Dear Friends,
Before his beautiful treatise of love in 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul gives a stern warning:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
In the current political and cultural climate, these words pose a particular challenge for believers. Marco Rubio recently characterized our times this way: “We are reaching a point in this republic where we are not going to be able to solve the simplest of issues because everyone is putting themselves in a corner where everyone hates everybody.” While there are many reasons why we have gotten to this place in our culture, I think an underlying cause can be traced back to what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians: when people with good intentions fail to act with love, whether it be in speech or in action, their efforts backfire. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a large percentage of news stories and commentary these days seem to be primarily concerned with scoring points against perceived enemies rather than to charitably inform, engage, and persuade. Both conservatives and liberals are guilty of this.
This is a failure to love. For believers, the temptation here can be to beat the opposition over the head with the Truth, and when that fails, to fight fire with more fire. After all, many argue, what else can be done when the other side refuses to even engage in a debate and instead resorts to name calling and straw man tantrums? This may be true, but believers must not succumb to tactics that society has deemed acceptable. Rather, we must present the Truth in charity and love. Hearts and minds are changed through patient forbearance, genuine empathy, and truthful proposals, as difficult and frustrating as this is to do.
With the knowledge that Christ, who is Truth Incarnate, will ultimately triumph, let us always argue and debate in charity and love. This will often mean that we will “lose” in the court of public opinion, and our pride will be humbled. But Christ experienced no less. Let us pray that everyone, believers and non-believers alike, whether they be in public office, public policy, or the media, will come to know this truth.
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
Free pastors from the Johnson Amendment – Tony Perkins
Shulkin Poised to Address Concerns at the VA – Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin
Everything The Women’s March Movement Wants You To Believe About It Is A Lie – Sarah Perry
Judge Gorsuch Is A Mainstream Constitutionalist – Ken Blackwell
Marriage: The Abundant Life – Dan Hart
UN: Religious Persecution of Rohingyas Reaches Horrific Levels – Travis Weber
What You May Not Know President Trump Said at the National Prayer Breakfast – Travis Weber
Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty in the Public Square
How to Think About Discrimination: Race, Sex, and SOGI – Ryan T. Anderson, Public Discourse
Homeschool Family Sues NYC After Being Subjected to 60-Day Investigation – Samuel Smith, The Christian Post
Tony Perkins Hails 'Victory' in $225K Settlement for Fired Pastor; Georgia Says He Wasn't Fired for Faith – Leonardo Blair, The Christian Post
International Religious Freedom
New UN LGBT Expert Doubles Down Against Religious Freedom – Stefano Gennarini, C-Fam
U.K.: Preacher jailed for sharing Bible teaching with homosexual teen – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
Asia Bibi: Putting Seven Years Imprisonment Into Perspective – David Curry, The Christian Post
Rubio urges Trump to uphold religious freedom and human rights in China – China Aid
Military Religious Freedom
Navy’s ‘diversity road map’ lays foundation for multiethnic force protected against discrimination – Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times
Life
Abortion
How Women Can Help Abortion-Proof Their Communities – Kat Talalas, The Federalist
More Pregnant Women Choose Life Over Abortion Than Ever Before – Macaiah Bilger, LifeNews
Abortion Widens the Gender Gap and Exploits Women – Brian E. Fisher, Public Discourse
Planned Parenthood offered incentives, ‘pizza parties’ for meeting quotas – Kate Scanlon, TheBlaze
Post-abortive woman: Seeing my aborted baby was “the worst moment of my life” – Nancy Flanders, Live Action News
Fact Check: Abortion Is Not ‘The Most Safest Medical Procedure In America’ – Jay Hobbs, The Federalist
Adoption
Foster Care as the Way of Christ – Darren Carlson, Desiring God
Firefighter adopts baby he delivered on emergency call – Zoe Romanowsky, Aleteia
Bioethics
Oregon bill would let doctors starve, dehydrate mentally ill patients – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
House Committee Votes to Strike Down D.C. Law Legalizing Assisted Suicide – Steve Ertelt, LifeNews
D.C.’s ‘Death with Dignity’ Bill Could Cut Costs — and Compassion – Brad Wenstrup and Phil Roe, National Review
New Mexico Assisted Suicide Bill Moves Toward Death on Demand – Wesley Smith, LifeNews
Obamacare
Why Delaying Obamacare Repeal Is Hurting the American People – Sondra Clark, The Daily Signal
We Hear You: From Obamacare to Affordability and Choice for Consumers – Ken McIntyre, The Daily Signal
Family
Economics/Education
Workplace Flexibility for Moms and the Gender Gap – Ashley McGuire, Family Studies
These Small Business Owners Fret Over ‘Devastating’ Import Tax Pitched by House GOP Leaders – Josh Siegel, The Stream
Today’s Riot-Prone Mobs Are A Product Of America’s Cult-Like Education System – Stella Morabito, The Federalist
Good Money – Samuel Gregg, Public Discourse
State Lawmakers Need To Dramatically Increase School Choice Now Or America Is Over – Inez Feltscher, The Federalist
Identity Studies in Service of a Classical Education – Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., Public Discourse
Marriage
Debunking the Ball and Chain Myth of Marriage for Men – Bradford Wilcox and Nicholas H. Wolfinger, Family Studies
How Should a Christian View Marriage and Divorce? – Amy Desai, Focus on the Family
6 Habits that will destroy your marriage, and how to avoid them – Aleteia
Faith/Character/Culture
When the One You Love Is Wayward – Dave Harvey & Paul Gilbert, The Gospel Coalition
Hero In Blue – William Doino, Jr., First Things
Human Sexuality
Cohabitation Contributes to Family Instability Across the Globe – Laurie DeRose, Family Studies
Six Essential Facts About Senate Bill 6 (Texas Privacy Act) – Texas Values
The Data Suggests Unisex Bathrooms Are A Bonanza To Male Perverts – Paul Dirks, The Federalist
Other Reasons to Wait Until Marriage – Boundless
Transforming Hookup Culture: A Review of American Hookup – Amber Lapp, Family Studies
Human Trafficking
Sex Trafficking Spikes Around the Super Bowl, But It’s a Year-Round Scourge – Mary Rose Somarriba, Verily
Human Trafficking and Slavery: How Flight Attendants are Saving Lives Miles in the Air – Nancy Flory, The Stream
Pornography
Why We All Need Millennials To Start Trying To Have More Sex – Hans Fiene, The Federalist
