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WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - MAY 29, 2024
UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES: DC, MT, NJ, NM, and SD take place June 4. For all election and voting information, visit My Voter Hub and click on your state.
In this week's Intersect, read about:
S.C. Becomes 25th State to Protect Minors from Gender Transition Procedures
“While some states still allow children to go under the knife in the name of ‘gender identity,’ the Palmetto State has become the latest to officially protect children from invasive gender transition interventions. On Tuesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) signed into law House Bill 4624, known as the ‘Help Not Harm’ bill, prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors.” read more at the Washington Stand
THINK.
- Three years ago, no state had laws banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgery for minors. Now, half the country has passed legislation protecting children from this harm. The laws still face opposition through lawsuits. In a few states, court rulings or a governor’s executive order have blocked them from taking effect. Public outcry against gender modification and conscientious voting has made progress, but we must stay persistent.
- We are about to enter “Pride Month”, which has morphed from rejecting God’s design for sex and marriage into also rejecting His design for gender. In both areas, Satan is attacking people’s identities through a barrage of messages in things like ads, books, and products. Christians should practice discerning those lies.
- We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Hillary Ferrer of Mama Bear Apologetics offers two questions for believers: “Have you approached this issue as a clanging gong, all truth and no love?” And for anyone tempted to affirm sin at the expense of truth, “Are you willing to tell God that you are more merciful and more loving than He is?”
PRAY.
Heavenly Father, help us to walk in Christ: putting off our old self with its deceitful desires, renewing our minds, and putting on our new self–created to be like You in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24). Help us to teach truth to our children and explain our beliefs to others, remaining grounded in Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
ACT.
69% of Americans identify as Christians, but only 4% claim to have adopted a biblical worldview. Now, more than ever, Christians need to anchor their views on the truth of God's Word and stand with an unshakable faith. On June 5, My Faith Votes is launching Think Biblically, an online video course designed with churches, small groups, and families in mind. One of the six modules will address the heart of the story above: Think Biblically about Gender and Sexuality with Dr. Christopher Yuan. Stay tuned, you’ll be able to access this free resource next week!
Ohio Governor Calls Special Session to Pass Legislation Ensuring President Biden is on 2024 Ballot
“Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that he is calling a rare special session of the General Assembly to pass legislation ensuring that President Joe Biden is on the state’s 2024 ballot. ‘Ohio is running out of time to get Joe Biden, the sitting President of the United States, on the ballot this fall. Failing to do so is simply unacceptable. This is ridiculous. This is (an) absurd situation,’ DeWine said. The question of whether Biden will appear on the ballot has become entangled in a partisan legislative fight to keep foreign money out of state ballot campaigns, a year after cash tied to a Swiss billionaire boosted a successful effort to enshrine abortion rights in the solidly red state’s constitution.” read more at The Associated Press
THINK.
- What happened? Ohio requires parties to confirm their presidential candidates 90 days before the Nov. election, which would be Aug. 7. But Biden won’t be the official nominee until the Democratic National Convention, which is on Aug. 19. The little-known law was passed in a major omnibus bill in 2010. In 2012 and 2020, exemptions were passed for those years — impacting both parties. In 2016, both the DNC and the RNC held their conventions before the deadline. In May, Ohio’s Senate leaders passed a bill that addressed the problem by allowing certification 74 days before the election, but the House adjourned before taking up any version of the bill. Senate Republicans had tacked on an unrelated bill that bans foreign nationals from contributing to ballot issue campaigns. The amendment was a “poison pill” for Democrats — it comes in response to a national liberal group with ties to a Swiss billionaire that spent millions last year helping pass an abortion rights amendment. DeWine said the legislature should take up the Senate’s bill while endorsing the legislation’s ballot-issue funding portion.
- What now? The bill must be heard on three separate days, and with the governor calling the session yesterday, that means the bill needs to be done and in committee, the same day and then continued Wednesday and Thursday for a floor vote. Passage seems unlikely and Secretary of State Frank LaRose said today (Wednesday) is the absolute deadline. Yesterday, the Democratic National Committee announced they are open to a virtual roll-call vote to nominate Biden before Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline if Ohio legislators don’t vote for Biden to be on the ballot.
- Who’s to blame? Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan Entin said no court case would work in this situation. “What seems to be going on reflects yet again how dysfunctional the Ohio government is,” Entin said. “There’s plenty of faults to be laid on just about everybody. You can fault the Democrats for not knowing the law, the entire legislative leadership for being uncooperative and constantly bickering, and LaRose for waiting until virtually the last minute to raise the issue” the professor added.
PRAY.
Lord, in all the back and forth, we pray for our electoral process to be fair and true in its results. We pray also for integrity for election officials at all levels. We pray for transparency, accuracy, and exposing of wrong. Lastly, we pray that the media would report the truth and that Christians would be discerning as we seek the truth.
ACT.
Don’t miss your deadline and forget to vote! Whether it's a presidential election or a local school board election, your voice needs to be heard. Sign up here to get election reminders by text or by email. It’s a free resource for you and those you share it with!
