Op-Eds

The 2020 Election: A Clear Distinction on Abortion

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.

West Africa: Praying for a Miracle

"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..."

What the rioters really want

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.

Pakistan's Religious Discrimination Harms Young Girls the Most

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.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

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.

Will Liberals Protect Your Vote When They Won't Protect You?

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?

What it Means if Kamala Harris is a "Pragmatic Moderate"

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."

China Helps North Korea Treat Women In Unspeakably Horrific Ways

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.

Make an atrocity determination about China's treatment of Uighurs

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.

Rather Than Reopen, It's Time to Rethink Government Education

There is no better time to make a change than right now, when public education is in chaos.

God Help Us - Kamala Harris Voted Against Protecting Already Born Babies from Being Legally Murdered

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 freedom lovers deserve global support against Chinese Communist Party's new Red Terror

Hong Kong advocates for democracy are being targeted and arrested as China seeks to stamp out dissent.

Stop The Lip Service On Uyghur Forced Labor

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.

BLM's Popularity Is a Politically-Motivated Myth

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.

Are Christians Forbidden to Eat Blood?

"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's Dual Meaning Is a War for America's Soul

"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 New York Times' Dark History of Slave Ownership

The radical-left doesn't just want to destroy statues. It wants to rewrite history using politically convenient narratives.

'Cancel Culture' and the Historical Illiteracy That Fuels It

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.

Memo to Congress: Everyone Benefits From Health Care Price Transparency

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.

The Fight Over Hagia Sophia is About More Than a Building

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.

3 Ways The United States Can Still Support Hong Kong's Freedom

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.

Erdogan And His Quest For Hagia Sophia

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.

Stimulate job growth, not the printing press, in next COVID relief package

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?

Lawlessness, The Murder of Our Children and The Soul of America

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 Don't Matter To Black Lives Matter

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.

Erdogan's agenda: Neo-Ottoman ambition or pan-Islamist zeal?

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.

A Focused Coalition Is Primed to Uproot Iran's Despots

Justice Gorsuch botched Bostock v. Clayton County ruling on homosexual and transgender 'rights'

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.

In These Troubled Times, Where are the Men?

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.

Democrats Have Failed the Black Community for Too Long

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.

Religious persecution is engulfing the world

Believers in many countries face severe challenges, according to the State Department's annual Report on International Religious Freedom, released last week.

Families and Charitable Organizations, The Foundation of American Society

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.

In Defense of Law and Order

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.

USCIRF Hearing: Applause and Alarm for Syria's Fledgling Northeast Government

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.

Gender and Sexuality in the 2020 Election

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.

'Black Lives Matter' Around The World, Including In Nigeria Amid Rising Violence

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.

Yes, drug manufacturing needs to return home, but don't jeopardize US leadership by going overboard

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.

Race, Justice and Religious Liberty In the World

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.

D-Day at 76

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

Ex-Cincinnati Mayor Ken Blackwell: Leaders in our cities have a duty to do this

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.

Mob violence and police brutality result from a morally bankrupt America

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.

Witnessing the growing rise of antisemitism in the US as a non Jew

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.

Religious liberty during COVID-19: Get a haircut, but stay away from church

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 A U.S. Ally While Persecuting Christians

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.

Here's How the Abortion Industry Should Be Remembered for Handling the Pandemic

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.

Why Are Catholics Turning on the Little Sisters?

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?

Our Culture Needs Marriage, Because It Needs Mothers

"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.

'We're all in this together' should apply to needy children too

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.

A Mother's Day Prayer for a Nigerian Miracle

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.

America, Not China, Must Achieve 5G Leadership

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.

This National Day of Prayer, Ask God to Bless America During the Pandemic

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.

National Day of Prayer: Remembering Those Suffering Worldwide for Their Faith

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.

Judge Justin Walker: A Warrior for Religious Liberty

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.

Religious liberty means COVID-19 restrictions cannot target churchgoers

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.

Religious Freedom: A Consistent Priority for the Trump Administration

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.

De Blasio Targets NYC Jewish Community Amidst Rising Global Anti-Semitism

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.

DHS and DOJ uphold religious freedom during COVID-19 crisis

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.

USCIRF is Right to Call Out India's Religious Freedom Violations

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.

COVID-19 and International Best Practices for Free, Fair and Safe Elections

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.

What's Next for North Korea's Christians?

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?

Is the World Ignoring a Christian Genocide in Nigeria?

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?

States Must Walk a Fine Line When It Comes to Church Gatherings

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.

Coronavirus, Turkish attacks threaten Kurds, Christians in northeast Syria

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.

Easter faith: God in the midst of coronavirus pandemic

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.

Social distancing is separating us this Easter, but we can draw near to God

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.

This Easter, Christians Worldwide Are Fighting Not Just COVID-19 But Persecution Too

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:

China Keeps Suppressing Religion While Squelching Truth About COVID-19

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.

How churches can serve during COVID-19 crisis by working 'outside the box'

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.

China's people of faith: Canaries in Xi Jinping's coal mine

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.

Trump Is Working To 'Flatten the curve' Of Economic Slowdown

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.

What American Christians can learn from the Chinese church in coronavirus crisis

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.

Iran's Imprisoned Christians Face Yet Another Danger: COVID-19

"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.

How to think about shutting down churches during coronavirus

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.

Coronavirus, Iran, and the Persecuted Church

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.

China's Abuses Against Uighurs Not Going Away: Here's How You Can Help

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 power of prayer to deal with coronavirus anxiety

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.

A Purim lesson at the White House

The first venue that comes to mind when Purim celebrations are being organized is not likely to be the White House.

Wave Of Violence Should Prompt U.S. To Urge Religious Freedom In India

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."

Let the states protect women

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.

Supreme Court should put a stop to the abortion industry getting a free pass

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.

New Sanctions Turn the Screws on Venezuela's Maduro

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.

Why We Need the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

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.

Don't forget Justice Clarence Thomas in Black History Month celebrations

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 Equal Rights Amendment Is a Fraud Using Women as the Prop

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.

Religious freedom is an inconvenient right to American progressives

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.

Pakistan religious discrimination is enabling human trafficking

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.

The Plague of Morally Toxic Public Schools

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?

Abortion And Sex-Trafficking Are Undeniably Linked Abuses Against Women

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.

Remembering the Holocaust Amid Rising Anti-Semitism

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.

Marching for Lives

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.

47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade: Increasing opposition to abortion nationwide

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.

Religious Freedom Still Deserves Our Respect

Once enjoying near universal respect, religious freedom in America has fallen on hard times.

Don't be fooled by liberal dark money influence

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.

Chick-fil-A once inspired me to live out my faith in the workplace. Those days are gone.

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.

Dean Baquet, mainstream media deserve Trump's ire!

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.

Most Americans Think Cohabitation Is Fine, But That's Not What Social Science Says

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 healthy, happy Thanksgiving

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.

Liberty in the Things of God (Book Review)

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.

Why Christians must care about the international persecuted church

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.

As Kanye Takes The Stage With Joel Osteen, Let's Encourage His Growth In Faith

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.

Free Speech Triumphs at the University of Michigan

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.

Say a prayer for the most persecuted

"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.

Tony Perkins: Pray and act for persecuted Christians worldwide - here's why

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.

BLACKWELL, BOYKIN: Real Consequences If Russia And China Supplant US In Venezuela

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.

HHS Rule Protects Faith-Based Adoption Agencies to Celebrate National Adoption Month

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.

School Board Sex Politics With Students in Fairfax County

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.

The Democrats' Misguided War on Faith

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.

Will Christians become outcasts at public universities?

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.

Religious liberty is in the Bible

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."

Religious Tax Exemption Good for Society, Church and State

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 Human Dignity of Klopfer's Victims

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.

Four Ways President Trump Can Make Religious Freedom Great Again at the UN

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.

Pinch Yourself: New York City Walks Back LGBT Counseling Gag Rule

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.

Former LGBT marchers shows need for religious freedom in counseling

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.

America can't outsource teaching values and keep producing patriots

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.

Abortion proponents' attack on faith community: Why the religious bigotry?

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.

Unplanned movie also reveals the violence of the abortion pill

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.

Abortion Industry Profits Trample Women's Interests in Sacramento

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.

Tony Perkins: Solution to gun violence isn't what you think, says former police officer

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?

'Don't kiss abstinence goodbye' How sexual abstinence before marriage can lead to a lasting marriage

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.

VA governor's push to force transgender counseling on kids is smart leftist politics

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.

Big business virtue signaling is bombing with consumers

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.

Opinion: President Trump has delivered for African Americans

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.

Tony Perkins: Does the Bible's warning about debt apply to the government?

"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?

Polyamory is for Pre-Teens in Public Schools. Oh, Really?

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.

Biblical Principles for Political Activism in the 2020 Presidential Election

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.

Congress Aims to Address China's Atrocities against Religious Minorities

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.

The US is speaking out on religious persecution, and the world is taking notice

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.

Adulterers: The New Protected Sexual Minority

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."

Symposium: American Legion lays the groundwork for the downfall of Lemon

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.

Why Christians must support religious freedom for everyone

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.

Why Do Democrats Have a Secret List of Supreme Court Nominees?

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.

Trans Activists: We're Normal, But You Must Pay To Fix Us

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.

Will California Turn Dorm Rooms into Abortion Rooms?

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.

In a Post-Abortion America, the Pro-Life Movement Must Prepare to Change Attitudes toward Adoption

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.

A Disturbing Glimpse Into The Manufacturing of Fake News

President Trump's enemies are providing yet another disturbing glimpse of the veritable fake news factory into which the mainstream media has morphed.

Is sexual orientation determined at birth? No.

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 inequality of the Equality Act

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."

Democratic state legislators surprise on life

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.

What Happens to a Child Born-alive? The Media Won't Tell Us.

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."

Tony Perkins, David Closson: A spiritual crisis on the National Day of Prayer

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."

The left's hate campaigns against Trump nominees

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.

There's no evidence at all that the Equality Act will help the economy

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.

The Sexual Revolution and sex abuse scandals: A Protestant take on Pope Benedict's letter

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."

California Bill Would Turn College Health Centers Into Abortion Clinics

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.

Carson fights discrimination on Facebook, Democrats flack for Big Tech

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.

FDA Confirms Dangerous Mifeprex Abortion Pill Has Killed 24 Women, Injured Thousands

The FDA has updated their adverse events reports on Mifeprex, also known as "the abortion pill," with two additional deaths since December 2018.

The US must bring imprisoned American pastor David Lin home from China

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.

Acknowledging political reality in the Middle East

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.

Trump Sends Millions of Planned Parenthood Tax Funding to Pro-Life Women's Clinic

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.

New competition for Title X funds means women no longer have to go to abortion clinics for healthcare

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.

Tony Perkins: Pompeo's faith is not a liability - it's an asset

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.

LGBT 'equality' laws lose their foundation: Evidence shows sexual orientation can change

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.

U.S. foreign policy promotes real global health

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.

Shall we finally end birth day abortions?

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?

Opinion: 'Gender X' wages war on reality

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."

Can a New Establishment Clause Jurisprudence Succeed in Protecting Religious Minorities Where Lemon Has Failed?

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.

OPINION: LET'S CELEBRATE THE 'LOVE CHROMOSOME' ON WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY

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.

Biden, Pence and the Left's 'Decency' Standard

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.

BLACKWELL: IT'S MORNING AGAIN FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN AMERICA

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.

Consumers Beware: PayPal has weaponized financial system with its ties to SPLC

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.

Should the Peace Cross even be before the Supreme Court?

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.

Are walls 'an immorality?' Not according to the Bible

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."

Avoid the 'Twinkie diet' in your prayer life: Do THIS to help you deal with depressing news headlines

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.

Northam's Real Offense to African-Americans

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.

A Christian War Memorial in No Way Violates the Establishment Clause

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.

What a Title IX Proposal Means for Religious Liberty

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.

Democratic Congresswoman Condemns Religious Bigotry, Standing up to Her Party in a Rare Act of Courage

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.

When Free Exercise Comes at a Price

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?

Targeting of Karen Pence is wake-up call to all Christians

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.

On Religious Freedom Day, consider life in countries without it

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.

Religious Freedom Day

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.

Protecting America's national home

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.

Family Research Council: Congress Must Repeal Its Tax on Churches and Charities

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.

All I want for Christmas is a Supreme Court victory for public Christmas displays, crosses

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.

Will We Abandon Syria's Christians?

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.

Obamacare 2019: Fewer options and more funding of abortion

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.

Avoiding anti-religious decision-making

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.

New York and Planned Parenthood, a eugenic match made in Heaven

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!

Season for Giving to Religious Groups

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.

For Christians, Voting Is Not an Option. It Is a Divine Calling.

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.

National Adoption Month Launches with Assault on Faith-based Adoption

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.

Is the Republican Senate Ready to Advance Pro-Life Policy?

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.

Post-Midterm optimism for religious freedom

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.

School Board Says Boys and Girls Have Different Brains - Except in the Bathroom

So do biological gender differences matter, or is any reference to "biological sex" bigoted?

OPINION: AMERICA DESERVES BETTER THAN THE BROWARD COUNTY DISASTER

Another critical election. Another electoral failure in Florida. Another vote counting disaster in Broward County.

Faith Based Adoption Agencies Under Attack

Beto O'Rourke's recent comments are only the latest salvo.

Trump's Foreign Policy Reset

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.

Pastor Brunson's Release: A View From the Courtroom

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.

Trump transgender policy is simple and scientific: 'Sex' means biological sex

"The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth," the New York Times reported recently.

Why Evangelicals Will Vote (It's Not What You Think)

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.

6 Lessons From Pastor Andrew Brunson's Ordeal in Turkey

Now that Pastor Andrew Brunson's time in Turkey has come to an end, here are six takeaways.

Evangelicals Power Republicans to Senate Victories

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.

Voters Say 'Full Steam Ahead' on Judges

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.

The Kavanaugh Circus Shows The Supreme Court's Political Power Is Out of Control

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.

Is this cross too Christian? Only the Supreme Court can save these war monuments

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.

Trump: Expected to Advance Religious Liberty at the UN

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.

California's Effort to Ban 'Conversion Therapy' Failed. Here's a Better Path We Can All Agree On.

There were plenty of good reasons to vote against California's AB 2943.

Get Your Kids Out of Government Schools, Right Now, Today

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.

Kavanaugh Soars Over Keystone Kop Democrats

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 is in Denial About Transgender Reality

Brown University, perhaps the quirkiest of the Ivy League schools, recently removed from its website information about a peer-reviewed study on gender confusion.

The Problem With Judicial Nominations? The Left Doesn't Actually Want to Follow the Constitution

Linus, from the Peanuts cartoon, once famously declared, "I love mankind ... it's people I can't stand!"

What to Expect From the Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing

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.

California's 'Must Stay Gay' Bill Is Nearing Passage. Here's the Severe Harm It Would Do.

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 to high-schoolers: Come into this private booth to talk about sex

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.

Equal Accountability Needed for All Firms Listed on U.S. Exchanges

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.

Ominous Court Ruling Allows Discrimination Against Christian Adoption Provider

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.

With State Department Ministerial, Trump Administration Signals Seriousness on Religious Freedom

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.

Why It's Impossible To Support Both #MeToo And Planned Parenthood Without Being A Big Hypocrite

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.

Forcing faith-based agencies out of the system is a disservice to women

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.

Why This Supreme Court Nominee Matters

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.\r

On Trump's pick of Kavanaugh, conservatives should trust but verify

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.

America Celebrates Another Freedom Revolution

Today America dominates the globe. It's easy to forget that the United States almost didn't exist.\r\r

Keep kids with parents at border - and remember how we got here

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.

Dallas Mayor Fights Church Over Billboard Stating 'America Is a Christian Nation'

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.

Christians can influence the world without being influenced

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.

Fairfax County Votes to Tell Boys They Might be Girls

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.

Why Fred Fleitz is the right man for the deputy at National Security Council

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.

Why There's an Increased Interest in Homeschooling

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."

Now That Starbucks CEO Knows About Planned Parenthood Funding, Will He End Chain's Support of 'Racist Organization'?

Your tax dollars aren't the only thing supporting Planned Parenthood-proceeds from your daily coffee may be, too.

Flocking to Tend to Our Nation's Spiritual Needs

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.

The Crisis of Porn

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 expos\u00E9, "What Teenagers Are Learning from Online Porn" (warning: extremely graphic). If their stories don't shock, repulse, sober, and motivate you, nothing will.

