – Greg Morse, Desiring God

How Porn Is Sidelining Missionaries – Greg Handley, The Gospel Coalition

A rape pandemic has hit India, and people are blaming pornography – Jonathon Van Maren, LifeSiteNews

How to Tell Your Fiance About Your Porn Problem – Jessica Harris, Focus on the Family