TRUMPET NOTES: May 25, 2022
Planned Parenthood to Spend $16M on Pro-Abortion Advertising
This spring, Planned Parenthood Federation and Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced that they would spend a total of $16 million on pro-abortion paid media advertisements. According to a press release, the multimillion-dollar ad campaign will “educate and increase urgency around the abortion access crisis facing the country.” The ads reportedly are intended to reach minorities and young adults across the nation.
This is not the first time that Planned Parenthood has used its financial resources to promote its pro-abortion agenda. In April, Family Council reported that Planned Parenthood has spent nearly $3,000 electioneering in Arkansas this year alone.
In 2020, Planned Parenthood Federation announced it would spend at least $45 million in an effort to unseat pro-life lawmakers and elect candidates who support abortion. As part of that plan, the group used its political action committee in Arkansas to support candidates for state and federal offices.
Despite significant pro-life victories, Planned Parenthood remains active in Arkansas and elsewhere, and it could show more activity in the coming months. (familycouncil.org)
Texas Town Becomes 50th City in America to Ban Abortions
The Sanctuary City for the Unborn movement reached a major milestone on May 19 when a Texas city voted to become the 50th to adopt a pro-life ordinance outlawing abortions.
Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life of East Texas and founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative, said the City Council of Normangee (population 778) approved the ordinance in a unanimous vote.
Normangee is the 50th city in the United States and the 44th in Texas to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance, which bans the killing of unborn babies in abortions within city limits. There is no abortion facility in Normangee, but the ordinance will prevent one from opening there. It also will combat the rise of mail-order abortion drugs, which the Biden administration began allowing late last year.
In Arkansas, 19 counties and 10 cities and towns have passed pro-life resolutions, according to Family Council of Arkansas. (lifenews.com)
Disney Launches LGBT Clothing Line for Kids
Disney has released a new “Pride Collection” clothing line for children amid controversy surrounding the corporation’s reaction to Florida’s new parental rights in education bill and reported efforts to include LGBT advocacy in its children’s programming.
The family entertainment company launched the new fashion line on May 16, featuring merchandise such as sweaters, T-shirts, baby clothes and other items, all bearing the rainbow pride flag that symbolizes the LGBT movement. The collection’s launch comes two weeks before the start of so-called pride month, which LGBT activists recognize each June.
Many of the products also include LGBT-themed images of iconic Disney character Mickey Mouse and the company’s Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar franchises. The company is selling the items through its “shopDisney” online store, Disney retail shops and theme parks.
In an opinion piece published by The Daily Citizen, Zachary Mettler, staff writer and communications liaison for the Christian organization Focus on the Family, contended that Disney is “targeting” children with an LGBT agenda.
He further suggested that Disney is trying to plant the idea into children’s heads that same-sex couples marrying is morally the same as a marriage between a man and a woman. He said the family entertainment company is attempting to teach children that gender is malleable, something he envisions will “confuse” and negatively impact them when they become young adults.
In its announcement of the clothing line, Disney pledged to donate the entirety of the collection’s proceeds now through June 30 to various LGBT activist organizations…. Mettler views this as a sign that the corporation has become more vocal about its stance on LGBT issues than in previous years. (christianpost.com)
Reassess, Be Vigilant, Church Security Experts Advise
(See related article on page 5 of this issue) Churches are taking another look at their security plans after recent shootings when 10 died at a Buffalo, NY, grocery store and another the next day at a California church. While variables can exist from church to church in establishing or modifying those plans, the concerns and preparation are largely consistent, one expert said.
“It’s a matter of scope, of scale,” said Mike Everett, director of security services for Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis. “With churches, it’s the same way. We all face the same issues, whether it’s budgetary or congregation size or the number of people you have to serve on your security ministry.”
Everett was working with a company that had given a security assessment at Bellevue before the church approached him with a job offer that he accepted in September 2021. Prior to that, he had served 23 years in law enforcement in southern Illinois as a patrolman and three-term sheriff.
Bellevue already had an established security team before Everett’s arrival. In 2016 that team took action in subduing a heavily armed man who entered the sanctuary during the church’s 11 a.m. Easter service. An alert greeter had noticed a pistol sticking out of the man’s jacket. Upon being interrogated by Bellevue’s then-director of security Andy Willis, a reserve officer with the Memphis Police Department, an automatic rifle and “lots of ammo” were found in the man’s backpack.
An intrusion doesn’t have to involve a gun. Recently, pro-abortion protestors disrupted the services of a Catholic church in Colorado over the leaked Supreme Court opinion pointing to the possible overturn of Roe vs. Wade.
When it comes to firearms, both recommend checking with the church’s insurance company and applicable laws. “It’s an administrative decision that needs to be made through prayer,” Everett said. “Whatever your governing body is, they need to decide with the proper information.”
Central to any security ministry or team is training. Diligence is wise when researching church security firms…. The Department of Homeland Security provides guides and resources for faith-based events and houses of worship. (baptistpress.com)
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Jeff Herring
Baptist Trumpet Executive Editor Jeff Herring writes a regular column titled, Journey with Jeff, that talks about the ministry of the Baptist Trumpet. He also compiles a column titled, Trumpet Notes, which includes articles about various topics relevant to today’s Christian
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