news Archives

What the Media Isn’t Reporting on ISIS’ Beheading of 21 Christian Men

The tragic images are almost impossible to see and process.

There on the shore of Libya stand 21 young Christian Egyptian men, each clad in an orange jumpsuit. Behind each man is a hooded radical Islamist, holding a knife.

We know what’s coming next.

If American Christians were ever tempted to believe martyrs are only people we read about in the Bible and history books, the 21 men who were brutally beheaded because they called Jesus Christ their Savior remind us nothing could be further from the truth.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news, religious liberty February 18, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fans of “The Drop Box” Buying Out Theaters

The movie doesn’t debut for another two weeks, but already “The Drop Box” is selling out theaters in cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Diego, Miami, Denver, San Antonio, Phoenix, St. Louis and right here in Colorado Springs.

We’re really encouraged by this positive response to the film that we’ve produced in partnership with Kindred Image. Church and community leaders are purchasing group tickets or even buying out theaters so they can help spread the important message this movie brings.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: adoption, entertainment, news, pro-life, promos February 16, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mom Abandons Her Baby with Down Syndrome; Thousands Give Help

A news summary on issues that matter.

“Dad Refuses to Give Up Son With Down Syndrome” and accepts his wife’s divorce instead. In response, thousands have donated almost $500,000 to his GoFundMe page to help the new single dad become his son’s full-time caretaker. Most recent reports provide a statement from the mother and show at least the possibility of reconciliation. With an abortion rate of about 50 percent for preborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, the bottom line is many refuse to care for such a child.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news February 10, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Making Sense of the Measles Outbreak

Measles.

It’s not the sort of souvenir you’d expect to bring home from the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but that’s exactly what dozens of children took away from their visit to Disneyland last December.

Ironically, Jean and I were there with the boys the very week of the outbreak.

More than fifty children contracted the disease as a result of exposure to the infection at the California theme park. Some spread it to others, and by the end of January more than a hundred cases had been confirmed in the U.S.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, parenting, policy February 5, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This Pastor Chose Against Acting on His Same-Sex Attractions

Allan Edwards is a pastor with the Presbyterian Church in America. He’s also married to Leeanne Edwards and the couple is expecting their first child in July.

Allan has also admitted to struggling with same-sex attraction.

In fact, he recently shared his story with National Public Radio. In the midst of the conversation, Allan said the reason he’s never acted on the attraction is because he believes homosexuality is a sin.

Some have suggested that Allan is denying his true identity and that he and his wife couldn’t possibly be happy.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, marriage, news February 3, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

New Video Shows the Power of “The Drop Box”

What the latest promotional video for Focus’ newest movie, “The Drop Box,” shows is almost unbelievable.

It was a cold night when Pastor Lee Jong-rak stumbled on a newborn who had been abandoned in an alley in Seoul, South Korea. He quickly takes the infant, and goes on to build a “baby box” at the front of his church – a warm, safe place where desperate mothers can leave babies who would otherwise be abandoned.

Since then, Pastor Lee, his wife Chun-ja and a small team of volunteers have rescued more than 600 babies.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: entertainment, kids, news, pro, pro-life January 30, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why This Doctor and Widower Opposes Physician-Assisted Suicide

For many of us, the issue of physician-assisted suicide was brought to our attention last year with the very public illness and death of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who chose to end her own life with a lethal prescription after receiving a diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer.

This pains me in so many ways, not the least of which is that it compounds the heartbreak of a horrible, terminal illness with the tragic choice of a young woman to take her own life.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, policy, pro-life, wife January 27, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Four Stories Before the Weekend

From the serious to the light-hearted, here are some recent news articles on topics that impact faith and family that might be of interest to you.

– Obama’s Middle-Class Blind Spot, via The Wall Street Journal: The president’s proposed tax credit for families doesn’t extend to families with a stay-at-home parent.
President Obama is missing an opportunity to help all struggling families…

– Pope: Catholics need not breed ‘like rabbits’: USA Today reports on the controversial statement.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, news, pro-life January 23, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Contact Your House Rep Over GOP Pulling Pro-Life Bill

Four decades and 50 million innocent lives later, those of us who support the protection of the unborn were heartened to hear of the upcoming vote in the House of Representatives that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks. But now we’ve learned the bill has been pulled by the GOP leadership over some of the legislation’s language. Rather than have a public fight on the floor of the House, leadership has chosen to cancel the vote altogether.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, policy, pro-life January 22, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Today’s Supreme Court Announcement About Marriage Misses This Fact

Today’s news regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari to four marriage cases sets up the impending culmination to a decades-long cultural debate.

The outcome will either uphold a state’s right to define marriage or declare same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

However, regardless of the outcome, today’s news fails to recognize, appreciate and honor a key truth. Marriage is an institution that historically and culturally has always brought the two unique and complementary parts of humanity together into a lifetime, cooperative partnership that establishes and maintains the family.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, news, policy, religious liberty January 16, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura