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 Pastor – The 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 year – The 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 Parts – Caffeinated 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 loneliness – Science 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
