Jim Daly

Philadelphia Grief

When a tape of an Oval Office conversation from January 23, 1973, was released in 2009, many were surprised that President Nixon expressed ambivalence when talking about the Supreme Court’s decision the day before that legalized abortion.

The White House issued no statement on the day Roe v. Wade was decided. On the tapes, Nixon expressed concern that broader access to abortion would foster “permissiveness” and that it “breaks the family.” Yet, he also said he saw reasons why it might be necessary, such as – shockingly and offensively – in cases of interracial pregnancies.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, pro-life

MTV’s Obsession with Child Abuse

On December 29th, the Miami Herald ran a startling headline:

MTV’s Every Detail Etched on Children’s Minds

The article’s author, Ellen Livingston, spoke with myriad teachers and students about the network’s massive influence, almost all negative. John Anderson, a teacher at a private Lutheran School, said he’s worried kids are obsessed with it. He cited the fact that creative assignments often include MTV references.

Livingston asked the question: Knowing that the programming gets “its force from sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll” do parents mind their children spending the best years of their youth in front of MTV?

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, kids, pop culture

Thirty Years Ago Today

It was as if the day were scripted in Hollywood by the pen of Frank Capra, inclusive of pomp and pageantry, dreams and high drama, culminating at high noon, no less, all as the world watched.

In Washington, D.C., January 20, 1981, was cold and cloudy, but as Ronald Wilson Reagan took the oath, the overcast sky parted and a ray of sunshine fell upon the western front of our nation’s Capitol. Across the globe in Iran, 52 Americans hostages were loaded onto a plane and finally released following 444 days of captivity.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, news, policy

Regis Philbin’s Secret

By now, if you care or pay attention to such things, you know Regis Philbin has announced his retirement from morning television.

In the interest of full disclosure, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t watch much television, including Regis, but I find elements of his life instructive and thought you might as well.

When most people think of Regis Philbin, they see success. He is one of television’s good guys, quick-witted and kindly humored. But Regis’ life has not been a one-act play whose star always shined strong and bright.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, pop culture

Are Babies Better than Abortion?

Writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, William McGurn asks a serious question:

Are babies better than abortion?

Mr. McGurn is responding to a sobering new study recently released from the Chiaroscuro Foundation, a private nonprofit organization. He writes:

After crunching the latest statistics from New York City’s Health Department, the foundation reported that 41% of pregnancies (excluding miscarriage) in New York ended in abortion. That’s double the national rate.

As a society, does this figure say anything about the choice between a baby and abortion?

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: kids, policy, pro-life

Do Something Now!

I’ve never been one to lament that the future of the Christian church rests in the hands of those from Generation X, Y or now Z.

Maybe that’s because I’ve always believed there are great leaders and bright lights in every age and stage of life – you just need to know where to look!

Esther Fleece, Focus on the Family’s Director of Millennial Relations, is one such leader, and she’s helped Focus partner with many like-minded ministries dedicated, as we are, to reaching the next generation.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, kids

Imago Dei

The beliefs of Dr. Peter Singer, an ethics professor at Princeton University, are anathema to those of us who believe in the sanctity of human life. Yet, unlike some in the abortion movement, Dr. Singer is, though offensive in speech and philosophy, honest and straightforward about what he believes and why he believes it.

When articulating his support for legalized abortion, Peter Singer admits his valuation of human life is based on a person’s capacities instead of it being measured on the Christian belief that life is made in God’s image, and thus worthy of protection.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: events, kids, policy, pro-life

Satisfaction

There was an interesting blurb in last Thursday’s USA Today’s “Snapshots” (Life Section, p. D1).

The Pew Research Center asked the following question:

Who is most satisfied with family life?

Married people reported the highest degree of satisfaction, followed by the widowed. Next came those who live with a partner.

In other words, those who are cohabitating are less happy than those who have lost a spouse to death.

Why?

There is a power and beauty (and satisfaction) in the act of commitment.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, marriage, parenting

The Arizona Shooting

Mourners will gather tonight in Tucson, Arizona for a Memorial Mass at St. Odilia’s Church for victims of Saturday’s tragic shooting.

Amidst the unspeakable sadness and act of remembrance, there is a beautiful poignancy to the purpose of such ritual. As part of the Catholic rite of the Mass, communion will be shared. While there are distinctives regarding communion among various traditions, it remains a vital part of Christian worship for believers the world over. To reenact Christ’s Last Supper is to be reminded not just of Jesus’ sacrificial death, but the hope His rising from the dead brings to those of the Christian faith.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, news

Looking for a Saturday TV Movie?

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 8th, Fox will air a movie on adoption, “Change of Plans” at (8pm ET, 7pm CT), as part of Wal-Mart and P&G’s Family Movie Night series.

What’s the movie all about?

Synopsis:

Up to this point, Sally Danville’s life has played out just as she hoped it would. A beautiful and free-spirited musician, she and her fighter-pilot husband, Jason, live life on the go, free of domestic responsibilities. But with a single phone call from Child & Family Services case worker, Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show), she learns that things don’t always go according to plan.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: entertainment, family, kids, staff