America is facing many challenges these days: crushing national debt, gender confusion, LGBTQ rights, illegal immigration, human trafficking, government overreach, institutional distrust, and so much more. Deeper scrutiny of these challenges reveals that they are inevitably due to bad decision-making, which is a result of reliance upon bad worldviews.
The lessons of another pro-life debacle at the polls
In recent months, good news has been hard to come by in our troubled world. While we try to stay focused on the seemingly endless Ukraine-Russian conflict, our attention was suddenly distracted by a deadly earthquake in Morocco, soon followed by tragic news from Libya, where devastating floods cost some 10,000 lives.
Home is where the cradle of belief begins
Michigan's conversion therapy ban is a solution in search of a problem
Finland seems eager to send the West spiraling back into a new and real Dark Age of anti-Christian discrimination after putting Paivi Rasanen back on trial for simply articulating a Christian perspective on marriage and sexuality. The Helsinki District Court previously dismissed the charges against Rasanen and Bishop Pohjola on March 30, 2022, but the state prosecutor filed an appeal, reopening the charges. This aptly nicknamed "Bible Trial" highlights the precipitous and damning decline of free speech and religious liberty across what was once known as the "free world."
Understanding why indictments help Trump's campaign
It turns out that a worldview built on perpetual outrage isn't healthy
The U.S. Constitution, carefully crafted for durability, has allowed our nation to flourish for the past 245 years. In large measure, that's due to the fact that it's not easy to amend. One of the weaknesses of Ohio's constitution, on the other hand, is that currently it is far too easy to amend.
Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a free speech case with implications for religious liberty. In a 6-3 landmark decision, the Court held that the government may not compel Americans to express messages they do not believe.
What will it take for other young Americans to learn the same?
Corporations are attacking American values and, in doing so, are hurting their bottom lines. Can corporate leaders be this clueless or does the agenda trump their duties to shareholders and customers?
America's military is facing a major recruiting crisis and growing threats from China and other belligerents. Yet the Biden administration is pushing taxpayer-funded abortions, among other woke agenda items, that are rightfully fueling fears that a politicized Pentagon won't be able to defend our country.
Why Planned Parenthood is building its transgender business
Creating a pro-life culture requires reforming our culture's deceptive view of sex
The president, once a centrist on the issue, has become a pro-abortion zealot
President Joe Biden's commitment to the moral revolution has never been in doubt. As a candidate and now as president, Joe Biden has championed every imaginable cause of the LGBT movement. From lobbying for legislation like the Equality Act and Respect for Marriage Act to nominating outspoken activists such as Rachel Levine to influential positions in the government, the president, at every turn, has aggressively and energetically supported the objectives of LGBT activists.
Credentials don't reassure parents as schools seek to radicalize children
On Monday, twelve Anglican archbishops published a remarkable letter officially denouncing the Church of England and the leadership of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The context of this growing rift in one of the world's largest Christian denominations is the recent meeting of the Church of England's General Synod and the decision to allow priests to bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships. The archbishops' rebuke is the first time such a large group of churches has rejected the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
A Louisiana law requiring identification before accessing pornography websites is such an obviously good idea that it is surprising no one has done it before now.
The Super Bowl is the most watched event in America each year and has become a national holiday as much as it is a football game. In the same way that Christmas is now synonymous with trees and stockings, the Super Bowl wouldn't be the Super Bowl without lots of food and people arguing about commercials and whether the halftime show is satanic.
Gov. Newsom's case for his version of freedom falls flat
January 2023 marks 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that a "right" to abortion was protected by an implied "right to privacy" in the U.S. Constitution. As they have since 1973, hundreds of thousands of pro-life supporters will mark the anniversary of the Court's decision by participating in the annual March for Life on January 20 in Washington, D.C. Of course, this year will be different, as marchers celebrate the overturning of Roe and the myriad of new pro-life laws now in effect throughout the country.
The first tremor of distress rippled across Iran on Sept. 16, 2022, after the tragic death of a beautiful young woman-Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini. Twitter watchers first saw a photo of Mahsa, unconscious and on life-support, the victim of a vicious beating by Iran's "religious morality" police. They had arrested and violently assaulted her for not wearing her hijab properly-some of her hair had been exposed. She quickly died of a massive brain injury.
The midterm election was not a red wave or tsunami, but it may have been a sign. Republicans shouldn't be too disappointed in the results of the midterms since they are likely to control the House and still have a chance at a Senate majority as well. Still, it was not what they had hoped for nor what Democrats had feared. Democrats seem satisfied that, regardless of what happens in the yet-to-be-decided races, democracy will not truly end this year.
President Biden recently announced that he would pardon all those who faced federal convictions for simple marijuana possession, and he further announced that he would release anyone who was in prison simply for that offense.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Vice President Kamala Harris raised eyebrows at the Democratic Leadership Committee's Women's Leadership Forum when she described the way hurricane relief should be distributed: "It is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions," Harris said. "We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity."
In a nation filled with strange new developments, one of the most alarming is the belief that a primary purpose of the Constitution is to protect us from "discrimination." In September, the Washington Post ran an op-ed with the headline "When did religious freedom become an excuse to discriminate?" The article laments that, "in the name of religion, businesses assert a right to refuse to hire LGBTQ people, public school teachers a right to misgender students and others a right to discriminate against terminally ill patients exploring end of life options."
On a mid-September afternoon, the world was introduced on Twitter to a beautiful 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini. She first appeared in hospital photographs, comatose and connected to life-support equipment, with bleeding visible in her right ear. Before long, earlier and happier photos of Mahsa were also posted, notably with her dark hair mostly covered but partially revealed.
California Congressman Adam Schiff has introduced legislation purporting to help people struggling with infertility, but this proposed solution creates a much more serious problem. Approximately 12 percent of married women have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy, which creates emotional, physical, and even financial stress. While government can do little for the emotional stress, the U.S. government has long provided tax-deductions for infertility related expenses.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., might force a vote on the redefinition of marriage by attaching the so-called Respect for Marriage Act to a funding bill that must be passed if the government is to avoid a shutdown. If the Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the House in July, becomes law, it would cement same-sex marriage as federal policy, threaten religious liberty, and almost inevitably expand the definition of marriage beyond what was handed down in the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision.
All people of goodwill should pray for and stand with Andrew Fox in defense of our way of life and freedoms.
For months, the prevailing political wisdom was that President Joe Biden's Democratic Party was headed for a shellacking in the November midterm elections. Prognosticators across the ideological spectrum predicted gains for Republicans in key races all across the country. However, with the midterms just over two months away, there is increasing chatter that the re-emergence of abortion in the national conversation following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to reverse Roe v. Wade has bolstered the political fortunes of Democrats. The Democrats are counting on it.
Family Research Council's stated purpose is to "advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview." In recent years, with God's help and the work of committed partners, we have won some key victories to that end.
A bill being debated in the California legislature is a cocktail of political disasters. Combining separate debates over parental rights and emergency powers, it creates one of the most direct assaults on parental rights in American history.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would officially repeal the bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act and enshrine into federal law a radical redefinition of marriage. Forty-seven Republicans joined Democrats in passing the bill, leading to speculation that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer might be able to find enough Republican votes to pass the legislation in the upper chamber.
When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, it felt like the beginning of the end for many conservative causes. The court was already moving left. Obergefell, the case in which liberal justices invented a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, was still fresh in our memory. Chief Justice John Roberts, the most recent Republican nominee to the court, was unreliable, and Justice Anthony Kennedy, the moderate on the bench, had become a reliable vote for the sexual revolution. Justice Scalia's death seemed likely to make the situation worse. After all, President Barack Obama was in the final year of his term and was poised to replace one of the court's most reliable conservatives with someone decidedly not conservative.
In a world filled with strange developments, perhaps one of the strangest is America's new fascination with connecting kids with drag queens. Evidently, like turkey at Thanksgiving, it just isn't Pride Month if there aren't any men dressed like women twerking in front of children.
On Pentecost Sunday in Owo, Nigeria, a horrifying massacre took place. "Streaks of blood on the floors and walls, sandals abandoned in a desperate rush to escape, a well-thumbed Bible lying among shards of glass," Reuters reported on June 6. "Those were some of the disturbing sights inside St. Francis Catholic Church in the Nigerian town...after unknown assailants attacked the congregation with guns and explosives during Sunday mass, killing and injuring dozens of people."
It's Pride Month again, which means everybody will be asked to show their fidelity to the gods of the sexual revolution. Those who fail will be thrown into the Twittery fiery furnace.
When it comes to police reform, President Joe Biden is now caught in a trap of his own making. In an attempt to appease the radical base of his party before the midterm elections, the president recently signed an executive order that would establish a national registry of officers who've been discharged for misconduct and restrict the transfer of certain kinds of equipment to law enforcement agencies.
The recent horrifying death of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Nigerian college student, focused international attention on Nigeria's Christians and their persistent abuse by radical Islamists. Thanks to social media, reports and videos of Deborah's vicious beating and burning in Sokoto were widely circulated for several days.
There's been much discussion in recent years about what it means to be "conservative." The state of Oklahoma recently gave us an example of what it means to govern conservatively, and that begins by refusing to let the law tell lies.
or weeks, the nation debated over whether teachers in Florida should be allowed to talk to young children about sex. It turns out that many adults see it as a matter of human dignity. As a result, when the Florida legislature passed a law prohibiting lessons about sex and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, some teachers in the state said they would quit. One such educator, Nicolette Solomon, told NBC News, "Nobody would be able to know, which then puts me in the closet, and I'm there seven hours a day, if not more, five days a week. I wouldn't be able to be who I am."
On April 25, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) launched its Annual Report describing events in 2021- a detailed document focusing on more than two dozen countries that are engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations. Their report also offers suggestions and recommendations, while providing information regarding 15 specific prisoners of conscience, for whom USCIRF Commissioners have personally advocated.
Right now, the fight for control of Ukraine is taking place in the skies above Kyiv and in the streets of Mariupol. However while the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the sky and on the land has ground to a stalemate, Vladimir Putin and his virtual war machine dedicated to sowing disinformation are decidedly losing the information war.
President Joe Biden is desperate to skirt the blame for his own economic blunders -- but finding a convincing scapegoat is proving to be an arduous task.
Indisputable evidence of Russian war crimes has stunned the world as gruesome scenes continue to be exposed in Bucha, Ukraine-a town near Kyiv. The sprawled remains of more than a dozen civilians, abandoned along a road, have been clearly photographed. An elderly woman was found beheaded. One group of nine, all in civilian clothes, were scattered around a site that residents said Russian troops used as a base. "We have already buried 280 people in mass graves," said Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk. "These people were shot, killed, in the back of the head."
In today's unsettled world, breathless headlines turn our eyes from one dangerous site to another-from Russia to Ukraine, from North Korea to China. And we hardly have time to focus on hotspots that flash, flare, and fade in the Middle East.
The sign is written in Russian. It contains one word: "Children." It was painted on both of the parking lots surrounding a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, to safeguard the hundreds of people, including scores of children, sheltering inside it. But it didn't stop Russian planes from bombing the theater, trapping those seeking safety under tons of bricks and cement.
Should children in kindergarten through third grade receive lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity? After a bizarre national debate, the state of Florida says no. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the bill into law, said in a statement, "Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old."
"Stranger Danger." This phrase is used by parents to warn their children about predators. In this election year, it is also an appropriate warning for vulnerable citizens who could be targeted by activists who will try to suppress or steal their votes.
"Kill all you see, whether children or adults." That was the instruction one Burmese soldier recalled receiving from his superior as the Burmese military destroyed approximately 20 villages, dumping the bodies of their victims in mass graves. It's a grotesque scene that was replicated across Burma's Rakhine State during a massive 2017 campaign against the Rohingya people, an ethnic and religious minority in Burma. Last week, the United States government officially recognized this atrocity for what it was-genocide.
In a 2022 statement to stockholders, the investment banking firm Citigroup stated, "We believe all parents deserve time to adjust to parenthood and bond with the newest member of their family." Citigroup said that this belief had led them to expand their paid parental leave policy in 2020 to guarantee 16 weeks of paid maternity leave or four weeks of paid parental leave.
According to the NCAA, Lia Thomas is a national champion. After touching the wall first at the conclusion of the 500-yard freestyle, Thomas's win was heralded by ESPN, The New York Times, and CNN as historic. And it's true. Thomas' championship-clinching swim at last week's NCAA women's national championship meet capped off a record-breaking season in which the University of Pennsylvania swimmer set multiple pool, school, and league records.
For weeks, a shocked world has been transfixed by Russia's murderous invasion of Ukraine. The killing and maiming of innocents by the thousands - unarmed women, children and the elderly - has been stunning. Resourceful Ukrainian soldiers have demonstrated enormous courage. And nation after nation has responded with rage, reprimands, armament, financial sanctions and threats of further recourse. Few members of the international community have remained unmoved.
It was reported this week that negotiations aimed at restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal were "back on track" in Vienna following a brief pause that resulted from Russia's sudden imposition of new demands related to the sanctions on its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow asked that the United States provide guarantees that those sanctions no interfere with Russian-Iranian trade or security agreements. It is not clear exactly how the issue was resolved so quickly, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed to have received the relevant guarantees, and thus fueled further speculation that Western participants in the Vienna talks are readily handing out concessions to their adversaries.
A decision in a high-profile European religious freedom case is expected to be handed down by month's end. Finnish Parliament member Päivi Räsänen is charged with three counts of "ethnic agitation" under a hate speech law in the criminal code for articulating a Christian understanding of marriage and sexuality in a tweet, a radio show, and a 20-year-old pamphlet. At stake in this important case is not only freedom of speech but also the freedom to believe and express fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. So, even if Finland chooses not to side with religious freedom in this case, we must do so.
As their radical policy regime comes under threat at the Supreme Court, abortion supporters now want to change the terms of discussion. In the name of avoiding "bias," they've begun to play Orwellian language games, instead of working to make things better for America's women and children.
While Russia continues to attack civilian areas and fire projectiles at residential areas in Ukraine, it has sparked the largest humanitarian disaster in Europe since World War II. It's already estimated that one million Ukrainians have fled the country, with more on the way.
Americans are identifying as LGBT at higher rates than ever before. At least that's what a recent poll claims. According to Gallup, the number of those who say they are something other than what God designed them to be has risen to 7.1 percent, a more than 100 percent increase from 10 years ago, when Gallup first began asking the question, and a 26 percent increase from just last year.
Why would a major, international news service attempt to smear peaceful parents by linking their attendance at school board meetings to a few anonymous threats by crackpots? Take, for example, the recent Reuters investigation posted and reposted on February 15. Breathless coverage is offered under a screaming headline: School boards get death threats amid rage over race, gender, mask policies. The investigation was reposted with a corrected headline, adding "amid rage" for context.
There is nothing new under the sun - especially when it comes to communism. As Russia, a country historically steeped in Communist influence, has set the world on edge by violently invading Ukraine, it is high time for the United States to purge the evil influence of communism wherever it may be found.
The militant Left is attacking the principled public service of Justice Clarence Thomas again; this time by targeting his wife Ginni in a malicious attempt to delegitimize Supreme Court decisions that are faithful to the original meaning of the Constitution.
Most people are ready to return to normalcy, but the pandemic has given Washington bureaucrats a chance to extend their reach. They won't relinquish that power without a fight.
The Islamic Republic of Iran never seems to disappear from headlines, while its misdeeds persist-often out of sight and out of mind. A primary example is the regime's ceaseless abuse of religious minorities-Sunni Muslims, Zoroastrians, Baha'is, atheists and Christians, and even at times government recognized Assyrian and Armenian churches. These abuses are often hidden from view. Yet the highly respected Open Doors World Watch List consistently places Iran among the world's top 10 persecutors of Christians.
While millions of people around the world were watching the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in the very same city the ceremony was taking place, Xu Yonghai was being put under house arrest at a motel.
While most Americans were still asleep Monday morning, Finnish member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola entered a courtroom in Helsinki, Finland. They are on trial for their faith in court proceedings that began three weeks ago, concluding an almost three-year-long campaign of legal harassment from the Finnish government. They and the prosecution made their final arguments Tuesday.
On the day of this year's March for Life, congressional Republicans sent a letter to Acting U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock. Prompted by a recent New York Times exposé reporting that prenatal genetic screening tests are incorrect 85 percent of the time, the letter asks Woodcock whether the FDA will be taking any steps to regulate these prenatal screenings in light of the concerningly high rate of false positives.
Today, Americans of all stripes are constantly bombarded with an insidious propaganda campaign against our shared history. From Critical Race Theory to ripping down historical statues, our national story is being rewritten as irredeemably sinful. These efforts have taken a particularly racialized characteristic by implying that Black history is somehow distinct from, or in opposition to, "American history" itself, rather than an integral part of it.
The Left and their liberal media allies love to point to the low number of election crimes prosecuted as proof that there is little to no voter fraud. They claim these low figures prove we have secure elections and that we do not need election integrity reforms.
Politico reached out to me for a conservative perspective on Joe Biden's first year in office, but when I hit their favored president too hard, they proved yet again that the establishment media continue to cover for this failed president as shills for Democrats and the far left.
Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain spoke at the launch of Open Doors' World Watch List report last week. Last month, the Senate confirmed Hussain in an 85-5 vote. He is assuming office at a time when government restrictions on religion across the globe remain at a peak, according to the Pew Research Center. During his confirmation hearing, Hussain noted, "A staggering 80 percent of people worldwide live in environments with high or severe restrictions on religious freedom." The challenges are great, but so are the opportunities.
When moving homes recently, I had a conversation with the mover that cut through a lot of what passes for sophisticated discourse about abortion. He asked me what I did for a living, and I said I was a lawyer who focuses on pro-life policy. He was confused and asked what that entails. I told him I work to make abortion illegal.
Have you ever listened to the news, and come across a story that really makes you angry? Some stories just touch a nerve.
Tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life will gather Friday in Washington, D.C., for the 49th annual March for Life.
It is a shocking statement that could easily be attributed to a third world dictator. When asked about election legislation this week, the president of the United States of America stated, "It's not who can vote, but who gets to count the vote. Who counts the vote-that's what this is about."
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to implement a national plan to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. As the calendar turns to 2022, the highly-transmissible Omicron variant is resulting in the highest daily case rates yet. When examining the actions from President Biden's first year in office, it would seem that his administration has focused less on concrete solutions to tackle COVID-19 and more on promoting abortion in unprecedented ways.
The Declaration of Independence is America's charter. It's the foundation on which our republic rests, which is why its most critical assertion remains relevant to every American.
As a former Division I women's basketball player, I am no stranger to playing against men. My high school team wanted to win a state championship, so we trained against boys. In college, I wanted to walk on at Notre Dame, so I practiced against men. After three years of watching from the stands, I made the team. Once on the team, our coach, Muffet McGraw, wanted to win a national championship, so we played against "the practice squad."
As cheerful greetings of "Happy New Year" fade across the world, life gradually settles back into "the new normal." And alongside various concerns about yet another pandemic season, new issues emerge. For those of us who follow international religious freedom, the plight of Christian believers-the most widely targeted faith group in the world-comes back into focus.
Ken Blackwell is Senior Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance at Family Research Council. This article appeared on Townhall.com on January 11, 2022. He was packaged to ... (more)
Democrats in Congress are unable to move forward on their massive spending bill because of bipartisan opposition. Polling showed President Biden's Big Government Socialism Bill was wildly unpopular with the American people. That is no surprise when you consider it did not address any of the significant issues facing American families today like sky-high gas prices, rising food costs, spikes in violent crime, and a shortage of products because of a failing supply chain.
President Biden's administration and Congress should be wary of warming up to Kazakhstan, a country ablaze right now with mass protests and unprecedented chaos. We just might get burned.
When Martin Luther King Jr., envisioned an America of equality in human dignity, he certainly didn't anticipate racial lines being drawn around one of our country's most sacred holidays. Sadly, that's where we find ourselves today.
Nearly a decade ago, a florist from rural Washington State turned her world upside down by respectfully refusing to use her creative talents in the service of a same-sex wedding. Thanks to a recent settlement, Mrs. Stutzman no longer faces the threat of losing her home or retirement, but before we let her return to the peace and quiet she has always deserved, we should make sure we understand what happened.
The age of mask and vaccine mandates has sparked important conversations about what employers, businesses and our government can ask about our personal health decisions. These discussions often reveal widespread misconceptions about who is responsible for keeping that information confidential and secure. Clarity on this issue is of utmost importance for consumers, especially with the rise of smartphone apps hungry for health data.
A federal judge has struck down one of President Joe Biden's four COVID vaccine mandates, ruling that it violates federal law to force healthcare providers to fire doctors and nurses who object to the vaccination. One mandate down, three to go.
Only six nations in the world allow abortion on demand through nine months of pregnancy. Among those six are countries guilty of placing religious minorities in concentration camps, starving their own people, imprisoning political opponents, and offering people with disabilities an option for assisted suicide but not for care-and, the United States.
On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case that has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion on demand in America. In the lead-up to the case, abortion will once again be in the national spotlight, and when the court announces its decision sometime next year, it will generate massive media attention.
During a rendezvous at the United Nations General Assembly, the Iranian regime's foreign minister lodged a formal complaint with his Swedish counterpart about the trial of Hamid Noury, a former Iranian official, in Stockholm. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Sweden's Ann Linde that all the documents provided to the court are "fabricated." A month prior, a spokesman for the regime's Foreign Ministry had warned, "We will naturally use all our diplomatic means to obtain and enforce Hamid Noury's rights."
After decades of disturbing eyewitness reports, today's international religious freedom observers have become deeply concerned about Nigeria's imperiled Christian communities.
Cancel culture is real, and it's not about "accountability"
Today's America is facing moral and political divisions that especially challenge our Christian communities. During these times of increasing uncertainty, we need to be aware of dangers that could affect our families and the future our faith.
It is time for parents to believe what the architects and central planners of American public education are telling us.
"If you tell them that you went to a church and believed in Jesus, they would not stop at just beating you." These are the words of North Korean defector Lee Kang In, quoted in a report released last week by UK-based human rights group Korea Future. The report adds substantial evidence to what the world already knows-North Korea is not just a national security threat; it is the world's worst violator of human rights.
On Tuesday, the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law publicly demanded the University of Massachusetts address an antisemitic incident that the university has tried to keep under wraps since June. Per the Brandeis Center, a reporter was "accosted, spat at, shoved and called a Nazi and a pig solely based upon his perceived identity as a Zionist." The culprits were local affiliates of a group familiar to anyone studying antisemitism on campus: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
At a community meeting last week, D.C. Assistant Police Chief Chanel Dickerson revealed that as a pregnant 18-year-old police cadet in the late 1980s, she was told to have an abortion or face termination from the program. The next day, another police officer, 24-year veteran Karen Arikpo, disclosed that she, too, had an abortion to save her job.
The American people must never lose sight of what makes our country great as we march toward victory in our ongoing efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. We must defeat this enemy while being true to our highest values, upholding the religious liberty and civil rights of our fellow citizens by rejecting vaccine mandates.
Small victories are still victories, and worth celebrating. So, as we - all Americans - come to realize just how much critical race theory has come to permeate our discourse and our dialogues, we are fighting back. We are reclaiming that most self-evident of truths- all men are created equal.
On October 5 and 6, eight Chinese house church Christians were denied asylum in South Korea. One was Pan Yongguang, a beleaguered pastor who had fled increasing government harassment, raids, and interrogations in China.
Last week a mom read aloud to the Fairfax County School Board excerpts from library books found in an FCPS library.
Last Friday afternoon, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra quietly announced a new set of actions in response to the implementation of Texas' Heartbeat Act, a pro-life law the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed to go into effect while further litigation plays out.
This week, the Iranian theocracy's president, Ebrahim Raisi, gave a brazen virtual "speech" at the United Nations General Assembly. His barefaced lies and shameless claims once again raised the question, why is the UN allowing a madman and a mass murderer to take over the international podium? Which world leader is truly willing and ready to shake Raisi's blood-drenched hands?
The Biden administration's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan has raised fresh concerns about this administration's military leadership. Amid the chaos and mere hours before 13 U.S. service members were killed in a bomb attack at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Army's top enlisted general was tweeting about diversity and quotas in celebration of "Women's Equality Day."
Women's sports will no longer exist in Afghanistan under the Taliban's regime, according to the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission. Ahmadullah Wasiq told an Australian reporter that it was "not necessary" that women play cricket or other sports. "In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this," he said. For the women who blazed the trail that led to the development of women's sports that did not previously exist in Afghanistan, the announcement confirmed their fears about Taliban rule.
Across America today, intense arguments and quarrels that flared up during the urgent removal of all American forces from Afghanistan - abruptly announced by President Joe Biden on Aug. 16 - are still roiling. The angry uproar increased when retrospectives began to appear as Sept. 11 approached. This included poignant reminders that al-Qaida, under Osama bin Laden's direction, orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. It is well known that al-Qaida remains a Taliban ally today.
Those who relish the unyielding power of the state over the individual have had a good year. Lockdowns by tyrannical governors and state and local bureaucrats, along with expansive authority seized out of thin air by the CDC and other arms of the federal government, have made America almost unrecognizable as a bastion of freedom.
In June, just days before the U.S. Senate was to vote on Democrats' federal takeover of elections deceptively named the 'For the People Act,' West Virginia's Senator Joe Manchin drew a red line in the sand.
The question is being raised everywhere - in daily emails, WhatsApp messages or texts from people on the ground in Afghanistan. "Why are our efforts being blocked?" is repeatedly voiced by NGOs, philanthropists and everyone else who is trying to help thousands of would-be Afghan refugees. Why are these refugees becoming refuseniks?
During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown controversy, Grace Community Church in Southern California, led by John MacArthur, got a lot of attention because they defied Governor Gavin Newsom's order to stop having church.
As thousands of desperate Afghans hope to make their way onto airplanes headed anywhere outside the country, millions more are devastated to see their country revert to strict Sharia law brutally enforced by the Taliban. This feeling of devastation isn't limited to the Afghan people. For Americans, especially those who care about religious freedom, the Taliban takeover is heartbreaking.
This month the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report that documents religious freedom violations occurring in North Korea. Based on interviews with North Korean survivors, witnesses, and even perpetrators of religious freedom violations, the report concludes that "the denial of religious freedom is absolute" in the hermit kingdom. This brutal reality must inform the Biden administration's foreign policy approach to North Korea.
This past Tuesday, on a straight party-line vote, Congress passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act or H.R. 4. This bill is a blatant power grab and an attempt to federalize our elections. It's also an effort to make states unable to defend safeguards like voter ID in court.
Watching the unfolding tragedy and pain has caused American allies and enemies to wonder where the United States stands regarding other longstanding U.S. commitments. After the withdrawal from Afghanistan, can America be trusted to keep any of its promises?
We often expect politicians to enact constitutionally dubious laws and executive orders, but usually they at least pretend their actions are legal.
Big Tech has become one of the major areas of concern for conservatives. Whether it's bias against conservatives, using their platforms to advance liberal policies, or turning a blind eye to the actions of hostile regimes like China, conservatives are united in their anger at these companies. That anger goes beyond conservatives as well.
Fifteen years ago, the Family Research Council advocated for Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Muslim man who had converted to Christianity and was being persecuted. Even in the face of a new Constitution, supported by the U.S. and purported to protect religious freedom, the Islamist headwinds blew strongly enough that Rahman's safety was only ensured by the intervention of the international community, who at the time had been helping to rebuild Afghanistan. At that time, we had critiqued the Bush administration for failing to stand up for people like Mr. Rahman and called for pressure on the U.S.-backed Afghan government to ensure his protection. Eventually, Mr. Rahman was shuttled to Italy, not without much effort by his international defenders (he certainly lacked them within his own country).
Big Tech has become one of the major areas of concern for conservatives. Whether it's because of these companies' bias against conservatives, using their platforms to advance liberal policies, or turning a blind eye to the actions of hostile regimes like China, conservatives are united in their anger at Big Tech. That anger goes beyond conservatives, as well.
After days of increasing disbelief, America watched on Aug. 16 as President Joe Biden officially abandoned Afghanistan. We listened to his awkward speech as he publicly dismissed a 20-year American investment in blood and treasure while putting at risk untold thousands of Afghan lives.
Big Tech has become one of the major areas of concern for conservatives. Whether it's bias against conservatives, using their platforms to advance liberal policies, or turning a blind eye to the actions of hostile regimes like China, conservatives are united in their anger at these companies. That anger goes beyond conservatives as well.
How much can lack of election integrity cost you? It's $3 trillion and rising, and it's all that stands between you and the socialist takeover of America. Unsecure elections are the gateway to socialism.
It's becoming increasingly clear that we need to thoroughly examine what happened during the 2020 elections and take steps to make sure it can't happen again.
Big Tech has become one of the major areas of concern for conservatives. Whether it's bias against conservatives, using their platforms to advance liberal policies, or turning a blind eye to the actions of hostile regimes like China, conservatives are united in their anger at these companies. That anger goes beyond conservatives as well.
Seventeen Senate Republicans seem determined to save President Joe Biden from his disastrous policies by backing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) infrastructure bill, reducing the GOP's ability to go after the inflation caused by Democrats' runaway spending when it hits everyday Americans' weekly budgets, as it is sure to do.
It's back to school season. Like every year, children are excited about new teachers, new experiences, new clothes, and maybe even some new friends. But for many families, back-to-school is not business as usual this year. In many cases, the temporary changes to education brought on by COVID-19 have become permanent.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is a constant fixture in world news. Yet, this summer he has been making the news for something unexpected - his crackdown on youth culture. Recent decades have seen elements of South Korean culture seeping through the Chinese border via the black market. And according to Kim Jong Un, South Korean slang and fashion borrowed from K-pop and K-dramas harm "the new generation's ideological mind-set." The regimes' reaction to harmless South Korean terms exposes a weakness that the free world should exploit.
An international firestorm broke out last week surrounding Simone Biles. Biles landed in the news not for winning medals, per her custom, but for dropping out. Biles cited "mental health" as the reason for leaving her team in the middle of the women's gymnastics competition. All sorts of conversation ensued.
On Aug. 5, the new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, will be inaugurated. Raisi was a member of the infamous Death Commission in Tehran in 1988.
As I make clear in my brand-new book, Christianity and Wokeness, nothing will be left untouched by the woke revolution. One of the key targets of this movement, which is currently sweeping the West: boyhood and girlhood.
Last week in Washington D.C., a young Nigerian woman named Joy Bishara described the horrifying moment in 2014 when she and 275 other Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram.
Authoritarians confiscate guns. Why? Because gun rights are the linchpin protecting citizens from loss of all rights.
It doesn't cost anything to engage in dialogue with one's political opponents. The Democrats, however, would rather spend millions of donor dollars on a partisan crusade.
These days, the younger generation is encouraged to despise their American birthright. According to this worldview, the United States was a force for oppression in centuries past, and racism, baked into the very structure of the republic, constitutes the true narrative of the American people. And what is this worldview's solution to our country's alleged ills? To tear down the existing order, cleanse it of its sins, and reeducate the youth such that they become activists against democracy, free speech, and free thought.
Election integrity recently won a pivotal battle against an attempt by Democrats to hijack the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) for partisan reasons. They failed when the Supreme Court in Brnovich v. DNC laid a foundation to restore Americans' confidence in their elections so that everywhere in this nation it can be easy to vote, but hard to cheat.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and even state-approved churches are being compelled by the government to celebrate the centennial of the atheistic, totalitarian regime. Unfortunately for the Chinese people-and especially for religious believers-China's economic advancements and increased global prominence have been stained by religious persecution and political oppression at the hands of the CCP.
Hong Kong's well-known pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to run its final edition on June 24 after authorities used the new national security law to freeze the company's assets without a court order. It is yet another sign that the light of the city's freedom is flickering out. The free expression of ideas that support democracy from outlets like Apple Daily would only be considered a national security threat to a totalitarian government that fears the truth. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Chinese government is.
With a mass murderer, Ebrahim Raisi, planted as the Iranian regime's next president, the international community should both hear the regime's message as well as send its own. Needless to say, the outcome of an undemocratic election is not inherently remarkable, not to mention that the president is completely subservient to the supreme leader, who wields ultimate power in Iran.
This week, the Democrats' bill to federalize our elections, S.1, failed in the U.S. Senate. Thanks to the filibuster, the bill fell short of its needed sixty-vote threshold.
In 2019, a small Chinese house church's congregation fled together to South Korea in search of relief from the persecution they had endured at the hands of the Chinese government. Sadly, the South Korean government has rejected the group's asylum bids, and the once-successful Chinese Christians are relegated to working on farms as they appeal the decisions.
With a stunning lack of self-awareness, The New York Times recently published an extraordinary piece about the modern Americans Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Presidential elections in prominent countries tend to reverberate across the world. And the results sometimes echo in op-eds and interviews long after the results are announced. Certainly, the U.S. presidential election in November 2020 still remains a hot topic for discussion in some circles, and it may be so for a very long time.
Following decades of forced abortions and sterilizations carried out under Beijing's infamous one-child policy, and five years of a two-child policy, Chinese couples are now allowed to have three children. But this should not be confused with a move toward liberalization. The Chinese state will do whatever suits its goals, disregarding the dignity and basic human rights of its people. For now, the government wants more future workers, so childbearing is a priority.
The release of the State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report this month confirmed the dire situation of many religious believers around the world. The evidence of widespread suffering is a call to action for world leaders, and the U.S. Congress should take note. Although the executive branch is ultimately in charge of U.S. foreign policy, members of Congress nevertheless have an influential role to play.
Democrats are pushing another federal takeover of elections with the so-called John Lewis Voting Right Advancement Act. This one is a power grab forcing states to get permission from the Democrat-controlled federal government before implementing election integrity measures like voter ID and other constitutional safeguards.
The latest news reports are focused on the explosive results of Iran's investment in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas-a divisive and distressing confrontation to be sure. But while all eyes are on the Middle East, Iran has not been idle elsewhere. Its persistent and growing influence in Africa has flown under the radar for many observers.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MBS) should have left the snark on the playground. Their churlish, childish response to reasonable questions from Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann is unbecoming of elected officials. Their constituents deserve better.
If you ask a mom to use one word to describe all of her children, most likely she will respond: "unique." Every mother knows that from the moment of conception, none of her children were the same.
Senate Democrats are cramming a federal takeover of elections through a key vote on the Corrupt Politicians Act this week, part of their plan with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to transform America into a permanent one-party socialist nation.
A high priority for the radical left is a national takeover of our elections. They want the bureaucrats in D.C. running our elections. This is what S.1 or The Corrupt Politicians Act is all about-another big government power grab.
When the Financial Times reported that China is set to announce its first population decline since the famine that accompanied Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward, Chinese authorities rushed to dispel the report. After decades of coercive implementation of its one-child policy, which was intended to limit population growth, now the government does not want to admit population decline.
In his first few months in office, President Biden's administration has either canceled or put on hold some of the religious freedom programs conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This is deeply unfortunate. The Biden administration must solidify the promotion of international religious freedom in its development projects. Doing so will serve the mission of USAID, which is to "promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world."
A South Korean law that threatens human rights activists with fines of nearly $27,000 or up to three years in prison has prompted international concern about the status of free speech in South Korea and the future of human rights advocacy. Passed in December by South Korea's parliament, the law bans civilians from floating balloons with informational leaflets and sending bottles with rice and USBs over water.
Last year, the annual National Day of Prayer was marked by the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
Just over a hundred days ago, Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States of America. In his inaugural address, the new president promised to unify the nation.
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will decide a core gun rights issue: Whether the Second Amendment requires states to give permits to law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.
In a 1974 interview with the Washingtonian, 31-year-old Senator Joe Biden quipped, in reference to Roe v. Wade, "when it comes to issues like abortion...I'm about as liberal as your grandmother. I don't like the Supreme Court decision on abortion." In 1974, Senator Biden was indeed about as "liberal" as my grandmother-in fact, he and my grandmother had a lot in common.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic impacted business as usual across the world, it has not stopped our work on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Many on the left claim that voting integrity measures, such as voter ID, are throwbacks to the Jim Crow era. Since Jim Crow laws were enacted by Southern Democrats to force racial segregation and block economic and political power among Black Americans, Democrats should know their current claims are preposterous. As the old saying goes, "they have a lot of nerve."
A notorious bill moving through Congress - H.R. 1 - contains a swarm of bad ideas. But little noticed is a provision that makes Election Day obsolete. We've lost so many unifying cultural events that bring Americans together, it is no surprise that H.R.1 not only would start the election weeks earlier but also prolong the election well after Election Day.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, recently introduced a bill to prohibit funding for the United Nations Population Fund. American funding for the UNFPA has long been controversial due to the organization's link to coercive abortion and sterilization, especially in China. America's recent genocide determination against China over its forced sterilizations of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang makes the effort to cut U.S. funding with the UNFPA even more urgent.
The Biden administration has abandoned women by supporting the removal of the Food and Drug Administration requirements surrounding the distribution of the mifepristone abortion regimen. Based on extreme lobbying efforts of the pro-abortion movement on this issue, Americans might conclude these regulations-the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, otherwise known as the REMS-were overly protective and put into place by the pro-life Trump administration; however, that is not the case.
Democrats' Corrupt Politicians Act pending in the Senate is a frontal assault on our Constitution's federalist recipe for freedom which has served our nation well for centuries, putting Congress in complete control of its own elections. The American people must oppose the Radical Left's hostile takeover of our right to vote, and with it the death of American Exceptionalism.
The Chinese Communist Party recently imposed sanctions against us for our work on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. It's part of a desperate attempt to silence international scrutiny of Beijing's abysmal human-rights record, particularly its genocidal policies against the Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang and its persecution of other religious minorities.
In late February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called "Equality Act" (H.R. 5), one of the most anti-life, anti-family and anti-faith bills in American history. The legislation passed by a vote of 224-206, with only three Republicans supporting it. As of press time, the bill had moved to the Democrat-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden had urged Congress to pass the measure in concert with many of the executive actions he has already taken unilaterally.
The biblical worldview teaches that all people are made in God's image and possess inherent value and dignity. Furthermore, Christians are told to do justice (Micah 6:8), love our neighbor (Mark 12:31), and reject partiality (James 2:1). Therefore, Christians should oppose unjust discrimination. But does that mean Christians should support the Equality Act?
Outrage from Democrats, corporations and Major League Baseball about voter identification requirements and Georgia's "Election Integrity Act of 2021" feels like leftovers reheated for the third time. Whenever Republicans propose commonsense voter ID measures to help safeguard our elections, liberals react by shouting that it is voter suppression and Jim Crow 2.0.
Corporate titans tripping over themselves to be "woke" by condemning election integrity laws like Georgia's SB 202 are failing in their duty to focus on running their companies profitably, ironically instead pushing an agenda that other nations show destroys private business under one-party socialist rule.
The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JPCA) is a bait-and-switch attempt that claims to help conservative news sources but would instead purge them from the marketplace of ideas. Congress should reject it for the freedom-killer it is.
No greater hoodwinking of America has ever been proposed than through a dangerous and deceitful piece of current federal legislation that will create a one-party rule.
Africa has long been a dream destination for intrepid globe trotters. Generations of adventurous souls have embarked on safaris, explored vast savannas and photographed exotic wildlife. Colorful cultural traditions and ethnic foods have added to the continent's allure. Nowadays, however, international reports are casting worrisome shadows across Africa, especially for those of us who focus on international religious freedom.
In second grade, my teacher, Sister Rose, had each student create a poster of our favorite things and career aspirations. My favorite subject-math; my favorite color-blue-green; my dream-to play basketball in the NBA.
Arielle Del Turco is Assistant Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council. This article appeared in The Federalist on March 16, 2021. A new Pew Research ... (more)
Ken Blackwell is Senior Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance at Family Research Council. This article appeared on Townhall.com on March 8, 2021. Elections have been ... (more)
Elections have been center-stage for two weeks, starting with the Supreme Court's abdicating its duty to resolve serious problems with our elections, to former President Donald Trump's CPAC speech, to the House's passing H.R. 1 on a party-line vote. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett disappointed the nation, but Republicans must unite to stop the illegal problems of 2020 from permanently becoming legal, which will happen if H.R. 1 passes the Senate.
Unity has been an early theme of President Biden's term. However, one of his early legislative priorities is the Equality Act, one of the most divisive pieces of legislation ever seriously debated.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on the Equality Act, reminding evangelicals and Catholics who voted for Trump why their gamble was worth it.
Last year, we heard a lot about peaceful protests that, in reality, were not peaceful. This year, we are going to hear a lot about the Equality Act that, in reality, creates inequality. If the past is any indication, proponents of the Equality Act, which is set for a Thursday vote in the House of Representatives, will shamefully attempt to usurp the civil rights movement's history and legacy as they do.
Congressional Democratic leaders are considering a permanent, military-style barrier around the U.S. Capitol even as we learn that 7,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen will stay another month in the city and 5,000 troops will thereafter remain indefinitely.
In today's troubled world, religious persecution is widespread while anti-Christian abuses are increasing globally. And according to Open Doors' 2021 World Watch List, Iran is the 8th worst global persecutor of Christians.
After observing the first few weeks of the Biden administration, the CEO of American's largest abortion chain Planned Parenthood says she is "over the moon" about the Biden/Harris administration's "vision" for expanding abortion. And it's easy to see why.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is dead wrong when he says that former President Donald Trump can be impeached for political speech that is protected by the First Amendment, and it speaks volumes about this unconstitutional sham of a Senate impeachment trial.
Today marks the beginning of former President Donald J. Trump's unconstitutional impeachment trial. Without his appearance, the media will not be able to concoct an excuse not to cover his lawyers' presentations on the constitutional and statutory violations that cast a shadow on how the November 2020 election was conducted.
We are less than a week away from a congressional event that will be a pivotal moment on our nation's history as a constitutional republic, and former President Donald Trump should use this unconstitutional impeachment trial to force a national conversation on democratic principles and election integrity.
The fact that Democrat Sen. Pat Leahy - not Chief Justice John Roberts or Vice President Kamala Harris - will preside over former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial should draw bipartisan condemnation as an assault on the very same democracy and U.S. Constitution that Democrats claim to be vindicating through that trial - and that Democrats know they're headed to a political setback.
Among the flurry of executive orders President Joe Biden signed during his first week in office was one declaring that "gender identity should not be a bar to military service." Of course, both males and females have long been able to serve. What Biden means is that "transgender" people - those who psychologically identify with the opposite sex - should be allowed to serve, and to serve as their preferred sex.
On this day 76 years ago, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp where Nazi forces murdered more than 1.1 million people, the vast majority of them Jews. Greeted by starving prisoners rejoicing at their arrival, piles of corpses, and unthinkable living conditions, unknowing Soviet troops were horrified by what they saw. As more became known about its extermination center (Auschwitz-Birkenau), Auschwitz came to represent what may be the greatest anti-humanitarian crime in history: the systematic effort to destroy the Jewish people wherever they could be found on the globe.
Most Americans are familiar with such federal departments as Defense and Treasury. Their names indicate what they do. Fewer know much about the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But they should. The size and scope of HHS is vast, which is why the person leading it is so important.
With Joe Biden's inauguration as president this week, discussion of what to expect in his administration has been obscured by ongoing debate over the election itself.
On his last full day in office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally declared that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity through its campaign of repression against Uighur Muslims. Pompeo's declaration is the strongest rebuke from any government of China's atrocities in Xinjiang, and one that is sure to affect how the incoming Biden administration interacts with China.
For nearly three decades, the United States has observed January 16 as Religious Freedom Day. America's "First Freedom" has historically enjoyed near-universal and bipartisan support. Nevertheless, contemporary challenges to religious freedom do exist.
Five months ago, I had a miscarriage. It was, and still is, devastating. Like most women who have never experienced a miscarriage before, I had never envisioned what it would be like to lose a baby. Although I had always known having a miscarriage must be difficult, I could never have imagined the heartbreak, the overwhelming number of questions or the memory of the exact moment my little one left this world for the next.
Government restrictions on religion around the world have reached the highest point in the past 11 years, as revealed in the Pew Research Center's annual report on religious freedom released last week. A global trend of government policies impeding individuals' peaceful expression of their faith is disturbing, and it ought to motivate advocates of free speech and religious freedom to action.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this year, may we remember persecuted Christians across the globe who do the same, though at great risk to themselves.
Since the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden has reiterated his desire to unify the country. "I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify; who doesn't see red states and blue states, [who] only sees the United States," Biden promised after the election.
To those who cares about faith, family, and freedom, Joe Biden's announcement that he will nominate Xavier Becerra to be his head of the Department of Health and Human Services should set off alarms. Here are three things you need to know about this nomination.
The eyes of the political world are on Georgia, where a pair of runoff Senate races will decide control of the U.S. Senate for the 117th Congress.
Americans cherish religious freedom. And the COVID-19 crisis has reminded people of faith, especially how much they value this critical First Amendment right. For me, a Christian, the past eight months of lockdowns have underscored the importance of in-person worship or, rather, the importance of fellowship in nurturing one's spiritual life.
In response to an upward surge in COVID-19 cases this fall, state and local governments are issuing new mandates intended to mitigate the spread of the virus. However, some of these well-intentioned mandates unfairly target houses of worship and infringe on the religious liberty of millions of Americans. Because some state and local governments have treated churches and other houses of worship unequally during the pandemic, it begs the question:
Patriot. Friend. Teacher. Student. Husband. Father. Legendary thinker. Christ follower. On this day of profound mourning for Professor Walter E. Williams, it is difficult to summarize the life and legacy of my friend with only a few words.
Principles critical to the foundational freedom of this nation and its citizens must be preserved and vigorously defended regardless of who takes the presidential oath every four years. With our "three-layer cake" of government responsibilities at the federal, state, and local levels, America's unique shared governance is defined by the U.S. Constitution. After this election and its nearly endless allegations of vote fraud, no role is more important than state legislators, who hold sole power to determine election policy and procedure.
The pieces are finally coming together, and they reveal a masterpiece of electoral larceny involving Big Tech oligarchs, activists, and government officials who prioritize partisanship over patriotism.
On November 10, Al Jazeera posted a breathtaking headline: "ISIS-linked attackers behead 50 people in northern Mozambique."The subhead was equally horrifying: "Witnesses say the assailants herded victims onto a football pitch in the village of Muatide where the killings were carried out."
Even as chaos and litigation over the presidential election persist, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not skipped a beat in his effort to counter the Chinese government and its human rights abuses.
In March 2018, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story reporting that two Christian foster care agencies - out of 30 operating in the city - declined to certify same-sex couples as foster parents.
The convoluted 2020 election did make one thing clear: pro-life issues are winning in America. Pro-life candidates have outperformed their pro-abortion opponents in several battleground states, and pro-life women in particular garnered a significant amount of support from voters in the 2020 elections.
Come January, the U.S. House of Representatives will have at least 25 Republican women, all of whom have demonstrated or pledge strong support for the sanctity of human life.
Even as people spilled into the streets of Washington D.C. over the weekend to celebrate the proclaimed defeat of President Trump, political insiders on the Left were feeling a bit unsatisfied. This was supposed to be their year. All the stars had aligned for that big blue wave to usher in their wildest progressive dreams.
Voters proved the Senate Democrats wrong by reelecting the vast majority of senators who had voted to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
CRT seeks to con Americans into thinking our nation and our people are fundamentally racist.
On Thursday morning, a man armed with a knife entered the largest church in Nice, France and brutally stabbed three people to death. The incident has shaken France, and the government officially raised its terrorism threat warning to the maximum level. Tensions have been high since an Islamist refugee beheaded a schoolteacher earlier this month and Muslim countries criticized the French government for its attempts to deal with Islamist terrorism.
Liberals are tying themselves in knots trying to explain President Trump's growing popularity among Black and Hispanic voters.
When a Chinese Christian, Chen Yu, was caught boldly selling religious publications not authorized by the government, his punishment was a seven-year prison sentence and an approximately $30,000 USD fine, handed down by a court last month.
President Trump is delivering on his promise to appoint judges that respect our Constitution. Before his election, he vowed to restore the judiciary and name Supreme Court nominees whose judicial philosophy reflects that of the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Over the next several weeks, the Department of Labor will begin to sift through the public comments on their recently proposed rule "Fiduciary Duties Regarding Proxy Voting and Shareholder Rights," seeking the best course of action to ensure that pension beneficiaries across this country receive the benefits they deserve. This rule reaffirms the fiduciary obligations that ERISA-backed pension fund managers owe to their beneficiaries, and puts forward much needed reforms in a proxy advisory industry that for too long has neglected to serve the best interest of pensioners.
No matter how loudly or how clearly President Trump condemns racists and extremists, his critics obnoxiously insist that he is somehow encouraging them.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are redefining the words "court packing" in a manner worthy of George Orwell's 1984, ironically previewing how a packed (i.e., expanded) Supreme Court would redefine the Constitution's words, abolishing our democratic republic.
On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At her nomination, President Trump described Barrett as one of the "nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds" and praised her "unyielding loyalty to the Constitution."
The Commission on Presidential Debates will become irreversibly illegitimate unless it reverses course on in-person debates, which alone can force Joe Biden to answer the single most important question in this election: Whether Biden would pack to the Supreme Court with additional seats, forever transforming our Constitution's three-branch form of government into a two-branch system.
Two weeks ago, I was in a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence to talk about some of the issues facing our great nation. Our discussion ranged from the Supreme Court nomination to the COVID-19 pandemic and included an outline of the America First Health Plan, President Trump's plan for the future of our health care system. I have to say, I was impressed with the Trump administration's approach to health care, and I think Ohioans have a lot more to look forward to when it comes to improving our access to quality care.
Vice President Mike Pence has a relatively straightforward job to do: help the American people understand the true nature of Senator Kamala Harris.
Shortly after President Donald J. Trump announced plans to have Judge Amy Coney Barrett succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, Democrats took to the airwaves attacking the president's pick. For a full week before her nomination, Democrats attacked her faith and her family but have apparently moved on to attacking her based on the assumption she'd favor repealing Obamacare.
Even before President Trump formally announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, she was already taking fire on religious grounds. Virtually every description of her starts with the fact that she is a "devout Catholic." Even worse, it seems she has been part of a group called People of Praise. Since they can't imagine joining a group called that, they have no choice but to conclude its dangerous and scary. So obviously she's unqualified to be on the Supreme Court.
President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court not only ads another wrinkle into an already unusual election cycle, but renews the debate over the appropriateness of the deliberation. Lindsey Graham was against confirming Supreme Court nominees before an election before he was for it. On the other hand, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama were in favor of it before they were against it.
Do Christians have a moral or Biblical obligation to participate in government? Is there a distinctively Christian way to engage in the political process? Do Christians have a duty to vote, and if so, what principles should inform them as they cast their ballots?
While both presidential candidates have changed their views on abortion over the past decades, their actions in recent years clarify the direction that they would likely take while in office. President Trump has maintained a consistent pro-life record in office that affects the regulations of various executive agencies and American leadership on the world stage. On the other hand, former Vice President Biden has moved to support his party's current position of actively promoting federal funding for the abortion industry and cementing abortion as a constitutional right.
"One evening in late June, gunmen stormed a village in northern Burkina Faso," the Washington Post reported, "and ordered people who had been chatting outside to lie down. Then the armed strangers checked everyone's necks, searching for jewelry. They found four men wearing crucifixes - Christians. They executed them..."
George Washington was so essential to the founding of our country that historians have called him "the indispensable man." His courage, leadership, and deep convictions about freedom, honor, and self-government sustained a revolution that seemed on the verge of failure more often than not.
A 14-year-old Christian girl was driven to tears in a Pakistani courtroom this month when a judge ruled that she must return to the Muslim man who kidnapped her. Maira Shahbaz shares the traumatic saga of many young Christian and Hindu girls in Pakistan who are kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam and married to their abductors.
President Donald J. Trump has delivered on his promise to make concrete, measurable accomplishments in the creation of opportunities for, and empowering improvements in, the quality of life of black Americans.
With their overwhelming lack of common decency, concern for fellow citizens, and disrespect for the law, why would anyone trust the political left to protect votes?
When Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to be his running mate, the New York Times referred to Harris as a "pragmatic moderate" and ABC News personality George Stephanopoulos said, "Kamala Harris comes from the middle of the road, moderate wing of the Democratic Party."
A recent United Nations human rights report exposes the horrors experienced by women brave or desperate enough to flee North Korea. Most North Korean defectors pass through or remain in China, a country whose government is responsible for many human rights violations of its own. But as trying as life is in China, there is a worse fate to be had - being caught by authorities and extradited to North Korea.
When Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming was recently asked to explain footage from the Xinjiang region showing hundreds of restrained, blindfolded men waiting to be loaded onto a train, he awkwardly evaded the question. The reality is that these men were being transferred through China's network of internment camps, where an estimated 1 to 3 million Uighur Muslims are currently detained due to their ethnic and religious identity.
There is no better time to make a change than right now, when public education is in chaos.
On Tuesday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. By doing so, he solidified the most liberal, anti-life, anti-family ticket in American history.
Hong Kong advocates for democracy are being targeted and arrested as China seeks to stamp out dissent.
A13-ton shipment of hair weaves and other products was seized earlier this month by federal agents over allegations that the individuals making them were suffering human rights abuses. Authorities believe the products consist of human hair taken from detainees held in China's now-infamous internment camps in Xinjiang. This is just the latest evidence that points to a growing forced labor problem in China-a trend that should concern American businesses, consumers, and politicians alike.
The supposed popularity of "Black Lives Matter, Inc." is a complete fantasy - willfully repeated ad nauseam by the left and the media - that is distorting public discourse around the wave of radicalism that has ravaged our cities this summer.
"Would you like your steak well done, medium, or rare?" For many, a rare steak is a favorite dish, reserved for special occasions or relished after a long week at work. Yet the inclusion in Acts 15:29 of "abstain from . . . blood and what has been strangled"-among a list of forbidden practices for Gentile believers-may give some pause. The passage raises a host of historical, hermeneutical, and moral questions. Are these prohibitions permanent for all Christians? If the prohibition is permanent, how do we reconcile it with Romans 14, where Paul tells his readers not to judge one another by what they eat? These are questions that deserve careful consideration.
"Cancel culture" is a double entendre of the dangerous kind. It is not just about canceling individuals or entities who offend leftist activists and their myopic group of minions; it is about fundamentally canceling America.
The radical-left doesn't just want to destroy statues. It wants to rewrite history using politically convenient narratives.
Carbery Campbell taught in Spain this spring and unfortunately contracted the coronavirus while traveling back to Florida. She did the right thing and got tested at her local hospital. Thankfully, Carbery beat the coronavirus but was punished with a bill of $6,545 for simple tests and a few hours spent in a waiting room. The lack of price transparency in our health-care system leads to unexpected bills like the one Carbery received.
Amid the debate over America's monuments, a new poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of voters disapprove of the removal of historic statues perceived by some as offensive. The poll, which equally surveyed registered Democrats and Republicans, showed that 74% of respondents agree with President Trump that monuments should not be removed.
One of the architectural wonders of the world, the Hagia Sophia cathedral was conquered once before. It was converted into a mosque by its Ottoman conquerors; minarets were added, and its ancient Byzantine mosaics were whitewashed. More recently, it has functioned as a museum for decades. Now, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decreed that the historic Hagia Sophia church should be reverted into a mosque once again.
In a strong show of support for the pro-democracy movement, more than 600,000 people voted in the Hong Kong opposition's unofficial primary elections. Now, Beijing has declared the primaries illegal and accused voters of violating its sweeping new national security law.
In recent days, much has been written about Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan's decision to convert the ancient Christian church Hagia Sophia-the Church of the Holy Wisdom-into a mosque.
U.S. Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and the rest of the U.S. Senate are working on a new COVID relief bill the Legislative Branch will consider in July. This raises the question: what should the new plan look like?
BLM, Inc., Joe Biden and the DNC own the death and destruction of this past weekend, in cities like Atlanta, New York and Cleveland.
Black Lives Matter doesn't really care about saving or improving black lives - just look at the wave of violence that took dozens of black lives - including three children - over the Independence Day weekend, with hardly a murmur of protest from BLM leaders.
Turkish aggression in at least five countries has been headlined in international news reports just this month, June 2020. These accounts focus on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest intrusions into Israel, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Greece.
Ken Blackwell is Senior Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance at Family Research Council. This article appeared on Townhall.com on June 25, 2020 For the past 40 years, ... (more)
On Monday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch issued the Roe v. Wade of religious liberty. Just as that ruling upended scores of state ordinances and laws concerning abortion based on a "right" that can be found nowhere in the U.S. Constitution, in the same way the court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, has redefined words to suit a political agenda. An agenda that would impose extreme ideas about human sexuality throughout our society. There's no way to put a spin on this.
On May 25, 2020, I watched the beginning of a great American tragedy. As the nation began to open up after the long COVID-19 lock-down a horrifying incident involving a rogue cop took the life of a 46-year-old African-American man named George Floyd. Three other officers watched and did nothing. And chaos erupted nationwide.
In recent weeks, Americans have watched radical leftist anarchists and Antifa thugs engage in extreme violence and murder that will haunt many people for the rest of their lives.
Believers in many countries face severe challenges, according to the State Department's annual Report on International Religious Freedom, released last week.
Churches and other charitable organizations have been on the front lines of the coronavirus response. A few examples are Samaritan's Purse building a field hospital in New York City's Central Park and churches hosting food drives and conducting coronavirus testing. One Alabama church tested 1,000 people in two days! Despite the active role these nonprofits have taken in meeting the health and economic needs of our country, they still rely on donations-at a time when many Americans face financial hardship due to job loss, limited working hours, or increased medical costs. Such hardships may lead to a decline in charitable donations. Thankfully, some leaders on Capitol Hill are championing the important role churches and charitable organizations play in helping local communities.
It has been a bad few weeks for law enforcement in America. In late May, Americans were appalled by a video showing a white police officer kneeling for several minutes on the neck of a black man, George Floyd, until he died. Two autopsies confirmed that Floyd died from asphyxiation.
On June 10, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hosted a crucial hearing in response to numerous reports of religious freedom violations in Northeast Syria.
As the world seeks a sense of normalcy following the coronavirus outbreak, Americans are once again turning their attention to the 2020 election. In November, voters will elect a new Congress and weigh in on dozens of state amendments and referendums. Thirty-five U.S. Senate seats, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and ten gubernatorial races are on the ballot. Additionally, eighty-six of the nation's ninety-nine state legislative chambers are holding elections. But most importantly, voters will decide whether President Donald J. Trump has earned a second term, or whether former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, will become the next president.
For good reason, there has been a national outcry about the brutal death of George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis. The video of Floyd's struggle for life continues to shock and horrify viewers. Anyone with a sense of human decency is appalled by his story and by all racially motivated law enforcement injustices.
The Latin phrase Primum non nocere meaning "first, do no harm" is part of the Hippocratic oath medical students recite during their symbolic white coat ceremony. Perhaps politicians and government officials proposing massive changes to the critical supply lines of medicines ought to take such an oath as well.
As an African American who has held elected office at the state and local level, and served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, I believe a full and frank discussion on issues of race and injustice is important.
Seventy-six years ago, with the outcome of World War II hanging in the balance, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. On June 6, 1944, under the direction of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, approximately 160,000 soldiers landed along a 50-mile stretch of fortified coast in northwestern France. After a day of fierce fighting, the Allies secured a hard-fought victory and a foothold in Europe. The battle proved to be a turning point in the war
Cities across the country are in ruin, and the fear that took root when stay-at-home orders went into effect is being compounded by violent protesters who've abandoned reason and justice in the wake of George Floyd's wanton death allegedly at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Police brutality and mob violence spring from the same fountain. The disturbing video of a veteran police officer kneeling on the neck of a subdued suspect and, thereafter, the spreading wave of violence and looting in the name of George Floyd are painful. Yet these things are not surprising.
During the wonderful decade I lived in Jerusalem I received an education that no university could have possibly provided. To this day, I'm still amazed by the many living lessons of Israel's remarkable history, its worldclass accomplishments, and its vibrant joie de vivre.
How is a church different than a marijuana dispensary? In Oregon, one can open (the hallucinogenic drug store) and one (the church) can't.
India is one of the world's most enticing tourist destinations, offering photogenic locales and an enticing and vibrant culture. Today, however, the sub-continent's teeming population has been assaulted by COVID-19, stifling tourism and most recently hosting more confirmed coronavirus cases than the total reported by China- about 90,000.
The ACLU is suing to block Arkansas's order requiring any person seeking an elective surgery to test negative for COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to the procedure. This commonsense rule applies across the board to all elective procedures, but abortion centers do not want to abide by the same health and safety standards as all others in the medical profession.
Today, the Little Sisters of the Poor were back at the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping finally to bring their eight-year legal battle to an end. While several of the justices seemed inclined to side with the Trump administration's expanded religious exemptions to the contraceptive mandate, I've been surprised to see much of the opposition to the Little Sisters and other religious entities who adhere to the teachings of the Church coming from some of my fellow Catholics. This odd trend raises troubling questions about the November election: how many Catholics will vote for or against Catholic politicians whose policies contradict our faith?
"Far more people appear to suffer alone," according to an article on The Washington Post. A tragic consequence of the coronavirus pandemic? Yes, to be sure, but this quote comes from a story filed in 2006 about a study on social isolation.
As Foster Care Awareness Month begins, the impact coronavirus is having on some of the most vulnerable children and those trying to help them cannot be ignored.
For most of us, Mother's Day marks an annual occasion for celebrating the blessings of family. While celebrations will be different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, most of us can still look forward to a family video chat, surprise bouquets and gifts, and the promise of hugs and kisses for mom and grandma once the world returns to normal.
As we have faced the COVID-19 crisis over these last several weeks, one thing that has become crystal clear is the importance of fast and reliable Internet connections.
As we mark yet another National Day of Prayer, our freedoms here at home remind us of the need to pray for those who lack them around the world. In the United States, we can offer a prayer of thanks that religious freedom is not yet obliterated and faith is not yet coerced. As we acknowledge our blessings and lift our supplications to our Creator, this is an opportune moment to look outside ourselves and beyond our borders to pray for the needs of others - including those being persecuted for their faith around the world.
For 68 years, on the first Thursday in May, Americans have observed the National Day of Prayer. As the country continues to grapple with the fallout of the coronavirus and faces an uncertain road to recovery, it has never been more appropriate to pray for the health and well-being of our nation.
In early July 2018, as the national debate was raging over who would fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court, a law professor named Justin Walker penned a column for National Review. The column was about one prospect who was then sitting on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Fellowship is to Christianity as air is to the body. It is not just a social nicety, something secondary or even frivolous. Followers of Christ are called to a shared life in their Lord in spiritual community. Not to be in communion with others is to see your spiritual life begin to atrophy.
After eight years of government hostility to religion under the Obama administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which has turned out to be a stunning victory for religious freedom. Signed three years ago today, the Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (EO) has routed the secularist regime and ushered in a restoration of religious freedom protections for all Americans.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's Jewish-oriented coronavirus tweet of this past week is bad enough. When placed in context of growing global anti-Semitism, it is tragic.
The COVID-19 crisis has taken a huge toll on all Americans, and not only in terms of physical health. The grieving families of those lost to the illness. The psychological toll of being housebound for weeks on end. The health care workers who daily are exposed to a life-threatening disease. The elderly who are prevented from seeing loved ones.
This week the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that India be designated a "Country of Particular Concern"-a recommendation reserved for the world's worst religious freedom violators. In its 2020 annual report, USCIRF found, "[t]he national government allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity," and government actors engaged in "incitement to violence." Despite repeated denials by Indian officials, identifying India among the world's worst violators of religious freedom is entirely justified. After bloody, religiously-motivated riots shook New Delhi just last month, and Indian authorities stood aside or even took part in the violence against Indian Muslims, it is increasingly clear that religious freedom is on the decline in India.
This pandemic may seem like it's changed everything, but it has not changed the rules of our constitutional republic. Let's keep it that way.
When mysterious reports surfaced last week that the health of North Korea's young dictator Kim Jong Un was in question following cardiovascular surgery, media outlets were quick to speculate about the future of the regime. If Kim were to die-particularly without a successor-the implications would be significant. In such a scenario, what would become of North Korea's Christians?
How much do Westerners know about Nigeria? Do we recognize it as Africa's largest nation? Are we aware of its considerable economic importance? Are Western Christians alert to the dangers faced by our fellow believers in Nigeria?
As churches adopt drive-in worship services as a creative way to comply with bans on large gatherings, some local authorities have gone too far in restricting religious gatherings.
On April 2, an urgent appeal was sent to the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). It was signed by Bassam Said Ishak, co-chief of the US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and two colleagues, pleading for test kits to detect coronavirus infections in war-torn northeastern Syria.
The coronavirus is turning people in the United States away from many things. Thousands of workplaces are empty. Shopping malls are vacant. Movie theaters, restaurants, schools, and even many public beaches are closed.
Just a year ago on Easter Sunday 2019, at precisely 8:45 a.m., the clock on St. Anthony's Shrine in Columbo, Sri Lanka stopped keeping time. A terrorist's bomb struck the church at that precise moment, one of six jihadi attacks targeting Christian worshippers across the city. Reports were grim:
Where is God in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic? Believers may ask this question in pain and in grief for those suffering. Unbelievers may ask the same question in scorn and cynicism.
China now reports close to zero new cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan, the one-time epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak. This latest claim follows a string of other positive reports, leading many to extol China's drastic containment measures and hold it up as an example of a country successfully fighting the coronavirus.
After assembling a state-wide conference call with pastors, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts explained he needed their help. "Government can do a lot of things, but what it can't do is show love and compassion," he told me recently. And one way to do that at such a time as this is to respect the social distancing requested of churches to halt the spread of a dangerous virus.
Call it COVID-19. Or novel coronavirus. Or the now-politically incorrect term "Chinese flu." But thanks to the virus's unrivaled global threat, all eyes are now fixed on China and its Communist administration. The world is watching how President Xi Jinping behaves, what he seeks, and what is hidden behind his regime's fiercely protected public face.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's early and aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic helped Ohio minimize the damage from a public health perspective. Similarly, President Trump is preparing the entire country for a rapid post-COVID economic resurgence, even while he works to provide state and local leaders the resources they need to fight the virus.
Rarely are Christians in the United States confronted with the kinds of challenges faced by believers around the world whose governments regularly persecute the faithful. Yet, both are now facing the coronavirus. Churches around the world - even those in places where persecution abounds - have been forced to adapt to this unexpected and unnerving external pressure, meeting in new and creative ways in the era of social distancing. As churches across America begin to wrestle with new challenges, we can be inspired by the church in China, which has managed be a light to their society during the coronavirus despite continuous pressure from their own government.
"The new coronavirus kills one person every 10 minutes in Iran," according to Kianush Jahanpur, Iran's health ministry spokesman tweeted. "Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran." On Tuesday, March 24, the death toll in the Middle East's worst-affected country climbed to 1,934. More than 24,811 Iranians are currently infected.
Public gatherings throughout the U.S. continue to be shut down in anticipation of the new coronavirus COVID-19. Churches, too, are widely canceling their weekly services.
For the first time in the lives of many American Christians, routine was interrupted as church services were canceled across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Many churches chose to broadcast online instead. Some churches are getting creative and organizing "drive-in" worship services. Rarely are Christians in the West faced with external pressures that affect our weekly public worship gatherings. This inconvenience-and the fear that surrounds it-may give us a glimpse into what many Christians around the world face as they are forced to worship in hiding, and as their worship services are curtailed due to intense external pressure.
A troubling report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was released on Mar. 13, 2020. It accused the People's Republic of China of using Uighur Muslims (alternatively spelled Uyghur) for what amounts to slave labor in China's massive textile manufacturing industry.
The 24/7 coverage of the coronavirus on cable news spreads even more quickly than the virus itself, leading many to wonder if we're facing a plague of perhaps Biblical proportions. In almost real-time, the world is giving the tally of confirmed cases globally, as well as the casualties. And as 22 nations have closed schools, including in the U.S., the United Nations is reporting that some 290 million children are home from school, giving parents a daily reminder of the fears of infection.
The first venue that comes to mind when Purim celebrations are being organized is not likely to be the White House.
Deadly inter-religious violence has flooded into Delhi in recent days, leaving more than 30 people dead. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Anurima Bhargava stated, "reports are mounting that the Delhi police have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims, and the government is failing in its duty to protect its citizens."
Can Louisiana require abortionists to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital? This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, to answer this question.
More than 10,000 women walk through the doors of Louisiana's abortion clinics every year - and any one of them could face life-threatening complications. Unfortunately for these women, their abortion providers can't admit them to a hospital if their abortion goes wrong.
Vladimir Putin relishes using Russia's political and economic power to destabilize and disrupt nations. One example of such activity is in Venezuela, where Russia has been propping up Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro through billions in loans and buying oil with the Russian company Rosneft.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has decided to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act up for consideration in the Senate; meanwhile, over 80 times in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blocked efforts to bring up for a vote this bill that will simply require life-saving medical care to be given to infants who survive abortion.
Black History Month should be a celebration of African Americans who have helped transform our nation. Sadly, that is not the case. To be included in the Black History Month celebration, one must be a "progressive" or, at the very least, not conservative. No doubt that is why Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the most influential black men in America, is routinely ignored, even marginalized instead of celebrated as a man who has played a decisive role in American history as well as black history; and serves as an inspiration to the African American community.
The House Judiciary Committee recently marked up H.J.Res.79, and will soon get a floor vote. This joint resolution seeks to remove the congressional deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. When Congress originally passed the ERA, they put a deadline in place for states to ratify it. The ERA failed to win ratification in enough states before the deadline passed and is thus legally dead, but this stale effort is back to enshrine abortion-on-demand at the expense of hard-won protections for women.
As political and ideological divisions in our nation become more polarized, it seems religious intolerance has become a tool of choice for many waging war on traditional American values.
At 24 years old, Samia Yousaf was forced into marriage. She was promised an escape from poverty in Pakistan, but her new Chinese husband abused her, denied her food, and eventually separated her from her own baby.
What would happen if a child were to spend most of his waking hours, during most of his formative years, in an institution bent on persuading him to adopt certain fundamental beliefs?
January is both Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Sanctity of Human Life Month. These issues have more in common than people may realize. Across numerous global studies of sex-trafficking survivors, abortion is a consistent part of the story. Both abortion and sex-trafficking are businesses that exploit women, sometimes in tandem as organizations such as Planned Parenthood enable the abuse for profit. And both are an affront to human dignity.
Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the world remembers the 6 million European Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II and renews its commitment to ensure the tragedies of the Holocaust are never repeated.
Today in our nation's capital, hundreds of thousands of people will mark the 47th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion by participating in the 47th annual March for Life. The pro-life movement has been gaining momentum in recent years, driven by increased pro-life sentiment nationwide. Two days ago, a new Marist poll indicated that 65 percent of Americans are likely to vote for a candidate who supports significant restrictions on abortion. Notably, 47 percent of respondents who identify as "pro-choice" support restrictions on abortion (compared to 98 percent who identify as "pro-life"). The Marist poll also revealed that 76 percent of Americans (including 61 percent of Democrats) oppose using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion overseas.
Forty-seven years ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down the infamous Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion throughout the country. Since then, approximately 60 million babies have died as a result of abortion.
Once enjoying near universal respect, religious freedom in America has fallen on hard times.
Hypocrisy in politics is typical, but every so often, it reaches a new low. Such is the case with a recent political ad attacking dark money's influence in politics - an ad funded by dark money. The group Future Majority did exactly that as part of their 2018 efforts to elect Democrats to Congress. Now groups like Future Majority are focused on denying President Trump re-election in 2020.
In the spring of 1997 my parents sat me down, told me it was time to get a job and nudged me to apply to Chick-fil-A. At first, I was uncertain about working in fast food, but I liked Chick-fil-A's sandwiches and I embraced the company's biblical values.
The self-pity of liberal journalists is proof that President Trump is winning his fight against Fake News by exposing the rampant media bias against his administration.
A nineteenth-century humorist once warned that a bigger problem than knowing little is "to know so many things that ain't so." Well, Americans know "many things that ain't so" about cohabitation and marriage.
The secret ingredient to a truly healthy and happy Thanksgiving isn't found on the menu. Modern research has confirmed what the Pilgrims knew and practiced: Deliberate thankfulness in even the most difficult and challenging circumstances leads to greater happiness, better health, enhanced relationships and better resilience. It's a discipline that looks past hardship toward hope and a future.
A widely-held paradigm in Western intellectual history is that religious freedom originated with enlightened intellectuals during the seventeenth century. By this telling, philosophers fatigued by Europe's never-ending wars of religion introduced new concepts about toleration and religious freedom which helped usher in the modern age. It was only as institutional religion weakened and religious beliefs diversified that the state saw liberty of conscience as a right worth protecting. Christian theology is usually seen as an unhelpful impediment to the emergence of today's liberal consensus on religious freedom, if it is considered at all.
Around the world, Christians increasingly face harassment, arbitrary imprisonment, and even death because of their faith. An independent review in the U.K. found this summer that Christians were on the receiving end of 80% of religiously motivated discrimination around the world. Open Doors USA estimates that 245 million Christians currently face persecution for their faith. Despite the severity of this problem, the American church has not always given this issue the attention it deserves.
Celebrity culture makes headlines out of all kinds of unlikely bits of information. From favorite foods to pet choices, from dating to shoes, people seem obsessed with celebrities.
In a victory for free speech on college campuses, Speech First, a nonprofit focused on defending the exercise of First Amendment rights, has agreed to a settlement with the University of Michigan that protects students' free-speech rights and resolves the issues prompting the lawsuit.
"North Korea is the one country where people, the moment they are born, have no freedom." Ji Hyeon-a was born there; she should know. Ji suffered for being a Christian because the North Korean regime is determined to eradicate the Christian faith. North Korea is the single most dangerous place in the world to be Christian, according to Open Doors' World Watch List. Christians should pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in North Korea every day, but especially on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, November 3.
In light of the imprisonment, torture and death of Kayla Mueller, who was a victim of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS terrorist who ended his life when faced with capture in a U.S. mission named for Kayla, the timing of an almost sacred, annual remembrance is almost painful.
Imagine the world's largest supply of recoverable oil falling into the hands of Russia and China. And with that, a fleet of warships docked on the coast of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, positioned to threaten the American national security. If America eventually surrenders its influence in Venezuela, this scenario could become reality.
The Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) kicked off the first day of November's National Adoption Month by proposing a rule change that will provide much needed relief to the over 440,000 children in foster care. By eliminating burdensome and restrictive requirements placed on faith-based providers in the final days of the Obama Administration, President Trump is ensuring that faith-based adoption and foster care agencies will be able to once again focus on helping children in need, not using their resources to fight government attempts to shut them down. With this change, children will have the maximum number of diverse placement agencies working on their behalf. This is good policy that will serve the well-being of children and families around our country.
I live in Fairfax County, which is the 10th largest public-school district in the nation. But I never focused on our public schools. My kids go to Catholic schools, and that was the center of our universe. I never focused, that is, until I heard that the Fairfax County School Board voted to let boys into the girls' bathrooms.
Though the evidence is mounting that the strategy is ineffective and unpopular, the Democratic Party seems generally committed to making it clear that people of faith are not welcome in their vision of America.
We are Christian women, mothers of college students and college-bound children, who have serious concerns about how the "gender fluidity" movement has taken root at public schools and universities.
At his third visit to the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump impressed upon world leaders the importance of religious freedom, a topic rarely discussed at the U. N. Specifically, the president noted that "80 percent of the world's population lives in countries where religious liberty is in significant danger or even completely outlawed." (He focused extensively on China and Iran). He promised "Americans will never tire in our effort to defend and promote freedom of worship and religion."
Only two days after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, New York Times columnist Mark Oppenheimer called for the removal of tax-exempt status for churches that refuse to endorse court-created same-sex marriage.
The abortion industry's utter disdain for human dignity is on grotesque display in the bizarre legacy of Ulrich Klopfer. A week after the longtime, disgraced abortionist died, his family discovered 2,246 medically preserved fetuses on his property in Illinois. Klopfer, an infamous abortionist in Indiana, performed tens of thousands of abortions over the course of 40 years before his medical license was suspended in 2016.
This September, President Trump will once again address world leaders at the annual United Nations General Assembly. The president has previously used the opportunity to call out foreign heads of state for human rights abuses, although not explicitly on religious freedom.
The LGBT movement has asked for the repeal of its favorite new law in New York City. In a public statement on Thursday, the Speaker of the City Council agreed. Why? Because free speech matters. And elections have consequences.
Today, former homosexuals and transgender individuals will gather for a Freedom March in Orlando, Florida to tell their stories of finding freedom in Christ. To a nation engulfed in the sexual revolution, their stories are both inspirational and counter-cultural.
With the approach of Patriot Day on the 9/11 anniversary, we are reminded of the dangerous and volatile world in which we live. We are also thinking of the incredible sacrifice and service of the men and women in our military and in the ranks of first responders who have answered the call to defend America against terrorists.
Buried deep in a recent Buzzfeed News story targeting the well-respected Catholic fraternity Knights of Columbus for allegedly padding its insurable-membership roster is the real issue eating away at the left-leaning "news" organization: that the charity in recent years has given millions of dollars away in support of pro-life causes.
The PureFlix film Unplanned just became Amazon's bestselling DVD, even while it is playing in theaters in Canada and Australia. Despite rejection by the Hollywood establishment, censored advertising, and an R rating, this faith-based movie has grossed almost $19 million since its March release.
By now, you'd think the abortion industry would be out of ideas that endanger women. And yet, they are pushing Senate Bill 24 in the California legislature, which would require student health centers (SHCs) in California's 34 public universities to dispense abortion pills for free. This bill is so radical that then Democratic Governor Jerry Brown vetoed it last year.
Increasingly, few if any genuinely safe places exist as a refuge from armed, angry, addicted young men pumped up on violent video games and suffering from the absence of a moral core. Schools, churches, shopping centers, businesses, and almost every place people gather have become targets for deranged individuals who are set on perpetrating evil and in possession of lethal weapons. At what point will we have the courage to acknowledge that our nation has a problem?
There has been a lot of online chatter recently about Joshua Harris, a former best-selling Christian author and former pastor of a Maryland mega-church who has been rapidly abandoning his previous life commitments.
Still grappling with the blackface controversy, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is trying to salvage his political career by banning free speech. It's far savvier than it sounds.
Business credibility is in the tank. Results of a recent Pew Research survey depict a society-wide erosion of trust - especially for business leaders and elected officials. Only 46% of adults categorized as "medium trusters" (respondents were divided into low, medium, and high "trusters") had "a great deal" or "fair amount of confidence" that business leaders would "act in the best interests of the public." For a group that wants to sell to everyone, these poll numbers are a disaster.
As President Trump returns to Cincinnati today, he brings with him an impressive record of accomplishment. Not only has the president delivered results for Americans across the board, he has done so specifically for the African American community.
"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Those were the words of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount, as he taught a lesson about how to value the things of heaven and the things of this world. How does that admonition apply if you're talking about a treasure that is borrowed? And does this only apply to people or should governments pay attention?
The world recently learned that the American Psychological Association promotes "polyamory," "swinging," and "relationship anarchy." Their experts say it's healthy and ethical. They're crazy.
The 2020 presidential campaign has begun in earnest. President Trump has officially launched his campaign for re-election, and 20 Democrats running for their party's nomination have participated in the first primary debate.
China is harvesting human organs from political prisoners, according to the independent China Tribunal, which has determined "beyond reasonable doubt" that crimes against humanity have been committed against Uyghurs and Falun Gong, two of the country's religious minorities. The world has known of China's religious-freedom abuses for decades but done little.
Government representatives, advocates, and religious leaders of all faiths from around the globe descended on Washington, D.C., to attend this week's State Department's second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Last year, the event encouraged international leaders to reaffirm their commitment to promote the fundamental human right of religious liberty.
Just when you thought the American Psychological Association couldn't get any more psychologically unbalanced, along comes their next task force. It's for what they call "consensual non-monogamy."
The Supreme Court's decision in American Legion v. American Humanist Association no doubt broadly pleased conservative constitutionalists who thought the Peace Cross should remain standing under the First Amendment. It likely irked those, such as the challengers to the constitutionality of this memorial, who believe the establishment clause should eliminate much religious expression and symbolism (often Christian) from the public square. The real significance of the decision and many opinions in the case, however, is that they put Lemon v. Kurtzman on the ropes and lay the groundwork for its test to be felled in the future - perhaps sooner than we think.
The fundamental human right of religious freedom is under attack around the globe today like never before. While this disturbing trend should concern everyone, it should be particularly alarming for Christians, because a Christian worldview requires us to care about religious freedom - including the religious freedom of others.
If hypocrisy equals people, Democrats in Washington are China. The latest example of such bold duplicity by the Democratic Party is the secret "A-list" of potential Supreme Court (SCOTUS) judges Democrats refuse to reveal while they turn blue on Capitol Hill screaming for more transparency from the Trump administration.
One of the first major successes of the "gay liberation" movement in the United States was the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the "DSM"). Early activists in the movement knew they would never persuade the public that they were normal as long as doctors said they were sick. The fact that the decision was more political than scientific complicates the history, but the goal was clear.
While other states get national headlines for abortion limits, a radical proposal to expand abortion in California is quietly advancing. California's proposed mandate to transform educational institutions into abortion facilities has passed out of the Senate (SB 24) and now heads to the Assembly. This abortion mandate would force all 34 of California's public universities to dispense the abortion pill from student health centers (SHCs). Serious concerns go unaddressed in the measure, indicating it may have been rushed through to appease special interest groups.
With the end of Roe now in sight, we must prepare more urgently for a future America where adoption is seen as both the lawful option and the loving one. This is a thrilling and encouraging moment for the pro-life movement in the U.S., as American society shifts further away from abortion in both its attitudes and policies. Last month, Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed into law the strongest pro-life measure in America, and Louisiana and Missouri recently enacted their strongest-ever pro-life laws, bringing to seven the total number of states that have this year banned abortion after six weeks' gestation.
President Trump's enemies are providing yet another disturbing glimpse of the veritable fake news factory into which the mainstream media has morphed.
The theory that people are "born gay" has been used to argue that sexual orientation is similar to race - that "gay is the new black." Based largely on this premise, the proposed "Equality Act," which is currently under consideration in Congress, would treat sexual orientation exactly like race under federal civil rights laws. But is it true that sexual orientation is determined at (or before) birth?
The In-Equality Act, unfortunately, isn't about equality at all. Rather, it's about government-imposed ideology and unfairness. When discussing her agenda for this Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "if there is some collateral damage for some others who do not share our view so be it."
Democrats and their abortion industry allies have shown in 2019 how absolutely they have devoted themselves to their abortion agenda. They have pushed into overdrive their efforts to expand the right to an abortion in law. They even oppose requiring health care professionals to provide infants born alive after surviving a botched abortion with the same care as any other infant at the same stage of development.
President Trump is taking heat for comments he made at a Wisconsin rally where he described what happens to a child after she is born alive following a failed abortion, saying, "The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor, they take care of the baby, they wrap the baby beautifully, and then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby. I don't think so. It's incredible."
By presidential proclamation, today marks the National Day of Prayer. This year's official theme draws on the words of Jesus in John 13:34, "Love One Another."
These are tough times if you are a big-government, economic liberal. Since President Trump has taken office, unemployment rates have remained below 4%, hiring among African Americans are at their highest levels in decades, our energy and manufacturing sectors are booming, and employers are scrambling to fill millions of job vacancies by offering competitive salaries.
A free-market economy-the freedom of willing employers and willing employees, willing vendors and willing customers, to contract with each other-has made our country prosperous. There is a role for government in the economy, but government intervention to dictate how American businesses operate should require the most compelling justification.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI recently surprised church observers by weighing in on the Roman Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. In an almost 6,000-word article published in Germany, Benedict argued that clerical sexual abuse could be traced to the moral transformation that transpired during the sexual revolution of the 1960s. The rejection of biblical morality and absolute truth, Benedict said, has led to the "dissolution of the Christian concept of morality."
The California state Senate Education Committee recently approved Senate Bill 24, known as the "College Student Right to Access Act." The bill would add a new chapter to state education code to require student health care clinics at all 34 California public colleges and universities to "offer abortion by medication techniques"-aka "the abortion pill"-starting on Jan. 1, 2023.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under the direction of Dr. Ben Carson, is taking aggressive legal action against social media platforms for enabling online housing discrimination. Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing flawed legislation that would only increase the power and influence of their Big Tech allies.
The FDA has updated their adverse events reports on Mifeprex, also known as "the abortion pill," with two additional deaths since December 2018.
As Washington negotiates with Beijing to end the tariff standoff, the United States must also demand the Chinese government stop its sinicization of religion, a program designed to make all religious groups extinct.
President Trump's recent announcement that the United States would "fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights" is an acknowledgement of political reality that will strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship, provide greater security and stability in the region and further cement support among the president's evangelical base. Recognizing Israel's sovereignty over this land is yet another bold policy step that sets the Trump administration apart.
News that Planned Parenthood lost a few million dollars to a pro-life healthcare company has sent a shockwave through an abortion industry that, up to now, had a virtual monopoly in Title X family planning money.
News that Planned Parenthood lost a few million dollars to a pro-life healthcare company has sent a shockwave through an abortion industry that, up to now, had a virtual monopoly in Title X family planning money.
In the latest example of the Left's growing hostility toward Christianity and public displays of faith, the New York Times published a "news analysis" piece over the weekend questioning the extent to which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Christian faith is influencing American diplomacy, particularly the Trump administration's dealings with Israel.
In 2008, the Advocate, the leading LGBT news magazine in the U.S., ran a cover that starkly declared, in all capital letters, "GAY IS THE NEW BLACK." It was a dramatic illustration of an assertion (explicit or implicit) that has been at the heart of the LGBT rights movement-the idea that "sexual orientation" is "immutable," or incapable of change.
The United States is once again taking the lead on true "family planning," and that doesn't include aborting unwanted children - especially with taxpayer money. From the start, the Trump administration has worked to build a wall between taxpayers and abortion-on-demand.
