In a recent article on Fox News, Christian student organizations may be forced to meet in secret at Vanderbilt University, as college officials are enforcing a nondiscrimination policy that bans organization leaders from holding specific beliefs.

So far, four Christian organizations on campus have been told by the university that they are in violation of the policy, and they are in danger of losing their registered student group status.  This comes after Vanderbilt University conducted an investigation of a Christian fraternity, Beta Upsilon Chi, and found the organization discriminated against a student based on sexual orientation.  Additionally, another group, the Christian Legal Society, was asked to remove Bible verses and the words, “Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior” from their constitution.

The real issue at stake here is religious liberty.  Denying an organization the right to worship freely or being able to stand up for what their faith teaches them is wrong, and it is persecution.  According to Professor Carol Swain, who advises the Christian Legal Society:

“There are people on campus who are very threatened by the idea of religious freedom and they would like to create an environment where no one hurts anyone else’s feelings – unless it’s Christians.”

What would our founding fathers think of what is happening at Vanderbilt?  They would probably think this is a travesty.  After all, they fled from the religious persecution in England by coming to America, where they could worship freely without being forced to attend the King’s church.

In fact, when our founding fathers drafted the Constitution, they made certain that religious liberty would be protected in our country.  The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Bold, emphasis mine)

Vanderbilt’s decision to ban student religious organizations is a violation of the First Amendment, but it is limiting the group’s ability to worship freely, as our founding fathers envisioned.

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Dear Friends,

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is one of America’s most respected and learned journals. It is a forum in which some of our finest minds publish articles on everything from “Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal” to “In-feed antibiotic effects on the swine intestinal microbiome.” To a non-scientist like me, even the titles are intimidating.

In the most recent edition of PNAS, three Stanford University scholars argue that both liberals and conservatives engage in a “dramatic projection of one’s own views onto those of Jesus.” While it is only human for us to want the Savior to confirm our own predilections, there can be no doubt that, objectively, Jesus affirmed the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, Old Testament teachings about human sexuality and personhood within the womb, or the dignity of every person such that liberty — religious, political, and economic — should be the normal state of society.

As theologian Andreas Kostenberger wrote in his recent FRC booklet, “The Bible’s Teaching on Marriage and the Family:”

Marriage and the family were God’s idea, and as divine institutions they are not open to human renegotiation or revision … the Bible clearly teaches that God instituted marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, a lifelong union of two partners created in God’s image to govern and manage the earth for him. In keeping with his wonderful design, the Creator will normally bless a married couple with children, and it is his good plan that a family made up of a father, a mother, and several children witness to his glory and goodness in a world that has rejected the Creator’s plan and has fashioned a variety of God-substitutes to fill the void that can properly be filled only by God himself.

We all like it when people agree with us. Yet it’s more important that we agree with the God of the Bible, Whose path for human relationships and sexuality is clear in His written Word and evidenced in the natural order.  It’s up to each of us to choose whether or not to take it.

Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. FRC President Tony Perkins has been offering some sage counsel about the current state of American politics in a series of recent television interviews. To view Tony’s comments, click here.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education,” Linda Perlstein, Newsweek
• “‘Tim Tebow homeschool law’ gains momentum in Virginia,” Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post
• “Catholic Homeschool Group’s Appeal will be Argued Before the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC),” Christian NewsWire

Continue reading »

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Caitlin Flanagan recently released a new book, Girl Land, which takes a look at the world of today’s adolescent girls and the issues they are facing. Of course, Flanagan has again enraged feminists everywhere with her perspective.

In Girl Land, Flanagan looks at how culture has changed over time and how it has become focused on viewing girls as sexual objects and denying them the privacy, daydreams, and crushes that normal girlhood provides. In other words, they are losing their sense of self.

However, Girl Land is also drawing some criticism from those who might agree with Flanagan’s point of view. In a recent RealClearBooks op-ed by Heather Wilhelm, Girl Land received some criticism as painting things too broadly. Wilhelm brings up a great point that this book fosters ambiguity toward men, as well as making excuses for the “boys will be boys” mentality.

On one hand, Flanagan seems to buy into the “all men are predators” narrative, speaking of the pervy uncle and the drunk father hitting on the babysitter as if they are prototypes, not anomalies. Perhaps this stems from an assault Flanagan endured when she was younger, which she details in the book. But it’s an odd quirk, particularly in a girl culture better represented by the aggressive, love-struck babysitter in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (in the movie, she harasses her charge’s clueless father, leading to mortifying results) than anything else.