Planned Parenthood's tax dollar gravy train just got derailed

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.

Trump, Republicans Changing Lower Courts for the Better

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.

This Student Was Ordered to Remove a Bible Verse From Her Graduation Speech. Here's What Happened.

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.

A Young Mom Is Far From Only Victim of Abortionist Robert Rho

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.

How Homeschoolers Defeated California's Push to Take Power From Parents

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 Stand Up for Children in Sex Ed Sit Out

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.

Pompeo Is Ready to Lead

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.

More Sex Ed and Even More Stalinism at the Local School Board

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.

1 Comment on Conservative Article Costs Iowan Government Appointment

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.

American Pastor Back Behind Bars in Turkey

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.

Pompeo: A Proven Leader for the State Department

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.

What Mike Pompeo understands about religion and national security

During Mike Pompeo's confirmation hearing for secretary of State, he showed he is well qualified to lead foreign policy for the United States.

Students Partake in National Walkout for the Unborn

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.

Mike Pompeo, religious freedom and a safer world -- how are these three things connected?

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.

Dems in a panic as a major Planned Parenthood funding source is at risk

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.

Bolton could be the first national security chief to prioritize religious freedom

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.

Citizenship Matters

Ken Blackwell\rThe 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.

As Science Advances, the Pro-Life Movement Grows

"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.

Supreme Court should spare pro-lifers from compelled pro-abortion speech

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.

Supreme Court should spare pro-lifers from compelled pro-abortion speech

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.

If ESPN Continues to Pick Sides, So Will Fans

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.

Dems refuse to recognize Trump's first-rate federal court picks

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.

Planned Parenthood Rakes in Taxpayer Dollars

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.

Your Tax Money Makes Planned Parenthood a Political Kingmaker

You might never support a pro-abortion candidate, but what if your tax dollars are?

Country Music Spurns Mike Huckabee Over Marriage Views, Betraying Countless Fans

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).

Billy Graham's Legacy - Faith Looming Large in Public Life

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.

Billy Graham -- faithful to the end and still leading us behind him

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."

Despite Leftist Outcry, Americans Don't Want Federally Funded Pornographic Sex Ed

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.

Behar's Poke at Pence a Reminder of ABC's Disdain for Conservative Christians

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.

After Atheist Group Got Prayers Before Sports Canceled, Students Are Fighting Back

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.

Liberals Lay Groundwork for All-Out Impeachment Assault on Trump if They Win House or Senate

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.

School Loses Dad-Daughter Dance Because of Gender-Neutral Policies

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.

President is keeping his promises

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.

Planned Parenthood's annual report is out: Another unhappy tale

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.

On Morals and Mulligans...

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.

Americans are ready for meaningful limits on abortion

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.

Religious liberty report card: The Trump administration's first year

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.

Ignore the Scam: Planned Parenthood No Supporter of African-Americans

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.

Public School Assembly Tells Kids That Sex Changes Are Perfectly Normal

A Northern Virginia public school held a school-wide assembly before Christmas break featuring transgender crusader Amy Ellis Nutt.

Christians in the Middle East are suffering. When will aid promised by Team Trump arrive?

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.

North Korea, Afghanistan Top List of Dangerous Places to Be Christian

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."

Anita Hill's Defense of Bill Clinton Would Be a Joke Today

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?

Death Threats Against FCC Chairman Are Unprecedented and Must Stop

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."

Number of High School Students Who Have Had Sex Drops

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.

Voices from the Grave Cry out for Justice in Iran

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.

Every Vote Really Does Count

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.

Pennsylvania's Push to Protect Unborn Lives

If this has been "one of the most successful Congresses" for the pro-life agenda, then the states deserve some of the credit.

The Numbers That Prove How Much the Mainstream Media Hate Trump

There may be fake news, but there's no making up the media's loathing of President Donald Trump.

DC Metro Derails Free Speech by Discriminating Against Catholic Ad

When it comes to advertising on the D.C. metro, free speech is in for a bumpy ride.

An Unelected Judge Is Overriding Trump's Transgender Military Policy

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 Bans Politically Incorrect Sex Therapy

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.

Sessions' First Year: A Breath of Fresh Air After Years of Obama Scandals

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.

The 'War on Christmas' Is Real

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?

Support Grows for Air Force Colonel Suspended Over Religious Beliefs on Marriage

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.

The Inanity of Liberals' Fearmongering on Tax Reform

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.

Supreme Court Justices Grill ACLU and Colorado in Christian Baker's Case

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.

The Big Changes the Trumps Are Making at the White House to Celebrate Christmas

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.

In Masterpiece, the Supreme Court Grapples With a Problem of Its Own Making

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 Ark. Rival

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.

The Big Changes the Trumps Are Making at the White House to Celebrate Christmas

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.

LGBT advocates seek to scuttle a vital Constitutional right

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.

This Senator Is Putting an End to Democrat Stonewalling on Judicial Picks

Don't say we didn't warn you, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Democrats at a rocky Senate Judiciary meeting last week.

8 Senators Announce Support for Colonel Under Fire for Marriage Views

Air Force Col. Leland Bohannon needed reinforcements-and thanks to eight senators, he got them.\r\r

ACLU: Forcing Faith Out of Adoption

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.

Survey Shows How Many Democrats Believe Your Gender Can Be Different Than Biological Sex

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.

What Happened to Colonel Who Didn't Want to Praise an Airman's Same-Sex Marriage

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.

School Worker Was Told She Could Be Fired If She Offered to Pray for Someone Again

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.

The First Amendment Protects a Dissenting Cake Baker, Not State Coercion

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?

Sen. Cassidy Was Right: Most Planned Parenthood Businesses Are in Urban Areas

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?"

ObamaCare 2018: Unaffordable, fewer options, still covers abortion

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.

Atheists, Courts Mark Veterans Day While Demanding Demolition Of Veterans Memorials

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.

After Texas Shooting, the Secular Left's Gospel of Condescension Continues

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.

Delaware Considers Letting Students Decide Race, Gender Without Parents' Permission

"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.

Two-Thirds of Americans Believe Bakers Should Be Able to Refuse to Make Cakes for Same-Sex Weddings

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.

Leftist Students Fail to Defund Conservative Group at America's Oldest Catholic University

What's so controversial about Catholics believing Catholic teaching? A lot, according to some students at Georgetown University.

What This Disabled Navy Veteran Told NFL Team When They Tried to Honor Him

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.

Judge Usurps Power, Ignores Real Issues in Transgender Military Injunction

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.

Conservative Group Claims YouTube Is Censoring Its Videos

"We believe everyone should have a voice," YouTube has said. Everyone, it seems, but conservatives.

A Traditional Marriage Student Group Has Been Branded a 'Hate Group'

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.

Ignoring Military's Reasons for Transgender Order, Unelected Judge Sets National Security Policy

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.

In abortion case, we let two children down: Jane Doe and Baby Doe

"Remember, we are talking about a child here."\r\rWhen 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.

Militant Atheist Group Using Liberal Court to Tear Down a Memorial Cross

They're no longer with us, but I can still remember them marching every Fourth of July parade when I was a kid.

All Hat, No Decency

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.

Trump is a great champion of religious liberty -- a welcome change from Obama

"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.

Tearing Down Those Who Came Before Us Is No Way to Build Up America

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.

Seizing the Moment at the Values Voter Summit

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 Is Targeting Baby Girls in the Womb

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.

Supreme Court must take on heartbreaking surrogacy case

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.

Can a Christian Serve as a Judge Anymore?

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:

Historical Revisionism

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.

When We Choose Love Over Fear, God Stretches Our Hearts

Recently, a professor at the University of Chicago wrote that intentionally killing babies after birth who are "severely deformed or doomed" should be permitted.

'Sanctuary Cities' Aren't Brave. They're Harboring Criminals.

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.

Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions is bringing the hammer down on leaks

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.

Trump's right: Transgender patriotism isn't the issue - military readiness is

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."

Why We Were Right to Pray for President Trump

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.

Doctors Across The World Are Fighting To Treat Charlie Gard. Will The UK Let Them?

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?

Where Are The Decent Liberals?

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.

Report: Attacks On America's First Freedom Increased 76 Percent In Three Years

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.

Trump, Congress Should Halt Transgender Military Policy that Costs Billions

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.

Supreme Court Delivers Big Wins for Religious Freedom

"[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.

Pentagon Transgender Agenda Won't Improve Military Readiness, Costs $3.7 Billion

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.

Trump Nominee Not Hindered by Bernie Sanders' Religious Litmus Test

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.

Abortion Activists are Still Trying to Put David Daleiden in Jail for Exposing Planned Parenthood

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.

Trump and Welfare Reform: No More Free Lunch

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.

The Bigotry of Bernie Sanders

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.

We Must Act While We Still Can

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.

Sanders' Religious Test Goes Against Founders' Vision

What does a man's theology have to do with the U.S. economy? A lot, if you're Russell Vought.

Trump's Rule on the HHS Contraceptive Mandate Ensures Religious Freedom for All

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.

This Medication Could Reverse a Third of Abortions

The abortion pill has been around for years and has become a highly common form of abortion.

President Trump Names Abstinence Education Leader to Top Post at HHS Department

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.

Obamacare is Imploding, Republicans Must Repeal It and Defund Planned Parenthood

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.

Secretary Mattis: Focus on War-Fighting, Ditch the Social Engineering

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.

Maxine Waters: The Left's Best Against Donald Trump?

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."

Rolling Thunder, 'Missing Man' tables and the Bible

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.

Democrat Outreach to Pro-Lifers Will Take More Than Talk

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.\r

Destroying the Johnson Amendment

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.

GOP religious freedom bill restores free speech, not 'dark money'

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.

The First 100 Days to Securing America

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.

4 Entertaining Moments During Oral Arguments Over Banning Churches From Public Funds

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.

The 'Bigly,' and Necessary, Humility of Judge Neil Gorsuch

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.

During His Hearings, Neil Gorsuch Answered Tough Questions With Ease

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.

Gorsuch's Pro-Life Promise

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.\r\r

Don't let 'TrumpCare' come at the cost of Trump's pro-life pledge

Abortion is not healthcare. Our laws should reflect this basic principle, no matter which political party happens to be in power.

I'm Grateful for the Restoration of the Mexico City Policy This International Women's Day

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.

Trump Returns Authority Over School Transgender Policies to States and Localities

On February 22, the Trump administration released a statement rescinding previous Obama administration guidance dealing with students who identify as transgender.

Trump Reverses Federal Bathroom Folly, Will Fairfax Follow?

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.

How the market can fix health care

Republicans agree that Obamacare has failed and must be repealed. But they can't agree on the replacement "plan."

Neil Gorsuch's Proven Track Record of Protecting Religious Liberty

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.

Shulkin Poised to Address Concerns at the VA

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.

Free pastors from the Johnson Amendment

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?

Judge Gorsuch Is A Mainstream Constitutionalist

"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 Won the Respect Vote

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.

Religious Freedom Under President-Elect Trump

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.

What President-elect Trump can do about 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.

Confirm Senator Sessions

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.

Christian Persecution, Religious Freedom Explored in 'Silence'

"Religious Freedom Day" is observed each year on January 16.\rThis 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.\r\r\r

Why True Feminism Means Skipping the Women's March on Washington

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.\r

Trump Will Have His Hands Full Fixing Social Extremism in the State Department

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.

A media noose for Jeff Sessions

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.

A Christmas gift of prayer

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.

Navy Begins Transgender Indoctrination

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.

7 Years on, Obamacare Is Less Pro-Life Than Anything We Were Told

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.

A transgender military is a weaker, compromised military

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.

Religious Liberty - the Way Forward

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.

The Liberal Media's Anti-Christian Witch Hunt of Chip and Joanna Gaines

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.

Is the High Court Starting to Take the Little Sisters Seriously?

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.)

Pay-Pal Prefers Cuba to North Carolina

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.\rPay-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."\r

Why reconciliation can and should be used to defund Planned Parenthood

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.

Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran Valued Black Lives and Religious Liberty. Liberals Fired Him.

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.

Marriage, Joy, and Abstinence: With Gratitude to Mark Twain

"To get the full value of joy," Mark Twain wrote in Following the Equator, "you must have someone to divide it with."

We Can't Reform Our Justice System Without Lifting Families

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."

Will the EEOC Decide Who Is Catholic?

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.

How the Indiana Pizza Shop Responded After Being Tricked Into 'Catering' a Gay Wedding

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.

Kim Davis and the Rule of Law

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.

Condemned If You Do: Sgt. Charles Martland

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."

Bedtime, School Time and Families

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.

3 Encouraging Stories of Adoption

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.\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/3-encouraging-stories-of-adoption-146571/#cD7uYv2OFqCgI9qw.99

Indeed Black Lives Matter-- Especially the Unborn!

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.

How to Overcome Planned Parenthood's Wall of Lies

Selma Cohen is not dead.\r\rWho is Selma Cohen and why is this news?\r\rDue to a computer error, Medicaid declared Mrs. Cohen deceased. Here's what happened:

Obama Welcomes the Pope but Not the Pope's Core Beliefs about Life and Liberty

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.\rConsider the following excerpts:\r

Religious Liberty, the Founders, and Us

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."

Planned Parenthood and Abortion in the States: Good News in the Battle for Life

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.

Dads and Moms Still Know Best

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.

Jimmy Carter's Profile in Courage

"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.

Why Women's Health Care Will Thrive When Planned Parenthood Is Defunded

Planned Parenthood does not offer any women's health services that are not offered by other health care centers. None.

Favoring some claims of conscience over others

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.

Texas Supreme Court to Houston Mayor: Let your People Vote!

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.\r\rAfter 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.

The Dehumanizing Arc of Planned Parenthood

Dehumanization - the diminishment of human dignity through objectification and commodification - has become much too routine in American daily life.

We Need Caroline Glick's Passion in Opposing the Iran Deal and Planned Parenthood

Caroline Glick is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post. Raised in the U.S., she made Aliyah several years ago and now lives and writes in Israel. Glick spoke to a huge "Stop IRAN" rally in New York City in late July. She passionately appealed to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) and Reps. Jerry Nadler (D) and Elliott Engel (D) to oppose the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry. "If you are men of honor," she said, "you must oppose this dangerous deal." At a time when Chuck Schumer's office was saying the designated future leader of Senate Democrats was carefully analyzing the details of the deal, Caroline Glick boldly told him not to immerse himself in the details, but to look instead at "the big picture."

4 out of 5 Atheists and Agnostics Think Photographer Has Right to Say No to Gay Wedding

A recently released poll shows significant public support for the protection of religious liberty-especially when special rights based on sexual orientation are being advanced at its expense.

Should We Cover Up Washington?

The Old State House in Annapolis has just re-opened its historic Senate Chamber to public view. After a seven-year project of historic restoration, the Chamber now features a life-size statue of Gen. George Washington.Tourists and state lawmakers alike can see how they "measure up" to the Father of our Country.

Bodies of Evidence Don't Deter Abortion Allies

It didn't take long for a federal judge to block some of the Planned Parenthood footage - and now we may know why.

''It's Another Boy'': Planned Parenthood Doesn't Always Lie

A recent video from the Center for Medical Progress's investigative journalism project shows abortionists using forceps to separate out the organs of an unborn child they have freshly killed. On television, of course, it's only described as "fetal tissue" because they want to estrange their victims from us, the folks who walk around, breathe freely and watch CNN.

Body Parts Scandal 'Infuriates' President Obama!

Finally, our distinguished President, our Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has spoken out about the infamous scandal of body parts being trafficked. "It is infuriating and I have no patience for it," President Obama said in a strong show of righteous indignation.

Hillary Once Thought Abortion Was Wrong

Granted, it was when she was first lady. And admittedly, she didn't think we should do anything about the wrong of abortion. But she did say it. Hillary Clinton told Newsweek Magazine she thought "abortion is wrong" (October 31, 1994).\r

Planned Parenthood: Tear Down This Wall!

President Reagan went to West Berlin in 1987 and called upon Soviet Communist ruler Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear Down this Wall." The President was also working against a near-total blackout of Western media coverage of the Berlin Wall. As former PBS news anchor Robert MacNeil said at the Newseum in 2009, the only time mainstream reporters covered the Berlin Wall was when U.S. Presidents-JFK and Reagan-went there. Then they had to.