The discharge petition for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will be filed by Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) during that day's first vote series. Members of the House will be confronted with this question: Do we let babies who survive abortions lie there and die, or do we provide life-saving care to them?
Does New York City allow residents to have "gender-neutral" birth certificates? The idea seems so absurd that the question was posed to Snopes - the website best known for debunking various urban legends. In this case, however, the claim - that "New Yorkers can select a gender-neutral option on their birth certificates" - received a rating of "True."
Samantha Elauf was the face of the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch,[1] which vindicated her right under Title VII to be free from religious discrimination in hiring because of her faith-based decision to wear a headscarf. In 1990, the Supreme Court decided that the Free Exercise Clause does not require exemptions from generally applicable laws in Employment Division v. Smith;[2] this decision, which denied Alfred Smith the right to use a controlled substance in a religious ceremony, resulted in the bipartisan passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to protect religious actions like Smith's at the national level. More than a century earlier, in 1860, Rabbi Morris Raphall was the first rabbi to deliver a prayer opening Congress' legislative session. "[P]iously bedecked in a white tallit and a large velvet skullcap," he invoked the blessing of "Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob," thanked God for "establish[ing] a Commonwealth after a model of . . . the tribes of Israel, in their best and purest days," and gave a traditional blessing in Hebrew.[3] What do a Muslim millennial teenage girl, a middle-aged Klamath Native American man, and a nineteenth century rabbi have in common? They each exemplify the accommodation and acceptance of religious minorities in America under the law and in our nation's history.
For the last eight years, world calendars have set aside March 21 to acknowledge that those with disabilities matter and are valuable members of society. World Down Syndrome Day reminds us that disabled does not mean disposable. Disabled may just mean a less comfortable life. Discomfort does not prevent a person from living a full and rewarding life. Plus, this life is not all there is.
A controversy surrounding the surreal question of whether Vice President Mike Pence is "a decent guy" signals the next round of liberal culture shaming that has the potential to galvanize those who make up President Trump's often castigated supporters. Consider that if the "deplorables" from 2016 become the "indecents" in 2020, not only will Democratic political ambitions suffer, the nation's decorum and ability to have rational debate will devolve to a new low.
The past two weeks have seen good news for Americans who care about their religious liberty, as strong statements came from the Supreme Court and the state of Colorado in defense of the First Amendment's guarantees of religious expression.
Free markets, whether they be economic markets or the marketplace of ideas, represent American ideals. The free exchange of ideas communicates that for the most part, all are welcome to share their unique points of view - until recently. Certain American freedoms seem to be approaching "endangered species" status as big, powerful interests increasingly choose to manipulate their platforms to control speech.
If your loved one died in service to their country, how would you honor their memory? In Bladensburg, Md., a committee that included Gold Star mothers and veterans wanted to remember their fallen of World War I with a monument in the shape of a cross.
We Americans now disagree over the construction of a border wall to be placed between the United States and Mexico. In the first week of her Speakership, Nancy Pelosi declared that such a wall would be "an immorality." She does not appear to be alone in that assessment. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) compared such a wall to the Berlin Wall while calling it a "moral abomination."
Imagine the reaction to a diet and exercise plan that claimed for just five minutes a day in the gym, you could consume six hours' worth of Twinkies a week. When it comes to food, people understand the need for discipline and balance between what goes into your body and how to process it.
Raise your hand if you're a white Democrat who has NOT worn blackface. I'm sure that's a question that went through a lot of people's minds after both the Virginia Governor and the state attorney general admitted to wearing racist costumes in the past.
Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument from advocates for and against the preservation of a World War I-era veterans memorial, the Peace Cross, in Bladensburg, Md. The crux of the case, American Legion v. American Humanist Association, is the question whether a two-county commission offends the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution by maintaining the cross-shaped memorial.
Faith-based educational institutions might see a welcome change in federal regulations on the horizon. This week, the U.S. Department of Education concluded its public comment period for a proposed rule that would make several changes to federal regulations regarding the law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based exclusion from, denial of benefits by, or discrimination by any education program or activity receiving public assistance. As Family Research Council argues in its formal comment supporting the proposed rule, at least one recommended change means good things for faith-based universities' religious freedom rights.
In a surprising op-ed, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who has announced she is running for President, called out fellow Democrats for fomenting "religious bigotry" during the confirmation of some of President Trump's recent judicial nominees.
This day and week mark the 233rd anniversary of Virginia's act for religious freedom, in which members of the 1786 General Assembly declared that "our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry." Can we still say the same today?
Vice President Pence's wife Karen has come under withering attack in recent days from many in the media. From this "reporting," one might think she has transgressed some obvious social boundary of a civilized society. In reality, the big "scoop" is that this Christian wife and mother, whose Christian beliefs are important to her, is teaching at a Christian school, which being Christian, holds to Christian beliefs about marriage.
Our annual Jan. 16 celebration of Religious Freedom Day, commemorating the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom 233 years ago, reminds us of the roots of cultural acceptance necessary for religious freedom to truly flourish in any society. While modeled in the formation of the U.S., religious freedom is not exclusively an American idea, but a human right for all people. Halfway around the world, the saga of Asia Bibi's blasphemy case in Pakistan is not yet over, but it is already highlighting the cultural deficit of religious freedom in that country for the world to see. More unexpectedly, this case is exposing the religious freedom rot in other nations through their inability to respond effectively to the crisis.
Since 1993, the president has formally recognized January 16th as Religious Freedom Day. The day marks the anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which cut formal ties between the Church of England and the state of Virginia.
Immigration has been ingrained in the American consciousness from our earliest days, as many people left foreign lands to make a new life here. While President Trump did not invent the concept of making America great, his call for protecting that greatness stands in sharp contrast to those who see nothing special in our nation at all. But when you consider that so many have come together to make this place their home, a wall with a door that opens to those we want in not only makes sense, its purpose is clear.
Last year, the GOP in Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the Tax and Jobs Act, one of their signature legislative accomplishments. The Jobs Act generally reduced the tax rates for businesses and individuals, and included a number of pro-family provisions. As a result, Americans paid less in taxes this year, workers received raises and bonuses, and the economy has roared.
This time of year, public officials utter a collective groan as the steady stream of complaints about Christmas-themed events and displays spread their usual holiday mischief. In recent years, cities have been slapped with legal letters for displays of the nativity, like in Dover, Ravenna and Streetsboro, Ohio, and in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. A recent letter claimed that it was because the nativity would "confer endorsement and preference for one religion over others," and thus violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
President Trump's recent announcement that he will withdraw U.S. military forces from Northern Syria aims to fulfill a campaign promise that he will defeat ISIS and bring home our troops. Yet it stands to put Syria's Christian community - who have been a target of ISIS - in mortal danger.
As Americans plan their holiday purchases, many are also considering their healthcare options on the Obamacare exchange. The 2019 enrollment period started on November 1 and runs through December 15 in most states. For the fifth year in a row, Family Research Council and the Charlotte Lozier Institute have joined forces to bring transparency to Obamacare by providing consumers with information about which plans on the 2019 exchanges cover elective abortion.
As we approach the New Year and an incoming Congress, it bears noting that in the past five years there have been several major legal victories supporting armed services personnel prosecuted for acting consistently with their religious beliefs about marriage. Going forward, military commanders must study these cases involving uniformed believers fighting to live out their faith.
The eyes of the nation widened with shock when New York announced that its new abortion law - the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) - would allow a baby to be aborted up until the day of birth. This "progress" as New York sees it doesn't even recognize a human being as a person until he or she is out of the womb!
It's Christmas time. And according to the National Retail Federation, Americans are on pace to spend a record amount of money on holiday gifts this year, $465 billion or an average or $700 a person. But as Americans spend billions of dollars on toys and goodies for one another, they are also expected to donate a record amount to charity this year, surpassing the previous record of $410.02 billion given to charitable organizations in 2017.
The midterm elections has Christians in churches throughout America once again considering what their faith teaches about cultural and political engagement, and how their beliefs should influence how they vote.
While millions of American were voting, Philadelphia foster parents were in court fighting the government's attempt to shut down Catholic Charities adoption and foster care services because it is faith-based. Nearly half of all Catholic Charities adoptions nationally are for special needs children, so their permanent closure would be especially devastating. It was a somber launch to National Adoption Month for children seeking families.
While midterm voters provided America with a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, an expanded Republican victory in the Senate is a mandate for the solid pro-life policies we have been seeing from President Trump and congressional leadership over the past two years.
Religious freedom and pro-life advocates will doubtless spend the next two years checking the radical left's agenda as it unfolds in the Democrat-controlled House. But we can still be encouraged by keeping the Senate. In doing so, we keep the momentum behind the confirmation of constitutionally conservative judges who will restore our religious freedom rights.
So do biological gender differences matter, or is any reference to "biological sex" bigoted?
Another critical election. Another electoral failure in Florida. Another vote counting disaster in Broward County.
Beto O'Rourke's recent comments are only the latest salvo.
The release of Pastor Andrew Brunson and his return home to the United States was an answer to the prayers of millions and the result of an administration that has reset our foreign policy by fearlessly engaging on issues that other administrations only talked about addressing.
Perhaps no international religious freedom case has gotten more attention in the United States in recent years than that of imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who Turkey detained for over two years on politically motivated charges of espionage and terrorism. Labeled as a hated American spy, Pastor Brunson's case attracted even more attention within that country, most of it not welcome. I was visibly reminded of this as I drove past the armed troops stationed along the road leading to the detention center near Aliaga, Turkey, upon which I descended with others to monitor the latest hearing in the case against him as part of my work on religious freedom.
"The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth," the New York Times reported recently.
When the stunned political class woke up to a world in which Donald Trump was president, plans began almost immediately over what they would do when they held power again. Even civility and basic human decency could wait until left-leaning leaders gained control of the country, opined Hillary Clinton. This culture clash was on full display during the confirmation process of now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but those saying that the Supreme Court controversy is the lever motivating the electorate in the midterms are missing the bigger picture.
Now that Pastor Andrew Brunson's time in Turkey has come to an end, here are six takeaways.
Results in a handful of House races are still being counted. The Democrats returned to power in the House. And the GOP expanded its power in the Senate. The GOP holds in the Ohio, Florida, and Iowa governor races also loom large for 2020.
The midterm results are in, and while much media attention is focused on the House switching to Democratic control, Republicans have not only held but gained ground in the Senate.
If there is anything our country has learned from the hype, drama, and antics surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing, it is that the Supreme Court is far too important in our nation's political system. The high price we pay for politicizing the confirmation process includes not only destroyed trust in our system of government or the decorum of the Senate, but also the totally unnecessary emotional toll on families like those of Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford.
Very soon, the Supreme Court could announce its decision to hear an appeal over whether the 40-foot "Peace Cross" - as it is known by locals in Bladensburg, Md. - is too tall and too Christian for a government to own and maintain in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Every year, without fail, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for religious freedom. Persecution of religious minorities is rampant and deeply ingrained in government institutions, and Christians are high on the list of those at risk, especially Christians who have converted from Islam.
There were plenty of good reasons to vote against California's AB 2943.
We sometimes quip that we would sell our house and get a double-wide down by the river rather than send our daughters to a government school.
It was worthy of a Saturday Night Live skit, but Lorne Michaels probably would've turned it down. SNL has leaned heavily left since Donald Trump's election, and the show's creator and executive producer would've understood the humor in how clueless Senate Democrats came across during Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing - but he probably wouldn't bring himself to showcase how awful they really looked.
Brown University, perhaps the quirkiest of the Ivy League schools, recently removed from its website information about a peer-reviewed study on gender confusion.
Linus, from the Peanuts cartoon, once famously declared, "I love mankind ... it's people I can't stand!"
Spoiler alert: it's easy to predict much of what will happen this week during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. That's because Democrats showed their hands almost immediately after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Court, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to the Senate floor to motivate his left-wing base.
A groundswell of opposition from churches, pastors, and ordinary citizens in California may have delayed but ultimately could not prevent the passage of AB 2943 by the California Senate on Aug. 16.
LGBT activists are nothing if not creative. Their latest approach involves inviting high school students into, in their words, a "big, gay booth" to talk about sex.
In 2001, Enron, then one of the most admired companies in the United States, collapsed in scandal and bankruptcy. Questions began emerging a year earlier regarding the energy giant's accounting practices after investors, analysts, and reporters became concerned by Enron's massive amount of debt. In the years following, details came to light about the lengths to which Enron's leadership went to cover up losses and maintain an artificially high stock price. When the dust had finally settled, 20 people were convicted of crimes for their actions, Enron's stock was worthless, and thousands lost their pensions. Arthur Andersen, previously a "Big Five" accounting firm, surrendered its CPA license and 85,000 of its employees no longer had jobs.
Earlier this month, in a first-of-its-kind case, a federal judge ruled that a Christian adoption provider's religious freedom claims must submit to the government's sexual and moral standards.
Later this week, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will host the first-ever "Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom" at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. The fact that this meeting is being held is about as important as what will come out of it.
A wave of celebrities is leading the charge to expose sexual abuse in the entertainment industry and support those who bravely come forward with their stories - and rightly so. The industry is apparently riddled with it, and no one should suffer abuse. Yet some of the the same celebrities claiming to advance the #MeToo movement also use their platforms to support Planned Parenthood, which has been shown to be a useful tool for sex traffickers and rapists.
The House Appropriations Committee marked-up the fiscal 19 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Rep. Robert Aderholt's (R-Ala.) amendment to protect faith-based child welfare providers from government discrimination passed 29-23.
Candidate Donald Trump had many Republican critics. Some voted for him only out of concern for judges. With the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, he repaid their confidence in full.
President Trump kept another promise when he nominated Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Trump's supporters will appreciate that Kavanaugh's name was on a list of candidates from which he pledged to draw his nominees.
Today America dominates the globe. It's easy to forget that the United States almost didn't exist.
Last week during the height of the media's fixation on the United States' southwestern border, some accused the evangelical leaders who advise President Trump, of whom I'm one, of staying silent about children being separated from their parents. While this is not a new problem, the media's attention has brought it to the forefront of public discussion, and I have been a part of that discussion.
In Texas, you can advertise adult shops-it's church promotion they find offensive. That's the unbelievable predicament First Baptist Dallas finds itself in after it tried to buy a billboard for upcoming sermon topics. What's offensive about a message on the Christian heritage of America? Plenty, according to the Dallas mayor.
Recently there was an effort to rescind the invitation for Vice President Mike Pence to speak at this year's gathering of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) held in Dallas. About two-thirds of those present and voting overwhelmingly defeated the effort, according to reports from the parliamentarian. The vice president came and gave a well-received message that underscored the unique and essential role of pastors in America.
The final vote was a foregone conclusion. No one thought deeply ideological Fairfax County (VA) School Board would vote any other way than 10-1 for what is among the most radical sex-ed curriculum in the country.
Recently, President Trump and National Security Adviser John Bolton selected Fred Fleitz to be Mr. Bolton's deputy at the National Security Council. Fred is the right man for this critical job, especially given the ongoing negotiations with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Fred is one of the most experienced analysts in the U.S. and a true patriot who understands and supports the president's agenda.
There's a lot to dislike about many public schools-and right now, student safety is at the top of the list. "After a gunman opened fire on students in Parkland, Florida," a new Washington Times feature explains, "the phones started ringing at the Texas Home School Coalition, and they haven't stopped yet."
Your tax dollars aren't the only thing supporting Planned Parenthood-proceeds from your daily coffee may be, too.
In July 1950, during the Battle of Taejon early in the Korean War, enemy forces cut off and trapped a number of wounded U.S. troops who could no longer move across the difficult terrain. One Army chaplain, Herman Felhoelter, provided physical and spiritual care even as North Korean soldiers approached. After ordering the medic assisting him to flee, the chaplain continued to minister to the wounded up until the moment he was shot along with his men.
If you're ambivalent about the crisis of pornography in America, The New York Times can change that. Almost instantly. The paper jolted an entire nation into caring with its jarring February exposé, "What Teenagers Are Learning from Online Porn" (warning: extremely graphic). If their stories don't shock, repulse, sober, and motivate you, nothing will.
Americans owe a debt of gratitude to President Trump and the good people in his administration. After nearly 50 years, the law marking a bright line between "family planning" and abortion will finally be respected.
If all Donald Trump did with these four years was balance the courts, his presidency would still be a success. Lucky for us, he's got his sights set on a lot more than that-and a pile of accomplishments to prove it.
Last week, Colorado Mesa University gave the Class of 2018 a lot more than their diplomas to celebrate. The Grand Junction campus finally decided to let Karissa Erickson quote the Bible in her speech. But not without a fight.
For Robert Rho, destroying tiny lives was all in a day's work. He performed so many abortions, more than 40,000, that one more death probably seemed insignificant-until 2016, when that death was one of his 30-year-old patients.
They came by the hundreds, one newspaper said-"perhaps thousands." Some traveled hours, others waited hours, all for the opportunity to protest one of the most outrageous homeschooling bills ever introduced: California's AB 2756.
Parents across the country pulled their children out of public schools on Monday for the "Sex Ed Sit Out"-a grassroots awakening of frustrated parents who are sick of the sexualization of children in their taxpayer-funded schools.