But then, on the other hand, Girl Land exhibits a strange sense of “boys will be boys” that excuses even the crassest behavior. “If I were to learn that my children had engaged in oral sex — outside a romantic relationship, and as young adolescents — I would be sad,” Flanagan writes. “But I wouldn’t think that they had been damaged by the experience; I wouldn’t think I had failed catastrophically as a mother, or that they would need therapy. Because I don’t have daughters, I have sons.”

Wilhelm also argues that girls are facing a society that promotes promiscuity over abstinence. Girl Land did not mention anything about respect for this critical moral choice.

Kids need to know how their behaviors will impact them in the long run, and the implications of not making the right choices behaviorally. Shouldn’t Girl Land be focused on holding both sons and daughters to high moral standards? Our society needs these standards now more than ever.

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As thousands were on the national mall in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life, Reuters reported on a study that suggests abortion is safer than giving birth.  I find it odd that the release of such a study was timed to coincide with an event that celebrates and vows to protect the sanctity of life.

There are some interesting findings from this study commissioned by the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  One is the fact that the authors of the study, Drs. Elizabeth Raymond and David Grimes, used estimates from the Guttmacher Institute, which is tied to Planned Parenthood.  Another finding that was particularly interesting is that they claim abortion is safer due to the amount of deaths that occurred during live childbirth.

There are some medical risks with childbirth, but the effects of abortion are much more dangerous and long-lasting.  Jeanne Monahan, Director, Center for Human Dignity at FRC, recently published an editorial that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which focused on abortion’s devastating impact on mental health.  According to Monahan:

In the fall, a meta-analysis was published in the prestigious British Journal of Psychiatry. The report was the most extensive of its kind to date — the author looked at 22 published studies and data from more than 870,000 women. The results showed that women who have an abortion are at an 81 percent increased risk for mental health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, drug abuse and suicidal behaviors. The study revealed the shocking statistic that close to 10 percent of all mental health problems in women can be directly attributed to abortion.

There are other impacts, as well, that are worth noting.  FRC also released a brochure, “The Top Ten Myths About Abortion,” which provided some insight into the medical complications from abortion.  A surgical abortion could impact whether a woman would be able to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

Physical complications include cervical lacerations and injury, uterine perforations, bleeding, hemorrhage, serious infection, pain, and incomplete abortion. Risks of complications increase with gestational age and are dependent upon the abortion procedure.

Long-term physical consequences of abortion include future preterm birth and placenta previa (improper implantation of the placenta) in future pregnancies. Premature delivery is associated with higher rates of cerebral palsy, as well as respiratory, brain, and bowel abnormalities. Pregnancies complicated by placenta previa result in high rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and perinatal death.

This does not include the physical complications from RU-486, which is prescribed to women who seek a chemical abortion.  These include:  hemorrhage, infection, and missed ectopic pregnancy.  The Food and Drug Administration recently reported that in the ten years since RU-486 was approved in the U.S., at least 11 women have died as a result of complications related to taking the drug.

Additionally, 612 women have been hospitalized, and 339 women required blood transfusions as a result of taking RU-486.  (Food and Drug Administration, “Mifepristone U.S. Postmarketing Adverse Events Summary through 04/30/2011”).

Additionally, government compiled statistics from Poland confirm that the number of abortion-related deaths significantly decreased when abortion was essentially outlawed. The fact that this study was released to coincide with the March for Life activities is not surprising, considering that the pro-choice lobby will do anything to ensure that abortion is in the forefront.

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Ask What They Mean By “Choice” was started last year as a response to NARAL’s “Blog for Choice Day.” Every year, NARAL uses the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision to praise the fact that women are allowed to have a “choice.”  Last year, the pro-life community on Twitter and blogs joined together to ask what do pro-choice activists mean by “choice.”

Does NARAL believe that “choice” means punishing a non-profit religious organization from receiving a grant that would aid victims of human trafficking?

In October, the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops (USCCB) received notification from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the funding for their program to aid victims of human trafficking would be ending.  According to an article in the National Catholic Register, the decision fell on the hands of political appointees at HHS, who decided not to give the grant to USCCB due to their opposition of the Obama Administration’s stances on abortion and contraceptive mandates within the new health care law.

