Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.
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1. NEWS & OBSERVER: Republicans release new NC maps for 2024 likely to expand GOP power in Congress
“North Carolina Republicans released a slate of proposed electoral maps on Wednesday, aiming to reshape congressional and legislative districts under new precedent from the state Supreme Court, which ruled to limit its own power to decide on claims of partisan gerrymandering.
Legislators unexpectedly filed two different options for the state’s congressional maps without saying which would be voted on. Both maps appear to give Republicans a far greater advantage than the current districts, which were drawn by court order in 2022 following a gerrymandering trial.”
Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article280682515.html
2. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Senator Budd co-sponsors bill to curb kids access to social media
“North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd has introduced legislation in Congress that would limit children’s access to problematic social media platforms like TikTok at schools that receive federal broadband funding.”
Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/ncs-budd-co-sponsors-bill-to-curb-kids-access-to-social-media/
3. DAILY SIGNAL: Trans access to girls’ restrooms and related legal claims fail in federal court
“A federal district court in Idaho just declined to halt the operation of a state law mandating that public schools separate their bathrooms and housing accommodations by biological sex. The commonsense decision Thursday comes as more and more federal courts across the country conclude that state laws preventing the expansion of ‘gender identity’ rights are constitutional.”
4. GREENSBORO: Proposed policy changes would bring “Parents Bill of Rights” to Guilford County Schools
“The NC Values Coalition, which was among those supporting for the legislation, called the law a ‘first step’ toward addressing problems it sees in education. ‘Parents are fed up with public schools and healthcare professionals counteracting their values, hiding critical information about their children, encouraging their children to adopt identities and lifestyles that are harmful, using obscene books and materials in the classroom, teaching LGBT ideologies and how-to’s to their children, and hiding and encouraging their children to consent to medical treatments that should be solely their responsibility,’ the group said on its website.”
5. DAILY SIGNAL: School Choice Is Better for Democracy Than Government Schooling
“As state after state embraces policies that empower parents with more options in K-12 education, opponents of school choice are claiming that it is a ‘threat to democracy.’ But if anything, school choice is better for democracy than government-run schooling.”
WEEKLY PRAYER: FREEDOM
LORD, you have blessed us with a spiritual liberty that is so wonderful and beyond description, that it can only be understood through experiencing a life-giving relationship with Christ. However, we also recognize that in your grace, you have blessed our country with a political liberty that enables us to openly proclaim the experience of a life lived in the freedom of the Gospel.
LORD, as individuals and as a nation, may we never take the inalienable right of religious freedom for granted. Right now our country has faced a rapid increase in the number of attacks made against this cherished right. We have seen groups across our public arena increase in boldness and frequency their smears against religious liberty. They claim it is bigotry, when we know it is the security of the greatest of all possible loves.
Be with your people and our country as it continues to protect the constitutional right protected by our nation’s Founders. Be with legislators and the Supreme Court, as they determine through their actions the protection of this particular and fundamental freedom.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)
Amen
Tami & Team
NC Values