Louisiana Governor Signs Law Making Abortion Drugs Controlled Substances
“Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill into law late Friday afternoon. The law is scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of October. It criminalizes the induction of an abortion without the mother’s consent or knowledge and reclassifies the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled substances. The reclassification would make it illegal to possess the drugs without a valid prescription.” read more at World News Group
THINK.
- Abortion is already illegal in Louisiana, but this law reclassifying abortion pills is the first of its kind in the nation. It was passed to prevent the abuse of women and their unborn children. State Senator Thomas Pressly introduced the bill after his sister was forced to take an abortion pill by her husband. The baby amazingly survived, but her husband was only sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Under the new law, he would have faced a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years in prison, in addition to a maximum fine of $5,000…simply for possessing the pills without a prescription.
- Abortion pills were responsible for 642,700 medication abortions (63% of all abortions) in the United States in 2023, not even counting self-managed abortions or abortion pills mailed to people in states with total abortion bans, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute. Louisiana is making it harder for these drugs to be abused at the expense of unborn babies.
- Pro-life laws are often described as “anti-women, anti-healthcare, and anti-freedom.” When you compare these descriptions to actual laws like Louisiana’s, they just don’t work. California is temporarily allowing Arizona abortion providers to perform the procedure in California when Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban takes effect. State Senator Nancy Skinner said, “California has made it crystal clear for all those who need or deliver essential reproductive care: We’ve got your back.” All such arguments ignore the victims of this so-called “care.”
PRAY.
Pray that Christian voters would see through deceptive arguments and realize that loving our neighbors–both mothers and babies–requires us to advocate for laws that protect both. Pray for women who have been forced into having an abortion: that their abusers would face justice, and that these women would find healing and comfort in Christ (See Revelation 21:3-6).
ACT.
Did you know that if done in time, it’s possible to reverse the effects of the first abortion pill? Medical professionals have been able to save 64-68% of pregnancies through abortion pill reversal. But this information is not well known, and Planned Parenthood calls abortion pill reversal a “myth.” Bookmark this website: AbortionPillReversal.com so you can share this potentially life-saving information with others.
Haiti Gang Kills US Politician’s Missionary Daughter and Her Husband
“The daughter and son-in-law of a US Republican politician are among three Christian missionaries who have been killed by gang members in Haiti as it emerged that the long-awaited deployment of a multinational security force tasked with rescuing the Caribbean country from months of bloodshed had been delayed.” read more at The Guardian
THINK.
- Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker identified Natalie Lloyd as his daughter in a social media post where he said he and his family were heartbroken and needed prayer. “They went to Heaven together,” he said of his daughter and her husband. The couple was serving with Missions in Haiti, an organization that has operated a school, church, bakery, and shelters for children on a compound on the north side of Port-au-Prince. Missions in Haiti wrote in a March newsletter it was able to continue operating its Good Hope School, where roughly 450 students attend classes. Additionally, Good Hope Church had been open every Sunday for services during that time despite shootings in the area. One of the missionaries killed was the son of the organization’s founder and was on the phone with his father as the attacks happened.
- In March, U.S. military personnel airlifted Americans out of the country's embassy in Haiti as the island nation continues to spiral into violence. Gangs are stronger than the armed police in Haiti, and they outnumber them as well. This imbalance has caused sexual violence, kidnappings, and murder to skyrocket. Haiti has no functioning government; there is not a single elected official in the country, all the way up to the president—a position that has been vacant since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Last week’s killings occurred as a new governing council in Haiti awaits the deployment of police from Kenya, supported by the U.S., to help restore security. However, the deployment has been delayed due to funding issues. After the killing of the missionaries, the U.S. called for swift delivery of police from Kenya.
- When last did God call you to pay a price for your faith? Will you follow Him today wherever He leads, whatever it takes, whatever the cost?
PRAY.
Lord, thank you for the faithfulness of these brave missionaries who were committed to taking the Gospel to hard places, no matter the cost. May their example spur us on to live our lives in obedience to You. May it also remind us to pray for those on the mission field. “If you are ever inclined to pray for a missionary, do it at once, wherever you are. Perhaps he may be in great peril at that moment.” – Amy Carmichael, 1867-1951, missionary to India
ACT.
An estimated 430,000 full-time missionaries are serving other countries. Rift Valley Academy is a Christian boarding school located in Kenya that serves about 500 missionary children (K-12), representing 30 nationalities and 80 mission organizations and churches. They have an immediate need to fill various staffing positions to serve those missionary children. Would you or someone you know be interested in working in Africa? Learn more and apply here.
My Faith Votes— is a ministry that motivates, equips, and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. An estimated 25 million Christians who are registered to vote, fail to vote in presidential elections. My Faith Votes is on a mission to change this statistic by helping Christians act on their faith and vote in every election. When we pray unceasingly for our nation, think biblically about the issues, and vote consistently in every election the impact of Christians taking action from the local to the state and federal level will be unprecedented.
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