How the abortion tide turns

A new Facebook profile photo is beginning to spread on the Internet, especially among members of the rising millennial generation. It's a picture of a baby within the womb. Superimposed on the baby is an equal sign.

The Left's War on Science: From 'Unborn Youth' to 'Fetus'

Earlier this year, National Geographic's ran a cover story called, "The War on Science." In the feature article, writer Joel Achenbach addressed a number of issues about which many people dispute the received scientific wisdom.

President Obama: Out of (Touch with) Africa

President Obama's sentimental journey to East Africa should have been a harmonious one. He used the occasion of a toast to Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta to joke about his own search for his birth certificate. The usual round of VIP visits and dinners were marred, however, by this president's insistence on pushing his radical social agenda on Africans.

President Obama to Abortionists: 'Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you.'

Planned Parenthood pays no taxes. Under President Obama, made more than $500 million in profits, but they claim to be a "non-profit" organization. They kill more 800 children every day. And they have from the earliest days targeted minority women. They once had a "Negro Ministers" project designed to recruit black pastors to push first birth control and then abortion in minority neighborhoods.

Brother Exposes Hamas Barbarism

The recent Washington Summit of Christians United for Israel - the 2-million strong organization dedicated to promoting American evangelicals' support for the Jewish State - offered a powerful lineup of politicians and pundits. Half a dozen presidential candidates made appearances, either in person or via video.

The American Founders Never Intended 'Government by the Judiciary,' So Why Do We Tolerate It?

In an 1820 letter to his friend, American diplomat William Jarvis, an aged Thomas Jefferson reflected on how the courts should function in our republican system of representative self-government. "To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions," he wrote, "would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy."

Shameful: Planned Parenthood's Weak Response to Selling Baby Organs

What do you have to do to lose your government funding these days? Try believing in natural marriage or running a pro-life charity. But defraud taxpayers, cover-up child sexual abuse, botch abortions, and scavenge babies for body parts, and you're untouchable. Or at least you used to be.\r

On Clear Biblical Teaching, Non-Essentials and Homosexuality

Christians disagree about many things, some more important than others.\rAmong Evangelical Protestants, there is universal concurrence on the core issues of the faith. The key aspects of our theology are well-expressed in the historic Lausanne Covenant, for example.\r

Obama's Iran Nuclear Concession Is Worse Than Chamberlain's Munich Sellout

Many of our fellow conservatives are saying that President Obama's deal with Iran is a "nuclear Munich." That is, they are comparing the Iranian settlement negotiated over these many months by Secretary John Kerry in that Austrian capital with the Munich capitulation negotiated over mere days in September, 1938, by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

Same-Sex Marriage Will Affect the Pews Before the Pulpit

The Supreme Court has asserted that the U. S. Constitution mandates all 50 states to license civil "marriages" between same-sex couples. You are a pastor who believes that God ordained marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman. You know research shows that, on average, husbands and wives-and children raised by a married mother and father-are happier, healthier, and more prosperous than people in other living situations.

Evangelicals Are Strangers in America - and Everywhere

Jonathan Rauch, one of the more thoughtful writers of the Left, has called Evangelicals "the last gay marriage hold-outs." He posits that "most American Catholics support gay marriage. So do most mainline Protestants."

Battle Lines for Religious Liberty and Same-Sex 'Marriage' Set

Kelly Shackelford's debate with Evan Wolfson on Fox News Sunday highlights the battle lines for religious liberty in America now that the Supreme Court has grossly overstepped its authority by declaring same-sex "marriage" a constitutional right. The issue is whether religious liberty extends to how you earn your living, get an education, and run a business.

War On Truth: It's A Progressive Disease

Do you feel like America has gone crazy?\r\rThe Supreme Court's outrageous decisions in the Obamacare and same-sex marriage cases, in which the Court simply ignored the plain meanings of words and the Constitution, and thumbed its nose at the most basic facts of life, are only the latest examples of our nation turning its back on truth and common sense.

The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Isn't an Excuse to Attack Churches

Writing on Time.com, Mark Oppenheimer, a New York Times religion columnist, argued that in light of the Supreme Court's recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states it was time to end tax exemptions for religious institutions.

We Must Stop the Media From Silencing Your Voice on Marriage

If there's one thing the Supreme Court accomplished last Friday (besides unleashing cultural chaos on America), it was ending the liberal media's charade. Whatever scrap of journalistic impartiality existed flew out the courtroom window Friday when the press decided five justices not only invented a right to same-sex marriage but to censorship, too.

Gay Pride, Augustine, and Us

Throughout America, "gay pride" parades took place over this past weekend in many major cities.\r\rSadly, such parades are nothing really new. Consider Augustine's commentary about a "gay pride" parade of what he calls "effeminate" pagan priests that he witnessed early in the fifth century A.D.:\r\r

Four Reasons for the Supreme Court's Marriage Decision

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that states must license same sex marriages and recognize such licenses issued by other states. There are four reasons for this decision:

Supreme Deception

In one breathtaking move, the nation's highest court took for itself the power reserved for its people-overturning the votes of millions of Americans and demanding that they walk away from millennia of human history, human nature, and the explicit teachings of Scripture in the process. Exactly two years after this court took a sledgehammer to federal marriage law, the same Justices came back to finish the job-inventing a sweeping "right" to same-sex marriage no Founding Father intended.\r

Court lacks moral authority to redefine marriage

Ruling ensures continued conflict\r\rThousands of years of human history cannot be overruled by a court - even if it is the U.S. Supreme Court. While five justices can change the law, they cannot change the enduring truth about what marriage is. Natural marriage has consisted of a man and a woman since the beginning of time, and so it will remain.\r

Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Starts New Religious Freedom War

Observant Christians - and adherents of other faiths - are reeling from the Supreme Court's declaration of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and preparing for an unprecedented struggle for their right to express their beliefs and live their lives accordingly, as new battles will now be waged unless and until a future Supreme Court reverses course.

Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Is Another Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade created social upheaval of historic proportions. The five justices who just ruled in favor of same-sex marriage show the Supreme Court has learned nothing in the intervening 42 years.

Fellowship and Fidelity to Scripture

Last week, after Tony Campolo announced that he now supports same-sex marriage (a logical progression given the long-time devaluation of biblical authority in his "Red-Letter Christian" initiative), former Christianity Today editor David Neff affirmed the same thing.

Christianity under attack: US must do more to promote religious freedom

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa today, Christianity is under attack. Terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are destroying some of the oldest and most sacred Christian communities and relics in the world on the very lands where Christianity was born and first took root. They are committing brutal atrocities against Christian communities in Syria and Iraq, persecuting religious minorities and destroying entire towns and local economies. Christians are fleeing their homes in increasing numbers, creating an exploding refugee crisis that will have grave ramifications on the stability and security of the entire region.

The Impending Collision of Obama's Failures

Like two speeding trains heading toward the same collapsed bridge, the dangers and failures of Barack Obama's foreign, economic, and social policies are heading rapidly toward implosion. Our vital security interests, our economic well-being, our religious liberties, and the very fabric of American family life are all at grave risk of becoming casualties of the extreme ideological agenda and simple incompetence of the current Administration.\r

Don't Buy the Same-Sex Marriage Tidal Wave Illusion

If same-sex marriage comes to America, it will not be because Americans asked for it.\rIn the last 15 years the question was put to the people in nearly every state of the union. Even in liberal states like California, even on ballots in purely democratic primaries, the people voted overwhelmingly to keep the definition of marriage unchanged.\r

Alaska justice system review will save money, help families stay intact

On June 21, families across America will fire up their barbecues and take time out to honor dads. As a father of five children, I look forward eagerly to this annual paternal celebration we call Father's Day.

Senators, it's your turn to protect pain-capable unborn babies

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and 44 other original co-sponsors introduced the Senate version of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S. 1553). Last month, identical legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 242-184.

What Loving v. Virginia Means

June 12 has been dubbed "Loving Day." It commemorates the anniversary of a Supreme Court decision-in the 1967 case of Loving v. Virginia-in which the court declared that state laws barring interracial marriage were unconstitutional.

Justices Shouldn't Impose Same-Sex Marriage on the Nation

When the Supreme Court heard arguments involving one of the most contentious social issues in modern American history, one side asked the court to choose winners and losers in the same-sex marriage debate, the other asked the people of each state to be allowed decide for themselves.

Is the Gospel Cool?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ will always be true, life-giving, refreshing, glorious, stunning. But it will never be cool.

Redefining Sexual Sin Won't Make a Wrong a Right

Tim Keller's gracious and biblically faithful article on human sexuality and the drive by some to re-interpret Scripture's teachings concerning homosexuality is important. An Evangelical "Cardinal," as it were, has spoken clearly and firmly, albeit with great civility, on the immutable teaching of the written Word of God on sexuality and sexual intimacy. This is meat to my soul.

Praying for Deliverance, Dunkirk: 1940

What must it be like to know that your name is on a list of thousands of people to be shot? What is it to know that your family will be hustled off to a concentration camp where few if any will emerge alive? How do you prepare for your country coming under the heel of a ruthless killer supported by all the latest technology?\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/praying-for-deliverance-dunkirk-1940-139882/#MtYjLiiHMOgdYoI5.99\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/praying-for-deliverance-dunkirk-1940-139882/#CRqVEVOsXDp11CRE.99\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/praying-for-deliverance-dunkirk-1940-139882/#COo31isec0cYOGQi.99

Same-Sex Marriage Threatens Tax Exempt Status of Educational Institutions

Just over one month ago, at oral arguments for the same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court, President Obama left no doubt as to his legal strategy to marginalize and punish people for their belief in natural marriage.

Mr. President, You are NO Friend of Israel

President Obama, you recently gave an interview to Israeli television claiming you are "the closest thing to a Jew that has ever sat in this office." That's so far from the truth even a GPS cannot find it.\r

Bruce Jenner: Christianity and Transgenderism Debate

Bruce Jenner now calls himself "Caitlyn" and appears in a photo on the cover Vanity Fair. Here are some obvious but under-reported facts about him:

Use Your Tools, Don't Throw Them Away

My grandfathers were men of tools. One was a plumber and builder of houses, the other an interior craftsman and designer at a department store. I have the head of the latter's hammer displayed on a shelf in my home office.

A Poverty of Moral Reasoning in the Oval Office

At last week's "summit" event of religious leaders on poverty, President Obama made some remarks that deserve comment.\r\rIn his view, Christian churches should "go to the mat" on poverty. He suggests, seemingly, that Evangelicals and Catholics who focus on "reproductive issues, or same-sex marriage, or what have you" should instead concentrate more intently on poverty:\r\r

Religious Liberty at Risk as Supreme Court Approaches Gay Marriage Decision

Leslie Loftis is an attorney (J.D., University of Texas) whose primary role these days is a wife and mother of four young children (good call on the priorities, Leslie). In The Federalist, she has written one of the most thorough analyses of the potential of religious entities losing their tax-exempt status should the Supreme Court miraculously find a "right" to same-sex "marriage" in the U.S. Constitution in their ruling on the issue next month.

Big Ben Gets It Right!

London's Big Ben celebrated the arrival of a royal princess by lighting up pink. The birth of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana to Prince William and Kate has set Londoners in a festive mood. And it has thrilled avid watchers of the Royals around the world.\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/big-ben-gets-it-right-139173/#x79cqVkt2qtFT8pH.99

On conservative religious activism, the numbers speak for themselves

In an interview with The Washington Post timed to a high-level summit on combating poverty, Harvard professor Robert Putnam makes an assertion about what he terms "organized religion," its agenda and the use of its "resources." Specifically:\r"The obvious fact is that over the last 30 years, most organized religion has focused on issues regarding sexual morality, such as abortion, gay marriage, all of those. I'm not saying if that's good or bad, but that's what they've been using all their resources for. This is the most obvious point in the world. It's been entirely focused on issues of homosexuality and contraception and not at all focused on issues of poverty."\r

On the Anniversary of Gosnell Conviction, Let's Pass a Fetal Pain Ban

Two years ago on May 13th, late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of first degree murder in the deaths of three infants and involuntary manslaughter of Karnamaya Mongar, a young woman he butchered during an abortion. While he was convicted on only four counts, hundreds of similar incidents were reported. He was also convicted of twenty-one felony counts of illegal late-term abortion beyond Pennsylvania's twenty-four week abortion limit.

Taking back the narrative on pain

In January, as hundreds of thousands of people streamed into our nation's capital for the annual March for Life, a simple pro-life measure in Congress was caught in a quagmire. On the anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade ruling, the House of Representatives was supposed to vote - and pass - the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. It had passed with significant support in the last Congress, and was expected to do so again this year, with a much higher chance of actually making its way through the Senate this time around. But somewhere, something went wrong, and what had been a united front splintered into chaos and finger-pointing and misinformation.

What Federal Regulations Mean for Your Family

Family Research Council is a pro-family organization, which is why we're concerned about the costs government imposes on families.

Baltimore's missing fathers

The rioting in Baltimore is disturbing to all Americans, as the unresolved cause of Freddie Gray's death while in police custody should be as well.

Will marriage ruling jeopardize critical private-public partnerships?

Last Tuesday's Supreme Court arguments on same-sex marriage showcased the need for a new federal law to protect private organizations that hold a view on marriage different from our growing and increasingly powerful federal government.

Man on Admission: Obama Lawyer Donald Verrilli Reveals Taxing Truth

The biggest news from Tuesday's Supreme Court arguments isn't news at all to conservatives: Same-sex "marriage" is a threat to religious freedom. For once, that revelation didn't come from one of the lawyers on our side but from the Obama administration's own attorney. In a rare moment of candor, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli sent a clear signal on where this debate is headed, and it isn't to the marriage altar.

We Will Love and Not Be Silent

While I was at the Supreme Court for the hearing on same-sex marriage, a daughter of former Senator and current presidential candidate Rick Santorum got up to speak at a podium in front of the large crowd in front of the building. Immediately, a young man behind me began to shout "UGLY! UGLY! UGLY!"

Law Firms Betray Their Principles When They Shun Unpopular Representation

The legal profession typically affirms its proud tradition of defending the unpopular. Lawyers will often agree to represent a reviled defendant because they understand that our adversarial system requires vigorous representation on both sides if justice is to prevail.

Why Should Five Justices Decide on Same-Sex Marriage for the Country?

Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments involving one of the most contentious social issues in modern American history. One side will ask the court to choose winners and losers in the same-sex marriage debate. The other will ask the court to let the people of each state decide for themselves.

Courting for Marriage: Left Tries to Woo SCOTUS

Thousands of years of human history cannot be overruled by three hours of debate before nine imperfect people. But today that is the best liberals can hope for in the race to upend nature's law -- and nature's God. Outside the U.S. Supreme Court, where the future of civilization was on trial, people from both sides of the marriage debate soaked in the sun while inside clouds gathered over the question that's shadowed America for the last 11 years: does the court have a right to force same-sex "marriage" on every state in the union?\rRead more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/courting-for-marriage-left-tries-to-woo-scotus-138349/#LBMThGKWTg8ILvsP.99

The wrong argument against traditional marriage

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a set of cases, including Obergefell v. Hodges on Tuesday, challenging state laws and constitutions that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. One of the arguments made by those who wish to redefine marriage nationwide is that classifying same-sex couples differently from opposite-sex couples for purposes of civil marriage violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Sociologists Mislead Supreme Court, Put Politics Ahead of Science on Same-Sex Parenting

On April 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges to determine whether states may define "marriage" as only the marriage of one man and one woman.

Rand Paul and a Moment of Truth for American Journalism

It was one of the most gratifying exchanges in recent political memory.\r\rWhen U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced his presidential campaign recently, he made a standard campaign stop in New Hampshire. While there, a reporter trotted out one of the standard questions any Republican receives when he declares he is running for national office: What are the exceptions to your views about preventing abortions?

What Young People Need to Know about Humility

It is a conceit of the young to believe that because something has occurred to them, it is a novel idea, one unknown to previous, plodding generations. This tendency cuts across the board and includes young Christians.

Feminine Genius and the Sexual Difference

"Sometimes we're too machista and don't allow room for the woman" was Pope Francis' heartfelt response in January to a young Filipino girl who shared with him her harrowing tale of life on the street and questioned the meaning of suffering. "But the woman is able to see things with a different eye than men. Women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand," the Pope continued.

Upcoming Marriage Case Puts Court's Credibility At Risk

On April 28, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges and three other appeals in key marriage cases.

