5 facts about Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence

This Sunday marks the 245th anniversary of Independence Day, a day celebrating America's Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Here are five facts you should know about our country’s founding document and the observance of its commemoration.

This Week in Washington, D.C.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) 2017 “True Lender” rule. This week, President Biden signed this policy into law.

The 2017 OCC rule allowed payday lenders to partner with out-of-state banks, thus evading state interest rate caps in their own state. This partnership is known as a “rent-a-bank” scheme, which allows banks to “rent” their name to lenders in an outside state in order to avoid consumer protection laws. The rule states that these partner banks operated as the ‘true lender’ and originator of the loan, so though the consumer and the payday lender are in one state, their state laws did not apply to the loan. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to repeal rules promulgated by a federal agency, such as this 2017 OCC rule.

The ERLC has long applauded states’ efforts to curtail unjust lending practices in their states. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia have 36% interest rate caps. We believe that these common sense consumer protection laws should be respected rather than undermined by federal regulation. Predatory lenders should not be granted a loophole from state laws that promote responsible and honest lending practices and that represent the will of the voters of those states.

From The Public Square

First Denomination to Condemn Uyghur Muslim Genocide? Southern Baptists
Christianity Today

Such statements that bridge faiths are rare, based on my two decades working on religious freedom. Christians need to make more.

Supreme Court Denies Cert. In NAMB Abstention Case
Religion Clause

The U.S. Supreme Court today denied review in North American Mission Board v. McRaney, (Docket No. 20-1158, certiorari denied 6/28/2021). (Order List.) In the case the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, by a vote of 9-8, denied en banc review of a panel decision that had refused to invoke the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine in a dispute between the Mission Board and its former executive director.

Supreme Court passes on transgender bathroom challenge
Politico

This is the second time this term that the Supreme Court has sidelined a lawsuit aimed at barring transgender students from bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

Why We Opposed an Anti-Abortion Resolution at the Southern Baptist Convention
Public Discourse

The resolution on abortion that was passed at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville was well-intended but woefully flawed. It offers no exception for the life of the mother, and it opposes incrementalism. Those two items are serious shortcomings that would lead to the loss of more innocent lives, not fewer.

What You Need to Read

Brent Leatherwood with How to believe in a better politics: Learning from Bill Haslam’s new book

Gratitude for all Haslam has experienced from his time in the public square emanates from every chapter in this book. As a citizen he once served in this state’s highest office, I, too, am grateful for his leadership. For eight years as governor, he exhibited a faithful presence because he believed in a better way. In effect, he practiced what he preached –– a novel approach these days. While I wish he would run for office again, at a minimum, I hope his words here will inspire a generation to follow in his footsteps, seeking the welfare of the city where the Lord has sent them (Jer. 29:7).

Jordan Wootten with What does it mean for the church to think theologically about our cultural engagement?

As Christians, we know that God’s Word is “living and active,” and that transformation is dependent on the Spirit of God and the Word of God doing its work. Our Bible is not just God-breathed, after all. It is God-breathing. In other words, when we encounter the Word of God, we encounter God speaking now. And since we know that God’s speaking is God’s doing, when we bring his Word to bear on the culture and its inhabitants, we can be confident that transformation will follow.

Andrew Bertodatti with How can God’s people pursue compassion during the global refugee crisis? A conversation about "Refuge Reimagined"

Forced displacement is a global crisis that grows every year. In the face of these conditions, sympathy toward displaced people is often overshadowed by fear and concern about security, economics, and culture. As the global refugee crisis worsens, Christians need a perspective that considers Scripture and political realities and can be applied at the local church, national, and international levels.

This Week at the ERLC

Featured Podcasts

In last week's episode of the ERLC Podcast, Josh, Lindsay, and Brent discuss the shocking collapse of a surf-side condo in Miami, the SCOTUS ruling on free speech, the coronavirus variant likely to cause the next wave, the drop in U.S. life expectancy, and the new family members introduced on Sesame Street.

In this episode of the WeeklyTech Podcast, Jason Thacker is joined by Patricia Shaw, an AI ethics, strategy, policy, and governance consultant, who serves as CEO of Beyond Reach Consulting Limited based in the UK to talk about AI ethics, digital privacy, and online governance.