news Archives

New Mexico, the Media, Religious Liberty – and You

Last week, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a husband and wife who own a photography business illegally discriminated against a homosexual couple for refusing to shoot their same-sex “commitment ceremony.”

Back in 2006, Elaine and Jon Huguenin, co-owners of Elane Photography in Albuquerque, politely declined to accept the job, citing their Christian faith. The homosexual couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. A one-day trial ensued, and in 2008 the commission issued a report claiming the Huguenins had committed “sexual orientation discrimination.” They were ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in fines.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, religious liberty August 30, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Let Churches Burn in Egypt?

The terrible violence besieging Egypt and the attacks on the nation’s Christian minority are heartbreaking. And in fact, for many of us here at Focus, we’ve been receiving daily updates about the bloody unrest from our friend, Sami Yacoub, who is the regional director of Focus on the Family Middle East, which is actually headquartered in Cairo.

Sami is a godly man whose spiritual maturity has been shaped in part by the hardships of living in a country undergoing sociopolitical turmoil.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, news, religious liberty August 22, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

School’s Back in Session, and Values are Put to the Test

It’s back-to-school time. Kids are filling their backpacks with their new supplies. Parents are taking pictures of smiling children before waving goodbye. Teachers are welcoming their new students. It’s time for these youngsters to learn reading, ’riting and … sexually explicit lessons? The promotion of same-sex relationships and gender confusion? Negative portrayals of some religious beliefs?

Sound a bit too alarmist?

Sadly, that’s what is going to be the case for students in too many classrooms across the nation.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, kids, news, parenting, pop culture August 21, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Cops Surprise Accused Criminal… with Grace

When was the last time God prompted you to go out of your way to help someone?

That’s what happened to Ryan Willard and Duane Fields, two West Virginia law enforcement officers whose response to a typical shoplifting call will inspire you.

According to a report from The Charleston Daily Mail, Willard and Fields arrived at a local K-Mart to look into allegations a young woman had tried to steal from the store.

What they found in the small backroom went beyond the cold, hard facts of the case, however.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news August 14, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: Do You Know This is More Dangerous than Drinking and Driving?

It used to be that when it came to having a 16-or 17-year-old, a parent’s top concern when their teen got behind the wheel was drinking and driving. Well, there’s something that’s replaced drunk driving as the number one cause of teenage deaths on the road in the U.S. – texting while driving. Accidents caused by this dangerous practice injure more than 300,000 teens and kill more than 3,000 each year, according to a study by the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, technology August 9, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What the Pope Said About Homosexuality

Pope Francis’ comments on homosexuality late last month made headlines around the world. During an impromptu 80-minute press conference with journalists, the Pope answered questions on a variety of issues, but the media has latched on to this one quote:

If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?

The pope was summarizing his thoughts about celibate clergy who have unwanted same-sex attractions. That’s the quote that caused the media floodgates to open, with many news reports breathlessly hinting that the Catholic Church was changing its positions on the topic.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, news August 6, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Made Actor Dustin Hoffman Cry?

A video of Dustin Hoffman has gone viral. In it, the acclaimed actor shares the real reason why he agreed to star in the 1982 hit, “Tootsie,” a film about a man who dressed up as a woman to get more work.

Turns out Hoffman wasn’t motivated by money or fame or some political interest. Rather, he was motivated by what he saw in his own heart.

As the film’s make-up team prepared Hoffman for the film, the actor realized he didn’t make for a very attractive woman.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, news, pop culture July 26, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: Watch Cheerios’ Controversial Commercial

Usually commercials for cereal are pretty run-of-the-mill, but there’s one that recently generated a lot of conversation, and even some controversy. The ad for Cheerios features an adorable little girl, her mom and her dad. Take a look:

That’s right: the noise around this seemingly innocuous commercial centers on the fact that the little girl is biracial, with a white mom and a black dad.

I know racism still exists, but I am still surprised that there were so many hateful remarks connected to the ad on YouTube that Cheerios was forced to turn off the comments section.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news July 19, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You Notice This About the Royal Baby?

The big announcement that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Great Britain’s Prince William, was pregnant came with much fanfare last December. Almost instantly, headlines around the world heralded the news of the “royal baby.” Congratulatory messages poured in from high-ranking government officials and celebrities. #Royalbaby was trending on Twitter within minutes of the news breaking. There’s even a “Baby Watch” app available for download.

People should rejoice. Babies are a blessing, and it’s a delight to see a young couple like Prince William and Kate Middleton excitedly anticipating the birth of their child.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, pop culture July 18, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Millennial Support for Marriage is #NotDeadYet

The media loves a “narrative,” the familiar storyline they tell and tell again. And in light of yesterday’s deeply disappointing Supreme Court decisions regarding marriage, one such narrative that we see again and again is that the younger crowd, the millennial generation, doesn’t care about preserving marriage. If you’re a believer in natural marriage, that’s a tough thing to swallow. Fortunately, however, that’s not the complete picture.

Millions of teens and twenty-somethings are standing firm for marriage.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, news, policy June 27, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura