Explainer: More than 1.5 million children lost parents due to COVID

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 4 million people across the globe have died due to COVID-19. Because the disease has mostly killed adults, though, the effect on children has been largely overlooked. Yet the untimely and unexpected deaths have had a profound effect on families. For instance, one result of the pandemic is the increased deaths of parents and primary caregivers, leaving children around the world orphaned.  

This Week in Washington, D.C.

• Earlier in July, the U.S. Senate passed by Unanimous Consent the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This bill prohibits goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) or by entities using Uyghur labor forcibly transferred from the XUAR from entering the U.S. market. This legislation also instructs the U.S. government to impose sanctions against any foreign person who knowingly engages in the forced labor of Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the XUAR. The ERLC urges swift passage in the House.
  
  In May, the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution condemning the Uyghur genocide, becoming the first denomination to do so. The ERLC will continue to advocate for religious freedom as we serve Southern Baptists. 
   
• Last week, at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit In Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration plans to nominate an ambassador-at-large for IRF in the coming weeks. 
  
  The ambassador for IRF was created by the landmark International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 that established the Office of IRF at the State Department and the Commission on International Religious Freedom. The ambassadorship is a Senate-confirmed position and is charged with being the “principal adviser to the President and the Secretary of State Regarding matters affecting religious freedom abroad.” The IRF Ambassadorship has always been the focal point for the U.S. government to address violations of religious freedom around the world — particularly through their annual reports.

From The Public Square

What You Need to Read

Ben Harbaugh with Explainer: Biden administration to nominate Ambassador for International Freedom

Speaking via video at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit this week in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration plans to nominate an ambassador-at-large for IRF in the coming weeks. This vital position has been left vacant since the Biden administration took office and plays a crucial role in the global religious freedom movement.

Nathan Finn with 3 reasons Baptists should look to John Leland: Religious liberty, evangelism, and biblical justice

In recent days, I’ve become convinced that John Leland (1754–1841) is among the most important role models from Baptist history. Leland was a native of Massachusetts, though he spent many of his most fruitful years of ministry in Virginia. He became one of the most important Baptist leaders of his era, a time that coincided with the emergence of Baptists from their persecuted sectarian roots into a national denomination.

Policy Staff with Explainer: Federal court strikes down discrimination against religious student groups on college campus

In a unanimous decision, the federal court for the 8th Circuit held that administrators at the University of Iowa are violating the First Amendment by removing Christian, Muslim, and Sikh student organizations for choosing student leaders who share the group’s mission and values. The court’s ruling of InterVarsity v. University of Iowa follows a series of recent decisions that uphold the First Amendment’s free exercise clause and specifically rejects skewed applications of anti-discrimination policies based on a leader’s viewpoints. 

This Week at the ERLC

• Chelsea Patterson Sobolik praised a court ruling in favor of a student faith group that was removed from a state university campus for requiring its leaders to be Christians.
   
• The ERLC announced a new online event called Baptists and the Court: A Review of Recent SCOTUS Decisions. Make plans to join us on Thursday, July 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET to learn how how recent Supreme Court decisions will affect you and your ministry.
   
• Daniel Patterson urged Congress to act after a federal court halted a program that has prevented the deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.

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