Society Cannot Escape Negative Outcomes of Marriage's Decline

CNN journalist Carol Costello recently interviewed Kent State University students about marriage. While the (heterosexual) students, both male and female, all looked forward to getting married, the interview highlighted their limited understanding on the impact marriage has on their own lives and on society. Thus, despite their own intentions, they seemed unsure of its importance for the future of children and society.\rConsider the facts.\r

Abortion and Trafficking: What Would Lincoln Have Done?

Whenever I read such things as "Why the Founding Fathers Wouldn't Have Been Anti-Vaxxers," I cringe a bit. Not only are these rather desperate speculations, but they are supercilious: We know the things the Founders were for and against, and to infer from their stated convictions and known actions their allegiance to or antipathy toward a contemporary political issue trivializes these remarkable men and the causes for which they fought and, in some cases, died.

Surrendering Neither Grace Nor Truth

Recently, the news has been tough for Christians here at home. Stories involving the erosion of religious liberty in America, as in the failure in Indiana to protect the rights of business persons who don't wish to participate in same-sex weddings, have persuaded some that the chips are not only down but depleted.

Why Do We Need Louisiana's Marriage and Conscience Act? Ask Indiana Pizza Shop Owners.

Recent nationwide polling shows that 81 percent of Americans agree that the government should leave people free to live and work in accordance with their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Safe Haven Laws and the Babies Whose Lives Hang in the Balance

What if one person can make a big difference? He can.\rMeet Pastor Lee Jong-rak. He is the unlikely lead character in a new award-winning documentary called The Drop Box which narrates his heroic efforts to save children at risk of dying by abandonment in his native South Korea. Inspired by his son with a disability, Pastor Lee built a baby box embedded in the side of his house that can be opened from both the exterior and the interior to save other vulnerable children. It is a padded, heated box with sensors that alert Pastor Lee and his staff when someone places a baby inside.\r

Who Wronged Aurora and Why Her Life Matters

By now the horrific story about Michelle Wilkins' 7 month old preborn Aurora being ripped from her mother's womb in Colorado has dominated headlines throughout the country. Dynel Lane, the perpetrator, was charged with eight felonies by the Boulder County District Attorney's office. Yet one charge was visibly missing: the murder of baby Aurora. A new poll reveals that 76% of Americans agree that an attacker who causes the death of a woman's preborn child should be charged with murder. Colorado has devastatingly failed Aurora.

Gay Activist Claims 'End of Marriage' Is Near

There is a "Back to the Future" quality to the current culture clash going on in Indiana, in the country at large, and throughout the Western democracies over marriage and over the gay lobby's insatiable demands.

Persecuting Believers Doesn't Protect Anyone's Civil Rights

Hysteria over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act has drowned out one critical question: Who are the florist and baker that ABC's George Stephanopoulos hounded Gov. Mike Pence about?

Understanding the Definitions of the New Sexual Tolerance

Last month, USA Today reported that Facebook is now recognizing 58 distinct gender options, with a 59th for "fill in the blank."

Frank Bruni's Anti-Christian Fascism

Openly gay New York Times columnist Frank Bruni made clear in his Easter Day column that the efforts in Indiana to defeat religious freedom protections provided for individuals and business owners under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was just round one. Bruni is signaling that no sanctuary will be given to those who hold to a biblical view of sexuality and isdemanding that the Christian faith jettison its 2,000 year allegiance to the clear teaching of the Bible concerning human sexuality.

Minimum Sanity in Seattle: A City Council Unmoored from Reality

Having lived in the Seattle area for more than half a century, my family has enjoyed some wonderful meals at Ivar's Salmon House and other Ivar's restaurants. It's a summertime tradition for us to gather for chowder and fried clams at the little Ivar's outlet at the southern end of Lake Washington.

The absurdity of Malloy's travel ban

Indiana recently adopted a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), defining a legal standard for cases in which government action affects someone's First Amendment right to religious freedom. Critics, though, deceitfully attacked it as a "license to discriminate" against homosexuals, leading legislators to gut their own law. On March 30, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced he would ban state-funded travel to Indiana because of RFRA.

Religious dissenters must be free to follow beliefs

Should the Supreme Court alter the law concerning same-sex "marriage" later this year, it will be even more important to protect those who do not believe such relationships can be "marriages" at all from being forced to violate their beliefs. These would-be dissenters must be afforded the right to disagree and the freedom to live in accord with their religious convictions.

Abraham Lincoln, John Bright, and Human Trafficking

Abraham Lincoln had two portraits displayed in his study: One was of Andrew Jackson, who as president had preserved the Union by preventing South Carolina from leaving it, and the other was of the British statesman John Bright.

Psychological Association Delivers 'Snake Oil' Sociology In Latest Brief on Marriage

The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Sociological Association (ASA) submitted friend of the Court briefs in the Windsor case. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. If the Windsor Court majority relied on those briefs, it was reliant on snake oil, not science.

The Bible's Teaching on Homosexuality: Clear, Final, and Sufficient

A professing Evangelical church in California has jettisoned its commitment to orthodox Christian teaching on homosexuality.

Netanyahu Is in Tall Cotton

The foreign policy clerisy in this country was loud in its denunciation of Arkansas freshman Sen. Tom Cotton (R) when he circulated a Round Robin letter with the signatures of 47 GOP senators. Sen. Cotton's letter simply states the obvious truth that no "executive agreement" with Iran can be guaranteed past the expiration of Mr. Obama's constitutionally limited term of office.

The Humility of Hindsight

Starbucks has launched a well-meaning campaign designed to foster dialog about race and racism. Called "Race Together," it is being hailed by some as potentially disastrous and others as brilliant.

10 Myths About Redefining Marriage

Advocates of redefining "marriage" to include same-sex couples use a number of arguments that can best be described as "myths." The reality is often quite different.

Going Islamisant on Marriage

We have previously argued that President Obama's policies in foreign policy are Islamisant (iss-lam-i-ZONT). That is, we do not say he is Islamic, or Islamist, to be sure. What we argue instead is the effect of his policies is to favor Islam.

A Child's Health, A Child's Heart

So, Burger King has dropped soda from its kids meals menu. So have such other fast food restaurants as McDonald's and Wendy's.\r

Another Dred Scott Ruling?

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to consider whether to overturn the marriage laws of all the states-as some activist federal judges have already done in some of the states--conservatives are naturally calling for judicial restraint. We must warn the court against another exercise of "raw judicial power" like that handed down with its infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. That cruel and unjust ruling is viewed as illegitimate by tens of millions of Americans. Young people, especially, are turning against abortion-on-demand. We see this in every pro-life march. And this public outcry is being translated into a bumper crop of pro-life legislation bubbling up in state legislatures.

Freedom yes, redefining marriage no

By an almost 2-1 margin, Americans in a recent poll declared they agree that "States and citizens should remain free to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and the Supreme Court shouldn't force all 50 states to redefine marriage."

Abraham Lincoln: 'The Judgments of the Lord'

Some might say he was clinging to his guns and religion. On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln began his Second Inaugural Address with a reference to the military situation. Gen. Grant's powerful army then held the rebel Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in a death grip, besieging it at Petersburg, with the Confederate capital of Richmond sure to fall to Union forces.

Netanyahu's Timely Warning on Iran

Iran is the gravest danger to the U.S. and the world. Not ISIS. Not Boko Haram. Not Kony. Not Al Shabab. Iran on the path to a nuclear weapon.

What You Can Do to Help the Suffering Church

The persecution of Christians around the world has drawn sharp focus given the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians on a Libyan beach last month.

Netanyahu Sounds Alarm on Iran Nuke Deal Not Unlike Queen Esther in Bible, but Is America Listening?

The Jewish Festival of Purim, celebrated this year on March 5th, "commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia (modern day Iran) from Haman's plot 'to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day.'" Instead, Queen Esther, a Jewess, stepped forward and bravely saved her people.

ISIS Isn't About Jobs

ISIS is a theological movement grounded in a very specific kind of Muslim eschatology.\r\rIn his groundbreaking analysis in The Atlantic, Graeme Wood argues that ISIS "has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam."

Susan Rice: Choking on a Gnat

Even in a Senate then controlled by Democrats, President Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan E. Rice, could not be confirmed as his second term Secretary of State. That's because she notoriously went on five Sunday television news talk shows to claim that the September 11, 2012 attack on our diplomatic compound at Benghazi was provoked by an anti-Islamic video. It soon became clear that cover story was false. She was then our Ambassador to the UN.

Imitate Christ, Not Culture

"A University of Illinois at Chicago student leader has been charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old female student in what Cook County prosecutors say was a re-enactment of scenes from the film 'Fifty Shades of Grey.'"

When Push Comes to Poll...

How much is your religious liberty worth? Try $2,001. That's the going rate in Washington State, according to its attorney general. If Barronelle Stutzman wants to exercise the freedom already guaranteed to her by the First Amendment, she'll have to fork over a couple thousand dollars (which she doesn't plan on doing any time soon).

What They Get Wrong About ISIS

ISIS is motivated by its deeply-held religious convictions.\r\rWe can argue ad infinitum about whether or not ISIS's interpretation of the Koran is correct, or whether or not Islam is a religion of peace. But what is unarguable is that ISIS is animated by deeply-held beliefs about God, His will, and the future of humankind.

The Word for this Administration: Islamisant

We Americans have been puzzling over our President's curious inability to see twenty-one ISIS terrorists cutting off the heads of twenty-one Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya and call the horrible deed what it is -- an Islamist atrocity. Not, you will note, Islamic. By using the adjective Islamist, we are distinguishing this brutal and savage action from those billions who claim to be adherents of the Islamic religion.\r\r

Bright Hope with No 'Shades of Grey'

It is oddly unfitting that Valentine's Day is also when the film "Fifty Shades of Grey" is being released and marketed aggressively. One of the marketing tools being used for the film is a little Teddy Bear holding not roses or a box of chocolates but handcuffs. Another is jewelry: For example, jeweler Janet Cadsawan is selling a "double handcuff necklace" for a mere $150.

Barack Obama's Dissonance And Bad Dreams

"The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong."

Majority of America's Youth Lost in Labyrinth of Love, Ambivalence and Sex

The descendants of black slaves have the potential to be the saviors of modern America if the black church can rise to the challenge of restoring Christian marriage within its families.

Judge Granade Pulls the Pin on Marriage

Most of the media is blaming the current chaos in Alabama over whether same-sex couples will or will not be issued marriage licenses on Judge Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Obamacare and Abortion

With just days remaining before the deadline to enroll in a health-insurance plan under Obamacare, Americans who have not yet done so will be hurrying to finish researching their best options for themselves and their families. For many, this research will include the question of whether a plan covers elective abortion. And this is indeed a critical question for many reasons, not the least of which is that enrollment in a plan that covers it would require members to pay a separate monthly abortion surcharge.

Marriage Haves And Have-Nots Don't Have To Square Off

'Tis the season to face down the chubby, flying angel-babies armed with bows and arrows; to indulge in high-calorie confections of cocoa and sugar; and browse over Groupon ads for outrageously discounted diamonds.

The President's Small World

Last week people around the world were horrified when a gruesome video emerged of ISIS terrorists burning a Jordanian pilot alive in a cage. King Abdullah of Jordan responded to these barbaric acts quickly and decisively, promising and delivering a severe response. Meanwhile back in Washington, President Obama responded in a different way. At the National Prayer Breakfast he took to the podium and self-righteously compared the acts of ISIS to Christians during the Crusades as if to justify current day world turmoil and the spread of Islamic jihad.

President Obama: If You Like Your God, Keep Him

"Confession is good for the soul," said Mark Twain, "but it's bad for the reputation." Candidate Barack Obama in 2008 confessed to his top advisor, David Axelrod, "I'm just not very good at bull____ing." Actually, he was very good at it. He told millions of Americans that he believed marriage was "a sacred union" between a man and a woman. He answered about marriage in Rick Warren's question famed Civic Forum, going even further to say that "God is in the mix."

Common Core German Lesson

We haven't heard what the Common Core curriculum has planned for foreign language instruction, if anything. But we offer this German lesson as an introduction and a warning to all those who want central control over what is taught and what it thought in this country: "Wir sind nicht preu\u00DFischen" We are not Prussians!\r\r

Abortion and the Obamacare Exchanges: Still Not What the Doctor Ordered

Americans seeking health care coverage on the Obamacare exchange system have two weeks left in the 2015 open enrollment season. For individuals and families seeking to avoid purchasing coverage of elective abortion, the process has been - and continues to be - tricky.

The Truth About Human Sexuality: It All Comes Down to the Bible

Another long-time Evangelical pastor, Stan Mitchell, has decided that homosexuality is acceptable to the God of the Bible; TIME magazine makes quite a story of it. In his self-disclosing comments about his decision, it is noteworthy that he talks a lot about love and "conversation" and "journeys" but little or not at all about truth and the Bible.

Mideast Meltdown

Good for Michelle Obama! She refused to cover up during a recent snap visit to Saudi Arabia. And our First Lady showed more grit than the entire Obama administration. She is also closer to a correct U.S. posture vis \u00E0 vis the Mideast.

Setting Captives Free: The New (Christian) Liberation Movement

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a time when Americans are reminded to awake to the sobering reality of modern slavery in our time, around the world - and here at home.

School Choice: An American Value

What could be more American than letting moms and dads decide where their kids go to school?

Liberals' Israel Crisis

"Netanyahu's Contempt for President Obama," reads the headline of the online version of Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen. The print edition toned it down somewhat, calling the Israeli prime minister's acceptance of a speaking invitation from Speaker Boehner unwise and an example of "Israel Goes Partisan."\r\rRead more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/01/liberals_israel_crisis.html#.VMtoPLDHun0.mailto#ixzz3QJme40Ob \rFollow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

Will GOP Stop Obama-Created Humanitarian Crisis on Southern Border

The 2014 midterm elections was one for the history books. When President Barack Obama said all of his policies were on the ballot, voters rushed to the voting booths to give Republicans an extraordinary landslide victory. And as we know now, one of the biggest motivating factors was Obama's illegal executive actions on immigration policy.

For Maryland's New Governor, Some Old Business

Many visitors to Maryland's historic Old State House are eager to see the Senate Chamber where Gen. George Washington resigned his commission to the Congress, meeting there in December, 1783. There are, as well, many other significant events associated with this beautiful and classically proportioned Capitol, America's oldest continuously used legislative building.

Ted Cruz: Plant the Flag for School Choice

"It's time to plant the flag on school choice," Sen. Ted Cruz told a Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by the Heritage Foundation recently. Sen. Cruz told of his efforts to reach across the aisle-willing to work with the very liberal Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) to help parents choose good schools for their kids.

Federal Judges Get a Taste of 'Judge Moore' Justice on Marriage

Federal judges may have the last word on marriage -- but they won't have the final one. That's becoming abundantly clear in Alabama, the latest state to feel the sting of a runaway court invalidating the will of the people on marriage. In a letter to Governor Robert Bentley (R-Ala.), Chief Justice Roy Moore made that quite clear -- explaining that this isn't an issue that the federal courts will resolve. Rather, he said, it "raises serious, legitimate concerns about the propriety of federal court jurisdiction over the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment."

President Obama: On Bowing to Kings

It was a stunning sight. President Obama was in London for a summit meeting in early 2009. He bowed low before King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. President Obama had apparently never learned that Americans do not bow and the American President, especially, should never bow to a King.

No Lame Duck, but a Lame Dove!

President Obama's State of the Union Address made it clear he is no Lame Duck. Despite his midterm election drubbing, the President came out swinging. The economy has come off the mat. Ironically enough, he is benefiting from crash of oil prices. But in his case, he did everything he could do to prevent the surge in domestic oil and natural gas production.

Abortion 2015: Caution, Diligence, and Faithfulness

The theological basis for asserting personhood at conception has been articulated at great length. Given that one of the Enemy's central delights is murder (John 8:44), the defense of human life is altogether fitting and proper for Christians at a time when, minimally, 2,700 unborn children lose their lives each day within America's borders.

The Abortion Industry: A Study in Predation

The abortion industry is predatory.\r \rMany women who are considering abortion are in a vulnerable position. Struggling with a decision about ending the life within one's womb and worrying about the physical, psychological and spiritual effects of that decision create an inner emotional landscape replete with rough places that are difficult to make plain.

