No Images? Click here

The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day.

The Latest Developments on DACA

All this week, President Trump, Congress, and even state attorney generals have been debating how to move forward on the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). (For background on DACA and Dreamers, see this explainer article.)

Here are the latest developments on this complex and contentious immigration issue.

President Trump started the process of winding down the DACA program

On Tuesday Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration would stop allowing any new applications for DACA, but it will allow any DACA recipient whose permit expires by March 5, 2018, to apply for a renewal and that any two-year work permits that would otherwise expire will be reauthorized.

However, later that evening President Trump signaled that he might be open to further executive action if Congress refused to act. In a tweet he announced, “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!”

As Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith noted, the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion defending DACA is still on the OLC website, “implying that it’s still valid for the executive branch.”

President Trump assures DACA recipients they won’t be deported during the 6-month window.

On Thursday morning President Trump had a phone call with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. According to CNN, a source familiar with the meeting said Pelosi “asked [President Trump] to tweet this to make clear Dreamers won’t be subject to deportation in 6 month window.” Soon after the meeting President Trump tweeted, “For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about - No action!”

Fifteen states and D.C. are suing to save DACA

A federal lawsuit was filed earlier this week claiming ending DACA is unconstitutional and violates federal statute. The District of Columbia joined in the suit with Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. According to Politico, the lawsuit alleges that the decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act because the Justice Department was “arbitrary and capricious” in suddenly reversing its stance on the legality of DACA, since the Obama administration’s Department of Justice had previously defended the program in court.

DACA may have bipartisan support in Congress

On Wednesday, President Trump told reporters that DACA legislation is a bipartisan issue that has support from Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and “even very conservative members of Congress.” “Chuck and Nancy would like to see something happen, and so do I,” the president said, adding that he would like to have “a great DACA transaction where everybody is happy and now they don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

A day earlier House Speaker Paul Ryan said DACA recipients can “rest easy” knowing that Congress will take action to allow them to stay in the United States. Speaker Ryan proposed that DACA legislation can be included in a compromise on border security and other enforcement measures supported by Republicans.

Democratic leaders, however, have said DACA legislation needs to be passed without being attached to other immigration measures. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Wednesday, “[L]et us say this, and I think I speak for the Leader, as well. If a clean DREAM Act does not come to the floor in September, we're prepared to attach it to other items this fall until it passes.”

This week on ERLC podcasts: Daniel Darling talks to Gabe Lyons, founder of Q Forum, about Christianity in a secular society. And on the ERLC podcast, Scott Klusendorf lays out pro-life arguments from sheer reason that also line up with Scripture.

Other Issues

American Culture

The Non-Religious States of America
Emma Green, The Atlantic

New survey data indicates that religiously unaffiliated people in the U.S. are diverse—and in many places, they make up a greater share of the population than any faith group.

Bioethics

Judge rejects churches on abortion coverage
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

Three evangelical Christian churches have suffered a setback in their challenge of a California requirement that they must cover abortions through their health insurance plans.

Christianity and Culture

'Buckets for Harvey' readied for hurricane survivors
Tammi Reed Ledbetter, Baptist Press

Even a 2-year-old can help the flood survivors in Houston and southeast Texas. That's the plan at Kristin Leonard's home, where her family is packing cleaning supplies for Hurricane Harvey survivors.

1 in 3 American Evangelicals Is a Person of Color
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Christianity Today

But study of 101,000 people across 50 states discovers denominations make a big difference.

Survey spotlights American views on sin
Bob Smietana, Baptist Press

According to a study released today (Aug. 15), two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) say they are sinners. And most people apparently aren't too happy about it -- only 5 percent say they have no desire to mend their ways.

Family Issues

Race, Cohabitation, and Children’s Family Stability
Laurie DeRose, Institute for Family Studies

There's a huge racial difference in the likelihood that an unmarried mother is in a cohabiting relationship, vs. being a lone mother.

International Issues

New charges against pastor in Turkey jail
Diana Chandler, Baptist Press

American pastor Andrew Brunson faces new charges punishable by four consecutive life imprisonments in an Izmir, Turkey, prison.

Nearly a million children are victims of a severe food crisis in the Lake Chad region
Yomi Kazeem, Quartz

Boko Haram’s insurgency in and around the Lake Chad region has seen thousands killed and millions more displaced. Now, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is shining a light on another set of victims: around 800,000 children under the age five who are “severely malnourished.”

Marriage Issues

The occupations with the highest and lowest divorce rates in the US
Leah Fessler, Quartz

Divorce rates vary by factors like race, education level, and employment status, and now we have a pretty good picture of how they vary by occupation.

Religious Liberty

Texas churches damaged by Harvey sue FEMA
Melinda Skea, Becket Law

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented destruction, flooded churches in Texas have sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seeking equal access to disaster relief grants available to other non-profits.

Sexuality Issues

Christians are part of the same dating pool as everyone else. That’s bad for the church.
Mark Regnerus, Washington Post

There have always been forces that have pulled marriages apart. But it is the forces that push people together that are growing increasingly rare.

The Nashville Statement’s Imperfect Clarity
Samuel D. James, First Things

The “Nashville Statement” on sexuality, marriage, and gender identity, released last week by evangelical organizations connected with the Southern Baptist Convention and endorsed by major evangelical leaders, does not contain anything surprising.

Transgender debate focus of new book
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

The transgender debate isn't really about a debate but about people, a Southern Baptist ethicist says in his new book on the controversial issue.