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The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is one of America’s most respected and learned journals. It is a forum in which some of our finest minds publish articles on everything from “Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal” to “In-feed antibiotic effects on the swine intestinal microbiome.” To a non-scientist like me, even the titles are intimidating.
In the most recent edition of PNAS, three Stanford University scholars argue that both liberals and conservatives engage in a “dramatic projection of one’s own views onto those of Jesus.” While it is only human for us to want the Savior to confirm our own predilections, there can be no doubt that, objectively, Jesus affirmed the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, Old Testament teachings about human sexuality and personhood within the womb, or the dignity of every person such that liberty — religious, political, and economic — should be the normal state of society.
As theologian Andreas Kostenberger wrote in his recent FRC booklet, “The Bible’s Teaching on Marriage and the Family:”
Marriage and the family were God’s idea, and as divine institutions they are not open to human renegotiation or revision … the Bible clearly teaches that God instituted marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, a lifelong union of two partners created in God’s image to govern and manage the earth for him. In keeping with his wonderful design, the Creator will normally bless a married couple with children, and it is his good plan that a family made up of a father, a mother, and several children witness to his glory and goodness in a world that has rejected the Creator’s plan and has fashioned a variety of God-substitutes to fill the void that can properly be filled only by God himself.
We all like it when people agree with us. Yet it’s more important that we agree with the God of the Bible, Whose path for human relationships and sexuality is clear in His written Word and evidenced in the natural order. It’s up to each of us to choose whether or not to take it.
Sincerely, Rob Schwarzwalder Senior Vice President Family Research Council
P.S. FRC President Tony Perkins has been offering some sage counsel about the current state of American politics in a series of recent television interviews. To view Tony’s comments, click here.
Educational Freedom and Reform Homeschooling
- “Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education,” Linda Perlstein, Newsweek
- “‘Tim Tebow homeschool law’ gains momentum in Virginia,” Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post
- “Catholic Homeschool Group’s Appeal will be Argued Before the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC),” Christian NewsWire
Legislation and Policy Proposals
- “College Debt and 2012,” Chris Gacek, Family Research Council
- “The State of Education,” Chester E. Finn, Jr., National Review Online
- “Why You Should Postpone College,” Brett Nelson, Forbes
- “Jindal’s Education Moon Shot,” The Wall Street Journal
- “Golden Missed Opportunity,” Larry Sand, City Journal
- “Redeeming Higher Education,” James R. Stoner, Jr., Claremont Review of Books
- “Our Inequality,” Peter David Gross, The Examined Life
Government Reform Regulation
- “Geithner Says ‘Basic Elements’ of Finance Reform Done This Year,” Ian Katz, Bloomberg
- “Obama Comes Around on U.N. Reform,” Brett Schaefer, National Review Online
- “Trust-Busting and Trusting in the Administrative State,” Michael Fragoso, The Public Discourse
- “It’s Working in Walker’s Wisconsin,” Christian Schneider, City Journal
Waste/Fraud/Abuse
- “Average federal pay matches Microsoft,” Andrew Biggs, The Enterprise Blog
- “The Debt Trap, Part (1),” Michael S. Greve, Library of Law and Liberty
- “Is President Obama Creating A Nation Of Dependents?,” John Merline, Investor’s Business Daily
- “Dining with Vultures: Rent-to-Own, the Feds, and the Housing Sector,” Jay Weiser, The American
Health Care Abstinence
- “Abortion-contraception arguments are really about teen sex,” Sarah S. Brown, The Washington Post
- “New sex education standards released,” Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press
