| | Wednesday, January 19, 2022 |
|
| Politics | | Ballot harvesting, federal control, penalties: 3 key details of Democrats' voting rights bill | | Democrats are pushing for the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 this week, saying the measure is necessary to preserve the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. While Democrats claim the act is needed to curb election laws passed in states like Georgia and Texas, which they portray as "voter suppression," Republicans say the bill is an attempt to secure Democratic Party rule and an unconstitutional takeover of state elections. This article highlights three key details Americans should know about the bill: it would legalize ballot harvesting, states would need the federal government's approval to make changes to their election laws, and it would penalize states for imposing stringent voter identification measures. Click through to learn more. |
|
|
|
| Politics | | Religious beliefs shouldn't be subject to ‘verification,' Justice Neil Gorsuch says in dissent | | A pair of ministers seeking a tax-exempt status shouldn’t be subject to a government “verification” process, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch argued Tuesday. The Supreme Court denied a request for oral argument in the case of New Life in Christ Church v. City of Fredericksburg, which centered on whether Josh and Anacari Storms, college ministers who host Bible studies and worship events and minister to students at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, can claim a tax exemption for their residence. City officials had concluded that they could not claim tax-exempt status for a parsonage, contending that the Storms family does not fit the exact classification of a minister according to the Presbyterian Church in America, which includes a requirement to be ordained and a prohibition on female ordination. In his dissent, Gorsuch wrote, "The church tried to explain that the City misunderstood its traditions and practices. The church responded that, yes, women can and do serve as ministers." |
|
|
| Church & Ministries | | PODCAST: Why is awareness of Jesus vital? Pastors weigh in | | Daniel Fusco, the pastor of Vancouver’s Crossroads Community Church, and Banning Liebscher, founder of Jesus Culture Music, shared in "The Crazy Happy Podcast" that Christians need to be aware of Jesus' presence because “without God’s presence, church is a social club.” The duo also discussed discouragement and hopelessness, explaining that when people are vulnerable it's even more important to take up the "shield of truth." Click to listen to the episode in full. |
|
|
| Entertainment | | 'Full House' alum releases shirt encouraging people to ‘love like Jesus, hug like Bob Saget’ | | Hollywood actress and devout Christian Candace Cameron Bure is honoring her late TV dad, Bob Saget, with a sweater that both shares the hope of her faith in Jesus and honors the recently passed actor. Bure's "Love Like Jesus, Hug Like Bob Saget" top is available on HugLikeBob.com, with proceeds going to the Scleroderma Research Foundation, a foundation that was dear to Saget’s heart, as his sister, Gay Saget, died of the autoimmune disease in 1994. |
|
|
| U.S. | | Town officials look to ban Chick-fil-A from NJ highway rest stop over CEO's marriage views | | Local officials in New Jersey are speaking out against a proposal to build a Chick-fil-A restaurant on the Garden State Parkway, alleging that the Chick-fil-A CEO's views on LGBT issues make it unworthy for placement along a taxpayer-funded highway. “I just can’t feel comfortable eating … giving money to somebody who’s opposing my rights,” said Bloomfield City Councilman Rich Rockwell, an openly gay Democrat. “For that to be on a publicly-funded state agency highway, that seems inappropriate to me.” The outcry from LGBT activists and liberal politicians surrounding Chick-fil-A dates back to 2012 when CEO Dan Cathy expressed opposition to same-sex marriage during an appearance on a radio show. |
|
|
| Voice | | Op-ed: Virginia finds hope in the gov. compartment | | Despite "12 disappointing months of an administration whose domestic and foreign policy failures are rivaled only by the number of illegals crossing the border," Americans continue to be desperate for a sign of hope, writes Tony Perkins. "For Americans who don't live in Virginia, the sight of the Commonwealth's tall new governor was a reassuring reminder that power still belongs to the people — and those people are hungry for someone to lead, not mandate, control, or command." |
|
|
|
| Entertainment | | TobyMac on death, grief, eternity | | TobyMac opened up about the depth of his grief following the death of his son, Truett Foster McKeehan, and revealed that he’d never thought extensively about eternity before the young man’s death in 2019. In the video clip, released by Joy FM, the Christian music artist explained, "[W]hen we lost Truett, everything changed, and I met grief in the fiercest way." Click through to watch the video clip. |
|
|
|