Since this decision was made, HHS has come under scrutiny.  The House Committee on Government Oversight held a hearing in December reviewing the politicization of grants by HHS.  You can read the testimony by clicking here.

If “choice” means cutting aid to victims of human trafficking over the core beliefs of an organization, then this is going against the very grain of ensuring human dignity and rights for women.  One would think that NARAL would be up-in-arms over the horrible acts of human trafficking, since many victims are women and young girls.

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ProLifeCon is only two days away.  Throughout this week, I have featured Ryan Bomberger, Lila Rose, Rep. Chris Smith, Michael Clancy, and Samuel Armas.  You can still register for ProLifeCon, and join other pro-life online activists throughout the country to hear our amazing lineup of speakers.

Collin Raye, country music superstar and spokesman for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, will be one of our featured speakers at ProLifeCon.  Raye has sold over eight million albums and has been nominated five times as country music’s Male Vocalist of the Year.  In 2001, he was presented with the Humanitarian of the Year award by country music legend, Clint Black.

Raye, in his role as spokesman for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, is focused on helping families and loved ones who are in the same situation as Terri Schiavo was in 2005.  Raye’s family has had their own experience with end-of-life issues, when his granddaughter died of an undiagnosed neurological condition in 2010.

There is no doubt that Raye will empower the audience with his story and the work of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network.

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On Monday, ProLifeCon will be taking place at FRC. We have a pretty awesome lineup of speakers, and there is no doubt that you will not want to miss this event.  You can host ProLifeCon on your blog as well.  Just copy the code below the line, and you will be able to share ProLifeCon with your readers.

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ProLifeCon is only three days away.  Throughout this week, I have featured Ryan Bomberger, Lila Rose, Reps. Chris Smith and Vicky Hartzler.  You can still register for ProLifeCon, and join other pro-life online activists throughout the country to hear our amazing lineup of speakers.

We are fortunate to have Michael Clancy, photographer of the famous “Hand of Hope” picture, and the baby featured in that photo, Samuel Armas, who is now twelve years old, and his mother, Julie Armas.  The “Hand of Hope” picture was captured in 1999, during a spina bifida corrective surgical procedure.  Samuel Armas was only 21 weeks in utero during that picture.  While Clancy was documenting this surgery for a USA Today feature, he had the opportunity to capture Samuel Armas reach his hand out into the world from the womb.  It is a powerful picture that has stirred emotion all over the world.

Clancy is the author of “Hand of Hope:  The Story Behind the Picture,” which will be available for purchase and signing at ProLifeCon.

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Dear Friends:

A Massachusetts judge’s decision to order the abortion of “a mentally ill woman’s unborn baby and sterilize her – if it meant she had to be ‘coaxed, bribed, or even enticed … by ruse’ into the procedure” has drawn appropriate fire from officials in the Bay State.

Judge Christina Harms, who retired from the bench last week, not only wanted to compel the woman known only as “Mary Moe” to have an abortion – a procedure serious Catholic Ms. Moe said, explicitly, she did not want – but also to sterilize her. Thankfully, State Appellate Court Associate Justice Andrew R. Grainger has reversed Judge Harms’ ruling, stating that ‘No party requested this measure … and the judge appears to have simply produced the requirement out of thin air.” Justice Grainger has now given the case to another judge.

The forced sterilization of roughly 30,000 Americans occurred in our own country in the years leading up to World War II (U.S. Holocaust Museum). The inherent injustice and cruelty of the practice was not only odious to most of our fellow citizens, but its barbarity was cast into horrible relief with the rise of Nazism in Germany. Hitler’s “Law for the Prevention of Progeny with Hereditary Diseases” (July 14, 1933) compelled “the sterilization of all persons who suffered from diseases considered hereditary, such as mental illness (schizophrenia and manic depression), retardation (‘congenital feeble-mindedness’), physical deformity, epilepsy, blindness, deafness, and severe alcoholism.” In addition to the estimated 400,000 persons sterilized, by 1945 up to 250,000 people had been murdered for their real or perceived physical or mental problems.

All of this poses a troubling question: Our society’s outrage over Judge Harms’ decision, while admirable, is much too muted when it comes to the ongoing death of more than 3,000 unborn children daily in the U.S., as is our culture’s compassion for their mothers, who often are “left uninformed” of the other, non-abortion related options they have.

