faith Archives

BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Religious Freedom

This is a great day for religious freedom.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties cases is a much-anticipated and wonderful affirmation as the court process proceeds. It shows that religious freedom continues to be the lifeblood of a country founded on the inalienable rights afforded to us by our Creator.

We rejoice with the Green and Hahn families who are now free to continue serving the public, their loyal employees, and their God without having to compromise their faith.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, policy, pro-life, religious liberty June 30, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Research Suggests Loving Dads Help Pass On Faith to Kids

In a previous blog post, I wrote about passing along a faith that lasts to your children. That post focused on the most important thing parents can do: live out a vibrant faith themselves.

Today I want to share with you additional research that suggests another helpful dimension to helping your kids inherit your faith.

As it turns out, that element has a lot to do with Dad.

The power of love and affection

In a New York Times article that ran earlier this year, Prof.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting June 26, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Who are Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties?

Last week I introduced a series by Bruce Hausknecht, Focus’ judicial analyst, on two cases currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. These cases can potentially have far-reaching implication on the state of religious liberties in our country, which is why it’s important that Christians understand what’s going on – and what’s at stake.

The first part answered the question, “How did we get here?” In this second part, Bruce answers, “Who are Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties?”

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Hobby Lobby

The Green family – David Green, Barbara Green, Steve Green, Mart Green and Darsee Lett – are committed evangelicals, and the founders and owners of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, as well as Mardel, a chain of Christian bookstores.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, policy, religious liberty June 24, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Grief Without Despair: What Seattle Pacific University Students Taught Me

Earlier this month, a young male started shooting a gun at Seattle Pacific University, a Christian school. Before he stopped to reload his weapon, he had killed one and injured three others.

A 22-year old student, Jon Meis, put himself in harm’s way to stop the gunman from inflicting further harm. Meis used pepper spray to incapacitate the shooter before knocking him down. At that point, other students jumped in and helped subdue the shooter.

Bucking the narrative

Sadly, these stories of public shootings follow a familiar storyline by now.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news, relationships June 23, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is There a Right Time to Start a Family?

The headline certainly draws you in: “Don’t Call Me Grandma: Births to ‘Older’ Moms on the Rise.” The report from NBC News highlights the growing trend of women over age 35 who are having their first baby.

Delaying pregnancy has become the new normal, and there are many reasons why this is so. First of all, men and women are both marrying at an older age. Another reason is many people – most markedly, women – are pursuing college or advanced degrees that pressure them to dedicate time to developing their careers instead of starting a family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, marriage, news June 18, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Choose a Pet Over a Child?

They call them “fur babies,” and many couples in the U.S. are opting for them. One headline aptly described it this way: “Americans are having dogs instead of babies.”

The United States isn’t unique in this trend. We’ve seen for a while now how birth rates worldwide are plummeting and the number of pets are increasing. Japan, a country where sales of adult diapers outnumber those of baby diapers, has a population of more than 22 million pampered pets versus only 16.6 million children under 15.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting, pop culture June 11, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The American Church Has a Choice to Make

Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, has been consistently coming out with interesting and relevant perspectives on the Christian faith, the general culture and the interaction between the two. I enjoyed sitting down with him in Nashville recently for an interview on his popular internet-based show.

In a piece published last week for Christianity Today, “4 Trends for Churches to Consider,” Stetzer builds on some of the points he presented earlier this year refuting the myth about the “dying” American Church.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, pop culture, religious liberty June 9, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus Joins with National Institute of Marriage to Help Couples in Crisis

We’ve all seen a marriage in crisis.

We all know people who have struggled (or are struggling) within their marital relationship.

Maybe that someone is you.

Or perhaps it’s someone you love, like a son or daughter or your best friend from high school.

You can’t stand to see the marriage falling apart. You feel helpless.

When you ask, you’re told that everything that can be thought of has been tried.

Traditional counseling. A visit with the pastor.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: faith, husband, marriage, news, wife June 3, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Post-Abortive Woman Calls Focus Broadcast “Voice of Hope” (VIDEO)

For those of us whose pro-life convictions stem from our Christian faith, the New Jersey Star-Ledger’s recent headline was disconcerting: “Why I perform abortions: A Christian obstetrician explains his choice.”

Willie J. Parker, who performs abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy, explains his decision this way:

In listening to a sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, I came to a deeper understanding of my spirituality, which places a higher value on compassion.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith, news, pop culture, pro-life May 30, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Human Cloning Advancements Pose Serious Questions for Life Advocates

I consider myself blessed to live at a time where we benefit from so many advances in medical science. In terms of physical health, we’re all much better off today than we were or would have been just a few decades ago.

But what happens when the latest and greatest in medical science comes at the expense of another human life? How would you feel knowing that a human life was created only to be destroyed for your benefit?

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, policy, pro-life, technology May 29, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura