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. We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!
1. NC VALUES: Sen. Tillis and Burr vote to advance “pathway to polygamy” bill
The US Senate this week advanced HR8404, or “Pathway to Polygamy” bill which federally recognizes same sex marriage and also state-sanctioned polygamous marriages allowing one person to be married to multiple partners. The legislation also fails to protect religious freedoms of churches, tax-exempt entities and businesses.
Read more: https://ncvalues.org/tillis-and-burr-vote-to-advance-pathway-to-polygamy-bill/
2. NEWS & OBSERVER: Whether NC enacts new abortion restrictions will depend on moderates in both parties
“Republicans fell one seat short of total legislative control in last week’s elections. Now, whether North Carolina enacts further restrictions on abortion will likely depend on moderate members of both parties, whose votes could be the difference between Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes being sustained or overridden. The slim margins mean a single vote could make or break the enactment of new abortion bills. And even though Republicans don’t have enough seats to override Cooper’s vetoes on their own, some abortion rights advocates, like Jenna Beckham, an OB-GYN at WakeMed Health, remain concerned.”
”But at the same time that Republicans gauge support among Democrats, it’s important they also make sure there’s agreement within their own ranks, Fitzgerald said. ‘My hope is that the caucuses will be unified. But ultimately, that’s up to the leaders of both caucuses,’ Fitzgerald said of Republicans. ‘They’ve done an amazing job of unifying their caucuses on other issues up to this point, and I would expect to see that here as well.’”
Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article268531872.html
3. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Will NC remain an abortion ‘safe haven’ after next session?
“Before Osteen’s decision, both state House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and state Senate Leader Phil Berger made statements indicating they would consider additional abortion legislation after the 2022 midterms. Moore said North Carolinians can ‘expect pro-life protections to be a top priority of the legislature when we return to our normal legislative session in January.’ And Berger said, ‘Senate Republicans will determine whether other steps are appropriate to strengthen our pro-life laws’ in 2023.
In an October interview with the Associated Press, Berger said he would like the law to limit abortion after about 12 weeks and for it to provide exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother’s life. He said he’s not aware of any Republican leaders in the General Assembly who are not in favor of these exceptions. Moore told Associated Press that he favored an earlier limit, starting when a heartbeat is detectable, which is generally identified at around six weeks.”
Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/will-nc-remain-an-abortion-safe-haven-after-next-session/
4. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Cooper’s veto is no longer safe
“Contrary to what North Carolina progressives seem to think, the truth is that the Republican-controlled General Assembly now has a governing supermajority. This dynamic threatens Gov. Roy Cooper’s ability to continue building upon his record of having the most vetoes of any state governor.
Tuesday’s electoral results also put state public policy outcomes in North Carolina into a favorable position for those who value limited government.
The social media politico echo chambers are spiking with analysis after Tuesday’s election. Folks on the left and right are giving their thoughts about what the results mean for our political landscape. Overall, it is fair to conclude that what should have been an environment where Republicans saw a massive red wave across the country turned up short, but here at home, they secured critical victories.
The NCGOP took a sweeping victory over the judiciary, gaining the majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court for the foreseeable future. This will positively impact conservatives and those who value constitutionality in how judges interpret the law rather than judicial activism. Likewise, this will potentially impact redistricting, righting the wrongs of previous activist judges.
Most notably, Republicans gained a supermajority in the state Senate, bringing them to 30 seats in the upper chamber and a “functional supermajority” in the NC House, coming up short only by one, with 71 seats.”
Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/coopers-veto-is-no-longer-safe/
5. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Red tide in New Hanover as GOP wins all 4 school board seats.
“Statewide, a third of North Carolina’s school board seats were on the ballot Tuesday. Republicans had a rough night in many urban races, but in New Hanover County, home of coastal city Wilmington, Republicans swept all four seats on the board of education. The board had been 5-2 Democrat, but after the election will now be 5-2 Republican.”
NC Values helped the winners of the New Hanover Co School Board races win, because we made endorsements, hosted several of them at our School Board Boot Camp and at our Mama Bear Workshop, and partnered with iVoterGuide to offer a voters guide on the candidates in the race.
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
