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WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - FEBRUARY 9, 2022
In this week's Intersect, read about:
Black Lives Matter Shuts Down Fundraising Days After Liberal States Threatened Legal Action
“Black Lives Matter shut down all of its online fundraising streams late Wednesday afternoon, just days after California threatened to hold the charity's leaders personally liable over its lack of financial transparency. The move comes less than a week after a Washington Examiner investigation found that BLM has had no known leader in charge of its $60 million bankroll since its co-founder resigned in May. California and Washington recently ordered BLM to cease all fundraising activities in their blue states due to the failure of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the legal entity that represents the national BLM movement, to report information about its finances in 2020, the year it raised tens of millions amid the racial protests and riots that followed George Floyd's killing.” read more at the Washington Examiner
THINK.
In the summer of 2020, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Black Lives Matter exploded in attention, raising $90 million that year alone. The BLM movement dominated media headlines and its supporters protested and rioted for months in cities worldwide; the movement sparked both widespread support and widespread criticism and controversy. Corporations donated millions to BLM and companies like Apple, Amazon, Home Depot, Walmart, Wendy’s, Target, Coca-Cola, signaled support for BLM in statements posted to social media, as well as made public commitments to donate. But where has the money gone? “It appears that the house of cards may be falling,” says Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita speaking about the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the legal entity that holds cash donated to the BLM movement. Indeed, “this happens eventually with nearly every scam, scheme or illegal enterprise.” It’s not just Indiana: The states of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia have all revoked BLMNGF’s charitable registration. Last May, the organization's co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, resigned in the wake of an expose of her spending spree on lavish homes and her ties to several other fundraising organizations whose finances raise “potential red flags,” according to a new report. "Like a giant ghost ship full of treasure drifting in the night with no captain, no discernible crew, and no clear direction," CharityWatch Executive Director Laurie Styron said of BLM “While BLM remains leaderless and refuses to account for more than $60 million, in many ways, the group has never had more impact.” Children in school districts nationwide are being introduced to BLM’s race and sex-based creed. The BLM At School’s website says, innocently enough, that it is "organizing for social justice in education” but its 13 Guiding Principles includes "Globalism" and being "Queer Affirming" and "Trans Affirming." It also keeps BLM’s commitment "to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure," a principle borrowed from Marx’s Manifesto.
PRAY.
Lord, we pray for transparency and truth. For an organization that has dominated the headlines for the past 2 years, the media has been largely silent about exposing the truth of the financial issues and anti-biblical teachings of BLM. We pray for eyes to be opened. We pray for parents to understand what is being taught to their children and we pray we are steadfast in standing for biblical justice.
ACT.
A group called Parents Defending Education is helping parents, grandparents and others understand the reach of the organization Black Lives Matter at School, and has created a running list of school districts, schools and other organizations across the US promoting the dangerous program. You can access the information here.
Appeals Court Reinstates TN Down Syndrome Abortion Ban
“Pro-life advocates are celebrating another victory in the battle to save the unborn after a federal appeals court reinstated a Tennessee law restricting abortions based on sex, race, or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order Wednesday allowing the law to go back into effect after it was blocked last September. The court also refused to hear a challenge to the state law until after the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.” read more at CBN News
THINK.
“Abortions based on sex, race or disability diagnosis are a form of modern-day eugenics,” the pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List stated. Eugenics is the practice of controlling reproduction to improve the population’s genetic composition, and has included measures such as forced sterilization, contraception, and abortion. Today, the justification abortion activists use for discriminating against unborn babies is a ‘right’ for complete personal autonomy. According to the Associated Press, a 2012 study estimated that the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome was sixty-seven percent. The belief that we have the right to be happy and anything standing in the way is oppressive leads to greater willingness to violate the rights of our fellow human beings. So many women, however, have gone against this belief and instead chosen the hard but selfless road of adoption. Actor Kirk Cameron, himself an adoptive father, has partnered with Christian filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick for a movie honoring adoption. Films like Lifemark, which is based on a true story, are important for giving honor to these mothers and adoptive families. At Ohio State University, however, something very different is being honored. Several university departments are sponsoring “Sex Week,” during which students are encouraged to send thank-you cards to abortion providers. Amid such moral depravity, what should we do? We may feel like Lot, who, as the Bible tells us, was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard).” (2 Peter 2:7b-8) But we must remember that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” (verses 9-10) While we wait for His return and our ultimate salvation, we cannot retreat in the face of evil. We must advance the mission: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death.” (Proverbs 24:11a) This applies not only to the unborn, but to those championing such wickedness…who are rapidly approaching their own destruction.
PRAY.
Praise God for this victory in Tennessee! Continue to pray consistently for the SCOUTS Dobbs decision which could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade. Pray for a moral awakening to the evil of abortion, and for faithfulness on the part of pro-lifers to continue to stand with conviction and grace.
ACT.
Listen to Jannique Stewart point out the connection between the Dred Scott decision, 1935 Nuremberg laws, and the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Terrible consequences result from denying the personhood of some human beings. Click here to watch this 2-minute video, then share it with a friend.
Canadian-Style Trucker Protests Spread Throughout the World
“Following the example of the thousands of Canadian truckers protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the capital of Ottawa, truckers in other countries have begun organizing their own versions of the "Freedom Convoy." From Leeuwarden in the Netherlands to Wellington, New Zealand, to London to Canberra, Australia, truckers are hitting the road to send a clear message: stop the mandates. Another group of truckers is planning a protest in the United States, driving to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.” read more at Fox News
THINK.
Jay Cameron, litigation director at the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms representing the Canadian Freedom Convoy explains the international response ignited by the Canadian truckers, "There is no mystery as to why protests are spreading: Humanity is objecting en masse to the abuse of bureaucratic tyrants who for two years have suspended the checks and balances which are intended to protect the citizenry." A new Johns Hopkins Meta-Analysis of the effects of lockdowns concluded that “lockdowns in Europe and the United States only reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average,” despite claims that they saved millions of lives. The meta-analysis also argues that lockdowns “have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of Medicine at Stanford University, called the lockdowns “probably the single worst public health mistake I've seen in my lifetime." Unsurprisingly, this story has largely not been covered by mainstream media outlets because it contradicts the narrative that more government regulations are needed to keep the public safe. In the struggle to maintain power, truth is often suppressed. Joe Rogan, a commentator whose podcast garners roughly eleven million listeners per episode, came under intense fire for interviewing several doctors who disagree with vaccine mandates. Even though one of those doctors was Robert Malone, inventor of mRNA vaccine technology and writer of nearly one hundred peer-reviewed publications, critics called for Rogan’s show to be censored due to ‘misinformation.’ A new Gallup survey shows a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents believe large corporations should have less power and influence than they currently possess. Cancel culture should concern us as Christians. If one of America’s most popular commentators is at risk of being canceled, will they stop with him? If someone could be suppressed for sharing medical truth, why not someone who shares spiritual truth? If a message is deemed to be dangerous to society, canceling it will be justified. Paul and Silas joyfully accepted suffering when wrongfully accused of disturbing the peace, yet they also called out the magistrates’ violation of their rights as Roman citizens and refused to let it remain hidden. (Acts 16) We can take their example of setting our hope on God while not remaining silent about injustice. The freedom to share the Gospel tomorrow may depend on taking peaceful action against overreach today.
PRAY.
Lord, we pray for many who are tired and disillusioned, that they would find hope in Jesus. Help us to encourage our fellow believers and take every opportunity to “shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.” (Philippians 2:15b-16a) Give us courage and wisdom to stand for truth and call our government to uphold the Constitution, keeping a gracious spirit as we trust in You.
ACT.
Feeling pandemic weary, this one minute clip helps to remind us of where we are to put our hope and trust.
Biden Threatens: No Gas Pipeline if Russia Invades Ukraine
“In a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, President Joe Biden met with Germany’s new leader Monday and vowed the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline will be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia’s Vladimir Putin retorted that the U.S. and its allies are the only ones talking invasion. Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met for more than five hours in Moscow at the same time Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the White House in efforts to defuse the crisis before armed conflict breaks out. Russia has massed thousands of troops at the Ukraine border, adding military might almost daily.” read more at the Associated Press
THINK.
While Putin denies invasion plans, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “the warning time is going down, and the risk of an attack is going up.” Recent photographs also show that Russia has moved military equipment into Belarus, placing field camps within twenty miles from the Ukrainian border. This is particularly concerning since the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is less than two hours from Belarus’ border. It is estimated that Russia has seventy percent of the troops and equipment on Ukraine’s border that they would need for an invasion. What would the repercussions be if Russia invades Ukraine? U.S. intelligence assessed a Russian invasion could leave fifty-thousand civilians killed or wounded. Ukraine has struggled to maintain a sense of stability since it fully established itself as a sovereign country in 1991 and has been at war since 2014. But with 100,000 Russian troops gathered nearby, threatening Europe’s biggest land war since the 1940s, people there say something feels different this time. A survey at the end of last year by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 1 in 3 Ukrainians “is ready to put up armed resistance” against Russia. GK Chesterton observed, war “is not the best way of settling differences; it is the only way of preventing their being settled for you.” What can we do? The most important thing is to be in prayer for this situation. In his Olivet discourse, Jesus prepared his disciples for unrest in the world: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…All these are but the beginning of the birth pains…And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:6-8, 12-14) As the prospects of war grow greater, the need for prayer intensifies.
PRAY.
Our Heavenly Father, we pray for peace. We pray that You would strengthen your church in Russia and Ukraine–give them opportunities to share the reason for the hope that they have in You. Because of the threat of war, increase the desire of many people to know the Prince of Peace. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
ACT.
The Slavic Gospel Association is a ministry spreading the gospel and giving aid through evangelical churches in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. If you would like to know more about what God is doing in this region of the world, we encourage you to sign up for their Good News Report and consider supporting their work.
My Faith Votes—is a nonpartisan movement that motivates, equips and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. By partnering with national faith leaders, My Faith Votes provides resources to help Christians Pray, Think, and Act to create an America where God is honored in the public square.
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