Aborting Black America: The 'Black Lives Matter' Slogan Excludes The Unborn

"Black lives matter" has become the slogan of anti-police protests across the nation, but the target of the protests is so misplaced that the motives of the so-called civil rights leaders behind the movement must be questioned. Do they really care about black lives? Or are they cynically exploiting isolated incidents, such as the death of Michael Brown, to inflame the black population and advance their own political interests?\r\r

Fetal Pain is Grounded in Science

On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of people will march peacefully up Constitution Avenue to remind their fellow citizens of a silent tragedy that pierces the heart of a nation.

What It Means to Be Evangelical

A number of thoughtful Evangelical commentators (captured here by my brave and faithful friend Owen Strachan) have responded pointedly to Elizabeth Dias's Time story, "Inside the Evangelical Fight Over Gay Marriage." They have demonstrated logically, theologically and philosophically why the movement to abandon Scripture's teaching on human sexuality in order to accommodate supposedly Evangelical advocates of normalizing same-sex "marriage" and attraction is an offense to God and the Gospel.

The Energy Deniers

We hear it all the time from the liberal left: those of us who legitimately question man's impact on alleged global warming and call out the scandal plagued, phony facts used to support their hypothetical theories, are routinely labeled as, "Climate Deniers."

Domestic Religious Freedom: Substance or Fluff?

Throughout 2014, as news outlets consistently highlighted threats to religious freedom overseas, many Americans became increasingly aware of concerns surrounding religious freedom at home. Entering 2015, we have the opportunity to clarify our focus on this issue as we celebrate our First Freedom anew on January 16-Religious Freedom Day.

How Lena Dunham Is Hurting Girls

The poker-faced NBC News anchor Brian Williams has viewed, with apparent dispassion and even amusement, scenes of his actress daughter Allison committing bizarre and debasing sexual acts on the HBO series "Girls."

US Supreme Court: Can Government Restrict How a Church Can Use Signs?

On January 12th, I attended Supreme Court oral arguments in a case-Reed v. Town of Gilbert-which will determine how easily the government can restrict signs giving directions to church services. Specifically, the Court is set to decide whether, under free speech protections of the First Amendment, a local government's mere assertion that its sign code (despite on its face discriminating based on content) lacks a discriminatory motive renders the sign code content-neutral and justifies the code's differential treatment of signs pointing the way to a church's meeting location.

New York Times Editorial Board: Better Luck Next 'Times' When Attacking Christian Messages

Apparently, The New York Times is in favor of faith in the public square -- if the purpose is to mock it. Editors at the Times poured gasoline on the fire of Atlanta's latest controversy with an editorial that should shock even their most liberal readers. Just when you thought the media couldn't sink any lower, the Times takes on the same First Amendment that gives it the freedom to print these vicious attacks on Christians.

France Needs a Second Amendment-And so do We!

CBS News gave an early report on the terrorist attacks in Paris. It included this telling sentence:\r"A reporter for Britain's Telegraph newspaper in Paris told Sky News that the first two officers to arrive, who were apparently unarmed, fled after seeing gunmen armed with automatic weapons and possibly a grenade launcher."\r

President Obama's Abdication

No, he hasn't stepped down from the presidency, but President Barack Obama has effectively abdicated his role as "Leader of the Free World." With the headlines in newspapers all over the world focusing on the leaders who gathered in Paris for the massive solidarity march last weekend, the absence of President Obama-and any other top administration official-could not have been more glaring.

Cuba and Kristallnacht: The Lessons

The left in the U.S. and throughout Western democracies are excited, of course, over President Obama's decision the week before Christmas to restore "normal" diplomatic relations with Cuba. This has been a long-sought goal of the left wing of the Democratic Party here and among the Socialists in Europe.\r

City of Atlanta: No Orthodox Christians Need Apply

At a press conference held on Tuesday this week, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed fired Atlanta Fire Rescue Department Chief Kelvin Cochran. How did we get here?

A Time to Act on Energy Security

With the new year comes a new Congress, and, as always, energy policy will be a major priority for this 114th session. Now that Republicans have regained control of both the Senate and the House, and with President Obama looking to establish his legacy, there is a unique opportunity to build positive momentum on energy security and reduce America's vulnerability to the historically volatile oil market.

Abortion and the Overpopulation Myth

A couple of years ago, I wrote that those who contend for a less-populated world due to food shortages are wrong. The data indicate that there are, and will remain, ample food resources for an ever-growing human population for as far as realistically we can project.

Two Disgraced Women Who Changed the World

The New Testament starts with the story of two pregnancies. Disgrace is part of each of them. In one case, disgrace is removed; in the other, disgrace is imposed. But in each, we see miraculous demonstrations of God's amazing grace in offering salvation to all men.

An Active President: Obama on the March As the GOP Preps to Run Congress

Since last month's election, the President has been a busy fellow. He's traveled to China, heralded what he called a "turning point" in American military affairs, "signed a Presidential Memorandum that prohibits future oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Bristol Bay" and land areas near it and announced a new director for the White House Council for Strong Cities, Strong Communities, to boot.

Surrender To Cuba? Why Didn't We Think Of That?

Thinking of this latest diplomatic blunder, we have to recall Ron Radosh's poignant and mordantly funny story in his book, Commies: A Journey through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left. Young Radosh, then a Communist Party member, went to Cuba with a group of American psychiatrists. These Marxists were given a tour of one of Castro's mental hospitals.

Brute Force, Cohabitation, and the NFL

Domestic abuse scandals have rampaged through the NFL: Greg Hardy, Rod Smith, Anthony Ray Jefferson, and most recently, Ray Rice. In response, the NFL launched a "thorough review" of its personnel conduct policies, management assembled "critical response teams" to address future violence, and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called a congressional hearing to discuss policies related to domestic violence. Unfortunately, however, violence will not wane until efforts are taken to mitigate its cause rather than just control its effects.

Kerry: Lose that Limp-Shrimp Pink Tie!

Well, here's the problem. No wonder the U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks are going nowhere. Sec. of State John Kerry has had to kick the can down the road - again. He just gave Iran another extension on the West's deadline to come to an agreement about Iran's drive for a nuclear weapon. Deadline? Red line? Dead red line?\r\r

With an Intact Family, and Miracles, 'It's a Wonderful Life'

Christmas celebrates a miracle.\r\rIt's not just "Jesus' birthday." And it's not just that Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus when she was still a virgin (although Christians believe that she was, and that the birth was miraculous).

Christmas: No Time for Public Expression of Faith?

Around this time of the year, the "War on Christmas" and the "War on the War on Christmas" once again enter the public discourse, with each side claiming support from assorted statistics and anecdotes.

Does the Democratic Party Have a Future?

In a rather wistful, even elegiac piece in the December 2, 2014 edition of National Journal, political analyst Charles Cook describes how leading to last month's election, the Democratic Party "paved the way for their own defeat." Describing as "noble" such priorities as "health care, the environment, and civil rights," Cook notes that "an argument can be made that it is because Democrats have subordinated their traditional focus on helping lower- and working-class Americans move up the economic ladder" that there has been a "decline in support for Democrats among certain groups."

Doing Stupid Things With Iran

The Obama administration has obviously decided to go silent on human rights abuses in Iran in hopes of concentrating like a laser on arms control. It is true that it is urgently necessary to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The last three administrations -- Clinton, Bush, and Obama -- have agreed on that if on little else.\r\r

Iran Nuclear Talks Resume: Is it Jaw-Jaw or War-War? (Part Two)

What are your thoughts on fundamentalism and Islamic extremism and the reasons for its expansion?

Iran Nuclear Talks Resume: Is it Jaw-Jaw or War-War? (Part One)

Winston Churchill famously said "Jaw-Jaw is better than War-War." He was right, of course. But with Iran, the mullahs have made War-War while engaging us in Jaw-Jaw. They have played us along with these nuclear talks.

Capitol Hill is Alive with the Sound of Music

In announcing his new nominee for Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, President Obama noted that his choice for Pentagon chief was a great fan of Motown. Especially, Mr. Obama noted, Ash Carter likes the Four Tops.\r\r

What Matters Most at Christmas

I love dogs. Having had five dogs over the course of my life, and in caring for many other dogs for friends when they're on vacation or whatever, I've concluded that if man is a little lower than the angels, canines are only somewhat behind us.

Urgent need for reform of juvenile justice system

The West Virginia Intergovernmental Task Force on Juvenile Justice last week exposed policies that are damaging families, communities and taxpayers in West Virginia.\r\rThose policies include approaches that remove youth from their families at alarming rates, even those with no prior contact with the courts. I am very troubled by these findings.\r\r

What GOP Congress should (and shouldn't) do in 2015

The 2014 midterm election euphoria continues for Republicans this week with Dan Sullivan's win Wednesday in Alaska, giving the party eight Senate seat pick-ups with potentially a ninth in Louisiana next month. But the GOP can't bask in these victories, it's time to get to work. Here's what the new majority should do, and not do.

What did the President Learn?

Is college still America's best friend? Defeated for re-election last month, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) may not be so sure. A racially-charged college paper of his surfaced to his great embarrassment and may have helped to bring him down.\r\r

December 7, 2014: Hillary's Day of Infamy

President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress on this day in 1941. Looking stern and resolute, the President wore a black armband, as if to memorialize the thousands of U.S. sailors, Marines, Army and Coast Guard personnel who had been killed and wounded the day before in a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Pro-life wave washes over midterms

Democratic candidates trotted out the cliched "war on women" theme in the midterms. Advocates of abortion-on-demand worked to convince voters they had women's interests at heart. It hasn't worked in the past and, in 2014, it really didn't work.

Egg Freezing and the Indentured Woman

Egg freezing is being marketed as the new and hip thing to do among New York and Silicon Valley socialites. Freezing one's eggs is touted as a means of delaying motherhood for the sake of one's career.

Can President Obama Pass Disraeli's Test?

British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli famously said: "The Lord deals with the nations as the nations deal with the Jews." Winston Churchill was an avid student of Disraeli's "Tory Democracy" and passed Disraeli's test easily, as Steven Hayward wrote recently in the Weekly Standard.\r\rRead more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/12/can_president_obama_pass_disraelis_test.html#ixzz3MI6zs7Yc \rFollow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

Republicans Becoming the Party of Diversity

Scan a crowd of Republicans, and a significant majority of those you see will be white. While in itself this is innocuous, it is also unrepresentative of American demographics.

America's Recessional: President Obama's Legacy

Candidate Barack Obama went to Berlin in 2008. He addressed an adoring crowd of tens of thousands there and told these Europeans he was "a citizen of the world." It was an almost unprecedented event.\r\r

Jesus, Adoptee

Next month, believers in Jesus will celebrate the virgin birth of their sinless Savior. We will think of the annunciation and Mary's hymn of praise, the cattle stall and the extraordinary star in the sky.

Hagel Dismissed, But Not Missed, As Iran Talks Crumble

Nearly two years ago, these writers urged President Obama to "Chuck Hagel." Today, it seems, the hapless Secretary of Defense is on his way out. We wish him no ill. And we certainly don't rejoice in his forced resignation. The timing of his dismissal could hardly be worse. It comes on the eve of another "deadline" in our dealings with an Iran bent on acquiring nuclear weapons.

Why You Should Celebrate Thanksgiving Like a Puritan

The Plymouth Separatists, Protestant Puritan believers we now call the Pilgrims, were theologically minded in a way difficult for many of us to grasp. "These were biblical theologians," write theologians Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones in their book A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life. They were "biblical in the sense that they quarried their theology from the Bible, but also biblical in the more modern sense of understanding and being concerned to expound the unified flow of the story of salvation and to see each element of it in its proper place in the story."

Marriage Is Timeless, Good for the Family

In his Tuesday presentation at the International Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman, evangelical pastor Rev. Dr. Rick Warren reiterated a vital fact that has been lost in the marriage debate: the fundamental good of the family is a timeless truth impenetrable by society's transient whims.

America, Take a Lesson from China and Go and Test No More

Earlier this week, Jeb Bush passionately defended Common Core in Washington D.C. at his Foundation's annual education conference. While Bush remarked that testing is a critical component of Common Core, he noted that fewer tests should be administered to students overall.

The Altar Not Ours to Alter

"This Marriage is not ours to alter. It is ours, however, to encourage and celebrate...this we affirm." These were the final words recited from a new affirmation on marriage at the conclusion of the three-day conference of international religious leaders at the Vatican on the complementarity of man and woman. The atmosphere was almost euphoric as the attendees from six of the world's seven continents broke from the historic gathering to return to their respective nations renewed in their stand for marriage.

Why We Should Support Our Leaders But Trust in God

Conservatives are very pleased with the results of the recent elections. For some, there is the partisan satisfaction of Republican wins across the nation. For others, the Administration's failures in economic, military and foreign policy have caused great concern; it can be hoped that the GOP will take measured steps to redress them, to the extent possible. And for social conservatives, there is the nascent if modest hope that some good things can be advanced and some others be stopped.

Congress to DoD: Restrictions on Religious Expression Are Still a Problem

Despite Congressional efforts in the past several years to address religious liberty issues in the military, and DoD assertions that the problems are not all that bad, restrictions on service-members' expression of their religious faith continue to this day.

Uncommon Common Sense on Marriage

For defenders of natural marriage, the long wait for a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was worth it. Three months to the day after hearing oral arguments on cases out of four states (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee), a three-judge panel issued a 2-1 ruling on November 6 upholding the states' rights to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Sikh and Ye Shall Find... Marriage Allies!

Today, the Vatican's colloquium on the complementarity of man and woman in marriage moved from laying a theoretical groundwork to take on the tone of a half-time locker room pep talk for those advancing the cause of natural marriage. In message after message today, from Sikh, Muslim, Mormon, and others (including American evangelicals Rick Warren and Russell Moore), there was a clarion call to renew the effort to uphold marriage as God intended it to be.

In Ancient Rome, Pope Affirms Ancient Truths

Pope Francis began the gathering of international religious leaders this morning with a clear message that marriage and family are in trouble in large part because some are yielding the truth to trends. "In our day," he said to the gathering of international religious and cultural leaders, "marriage and the family are in crisis. We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment."

Religion Remains Essential to American People and to American Public Life

"In an average week, one-in-five Americans share their religious faith online, about the same percentage that tune in to religious talk radio, watch religious TV programs or listen to Christian rock music. And nearly half of U.S. adults see someone else share their religious faith online in a typical week."

Brittany Maynard Is Dead, But Her Enablers Seek More Victims

Brittany Maynard's story has faded into the background, but the work of the euphemistically named pro-assisted suicide organization "Compassion & Choices" (C&C), formerly known as the Hemlock Society, is actively working harder than ever before to bring assisted suicide to your doorstep.

Gruber Lets Obama's Socialist Cat Out of the Bag

Not since the Kermit Gosnell murder trial has the mainstream press labored so diligently to ignore a hot story. Rush Limbaugh delights in calling them "the drive-by media," but in the case of Kermit Gosnell's trial for the negligent death of a poor young woman and for killing many infants born alive, the liberal media mostly drove around the story - staying as far away from it as they could. Conservative websites showed the row upon row of empty seats reserved for the press in that Philadelphia courtroom. There were, of course, most honorable exceptions among liberal journalists. Kirsten Powers wrote in USA Today of the horrors. And Conor Friedersdorf wrote this powerful column on the website of The Atlantic. \r\r

Should court ruling to uphold Ohio's ban on same-sex marriage stand? Yes.

In a 2-1 decision last Thursday, a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that constitutional provisions in four states defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman did not violate the U.S. Constitution. The decision in DeBoer vs. Snyder is controlling in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote the opinion and was joined in the majority by Judge Deborah L. Cook.

House Republicans Can Stop Obama's Amnesty Agenda

With already dismal approval ratings, this has been the most difficult month for President Barack Obama yet. After voters from coast to coast soundly rejected Obama-supporting Democrats on Election Day, video was leaked of left-wing economist Jonathan Gruber - the chief architect of Obamacare - admitting that the sweeping health care bill became law because Americans are "stupid."

Election 2014: A Reward for Gridlock, A Repudiation of the President

"All politics is national" now, which made this midterm election yet another referendum on President Obama, and it has turned out to be another overwhelming repudiation of the president, who already suffered one debacle back in 2010. This appears to have been a baffling rejection to this supremely detached president ...

Generals Should Resign To Protest Obama's Misuse Of Military

A new survey finds only 26 percent of those in the military community approve of the performance of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. But the blame for this low approval rating extends higher up the chain of command.