- “‘Safe sex’ is a myth, & CDC stats prove it,” Kelly Boggs, Baptist Press
Conscience Protection
- “ObamaCare and Religious Freedom,” Timothy M. Dolan, The Wall Street Journal
- “Respecting religious exemptions,” Editorial, The Washington Post
- “An Unconscionable Threat to Conscience,” Donald P. Condit, The Acton Institute
- “Ruling on Contraception Draws Battle Lines at Catholic Colleges,” Denise Grady, New York Times
Health care reform: Political and Legislative efforts
- “The Wyden-Ryan proposal-a foundation for realistic Medicare reform,” Joseph Antos, The New England Journal of Medicine
- “If we knew then what we know now about healthcare reform,” Andrew Biggs, The Enterprise Blog
- “The HHS Contraception Mandate vs. the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” Ed Whelan, National Review Online
- “Free Birth Control vs. Freedom of Religion,” Wesley J. Smith, National Review Online
- “The Obama Mandate to Catholics: “To Hell With You?”,” Paul G. Kengor, The Center for Vision and Values
Homosexuality
- “Gay marriage gaining momentum in WA Legislature,” Rachel La Corte, Associated Press
- “Catholic Conference chides same-sex marriage supporters,” John Wagner, The Washington Post
- “The Same-Sex “Marriage” Proposal is Unjust Discrimination,” Patrick Lee, The Public Discourse
- “Reclaiming the Rhetoric of ‘Family’: 3 Reasons Why Same-Sex Marriage Recognition in the Military Matters,” Katie Miller, The Huffington Post
- “UN Secretary General Tells African Nations to Stop Discriminating Against Homosexuals,” Stefano Gennarini, J.D., Turtle Bay and Beyond
- “Vulgarity and Vengeance,” Anthony Esolen, The Catholic Thing
Human Life and Bioethics Abortion
- “Feathers Ruffled at Greater DC Girl Scout Council,” Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council
- “A New Study Finds Abortion Safer than Giving Birth,” Krystle Weeks, Family Research Council
- “Roe v. Wade: A Constitutional and Moral Tragedy,” Sen. Orrin Hatch
- “The mental toll of abortion,” Jeanne Monahan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- “Roe v. Wade and Equal Opportunity,” Ken Thomas, The Ashbrook Center
- “The Mounting Tragedy of Missing Baby Girls,” Matt Ridley, The Wall Street Journal
- “The Vision of a Pro-Life Generation,” Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online
- ” Pro-Life Is Prettier: Beauty in the Pro-Life Movement,” Katrina Fernandez, Patheos
- “The Unbearable Wrongness of Roe,” Michael Stokes Paulsen, The Public Discourse
- “Two Cheers for Pro-Life Europe,” Austin Ruse, The Catholic Thing
- “Focusing on the fetus changes abortion debate,” Margaret Somerville, The National Post
Bioethics and Biotechnology
- “Archbishop Chaput Blasts Growing Eugenics in Fetal Medicine,” Gerard Nadal, LifeNews.com
Euthanasia and End of Life Issues
- “Is it morally wrong to take a life? Not really, say bioethicists,” Michael Cook, BioEdge
- “‘Incompatible with Life’ is a judgment not a diagnosis,” Nancy Mayer-Whittington, LifeSiteNews.com
Stem Cell Research
To read about the latest advances in ethical adult stem cell research, keep up with leading-edge reports from FRC’s Dr. David Prentice, click here.
- “The Stem Cell Debates,” The New Atlantis
- “The End of Embryonic Stem Cell Research?,” Nathaniel Peters, First Things
- “Stacking the deck on the stem-cell program,” Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times
- “Politics obscure science of stem-cell debate,” David Baugher, The St. Louis Beacon
Human Trafficking
- “The Human Face Of Modern Slavery,” Corban Addison, The Huffington Post
- “Human trafficking: Hunting the predator,” Elizabeth Prann, Fox News
- “‘All I Was Good for Was Sex’,” Nathan Clarke, Christianity Today
Women’s Health
- “When the State Took Away My Life: North Carolina Grapples with Sterilization Practice,” Karen Swallow Prior, Christianity Today
- “How the CDC is overstating sexual violence in the US,” Christina Hoff Sommers, American Enterprise Institute
- “The Vitrification Fertility Option,” Rebecca Dana, Newsweek
Marriage and Family Adoption
- “The Joy of Pretty Things,” Nancy French, National Review Online
- “Va. legislators to consider gay adoption issue,” Zinie Chen Sampson, Associated Press
- “‘Too old to keep baby’,” Linda Fort, Get Reading
- “Utah adoption bill aims to give unwed fathers more protections,” Brooke Adams, The Salt Lake Tribune
Family Economics
- “The Keystone Pipeline, Energy, and Family Economics,” Chris Gacek, Family Research Council
- “The Tax Rate Scandal,” Mark W. Hendrickson, The Center for Vision and Values
- “Beyond Blue Part One: The Crisis of the American Dream,” Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia
- “The “Immobile Class”: On College and Work in the New America,” Owen Strachan
Family Structure
- “The New American Divide,” Charles Murray, The Wall Street Journal
- “The Untapped Potential of the At-Home Mom,” Suanne Camfield, Christianity Today
- “Child’s Play,” Carrie Lukas, National Review Online
Media Pornography
- “House of Lies’ and Mainstream Pornography,” Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic
- “Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act: 5 Things to Know About H.R. 1981,” Connor Adams Sheets, International Business Times
- “Should I Marry a Man with Pornography Struggles? My Response,” Russell D. Moore, Moore to the Point
Internet
- “SOPA Pro and Con,” Justin Shubow, FedSoc Blog
Media
- “Nudity on the Rise in Broadcast TV,” Parents Television Council
- “Damsels in Undress,” Sean Daly, New York Post
Religion and Public Policy Religious Liberty
- “Christians Say Obama is Trampling Religious Liberty,” Todd Starnes, Fox News
- “On Religious Freedom, Years of Battles Ahead,” David Skeel, The Wall Street Journal
- “Parochial Schools And Peyote: How Illegal Drugs And Christian School Teachers Are Related,” Kevin Theriot, Alliance Defense Fund
- “Vanderbilt Univ. Christian Group Says It’s Being Forced Off Campus,” Stephanie Samuel, The Christian Post
- “Religious Liberty and Civil Society,” Yuval Levin, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Religion in America
- “John 3:16: Tim Tebow’s Verse?,” Robert Morrison, Family Research Council
- “What Will It Take To Transform The Mountains Of Culture?,” Chris Robertson, The Acton Institute
- “What the Bible Teaches About Capitalism,” Aryeh Spero, The Wall Street Journal
- “Anger, Bad-And Good?,” Austin Ruse, The Catholic Thing
Secularism
- “Stubborn Amish and Stubborn Atheists,” Peter Berger, The American Interest
International Israel
- “Column One: The Zionist imperative,” Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post
- “Israel’s future: Risks or opportunities?,” Uri Dromi, The Miami Herald
International Economy and Family
- “The (Almost) Triumph of Offshore Balancing,” Christopher Layne, The National Interest
- “Why Growth Matters More than Debt,” Steve Conover, The American
- “Will German Politicians Wreck Europe To Save Their Own Skins?,” Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia
Religious Persecution
- “Responding to Islamism and Persecution of the Church,” Rob Schwarzwalder, Family Research Council
- “The Muslim-American Muddle: Where Do Muslims Fit in American Society?,” Lecture, American Enterprise Institute
- “The Church Persecuted – 2011,” George J. Marlin, The Catholic Thing
Sharia law — U.S., foreign
- “Aquinas on Islam,” Matthew Hanley, The Catholic Thing
- “Slaughterhouse Rules,” Elli Fischer, Jewish Daily Ideas
- “Opposition mounts to growing use of sharia law in Britain,” Barnabas Aid
The Courts Constitutional Issues
- “Wagner’s cautionary tale of latest example of political bias,” Chris Gacek, The Cedar Rapids Gazette
- “Liberty Forum on the Constitutional Amendment Process,” Mike Rappaport, Library of Law and Liberty
- “Beyond Originalism: Conservative Declarationism and Constitutional Redemption,” Ken I. Kersch, Maryland Law Review
Other News of Note
- “The King’s Summit,” Robert Morrison, Human Events
- “Social Justice, Institutions, and Communities,” Adam J. MacLeod, The Public Discourse
- “Patrick Henry, Patriot,” Gary S. Smith, The Center for Vision and Values
Book reviews
- “Trials and Tribulations of Girl Land,” Krystle Weeks, Family Research Council
- “Talking About REAL Marriage,” Susan Wise Bauer, Christianity Today
- “Eden’s Bridge: the Marketplace in God’s Kingdom, a Partner Spotlight,” Elise Hilton, PovertyCure
- “The Humanity of Christ Matters,” Russell D. Moore, Moore to the Point