At FRC, we work with dedicated people across the country to provide those better options. That’s why, on Monday, January 23 – the day of the annual “March for Life” here in the nation’s capital – FRC will launch the second edition of our “A Passion to Serve: How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families, and Strengthen Communities.” Make sure to visit our website, A Passion to Serve, where you will be able to download your own free copy on January 23.

Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. Be sure to watch the Webcast of FRC’s annual “ProLifeCon,” the premier gathering of online pro-life activists, on January 23.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “Major Victory for Homeschool Graduates Enlisting in the Military,” William A. Estrada, Esq., Home School Legal Defense Association
• “Relative’s “Complaint” Launches State-Level Inquiry,” Home School Legal Defense Association

Continue reading »

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ProLifeCon is only five days away.  We have an exciting lineup of speakers, and one of the goals is to empower online activists to bring awareness to the policies impacting the pro-life community in Washington.

We are excited to have Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey as one of our speakers.  As co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, Rep. Smith has been instrumental in advocating for pro-life legislation in the House of Representatives.  Rep. Smith has also been a strong voice against human trafficking, and as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking, he has successfully written and passed into law The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler from Missouri will also be joining ProLifeCon as a featured speaker.  Rep. Hartzler was elected to serve the Fourth District of Missouri in 2010, and she has been a tireless advocate for pro-life issues.  She supported H.R. 3, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith.  Rep. Hartzler is also a member of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking.

ProLifeCon has more exciting speakers who will be featured throughout this week.  Click here to register today and learn how you can spread the pro-life message to others.

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Yesterday, I gave you a preview of ProLifeCon 2012 and one of our speakers. ProLifeCon has more exciting speakers, and I am excited to hear each of them speak on January 23, 2012.

Lila Rose, President of LiveAction, will be one of the speakers at ProLifeCon, and there is no doubt that she will empower you through her experiences as pro-life activist. At the age of fifteen, Lila founded LiveAction, an organization that works to expose abuses in the abortion industry and advocate for human rights for the pre-born. Lila has led numerous undercover investigations through LiveAction, exposing corruption and illegal activity at Planned Parenthood. A graduate of UCLA, Lila has been featured on several nationally syndicated programs and her writings have appeared in several magazines and newspapers.

Below is an example of Lila’s work.

ProLifeCon has more exciting speakers who will be featured throughout the week. Click here to register today and learn how you can spread the pro-life message to others.

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This year’s ProLifeCon promises to be another exciting time to unite pro-life activists from across the country to become active online and bring awareness to the sanctity of life.  We have an exciting line-up of speakers, who will not only educate you on emerging technologies to help spread the message, but make you aware of the issues impacting the pro-life community in 2012.

We are grateful to have Ryan Bomberger, Chief Creative Officer of The Radiance Foundation as a speaker at this year’s ProLifeCon.  Ryan will no doubt inspire you with his story, as well as with his vast knowledge on utilizing the internet to educate the community on adoption.

Ryan’s story is also inspiring.  His biological mother was raped, but chose to continue her pregnancy and gave him life.  He was adopted as a baby and grew up in a loving Christian family.  Ryan has won an Emmy Award for his work.  He founded The Radiance Foundation, along with his wife, Bethany, and has been active with the pro-life community with the TooManyAborted.com billboard/web campaigns, which advocates for adoption within the black community.

You don’t want to miss ProLifeCon, as there are many more exciting speakers who will be featured throughout the week.  Click here to register today and learn how you can spread the pro-life message to others.

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While I was in the line at the grocery store recently, I happened to glance over at the magazine rack when I noticed the recent copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine.  The model on the cover looked young, and in fact, she did not look old enough to be on the cover.  It was Dakota Fanning, who is only 17 years of age, and the headings around the cover provided the usual standard of sex advice.

I was disgusted by this display.   I turned around only to see a little girl pick up a copy of the magazine only to run back to her mother and say how pretty the model was.  The mother of the girl also looked disgusted by the magazine and told the little girl to put back the magazine.

Fox News has focused on this recently, and they were shocked by this recent image as well.  In fact, Rachelle Friberg, a media expert who was interviewed by Fox, said:

Cosmopolitan is going overboard by putting an underage girl on its cover surrounded by such article titles. It is one thing to educate young women about sex and their bodies, but putting a young, underage girl on the cover of a magazine that had long been known to push the limits is sending the wrong message.