Memo to Evangelicals: Don't Be Surprised by Fiery Trials, Including Intolerance and Name-Calling By Gay Activists

The goals of the LGBT movement are not malleable. They are absolute and aggressive. The bakers, wedding photographers, florists and others throughout the country who have declined to provide services for same-sex weddings, knowing that such provision constitutes tacit endorsement, have become targets of often the vilest of attacks, not to mention legal action and media scorn.

Marriage Should Not Exist - says Masha the Marriage-ender

When a panel of judges from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pulled the nation back from the brink this week, they provided a rare glimpse of common sense in the debate over ending marriage. The majority opinion asks us to - Imagine a society without marriage. It does not take long to envision problems that might result from an absence of rules about how to handle the natural effects of male-female intercourse: children. May men and women follow their procreative urges wherever they take them? Who is responsible for the children that result? How many mates may an individual have? How does one decide which set of mates is responsible for which set of children? That we rarely think about these questions nowadays shows only how far we have come and how relatively stable our society is, not that States have no explanation for creating such rules in the first place.

You're a Scream, Howard Dean!

When former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) ran for President in 2004, he liked to joke that his campaign was pitched to "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." It was a jab at his rivals, whom he charged with being too cozy with Wall Street, too popular in corporate boardrooms. Long before there was an Occupy Wall Street movement, there was Howard Dean.

Obama: Irrelevant, Incompetent, or Intentional?

"Remember," said Ronald Reagan, "we have opponents; we don't have enemies." That's why President Reagan was so successful in gaining the respect and affection of the American people. Even people who did not like his policies liked him.

First Principles on Election Day 2014: Some Thoughts for Christian Voters

Some propositions for Christians in a nation of representative self-governance, a republic composed of 50 states, three branches of government, such semi-autonomous bureaucracies as the Fed, FARC, Fannie Mae, and the IRS, and uncounted numbers of city, county, state and other spheres of governance:

I Stand Sunday: Pastors Stand Strong In Face of Houston Mayor's 'Personal' Agenda

Houston Mayor Annise Parker's original demand that five Houston pastors turn over their sermons and communications under the threat of fines and/or incarceration created a First Amendment firestorm. She's now withdrawn her demand. However, given the history of Parker's tenure as mayor, it's clear this was never about sermons or speeches -- or even about biblical teaching on human sexuality -- it was about political intimidation.

Obscenity and Legal Prosecution: A Case of Non-Enforcement

A search of "adult obscenity cases" on the FBI's website brings up three cases since Barack Obama became President. One involves jail time for a man who made films featuring bestiality and scatological sex acts, and one notes a $75,000 fine and two years of probation for a pornography distributor who sent obscene DVDs in the mail.

Obama's Dove Crows: Israel's Hawk 'a Chicken****!'

Feathers are flying-in Washington and in Jerusalem-over the off-the-record comments by a senior Obama administration official to the respected Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. The unnamed dovish Obama policy maker said "the thing about Bibi [Netanyahu] is he's a chicken****!" Direct quote, characterization included.

Let's Start Treating Humans Humanely

Imagine being torn apart, limb from limb until you bled to death. That would be excruciating pain, right? This is not a mere cruel thought about the medieval act of quartering. A modern day punishment is being inflicted on innocent, vulnerable human beings who can feel pain. The 1999 U.S. Supreme Court case of Stenberg v. Carhart reveals the ugly reality of abortion of pain-capable pre-born children via dismemberment, where the child's arms and legs are twisted off by the abortionist using a steel clamp. Dr. Carhart, the abortionist on trial, confirmed that the preborn child can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while her limbs are being torn off.

What Christians Can Do to Stop the Destruction Pornography Causes

Pornography, human trafficking, abortion, sexually-transmitted disease, and prostitution are polluted streams pouring into the cesspool of human pain. They are mutually reinforcing evils, each widened and deepened by the others.

America's Number One Vote Suppressor?

President Obama!\r\rWhen he was first running for statewide office in Illinois, state Sen. Barack Obama said he could not support marriage for same-sex couples because "I am a Christian." When, just four years later, in 2008, he was asked about this issue at Rev. Rick Warren's Civic Forum, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama said marriage was between one man and one woman and that "God is in the mix."\r

Houston's Mayor is Endangering Civil Rights

Tavis Smiley raised a lot of eyebrows this weekend when he spoke on ABC-TV's "This Week" news show, hosted by George Stephanopoulos.

Why and How We Should Pray for Our Leaders

The substantial majority of readers of this site do not care for Barack Obama's presidency. This assertion is to understatement something like a kitchen faucet is to Niagara Falls.

Homosexual Marriage: A Watershed Issue for Evangelicals

There is a point where decision on contentious, difficult issues is unavoidable. With respect to homosexual conduct, the American Evangelical church has reached that point.

A Thousand Times More Dangerous Than ISIS

Several years ago, the Israeli satirical series, Latma, produced this funny sketch on the Iranian mullahs' push for a nuclear bomb. "The bomb, the bomb, I'll get the bomb. Listen to me, Honey, it ain't gonna be too long" sings the frolicking mullah in the online version of this humorous look at a most serious subject.

'Stunned' in Houston: Pastors Vow to Fight Mayor's Sermon Grab

Houston is home to one of NASA's most sophisticated space centers -- but even it would have trouble finding signs of intelligence in the local Mayor's office. The city's highest official is blowing past the First Amendment at warp speed -- and lighting a political powder keg in the process.

Conservatives Should Resolutely Oppose Common Core -- And so Should Liberals

Advocates of Common Core State Standards for all our schools regularly boast that 45 states are already "on board." Sounds like a railroad, doesn't it? How could such a thing happen with so little public debate and informed discussion?

Obama's Porous Borders, School Safety and Security Moms

An incident in suburban Maryland occurred this week that should serve as a wake-up call to all concerned mothers (and dads). An Anne Arundel County, Maryland, school bus was stolen by two drunken pranksters who said they were looking for cigarette money.

Obama's Porous Borders, School Safety and Security Moms

An incident in suburban Maryland occurred this week that should serve as a wake-up call to all concerned mothers (and dads). An Anne Arundel County, Maryland, school bus was stolen by two drunken pranksters who said they were looking for cigarette money. Bus 874 was trashed and smashed up and left in the woods in Davidsonville. Local moms are incensed-and they should be. How can we know that these people would not have driven around picking up special needs kids? For them the bus would have seemed a safe and welcoming sight. How could anyone gain access to a school bus parking lot under cover of darkness and make off with a bright yellow vehicle without being stopped at locked gates?

Common Core and the Constitution

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for public education are often in the news, and Family Research Council has taken a strong stand against them (see, for example, http://www.frc.org/commoncore).

The Face of Freedom Shines at Values Voter Summit

With those six words, a 27 year-old Sudanese mother opened her address to the audience of the 2014 Values Voter Summit Saturday night. It was only four short months ago that a shackled Mariam Ibraheem gave birth to a baby girl in a disease-ridden Khartoum prison as she faced a death sentence -- all because she refused to renounce her faith in Christ.

Not a Good Fit: Barack Obama and the Presidency

Contemplation is valuable. It fosters the prudence good decisions usually require.

'Formers' on the Streets of Washington

A few months ago, he was one of the most powerful people in Washington, indeed the country. Head of a massive Cabinet department with a budget of nearly $80 billion, when the Secretary left his downtown government office Secret Service agents scurried, memo-laden aides scrambled around wondering who would ride in the lead car and who would be forced to go in the longer caravan. Officials from governors to small town mayors would wonder who would get grants and what projects they could tout as promises of benefits fell from the Secretary's lips.

Holder's Legacy of Racial Politics

Attorney General Eric Holder, who announced his resignation on Thursday, leaves a dismal legacy at the Justice Department, but one of his legal innovations was especially pernicious: the demonizing of state attempts to ensure honest elections.

The Scottish 'Neverendum': Lessons for Us

Dan Snow is what they call a "presenter" for BBC television. He has called the agitation over the Scottish independence referendum a Neverendum.

Is Marriage Declining Despite Same-Sex Unions or Because of Them?

An article in the Washington Examiner on September 18 carried the headline:\r\r"Census: Marriage rate at 93-year low, even including same-sex couples."\r

Should Joe Biden Step Down?

Vice President Biden is being urged by liberal activists to "brush up his Shakespeare." His friends are trying desperately to clean up the latest mess that Joe Biden has caused. He recently told a group at a Legal Services Corporation event that his son, Beau Biden, had worked to protect our soldiers from "Shylocks" -- whom he described as unscrupulous lenders.

GAO Report Confirms: Taxpayer Funding of Abortion and No Transparency

After numerous requests by members of Congress, including U.S. Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) (on not one but two occasions), Andy Harris (R-MD) and Diane Black for clarity about abortion coverage in the state exchanges, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan government agency, released a report detailing its findings.

Why the Age of Spiritual Ambivalence is also the Age of Opportunity

The respected Pew Research organization recently published studies of how Americans feel about religion in our country. It's clear from the Pew surveys that millions of our fellow citizens are both ambivalent and deeply concerned about the status and role of faith in their personal lives and in the public life of the nation.

A choice for the people, not judicial tyrants

Decrying what he deemed a "pageant of empathy" in emotionally driven rulings nationwide, this month a federal district court judge from our home state of Louisiana issued a ruling upholding our state's marriage law. Notably, Judge Martin Feldman's decision represents the first federal court opinion to uphold a state marriage law since the Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Windsor in June 2103, that struck down the portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman for all purposes under federal law.

America will perish without a vision to defeat ISIS

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Americans have been shocked to see the brutality and barbarism of the Islamic militants of ISIS. Americans been stunned by the revelations that their fellow Americans have joined the ranks of ISIS are taking up the cause of the caliphate.

Choosing Sides in the War Against Evil

The writer of Ecclesiastes said there is nothing new under the sun.

Obamacare Needs Transparency on Abortion Coverage

Open enrollment for Obamacare is right around the corner. With a November 15 start date, Americans deserve to know whether the plans they're considering on the insurance exchange cover elective abortion and if so, how much they are paying for the abortion coverage, and how the abortion surcharge will be billed. Obamacare's abortion subsidy section contains a secrecy clause and it requires a person who signs up for a plan that covers elective abortion to pay an abortion surcharge of at least $12 per year. We investigated Colorado, for example, and discovered that it was very difficult to obtain accurate information.

Abortion Coverage Highlights Major Problems in Obamacare

Open enrollment for Obamacare, beginning on November 15th, is rapidly approaching. This means time is running out for hopes that transparency will be brought to abortion coverage in Obamacare plans on the exchanges.

Obamacare's Abortion Shell Game

Over the past few months, the Family Research Council (FRC) has reached out to insurance companies in various states to find out whether or not their Obamacare-exchange plans cover elective abortion. If they did, we sought to find out how much the abortion surcharge is (plans that cover abortion do so through a "surcharge" that is not federally subsidized) and how that surcharge is billed.

It Depends on What the Meaning of IS is

Stet is that proofreader's mark that means "keep it that way." We say keep it ISIS. President Obama was at pains on Wednesday night to reassure the world that ISIS is not Islamic.

A Tale of Two...Groups That Voluntarily Relinquished their Freedom to Associate

Earlier this week, the organizing committee of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade announced it will permit "Out@NBCUniversal" - a group composed of gay NBC employees - to march in its annual parade under an identifying banner.

'The Giver' reflects reality

Atheist writer Richard Dawkins' Twitter message to the world regarding an unborn child with Down syndrome was, "Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice."

Doing Things In the Name of 'Justice' May Not Produce 'Righteousness'

Few virtues have obtained the cultural cache that justice now possesses (just ask anyone in the pro-chastity movement). Compelling books, valuable Christian ministries, and innumerable blogs proliferate in its name.

What Is The Ex-Im Bank Hiding?

It seems the Export-Import Bank of the United States is once again putting up walls to keep the duly-elected representatives of the American people from getting a look at their inner workings.

On Roasting Marshmallows, the Deficit and Your Family

Uncle Sam claims to knows best - even how best to cook.

Don't Worry Joe Biden, We'll Remember You!

"Don't forget about me," Joe Biden pleaded earlier this summer. With all the focus then on Hillary Clinton's disastrous book launch, the Vice President wanted everyone to remember that he is standing by, ready and willing to step into the breach.

The Great War on the Unborn

In September 1914, the Battle of the Marne launched what would become more than four years of hellish warfare throughout much of Europe.

Post Labor Day Analysis: Our Freedoms Are Slowly Slipping Away

As Americans celebrated Labor Day and the freedom to provide for their families, let's hope they didn't spoil the holiday yesterday by pausing to consider whether government today is making their lives easier or more difficult.

My Journey to the Holy Land, Spending Time In Bomb Shelters and Why America Needs to Support Israel

There is a growing trend among Christians that claims this promise from Genesis 12 has expired that it is no longer valid. There are others in the Evangelical world, myself among them, who would rather stake our future and the future of our nation on the unchanging word of God.

It Isn't Their Twenty-First Century, Mr. President!

President Obama's reaction to the brutal televised murder of American journalist Jim Foley was heartfelt, to be sure, but it missed the mark. The president deplored such barbarous acts and called them out of place in "the Twenty-First Century."

The Case Against Expanding Gambling

With some state governors pushing to increase gambling, and with some Americans understandably confused about states' rights and federalism, it's time to consider whether legalized gambling should be encouraged or not. Can states ease pressure on hard-hit taxpayers by legalizing various forms of casinos and off-track betting on horse racing? And should it spread to the Internet?

Ex-Gay Therapy Debate: The Truth Matters

The fact that some people change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual (some as a result of professional therapy) is a problem for the homosexual movement. It seriously undermines the myth that homosexuality is a characteristic like race, which people are born with and can never change.

On Dialog and Instruction

Browbeating is not the way of Jesus.

Effects of Obama-Steyer Extremism on American Workers and Families

Last fall the United States began, for the first time in almost 20 years, to produce more crude oil than it imported. Around that same time, the International Energy Agency altered its previous predictions to show that the U.S. would become the world's number-one oil producer by 2015, producing 11 million barrels of crude a day. The headlines - and their implications - were hard to miss. American energy was making a comeback in a huge way.

California Sex Ed Gone Mad

What's the difference between a Playboy magazine and Fremont Unified School District's sex-ed curriculum?

President Obama's Goldilocks Mideast Policy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is too strong. PLO boss Mahmoud Abbas is too weak. That's why we can't get a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, says President Obama in an interview with the ever-serious Tom Friedman of the New York Times.

Peer-reviewed studies find state pro-life laws reduce abortion rates

A groundbreaking meta-analysis study was just published in State Politics & Policy Quarterly showing\rthe positive impact of state-level pro-life laws in reducing abortion rates.\r

On the Right Side of History?

Sculptors, put down your chisels. Painters, stow your brushes. We don't need any artists to do the official State Portrait of Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

Engaging Culture on All Fronts

A prominent Christian leader recently said to me that for Evangelicals and traditional Catholics and Orthodox, the metaphor of putting our fingers in the dike as holes of evil burst through it is anachronistic.

The Left's Litmus Tests of 2014: Abortion and Homosexuality

According to the New York Times, the Democratic Party has found a new theme with which to animate and expand its base: abortion and homosexuality.

Hillary Clinton 'Shoulda Stood in Bed!'

Hillary Clinton's famous "listening tour" of Upstate New York in 2000 eased her way into the U.S. Senate. She was the first liberal politician in years to discover there was an Upstate New York. Who knew?

Gay marriage's next big test

"Isn't the bigger point . . . that it disparages the voters-the votes of citizens of Michigan?"

Boys Growing Up Without Dads Remain Boys for Too Long

"Girls Grow Up Faster than Boys Do". So asserted the Brooklyn-based R&B group The Cookies in 1962. And it looks like they were right.

Genocide in Iraq

The dramatic evidence pointing to the extermination of Christians and Christian culture in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham's (ISIS) is impossible to ignore.

Crocodile Crock: Sir Elton Attacks Christian Missons -- and We're Paying for It!

Sir Elton John is world famous, deservedly so. This billionaire singer is one of the most creative talents we have. But when he attacks Christian missionaries in Africa and other Third World regions, his message is off-key. Instead of Crocodile Rock, he's peddling a Crocodile Crock.

Coercive Sterilization: An On-Going Crime Against Humanity

The inhumane practice of forced or "coercive" sterilization, favored by eugenicists and population controllers, can involve varying degrees of coercion.

The FCC Pitchman

The Federal Communications Commission is looking to raise revenue - and the agency is in full pitch mode. The company is injecting itself as the middlemen between buyers (wireless carriers) and sellers (TV broadcasters) of spectrum, hoping to take a large commission check as a result.

Appeals Court Should Correct Judge Friedman's Botched Social Science

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that oversees Michigan will hear oral arguments this week regarding a series of decisions striking down state laws that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, preventing recognition of same-sex "marriages" from other states, or both. The most interesting may be DeBoer v. Snyder, in which Judge Bernard A. Friedman ruled the Michigan Marriage Amendment unconstitutional.

No fundamental right to same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is a novel concept that is not as old as Google or Facebook, yet it is leading some courts to re-imagine the rights endowed by the U.S. Constitution and re-write human history.

Helping orphaned children is far more important than being politically correct

When discrimination against faith-based organizations prevails, it is children who first and most...

Conservatives Seek Restoration, Not Nostalgia

People tend to romanticize the past. Whether we are thinking of departed loves ones or a treasured national history, we easily over-rouge the blemishes that mar any life or any heritage.

'And the Bible Isn't Getting in Their Way'

So says Politico magazine earlier this month concerning purported trends among Evangelicals who are changing their minds on homosexuality. Some of this supposed change is being spearheaded by Matthew Vines, who recently wrote a book attempting to dissuade Evangelicals from believing what the Bible teaches about homosexual behavior.

In Israel's Desperate Hour, Obama Leads From Behind

"We have your back," President Obama told Israelis when he visited the embattled country recently. Way back, apparently. Mr. Obama's administration famously claimed to "lead from behind" in overthrowing Libya's strongman, Gaddafi. Young Sergeant Benjamin Anthony spoke to the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Washington Summit this week.

An 'accommodation' for Mother Angelica that really isn't Forcing Catholics into contracts for birth control violates their religious freedom

Despite hysterical rhetoric to the contrary, the Supreme Court last month did not deny a single woman access to contraception. Neither was any method of contraception made illegal, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi falsely claimed. In fact, the Hobby Lobby case was not about "access" or legality at all, but about who can be forced to pay for contraceptives.

Washington, D.C.: Where Christians Unite for Israel

Security was tight (and needed) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, D.C. This year's conference of Christians United for Israel brought thousands to the nation's capital. Planned a year in advance, conferees could hardly have expected more dramatic events in the world to highlight their 9th Annual Washington Summit.

Marriage Is a Religious Liberty Issue

How does same-sex marriage affect my life? Why can't we live and let live?

If Marriage Is Not About Procreation, Why Is It About Sex?

In the court cases which have upheld the one-man-one-woman definition of marriage (yes, there have been many, though not in the last year), the "rational basis" that judges have found for the laws has been the state's interest in promoting "responsible procreation."

Anti-Woman? Five Reasons the Catholic Church Is the Most Pro-Woman Institution in Existence

Anyone who claims that the Catholic Church is anti-woman knows little about her rich history and Tradition in proclaiming the beauty and greatness of womanhood. There is no more pro-woman institution than the Catholic Church. And here are five reasons why.

Mr. President: Is There A Bear?

It may have been the most effective political ad in history. President Reagan's 1984 "Prepared for Peace" ad was a 30-second spot featuring a bear. It put the essential question to the American voters and let them decide who was right. They decided that Reagan was right: It was best to be as strong as the bear, if there is a bear. President Reagan carried forty-nine states that year.

Does the Constitution contain Stem Cells?

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.

The Blumenthal 'Kill Them Later and Later' Bill

Connecticut's liberal Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants no one to have to worry about aborting unborn children late in pregnancy, very late.

Blumenthal Bill: The Real War on Women

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Sen. Richard Blumenthal's (D-CT) overreaching bill, ironically called the "Women's Health Protection Act" (S. 1696).

Turning the 'War on Women' to the 'War for Women'

Wikipedia, that encyclopedic shaman of our Internet age, defines "War on Women" as "an expression used in United States politics that characterizes certain Republican Party policies as a wide-scale assault on women's rights, especially reproductive rights."

Scholars Can Be Christian and Academic

Christians have concluded that the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- early followers of Jesus and witnesses of His life, death and resurrection -- are true.

Israel Hits Gaza, Gaza Hits Israel? Shhh!

Last week, the Washington Post ran a headline typical of the Western liberal media:

Public Policy and Presidential Pique

President Obama's petulance grows. For proof, look no further than media reports. Two quotes from Peggy Noonan's disturbing-because-it-is-accurate piece on Barack Obama's seeming "running out the clock" presidency in The Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court: Government Can't Make People Into Religious Hypocrites

Among its many implications, the Supreme Court's recent decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores means, at least for now, that government can't require people of faith to become hypocrites when they walk through the front door of their businesses.

Courage, Then and Now

Joshua stood on the bank of the Jordan River contemplating the enormous task ahead of him. He was about to lead millions of his fellow Israelites across the flooded river in a quest to finally conquer the land that had been promised to his people, the Jews. Canaan was part of the covenant that Yahweh had made with Joshua's ancestor, Abraham.

Obamacare Drug Mandate Loses, Women Win

One of Obamacare's most controversial provisions was just dealt a blow by the Supreme Court: the heavy-handed mandate that forces America's job-creators to buy insurance coverage for a list of the White House's favorite contraceptive drugs and devices, regardless of someone's sincere conscientious objection.

Hobby Lobby symposium: The exercise of religion is inseparable from human activity - including supporting one's family

In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the Supreme Court held in a five-to-four decision that closely held for-profit corporations can bring claims under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ("RFRA"), and that the HHS mandate violated these corporations' rights under RFRA by requiring them to provide contraceptives which they believe end human life.

Why Religious Freedom in Sudan Matters to All of Us

With Meriam Ibrahim and her children facing torture and impending death, a surprising collection of activists have fought to save them.

Christophobic College Campuses

In an unusually fair article, the New York Times last week ran a front page story titled, "Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy."

The right leader

Tuesday's unexpected and historic defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor stunned the political class and official Washington. A little-known and underfunded challenger prevailed against one of the most powerful men in Washington and one of the most visible Republican leaders in the country.

Help Wanted: GOP Leader for a Majority

Louisiana's "Ragin' Cajun,"James Carville, was the mastermind behind the first Clinton presidential campaign. He drew the Republicans off their winning strategy back in 1992 with his "It's the economy, stupid!"

No U.S. dollars to PLO 'Terroristan'

For too long, the U.S. taxpayers have been forced to shell out money to the PLO -- the Palestinian Liberation Organization. For nearly a quarter of a century, the PLO -- repackaged as the Palestinian Authority -- has been raking in billions of dollars from credulous officials in the U.S. State Department and the European Union. All the while, the PLO has never truly renounced its objective of destroying Israel.

My uncle on D-Day and beyond

When my uncle, Pfc. Walter Neske, landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, he was far away from his youth in Ridgewood, N.J.

President Obama: Incompetent Or Intentional?

Even Democrats are beginning to yell "incompetence!" And it's a nightly refrain on Fox News. We are certainly seeing signs of incompetence in the deplorable VA scandal, and the rollout of Obamacare was a world-class case of "glitch."

Signs of Common Grace - And How to Use Them

Watching the recent film "Gravity," starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is a gripping, stay-in-your-seat experience. In sum, it's about a pair of astronauts who must grope their weightless way through space to find space stations from which they can get back to earth.

Toni Braxton Joins Ranks of Other Celebrities in Revealing Abortion

What do Toni Braxton, Sharon Osbourne, Sherri Shepherd, Sinead O'Connor, Stevie Nicks, and Charlotte Dawson have in common?

Communicating Truth and Love in the Public Square

Moral indignation without compassion is little more than petulance and self-righteous smugness.

President Obama, meet Chancellor Bismarck

When Sen. Barack Obama went to Berlin in 2008 and proclaimed himself a "citizen of the world," he was acclaimed by hundreds of thousands of young Germans. They were as excited as many young Americans were by this avatar of Hope and Change.

A Heavily Qualified Foreign Policy: American Diplomacy in the Obama Era

Some thoughts about President Obama's lengthy foreign policy speech at West Point a few days ago:

Regulations On Abortionists And Abortion Facilities Means Safer Conditions For Women

Activists and some news outlets have expressed anxiety over reports that Texas abortion facilities are closing because they fail to meet new regulations enacted by Texas last year. These reasonable standards were recently upheld by the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The National Journal reported, "The added difficulty of finding qualified doctors, getting new licenses, and navigating state health department regulations is a hurdle higher than most closed clinics are likely to clear."

Danger at the Summit

First Lady Michelle Obama recently appeared on the Web holding a sign:##BringBackOurGirls. She was presumably acting with the full approval of her husband. President Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of what was once known as a Superpower. In London, Prime Minister David Cameron similarly resorted to the Internet to express the concern of a nation once known as Great Britain. These fatuous responses to the kidnapping of nearly three hundred Christian girls by the Islamist Boko Haram in Nigeria have met with widespread derision, as they should.

On Not Trying to Do Everything

News, foreign and domestic, is grim more often than not.\r\r

Maryland's New Show and Tell

If you need proof that same-sex "marriage" is about more than "love," look no further than Montgomery County, Maryland.

Justina Pelletier case: Government is a terrible parent

I vividly remember when I first learned that I was going to be a dad. My wife and I visited her doctor for an ultrasound and saw the oval-shaped head of our little girl distinct on the black-and-white monitor. \r\rThe day she was born, I held my daughter in my arms and stared into her eyes. It was a wonderful moment. I thought about all the things that lay ahead for her - and for my wife and me as we entered this new phase in life called parenting.

Putin Out and Proud

The Wall Street Journal recently showed Vladimir Putin in Crimea. There was the saturnine Slav in an unusually ebullient mood. He was standing in front of a banner ostensibly celebrating the victory of the USSR in what Russians still call "The Great Patriotic War" against Hitler in 1945.\r\r

Saying No to Marijuana

In January, President Obama was asked about his views on marijuana. He opined that it is "not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life." And, he said, "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol."\r\r

Getting Missile Defense Right

With Iran on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons and Russia wanting to re-assert itself as a world power through the Ukrainian crisis, a strong military presence in the world is more important for America than ever. A critical way the military does this is by remaining a global leader in ballistic missile technology.\r

Public Outrage At Recent Abortion Controversies Points To Pro-Life Momentum

Outrage over three horrific abortion-related news stories is moving the public toward protecting human life.\r\r

How the Supreme Court Helped Secure Religious Liberty This Week

Earlier this week, in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision holding that a legislative prayer practice permitting local ministers to offer prayers (un-edited by the government) before a local assembly did not violate the Establishment Clause. This is a major win for religious liberty, and for the free expression of religion in public spaces. Numerous commentators have somehow missed the fact that this benefits those of all faiths.\r\r

This Lutheran's Sainted Popes

The forthcoming birthday (May 18th) of Saint John Paul has given me occasion to reflect on this great man's legacy. He was the one who taught us all that everyone deserves a birth day. And it's an occasion for reflection on my own gift of long life.

Sexual Assault on Campus a Symptom of a Larger Problem

Sexual assault is a moral evil. This is clear from the teaching of Jewish and Christian Scripture and from the voice of human conscience. It is an assault on the dignity and privacy of the person, a warping act that, whether committed against an adult or child, does violence to body, soul, and mind.\r\r

Truth in a Time of Deceit and Difficulty

Truth has a decided disadvantage in a society where deconstructionism, moral relativism, sentiment, and spiritism concurrently infuse the cultural center: It is inflexible.\r\r

Margaret Sanger, racist eugenicist extraordinaire

Recent articles have reported on an unearthed video from 1947 of Margaret Sanger demanding "no more babies" for 10 years in developing countries. A couple of years ago, Margaret Sanger was named one of Time magazine's "20 Most Influential Americans of All Time." Given her enduring influence, it's worth considering what the woman who founded Planned Parenthood contributed to the eugenics movement.

''Irreplaceable' Is A Powerful Case For Biblical Marriage

After "Noah," "God's Not Dead," and "Heaven is for Real," this week brings yet another entry in The Year of the Christian Movie - "Irreplaceable," a film produced by Focus on the Family and screening for one night only this Tuesday, May 6 at over 700 theaters nationwide. "Irreplaceable" is a documentary that asks, "What is the family?" and "Does it still matter in today's society?"\r\r

Taiwan: Beware!

The world has watched in dismay as Russia's ruler, Vladimir Putin, has gobbled up Crimea. Now, he seems bent on dismembering Ukraine. Much of our attention has been focused on Putin and his next targets. Perhaps Taiwan is next.\r\r

The Battle for Life Endures -- and So Must We

The abortion battle is neither won nor lost, which is why Christians have to keep waging it.\r\rConsider two recent items in the news. The first from CBS News: "Oregon incinerator may have been burning tissue from aborted fetuses." Local officials expressed dismay and anger. "I'm sorry I didn't know that this included fetal tissue, but now that I do know, believe me things change," Marion County (Oregon) board of commissioners chairman Sam Brentano said. "We are outraged and disgusted that this material could be included in medical waste received at the facility," according to Marion County commissioner Janet Carlson.\r\r

Common Core's Lack of Transparency

With all the Sturm und Drang surrounding the widespread and ongoing implementation of the Common Core State Standards initiative (CCSS), it may be surprising to learn that a new Gallup poll indicates over a third of parents haven't even heard of Common Core. Despite the press surrounding Indiana's withdrawal from the standards on substantive and budgetary grounds and the latest high-profile news that CCSS supporting organization the National Educators Association has criticized Common Core's roll-out, the recent poll supports the notion that the standards were created without sufficient input from parents and educators, and took the public by surprise. According to Gallup, "fewer than four in 10 parents (38 percent) appear to be knowledgeable about the standards, saying they have heard either a great deal or a fair amount about them. Nearly as many - 31 percent - have heard nothing, while another 30 percent have heard only a little."\r\r

President Obama: Take Away Kerry's 'Big Stick!'

Secretary of State John Kerry has taken only one element from all of America's history in his peripatetic quest to forge a Mideast peace settlement: It is Theodore Roosevelt's famous "Big Stick." It was the Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Roosevelt, who famously quoted the West African proverb: "Walk softly but carry a big stick."\r\r

Evangelicals Are Too Nice

Robust orthodoxy is out of fashion.\r\rTenuous, tempered, nuanced articulations of flailing faith appear with frequency in Christian magazines, blog sites, books, and sermons. Woe unto him who makes a declarative, propositional statement -- it's regarded as mean, dogmatic, fundamentalistic (no, not that!), harsh, lecturesome, oversimplistic, and hostile.\r\r

To the Woman Hiding Behind 'Belle Knox'

Dear Miriam Weeks, I am not here to condemn you, but, instead, to tell you that you have unimaginable worth and are the beloved daughter of a King.

Secretary Kerry's Mideast 'Piece' Talks Break Down

Secretary of State John Kerry has been tireless in his travels to the Mideast, pressing and pushing for an Arab-Israeli peace settlement. But the peace settlement he has pursued should more accurately be called a "piece" settlement, since the only topic he seems to care about is how manypieces of territory the embattled Jewish State can be prodded into giving up to its sworn enemies.\r\r

Former Justice John Paul Stevens: Rewrite The Constitution To End Gun Ownership

Justice John Paul Stevens doesn't believe anyone has the right to own a gun and admits that Americans would need to rewrite the Constitution to make his preference a legal reality. That's exactly what he thinks should happen.\r

Rand Casts a Paul Over Life Debate

Republicans are still months away from kicking off the presidential race - and that's a good thing for front-runners like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who could use the extra time to hone their messaging. In four years, the Kentucky leader has won over plenty of fans for his solid record on a whole range of issues, including life. But today, it isn't his record that's concerning people - it's his rhetoric.\r\r

Gramsci at Grove City College

In early 2013, I had the honor of speaking at Grove City College in Pennsylvania as part of its Ronald Reagan Lecture Series. The lecture series is an annual event at this excellent small Christian college. Grove City College gained a deserved measure of fame in the 1980s when it resisted federal encroachment and decided not to accept any form of federal aid. This would enable this college to maintain its independence and integrity and, not incidentally, keep tuition remarkably low. \r\r

Getting Housing Finance Reform Right

A critical vote may await the Senate upon its return next week.\r\r

Welcome News in the Battle for Life

The battle to defend unborn babies from abortion and their mothers from the predatory and deceptive abortion industry is long and tedious. Rather than one sweeping victory, the pro-life movement has experienced many small and partial victories in the 41 years since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.\r\r

Air Force must follow Congressional intent on religious liberty

For two years, Congress has directed the Department of Defense to better protect the rights of service members to live out their religious beliefs. Recent controversy at the Air Force Academy in March drew attention yet again to the fact that even the most casual religious expressions - simply posting a Bible verse on a personal white board - can result in wrongful command pressure to forgo expressing one's faith out of fear of offense to a potential bystander.\r\r

The Temptation of Evangelical Snobbery

That Evangelicals Protestants are, like everyone else, heirs of Adam should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the basics of biblical anthropology or to the honest believer who simply takes a good look at himself in the mirror.\r\r

Why Younger Evangelicals Are Leaving the Church: Some Arguments against the Conventional Wisdom

Many young people are leaving Evangelical churches. Statistics vary, but there is general consensus that large numbers of post-high school age Evangelical youth shed the faith of their fathers and mothers upon beginning their college years.\r\r

The Prestige of the Presidency

By 1869 Americans had completed construction of a transcontinental railroad, which spanned nearly 2,000 miles. In 1903, America's Wright brothers flew the first powered air craft in world history.

Poll Vaulting: Marriage Gets PR Boost

For former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, supporting marriage must feel like an awfully lonely position. But according to a new Rasmussen Poll, it's anything but. In what should be an eye-opening survey that the media will go out of its way to ignore, the survey house announced a flat-out tie between Americans who back same-sex "marriage" and those who don't. Holding almost completely steady from its 2013 numbers, 43 percent of people, when asked "do you favor or oppose gay marriage," said they supported, compared to another 43 percent who opposed. The debate, which the media pronounced dead and buried, has never been more alive!\r\r

The appeal of natural marriage

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, seated in Denver, heard oral arguments on a very significant case in the national debate over the definition of marriage. That case, Kitchen v. Herbert, was an appeal of Judge Robert Shelby's district court's decision striking down Utah's marriage amendment and related statutes.\r\r

The Marriage That Made America

Why do we remember Martha Washington as Lady Washington? Isn't this the kind of aristocratic pretension that Mister Jefferson taught us to reject? No.

Stand with Civility - But Stand

Civility counts for a great deal in a society in which representative self-government means substantial and sometimes grave differences of opinion. No country divided by opposing opinions can survive if its citizens take up arms against one another due to political disagreements. A certain war waged on our soil from 1861-1865 proves it.

Buzz Aldrin's amazing mission

Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong nearly didn't make it back from the Moon. One of the many startling revelations of Astronaut Aldrin's two-hour presentation April 1st at Annapolis' Severn School was his description of seeing a broken plastic switch for a circuit breaker in the command module, the Eagle, on the surface of the moon.

Preserving Religious Liberty in Mississippi

On Thursday, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed S.B. 2681, the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, into law, bringing the state into line with federal law on the issue of religious freedom. To their credit, Mississippi's elected officials read the bill's text and did not yield to egregious misrepresentations of what is a fair and reasonable religious liberty measure.

Putting the military on the defensive over sex

As our top military officer bemoans sexual assault in the ranks, other Pentagon "leaders" attack religious servicemen and collectively slash defense spending, our adversaries grow more dangerous.

Norman Borlaug, Champion of Life

Every state is allowed to have two statues of its greatest sons and daughters in the U.S. Capital. Earlier this month, the state of Iowa "unveiled a statue of (Iowa native) Norman Borlaug on Tuesday in a ceremony on what would have been his 100th birthday. Borlaug died in 2009."\r\r

Israel's Time's Running Out, Mr. President, or Yours?

Henry Kissinger made Mideast "shuttle diplomacy" famous in the 1970s. The peripatetic Sec. of State then jetted back and forth between Israel and Egypt and fashioned an uneasy cease-fire in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.\r\r

What is U.S. Money Actually Funding at the UN and Overseas?

From March 10-21, 2014 the United Nations held its 58th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at its headquarters in New York. I both spoke and observed, and what I saw was troubling.\r\r

A Marriage Spring - Like the Arab Spring? The Dangers of the Un-Marriage Movement

Recently, I was a panelist on MSNBC. The topic was same sex marriage. A fellow panelist called for a Marriage Spring. We know what that means. Or we think we do. The un-marriage advocate wants us to hurry up and overthrow the existing order.

Not Just For Profit

Post-argument predictions will continue to pour out regarding Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius, cases in which business owners (the Green and Hahn families) have voiced religious objections to being forced to pay for certain types of contraceptives. The truth is, no one knows what will happen; what should happen is somewhat clearer.\r

Why Ronald Reagan spoke of 'The Eleventh Commandment'

I was a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution. I eagerly campaigned for him on both coasts in both of his presidential races and served proudly in his administration. With the recent CPAC meeting in Washington, D.C., I was led to re-read Ronald Reagan's 1977 CPAC speech. It was a gem. He spoke of a New Republican Party, a party that welcomed new members and sought to build a majority in the country.\r\r

Common Core and Obamacare: Two Peas in a Pod

Two of the biggest intrusions into American liberty have come because American politicians assume things that just aren't true. Specifically, that it's the duty of the federal government to guarantee that the entire population is educated and healthy.\r\r

Uphold religious liberty

Millions of Americans are losing their health plans as Obamacare takes effect. Waiting for your cancellation notice has become the modern-day equivalent of waiting for your draft number to come up.\r\r

The Anti-Jobs HHS Mandate

The Obama administration claims their focus this year is getting America back to work, yet their actions speak louder than their words.\r\r

Back in the USSR?

How did our relations with Russia go so far wrong so quickly? The Obama administration hoped to have a "reset" of our bilateral ties by wiping the slate clean. In giving the Russians a reset, we were showing a willingness to let bygones be bygones. Or, in their case, let Putin's 2008 invasion of neighboring Republic of Georgia be forgotten. It was exactly the wrong thing to do.\r\r

Reassure the Poles? Send Biden!

With Vladimir Putin's seeming success in rolling over Crimea and pushing aside the Ukrainians, President Obama is talking tough. And, though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, Poland, the Baltic states, Hungary and the Czech Republic are. They need some shoring up. So Mr. Obama has sent Vice President Joe Biden to reassure the Poles.\r\r

Paying for Abortions, One Pendant at a Time

The D.C. Abortion Fund (DCAF) is giving a coat hanger pendant for each new donation of $10 or more per month to pay for low-income women's abortions in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area as a "token of [their] appreciation," in case you wanted a macabre reminder of your direct contribution to the killing of innocent babies. The pendant is based on their logo.\r\r

Belgium's Child Abuse: Euthanasia Law Endangers Some of the Most Vulnerable

On March 3, King Philippe of Belgium signed into law a euthanasia bill passed by lawmakers on Feb. 13. This law exposes Belgian children under the age of 18 to the possibility of being euthanized, making Belgium the first country in the world to expose children of any age to such a risk.\r\r

Human Conscience Prevails Over Cultural Divide

When the apostle Paul wrote his landmark letter to the church in Rome, he made a point of emphasizing both the common humanity and the common fallenness of both Jews and Gentiles (3:9-10). In stressing our individual and collective failings before God, Paul emphasized something thoughtful Evangelicals would do well to ponder as we think about persuading our generation: the universality and permanence of the God-given conscience.\r\r

Piers Morgan Missed His Target in America

New York Times columnist David Carr thinks that Piers Morgan got the heave-ho from CNN because of his British accent. Well, we know what Mr. Carr thinks of the rest of us Yanks, don't we?

Exodus II? Christian Persecution in the Middle East

The former President of Lebanon, Amine Gemayel, is a Maronite Christian. He recently warned of "an exodus approaching biblical proportions." Gemayel told a gathering in Zurich of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and other human rights activists that the current wave of church burnings, murders, and riots against Christians in the Mideast is the work of radical Islamists. The former Lebanese leader's own brother had been assassinated in Beirut by these same jihadists.\r

How's This for Flexibility, Mr. President?

It was a shocking disclosure just two years ago. In Seoul, South Korea, President Barack Obama's voice was picked up on a hot mic as he told Russia's Dmitri Medvedev: "Tell Vladimir [Putin] I can be more flexible after the election."\r

Air Force Cadets Show Us How to Fight for Our Faith

At the U.S. Air Force Academy, jets aren't the only things taking off. So is a campus-wide rebellion against the forces of political correctness. Frustrated by the school's decision to scrub a Bible verse from one of the dorm whiteboards, cadets decided to take matters into their own hands. In a show of defiance, Bible verses started popping up on dry erase boards throughout the dorms - outraging the anti-Christian "tolerance" police at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

The Integrity of the Evangelical Mind

In a recent interview with Jonathan Merritt, University of North Carolina professor Molly Worthen (author of Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism) asserts that"Evangelicals ... defend their beliefs by twisting scientific evidence to affirm authorities that are often incompatible with science, namely their reading of the Bible, or personal religious experience."\r\r

The Madness of Redistribution: Why Paul Krugman is Wrong (Again)

At the end of the classic film, "The Bridge Over the River Kwai," the prison camp's doctor surveys the scenes of death and destruction surrounding him. He sums up the imponderable moral irony of the British helping the Japanese build a bridge only to blow it up as a military necessity, and exclaims, "Madness! Madness!"\r\r

Obama fumbles the key to saving minority youth; Intact families depend on a commitment to selfless love

Last month, Bill O'Reilly confronted President Obama on the state of marriage in the black family. The president answered last Thursday in a touching speech on the plight of minority young men.\r\r

Fetal homicide laws and the logical inconsistency of abortion

Kansan Scott Bollig, 30, was recently charged with first-degree murder after lacing his eight- to 10-week pregnant girlfriend's pancakes with an abortion-inducing drug. Naomi Abbott, 36, miscarried their child and suffered "great bodily harm." While the drug has not been revealed by authorities, there have been other recent cases where misoprostol (Cytotec) was used as well as mifepristone (RU-486).

Hillary: Regret 'Reset' Yet?

It was the most memorable moment in the debates of the 2008 nomination cycle. Before the New Hampshire Primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton was asked by the debate moderator to respond to comments that she had a powerful resume, impressive achievements, but she didn't measure up on the "likeability" scale.\r\r

The Romeike Reprieve

For now, the Romeikes get to stay in America. Homeschoolers Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled their native Germany in 2008 and brought their five children to the U.S. They have since had a sixth child.

Climate Change, Mr. Secretary?

Just last week, Secretary of State John Kerry pronounced Climate Change the greatest threat to the international community. And this week, with Russia's seizure of Crimea, the international climate has changed. The man is a prophet!\r

How Are Younger Evangelicals Responding to Homosexuality?

When Dr. Rosaria Champagne Butterfield spoke at FRC last year, she was well-received and her presentation was greatly appreciated. A former lesbian and person of the Left, she came to Christ, had a dramatic (what she calls a "train wreck") conversion and has married a pastor with whom she has several children.\r

President Obama and 'I am the State'

It was very interesting to see President Obama touring Thomas Jefferson's Monticello with French President Francois Hollande last week. When Mr. Obama broke the tour protocol to view the estate from a private terrace he said - only half in jest - "I can do whatever I want."

Political Delusions and Common Ground

The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that in psychology, delusion is "a rigid system of beliefs with which a person is preoccupied and to which the person firmly holds, despite the logical absurdity of the beliefs and a lack of supporting evidence." So, to say someone is delusional is to argue that he believes something not only false but absurd.\r\r

Will Supporters of the Benghazi Killers Immigrate to the US?

That may sound like a ridiculous question, and it certainly should be. But now President Obama has once again chosen to ignore the laws of the land as he announced an "asylum" program for those who have provided support to terrorists. \r

Gosnell's depravity brings pro-life awakening

Feb. 18 marks the fourth anniversary of the FBI raid on Kermit Gosnell's Philadelphia abortion facility. Ironically, the reason for the raid was not the multiple abortion-related reports and complaints the FBI had received.\r\r

And What if He is a Marxist?

It's getting harder even for sincere media supporters of President Obama's signature legislative achievement-the government takeover of health care known as Obamacare-to defend the indefensible.

Both Jesses Were Right

Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to a bank of microphones outside the White House. He had just come from conferring with President Jimmy Carter.

The Faith of Ronald Reagan

My friend Dr. Paul Kengor teaches at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. He may be the last serious scholar in America who is still researching and publishing books on the Communist menace that held half the world in its grip for 70 years.

Don't Work, Just 'Dream'

A new study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that the Affordable Care Act, often called "Obamacare," "will lead to about two million fewer full-time workers by 2017 - rising to 2.5 million by 2024 - nearly all from employees voluntarily forgoing work because of the availability of government-sponsored health insurance exchanges."\r

Religious Liberty Lip Service

The Pew Research Center recently released results of a study finding that Christians are the most persecuted religious group world-wide. The study found that Christians were being harassed for their faith in 110 countries, and "[m]ore than 5.3 billion people (76 percent of the world's population) live in countries with a high or very high level of restrictions on religion, up from 74 percent in 2011 and 68 percent as of mid-2007."\r\r

Religious liberty should trump HHS mandate

Like many startups, Hobby Lobby began in founder David Green's garage. Now, more than 40 years later, the Green family business has 16,000 full-time employees in stores across the country with 70 new stores opening this year. They are a quiet family that loves God, honors their employees and enjoys serving people in their stores around the nation.

The Green Family, the HHS Mandate, and Religious Freedom

Today the Green family, owners of Hobby Lobby, will submit its brief in the Supreme Court case Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby. The case will determine whether the Green family will be forced to choose between four bad options: violating their faith and providing drugs and services to their employees in their healthcare plan, to which they morally object; pay massive fines of up to $100 per day per employee for non-compliance; drop healthcare coverage for their employees and their families altogether; or close their doors and go out of business.

Constitutional silence does not necessarily justify federal action

Recently President Obama has spoken several times about his intention to use "executive orders" to bypass Congress and pursue things he wants accomplished.

How Do We Eradicate Sex Trafficking?

In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, authorities announced that they rescued 16 minors in the New York City area from sex traffickers. In addition, more than 50 women who were also coerced to work as prostitutes were saved. Police from more than 50 law enforcement agencies spanning New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut arrested 45 pimps in a two week run up to the Super Bowl.

Reagan the wise

"I can't believe I'm losing to this idiot," said a frustrated Sen. John Kerry after a 2004 presidential debate with George W. Bush. Kerry was embarrassed shortly afterward when someone leaked his college transcript, which revealed that his fellow Harvard grad Bush had a higher GPA. Kerry's embarrassment turned to mortification when the election returns came in from Ohio. There, riding the coattails of a marriage amendment on the ballot, George W. Bush carried the Buckeye State and won the election.\r\r

States should retain power to define marriage

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster for marriage law in Utah. On Dec. 13, U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups vindicated years of slippery slope arguments by opponents of marriage redefinition by declaring the state's law criminalizing polygamous cohabitation to be unconstitutional.

Washington's topsy-turvy rhetoric escalates the war on faith

A favorite tactic of this Administration is to engage in outrageous behavior, and then - with the support of its allies - put its opponents on the defensive by accusing them of engaging in the conduct of which it is in fact guilty.

Selling Out Israel: The Obama-Kerry Plan

Israel is being urged to give up major portions of the West Bank of the Jordan River to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

A Divided House, a Divided Nation

Republicans are being criticized for looking passive or even dour during the recent State of the Union address.\r\r

Government Funding Increases Use of a Product or Service: Abortion is No Different

Only days after hundreds of thousands came to Washington to participate in the annual March for Life, marking the 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act" by a vote of 227-188.\r\r

Our Fierce Urgency of Now

President Obama has invoked Dr. King's powerful phrase -- the fierce urgency of now -- as a spur to get his troops in line for the takeover of health care.

Treating the Unborn in an Era of Abortion

This week we mark the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to allow elective abortion on demand, Roe v. Wade.

How Republicans Should Handle The Inevitable ObamaCare Implosion

Everyday Americans will now experience the unfolding and worsening train wreck called ObamaCare, now that its major provisions became operative on Jan. 1.\r\r

Remembering the religious freedoms we're losing

As we celebrate national Religious Freedom Day today, it's worth reflecting on the freedoms we are daily letting slip away.

Persecution, Repression, and Religious Liberty

Kim Dae Jin recalls the day when, as a prisoner in a North Korean labor camp, an informant betrayed a small group of prisoners who were Christian, which to be was forbidden.\r\r

Congress should protect states' right to define marriage