My Faith Votes | WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - JANUARY 3, 2024

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WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - JANUARY 3, 2024

Will you be in the Washington, D.C. area on Friday, January 19th? Join us for the National March for Life! We’ll have a group walking together in the march. Let us know if you can join here.

In this week's Intersect, read about:

Donald Trump is Expected to Appeal the Colorado and Maine Rulings Banning Him from Primary Ballots

“Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday is expected to appeal rulings from Colorado and Maine that ban him from the states’ ballots, setting up a high-stakes showdown over a 155-year-old addition to the Constitution that bars from office those who ‘engaged in insurrection.’ Trump would appeal the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court and the decision by Maine’s Democratic secretary of state to that state’s Superior Court.” read more at the Associated Press

THINK.

  • What is the legal argument? The Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling and the Maine Secretary of State’s decision both invoked Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that bars someone who took an oath to support the Constitution and later "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against it from holding federal office. This is the first time the 1868 amendment, which was written to prevent Confederates from holding office, has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate. However, both decisions are on hold while the former president appeals them.
  • The legitimacy of applying this section of the 14th Amendment to Trump is challenged by people of various political ideologies. Remember that President Trump hasn’t been convicted of insurrection. He hasn’t even had a trial. But these officials are acting as if he has. Jonathan Turley argued that the Colorado judges and Maine Secretary of State “claim to safeguard democracy by denying its exercise to millions of Americans.” Even U.S. Representative Jared Golden (D-ME), disagreed with his Secretary of State’s decision, saying that while he voted to impeach Trump, “However, we are a nation of laws, and therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.”
  • It is worth noting that California’s Democratic Secretary of State resisted calls to follow Maine’s example and left Trump on the Republican primary ballot, stating the courts should decide. There are seven Secretary of State seats on the ballot in 2024. In some states, the governor appoints the Secretary of State, and in others—such as Maine—the state legislature appoints them. In 41 states, the Secretary of State manages and oversees the elections and voter rolls—incredibly important responsibilities! Elections matter.

PRAY.

Pray for the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and the judges of the Maine Superior Court as they consider Trump’s appeals. Pray for wisdom, sound reasoning, and for justice. And pray for the upcoming primaries–both the presidential and down-ballot races. Pray for Christians to faithfully steward their vote.

ACT.

I'd like to ask you to commit to pray with us each day of 2024 for this nation. This is the time we must press into prayer and seek the Lord for what He would have each of us do. Let's pray for righteousness, justice and truth to be known and honored in the United States. We have a community of people we call Action Partners who meet for an hour each Monday at either 11am ET or 9pm ET to pray for our nation. Please join us to make prayer for our nation a priority in 2024.

'Children Are going to Pay the Price': Christian Groups Slam Mike DeWine's Veto of Trans Surgery Ban

“Christian public policy organizations have derided Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's decision to veto legislation that would have banned sex change surgeries and hormonal interventions for minors struggling with gender dysphoria and barred biological males from female sporting events. DeWine announced the veto during an end-of-year media briefing on Thursday, where he said he could not support Substitute House Bill (HB68), which includes the Save Women's Sports Act and the SAFE (Saving Adolescents From Experimentation) Act.” read more at the Christian Post

THINK.

  • One of Governor DeWine’s arguments against the bill appealed to parental rights. “Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: their parents," DeWine said. But is this a correct characterization of the issue?
  • A law does not inherently violate parental rights simply by limiting some decisions parents make regarding their children. “Parents cannot take newborn infants home from the hospital without a car seat or allow children to ride in an automobile without a seatbelt,” Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, said in a statement. “There is no 'right' to inflict dangerous, and often irreversible, procedures on minors, and it is fully within the legitimate power of each state to regulate such practices."
  • Even Governor DeWine believes the state has the authority to ban some procedures on children that the parents might want. In a statement explaining his veto, he also said his administration will draft rules to ban gender-transition surgery for minors: “I adamantly agree with the General Assembly that no surgery of this kind should ever be performed on those under the age of 18. I am directing our agencies to draft rules to ban this practice in Ohio,” he wrote. However, his belief does not extend to banning cross-sex hormones, which also irreversibly damage a child’s body.
  • What’s next? The SAFE Act passed the Ohio legislature with a supermajority, meaning it could still become law if the House and Senate override DeWine's veto. In the meantime, laws banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-transition surgery for minors took effect January 1 in Idaho, Louisiana, and West Virginia.

