Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Persecuted Church 

Kudos to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA). Once again, Rep. Wolf is taking the lead on an issue that gets too little attention -- the persecution of Christians around the world. Many are frustrated by the silence in Washington when it comes to Christian persecution overseas. 

But what is most infuriating to Rep. Wolf and me is the silence of the Christian church in America. Yesterday, Rep. Wolf sent an outstanding letter to 300 Catholic and Protestant leaders urging them to speak out on this incredibly important issue. Here are some excerpts: 

"Every day around the world, men and women of faith are imprisoned, beaten, detained, tortured and even killed. … Have we in the West ceased to be salt and light? … Has our comfort led to complacency? Can the church in the West be galvanized to act?

"A phrase not often heard outside the majority Muslim world is 'First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.'  The 'Saturday people' are of course the Jews.  Their once vibrant communities in countries throughout the region are now decimated. … "Over the span of a few decades, the Middle East, with the exception of Israel, was virtually emptied of Jews.  The same thing will happen to the Christian community if the current trajectory holds true.  And yet, the silence of many in the West is deafening.  Such stories receive scant attention in the mainstream media, and perhaps more strikingly, are rarely spoken of from our pulpits."

Often folks will respond to my daily reports by asking, "What can we do?" Sometimes it is difficult to suggest action items. But not this time.

Does your priest or pastor speak up about religious persecution overseas? If not, urge him to find his voice. 

Does your church have a committee that keeps up with public policy issues, especially those that affect religious liberty? If not, start one. (Religious persecution is a growing concern here at home as well!) 

In the coming days, Rep. Wolf will be introducing legislation to create a special envoy within the State Department charged with defending religious minorities around the globe. If you would like to encourage Rep. Wolf, feel free to email your messages directly to me and I will personally deliver them to his office. 

A Leftist View Of America 

[WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE] 

The latest fad among liberals is to publish the names and addresses of legal gun owners. You may recall that a New York newspaper posted an interactive map of licensed gun owners as if they were convicted sex offenders. As a result of the backlash, the paper decided to post armed guards at its offices. What hypocrisy!

According to Breitbart.com, the leftwing website Gawker has posted a list of licensed gun owners in New York City. What is newsworthy, however, was the Gawker headline: "Here Is a List of All the A**holes Who Own Guns in New York City." 

Incidentally, Gawker posted an article last September that many felt was sympathetic to child molesters. Gun owners are a**holes, but child molesters are deserving of sympathy. 

The Gawker headline tells you all you need to know about the modern left and its view of other Americans. This is a list of law abiding citizens who complied with strict laws. Many of these folks are probably retired police officers, prison guards or veterans. 

A real list of "a**holes" would be the thugs, rapists and gang members who routinely terrorize the citizens of New York City. But you won't find their names on a list of gun owners because they don't obey the law! 

By the way, the National Rifle Association is meeting with Vice President Biden today at the White House. Not much is expected to come of the meeting, but the NRA might consider presenting Barack Obama with an award. Since Obama and Biden have launched their crusade against the Second Amendment, 100,000 new members have joined the NRA, while gun dealers and manufacturers are reporting massive backorders. 

Pro-Life America 

In the aftermath of the 2012 elections, there has been a lot of handwringing on the right about moral issues and how to handle the abortion issue in particular. A recent Marist poll suggests that the professional consultants and political elites are at risk of learning the wrong lessons.

Unlike most polls on the issue, this Marist poll went beyond the standard "pro-life/pro-choice" question. It asked about specific restrictions and found that many people who identify as "pro-choice" also support significant restrictions. Here are some key findings from the poll of more than 1,200 adults: 

  • Regardless of where folks stand on the legality of abortion, 58% said it was "morally wrong." 
     
  • 84% believed it was possible to craft legislation that balanced the health of women and life of unborn children. 
     
  • Only 17% of Americans support abortion on demand during the first six months of pregnancy. 
     
  • 83% of Americans do not support the pro-abortion regime that is currently reflected in U.S. law. 
     
  • 46% would restrict abortions to cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother, while another 10% believe abortion should never be permitted. That is a solid pro-life majority of 56%, but you would never know it from listening to Big Media.

Pro-life advocates should not fear debates about the sanctity of life. They should boldly state their commitment to the belief that we are all endowed by our Creator with the inalienable right to life. Then they should remind Americans that the real extremists in this debate are those who can think of no abortion they would prevent for any reason whatsoever. 

Bill Clinton: "Father Of The Year" 

For 72 years, the National Father's Day Council has given a "Father of the Year" award to a handful of deserving Dads. They just announced that one of this year's winners will be none other than former President William Jefferson Clinton. 

The field must have been really slim this year. Perhaps he won because of how sensitive and caring he was to the young ladies in the White House intern program. 

Seriously, were there really no potential Fathers of the Year who could also win the Husband of the Year award? Isn't loving and respecting the mother of your children generally the first step in loving your children? 

Something's rotten at the Council. In 2007 one of the award winners was well-known philanderer John Edwards.