August is usually a quiet time in our nation's capital. Congress goes on recess (coronavirus relief talks delayed it slightly this year), and the rest of Washington often escapes the heat and humidity for a breather out of town.
While the Washington Update is on summer break, the FRC team has remained hard at work tackling the important issues of the day. As we head into the weekend, we want to share a few highlights from this week:
Public Education: Don't Just Reopen, but Rethink it!
As public schools struggle to adjust to the "new normal" of the pandemic and politicians debate reopening, now is the perfect time to radically rethink education in America. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the new challenges spawned by the pandemic are prompting parents to develop new, better ways of doing education.
Whether that way is homeschooling, private schooling, or something in between, you'll want to check out Tony Perkins and Cathy Ruse's piece in National Review, "Rather Than Reopen, It's Time to Rethink Government Education."
We encourage you to check out our other timely education resources, including a special three-part Washington Watch radio series, "Rethinking vs. Reopening: Public Education in America." We also feature Joseph Backholm's new resource, "Why Every Church Should Start a Christian School."
News Flash: Hong Kong Continues to Burn
While much of the world's attention is focused on the pandemic and U.S. elections, one bastion of human rights and freedom in Asia is slipping toward totalitarianism.
With the dramatic arrests of high-profile pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong this week, the world is witnessing the start of a new Red Terror. The new national security law recently imposed on Hong Kong gives the Chinese Communist Party an excuse to arrest anyone who dissents from the Party line. This has drastic consequences for religious freedom in Asia, and elsewhere around the world.
To read more about Hong Kong's face-off against the world's most powerful authoritarian government, check out Bob Fu and Arielle Del Turco's piece in USA Today: "Hong Kong freedom lovers deserve global support against Chinese Communist Party's new Red Terror."
Churches and Coronavirus: Time to Reopen?
As the coronavirus crisis drags on, churches are grappling with questions about whether, how, and when to reopen. How should Christians respond when the government transgresses its constitutionally and divinely prescribed authority? What considerations should factor into this decision?
David Closson tackles these questions and more in his latest blog: "Is it Time for Churches to Reopen?" In addition, be sure to check out FRC's newly updated resource: "Guidelines for Reopening Your Church," which outlines CDC guidelines and other best practices for reopening churches.
For a personal story of one pastor who's been forced to confront these questions for himself, be sure to listen to Tony's interview with Pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, California, as he describes how far the state went to try to shut down his church's services.
PS - the Nebraska Legislature passed a Dismemberment Abortion Ban, which we now anticipate will be signed into law in that state!
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