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The Weekly is a highlight of the work the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is doing to strengthen you and our churches for God’s glory.
Explainer: What you should know about the U.S. abandonment of the Kurds
What just happened?
Earlier this week President Trump announced that he was withdrawing all U.S. forces from northern Syria and handing control to the Turkish government, the sworn enemy of the Kurds, allies of the U.S. who have been fighting Islamic terrorists in the region.
Many experts believe Turkey is more concerned about fighting the Kurds than in fighting ISIS and securing the tens of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families being held by Syrian Kurds. On Wednesday, the Turkish military launched a ground and air assault on American-allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East—behind the Arabs, Turks, and Persians—and the largest in the area to not have their own permanent nation-state (though they control a semi-autonomous area of northern Iraq). There are between 25 and 35 million Kurds living in a mountainous region that covers the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Armenia.
Various Kurdish groups are embroiled in several conflicts in the region: against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, against the Assad regime in Syria, and against the government of Turkey.
This Week at the ERLC
Dan Darling writes at Core Christianity about the benefits of singing in church.
- Jason Thacker talks to Carmen LaBerge about the California privacy law.
- Josh Wester writes at Baptist Press about the NBA, China, and Hong Kong.
What You Need to Know
This week is National Mental Health Awareness Week, and there may be no more appropriate place to apply this than the Church. Those who struggle with mental illness should know the Church is where they will find refuge and care. Stephen Grcevich recommends seven ways you can work toward this in your church. Read his advice here.
According to the LifeWay study, the most common response from family members when asked how churches might better assist them in caring for loved ones with mental illness was to talk more openly about mental illness so that that the topic is not taboo.
This Sunday is Global Hunger Sunday within SBC churches, and it's a good opportunity to focus on how Southern Baptists can address physical and spiritual needs around the world. Jeff Palmer gives a real-life example of how you can change someone’s life. Read his article here.
Winnie seeks no recognition and is grateful for the food, formula, and seeds provided by GHR. They are evidence of the loving God in whom she trusts to provide the basic needs of the 30 precious lives that have been entrusted to her. You are by her side, helping Winnie care for and love on her beautiful, growing family through Global Hunger Relief.
Sadly, there have been an increasing number of ministry leaders who have died by suicide. Pastors might seem immune to thoughts of suicide, but that is far from the truth. Ericka Andersen looks at some of the reasons pastors could be susceptible to this struggle. Read her article here.
Faith has proved to be a solace to many church attenders, contributing to lower rates of suicide and higher rates of happiness, so it’s difficult to reconcile how a visible and engaged church leader isn’t among the saved. No easy answers exist, but there are a few telltale signs to examine in order to effectively grapple with how Wilson and other faith leaders came to such a point of desperation.
News From Capitol Hill
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments on a trio of cases dealing with the 1964 Civil Rights Act and whether the law's Title VII protections on the basis of "sex" also includes, even though it does not list, the classifications of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Russell Moore, president of the ERLC, commented on the cases the day of oral arguments in Washington:
"The arguments before the justices today present an opportunity for needed resolution over the definition of sex in federal law. Title VII is important because it ensures legal protection for women. But the misapplication of this law to mean what Congress did not write would punish any who dare disagree with the most radical aspects of the Sexual Revolution. We cannot understand equality on the basis of sex if we have ever-changing confusion on the meaning of sex and identity. My prayer is for a clear ruling that upholds human dignity in our law.”
With a coalition of faith-based organizations, the ERLC joined amicus briefs for these cases in which we advocated for a commonsense reading of the term ‘sex’ as used in Title VII. This law simply does not say anything about sexual orientation or gender identity.
In other judicial news in D.C. this week, the justices agreed to consider the constitutionality of a recent Louisiana abortion law. The new law, signed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, requires abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges in order to protect the health and lives of women who suffer complications. Among other pro-life leaders, Russell Moore welcomed the news:
"Any organization that claims to provide medical care for women ought to welcome safety measures protecting the wellbeing of patients. Instead, we see the abortion industry showing their ultimate concern is not patients, but profit. That basic health standards would become a politically divisive issue simply demonstrates how politically protected the abortion lobby is. Louisiana's law ought to be upheld, and abortion providers ought to be held to account.”
Featured Podcasts
On the Capitol Conversations podcast, Jeff Pickering welcomes Brent Leatherwood of the ERLC and Paul Miller of Georgetown University to discuss their research project exploring what American adults with evangelical beliefs think about civility and politics. Listen here.
- On The Way Home podcast, Sarah Mae joins Dan Darling to talk about her book The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts. She shares her story of growing up with an alcoholic mother and how she’s learned to forgive difficult people who have hurt her. Listen here.
From The Public Square
Court debates gay, transgender protections
Tom Strode, Baptist Press
The U.S. Supreme Court deliberated for two hours Tuesday (Oct 8) on whether longstanding, non-discrimination federal workplace law provides protection based on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity," and at least some justices appeared persuaded it does.
Syrian Christians to US: ‘Don’t Abandon Us Now’
Jason Casper, Christianity Today
After surviving a civil war and ISIS attacks, the Christian minority fears a Turkish takeover in Kurdish border region.
Over 200 sign letter criticizing DC bill to decriminalize commercial sex work
Jack Arnholz and Libby Cathey, ABC News
More than 200 people, many of them former sex workers, have signed an opposition letter publicly criticizing a bill that would decriminalize sex work in the nation's capital.
For a Lot of American Teens, Religion Is a Regular Part of the Public School Day
Pew Research
Yet many other U.S. adolescents rarely observe religious behavior in their schools, and a majority say they rarely or never discuss religion with friends.
