Current Events Archives

Oklahoma University Student Was Victim of Religious Discrimination

In what may qualify as a quintessential example of religious bias and discrimination, University of Oklahoma junior Samantha Fulnecky was given a zero on an assignment – all because she cited the Bible and put forward a Christian worldview in her essay.

As part of her “Lifespan Development” class, Fulnecky was asked to offer her opinion and thoughts on an academic article titled, “Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence.”

In shirt-sleeve English, the Sooner student was asked to offer her opinion “of some aspect of the article.” Fulnecky chose to respond to the claim that “gender-atypical” children are more prone to bullying and mental health problems due to the teasing.

Fulnecky disagreed with the author’s assertion that gender roles were somehow dangerous or detrimental stereotypes.

Topics: Current Events December 2, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mama Bear Prayers

When parents ask me for advice, I encourage them to pray. Sometimes prayer is all you have.

I’m sure you’ve had moments where you felt helpless to protect your child in the midst of circumstances that were beyond your control. Every parent has paced a hospital floor, lost sleep in worry, or kept vigil at a living room window until a child returned safely home. We’ve all bandaged enough scraped knees to know that we can’t protect our children from everything no matter how vigilant we are.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith October 31, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Build a Winning Game Plan for Your Marriage

Marriage is a unique gift from God. He takes two people – who are often complete opposites – and puts them together with the task of moving forward in unity.

But what happens when times get tough and circumstances change?

Well, couples who have a purpose, a direction, and a plan work through their struggles together and overcome their difficulties as a team.

Couples who don’t have a purpose, a direction, and a plan drift.

And what’s the solution for couples who begin to drift?

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, marriage October 2, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Reviving the Church to Change the World

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Luke 14:34).

The dominoes of truth and morality are falling at an alarming speed in our culture. Every day there seems to be another attack upon Christian values and religious freedom. We shouldn’t be surprised. For one thing, Jesus warned us that it would be this way (Matt. 10:22). Also, history tells us that as a culture slides into moral decline, its people turn against the principles upon which that culture is built.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith August 14, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Fight Fair

Dr. John Gottman and his researchers can predict with almost 95-percent accuracy whether a couple’s marriage will succeed or fail. Their predictions are based on how couples fight – not how frequently or even the content of their disagreements – but how couples actually engage in conflict. They discovered four elements to conflict – which Dr. Gottman calls “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – that are destructive to a relationship:

Criticism

Defensiveness

Contempt

Stonewalling

If the Four Horseman mean certain destruction, how can couples avoid them?

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage July 8, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus on the Family’s Steadfast Commitment to Scripture

On Monday, Focus on the Family published a social media post that, to put it bluntly, we got wrong. Most disappointingly, we got it wrong because we confusingly expressed the scriptural truth we have held sacrosanct since the ministry’s founding nearly 50 years ago.

In publishing excerpts from a 2012 “Q & A” feature on homosexuality, we caused many readers to come away with a troubling impression of where we stand on the issue. Worse, we confused them on what the Bible says about the issue.

Topics: Current Events June 18, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Building a Bridge to Forgiveness

Popular author and relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman describes conscience as a five-gallon bucket strapped to our backs. Every time we do wrong against someone, we add a measure of liquid. After a few mistakes, our burden becomes heavier. After a few more, heavier still. Eventually, our conscience becomes so full, so heavy to bear, that the contents splash out in unhelpful ways, on us and everyone around us.

In Acts 24:16, the apostle Paul says of himself: “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” The phrase “take pains” can also be translated as “strive,” “train,” or “exercise.” In other words, Paul says, “I discipline myself.” To do what?

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith June 18, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Praying to Protect the Heart of Your Son

I have the privilege of being Dad to two boys. Men now, actually. They successfully made it through their teen years, but Jean and I were on our knees for them the whole way. We got a few things right as parents. Maybe the most important was praying for our sons.

Prayer is the “language” that connects us to values that transcend physical boundaries. Even atheists absentmindedly slip into utterances of prayer during moments of crisis.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family May 30, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Gift of Not Giving

Do you like to buy gifts for your children? I sure do for my two boys. I enjoy seeing the look on their face when they get an unexpected present about as much as they enjoy opening it. But here’s the tricky part. We parents can overdo gift giving. From bikes to smartphones to cars, some of us give our kids everything. We all love to see our children happy, of course, but a little struggle can be good for them.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, kids May 1, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Offering Hope to Hopeless Kids

Tyrone Flowers knows firsthand the challenges that at-risk children face in our culture today.

His father was murdered when Tyrone was ten years old. After his mother made it clear that she didn’t want to be a mother, he lived with his grandmother and her 12 children. While she worked multiple jobs, Tyrone was raised by teenagers who were 10 to 15 years older than him, exposing him to drugs, sex and alcohol at an early age.

Topics: Current Events March 10, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura