Current Events Archives

“Son of God” Jesus Epic Opens Tomorrow

This past weekend at the National Religious Broadcasters event in Nashville, I had the pleasure of meeting with a wide array of Christian leaders, executives and creatives, all looking to help spread the Good News.

Among those I met with were two very good friends, Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, who we’ve had the opportunity to work with on various occasions. These committed Christians were behind last year’s hit miniseries, “The Bible,” which helped make faith part of the national conversation and compelled many people to dust off their Bibles and read them again.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, pop culture February 27, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What’s the Best Christian Response to the Mistreatment of Homosexuals?

In various countries around the world, homosexuals are being beaten and even killed with their governments’ approval.

For example, in Nigeria, a recent law criminalizing homosexuality provides punishments, like whippings, to men who are caught having homosexual relations. The New York Times reports that crowds in the African nation are demanding their local officials to go even further, because local Islamic law requires the penalty for such an act to be death by stoning. In many places these same types of punishments are also meted out for other nonmarital sexual behaviors.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, news, pro-life February 25, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are Some Christians Really Supporting “Homosexual Jim Crow Laws?”

It should come as no surprise that sometimes well-meaning, sincere Christians can disagree with each other on how to best live out their faith. Sometimes, those differences can run deep.

For example, in Jesus’ time, we see an example of two disciples who had vastly different political views. There was Matthew, a former tax collector – he was a Jewish representative of the Roman government. There was also Simon the Zealot – he was part of a group that actively sought to violently overturn that same Roman government.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, news, policy, religious liberty February 24, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: This Pastor Forgave the Man Who Killed His Wife, Son in Crash

Sometimes, God’s biggest miracles are what He does in our hearts. Just ask Erik Fitzgerald and Matthew Swatzell.

Swatzell, then 20, was on his way home after working a busy 24-hour shift as a firefighter and EMT. He had slept only 30 minutes during his shift, and had fallen asleep at the wheel two miles from his house. What awoke him was the sound of his vehicle crashing head-on into a car driven by 30-year-old June Fitzgerald.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, pastors February 21, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What the Historically Low Abortion Numbers Mean

You may have heard the news: abortion rates are at the lowest they’ve been since Roe v. Wade legalized the act in all 50 states 41 years ago.

Two separate sources confirm this statement: the most recent report by Planned Parenthood’s research arm, the Guttmacher Institute, and the government’s Center for Disease Control 2010 report.

It’s actually not a surprise we’re at these “lowest ever” abortion numbers, because we’ve been seeing years of declining trends.

Topics: Current Events Tags: adoption, news, pro-life February 20, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Disney’s Two Mommies and Teaching Kids About Marriage

The Disney Channel recently introduced a subplot involving a lesbian couple to its popular children’s show, “Good Luck Charlie.” The storyline involved Charlie’s parents trying to remember the name of their daughter’s friend’s mom. The father remembered the mom’s name as Cheryl, and the mother remembered the name as Susan.

Turns out they were both right, because the little girl coming over to play had twomommies. (You can watch the minute-long scene online.)

The Disney Channel is immensely popular with its target demographic, children.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, homosexuality, news, pop culture February 19, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Will Child Euthanasia Ever Be Legalized in the U.S.?

You may have already heard the heartbreaking news: Belgium’s parliament voted in favor of a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit. Experts expect King Philippe to sign the bill into law.

The move comes only 12 years after Belgium legalized euthanasia for adults. It was a fast tumble down the slippery slope.

As Americans, there’s a certain temptation to read news like this and though we gulp and sigh, we think this sort of thing only happens in Europe, not the United States.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, pro-life February 18, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This Olympian’s Inspiration is His Brother with Cerebral Palsy

Get the tissues out, because this story will tug at your heartstrings.

Canadian freestyle skier Alex Bilodeau won gold at the Sochi Winter Olympics yesterday, the second of his career. And right there cheering him on was his older brother, Frederic. After the big win Monday, the brothers hugged, with Alex lifting Frederic over the fence so they could celebrate together.

Frederic’s support, and the manner with which he has dealt with his physical impediments have inspired Alex throughout his many years of training.

Topics: Current Events Tags: friendship, news, pop culture February 11, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Olympic Commercial Shows a Parenting Truth

Have you caught Olympic fever yet?

Here at Focus we have. Our staff is celebrating “Olympic Fridays” by wearing the red, white and blue. We watch and marvel at the athletes’ prowess – their talent, tenacity, discipline and courage.

And behind these dedicated men and women stand families who helped them achieve their dreams of representing their respective countries on a world stage after a seeming lifetime of training.

I want to share with you a commercial from Proctor and Gamble (P&G) that highlights some of the sacrifices these athletes’ mothers went through to see their children compete at the Olympic level.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, parenting February 7, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

5 SCOTUS Cases to Watch

History tells us U.S. Supreme Court decisions often have a far-reaching impact on issues we care about – things like life, marriage and religious liberties.

To that end, I wanted to provide you with a list our experts compiled of SCOTUS court cases to watch. I hope this short summary will help you navigate the news.

As always, we encourage Christians to pray for the things that go on in our government. Pray for our Supreme Court justices, that God would grant them wisdom as they hear these cases.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, news, policy, pro-life, religious liberty February 6, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura