Current Events Archives

Personal Reflections on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Swearing In Today (Guest Post)

Tim Goeglein, Focus on the Family’s vice president of external and government relations in our Washington D.C. office, had the privilege of being a guest for the swearing-in of Judge Neil Gorsuch as the newest member of the United States Supreme Court. Here are his reflections. – J.D.

Today was the most beautiful day of the year in Washington. The skies were blue; the birds were singing; the spring tulips were in full bloom on the South Lawn of The White House; it was a festive occasion as the newest member of the Supreme Court prepared to take his seat at the high bench.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, policy, religious liberty April 10, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Praise for Two Pro-Life Policy Moves

After eight years of an administration that was friendly to abortion in any and every instance, Congress and the Trump Administration have taken steps to pull back pro-abortion policies on a couple of fronts – and that’s good news.

Here are the details.

Last week, the U.S. Senate followed the House of Representatives in repealing an Obama-era rule that banned states from denying federal funds to groups that commit abortions, including Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, policy, pro-life April 6, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Four Things You Can Do To Increase the Chances of Raising Kids Who Keep the Faith

Ask a 20-something a few generations back what their religious affiliation was, and chances were the answer would fall within predictable lines: Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Jewish, for example.

Ask the same question of today’s young adults, otherwise known as “Millennials,” and you might hear something new.

“I’m spiritual,” they might say, or “I believe in a higher power, but I’m not religious.”

That’s because Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are more comfortable than any other generation in identifying their religious affiliation as “none of the above.”

In fact, about 35 percent of adult Millennials are religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, parenting April 5, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mike Pence Is Right to Keep Boundaries around His Marriage (Guest Post)

Thanks to Vice President Mike and Mrs. Karen Pence, it seems like everybody’s talking about boundaries in marriage right now – and as a husband-and-wife team that equips couples to strengthen their marriages, we couldn’t be happier.

This national conversation started after a Washington Post profile of Karen Pence that highlighted how close and loving her marriage to the vice president is – and also included this line:

“In 2002, Mike Pence told the Hill that he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side, either.”

That sentence has sparked a lot of controversy from critics who think the practice is sexist, outdated, or might hinder a professional woman’s career.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, news, relationships March 30, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tim Keller’s Reward is in Heaven. It’s Princeton that Loses the Prize.

Over the course of the last seven years, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tim Keller many times. The senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Tim is one of our most popular broadcast guests.

He’s also become a good friend.

A quiet, cerebral, steely man of sound doctrine and strong conviction, Dr. Keller has been referred to as the C.S. Lewis of our time, and with good reason. A gifted teacher and preacher, whether in print or speaking from the pulpit, he knows how to engage both the head and the heart.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, pastors March 24, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Won’t Judge Gorsuch Promise to Overrule Roe v. Wade?

The big news out of Washington, D.C., this week is, of course, the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Neil Gorsuch. Focus’ own Tim Goeglein, who is based in Washington, attended Monday’s hearing.

I’m actually in D.C. today for some meetings, and the hearings are what everyone is talking about here in the nation’s capital – as I suspect is the case across the country.

Today, for the third day, Judge Gorsuch is answering questions from the 20 Republican and Democrat senators who are part of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, policy, pro-life March 22, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It’s the Largest Humanitarian Crisis Since 1945

There are currently more than 20 million people in regions of Africa and the Middle East who are at risk of starvation and famine.

The United Nation’s humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, delivered the dire news to the U.N. Security Council last week.

The problem is partly due to “deepening drought.” But as Mr. O’Brien shared, political conflict is also helping to create the desperate situation that impacts people dying from hunger in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and northeast Nigeria.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, pro-life March 20, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Isn’t More Being Made of This News?

File this under the best news you haven’t heard much (if anything) about.

Since Jan. 20 – the day Donald Trump was inaugurated as president – law enforcement authorities have arrested more than 1,500 people for sex crimes ranging from sex trafficking to pedophilia.

At first glance, that might seem like bad news, until you realize that according to the FBI, in all of 2014, there were less than 400 sex trafficking-related arrests.

In other words, it’s not that sex crimes are on the rise – it’s that the enforcement of sex crime laws have become a priority.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, pro-life, sex March 15, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This Video Shows the Challenge of Being a Christian in the Secular Workplace

I had the privilege of being with a unique group last week: Christian CEOs. They’re part of a ministry that began within the walls of Focus on the Family. They’re now an independent and self-sustaining fellowship, regularly meeting to pray together and encourage one another in both their faith and careers.

Corporate America can certainly be a challenge for Christians to navigate.

Of course, navigating a secular workplace isn’t unique to just Christian CEOs. Believers who strive to live out their faith at their places of employment must sometimes steer through choppy waters.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, relationships March 8, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

‘The Shack’: Must-See Movie, or Stay Away?

Tim Tebow liked it.

“Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines recommend it.

But blogger Tim Challies refuses to even see it.

I’m talking about “The Shack,” the film adaptation of the 2007 novel of the same name, which is reviving the controversy around William P. Young’s bestselling book about a grieving father who encounters the Holy Trinity … in human form.

The movie debuted in theaters across the nation last Friday, making a very respectable $16.1 million during its first weekend.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, news March 7, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura