In his most recent column for The New York Times, Charles Blow argues that the Replublican Party is manipulating the benighted convictions of Christians for political purposes. Blow accuses the GOP of manufacturing a war on Christians in a cynical attempt to keep its base riled up for the next election. In short, Blow says that there are no real threats to religious freedom in this country. It’s all just a figment of our imaginations. It’s a ruse designed by the GOP to ensconce Christians in their most “base convictions” (like belief in the biblical creation account and the Bible’s definition of marriage). If it weren’t for the GOP manipulating…
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The transgender revolution marches forward
A new law goes into effect in California today that allows new “privileges” for transgender children. The Washington Times reports: [The law] is intended to permit transgender students to choose by themselves which bathrooms and locker rooms they will use, and which sports teams they will join. California schools are already required not to discriminate against transgender students, and they currently work with students and their families to address pertinent issues. However, gay-rights groups and some transgender students said the old policy was not sensitive enough.
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Being Against Gay Marriage Doesn’t Make You a Homophobe
Last April, Brandon Ambrosino authored one of the most compelling articles that I have read all year: “Being Gay at Jerry Falwell’s University.” Appearing in The Atlantic, the essay is his own story of coming out of the closet while he was an undergraduate at Liberty University. What riveted me about his account is how the Christians at Liberty University responded to the revelation of his sexuality. He had feared that they would want to stone him. But instead, he found out that quite the opposite happened. Even though professors and administrators believed homosexuality to be a sin, they loved him and embraced him with open arms. His expectations of…
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The Left’s Total War on Religious Liberty
This editorial from National Review is wisdom crying out in the streets. It’s just plain old common sense, which for some reason has become increasingly uncommon these days. It takes on two popular tropes from the Left:
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Is Hobby Lobby “forcing religion” onto employees? Hardly.
The Supreme Court has decided to hear Hobby Lobby’s appeal for protection against Obamacare’s coercive abortion mandate. As I noted yesterday, Obamacare imposes crippling fines on employers who will not purchase insurance plans that cover contraceptives and abortifacient drugs. Hobby Lobby is run by a Christian family, and they have said that paying for chemical abortions violates their most deeply held beliefs. And so the owners have made an appeal to the courts for protection from Obamacare’s coercive violation of their religious liberty.
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Everything you need to know about the contraception/abortion mandate
Joe Carter has a fantastic essay answering frequently asked questions about Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Christians, it is really important that you understand what this debate is about because this will affect you one way or the other. Obamacare imposes one of the severest restrictions on religious liberty that we’ve ever seen in this country. In many ways, it’s draconian and quite unprecedented. So when you get a chance, go read Carter’s FAQ’s. I’ll list the questions below. You’ll have to go the essay for the answers.
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Hobby Lobby takes its case to the Supreme Court
The news just came out today that the Supreme Court has decided to hear Hobby Lobby’s case against Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate. I have written extensively on this site about the battle that Hobby Lobby has been engaged in for over a year now. In short, Hobby Lobby has been asking for relief from Obamacare’s requirement that they violate their religious beliefs. Obamacare’s mandate is one of the most egregious violation of religious liberty that I have ever seen. As a result of this law, the United States Government forces Christian business owners to pay for abortion inducing drugs in their employees’ insurance plans. It doesn’t matter that the law violates…
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Understanding the Minister’s Housing Allowance
You may have heard the news over the weekend that a federal judge has ruled that an IRS exemption giving clergy tax-free housing allowances is unconstitutional. In the wake of this ruling, a lot of people have been asking why this exemption exists in the first place. Joe Carter has the best analysis that I’ve seen on the history and the rationale for the ministerial housing allowance. He notes that clergy are not the only ones who have received such exemptions.
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Jesus and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Andrew Walker has a very helpful article over at The Federalist titled “Jesus and the Same-sex Marriage Debate.” In it he argues that the sexual revolutionaries have been trying to get Jesus on the side of gay marriage by reinterpreting the biblical text. He writes, Perhaps the most common argument issues from silence: Jesus never mentions homosexuality or same-sex marriage; therefore, he must be for it. But this argument from silence presents another set of troubling conclusions. Namely, that whatever Jesus didn’t specifically address, he must endorse. If we accept this contorted logic, Jesus must also support human trafficking because he never spoke out against it. Failing to withstand even…
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Mothers tell their abortion stories
Sunday’s New York Magazine features testimonials from twenty-six women who have had their unborn children aborted. The stories are raw and revealing. These are not stories of feminist liberation and power. They are the stories of women who have pangs of conscience over what they have done. Some of them have muddled through the aftermath by suppressing their consciences. One woman even says, “There’s no room to talk about being unsure.” Other women aren’t able to pretend and are obviously living with a heavy burden of grief and regret. The first story is from a 19-year old named Nicole (pictured at right). She writes,