TRUMPET NOTES: March 16, 2022
Jeff Herring
Western Grove Unanimously Passes Pro-Life Resolution
On March 1, the city council in Western Grove, Ark. unanimously passed a resolution affirming that Western Grove is a Pro-Life City. Western Grove is in Newton County; the Newton County Quorum Court passed a similar Pro-Life resolution in February.
In 2021, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 392 of 2021 by Rep. Kendon Underwood (R/Cave Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R/Branch). This law affirms that cities and counties can designate themselves as Pro-Life. Act 392 also says that Pro-Life Communities can install signs or banners announcing that they are Pro-Life. To date, 18 counties and nine cities and towns — including Western Grove — have passed resolutions recognizing unborn children and affirming that they are Pro-Life.
Benton, Washington, Crawford, Cleburne, Pope, Jackson, Saline, Faulkner, Perry, Sebastian, Lee, White, Prairie, Searcy, Carrol, Newton, Boone and Hot Spring counties have adopted Pro-Life resolutions — and so have the cities and towns of Marianna, Russellville, Springdale, LaGrange, Moro, Aubrey, Haynes and Marshall.
Public opinion polling shows that most Arkansans believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or permitted only under certain circumstances, and Arkansas’ pro-life laws are among the best in the nation. With that in mind, it makes sense that so many communities in Arkansas would vote to affirm that they are Pro-Life. (familycouncil.org)
Courts Carry Heartbeat Law to Term
Unborn babies just won another Texas-sized legal victory. On March 11, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously ended the abortion industry’s challenge to the state’s six-week abortion ban because of its unique enforcement mechanism through private legal action. “Texas law does not authorize the state-agency executives to enforce the Act’s requirements, either directly or indirectly,” said the court, so abortion groups could not invalidate the law by suing them. The law has already deterred Texas abortion businesses, saving the lives of 100 babies a day.
The Texas Heartbeat Act has ricocheted around America’s legal system since it passed into law last year. Abortion interests immediately filed a lawsuit against state officials to block enforcement of the law, as they always do.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in November and returned the case to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in December with a complex decision determining that the lawsuit could proceed against state licensing officials, but not other state officials. The Fifth Circuit, in turn, sent the case to the Texas Supreme Court to determine whether licensing officials have authority, under Texas law, to enforce the act. The Texas Supreme Court answered in the negative. In Friday’s decision, they pointed to “emphatic, unambiguous and repeated provisions” in the act declaring private lawsuits are the “exclusive means of enforcement. For those who objected to their ruling, they offered this explanation, “we cannot rewrite the statute.”
Pro-life bills using private enforcement mechanisms to avoid legal defeats have been introduced in at least nine other states, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma. (frc.com)
U.S. Leads World in Single-Parent Households
According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households. Almost a quarter of U.S. children under 18 live with one parent.
Of course, there are many heroic single parents courageously committed to raising their children. Still, decades of research show how costly it is for so many. Children of unmarried parents, on average, do worse in school, have poorer emotional and physical health, are more likely to commit crimes and are more likely to have children out of wedlock themselves.
The sexual revolution decoupled sex from marriage while insisting “the kids will be fine.” Well, they’re not. Christians must speak into this issue with truth and love, especially in a society that fosters adults to seek happiness at the expense of kids. Redefining and reinventing family structures, parenting and marriage are having horrible consequences. (familycouncil.org)
Christian Millennials Give More than Non-religious Counterparts
A new survey reveals that Christian young adults are three times more likely than their non-Christian counterparts to give money to both religious and non-religious charities. A survey published by Lifeway Research on March 9 asked 905 young adults between the ages of 25 and 40 years old (millennials) about their money management habits. The respondents in the study, conducted in partnership with the Christian financial institution AdelFi, between Jan. 18–22, included a subset of 495 Christians.
In a statement announcing the survey’s results, Lifeway Research CEO Scott McConnell explained that “AdelFi was interested in understanding what differences exist in how younger Christians handle their money compared to non-Christians.” Based on the results of the study, McConnell concluded that “Christians are much more active in donating their finances and no less active in trying to do good with their spending.”
Lifeway Research indicated that “the typical Christian young adult donates more than three times as much as non-Christians over a year ($1,820 vs $556).” Additionally, Christian young adults were more likely to give to a local church (37%) than their non-Christian peers (8%). While 28% of Christian young adults donate to religious organizations, 11% of non-Christians do the same.
When measuring total donations overall, Christian young adults were more likely (45%) than non-Christian young adults (30%) to say they donated to any kind of charity, religious or non-religious. Participants in the survey also weighed in on how they spent their money.
A majority (59%) of Christian young adults said they tried to purchase from companies that act in ways that honor Christ. Most Christians (56%) cited tithing to their local church as a biblical commandment that still applies today.
Reacting to the role their faith plays in the financial decisions of Christian young adults, McConnell said, “Young adults are very conscious about trying to make a difference in society with their purchases,” adding, “Christian young adults are no exception.” (christianpost.com)