Mike Pompeo has the leadership, experience, instincts, and training to be successful as the next Secretary of State. In fact, he is the most prepared and capable nominee for Secretary of State since Colin Powell. The State Department is desperate for a leader who has a vision for taking the Department in the right direction. After eight years of abysmal leadership from Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, the world has become a more dangerous place. North Korea and Iran now have nuclear weapons, Russia has crossed many red lines including their attempts to impact U.S. elections, and China increases every day as an economic and military threat to this nation. This is all due in no small measure to failed leadership at the Department of State. Furthermore, Secretary Tillerson failed to provide a clear vision and strong leadership during his tenure, but Mike Pompeo is poised and experienced, ready to lead and represent America on the world stage.
The craziness continued at the recent meeting of the Fairfax County sex-ed advisory committee. That's the group responsible for creating over 80 hours of sex-ed for every public-school child.
You don't have to be a Trump nominee to face the Christian inquisition. Just ask Iowa conservatives. The bad blood that's turned the hearings of Mike Pompeo, Russell Vought, and Amy Barrett into anti-faith slugfests seems to be spilling over into state politics, too. And at least one military wife is out of a job because of it.
They may not have had any evidence against American pastor Andrew Brunson, but that didn't stop Turkish officials from holding a 13-hour hearing. For the North Carolina father, who's spent the last 500 days in jail, it was another grueling chapter in the persecution of an innocent man.
When the news broke on Tuesday night that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, I was not surprised. Pompeo had long ago established his importance to this administration and his understanding of geopolitics. Pompeo's skills are precisely why the president nominated him to be the next Secretary of State. It's absurd that Democrats are reluctant to confirm him.
During Mike Pompeo's confirmation hearing for secretary of State, he showed he is well qualified to lead foreign policy for the United States.
America's most pro-life generation is at it again. Pro-life students across the country partook in a planned school walkout on Wednesday morning.
Cultivating religious freedom worldwide is a major ingredient for our national security here at home. Mike Pompeo understands this, and will act on it, if confirmed as our next Secretary of State.
Congressional Democrats are in a panic over Title X, the federal government's family planning program. That's because even though the recent omnibus spending bill once again allotted $286.479 million to fund the program, Republicans in Congress held the line on ensuring the Department of Health and Human Services has flexibility to change regulations governing how it is spent.
Among the Trump administration's early successes, two stand out particularly, and incoming National Security Advisor John Bolton has the chance to take both to the next level.
Ken Blackwell The left hates President Donald Trump for many reasons. One of the most important is because he really believes in America first. He doesn't just say it. He bases his policies on that principle.
"For all the progress since 1973, I just know in my heart of hearts that this will be the generation that restores life in America." These inspiring words were spoken by our very own Vice President Mike Pence at a pro-life luncheon held on February 27th.
Today, the Supreme Court hears its second case this term on compelled speech in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra. In December, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission addressed a similar free speech question.
Today, the Supreme Court hears its second case this term on compelled speech in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra. In December, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission addressed a similar free speech question.
While college teams vie for basketball's biggest prize, it looks like ESPN is trying to do some rebounding of its own. After more than two years of bleeding profits, the Disney-owned network wants to prove that it can do better. Pitching politics instead of baseball has been a costly decision for the company, which has been a financial drag on parent company Disney for the last several months. Left without viewers (or options), ESPN decided to downsize, laying off at least 100 staffers to try and make up some of the company's losses.
While viral videos may capture attention, they do not paint an accurate picture of those whom the president has chosen for the federal bench. President Donald Trump's nominees to the federal judiciary are among the most qualified in recent memory.
Breaking the law doesn't help your chances for earning federal dollars-but apparently, it doesn't hurt them either. If there's one thing Planned Parenthood's learned over the last few years, it's that crime does pay. A lot, according to the Government Accountability Office.
You might never support a pro-abortion candidate, but what if your tax dollars are?
Through all of the cultural ups and downs, country music has always been a place conservatives felt welcome. While so many other celebrities started picking up activist causes and shaming fans who held Christian beliefs, Americans could always count on Nashville to stay true to their values (or at least tolerate them).
Much has already been said in tribute to Billy Graham, the renowned preacher and public evangelist who recently passed away at the age of 99. Much more is still likely to be said. In the midst of all this, we should not forget that among the many aspects of his legacy is the very fact that he chose to make his faith a public faith, proclaiming it clearly, boldly and visibly. This was a hallmark of his rallies and how he lived, and America was better off for it.
There will be thousands of words used to describe Billy Graham, but there was only one that he cared about: faithful. Asked what he would want the first line of his obituary to say, the greying pastor saidsimply, "That I loved God with all mind, heart, and soul."
The Trump administration is bringing back sexual risk avoidance, or abstinence-based, education, and many on the Left are not happy. When the administration's 2018 budget proposed cutting former President Obama's ineffective and expensive Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP), which uses the comprehensive sex education model of sexual risk reduction, the mainstream media predicted an apocalypse signaled by unplanned pregnancies.
ABC got at least one thing right about "The View" - its name. As far as the hosts are concerned, there is only one view: theirs. Sure, they'll invite a token "conservative" on to add fireworks, but even that doesn't get in the way of the hosts' daily routine of smug Middle America-bashing. If the idea is to offend viewers, it's working.
Most Americans have probably never heard of Beloit, Ohio. But this month, they're starting to hear from them. It may be a small town (less than 1,000 people at most), but it's mighty. And in the face of the bullies at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, that's all that matters.
Barely a day goes by that Democrats don't demand President Trump's resignation - or, if they're feeling particularly feisty, impeachment. It's such a routine cry of the Left that some Americans are probably tempted to yawn their way through the threats. But, as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tried to warn conservatives yesterday, there's nothing empty about them.
Kids see plenty of offensive things at school-but when did fathers become one of them? Ask New York's Department of Education. As far as its officials are concerned, nothing can damage a child more than hosting a special event for dads.
I've heard the allegations about Donald Trump's past moral failures. I don't pretend to know what's true and what isn't. But there is a truth I do know: Faith in Jesus Christ calls us to live with moral clarity. And that means calling sin - sin.
This year, like every year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the nation looked back to a ruling from seven men on the bench while tens of thousands of people came to Washington to the March for Life.
If there's one thing I've always said, it's that Christians should never check their faith at the door when they enter the public square. So, let me start by practicing what I preach. Like you, I've heard all of the allegations about Donald Trump's past, his years of baggage and personal failings. I don't pretend to know what's true and what isn't -- certainly not now, in an environment as toxic as ours. But there is a truth I do know: faith in Jesus Christ that calls us to live with moral clarity in everything we do. And that means calling sin -- sin.
In 1973, the Supreme Court believed it had resolved the abortion debate, but decades later it's clear the court failed to settle the issue. Why? Abortion runs contrary to the laws of nature.
Now is as good a time as any to reflect on the Trump administration's domestic religious liberty record over the past year-highlighting its accomplishments and observing what still needs to be done.
Plenty of movements have tried to hitch their wagon to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. For years, people across the political spectrum have claimed him as one of their own-in part because it's convenient and in part because he isn't here to dispute it.
A Northern Virginia public school held a school-wide assembly before Christmas break featuring transgender crusader Amy Ellis Nutt.
As Vice President Mike Pence prepares for his visit to Egypt, Jordan and Israel that begins at the end of this week, concerns continue to mount for the Middle East's persecuted Christians - especially for refugees who are looking for the assistance promised by the United States to help them survive ISIS' relentless assault on their homelands.
As if North Korea weren't taking up enough headlines, Open Doors USA just added another one: Kim Jong Un's country is topping the list of the world's "Most Dangerous Places to Be a Christian."
The dresses and buttons and speeches at the Golden Globes notwithstanding, every new revelation of abuse and sexual assault in Hollywood begs the question: "Why didn't anyone notice and stop this sooner?" Surely the friends of mega-producers Harvey Weinstein and Brett Ratner, colleagues of news "celebrities" like Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, co-stars of celebrities like Kevin Spacey or hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons could see something was amiss, that under the surface something ugly and evil was happening?
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back President Barack Obama's "net neutrality" policy, Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters, "It's not going to kill democracy."
For every parent who's tried to tell their teenage kids that "everyone's not doing it," here's proof! According to the CDC's new nationwide report, the number of high school students who said they've ever had sex dropped from 47 percent in 2005 to 41 percent in 2015. The good news is even better for African American students, who showed improvements across the board, followed by Hispanics who practiced more abstinence in three of the four grades.
On Thursday, thousands of Iranians protested against the ruling regime in Iran's second-largest city, Mashhad. Chants of "death to dictator" and "death to Rouhani" were brave and resounding.
November's election was not good for Virginia Republicans. Their 66-seat majority in the 100-member House of Delegates fell dramatically. To 50 or 51, depending on whether the equivalent of a coin flip comes up heads or tails. Really.
If this has been "one of the most successful Congresses" for the pro-life agenda, then the states deserve some of the credit.
There may be fake news, but there's no making up the media's loathing of President Donald Trump.
When it comes to advertising on the D.C. metro, free speech is in for a bumpy ride.
Do you remember voting for Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in the presidential election? Neither does anyone else. But somehow the local district judge thinks she should be able to do President Donald Trump's job.
New York City Council just barred adults from getting the sex therapy they seek - unless it agrees with the personal views of members of the council.
A year ago the Department of Justice was finishing up eight long years of a scandal-plagued term under Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, as President Obama's political arm. A year later, the department has done a complete 180 degree turn back to upholding - instead of undermining - the rule of law, and restoring law and order.
Each year, as battlefield correspondents begin anew to report the "War on Christmas," different eyes roll in different directions. Many agnostics, progressives, "indifferents," and Christians skeptical of "those other Christians," will tend to dismiss it and cast eyes heavenward. But should they? Is it all as easily dismissed as one would like?
When Heather Wilson was picked to be secretary of the Air Force, she told the Senate: "Air Force policy must continue to ensure that all airmen are able to choose to practice their particular religion." Now, she has a chance to prove it.
On Monday night, the GOP tax bill took another step toward President Donald Trump's desk when Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., named nine members to the conference committee, including Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case over whether cake artist Jack Phillips can be forced by the state to design and create a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding in violation of his religious beliefs on marriage.
There've been a lot of wise men in the White House. But this Christmas, there are three more in the East Room, where the Trumps are highlighting a Nativity scene.
At Tuesday's oral argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission-which will decide whether baker Jack Phillips can be forced by the state to design and create a cake celebrating a same sex wedding-it became apparent quite early on that the Court was grappling not merely with Jack's case, but with a number of potential conflicts between religious freedom and same-sex marriage on its hands.
Planned Parenthood's biggest nemesis isn't the GOP - or even pro-lifers. Lately, it's the democratic process. When abortion groups started moving into the extreme territory staked out by Barack Obama - pushing late-term, taxpayer-funded, and unregulated abortions - most Americans didn't move with them. So, like most liberals with unpopular agendas, Planned Parenthood turned to the only place capable of giving them the victories they couldn't win legislatively: the courts.
There've been a lot of wise men in the White House. But this Christmas, there are three more in the East Room, where the Trumps are highlighting a Nativity scene.
As the Dec. 5 oral argument date for his case grows near, the drumbeat proclaiming Jack Phillips must be forced to create a same-sex wedding cake against his conscience grows louder.
Don't say we didn't warn you, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Democrats at a rocky Senate Judiciary meeting last week.
Air Force Col. Leland Bohannon needed reinforcements-and thanks to eight senators, he got them.
It may have been unintentional, but a recent lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union could nonetheless result in many children being displaced from adoption agencies who would otherwise have been happy to care for them and find families to adopt them.
Most of us didn't need a poll to show us that liberals have lost their grip on reality. But Pew Research Center is providing one anyway.
After flying in the B-2 bomber, Air Force Col. Leland Bohannon knows a thing or two about stealth. And the attack against his faith isn't it. In fact, the military seems to be going out of its way to punish the Christian dad of five, despite a distinguished career defending the same freedom the Air Force is intent on taking from him.
It was a small sentence-"I will pray for you"- but it meant big trouble for Cony High School technician Toni Richardson. When Richardson offered that comfort to another Christian on staff in private, she was hauled before school officials and warned not to utter a word about her faith again.
Does the First Amendment allow the government to force a cake baker to make custom cakes in violation of his own conscience and religious beliefs?
During a CNN health-care debate on September 25, 2017 Sen. Bill Cassidy stated, "You know, first, most Planned Parenthood settings are in urban areas, urban areas that have lots of OB/GYNs...Now, as it turns out, the folks who don't have access to those cancer screenings live in rural areas. They live in areas where there are not enough physicians. So the idea is that we want someone to have to drive - a lower-income person drive - three hours to a Planned Parenthood facility there to get her screening, or would we rather take that money and put it back in the rural area to allow her to get her health care there?"
Open enrollment for ObamaCare is under way, having started November 1 and running through December 15, 2017. For the fourth year in a row, the Family Research Council and the Charlotte Lozier Institute have partnered to uncover exclusive 2018 information at ObamaCareAbortion.com revealing abortion coverage in ObamaCare plans.
This Veterans Day, millions across America will celebrate the sacrifice and service of millions more who have laid down their time and treasure-and in many cases their lives-for our country. At a time when our nation daily worships at the altar of self-fulfillment, and honor for such service increasingly falls by the wayside, those in Bladensburg, Maryland now have to contend with federal judges who want to take away their veterans memorial.
Adversity does not build character, James Lee Allen wrote, it reveals it. That's become painfully clear in the last 24 hours, as many liberals seem intent on showing the country just how little they've learned about Americans since last year's election.
"White boys could soon self-identify as black girls in Delaware." So begins one of the latest columns of Fox News' Todd Starnes, reporting on what parents probably wish was fake news. Unfortunately for the families in The First State, reality may soon be optional for kids in Delaware public schools.
With so much political tension across the country, it would probably help to sit down and have an open conversation. There's just one problem. According to 71 percent of America, political correctness is silencing the discussions we need to have.
What's so controversial about Catholics believing Catholic teaching? A lot, according to some students at Georgetown University.
The NFL owners are desperately trying to put the anthem controversy behind them after weeks of slumping ratings, sales, and horrible PR. But the damage, say most Americans, has already been done. Some fans are more determined than ever to stick it to the league that dishonored our flag, country, and millions of U.S. troops.
President Trump used Twitter to announce on July 26 that "the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military." U. S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, appointed to the federal bench by then-President Clinton, has now substituted her own judgment about how to run the military for that of our nation's elected Commander-in-Chief.
"We believe everyone should have a voice," YouTube has said. Everyone, it seems, but conservatives.
In today's bitter political climate, there are few labels more intellectually lazy than "hate group." When you label an entity as a "hate group," you automatically demonize it and remove from your shoulders any mantle of responsibility to dialogue or engage in civil discourse with this denounced entity.
Liberals didn't mind when former President Barack Obama forced his radical social policies on our military, but they certainly don't want President Donald Trump rescinding them. So where do they turn? Unelected judges.
"Remember, we are talking about a child here." When a federal judge with pro-abortion leanings lets loose such a nugget of truth, it is often accidentally uttered. This appears to be the case with this darkly ironic statement, Judge Patricia Millet made in her concurrence in the D.C. Circuit's Tuesday en banc decision in Garza v. Hargan, ordering an underage girl to be permitted an elective abortion after being detained while unlawfully trying to cross the border into the U.S.
They're no longer with us, but I can still remember them marching every Fourth of July parade when I was a kid.
Texans have a saying for people who talk big but act small: All hat, no cattle. It's hard to think of someone better fitting that description than Rep. Frederica Wilson, the Florida Democrat with a multitude of colorful hats but no decency.
"How times have changed. But you know what? Now they're changing back again, just remember that!" Nothing encapsulates President Trump's message at the recent Values Voter Summit more than those words.
The usual suspects have discovered that Christopher Columbus was no 21st century liberal. Of course, that shouldn't surprise anyone since he lived in a time of empires, slavery, monarchies, and ignorance.
This weekend, thousands will descend on Washington for the 12th annual Values Voter Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. They are coming to D.C. ready to seize a moment that was delivered with the election of Donald Trump and significant conservative gains in both the House and Senate. These voters are coming energized by a president who is working to keep his promises but exasperated by the U.S. Senate that has become the graveyard of promises.
Planned Parenthood wants you to think they are the champion of women. But if they achieve their goals, there may not be very many women left to champion.
There is currently a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court which presents critical constitutional questions relating to California's enforcement of surrogacy contracts under the state's statute.
Earlier this month, during a judicial confirmation hearing for 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Amy Barrett, who is a Catholic law professor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., questioned whether Barrett could be a Christian and a judge at the same time:
Look back on the great men and women of history. Most of them fare poorly when subjected to modern scrutiny. They launched wars, murdered rivals, enslaved enemies, enriched allies and violated most every moral norm valued by people today.
Recently, a professor at the University of Chicago wrote that intentionally killing babies after birth who are "severely deformed or doomed" should be permitted.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order to stop subsidizing cities which obstruct immigration law. Chicago filed suit in response. Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to continue collecting federal dollars while ignoring federal policy.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions showed today why he's one of the best leaders President Trump has selected to move our country forward; no one doubts after today that he will bring to justice those who have put our national security at risk with unauthorized leaks of classified information. Already four people have been charged and there are numerous criminal referrals.
At a campaign event with veterans in Virginia, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump responded to a question about "social engineering and political correctness" in the military - including "transgender rights" - by saying, "We're gonna get away from political correctness ... some of the things they're asking you to do and be politically correct about are ridiculous."
The Religious Right and Left may disagree on a lot of things, but the importance of prayer shouldn't be one of them. Yet when a picture circulated of evangelical leaders laying hands on Donald Trump in the Oval Office, even self-described Christians pitched a fit.