Cosmopolitan, of course, defended its decision to have Fanning as the magazine’s cover model.  Of course, their decision generated controversy, and there is no doubt that teenagers, who are fans of Fanning are lining up to buy the issue and being exposed to Cosmopolitan’s agenda of promoting immodest behaviors and promiscuity.

Today, I was glad to read that a former model is calling out Cosmopolitan for its practices and is calling for the magazine to be marketed as an adult-only publication, which would require the magazine to be sold in packaging that would not show the cover.  Nicole Weider is leading this effort and has a petition urging the FTC to help protect our youth from vulgarity.  The petition has almost 21,000 signatures, and there is no doubt that will garner more signatures from those who agree the magazine has gone too far.

Continue reading »

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“When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another. Thomas Jefferson, letter to Charles Hammond, August 18, 1821

Dear Friends:

The size and scope of the federal government continues to expand.  The larger government has become, the more constraints it has placed on the way we live our lives.

Most particularly, to pay for its many programs, Washington has placed a substantial tax burden on citizens and the companies where they work. As a result, families are able to retain less of their incomes and not only become more reliant on government for benefits, but also have fewer resources to provide for their own daily needs.

Economic growth and family stability are interwoven.  The extensive data available on FRC’s Marriage and Religion Research Institute website prove it.  As the 2012 campaign season – for everything from President to county resource commission – begins in earnest, policymakers (including would-be ones) should come to understand this.

As FRC’s distinguished Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment, Ken Blackwell, wrote recently, “We who are pro-life and pro-marriage know that families need jobs. They need a growing economy. But economic conservatives need to recognize that stable married families having children are what drive economic growth.”

Family, growth, life, and hope – they’re all part of the same package.  And since it was designed by God, a wonderful package it is.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. FRC began the new year with a bracing lecture by scholar Michael Brown on the homosexual social and political agenda and the need for Christians to stand for the truth about human sexuality in our culture.  Click here to watch.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “What the U.S. Census says about homeschool families,” Julie Mack, Mlive.com
• “Arlington Stumbles on Switch from Exemption to Notice of Intent,” Home School Legal Defense Association

Continue reading »

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Click here to subscribe to The Social Conservative Review.

Dear Friends,

We at the Family Research Council hope you and yours have a Christmas season that is rewarding, memorable, and Christ-focused.

Perhaps few have captured the magnitude of the Incarnation better than poet Christina Rossetti. In the second verse of her poem, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” she writes:

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

He came as a baby, and went on to grow “in wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52). That growth began in the womb: As science documents, babies in the womb are capable of absorbing much information. In the words of science writer Annie Murphy Paul:

The fetus, we now know, is not an inert blob, but an active and dynamic creature, responding and adapting as it readies itself for life in the particular world it will soon enter … The recognition that learning actually begins before birth leads us to a striking new conception of the fetus, the pregnant woman and the relationship between them.

The Savior Who was virgin-born was unique: Fully God and fully man. Yet all infants share a remarkable commonality with Him–they are sacred to God. Whether in the womb or outside of it, they deserve protection in law and welcome in life. The Bible teaches it. Science proves it. The Incarnation vindicates it.

Merry Christmas,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. For a moving presentation on the sanctity and dignity of every person, watch FRC’s lecture, “Down Syndrome: Death Sentence or Divine Smile,” hosted by the Director of FRC’s Center for Human Dignity, Jeanne Monahan.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “Homeschool still a popular option,” Matt Sabo, The Daily Press

Continue reading »

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Dear Friends,

The likeability of a presidential candidate is important to both political parties and to the American people. Some of us will vote less on the content of a candidate’s character and convictions than whether or not he seems “nice.”

The cover story of this week’s Time Magazine is titled, “Why They Don’t Like Mitt (Romney).” A Los Angeles Times poll last month found Newt Gingrich to be “one of the least likeable candidates.” And in a poll reported by the Des Moines Register, Michele Bachmann was rated as the “least likeable” of the Republican presidential candidates.

During one of the 2008 presidential debates, this exchange occurred between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:

Then-Senator Hillary Clinton was asked about her deficit of “likeability” and joked that the question hurt her feelings but she would “try to go on.” The audience laughed and Clinton , looking over at fellow candidate for the Democratic nomination Barack Obama, admitted “he’s very likable – I agree with that.” “I don’t think I’m that bad,” Clinton said, smiling. Obama barely looked up from his notes. “You’re likeable enough, Hillary,” he said.

In one respect, these perceptions are meaningless: Many of us like people for whom we would not vote for President, and support presidential contenders we might not want for neighbors. Moreover, one person’s likeability is another’s distaste: Subjective impressions about likeability should be far down the list on our electoral criteria.

Character counts far more than likeability. A person can be winsome, charismatic, and funny, and also be a serial adulterer.  On the other hand, someone might be socially stiff and a bit awkward and be an exemplar of sterling virtues. Ideally, we want to be able to support someone both pleasant and principled. But should not principle triumph over a ready smile, if it comes to that?

“A vote is like a rifle,” wrote Theodore Roosevelt in his autobiography. “Its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” As each of us thinks and prays about our vote in the 2012 primaries and general election, let’s bear in mind that our choices will reflect our own character as much as that of those for whom we vote.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. It’s been two months since the military opened its doors to homosexuality.  Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis (USA-Ret.) was a member of the 1993 Pentagon team that wrote the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. In his new paper Looking Back, Looking Forward: Homosexuality and Military Service, Maginnis details how America’s armed forces have become a cultural battleground for advancing the radical gay agenda.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “Public School Standards For Homeschoolers,” Home School Legal Defense Association
• “Home schooling: a growing trend in East Texas,” Jennifer Heathcock, KYTX

Legislation and Policy Proposals

• “Making sense of the whole “Are teachers overpaid?” thing,” Rick Hess, Education Week
• “Where are the Christians in Academia?,” Qideas
• “Graduation Rates Can Be Predicted More Precisely by Examining Student Characteristics, Report Says,” Jennifer Gonzalez, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• “A Plea to College Presidents: Exercise Your Moral Leadership,” Cathy N. Davidson, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• “Best and Worst in American Education, 2011,” The Hoover Institution
• “Christie makes education reform bills a priority for December,” Diane D’Amico, Press of Atlantic City
• “Jury still out on success of Teach for America,” Christine Armario, Associated Press
• “Want cheaper tuition? Find religion,” Blake Ellis, CNNMoney

Continue reading »

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Recently, Hot Air reported that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doesn’t understand why the U.S. Catholic bishops are against requiring insurance companies to cover contraceptives, including known abortifacients.  She belittles Catholics who object, conscientiously, to paying for or performing services that their church teaches are wrong.

Perhaps she should consider the Catholic Catechism, which says that “Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil.”  What could be more good than defending life?  And what could be more evil than to disregard it, or denigrate those who seek to uphold it.

Even though the former Speaker is Catholic, she seems to have long forgotten that Catholicism is unequivocal in support of the sanctity of human life, from conception onward.  This teaching is discussed throughout the Catechism, and there is even a section regarding the usage of abortifacients, and the Catholic Church’s stance against the use.

Continue reading »

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Dear Friends:

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, which is why FRC was proud to host Ryan Bomberger last week for his lecture, “Adoption: Be the Hope.” Ryan was himself adopted and, with his wife, has adopted two children. You can watch his moving presentation here. To learn about the pro-life, pro-adoption ministry of Ryan’s Radiance Foundation, go to www.theradiancefoundation.org.

One of the most daunting obstacles to adoption is its up-front cost, which can be as much as $40,000 per child. Although the federal adoption tax credit is very helpful, it does not cover what can be, for families of ordinary means, a great financial challenge.

It’s for that reason that the adoption ministry Lifesong (a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) has set-up a program to help churches develop adoption funds. An adoption fund is a designated line-item in a church’s budget that helps church members pay for their adoption costs, either through a direct financial gift or low-or no-interest loan. As the beneficiaries of one such fund, my wife and I are eternally grateful for the generosity and selflessness of God’s people in helping us adopt our three children.

To learn more about adoption and related ministries, go to FRC’s www.RealCompassion.org, through which you can link to many organizations helping children at home and abroad.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. Dr. Pat Fagan, Director of FRC’s Marriage and Religion Research Institute (MARRI), has just released the second annual “Index of Belonging and Rejection.” The Index rank-orders the states and the 25 largest cities by the strength of belonging in their family, showing that less than 50 percent of American children reach adulthood having grown up in an intact married family. Click here to download the report.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “When Hippies Were the Ones Homeschooling,” Erik Hayden, The Atlantic
• “For home-school parents, classroom design is the subject du jour,” Kavita Daswani, Los Angeles Times

Legislation and Policy Proposals

• “Is the Prestige Worth It?,” Krystle Weeks, Family Research Council
• “Congrats, 2010 Grads! Your Debt Load Is the Heaviest,” Allison Linn, MSNBC
• “Wanted: 10 Million Skilled Workers,” Michael G. Morris, The Washington Times
• “Georgia schools cut Bible classes to pay bills,” Alicia Constant, WORLD Magazine
• “School Choice Programs Snowball,” Sheryl Blunt, Christianity Today
• “What Happened to Data-Driven Education Reform?,” Andrew G. Biggs, Lindsay Burke, and Jason Richwine, The Huffington Post
• “Capitalism on Campus: What Are Students Learning? What Should They Know?,” The Manhattan Institute

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On Tuesday, an interesting article appeared in my news feed from The Wall Street Journal, which showed that more students are choosing to attend public universities over Ivy League institutions.  Why, you may ask?  Students do not want to be saddled by the excessive loan debt.

An average Ivy League student is expected to pay approximately $55,000 per year in tuition, room, board, fees, etc.  Upon graduation, a student would be saddled with over $220,000 in college loan debt.  Pair the debt with the fact that employment offers are hard to come by in this economy, and this could easily factor into the reason why many students are making the decision to attend public universities.

Is the huge debt worth it in the long run?  While these schools may offer a large alumni network, the overall debt should leave one to question their decision.  Higher education is expensive, but the same opportunities are available at state colleges and universities.

When I graduated from high school in 2000, I chose to attend a small four-year college near my hometown in Maryland.  While I had some scholarships, I still had to contribute through student loans.  The opportunities I was presented were similar to the ones my friends experienced at Ivy League universities, but I ended up with less student loan debt.  I do not regret the decision to attend my college, and in fact, I consider myself lucky to have saved for the same experiences.

While the students in the Wall Street Journal piece may be questioning why they didn’t attend Boston College, Stanford University, and Cornell University, they will learn in the long run that opportunities present themselves on merit and the connections they will make in the real world.

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Dear Friends,

Harry Truman once said that a “statesman is a politician who’s been dead for 15 years.” In other words, our view of the nobility and wisdom of our political leaders grows the further we get from their public service. Remember that the next time you see a bumper sticker with a photo of George W. Bush, bearing the legend, “Miss him yet?”

If we want a virtuous and just society, we cannot afford to concede that statesmanship is a lost art. As King’s College professor David C. Innes notes, politics “politics is more than just good intentions. It requires knowledge, judgment and an ability to move people so that they want to follow you. Essentially it requires statesmanship. Statesmanship is the just, prudent and persuasive exercise of authority.”

As statesmanship declines, public life becomes more tawdry. The personal corruption of political leaders deepens our cynicism, and the unwillingness of many officials to make tough but necessary policy choices seems more animated by their chances for re-election than the best interests of the country.

Speaking of the American Revolution, Queen Elizabeth II said, “We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time and the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep.” Statesmanship, or the lack thereof, can have profound consequences for the moral health of the nation and for the very existence of the political and social order.

Our Founders understood this. Writing in 1789, James Madison observed, “If individuals be not influenced by moral principles, it is in vain to look for public virtue; it is, therefore, the duty of legislators to enforce, both by precept and example, the utility, as well as the necessity of a strict adherence to the rules of distributive justice.”

“Distributive justice,” to Madison and his colleagues, meant a government that ensured fairness and dignity for all its citizens – justice that would be distributed equally, without favoritism.

Christian statesmanship involves the prudent application of justice. It also means that Christians must pray for elected and appointed public servants, that they would make such an application with courage and consistency.

Prayed for our government’s leaders lately?

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council

P.S Be sure to watch FRC’s Webcast of our forum on international religious liberty, featuring five experts whose comments drew media coverage in The Washington Post.

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

• “Parents in action: More parents homeschooling their children,” Deiah Riley, ABC Action News
• “Homeschool Dad Opens up About ‘Blind Spots’,” Jeff Schapiro, The Christian Post
• “Getting grace,” Susan Olasky, WORLD Magazine

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