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Good afternoon! It's Friday, September 16, and today's headlines include a new report highlighting religious liberty protections by state, the Senate delaying a vote on a bill that would codify a right to same-sex marriage into federal law, and an interview with worship artist Phil Wickham.
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A new report from First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy has revealed that most U.S. states do not have adequate religious liberty protections. The Religious Liberty in the States report's release comes as advocates raise concerns about what they view as the federal government's hostility toward religious liberty. Scores are based on rankings for 11 safeguards classified as essential for religious liberty, including child immunization exemptions and absentee voting to allow religious people to participate in elections on religious holidays. Mississippi ranked the highest (82%), with the state containing nine of the 11 safeguards. In contrast, New York had the lowest religious liberty score, containing just 16% of
safeguards. West Virginia and California join New York in the bottom three states for religious liberty, while Illinois ranks slightly behind Mississippi. In addition to Mississippi and Illinois, just seven other states had a score of 50% or higher: New Mexico, Florida, Washington, Utah, Tennessee, Maryland and Idaho. Continue reading.Also of Interest ... |
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After more than 400 Republicans have signed on to a letter urging the United States Senate to pass a bill that would codify a right to same-sex marriage into law, leading supporters of the legislation have announced that a vote on the legislation will not take place until after the midterm elections in November. FiveThirtyEight's Deluxe Model, which predicts the outcome of elections "based on polls, fundraising, past voting patterns" and the opinions of political experts, gives Republicans a 71% chance of retaking control of the House of Representatives after the midterm elections and the Democrats a 71% chance of maintaining control of the U.S. Senate. Should the model pan out as predicted, the Democratic majority in the Senate would increase to a 51-49 margin, which
would likely result in more supporters of the bill in the new Congress than in the current Congress. Read more. |
Also of Interest...
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Live Action's Lila Rose recently went on the syndicated talk show "Dr. Phil" to debate the show's host, Dr. Phil McGraw, about when life begins. They also discussed the morality of abortion when a baby has been diagnosed in-utero with a life-threatening condition. McGraw, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology but has not renewed his license to practice since 2006, claimed that there is no agreement in the scientific community regarding when life begins. Rose, Live Action's founder, disputed his claim, stating, "There is, Dr. Phil—96 percent of scientists say life begins at fertilization. If you're an in-vitro specialist, you're looking to create a single-cell embryo, and then you know you have a new human life. So it is a scientific fact." When McGraw
challenged Rose on perspectives of when life begins, Rose asked, "But Dr. Phil, in an abortion, if it's not a human life, why do you have to kill it?" Read more. |
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Christian Post Executive Editor Richard D. Land writes about the abduction and murder of Liza Fletcher and how disturbing trends in American society are pushing people to limit themselves by avoiding what should be safe activities out of fear of violence. Noting that Fletcher's alleged killer has an extensive record and was released from prison before his sentence was completed, Land writes, "The Liza Fletchers of this world must not be allowed to become virtual human sacrifices for the shortcomings of our society." Read more. |
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Ryan Bomberger writes about Planned Parenthood's significant profit increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurred by nearly 30,000 additional abortions from July 2020 through June 2021. "Planned Parenthood’s former president, Cecile Richards, proudly told The New York Times: 'We aim to be the largest kick-butt political organization.' And that’s exactly what she transformed it into. Who benefits? Not women,"
Bomberger writes, noting that the organization's profits skyrocketed from $69.7 million to $133.7 million during that timeframe despite the organization providing 200,000 fewer breast cancer exams and Pap tests than the previous year. Read more. |
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It’s no secret that germs operate on their own schedule and when sickness strikes it can be stressful.
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Do any of these situations seem all too familiar?- Your child wakes you up and says they feel sick in the middle of the night.
- You don’t feel well but you don’t have the time to wait for hours in the doctor's office.
- Your child doesn’t feel well and it’s a holiday, or you’re out of town on a family vacation.
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If you’ve ever experienced any of these scenarios, you know how helpful it is to speak to a doctor anytime anywhere. Read more. |
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Elizabeth Sabey, an evangelist and missionary, stood in long queues seven times to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Edinburgh before it left for London. The 43-year-old Sabey says she was inspired by the late monarch's life, telling The Telegraph, "I am a Christian, a really strong Christian, and she lived her life, faith was central to her life and essential to my life. It felt so peaceful and beautiful. … I just felt God’s presence, like a unity among people, no divisions." The evangelist said she believed it was no coincidence that the Queen, the longest-serving Monarch in British history, passed away in Scotland, explaining, "[I]t was all, I feel, divinely orchestrated. ... I just think that’s how it’s meant to be." Read more. |
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Indian Christian leaders say they welcome the Supreme Court's recent directive to eight states to verify the claims of Christian groups that filed a petition for protection after around 200 attacks were reported within the first five months of 2022. Archbishop Peter Machado of the Archdiocese of Bengaluru, who is one of the petitioners, told UCA News, "We are satisfied with the Supreme Court order." Under the interim order passed earlier this month, the states of Bihar,
Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh must verify the list of attacks mentioned in the petition within four months and send the report to the federal interior ministry. Read more. |
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In this interview with The Christian Post, worship artist Phil Wickham reflects on how the unfolding events of the pandemic in 2020 awakened him to his own "lifestyle Christianity" and prompted him to rediscover the joy and awe of being in the presence of God. "I felt so—I don’t know if convicted is the right word—but just like, ‘Lord, I'm so sorry that I've missed out on the joy and in the beauty of it’ just because I haven't been cultivating in my heart this excitement to be in His presence," Wickham explained. The worship leader is sharing the lessons he has learned about prayer and being in the presence of God in his debut devotional, On Our Knees: 40 Days to Living Boldly in Prayer. The book, which is set for release on Sept. 27, focuses on the importance of cultivating a lifelong practice of prayer and how doing so builds a deeper connection with God. Watch the full interview here. |
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Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday! -- CP Editors
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