Why has the case of British 11-month-old baby Charlie Gard struck an international nerve? At its core, this controversy is about state infringement on parental rights. The question is, whose child is Charlie: his parents' or the state's? Why is the hospital holding him hostage and by what authority can it override his parents' wish to pursue therapy that could help Charlie?
President Donald Trump's critics fixate on his tweets and then wonder why he spends so much time responding to their attacks. But why do they devote so much attention to his tweets in the first place? Maybe they realize that many Americans are happy to finally have a president who fights back.
More than 200 years ago, the young United States was learning to walk in its freshly won freedom and the Constitution born of it. Our experiment in self-governance, based on the idea that our Creator endowed all of us with certain inalienable rights as reflected in our Declaration of Independence, was unique in the history of the world.
Last year, without any systematic study of the consequences, the Obama administration reversed longstanding policies that excluded those who identify as transgender, on both psychological and medical grounds, from serving in the U.S. military. The armed services immediately stopped discharging existing service members who suffer from gender dysphoria (unhappiness with their biological sex at birth). Phase Two of this policy-allowing persons who identify as transgender to join the military-was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2017.
"[L]aws . . . that single out the religious for disfavored treatment" are not permissible. So held a large majority of Supreme Court justices on Monday in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. The Court ruled 7-2 that excluding a group from a Missouri grant program just because of its religious nature violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
For the first time in years, House staffers didn't need the blow-up mattresses they probably stashed in their offices for last night's debate. The Armed Services Committee wrapped up one minute shy of midnight - setting a new record in what is traditionally one of the longest days in Congress. That's not to say that yesterday's mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was an easy one. Members put in a grueling 14-hour day - marked at times by intense back-and-forth on how to best clean up the military mess left behind by Barack Obama. At 11:59 p.m., members were rewarded for their hard work with a near-unanimous vote (60-1) that sent them to bed hours before dawn.
No thanks to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., President Donald Trump's pick for the Office of Management and Budget is one step closer to his new job.
If abortion groups are trying to keep a low profile, they're not doing a very good job of it. While Congress debates whether taxpayers should fund the likes of Planned Parenthood, the industry has spent the last six months trying to avoid headlines. That will be impossible now, thanks to a federal judge who's threatening to send the man responsible for exposing the grisly business to jail.
While the Left promotes fake scandals, President Donald Trump proposes real change. Congressional Republicans should keep their eyes on the ball and enact his reforms into law.
It is the height of irony that Senator Bernie Sanders, in declaring Office of Management and Budget deputy director nominee Russell Vought's beliefs as "bigotry" during his confirmation hearing (see 44:20) last week, expressed blatant bigotry toward Vought by refusing to vote for him for nothing but Vought's religious views.
It was true before the U.S. presidential election and it remains true today: The problems we face are not just political and cultural; at their core, they are spiritual. I believe we received a reprieve from our worsening cultural condition by avoiding the election of Hillary Clinton. With the election of Donald Trump, we may have a window of opportunity. But this window will not be open long. God certainly hasn't placed us here at this time in history to sit passively on the sidelines hoping that things will change. He has given us the opportunity to act while we still have the freedom to do so.
What does a man's theology have to do with the U.S. economy? A lot, if you're Russell Vought.
A recently leaked draft rule indicating President Trump's response to President Barack Obama's oppressive contraceptive mandate made the rounds. In short, if it becomes the final rule, it is a big win for religious freedom.
The abortion pill has been around for years and has become a highly common form of abortion.
The Department of Health and Human Services is shaping up to be a huge headache for the radical Left. This week, the administration is adding another solidly pro-life, pro-abstinence leader to a roster that's already a who's who of the conservative movement. Valerie Huber, a longtime leader in sexual risk avoidance circles, is taking a job as the chief of staff for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS.
It's a good thing the House and Senate are out this week. Judging by the headlines, they'll need their rest to navigate choppy waters of the health care repeal when they return. Like Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), who managed to hold the shakiest of coalitions together for a May 4 vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has his hands full juggling the personalities and agendas of 52 very different Republicans.
The head of the United States Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., testified before the House of Representatives in late April that the threat posed by North Korea has grown sufficiently to endanger the Hawaiian Islands. All around the globe, serious national security problems are coming to the fore in places like Iran, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and the South China Sea. Yet, because of holdover personnel from the Obama administration, and damaging Obama-era policies remaining in place, our military continues flailing.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Ca.) says there is something "tragically wrong" with President Donald Trump. His advisers and friends are "a bunch of scumbags." He is creating "chaos and division."
Memorial Day is a time for Americans to remember the sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy. Those sacrifices include the lives of many young men and women who paid the ultimate price for our continued liberty.
Democrats dug themselves into quite a hole with the party's hardline social platform last summer. And climbing out hasn't exactly been easy. By almost everyone's estimation (including Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif.), the Left's extremism on issues like abortion and transgender bathrooms cost them the White House. But months after the loss no one saw coming, the party is still struggling to rebound.
President Trump's public vows to "totally destroy" the Johnson Amendment started during his campaign, continued through election night, and have persisted during his presidency - most recently appearing in his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast this past February.
The House Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittees on Government Operations and Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules recently held a hearing, Examining a Church's Right to Free Speech.
President Donald Trump is nearing his 100th day in office. Unlike his predecessor, President Trump doesn't spend much time on the golf course. He's busy issuing executive orders, appointing strong conservatives, bombing Islamist terrorists, and safeguarding our borders.
It's not every day that you get such a collection of entertaining quotes from Supreme Court justices. Last week's oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer will decide whether a state can exclude a religious entity from a public grant program just because the entity is religious. These four entertaining moments from those arguments indicate the court will likely rule for the church in this case.
With the Senate poised to vote this week on Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to replace the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one quality of Judge Gorsuch has been widely overlooked by scribes and talking heads throughout cable news coverage.
In the first two days of the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, senators pressed nominee Neil Gorsuch on a variety of issues that may be before the court, from antitrust lawsuits to campaign finance.
In the opening statement of his confirmation hearing, Judge Neil Gorsuch pledged that he will do all in his power "to be a faithful servant of the Constitution." While we cannot be sure how he will rule on abortion, his tone was measured and we can expect a textual, neutral, faithful application of the Constitution. This type of originalist approach will translate into rulings protecting all human life and not activist abortion rulings making up rights which are nowhere to be found in the Constitution.
Abortion is not healthcare. Our laws should reflect this basic principle, no matter which political party happens to be in power.
March 8 is International Women's Day. What it should be is a day to celebrate women and the feminine genius in economic, political, and social achievements. And there are many.
On February 22, the Trump administration released a statement rescinding previous Obama administration guidance dealing with students who identify as transgender.
That warm breeze you feel is the collective sigh of relief by the nation's moms and dads, now that the reckless Obama bathroom mandate has been rescinded.
Republicans agree that Obamacare has failed and must be repealed. But they can't agree on the replacement "plan."
President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch is a solid originalist and textualist when it comes to interpreting the Constitution and statutory authority.
On January 11, then-President-elect Donald J. Trump nominated David J. Shulkin, M.D., to be his administration's first Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At the time, Dr. Shulkin was serving as the agency's Under Secretary for Health Administration. On February 1, the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs held a fast-tracked confirmation hearing for Dr. Shulkin. As an Obama appointee for his current position, Shulkin is expected to be confirmed in the general session of the Senate.
President Trump is doing something relatively rare in American politics - he is fulfilling his campaign promises. One of the several promises made by candidate Trump was to eliminate the problems for churches and religious leaders caused by the Johnson Amendment. Exactly what is the Johnson Amendment? How has it been used? And how should it be fixed?
"Mainstream". We are having a country-wide civics lesson on who is or is not out of our mainstream: Senate Democrats or the Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch.
Donald Trump isn't the first Republican president denounced as "illegitimate." The Left spent eight years refusing to get over George W. Bush's victory in 2000. It was the same issue. He won the election by the rules, but Al Gore had more "popular" votes.
As we commemorate Religious Freedom Day 2017, on January 16th, we mark a year of much change and a season of much opportunity for religious freedom.
Eighty-eight years ago almost to the day, the famed African-American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was born. Named for the monk who started the Reformation over four hundred years earlier, Dr. King would go on to become a Baptist minister and arguably the most important civil rights figure of the twentieth century.
The confirmation of a president's nominee for a Cabinet post should be based on that individual's character and qualification for the office. Sen. Jeff Sessions has devoted decades to defending the rights of all Alabamans, and should be confirmed as U.S. attorney general.
"Religious Freedom Day" is observed each year on January 16. This year, perhaps surprisingly, Hollywood has given us a reminder of why the principle of religious freedom is so important - to avoid the persecution of religious dissenters that has stained so much of world history.
On January 21, women from around the country will come together in our nation's capital for the Women's March on Washington. Hundreds of thousands of women will fill the streets near the U. S. Capitol with their Rosie the Riveter arms flexed and their "woman power" signs bouncing in the air. They'll stand tall and confident, filled with determination for their voices to be heard during the next four years of a Trump presidency.
It may be a new year, but there's nothing new about the concerns surrounding the State Department's liberal activism. While Americans were busy unwrapping presents, conservatives were tearing into something else: Obama's record on social issues. After eight years of watching the State Department operate as a global base for abortion and sexual activism, most Republicans are ready to get back to the real business of diplomacy. That's a tough job under normal circumstances, but after two terms of President Obama, the Trump team will have its hands full.
Dishonest media attacks against President-Elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, won't derail his confirmation. But it's important to discuss where they come from because not everyone who realizes their origin is comfortable with that conversation.
What a gift it would be this Christmas in the United States if we simply came together to remember and pray for the Christians being persecuted in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world.
With only a few weeks left of Barack Obama's presidency, his administration is doing all it can to solidify the radical changes it has introduced - especially in the armed forces. After winning repeal in 2010 (from a lame duck Congress) of the law against homosexuality in the armed forces, the administration set out in 2016 to complete its extreme LGBT makeover of the military by opening the doors to transgender service members as well. Defense Secretary Ash Carter revoked longstanding policies against transgender military service on July 1, 2016, and a year later, on July 1, 2017, the armed forces are currently scheduled to begin actively recruiting persons who identify as transgender.
Open enrollment for Obamacare plans is well under way, having started Nov. 1 and running through Jan. 31, 2017. Not only is Obamacare proving unaffordable to millions of Americans-it is proving unconscionable for pro-life Americans who don't want to pay for health care plans that cover abortion on demand or lack transparency about such coverage.
Donald Trump's election as president, and the reelection of a Republican House and Senate, have created an opportunity for America "to rebuild our military" - a pledge that Trump made during his campaign.
As the dust settles after Election Day, it is clear that religious liberty bore significant weight on the minds of many as they entered voting booths this year. Donald Trump was propelled into the presidency in part by voters concerned about the curtailing of religious freedom by the Obama administration, a process Hillary Clinton would have continued into her presidency.
Bullying Christians may be a favorite strategy of the left-but it's not necessarily an effective one. Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's popular show "Fixer Upper" may be sending that message without ever opening their mouths.
Last week, religious challengers and the government both filed another round of briefswith the Supreme Court on a question it asked the parties in Zubik v. Burwell. This is the legal challenge by the Little Sisters of the Poor and dozens of other religious organizations objecting to being forced to provide certain drugs and services, mandated as part of Obamacare health insurance coverage, against their sincere religious beliefs. (Family Research Council joined an amicus brief in the case.)
It's probable that most of the readers of this piece, including those in my own family, use Pay-Pal. It's efficient, quick, and reliable. Pay-Pal has also just announced it has "canceled its plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte, following passage of a North Carolina law that prevents cities from creating non-discrimination policies based on gender identity."
Efforts to defund Planned Parenthood Federation of American (PPFA) on the end of the fiscal year 2015 Continuing Resolution have been blocked in the Senate due to the 60-vote cloture threshold, but we believe an effort to defund a significant portion of PPFA's government revenue is possible on the budget reconciliation bill which requires only 51 votes. We believe such a provision is consistent with the Byrd Rule, which restricts "extraneous" provisions in reconciliation bills.
For more than thirty years, former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran proved that black lives matter. In a city 54% black, it was natural to show this concern day after day. It's safe to say that over his 30-year career in Louisiana and Georgia, Chief Cochran was responsible for saving thousands of black lives. And white, Hispanic and Asian lives as well. It would be inconceivable that a respected major city Fire Chief would do otherwise.
"To get the full value of joy," Mark Twain wrote in Following the Equator, "you must have someone to divide it with."
Common-sense criminal sentencing reform is gaining momentum. Presidential candidate Jeb Bush and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins are among the signers of the Right on Crime Statement of Principles, which argues for applying "conservative principles to criminal justice policy" as "vital to achieving a cost-effective system that protects citizens, restores victims, and reforms wrongdoers." Earlier this year, a collation of extraordinary political bedfellows-ranging from Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley to Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz-published a book of essays titled, "Solutions: American Leaders Speak Out on Criminal Justice Reform."
Earlier this year, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond fired the executive director of an associated charity known as the Saint Francis Home after the man disclosed he was in a same-sex marriage. The executive director subsequently filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming sexual orientation discrimination. While such EEOC complaints (and federal lawsuits) have been filed before, only this past summer did the EEOC rule inBaldwin v. Foxx that sexual orientation discrimination could constitute sex discrimination which is prohibited by Title VII. Despite its jumbled logic, this ruling increases the likelihood that the executive director's claim against the Richmond Diocese will find traction with the EEOC.
Much of the media today roundly disparage any business-person who even voices their religious beliefs regarding same-sex marriage. This is the consistent narrative by which many presumptuously judge small business owners' (often wedding vendors) motives in affirming their religious convictions as animating their business lives.
Most liberals and even some conservatives are arguing that Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis must either issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or quit her post. Where you stand on this issue too often comes down to a case of where you stand on the question of whether same-sex nuptials are now "the law of the land" because Justice Tony Kennedy and four of his black-robed cohorts say so.
We should all want our troops in Afghanistan to intervene to stop the rape of boys, right? Surely, we don't want our U.S. Army to act like morally neutered crew members of the Starship Enterprise from the famed "Star Trek" TV series. Those fictional time and space travelers had a Prime Directive that forbade them from interfering in the development of less technologically advanced beings they encountered as they went "where no man had gone before."
It's been said that bedtime is the perfect time for kids to ask questions, request food, require additional bathroom breaks and need a nightlight.
In the midst of the distressing stories of Planned Parenthood's heartless abortion industry and the gruesomeness inherent in destroying a child within the womb, compassionate and committed people in our country and in many other places in the world are putting their lives and incomes on the line in adopting children who desperately need families and homes. Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/3-encouraging-stories-of-adoption-146571/#cD7uYv2OFqCgI9qw.99
Most liberals and even some conservatives are arguing that Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis must either issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or quit her post. Where you stand on this issue too often comes down to a case of where you stand on the question of whether same-sex nuptials are now "the law of the land" because Justice Tony Kennedy and four of his black-robed cohorts say so.
Selma Cohen is not dead. Who is Selma Cohen and why is this news? Due to a computer error, Medicaid declared Mrs. Cohen deceased. Here's what happened:
President Obama's remarks upon greeting the Pope at the White House generally were lovely. There was also, within them, a great deal of moral irony. Consider the following excerpts:
When Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals printing company in Lexington, Kentucky, declined to print tee shirts for the Lexington Gay Pride Festival, the city's Gay and Lesbian Services Organization filed a complaint. That was in March 2012. Here's what happened next: "In October 2014, after 24 months of back-and-forth, Lexington's Human Rights Commission issued its ruling, finding the business guilty of breaking the town's 'fairness' ordinance and ordered re-education known as 'diversity training' as punishment."
States are recognized in the Constitution as powerful entities. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," says the Tenth Amendment. In other words, whatever the Constitution does not specifically authorize the federal government to do lies within the authority of the states.
Over the past half-century, America has gone from "Father Knows Best" to Father Knows Nothing. That path has been strewn with sorrow for millions of families in this country. The reality shows that play to diminishing audiences today tend to show the seamier side of life and to revel in the revealing.
"Power of Prayer, and a president." It's not often you read that kind of headline on the front page of the Washington Post. But the story-a powerful one of crushing political defeat and personal spiritual redemption-is what commanded our attention a couple of weeks ago.
Planned Parenthood does not offer any women's health services that are not offered by other health care centers. None.
Last week, the Texas Supreme Court again had to hold Houston Mayor Annise Parker and her City Council in check for attempting to interfere with their own residents' ability to get a fair shake at the polls and vote on the city's divisive "Equal Rights Ordinance." Hopefully, this judicial intervention will be the last that is needed in this saga. After Mayor Parker imposed her sweeping ordinance containing religious liberty concerns on the local population last year (and meddled in internal church affairs by issuing an overbroad subpoena for local pastors' writings and communications), Houston area residents, led by a number of pastors, pushed back and rightly demanded a vote on the matter.
We face a crisis of conscience today - a crisis forced upon us by elites in Washington who would pick and choose who is allowed to follow their deeply held beliefs and who is to be punished by the government for doing so.
Dehumanization - the diminishment of human dignity through objectification and commodification - has become much too routine in American daily life.
Our esteemed Family Research Council (FRC) colleague, Dr. David Prentice has lectured around the world on the wonders of ethical stem cell research. Dr. Prentice has catalogued the more than seventy treatments that bring needed relief to more than 60,000 persons a year.
Evangelical leaders across the country are grappling with how to address the issue of homosexuality.