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| No Images? Click here The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day. State Department: ISIS Poses a Grave Threat to Religious FreedomIn a recent report on international religious freedom, the U.S. State Department highlighted how the Middle Eastern terrorist group ISIS remains one of the world’s most significant threats to religious freedom. “America’s promotion of international religious freedom demands standing up for the rights of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the preface to the report. “ISIS’ brutal treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East has drawn a great degree of attention over the last few years.” Tillerson adds that ISIS continues to “target members of multiple religions and ethnicities for rape, kidnapping, enslavement, and death,” and is “clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled.” Tillerson explained that the crime of genocide requires three elements: specific acts with specific intent to destroy in whole or in part specific people, members of national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups. Application of the law to the facts at hand leads to the conclusion ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Christians, Shia Muslims, and Yezidis in areas it controls or has controlled, he added. The State Department reports that in areas under ISIS control, the terrorist group continued to commit individual and mass killings, and to engage in rape, kidnapping, random detentions and mass abductions, torture, abduction and forced conversion of non-Muslim male children, and the enslavement and sex trafficking of women and girls from minority religious communities. ISIS has committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities, notes the report. More recently ISIS has claimed responsibility for attacks on Christian pilgrims and churches in Egypt. “The protection of these groups—and others who are targets of violent extremism—remains a human rights priority for the Trump Administration,” says Tillerson. The report also details the status of religious freedom in 199 countries and territories. “Almost 80 percent of the global population live with restrictions on or hostilities to limit their freedom of religion,” says Tillerson. “Where religious freedom is not protected, we know that instability, human rights abuses, and violent extremism have a greater opportunity to take root.” This week on ERLC podcasts: While there are no new podcasts this week, here are the ones from last week in case you missed them: Daniel Darling talks to Andrew Walker about his brand-new book, God and the Transgender Debate. On the Capitol Conversations podcast, Matt Hawkins and Steven Harris share a conversation as they process the events in Charlottesville and the bold revival of racism and anti-Semitism in America. And on the ERLC podcast, Sharn Ford talks about preparing for adoption’s hardships. Other IssuesAmerican CultureGod or the divine is referenced in every state constitution The U.S. Constitution never explicitly mentions God or the divine, but the same cannot be said of the nation’s state constitutions. In fact, God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. Court Says Arkansas Can Block Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood On Wednesday, Arkansas became one of only a handful of states to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, despite several years of whistleblower video evidence depicting the nation’s largest abortion provider violating federal law and trafficking in human body parts. Hollywood Wants to Force This Profanity-Filtering Service Out of Business, and May Succeed VidAngel, a service that allows viewers to filter out select content, is being sued by major Hollywood studio companies. BioethicsThe disturbing, eugenics-like reality unfolding in Iceland Recently, a CBS news crew traveled to Iceland, producing a report titled “Inside the country where Down syndrome is disappearing.” As much as it sounds like it, the headline is not clickbait or hyperbole. Christianity and CultureHow a Multiethnic Church Is Chasing the Dream in MLK’s Last Stop When Clayborn Temple was built—76 years before King’s death—it was the largest church building south of the Ohio River. Its 5,000-pipe organ is still the biggest in the city. 4,000 Faith Leaders Oppose Repeal of Johnson Amendment As reported by Americans United, this week a letter signed by more than 4,000 faith leaders from all 50 states was sent to members of Congress urging them to keep the Johnson Amendment in the Internal Revenue Code. Floyd named National Day of Prayer president Immediate past Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd has been appointed president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, the organization announced today (Aug. 22). Gaines, McKissic, others talk race and SBC Evangelicals challenge political leaders who support same-sex marriage and abortion, and they should also stand strongly against vitriolic rhetoric, violence and hatred, pastor Dwight McKissic said in a panel discussion on racial tension he hosted Aug. 20 in Arlington, Texas. Family IssuesThe Biological Effects of Father Loss: An Interview with Daniel Notterman New research indicates that the loss of a biological father affects children at the cellular level. International IssuesCambodia Lets Anti-Trafficking Ministry Stay After Controversial News Report Government rescinds threat to shut down a US-based evangelical charity. Religious LibertyCan Trump’s Religious Freedom Ambassador Actually Succeed? When it comes to religious tolerance, a skeptical world doesn’t believe America practices what it preaches. St. Louis’s Unholy War on Religious Liberty An ordinance passed in St. Louis, Missouri, prohibits discrimination in housing or employment on the basis of “reproductive health decisions.” Promoted as an anti-discrimination measure, the law’s actual purpose is to destroy the self-government of religious and pro-life organizations. Sexuality IssuesMost ‘sex workers’ are modern-day slaves Prostitution is rarely, if ever, a choice. Transgender students win legal battles Two schools accused of discrimination against transgender students recently resorted to payout settlements and policy changes. The settlements do not bode well for schools that maintain traditional policies on gender, gender transitions, and restroom use. My ‘Sex Change’ Was a Myth. Why Trying to Change One’s Sex Will Always Fail. According to the most widely accepted definition of "sex" and America's most famous sex-change doctor, a true change of sex is biologically impossible. of the Southern Baptist Convention 901 Commerce Street, Suite 550 Nashville, TN 37203 You are receiving The Weekly because you signed up at ERLC.com or at one our events. Like Tweet Forward Preferences | Unsubscribe |
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