Daly Focus Blog
Today’s celebration of Juneteenth – referred to by some as “America’s second Independence Day”– has only been a federal holiday since 2021, but dates to 1865.
It was on June 19, 1865 when Union forces sailed into Galveston Bay in Texas to enforce the end of slavery.
At the time, there were 250,000 slaves in Texas – and none of them knew that nearly 4 million other American slaves had been emancipated when the Civil War ended two months earlier.
Author and pastor Ted Cunningham says, “Social media is a place where people share their opinions without sticking around for the conversation.”
He’s right. A lot of people like to share what they think, but not many will listen to what you think. Watch closely to how people interact with you, and you’ll see what I mean. Do they ask questions to better understand your point of view? And when you answer, do they really listen?
In recent years, voices within the culture have argued that men and women are identical. One toy company decided to capitalize on that idea by designing a doll house that could be used by either gender. The company didn’t expect the results they got. In tests, girls acted like girls, and the boys acted like boys. The girls had tea parties, pretend marriages, and kids playing in the yard. The boys created war scenes or drove the baby carriage off the roof in a fiery crash.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has introduced legislation designed to codify nationwide access to abortion. Wednesday’s vote is expected to fall far short of the needed votes.
A zealot for abortion, Senator Schumer knows he doesn’t have the votes – but said, “This is not an abstract exercise, it’s as real and as urgent as it gets.”
What’s urgent, of course, are the thousands of babies being killed each day by abortion.
Last week’s leak of an early draft of the Dobbs’ abortion decision has ignited violence and unhinged protests across the country.
Data about the culture’s view of Christianity isn’t encouraging.
In 1996, 85% of Americans who had no religious commitment viewed Christianity favorably (Source: 2007 George Barna study).In 2019, nearly half (47%) of non-Christians had some level of negative feeling toward Christians (Source: 2019 Barna study, The Brand of Evangelicals).
Some of that negativity is fueled by seismic cultural shifts in recent decades. Tolerance rules above all other values, which means that any religion that claims a corner on truth is suspect.
I’ve seen government overreach and oppression firsthand. I was in Moscow in August of 1991 when President Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest. It was a failed coup attempt orchestrated by hardline communists who opposed his ideas for reform. Russian citizens were told that Gorbachev was ill. In reality, he was being held hostage.
I’ve been in other countries who closely monitored the Christian church and limited their freedoms. These governments only tolerated so much before cracking down and silencing any expression of faith.
Our culture is so toxic that an increasing number of young girls are suffering from a growing list of troubles – from low self-esteem and anxiety to depression and eating disorders.
What’s the answer? It isn’t so much a “what” as it is a “who.”
Mothers.
Mom, you are instrumental in helping your daughter navigate a world that is often against her. An effective way to do that is to be a good listener. Your daughter is much more likely to share her heart with you than with Dad.
It is time.
In fact, it’s way past time.
For nearly a half-century, abortion on demand has been legal in all fifty states leading to the tragic holocaust of over 60 million innocent babies.
It is time to right an historically devastating and evil wrong and overturn the fatally flawed Roe decision from 1973.
I’m in Washington, D.C., and will be closely following today’s hearing of the Mississippi Dobbs case inside the Supreme Court. Due to the pandemic, the courtroom will be closed to spectators, but the audio of the proceedings will be available in real time.
Readers above a certain age will remember the comedian Bob Newhart. Now 92 years-old, the actor known for his deadpan delivery once played a psychologist dispensing advice to a cast of eclectic characters. Encountering a woman who feared and thought continuously about being buried in a box, the doctor famously relayed a two-word solution:
“Stop it!”
Naturally, breaking a bad and destructive habit is easier said than done. But the first step is realizing the harm that is done by consuming pornography.
Our country is at a crossroads. Society is rapidly changing – and not always for the better. Some people call it “woke” or “cancel” culture, where only certain points of view are allowed to be expressed.
Many Americans feel like these disturbing seismic changes happened overnight. The truth is our culture has been chipping away at the Judeo-Christian value system for decades. Increasingly, the Christian viewpoint is unwelcome in public settings. And that problem will only become more challenging for families and for the church.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
