The Weekly is a highlight of the work the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is doing to strengthen you and our churches for God’s glory.

What you should know about the FIRST STEP Act

What just happened?

On Wednesday President Trump announced his support for the prison and sentencing reform legislation known as the FIRST STEP Act.

"Today I'm thrilled to announce my support for this bipartisan bill that will make our communities safer, and give former inmates a second chance at life after they served their time," said the president.

The Act, which was authored by Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), was approved earlier this year by the House by a vote of 360-59 vote, including 134 Democrats. The bill is awaiting passage in the Senate, where it faces opposition by Democrats who object it doesn’t adequately address sentencing reform.

What is the FIRST STEP Act?

FIRST STEP is an acronym for “Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act.” The primary purpose of the Act is to provide for programs to help reduce the risk that prisoners will recidivate upon release from prison. The Act requires the U.S. Attorney General, as head of the Department of Justice, to review existing policies and develop recommendations regarding evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and productive activities and to develop a Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System. This action must be taken within 180 days of the passage of the Act.

The Act also requires that incentives and rewards be made available for prisoners who participate in and complete the reduction programs.

This Week at the ERLC

• NOTE: We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family next week, and will be back with The Weekly for the week of 11/26/18.
   

• The ERLC visited state conventions all over the country this week including Phillip Bethancourt in Texas, Russell Moore in Florida and Oklahoma, Dan Darling in Alabama, Travis Wussow in Virginia, and Brent Leatherwood in Tennessee.
   
• The ERLC continues its partnership with Prison Fellowship Ministries by hosting pastors in numerous states at dinners and panels focused on how churches can serve those who are or have been imprisoned. In addition, we advocate for criminal justice reform, and the Justice Declaration is one example. To learn more and sign on, click here.
   
• Andrew T. Walker was in Denver this week, where he presented at The Evangelical Theological Society’s annual conference with his paper, “A Reflection on The Nashville Statement and Transgenderism: On Creation, Revelation, and the Meaning of Male and Female.” You can read it here. ​

What You Need to Know

• Shootings. Fires. Death and destruction. How should Christians respond to the recent tragedies in California? Neal Hardin, a California resident, gives us a few suggestions including pray, be hospitable and generous, mourn, and love. View his full article here.

We await a future in which true justice reigns under the authority of Christ, and everything is made right in the new heavens and new earth, when God will, “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

• A student at UC Berkely has received immense backlash after graciously standing for what the Bible says about God’s design for sexuality. Andrew T. Walker analyzes this in his article, “Cultural winsomeness will not be enough for Christians.” Read his article here.

No amount of niceness, civility, or winsomeoness will pacify those voices who will hate you and your Christian values no matter how sophisticated you appear or whatever attempt you make to distance yourself from the Christian conservative caricature you do not like.

• The Marshall family has experienced the grief and agony of mental illness firsthand. Most recently, Leigh Ann, who is a pastor’s wife, struggled with thoughts of suicide. She was finally given the courage to share with her church family and answers questions from her daughter for this ERLC article.

We must get past the stigma that somehow mental illness is a taboo subject. There are people sitting in our pews every week that are hurting and afraid to admit it or seek help. If we can bring mental illness into the light in our congregations, this will go a long way toward helping those who think they are the only ones or that other Christians will not understand.

News From Capitol Hill

• The ERLC policy team delivered a coalition letter to Members of Congress calling for the repeal of a new tax on churches and nonprofits, which will extract $1.7 billion in taxes from the charitable sector over 10 years.

Churches ought not be seen by the government as untapped sources of tax revenue. While the effect this section of the tax code may very well have been unintended, it must be remedied. – Russell Moore

This provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Internal Revenue Code Section 512(a)(7) imposes a new tax on all nonprofits and will require many houses of worship to file tax returns for the first time in the history of the United States. A change this significant to the tax code affecting a part of American life as fundamental as church and charity deserves to be re-examined.

Over 30 organizations signed the coalition letter, demonstrating their support for repealing this section of the new tax act. Signatures came from leaders of diverse faith backgrounds and a broad range of institutions, including houses of worship, primary and secondary education, higher education, and faith-based nonprofit organizations serving communities around the country and around the world.

The letter states in part:

Whatever purpose Section 512(a)(7) was intended to serve cannot justify extracting $1.7 billion in taxes from nonprofits and houses of worship within just 10 years. Perhaps worst of all, this provision will hopelessly entangle the IRS with houses of worship, simply because these houses of worship allow their clergy to park in their parking lots.

Featured Podcasts

From The Public Square

How the GOP Gave Up on Porn
Tim Alberta, Politico

Once, the fight against pornography was the beating heart of the American culture war. Now porn is a ballooning industry — and maybe a harmful one —with no real opponents. What happened?

The Uncertain Future of Pro-Life Democrats
Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today

Mixed results in the 2018 midterms leave questions on partisan strategy over abortion.

Younger evangelicals look an awful lot like older evangelicals post-2016
Jeremy Castle, Ryan P. Burge, and Paul A. Djupe, Vox

Despite some interesting recent anecdotes, surveys show young evangelicals to be much more conservative than others of their generation.

Appeals court upholds block on Trump’s attempt to end DACA
Ted Hesson, Politico

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court's temporary order preventing President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

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