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.
1.Β YOUβRE INVITED: π Join us as we celebrate Carolina values with the woman who reversed Roe!
Attorney General Fitch took the battle on abortion to the Supreme Court and won in the landmark case of Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Women’s Health. God’s grace and her courage and conviction brought about this landmark decision, fulfilling her Esther moment in history (“…for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14).
Join us on October 20th, 2022, at the Angus Barn in Raleigh, NC, to meet this remarkable woman, and to celebrate 11 years of our organization’s hard work defending Carolina values in our state.
If you are interested in attending, individual tickets are $150, and can be purchased here. Some sponsorships are also still available. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Caroline Franken at [email protected].
2. THE DAILY SIGNAL: Pro-Life Pennsylvanians march for life after Roe
βThe United States Supreme Court may have overturned Roe v. Wade this summer, but pro-life activists across the country know the battle over abortion is far from over. Marshaled by the March for Life, several thousand Pennsylvanians gathered in Harrisburg on a sunny Monday morning in what PennLive.com calls ‘one of the largest gatherings of people at the Pennsylvania Capitol in recent yearsββthe second annual Pennsylvania March for Life.”
Should we host a pro-life rally like this in North Carolina?
3.Β SBA PRO-LIFE AMERICA: Sen. Rubio, Rep. Hinson introduce pro-life safety net plan for families in need.
βPro-life leaders U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) have introduced the Providing for Life Act, federal legislation that combines pro-life and pro-family proposals that provide comprehensive and compassionate support for pregnant women, new moms, and their children.β
4.Β THE DAILY SIGNAL: These 3 Women tried transgenderism, and then stopped
“A documentary, released Monday, unveils the stories of three women who previously identified as transgender in a futile attempt to escape depression and suicidal thoughts. Jennifer Lahl, a former pediatric nurse and current president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, produced her most recent documentary, βThe Detransition Diaries,β after a series of films highlighting bioethical issues.
Her film tracks the stories of Helena Kerschner, Grace Lidinsky-Smith, and Cat Cattinson, three women who believed their mental and emotional trauma would be solved by transitioning to the opposite sex. Each woman underwent hormone treatment and one had her breasts removed as well.
‘We are following the news and the studies, and the evidence that shows this uptick in rapid-onset gender dysphoria [is something] young girls are particularly prone to,’ Lahl told The Daily Signal in a phone call. Gender dysphoria refers to the condition of persistently and painfully identifying as the gender opposite oneβs biological sex. ‘Young girls are getting sucked into this.'”
5.Β WNG: From silence to complexification to capitulation
βI donβt often agree with David Gushee, the liberal Christian ethicist whose ‘battles,’ by his own description, have included ‘issues like climate change, torture, LGBTQ inclusion, and white supremacism.’ But he spoke the uncomfortable truth when he observed years ago that when it comes to LGBTQ issues, there is no middle ground: ‘Neutrality is not an option. Neither is polite half-acceptance. Nor is avoiding the subject. Hide as you might, the issue will come and find you.’
I thought of those words, written way back in 2016, in recent weeks as I read of Michael Gersonβs tacit approval of gay marriage and of Dr. Bradley Nassifβs claims that he was expunged from North Park University because he upholds traditional views of sex, sexuality, and marriage. These arenβt the first cases of a self-described evangelical or evangelical institution moving into the revisionist camp, nor will it be the last. I hope Iβm wrong, but I have my mental list of writers, thinkers, schools, and organizations that eventually will make the same move.β
WEEKLY PRAYER: OFFICIALS
LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our nationalΒ government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our state and local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.
Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.
“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.Β I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.Β Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.” Acts 7:34 (God’s words to Moses)
Amen
North Carolina Values Coalition