Explainer: Israeli-Palestinian hostilities could lead to "full-scale war"
Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians lead Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, to say on Tuesday, “We’re escalating towards a full scale war. Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of deescalation.”
The recent tensions appear to be due to a pending decision by Israel’s Supreme Court that could evict approximately 75 Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem. Violent clashes also resulted when Muslims were reportedly blocked from Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. The terrorist group Hamas, which controls the area of Gaza, escalated the conflict by firing approximately 1,500 rockets at civilian targets in Israel, killing five people and injuring over 200.
This Week in Washington, D.C.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 52-47 to repeal the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) 2017 ‘True Lender’ rule. The rule allows payday lenders to charge predatory interest rates as high as 391% annually.
Russell Moore, President of the ERLC, has said that predatory lending "grinds the faces of the poor into the ground." In a statement announcing the formation of the Faith for Just Lending Coalition (FJL) of which the ERLC is a member, Moore continued,
“As Christians, we are called by Jesus, by the prophets and by the apostles to care for the poor, individually, and also about the way social and political and corporate structures contribute to the misery of the impoverished.”
FJL has opposed the 2017 OCC rule since it was first proposed and released a statement yesterday applauding the Senate for its vote to repeal the harmful rule.
Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), conducted a hearing on the CRA and cited FJL and ERLC’s advocacy on this issue: “a broad, bipartisan coalition is asking Congress to overturn the OCC’s harmful True Lender Rule. That support includes [...] the Southern Baptist Convention [...] and other members of the Faith in Just Lending Coalition.”
The ERLC will continue to advocate for the repeal of the 2017 OCC ‘True Lender’ rule as the CRA moves to the House of Representatives, and President Biden’s desk for signature or veto.
From The Public Square
US restores transgender health protections denied by Trump
Associated Press
The Biden administration says the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, reversing a Trump-era policy.
Religious Persecution in China Intensifies with Brainwashing Camps for Christians
Providence
The Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Christians has taken a disturbing new turn. According to a recent Radio Free Asia report, Chinese Christians are being detained at secretive “brainwashing camps.”
America’s most conservative states are embracing medical pot
Politico
Many of the nation’s medical marijuana holdouts are giving in as pot activists make inroads this year with conservative strongholds — and are poised to notch more wins in the coming weeks.
Laws banning transgender student athletes splinter GOP
Politico
States are considering an unprecedented number of bills targeting transgender women and girls who play sports, but Republican support for the measures is not universal.
What You Need to Read
Catherine Parks with What you can do during India’s COVID crisis
Unless you have been taking a break from all social media, online news, and television, you probably haven’t missed the devastating headlines from every major news outlet in the world. India, specifically Delhi, has become the latest COVID-19 epicenter.
Josh Wester and Jordan Wootten with Explainer: The contract dispute between Kentucky and Sunrise Children’s Services
A longstanding partnership between the Kentucky State Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Sunrise Children’s Services, one of the state’s oldest foster care providers, is in jeopardy of not being renewed after a months-long disagreement over language included in their annual contract. Sunrise Children’s Services, an institution of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, dates back to 1859, and their partnership with the state of Kentucky has been ongoing since the late 1970s.
Jared Kennedy with How to prepare your children to see their gendered bodies as gifts for God’s mission
Parents are responsible to teach their children, who already have a given gender, the kind of character that’s necessary to be a godly son or daughter, brother or sister, wife or husband, mother or father. Boys need to grow up into godly sons and potential fathers who can provide for and protect others. Girls need to grow up into godly daughters and potential mothers, that is, influential helpers who cultivate the relational structures necessary for nurturing others.
This Week at the ERLC
- Russell Moore commended the U.S. government’s report on treatment of faith communities globally in comments to Baptist Press. Moore also called on President Biden to nominate an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
- Chelsea Patterson Sobolik hosted an online conversation with Jen Wilkin, Katie McCoy, and Missie Branch about why women are a vital part of the flourishing of the church. You can watch a replay here.
- Brent Leatherwood talked to Baptist Press about how the Biden administration’s reinterpretation of sex discrimination in health care to include sexual orientation and gender identity imperils the freedom of conscience of medical workers.
- Jason Thacker was quoted in WORLD discussing the Facebook Oversight Board's decision on Facebook's suspension of former President Trump.
Featured Podcasts
On WeeklyTech, Jason Thacker is joined by Dr. Andrew Walker, associate professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a former ERLC staff member, to talk about his new book “Liberty for All.”
This week on Capitol Conversations, Jeff Pickering and Brooke Kramer are joined by the Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero to discuss why Christians should care about ending the payday debt trap and how the Faith for Just Lending (FJL) coalition is advocating against payday lending.
