Serious issues warrant calm consideration, responses that wed principle and prudence, and action – sometimes prompt, sometimes longer-term. Two of the most pressing of these issues involve religious liberty – internationally as well as here at home.
International Religious Liberty:
Last week, FRC President Tony Perkins and Executive V.P. Jerry Boykin addressed this issue at a United Nations forum. Sadly, their timing couldn't have been better: Also last week, ISIS murdered another group of Christians, this time from Ethiopia, along a beach in Libya.
Regrettably, the current Administration seems uninterested, at best, by what's transpiring against Christians in our time. This prompted House Speaker John Boehner this week to post a probing reportby his aide Matt Wolking titled, "Is the Obama Administration Doing All it Can to Protect Christians?" Tragically, it is hard to conclude that the answer is yes.
Yet, with Paul, we "do not lose heart." Instead, Christians are mindful that "we are the aroma of Christ to God" even as we are "crushed" and "perplexed" (II Corinthians 2). Thanks be to Him.
Domestic Religious Liberty:
Next week's Supreme Court hearing on same-sex marriage will have a profound effect on religious liberty in our country. Why? Because the implications for people whose faiths prohibit them from participating professionally (as bakers, florists, etc.) in same-sex weddings involve fundamental issues of freedom of conscience and the right to live-out that conscience in public life. And also because for myriad families and long-time friends, the question of how to relate to same-sex couples whose marriages are recognized by the government suddenly takes on a new urgency.
This coming Sunday, April 26, FRC is encouraging churches nationwide to show a short video on the historic and far-reaching implications of the Court's ruling (to be issued in June) and pray for the Court as it hears oral arguments on April 28. Please consider joining believers across America as we lift our hearts and hopes up to the Eternal King.
Thanks for working and praying for what Lincoln called “the last, best hope of earth,” our own beloved country.
Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council
P.S. Be sure to watch FRC’s dynamic panel discussion, The Supreme Court and Marriage: What Happens after the Decision?, moderated by FRC Senior Fellow Cathy Ruse, formerly the chief counsel to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Education
- Hillary Clinton’s Common Core Problem – Ethics and Public Policy Center
- The Modern University Is Failing Students in Every Respect - Victor David Hanson
Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life
Abortion
- Abortion and Trafficking: What Would Lincoln Have Done? – Townhall.com
- Forcing States to Recognize Gay Marriage Could Increase Number of Abortions – Daily Signal
- What Cosmopolitan’s “Inside Look” Completely Missed About Pregnancy Centers – Alliance Defending Freedom
- Pro-Life Politicos: ‘We Were On Defense. Now We’re On Offense.’ – The Federalist
- Obama Admits That Unborn Babies Have Feet That Kick- CNS News
- You won’t believe how much Austin is charging Planned Parenthood to rent this large clinic. This must stop.- LifeSite News
Adoption
- Tax credits help offset high cost of adoption – Citizen’s Voice
- Will drop in international adoptions lead to more in-country placements? – WORLD Magazine
- Faith-based adoption objections to be debated in Senate – Detroit Free-Press
Assisted Suicide
- Physician-Assisted Suicide Corrupts the Practice of Medicine- Heritage Foundation
- Unprecedented Push by Activists to Legalize Doctor-Prescribed Suicide: A Closer Look at 4 Dangerous Myths- National Right to Life
- Assisted Suicide Bills Fail in Several States as Poll Shows Little Support and Major Concerns- Knights of Columbus
Bioethics
- Pondering the Implications of Three-Parent Embryos- The Boston Pilot
- Lightly regulated in vitro fertilization yields thousands of babies annually- Washington Post
Marriage & Family
Economy and the family
- Why Are Many Former Workers Not Even Applying for Job Openings? – Daily Signal
- The Big Idea: California Is So Over - Joel Kotkin
- Apologies in Close Relationships: A Review of Theory and Research- Journal of Family Theory and Review
- Season of Birth and Later Outcomes: Old Questions, New Answers - The Review of Economics and Statistics
Fatherhood
- 10 Principles for Christian Husbands & Fathers – The Gospel Coalition
- Nine Things Fatherhood Has Taught Me About Being a Man - Redbook
Homosexuality and Gender Issues
- Understanding the New Definitions of Sexual Tolerance – Canon and Culture
- On Marriage, We Will Not Render to Caesar What Is God’s – The Stream
- Pope Francis: Removal of Differences Between Man and Woman Is the Problem, Not the Solution- Zenit
- Redefining Marriage Would Put Kids of Heterosexuals At Risk – Public Discourse
- Judicially Mandating Same-Sex Marriage Would Put the US at Odds with the Western World – Public Discourse
- The shunning of Ryan T. Anderson: When support for gay marriage gets ugly – The Week
- Is Homosexual Orientation Sinful? – Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
- The Kids Are Not Alright: A Lesbian’s Daughter Speaks Out -The Federalist
Human Trafficking
- Trafficked Boys Overlooked – Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
- Invisible Men: Male Victims of Sex Trafficking – Human Trafficking Search
- Democrats Will Finally Stop Filibustering Bill to Help Sex Trafficking Victims to Fund Abortions- LifeNews
Marriage
- The Case Against Gay Marriage: Top Law Firms Won’t Touch It - New York Times
- Choosing Pleasure Over Kids? – National Review
- His, Her, or Their Divorce? Marital Dissolution and Sickness Absence in Norway - Journal of Marriage and Family
- Cohabitation: Effects of Cohabitation on the Men and Women Involved – Part 1 of 2 - American College of Pediatricians
Pornography
- The Five Stages of Pornography Addiction - Daily Oklahoman
- One Last Thing: The Christian Porn Secret – Her.Meneutics
- Pornography in the home and other tough questions – Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
- Lust won: How porn destroyed my marriage – Life Site News
Religious Liberty and Persecution
Domestic
- State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs): What are they and why are they needed? - Family Research Council
- Highschooler Scores Victory in New Jersey Pledge of Allegiance Case - National Catholic Register
- Why Do We Need Louisiana’s Marriage and Conscience Act? Ask Indiana Pizza Owners - Daily Signal
- Into the Christian Closet - The American Conservative
- Why Religious Liberty Arguments Aren’t Working - Crisis Magazine
- Q&A With Washington Florist on Religious Freedom: ‘Who Are the Real Bigots Here?’ - Daily Signal
- ADF sues IRS for covert deal against churches - Alliance Defending Freedom
- ADF extinguishes Atlanta’s arguments in defense of discrimination against fire chief - Alliance Defending Freedom
- Ryan Anderson and Edward Whelan Discuss Where Religious Liberty Goes from Here – Institute on Religion and Democracy
- Sex Is the New Religion – Frank Turek, Townhall
International
- Saeed Abedini Threatened with Extended Prison Sentence – Christian News Headlines
- More Martyrs: ISIS Executes Dozens of Ethiopian Christians in Libya – Christianity Today
- Rising Christian Persecution – Religion and Ethics Weekly, PBS
- Christians thrown overboard left to drown by Obama – Kirsten Powers, USA Today
Religion in Public Life
Christian faith and public policy
- Augustine for the Americans: Lessons on Christianity & Public Life from a Fifth-Century North African Theologian – Canon and Culture
- Religion in the Oval Office – Center for Vision and Values, Grove City College
- Jekyll or Hyde? Two stories about American evangelicals – Books and Culture
Christian faith and politics
- Preaching to The Choir: How Church Attendance Divides the Parties – National Journal
- The Mystery of the Missing Evangelicals – Wall Street Journal
Other Stories of Note
- Frank Capra’s America and Ours - Hillsdale.edu
- The Promise and Perils of Reform Conservatism – The Federalist
- The Party of Ideas: Applied conservatism, 101 – The Weekly Standard
- Sacred Rhetoric and Political Discourse: The Bible As Used in Public Language – Library of Law and Liberty
