Explainer: Israel signs pacts with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates

On Tuesday, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States signed a diplomatic pact known as the “Abraham Accords Peace Agreement.” Additionally, Israel and the UAE signed a separate agreement to establish diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations.

Last week the U.S., Bahrain, and Israel issued a joint statement announcing full diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel. Bahrain is only the fourth Arab country in the Middle East (after the UAE, Egypt and Jordan) to recognize the modern nation of Israel.

This Week at the ERLC

• This week, the ERLC hosted our first-ever virtual meeting of the Board of Trustees. 

• Russell Moore led a retreat for the executive team of Family Church in Palm Beach, Florida.

• Jason Thacker was quoted in a Decision Magazine article about cancel culture.

What You Need to Read

• Travis Wussow with Abuse prevention and care in the IMB: A Q&A with the Prevention and Response Administrator at the IMB

In January, the International Mission Board appointed Somer Nowak to the newly created role of prevention and response administrator. This appointment was an important step for the IMB in caring well for survivors, protecting those in their care, and holding perpetrators accountable. I had the opportunity recently to speak with Nowak and hear her passion for protecting and caring for the most vulnerable.

• Jared Kennedy with How we can confidently call kids to respond to the gospel

Children should be taught that Jesus alone saves, and they should be assured that they can bank on him. You read that right. We should feel free to assure children that Jesus saves. We should freely invite children to come to Jesus because his redemption work is done. As the apostle wrote, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting humanity’s sins against them” (2 Cor. 5:18). 

• Daniel Rentie with Why we should view our communities as mission fields: The opportunity to serve close to home

Yes, the gospel opportunity gap is strong in many places outside of our country. But it also exists in places that could be within a 30-60 mile radius of where you live. Christians, let’s start figuring what we can begin doing to adequately serve these areas. It may require extra sacrifices, it may cause us to go out of our way to add a bus route, it may inspire us to create a new church plant, it may be something that never benefits our churches financially, or it may simply look like committed discipleship. But it is important to see these efforts as investments into communities that are in desperate need of the life-altering presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

News From Capitol Hill

During the pandemic, churches around the country continue adapting their weekly services to protect their people while proclaiming the gospel. This humble creativity of continued faithfulness to Christ is a testament to the power of the gospel to struggling communities in these strange times.

In support of churches, the ERLC policy team continues its engagement to ensure congregations are treated equally under public health policies in accordance with Constitutional protections for religious liberty.

An important example to take note of is in Nevada where religious freedom is being violated by the governor's pandemic policies. Nevada has one set of rules for casinos—a powerful interest group in the state—and another set for churches. This summer, the Supreme Court denied a church's request for an emergency appeal.

Earlier this month, Travis Wussow and Ryan Tucker of Alliance for Defending Freedom wrote on the current state of the litigation, the arguments that will be used, as well as how Christians can think about the state of the First Amendment in regard to the concern for public health. Below is an excerpt and you can read their article here.

“The First Amendment provides broad and strong protections for religious exercise, and The First Amendment provides broad and strong protections for religious exercise, and governments should ordinarily avoid any interference with a church’s worship practices. Indeed, religious freedom is a foundational, bedrock right that must be respected by our governing officials. Public officials also have the authority to protect public health and safety. These two public responsibilities may be in tension, but one does not negate the other; the First Amendment is not suspended even during a pandemic.”

Another helpful resource for church leaders on navigating the tension between church and state during a pandemic is this Q&A between Jeff Pickering and Luke Goodrich of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

As Russell Moore said when the Supreme Court decided to reject a California church’s challenge to the state’s attendance limits on places of worship, “This pandemic is a perilous time. We need to emerge from it with both our public safety and our First Amendment intact.”

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