The War on Christmas
There is a war on Christmas, one of much greater magnitude than generally is reported.
It's not a war against saying "Merry Christmas" or public nativity scenes or religious billboards. It's an eternal war, one in which Satan seeks to dethrone the God of the universe and thwart His plan for those made in His image and likeness.
Of course, the Enemy’s efforts are futile. He can no more stop God than an amoeba can hoist Mt. Everest. But that doesn’t mean the devil will cease his vicious if ultimately useless efforts.
And that’s what the war on Christmas really is. Christmas is about God's direct intervention into human history. As J.I. Packer wrote in his classic book, Knowing God:
The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man– that the second person of the Godhead became the ‘second man’ (1 Cor. 15:47) … that He took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as He was human … the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality.
But why? Simply so we could be charmed by stories of cattle lowing and angels singing sweetly? No. The beauty of the nativity is indisputable and moving beyond words. Yet it is a shadowed beauty, shaded by a Roman cross.
An instrument of torture and death became the means by which God's Son atoned for our sins. An empty tomb proves it. And in dying for our sins, Christ won an eternal victory no fallen angel or fallen man can ever overturn.
The war against God, sin, and death – the demonic war against Christ’s incarnation, sinless life, redemptive death, and glorious resurrection - was won when a baby was born in Bethlehem. Christians live in the triumph of that victory every day. There is no better reason to be merry, at Christmas time or any other.
Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council
Religious Liberty
“Free to Believe” –
- University of Tennessee's 'Christmas party in disguise' memo draws ire – Cathaleen Chen, Christian Science Monitor
- At Public School Sports, A Constant Test of Line Between Faith Expression and Establishment – Bob Cook, FORBES
International Religious freedom-
- What Christians Do About Persecution – Travis Weber, RealClearRelgion.com
- Will Christians in the Middle East Be Officially Recognized as Victims of Genocide? – Travis Weber, The Stream
- Globally, religious persecution is Christian persecution – John L. Allen, Jr., Crux
- Despite ISIS, American Church Still Ignorant About Christian Persecution, Expert Says - Michael Gryboski, Christian Post
- The Tragedy of Christian Persecution – Michael Novak, RealClearReligion.com
Military Religious Freedom
- Army ends forced shaves for Sikh soldier: Bronze Star recipient allowed to wear religious beard and turban while serving - Melinda Skea, The Becket Fund
- Air Force Academy is ‘conducting an inquiry’ about football team’s prayers – Dave Huber, The College Fix
Religious Liberty in the public square –
- ‘The Protest Season’ is Becoming an Assault on Religious Freedom on Campus – Rob Schwarzwalder, The Stream
- Bremerton football coach suspended for praying files EEOC complaint – Associated Press
- When Corporations Turned on Social Conservatives: The Indiana Affair – Patrick J. Deneen, First Things
Life
Abortion
- Texas Group Grossly Exaggerates Number of Self-Induced Abortions to Undermine Pro-Life Cause- Arina Grossu, December 10, 2015, The Stream
- The trouble with 'persons' – Rob Schwarzwalder, Lifesite News
- Planned Parenthood Breaks IRS Rules to Funnel Millions to Pro-Abortion Democrats- December 15, 2015, LifeNews
- New Poll: 68% want Planned Parenthood body parts scandal probed, even 64% of Dems – Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner
- Disposal of fetal tissue debated in court, Ohio Statehouse – Ann Sanner, Associated Press
- Obama Backs Planned Parenthood Rally But Avoids Ever Saying ‘Abortion’ – Katie Yoder, Newsbusters.org
- How Many Abortion Clinics Collect Fetal Tissue – Rebecca Gonzalez, National Right to Life News Today
- Poverty and the Irony of Choice - Ifeoma Anunkor, Human Life Review
- Surrogate Defying Birth Parents' Abortion Demand – CBS News
Adoption
- Supreme Court sides with lesbian mother in Alabama adoption fight- USA Today
- Florida Senate Weighs ‘Best Interest Of The Child’ In Adoptions – NorthEscumbia.com
Healthcare conscience
- Little Sisters of the Poor Visit Capitol Hill – Catholic Advocate
Be sure to visit our newly updated site, ObamacareAbortion.com. Since the administration is not making information about abortion coverage clearly available, we are joining our partners at the Charlotte Lozier Institute in scouring the internet to get answers.
Family
Human Sexuality (Homosexual/ gender issues)
- LGBT Activists Fight State Law that Protects Believers Against Gay Marriage – Mark David Hall, Daily Signal
- When the Culture Makes You Sexually Confused: A Story – Christian Post
- Council votes to ban gay 'conversion' therapy in Cincinnati – Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati.com
- Judge Vance Day “Needs a Christmas Miracle” for Standing for Marriage – Larry Provost, Townhall.com
Human Trafficking
- Virginia man opens his home to Boko Haram's victims- December 8, 2015, Fox News
- Prison Time for Men Who Attempted to Buy Sex Slaves – Federal Bureau of Investigation
- When sex trafficking victims are U.S. Citizens – Polaris Project
Marriage
- The latest social science is wrong. Religion is good for families and kids. – W. Bradford Wilcox, Washington Post
- Children Are a Gift to Civilization – Joseph Sunde, Acton PowerBlog
- Collateral Damage: Same-Sex Marriage, Private Religious Schools, and Parental Rights – Nathan Swanson, The Public Discourse
- North Carolina sued over gay marriage opt-out law – Colleen Jenkins, Reuters
- Parents, It’s Time To Realize Big Government Is Your Enemy – Joy Pullman, The Federalist
Pornography
- When Love Saved Me from Porn – Cam Huxford, The Gospel Coalition
- Porn Perpetuates Rape Culture – Haley Halverson, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
To learn more about the link between sex trafficking and pornography, go to http://stoptraffickingdemand.com/
FRC Publications
Lectures
- FRC’s Bethany Demmin Delivers Remarks at Liberty University (on religious liberty and Christian civic engagement)
- The Situation is Desperate But Not Serious: How Christians Can Defend and Protect Religious Liberty – Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition
Policy publications (booklets, Issue Analyses, Issue Briefs)
Daddy's Girl: How Fatherlessness Impacts Early Sexual Activity, Teen Pregnancy, and Sexual Abuse – Rob Schwarzwalder and Natasha Tax
Fatherlessness is one of the most important, albeit ignored, social issues of our time. In the following, we document how the absence of fathers in the home promotes dangerous sexual behavior in minor girls and young women and makes them more susceptible to physical and sexual abuse.
