Protect Parental Rights, Scripture-Engaged Give More & Churches Helping Vulnerable Children

In defense of parental rights, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the Baptist Convention of Iowa (BCI) signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday (Nov. 10) with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in St. Louis. The brief asked the appeals court to reverse a federal judge’s ruling and issue an injunction barring enforcement of a policy by a school district in eastern Iowa.

The Linn-Mar Community School District – headquartered in Marion, a suburb of Cedar Rapids – instituted a policy in April of this year regarding the treatment of transgender students. In part, the policy bars the district from informing others, including parents, of a student’s transgender status unless he or she provides authorization or it is legally required, such as in the case of national standardized tests.

By concealing the transgender status of students, the school district violates parental rights in two fundamental ways, according to the brief. The policy infringes on the parents’ right to “direct the care and education of their children,” including what school they attend, and infringes on their due process protections.
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Scripture-engaged Americans give more to churches and charities than others, reaping more hope and purpose through the process, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in its 2022 State of the Bible report.

Those considered Scripture-engaged gave $145 billion to charity in 2021, including church tithes and offering, or $2,907 per household, the ABS said, compared to $924 per household among those described as Bible disengaged.

The ABS describes determines Scripture engagement based on a set of questions gauging how often a person reads the Bible and how Scripture impacts their choices.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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The task can seem daunting. Most estimates put the number of children and teens in foster care at 400,000 at any given time.

But Send Relief’s Family Advocacy Ministry (FAM) program is trying to tackle the problem one child – and one church – at a time. In fact FAM is hosting a webinar Nov. 15 for those who want to learn more about how their church can help. (Register here)

Josh Benton, vice president of North American ministry for Send Relief, explained FAM is a “step-by-step ministry strategy that helps churches serve and advocate for vulnerable children and families.”

Meeting the great need should be a priority for all local churches, Benton said.

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