Presbyterian Police. One of Alabama’s largest churches wants its own police force. Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham is considered by many the “mother church” of the conservative denomination Presbyterian Church in America. It also has a large Christian school, with as many as 8,000 on its campus daily. The church believes that in light of recent school shootings, it should have its own law enforcement department. The school asked the Alabama legislature to craft a bill that would allow the church and school to have the same powers as the police forces on many college campuses. The bill has already passed the Alabama Senate.

U.N. Funding Cut. The U.S. State Department said it would eliminate funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which has supported forced abortions in China. The move is considered a victory for the pro-life movement. In fiscal year 2017, the U.S. had budgeted $32.5 million for the UNFPA. That money will go instead to the State Department’s Global Health Programs fund. The UNFPA, in a press statement, denied wrongdoing in China. The statement read: “UNFPA refutes this claim, as all of its work promotes the human rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination. Indeed, United Nations member states have long described UNFPA’s work in China as a force for good.”

China Syndrome. While the U.N. disputes where its money goes, there can be no doubt that China itself is aborting children on an unprecedented scale. According to Globe Trot, “More than 336 million abortions have been performed in China since 1971 under its one-child policy. That’s more than the entire population of the world at the time of the Crusades, and likely an underreported number, given past practice of China’s Health Ministry.” Here’s a heartbreaking anecdote, also from Globe Trot, showing that behind each of these abortions is a tragic story: “When a now-grown China-born orphan went looking for her birth parents, she got responses from 50 families who said they abandoned a baby girl on the same street in Wuhan during the month of March 1993.”

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. On this date in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride from Boston to Lexington and Concord to warn of the impending march of British troops to that town. Revere set out on a borrowed horse and made it to Lexington sometime after midnight with his news. He then set out from Lexington with two other men, headed for Concord. However, British troops gave chase. They captured Revere, but the other men made it to Concord to warn that town. British troops questioned Revere and then let him go. The “midnight ride of Paul Revere” became part of the American legend largely because of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. To read the full—and historically accurate—story of Paul Revere, check out the excellent website of the Paul Revere House.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Warren Cole Smith is an investigative journalist and author as well as the Colson Center vice president for mission advancement.