Over the past few days, we’ve learned the story of a newborn baby left in a Nativity scene at the Holy Child Jesus Church in Queens, New York. The babe was found lying in a manger, wrapped in towels. Sound familiar?
Thankfully, the baby was found within an hour of being left in the crèche, discovered by a custodian. It’s good to know that “under NY safe haven law, which permits a parent to leave a child in a safe place (such as a hospital or church) with hope of their being taken care of, (the baby’s mother) will not be charged with child abandonment. And as it turns out, there are parents in the parish who have already asked to adopt the baby.”
A baby rescued in the representation of a manger. Of course, another Baby came to a manger, but the difference in the stories is that Jesus came to rescue us. As Paul the apostle wrote the church in Galatia, Jesus “gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (1:4). Born in a stable, laid in a feeding trough, the Lord of the universe came to us as a baby. Fragile, vulnerable, tiny. No words can capture the dimensions of this miracle.
Last week, we were reminded that the fragility of human life is not limited to the little ones among us. A maddened shooter murdered three people at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado. Ironically, one of them was police officer Garrett Swasey. In addition to his service protecting and defending his community, Officer Swasey also served, part-time, as a pastor (take a few moments to listen to his compelling, Gospel-rich last sermon).
Those murdered in Colorado were as precious as the baby found in Holy Child Jesus Church. So were those aborted in the clinic in which the victims were killed. So are their mothers. So is every life, within the womb and outside it. As FRC President Tony Perkins said last week, “Only through peaceful means –not violence— can we truly become a nation that once again values all human life, born and unborn.”
Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council
P.S. Be sure to watch Dr. David Prentice’s presentation this week at FRC, “Malevolence or Benevolence? Fetal Tissue Research, Planned Parenthood's abortions, and Embryonic Stem Cells.”
Religious Liberty
“Free to Believe” –
- Christian student group finally allowed back on Cal State campus - Melinda Skea, The Becket Fund
- Printer Who Refused Gay Pride Shirts Draws LGBT Support – CBN News
- Victory: Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial Case – Liberty Institute
- Katie Ayers: Ten year-old standing for religious freedom – Alliance Defending Freedom
- Pro-family Professor Faces Punishment on Discrimination Charges – WORLD News Service
International Religious freedom-
- Report warns of ‘unprecedented’ support in U.S. for Islamic State - Norman D. McCaskil, Politico
- Targeted for elimination, Middle East Christians need rescue by the West, priest says – John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need
- Save persecuted religious minorities first – James Robbins, USA Today
- Boko Haram Attempting to Take Back Christian-Dominated Nigerian Town – Open Doors
- Yes, we should consider refugees’ religion – Michael W. McConnell, Politico
- Syrian Church Leader: Christians Have No Support, West Has Betrayed Us – Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post
- “Cleansing the Caliphate:” ISIS and Genocide of Christians – J.J. Daniels, Providence Magazine
- The Left’s Dishonest Biblical Argument for Taking in Syrian Refugees – David French, National Review
Religious Liberty in the public square –
- Luther’s Challenge to the Conscience of the West – Joseph Loconte, Religious Freedom Project
- Could America Survive without Religion? – Robert P. George, Public Discourse
- How America’s Demographic Revolution Reached The Church: Religious divergence characterizes today’s Republican and Democratic coalitions – Ronald Brownstein, National Journal
- Why Tolerate Religion? - Rafael Domingo, First Things
- How Moral Relativism Became Ascendant in Constitutional Law - Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism (Institute on Religion and Democracy)
- Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial Case – Liberty Institute
- This is Not a Daycare. It’s a University! – Everett Piper, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Note: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has given a number of thoughtful speeches on the centrality of religious liberty to our country. His most recent, delivered in the Senate on December 1, is titled, “Hatch Affirms that Religion is Indispensable to Democracy.”
