Issues
The Christian Action Commission covers a host of issues. To the left you'll see several categories with related subtopics. Select the issue(s) you're interested in. Here you'll be able to read and even tell a friend about it.
The Bible Speaks on Alcohol
By By staff - Jan 24, 2006
People have been drinking fermented beverages since at least the days of Noah. The Bible states that after the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk (Genesis 9:20-21). In New Testament times, Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana (John 2:1-11), and Paul admonished Timothy to “use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). After the introduction of distilled spirits with their much higher alcohol content (up to eight times higher than wine) in the Middle Ages, the problems caused by alcohol increased significantly. Today, alcohol abuse has caused catastrophic problems and brought suffering to millions of people worldwide. Because the use and abuse of alcohol continues to plague our world, the Bible’s teachings on the subject are as relevant today as they have ever been. The following Bible passages speak clearly on some important matters …
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Little Boy Blue, Come Blow Your Horn . . .
By By Rob Chambers
Most of us have heard of the nursery rhyme, Little Boy Blue, and you may have even had it read to you at some time or another. It reads:
Little Boy Blue, Come blow your horn, The sheep’s in the meadow, The cow’s in the corn; Where is that boy, Who looks after the sheep? Under the haystack, Fast asleep. Will you wake him? Oh no, not I, For if I do, He will surely cry.
It’s obvious that Little Boy Blue has a responsibility – to serve as a watchman over the sheep and cattle. If cause for alarm arose, then it was Little Boy Blue’s responsibility to sound the horn, alert the people, and rally them toward action.
So, the sheep’s out of the fold, and the cow’s in the corn patch – a cause for alarm, but where is he? He’s …
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Silencing Christians: Homosexual protection & Hate Crime Bill
WASHINGTON (BP and local reports) — Despite objections that it would infringe on the religious liberty of pastors and other faith leaders, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a defense bill October 8 that includes historic hate crimes protections for homosexuals.
The 2010 defense authorization bill, which passed 281-146, has little if anything to do with hate crimes but is being used as a vehicle to pass hate crimes legislation. The defense bill (H.R. 2647) now goes to the U.S. Senate, where a similar version already passed earlier this year.
Mississippi Representatives Travis Childers, Bennie Thompson, and Gene Taylor — all Democrats — voted yes on the bill. Republican Representative Gregg Harper voted no.
Lobbyists for homosexual organizations for years have supported expanding the hate crimes law but failed, either because Republicans controlled Congress …
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Land: Christians must battle barbarism
By Richard Land
NEW ORLEANS (BP and local reports) — Civilization stands at a fork in the road and will either ascend to greater heights or tumble into barbarism unless Christians reassert the value of all human life and absolute moral truth, Richard Land told a Founder’s Day audience October 6 at New Orleans Seminary.
Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, said the future of civilization turns on two fundamental questions: Is moral truth real and knowable or is it merely a preference? A question of human value follows: Is mankind of value because of the essence of mankind, or only for what mankind can do?
These questions are at the heart of policy debates over abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, and health care reform, said Land, who is scheduled to speak October 26 at …
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Categorie(s):
Christian Citizenship,
Legislation,
Christian Home Life,
Marriage & Family,
Infertility,
Sanctity of Human Life,
Abortion,
Chimeras,
Cloning,
Euthanasia,
Elder Care,
Eugenics,
Stem Cell Research,
Adult Stem Cell Research,
Embryonic Stem Cell Research,
Social Issues,
Human Equality, |
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Gay divorce would undermine marriage
By By Penna Dexter - Oct 12, 2009
Homosexual activists, fighting to attain legal same-sex “marriage,” are creating an unlikely battleground: divorce courts. In the latest skirmish, a Dallas judge, Tena Callahan, has ruled that her court has jurisdiction to hear the “divorce” case of two men “married” in Massachusetts in 2006 and now living in Texas.
The decision caused quite a stir in the state where, in 2005, 75 percent of voters passed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Everybody thought that meant: NO GAY MARRIAGES. Period. End of story.
But homosexual groups are trying to figure out how to force same-sex “marriage” on states where voters are clearly and overwhelmingly against it. This attempt to get the courts to grant divorces to gay couples is one way they’re going about it. Jennifer Pizer, marriage project director for the gay advocacy group Lambda Legal, …
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The World is Hungry!
By Jimmy Porter
The pastor began his sermon with this statement, “The world is hungry!” He paused and stood silently to allow the words to rumble around in the minds of his congregation. Then he asked, “How many of you are wondering why they are hungry and for what are they hungry?” Over half raised their hands.
The simple truth is that the world is hungry for food, not peace, not universal health care, nor more money, just basic food. It is fairly safe to assume that you, like me, know very little about malnutrition and hunger. But many in our world face a crisis every day—no food. The United Nations reported in June 2009 that approximately 1.02 billion people are acutely hungry every day.
The world’s population is estimated to be around 6.788 billion as of Sept. 30, 2009. Approximately 1 billion live in developed or industrialized nations …
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Q&A: Hate crimes bill & religious liberty
By By Michael Foust
July 17, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The hate crimes bill currently making its way through Congress has led to charges by Christian conservatives that it could impact religious freedoms.
The bill would expand current hate crimes laws to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity—terms that encompass homosexuality and transgenderism.
On Friday Baptist Press spoke with Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University School of Law, and asked him about the bill, which he opposes. Following is the transcript:
BAPTIST PRESS: “Religious conservatives often charge that passage of a hate crimes law that includes sexual orientation would impact religious freedom. Supporters say it targets only criminal acts. How would it impact religious freedom?”
STAVER: “For starters, sexual orientation and gender identity gets elevated to the same level as race. And whenever you start putting sexual …
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The trouble with hate crimes legislation
By Barrett Duke
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913) is an irresponsible piece of legislation. Its most notable flaws are its determination to prosecute people for their beliefs about homosexuality and its creation of a special protected class for homosexuals. How do you prosecute someone for prejudice? You determine what that person believes about a particular issue and then you surmise that his actions were a result of that belief. Most Christians, as well as many other religious groups, believe that homosexuality and homosexual behavior are contrary to God’s design for humanity. Consequently, this bill puts Christians and many other religious groups in the government’s crosshairs.
Under this law, one’s religious belief about homosexuality can be sufficient reason to prosecute him for a hate crime if he engages in an act of violence against a homosexual. While we should never condone acts of violence against people merely …
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The Public Health Plan: A Pro-Life Non-Starter
By By Barrett Duke
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has posted on its Web site the health care reform bill they have been working on. It’s called the “Affordable Health Choices Act.” As promised, it contains a public health care option. The impact on other health insurance providers is reason enough to oppose a public health plan, but an even greater reason is the way it is going to undermine pro-life values.
The public plan’s immediate and long-term threat to pro-life values is what makes it a non-starter. The plan’s immediate threat to pro-life values is evident from its failure to provide any pro-life protections. There is no protection for health care providers who, due to their faith convictions, cannot provide abortion or abortion referrals. There is no protection for pharmacy owners or workers who cannot in good conscience dispense abortion drugs. There is no restriction on abortion, …
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR’S IDEOLOGY
By By: Brian J. Barnes and Jesse Williams, Edited by Barrett Duke
Sanctity of Human Life
While Sotomayor has come down on the right side on some of her peripheral cases dealing with pro-life issues,
she has never dealt with a pro-life case directly. Thus her personal record is much weightier than her judicial
record in determining where she stands on the issue. The assurances from those close to her and her many years
working with the Puerto Rican Legal and Education Fund suggests that she is very pro-choice. This combined
with the fact President Obama, who supports unfettered abortion, appointed her makes a strong case against
Sotomayor’s pro-life potential. The core question is whether she thinks abortion is a Constitutional right. It is
likely that Sotomayor would not favor a case that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Download Executive Summary of Judge Sotomayor’s Ideology …
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The ‘Cap-and-Tax’ Fiasco
By Doug Carlson
Basic economic principles teach that achieving sound economic policy requires careful consideration of two expected outcomes: costs and benefits. A majority in Congress has just opted to disregard both.
In a narrow 219-212 vote, the House of Representatives has approved what many call the largest tax increase in American history—all in what many experts view as a futile attempt to control the world’s thermostat. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, which restricts industries to specified amounts of greenhouse gases and other carbon emissions they can discharge, garnered support from 211 Democrats and eight Republicans. The damage was done Friday night, just before the House broke for a weeklong July 4 recess.
At its core, the nearly 1,500-page bill is a monstrosity, threatening to make every American who turns on a light switch a loser. First, there is the exorbitant cost. Such a plan amounts to a national energy …
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A Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Response to Global Warming
By By Interfaith Stewardship Alliance
Jul 27, 2006
Preamble
As evangelicals, we commend those who signed the Evangelical Climate Initiative’s “Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action” for speaking out on a public issue of ethical concern. We share the same Biblical world view, theology, and ethics. We are motivated by the same deep and genuine concern they express for the poor not only of our own nation but of the world. That very concern compels us to express our disagreement with their “Call to Action” and to offer an alternative that would improve the lot of the poor more surely and effectively.
It is important to speak directly to the issue of motive. We do not question the motive of those who produced or signed the ECI’s “Call to Action.” We assume that they acted out of genuine concern for the world’s poor and others and considered their action justified …
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Analysis: ‘Cap and Tax’ Schemers Are Cutting Deals
By by Doug Carlson
As the nation tries to pull itself out of financial hard times, some legislators in Washington are eagerly pushing a plan destined to further escalate the economic downturn. Their proposal: reining in carbon emissions with a sweeping global warming bill that would create a tremendous tax burden for businesses, large and small, and every American who turns on a light switch or consumes any product.
Following weeks of negotiations, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) cut a deal Friday with several colleagues on a bill to ration energy use with a cap-and-trade system. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454), as it is titled, is the centerpiece of debate this week in Rep. Waxman’s House Energy and Commerce Committee. The congressman is making every effort to reach committee passage of the bill this week.
Under the 932-page measure, industries would …
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Parent-child relationship further weakened with court order
By Richard Land
The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman of New York to order the FDA to make Plan B, post-intercourse contraceptives available to 17-year-old girls without a prescription from their doctor is one more example of the government believing it has the right to interpose itself between parents and their children. It is shameful that the Obama administration has decided it will not appeal this terrible federal court decision.
Allowing drugs with such powerful physiological and emotional effects to be sold over the counter to adults without a prescription, as has been the case since 2005, has no doubt had significant consequences, none of them good. The decision to allow such drugs to be marketed and sold to underage teenagers without a prescription is absolutely incredible. No good can come out of it.
This decision will certainly lead to increased rates of sexual activity for …
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Stem Cell Research: Hype, Hope, or Both?
By by Rob Chambers
Since President Obama’s decision on March 9th to allow federal funds for research using embryos and embryonic stem cells, much has been said about the morality and ethics of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) and adult stem cell research (ASCR).
Many scientists, researchers, activists, and legislators argue that stem cell research holds great promise to cure or treat health problems. This is partially true because when supporters of stem cell research make this claim the issue is often clouded and confused. This is because the moral and ethical dilemma that embryonic stem cell research kills human life is often intentionally left out of general conversation. The media and advocates frequently bury this dilemma under the words of hope, promise, and cures of stem cell research in general.
This is done because embryonic stem cells have not proven effective in treating ANY human injury, illness, or disease, …
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