3 ways to serve the lonely
This week marks the end of what can be considered the loneliest season of the year.
How is your church responding to a post-Roe world?
The Dobbs decision marks a true turning point in the pro-life movement — a moment that Christians, pro-life advocates and many others have worked toward tirelessly for 50 years. As we respond to the ruling in this case, we want to be faithful to pray.
This free Dobbs prayer guide contains a list of 48 specific prayer requests to guide you, your family, and your church in your prayers over the coming weeks and months.
This Week in Washington, D.C.
This week in Washington, D.C., the ERLC joined other faith-based groups, like Prison Fellowship, in calling for Congress to pass the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act.
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 disproportionately punishes crack cocaine-related crimes despite the drug being equivalent to powder cocaine in its effects on the human body. The inconsistency in punitive measures for almost identical crimes has significant implications for communities across the country. Under current federal law, the statutory penalty for a crack cocaine crime is eighteen times that of the same crime with powder cocaine. In 2018, African Americans accounted for 81% of all federal crack cocaine distribution charges.
The bill, which was reintroduced on Friday, would remedy the disparity in federal sentencing for crack and powder cocaine related crimes. The bill would amend federal mandatory minimums so that crack and powder cocaine activities warrant the same criminal punishment. Additionally, this act would allow federal courts to review the sentences of currently incarcerated crack and powder cocaine offenders who were subject to former federal laws. The Act would prohibit arbitrary discrimination between indistinguishable crimes.
You can read more about the ERLC’s support for the EQUAL Act here.
Featured Podcasts
This week on the ERLC Podcast, Brent interviews Ed Litton and Fred Luter about racial reconciliation and the SBC. These two men have started an important racial reconciliation effort called The Unify Project, and on this episode, they encourage us to be ambassadors of reconciliation within the communities where the Lord has placed us.
From The Public Square
Kentucky Supreme Court leaves abortion ban in place
Politico
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday to keep two state abortion restrictions in place for now — dashing the hope of clinics in the deep-red state that had sued for the right to resume providing the procedure while legal challenges continue.
Mississippi Evangelicals Prepare to Welcome Dobbs Babies
Christianity Today
Christians open their arms to the 5,000 children state officials expect to be born now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.
Court to reconsider Connecticut's transgender athlete policy
Associated Press
A federal appeals court has reinstated a challenge to Connecticut’s policy of allowing transgender girls to compete in girls high school sports, two months after a three-judge panel upheld the rules.
America Has Gone Too Far in Legalizing Vice
The Atlantic
Our hearts and minds are shaped not only by reason but also by our habits, which are just as often inexplicably self-destructive as they are reasonable.
What You Need to Read
Jason Thacker with 3 top technology issues to watch in 2023
Already, it seems 2023 is going to be an interesting year as we deal with an onslaught of emerging technologies like advanced AI systems and virtual reality, as well as continue to navigate pressing challenges of digital privacy and the role of faith in the digital public square.
ERLC Staff with How racially diverse is the SBC?
With 22.3% of our Southern Baptist congregations being non-Anglo and many worshiping in multiple languages across America, the Southern Baptist Convention may be the most multiethnic and multilingual denomination in the United States. While the SBC still has a long way to go in its pursuit of racial reconciliation, we are moving in the right direction toward the first step of having a diverse convention of believers unified around a common goal to fulfill the Great Commission.
ERLC Staff with What is the Psalm 139 Project?
The Psalm 139 Project exists to purchase and place ultrasound machines in pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) and women’s health clinics (WHCs) around the country and train clinic staff for their use. Each placement allows abortion-vulnerable and abortion-determined women to get a glimpse of the life inside their womb.
