ERLC Urges Congress to Prevent Deportation, Court Ruled in Favor for FCA & How to Lead When People Are Upset

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is again urging Congress to prevent the deportation of more than a half million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

The latest statement from the ERLC comes after a federal judge declared illegal the revised Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in a Sept. 13 ruling, but allowed the program to remain in place for immigrants already enrolled. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen sided with Texas and eight other plaintiff states who argue that the DACA “Final Rule” oversteps the authority of the executive branch and circumvents Congress. The Final Rule was a Department of Homeland Security attempt essentially to uphold DACA as established in a 2012 DHS memorandum already declared unconstitutional, Hanen said in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville.
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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a local chapter of a Christian club that meets on public high school campuses nationwide.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsors nearly 20,000 Bible studies and small groups (called “huddles”) at schools around the world. In 2019, the San Jose Unified School District ruled that the group, which had been meeting in San Jose schools for more than a decade, could no longer operate in the district due to FCA’s policy of choosing leaders only from those that agree with the organization’s religious teachings.

According to Becket, a religious liberty group that helped FCA with the case, a teacher at Pioneer High School in San Jose attacked the group’s Christian beliefs in his classroom as well as in emails to the school’s principal. The teacher went so far as to say FCA’s presence on the campus was tantamount to sexual harassment.

The appeals court’s ruling effectively allows the school’s FCA chapter to be reinstated.
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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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A piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox shares some tips on how pastors can work with people who may be upset with them. It’s good advice for pastors and helpful for all of us.

Ryan Gilbert writes:

1. Be glad they love Jesus. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s all about Jesus. Therefore, if these individuals truly love Jesus, this is something to celebrate. Even if they’re upset over trivial or secondary things, we can be glad they have the main thing—and that’s Jesus.

2. Empathize with them. At a minimum, trying to understand where they’re coming from may help limit your frustration.

3. Love and serve no matter what. One of the most important times to love and serve God’s people is when we don’t feel
like loving and serving God’s people. And this includes the people who may not be very happy with you.

You can read the full piece and learn more about our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.