Daly Focus Blog
It was 500 years ago today that Martin Luther was famously reported to have nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Wittenberg church.
At the time, Luther only wanted to talk about his opposition to the sale of indulgences to absolve sin; he never thought his call for debate would lead to changing the religious and cultural history of the world.
But that was, of course, what happened – and Protestant Christianity was born.
It’s a story that’s intertwining two contentious issues of our day: abortion and immigration.
I’m talking, of course, of the case out of Texas involving a pregnant 17-year-old girl being held in a federal detention center since crossing the border illegally in September. This unaccompanied minor, “Jane Doe,” is 15 weeks pregnant and is trying to get an abortion.
Her case ended up in the court system, with the government arguing in court that it does not have a duty to “facilitate” an abortion.
Anyone who looked at Michael Kent a few years ago would have been forgiven for thinking he was beyond hope.
He was in jail, and his body bore various tattoos that gave witness to his Neo-Nazi beliefs, including a large swastika on his chest. He was also part of a violent skinhead group.
There’s no way that guy’s ever going to change, right?
Well, not so fast.
Turns out the Michael Kent of today is very different – and it’s all thanks to his friendship with an African-American woman, Tiffany Whittier.
The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation is fast approaching. On Reformation Day, we remember how Martin Luther, a German monk, nailed his 95 Theses on the door of a Wittenberg church on Oct. 31, 1517.
But while Martin Luther is closely associated with his opposition to selling indulgences – monetary payments to receive forgiveness for sin – fewer people today know he was also instrumental in helping change the way Christians look at marriage.
Before the Reformation took place, celibate service to God was often seen as the highest calling.
One of Focus on the Family’s top public policy priorities for the Trump Administration has been appointing top-notch judges who interpret the Constitution and our laws as written and originally understood.
That’s because our federal courts have been filled with judicial activists who rewrite the laws and Constitution to reflect their own personal preferences. It’s been because of these activist judges that we have legalized abortion, legalized same-sex marriage – and some lower courts are even reinventing the definition of “sex” in discrimination laws to include biological men who identify as women, and vive versa.
News outlets and social media have been erupting over issues of racial inequality. There are protests online, protests in the streets, and symbolic protests during the national anthem at NFL games.
Benjamin Watson has a unique perspective on those matters. He’s an African-American, and he plays professional football. He was on our Focus on the Family Broadcast a few weeks ago challenging men to step up in their support of their wives and to be passionate about helping them to be great mothers.
I didn’t want Hispanic Heritage Month (which is celebrated between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15) to end without recognizing the many Hispanic men, women and families in the U.S., and the contributions they make to our country.
Recent stats put Hispanics and Latinos at about 17 percent of the total U.S. population, or 56.5 million. They’re a varied group of people: Hispanics can come from any of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries around the world, and each country has its own culture, cuisine, and customs.
My statement on the news that the Trump Administration’s Oct. 6 decision to roll back the birth control mandate. – J.D.
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“We are pleased to see that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a significant rule change to the Obamacare-based mandate that employers, even those with religious or moral objections, must provide for possible abortion-causing contraceptives in company health plans. This extreme rule forced many employers to make an impossible choice between their deeply held conscience-based objections to abortion, and the prospect of paying crippling fines for non-compliance.
Evil and carnage weren’t the only things evident on that terrible Sunday night in Las Vegas when bullets rained down on a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers.
There were also thousands of examples of heroism and self-sacrifice.
Many off-duty doctors, nurses and paramedics who were enjoying the concert sprang into action to help the wounded. These men and women risked their own lives to give CPR, make tourniquets, and apply pressure on bleeding wounds.
A mom used her own body to shield her 4-year-old daughter from the barrage of bullets.
Do you know the significance of a man named Martin Luther?
If the first thing that comes to mind is the “I Have a Dream” speech, you’re thinking of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
That’s a common mistake. Martin Luther isn’t exactly a household name to some, but he is an influential figure in world history. In fact, some say he’s as historically relevant as Abraham Lincoln or Julius Caesar. Yet, most Christians know very little about him – or nothing at all.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
