Current Events Archives

How Should Christians Respond to Domestic Abuse?

Of the many calls, emails and letters we receive at Focus on the Family, those involving the tragic subject of spousal abuse are among the most heart-wrenching. They’re also inquiries that demand an unequivocal response with no room for misinterpretation.

I raise this issue today in light of the current controversy involving Southwestern Seminary President Dr. Paige Patterson. The former head of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Patterson has been rightly credited with helping lead a conservative theological revolution within the denomination at a time when progressives were attempting to liberalize the understanding of Scripture.

Topics: Current Events/ Family and Home Tags: Domestic abuse, paige patterson, southern baptist convention May 8, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Emasculation of the Boy Scouts Continues

Yesterday’s announcement that the Boy Scouts of America will drop “Boy” from the name of its signature program is yet another sad development for the once storied and celebrated organization.

You’ll recall that the Boy Scouts announced in 2013 that they would be allowing openly homosexual scouts to join local troops. In 2015, they began accepting openly homosexual leaders. Since these changes, scout membership has dropped approximately ten percent. Many churches have decided to cancel sponsorship of troops.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, kids, policy, pop culture May 3, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Your Help is Needed to Protect Faith-Based Adoption Agencies

Are faith-based adoption agencies – those that believe foster children and newborns fare best when placed in a home with a mom and a dad – threatened with extinction?

The outlook is ominous.

But first, let’s establish some facts. At any given time, there are more than 100,000 foster children available for adoption in the United States, meaning that there are always many more children waiting for their forever home than there ought to be. I am personally aware of what it means to be one of those waiting children, since that was me at one point in my own childhood.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, kids, policy, religious liberty May 2, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

From “Napalm Girl” to “Child of God”

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Stories from the Vietnam war have been told for decades, from the soldiers who fought it to the victims caught in the crossfire. Few of those stories are as inspirational as that of Kim Phuc Phan Thi.

You remember her as “the napalm girl,” the central figure in the iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photo “The Terror of War.” The photo portrays a young girl running naked down the road, her skin on fire from a napalm attack.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith, news April 30, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

GQ Just Called You a Fool

According to Jesse Ball, a writer in the latest issue of GQ Magazine, the Bible is an overrated and boring book. In fact, the 39-year-old novelist and poet went on to characterize the Old and New Testaments as “foolish,” “repetitive” and “self-contradictory,” among other things.

Understandably, Jesse Ball’s assertions have stirred up significant controversy. But this isn’t the first time that the Chicago-based writer has made curious, perplexing and outlandish pronouncements. For example, just last year he suggested that every American should be put in a maximum security prison once every ten years – for up to ninety days at a time.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, pop culture April 25, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Senators Mitch McConnell and James Lankford on Faith, Family, and Leadership

Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of being in Washington, D.C., to talk with media and government leaders about the importance of the family in the culture.

Two of my meetings were with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky and Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma. They both shared perspectives about faith and family that I believe Focus on the Family’s listeners will want to hear. We’re airing those conversations on our broadcast “Protecting Life and Family Values in the Senate.”

Our discussions weren’t specifically political, but, still, that is the Senators’ sphere of influence.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith, family, policy April 19, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Jim Daly Statement on the Passing of Barbara Bush

The death today of former first lady Barbara Bush, the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush and the mother of the 43rd, President George W. Bush, marks the earthly conclusion of a remarkable and well-lived life. She was 92.

Lovingly nicknamed the “Silver Fox” by her adoring husband, Barbara was married to George for 73 years, a record for a presidential couple. As a wife, her commitment was unprecedented and as a mother to six, her love was unconditional.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, news April 17, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Beauty from Ashes

A little over three years ago, in February of 2015, 21 Christian men were martyred by ISIS on a beach in Libya. Their story captured the world’s attention for a brief time, but soon other stories, both important and trivial, stepped in to grab the spotlight. Such is the nature of the news cycle.

On occasion, I have used this blog to bring updates on what is happening in the area where those brave men sacrificed their lives in Christ’s name.

Topics: Current Events/ Focus Events Tags: church, events, faith April 17, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This California Bill Threatens Religious Freedom

A bill threatening free speech and religious freedom is quickly moving through the California state assembly.

What’s it all about?

Assembly Bill 2943 (AB 2943) uses the state’s consumer fraud statute to penalize religious freedom and free speech on the issues of homosexuality and gender identity.

The bill adds “sexual orientation change efforts” to the state’s “Consumer Legal Remedies Act.”

How does this affect people of faith?

Both Scripture and Christian teaching are clear about God’s good plan for marriage and sexuality: God designed marriage to join one man and one woman in a committed, exclusive, lifelong relationship.

Topics: Current Events April 10, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Curious “Comedy” of Stephen Colbert

This past Easter Sunday, Stephen Colbert’s animated television show, “Our Cartoon President,” not only lampooned the President (which is expected), but Colbert also had the nation’s chief executive talk crassly about severing a part of God’s anatomy.

Of course, his defenders will says it’s just a joke – satire on steroids. After all, how can we take a cartoon seriously?

Mr. Colbert is an entertainer, and as such, he understands how to get a strong response from a crowd.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, humor April 4, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura