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| Here are five facts you should know about one of the world’s largest missions organizations. No images? Click here 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. 5 facts about the International Mission Board (IMB)This week SBC churches across the globe are holding a week of prayer for the International Mission Board and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Here are five facts you should know about one of the world’s largest missions organizations. The IMB was originally called the Foreign Mission Board (FMB) when it was formed in 1845 to manage the sending of missionaries to foreign countries. Based out of Richmond, Virginia—where the IMB still resides today—the FMB oversaw missionary work and served as a liaison between missionaries and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Within four months of the founding of the SBC, the entity had appointed two missionaries to China and assumed support for a third missionary that was already serving in that country. Over the next few decades, the board expanded its work to include Africa, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and Japan. Read MoreThis Week at the ERLCBrooke Kramer taught on Dan Darling’s Dignity Revolution to the “Faithful Politics” freshman class at John Brown University. Jason Thacker writes at AI and Faith about the effects of the ERLC’s AI Statement nine months later. The AI Statement is also mentioned by Ruth Graham in her article for Slate.Dan Darling has been on several podcasts and radio shows talking about his new book, The Characters of Christmas. Daniel Patterson writes about healthy social media habits at The Gospel Coalition. Trillia Newbell was on WORLD Radio talking about Christmas. What You Need to KnowLisa Spence volunteers at a pregnancy resource center where she’s witnessed babies’ lives saved and mothers’ lives transformed. She shows why PRC’s are critical for bringing help and hope in Jesus’ name. Read her inspiring article here.I’ve discovered that my clients and I are the same in so many ways. Certainly there are differences in ethnicity and background and socioeconomic status. But, we have much in common: we’ve made bad decisions, done wrong, had people do wrong against us. What we—all of us—need and most want is hope and forgiveness and grace. We need Jesus. For many, the holidays bring hope for joy but also the expectation of busy schedules and a frantic pace of life. That’s why Colleen Chao says it’s important to make a conscious effort to abide in God’s presence. Read her advice here.As we seek the presence of Jesus, our limitations are not laziness, nor are they a means of self-preservation. Rather, they are divine invitations to experience the Spirit’s power in and through us. We are called to lovingly lay down our lives for others, but the life we lay down must flow from Christ in us—and not out of guilt or people-pleasing or self-sufficiency. The SBC has set aside this week to focus on missions by praying for the IMB and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Would we want our children to follow in Lottie’s footsteps? Scott and Lesley Hildreth warn about five ways we might be keeping our kids from considering missionary work for their lives. Read their convicting article here.We may spend four or five hours a week at church, but the most important shaping environment for kids is in our homes. We can shape them to follow God’s call no matter what, or we can influence them to preserve their lives and comfort. Below, we want to give you five ways you might be raising your kids so that they never consider seriously missions as God's will for their lives. News From Capitol HillAmong the various policies debated this month as part of the end of the year spending package, the ERLC policy team is advocating for a bipartisan repeal of Section 512(a)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, the parking and transportation tax on nonprofits and houses of worship. A broad coalition of faith-based organizations have engaged on this issue for many months. For the latest on our efforts, check out this podcast episode of Capitol Conversations, A coalition roundtable on repealing the strange new tax on nonprofits where Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson Sobolik welcome Miriam Harmer of the Orthodox Union and Brian Walsh of the Faith & Giving Coalition to discuss the coalition’s work. The momentum to repeal this tax is both bicameral and bipartisan with Republican and Democratic members of the House and the Senate recognizing the problem and sponsoring bills to repeal. Many on Capitol Hill recognize the burden this places on their communities. According to a report by the Independent Sector (IS), this tax on employee parking and transportation benefits “will annually divert an average of $12,000 from each nonprofit’s mission.” Over 10 years, it would extract $1.7 billion in taxes from the charitable sector. Russell Moore, ERLC president, called for the tax's repeal in a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial last year. “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. As the American founders clearly understood, the power to tax is the power to destroy. The proper separation of the state from the church is at the heart of our American project. This section of the tax code, however, blurs those lines in harmful ways.” Featured PodcastsOn The Way Home podcast, Alister McGrath joins Dan Darling to talk about Albert Einstein, C.S. Lewis, and about his own faith journey. McGrath is Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. He is also a senior research fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, president of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and serves as associate priest in a group of Church of England village parishes in the Cotswolds. Listen in here. In this episode of Signposts, Russell Moore is joined by New York Times bestselling author and political commentator, George F. Will. A Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Will writes a twice-weekly syndicated column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs for the Washington Post. In this episode, he discusses his new book, The Conservative Sensibility, as well as a number of other topics. Listen to their conversation here.From The Public SquareNew report shows abortions continue to decline The latest statistics demonstrate once again reported abortions in the United States have continued to decline. 629 Pakistani Girls Trafficked to China as Brides Poor Christians were a new target of brokers in 2019, AP investigation finds. USCIRF commissioner indicted Charges are the latest tumult for embattled international religious freedom commission. Congress Passes Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act On Tuesday, Congress gave final passage to S.178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commissionof the Southern Baptist Convention 901 Commerce Street, Suite 550 Nashville, TN 37203 Like Tweet Forward Preferences | Unsubscribe |
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