Tax Exempt Status–
- Can Pastors and Churches Be Forced to Perform Same-Sex Marriages? – Travis Weber, Esq., Family Research Council
- First Amendment Defense Act Protects Freedom and Pluralism after Marriage Redefinition – Ryan Anderson, The Heritage Foundation
Life
Abortion
- The Feds Perpetrate Their Own Personal Deflate-Gate – Ken Blackwell, Breitbart Big Government
- Millennials Meet Ultrasounds: The Conscience, Technology, and New Life – Rob Schwarzwalder, Christian News Headlines
- Pro-lifers Debunk Texas Study Claiming Increase in At-home Abortions - Courtney Crandell, WORLD News Service
- Colorado Springs Pastor Killed in Planned Parenthood Shooting - Jeremy Weber and Bob Smietana, Christianity Today
- You Asked: Why Don’t Pro-Life Christians Kill Abortionists? – Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition
- Abortion Numbers Fell Again in 2012 –Michael J. New, The National Review
- How the Left Hijacked a Tragedy to Serve Their Pro-Abortion Agenda –Rich Lowry, The National Review
- Olivia Pope’s Abortion On “Scandal” Wasn’t Brave – Amy Otto, The Federalist
- 100,000 Texas Women Are Not Giving Themselves Abortions –Nicole Russell, The Federalist
- Supreme Court Showdown Over Texas Abortion Law – Brian Fraga, National Catholic Register
Adoption
- Being Thankful for Adoption – Rob Schwarzwalder, The Stream
- Family shares adoption story during National Adoption Month – Associated Press
- Moreland family shows rewards of adoption –Jay Hildebrant, NPG Group
Federal funding of abortion
- 3 ways taxpayers are funding abortion at Planned Parenthood – Becky Yeh, Live Action News
- Obamacare and Abortion – Chris Jacobs, Conservative Review
Fetal Pain
- Former abortionist: Life begins at conception, preborn feel pain – Sarah Terzo, Live Action News
- A pro-life conversation guide for the holidays – Paul Stark, National Right to Life News
Family
Human Sexuality (Homosexual/ gender issues)
- Crybullies Aren’t Just for College: On Corporations and LGBTQ Political Correctness – D.B. Holliday, Public Discourse
- Rape victim: Transgender bathrooms would expose girls, women to sexual assault – Michael Foust, Christian Examiner
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Laws Threaten Freedom – Ryan Anderson, Heritage Foundation
- Parent Successfully Fights Transgender Education in Public School – Liberty Counsel
- Gays Fail Once More at UN – Stefano Gennarini, C-Fam
Human Trafficking
- Hotels to receive training on human trafficking – Alexandria Burris, Shreveport Times
- The town where boys are 'groomed to become pimps' – Bradley Myles, CNN
- Human-trafficking signs required at adult entertainment businesses - Michelle Meredith, WESH-TV, Orange County Florida (Orlando)
Marriage
- “Evangelicals” Who Support Gay Marriage Are “Intellectually Dishonest,” FRC VP Says – Samuel Smith, Christian Post
- Couple’s faith at the heart of 76-year marriage – The Christian Institute
- Faith and faithfulness – The Economist
Pornography
- How Pornography is Ruining Men’s Sex Lives – Danielle Jahn, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
- Pornography: Our Greatest Ongoing Spiritual Threat – Fr. C. John McCloskey, CatholicCitizens.org
FRC Events and Publications
Blogs
- Turning Bad News into Action – Jamie Dangers
- A Common-Sense Strategy in the Battle Against Pornography - Daniel Hart
- I Agree with Bernie Sanders – Rob Schwarzwalder, FRCAction.org
- Peas in a Rotting Pod: Woodrow Wilson and Margaret Sanger – Rob Schwarzwalder
- Who Cares What Era We’re In? – Rob Schwarzwalder
Op-eds
- A compassionate and cautious approach to refugees - Ken Blackwell, Washington Times
- Entire Arc of Modern History May Depend Upon Defeating Islamic Extremism - Ken Blackwell, CNS News