PRAY.

Heavenly Father, we pray for the children who are confused about their gender and deceived by the promise that harming their bodies will heal their distress. Help us to reach them and their parents with the truth about how You created them (Psalm 139). We praise You for the laws that have been passed to protect them and pray for more in the coming years.

ACT.

The Colson Center for Christian Worldview is hosting a free webinar on January 16 at 6pm CT on “The Real Facts About Gender Ideology.” Dr. Miriam Grossman and Dr. Stephen Grcevich, who are child and adolescent psychiatrists, will help “wade through the confusing waters of gender ideology, offering clarification, guidance, and, most of all hope that we do not need to abandon reality to care for those caught up in gender ideology.” Register here.

Lawmakers Urge Biden to Take Action on Border

“Concerns around the border grow, as Republicans continue to call on the president to act. A group of Republicans are heading to the border this week as they push to impose stricter policies. The U.S. tried to raise pressure on Mexico’s president to do something about the mass wave of migrants coming through Mexico. But Republicans want more from President Joe Biden. ‘Life along the border has turned upside down,’ said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas. Gonzales said he will host a group of about 60 Republicans this week to visit the border. ‘I believe in legal immigration. I believe most of America believes in legal immigration, but what we’re seeing is not that, this is chaos,’ he added. Many Republicans have criticized Biden for vacationing in St. Croix as the border crisis continues.” read more at Border Report

THINK.

PRAY.

Jesus, we mourn the chaos caused by the border crisis. Help our elected officials seek Your wisdom and take action to do what is right for our nation and for the people. Let our laws be justly enforced. Rescue the victims being exploited by cartels. Be with law enforcement officers dealing with this crisis every day. In Your name, amen.

ACT.

There’s a lot of political rhetoric on each side about immigration, but what does each party say about the issue in their platform? Take a few moments to understand where each party stands on immigration as well as other key issues here.

2024 is a Record Year for World Elections

“Dubbed the biggest election year in history, more than 60 countries representing half the world population — some 4 billion people — will hold regional, legislative and presidential elections that look set to shake up political institutions and ramp up geopolitical tensions.” read more at Politico

THINK.

  • 2024 will be the biggest election year in human history. Over 4.2 billion of the world's 8.1 billion people, will participate in national or major regional elections in varying form, including in several of the world's most populous countries (India, the United States, the EU, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Korea).
  • In 2024’s first major election, Taiwanese voters will head to the polls to choose a new president on January 13 amid deepening fears that China might invade the island, which Biden has repeatedly said the U.S. would help fend off. Why is Taiwan significant? The Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) left China when Mao Zedong’s communist forces took control of China in 1949. They fled to an island off mainland China and formed what they called the Republic of China—now commonly called Taiwan. To this day, Taiwan has maintained that it is an independent nation. However, China views the island as a breakaway province, and there are fears China is planning to use force to fully reunify it with mainland China. Though Taiwan is a relatively small island, it is home to the world’s leading semiconductor technology and a major part of the global supply chain, and it is in a geographically strategic position.
  • On November 5, 2024, voters in the US will elect a president, the entire House of Representatives, and a third of the Senate. Across 44 states, 85 of those state chambers are holding regular legislative elections. 11 states will be electing a governor. Tens of thousands of local seats are up for election. Voter turnout will be key. In 2016 about 61 percent of citizens 18 and over voted. In 2020, that number rose to 67 percent. How many Christians will turn out this year?

PRAY.

Lord, there are many who want to drive Your name and Your truth out of the public square. Help us to see that voting is an opportunity to promote, protect, and preserve a godly government. Passing up that opportunity means letting those who would denigrate Your name have their way in our lives. The leaders we elect—or do nothing to remove—have great influence on our freedoms. They can choose to protect our first amendment right to religious freedom and the right to spread the gospel, or they can restrict those rights. They can lead our nation toward righteousness or toward moral disaster. May we take the responsibility and privilege to bring our faith into the voting booth seriously.

ACT.

Primary elections in the US begin this month. Are you ready to vote? Check your voter registration here.

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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