Jim Daly

This Question on Same-Sex Marriage from a Journalist Surprised Me

News of the Supreme Court’s decision to impose same-sex marriage on all 50 states spread quickly on Friday.

Unpacking what this decision means, and its implications, will take a lot longer.

We’re starting that process of better understanding what the redefinition of marriage means to our country and our religious liberties on today’s Focus on the Family broadcast. We discuss this important topic with two noteworthy guests: former Focus board member Dr. Al Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theology Seminary, and Dr.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: marriage, news, policy, religious liberty

No Court Can Change What Marriage Is

Statement by Focus on the Family President Jim Daly on the decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges marriage case:

“Today the Supreme Court issued a disappointing decision that imposes same-sex marriage on all 50 states.

“Although this result was predicted by many observers, the action of the Court is nonetheless startling in its rejection of a societal understanding of marriage that goes back to the dawn of civilization. It tramples on the democratic process by overturning the will of more than 60 percent of Americans who voted on the issue and creates a new federal constitutional right in an area where our founding document is silent.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, marriage, news, policy, religious liberty

Is Your Christianity Born of Convenience or Conviction?

All eyes are on the Supreme Court this week as we await the historic decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. Seven cases remain on their docket. The justices will be issuing rulings tomorrow and Friday and possibly again on Monday. It’s impossible for us to know exactly when the decision will be announced, but this much is certain:

By this time next week we’ll know whether or not five or more justices have found a constitutional right to same-sex “marriage” in all 50 states.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, policy, religious liberty

Authentic Christianity in Charleston

When I first blogged about the horrific shooting at Charleston’s historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, authorities were still piecing together what had happened. What we’ve learned since then makes the tragedy all the more awful.

The pastor and eight congregants killed on last Wednesday night were targeted because the suspected shooter, 21-year-old Dylan Roof, wanted to start a race war.

By all accounts, this young man was filled with hate. Friends say he talked of the “need for whites and blacks to be segregated,” and that “he wanted to hurt lots of people.” An online manifesto that authorities say appears to be written by Roof is laced with racism, including statements that blacks are inferior to whites.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news, pro-life

Sex and Love: Do Husbands Know the Difference?

Do most men know the difference between love and sex?

A lot of men assume they have that distinction pretty well settled – until they realize the lines are more blurred than they thought, and their marriage suffers because of it.

The fact is, struggles related to sex and intimacy within a marriage are one of the top reasons we’re contacted here at Focus on the Family. So it’s an important issue for us to address.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, intimacy, marriage, wife

Elisabeth Elliot Showed Me What True Conviction Looks Like

I was in my early 20s and returning from a year of college in Japan when a friend invited me to hear Elisabeth Elliot speak in Kansas City.

She lit that auditorium of more than 18,000 people on fire.

As you most likely know by now, Elliot passed away on June 14 at the age of 88. She was a heroine of the faith, one of the most influential Christian women in the 20th century.

Here was a woman the world first met in 1956 when her husband, Jim Elliot, was among the five missionaries speared to death by the Auca Indians in Ecuador.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith

Involved Fathers Are Superheroes

In celebration of Father’s Day this weekend, let’s look at one sometimes-overlooked characteristic of a good dad …

He is, quite simply, a hero.

Forget Superman, Batman or Captain America. When you’re in trouble, you need Dad to save the day.

Dad will save kids from the brink of danger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoQssWPRNR0

He’ll risk his life to save his child.

And sometimes, Dad will even give his life to save his child.

The benefits involved fathers provide to their children are countless.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: husband, kids, parenting

We Ache for the Church and Faith Community of Charleston

We grieve with our brothers and sisters in South Carolina today as they mourn the deaths of nine people – including their beloved pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney – at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Authorities believe the shooting was racially motivated. The suspect, now in custody, is a 21-year-old white male, Dylann Roof. Inexplicably, he was said to have sat in on the worship service for almost an hour prior to opening fire on those in attendance.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: church, news

The Supreme Court Decision Won’t End This

Just as Roe v. Wade didn’t end the abortion debate, it’s unlikely the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage via the Obergefell v. Hodges case will stop our nation’s passionate discussion on marriage.

On the contrary, I suspect the forthcoming ruling will mark the beginning of a long and protracted controversy about not only marriage, but religious freedom.

Why?

Before I answer the question, let’s briefly look to the possible outcomes expected at the end of the month.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, news, policy, religious liberty

VIDEO: God Wrote a Book

Augustine of Hippo called the Bible “our letters from home.”

Abraham Lincoln once reflected that the Bible, “is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book.”

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, former pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church and a longtime member of our board, said, “The Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the Ages. It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith