Articles

Weekly Review

09/24/19

Warren Cole Smith

International Religious Liberty. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback helped host a “Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom” at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week. Vice President Pence said 80 percent of the world’s population lives under some form of oppression of faith. President Trump took up that idea. “When I first heard that number,” the president told the audience, “I said, ‘Please go back and check it.’” But the number is, unfortunately, true. The president continued: “The United States is founded on the principle that our rights don’t come from government — they come from God.” The president also announced that the U.S. would dedicate another $25 million to the preservation of “religious sites and relics.”

Climate Change Tantrums. The importance of the international religious freedom summit was swept under the rug by the main stream media so they could report on climate change. Climate change activists, perhaps aware that their scientific arguments are unconvincing, are now using emotional appeals to seize the headlines. The latest development has been to use children as spokespeople, most notably 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. However, the strategy may be backfiring as Thunberg, though bold and likely well-intentioned, has proven to be as poorly informed and as shrill as the adults she replaced at the podium. Even the liberal New York Times wrote that her “radical approach is at odds with democracy.” I recently wrote a five-part series of articles on climate change called “Clear Thinking on Climate Change.” You can find that series here.

More Grisly Details. The world was shocked by revelations that former abortionist Ulrich Klopfer had the remains of 2,246 babies in the garage of his Illinois home. But the story is still unfolding. Because Klopfer was an abortionist in South Bend, Indiana, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is demanding a full-blown investigation. He is also hoping to give the tiny bodies a final resting place. “We are going to continue this matter to determine as best we can exactly what happened,” he said at a press conference. “But in the meantime, I can tell you that we are going to bring our babies home.” It now appears that some of the babies have been stored for as long as 20 years. Hill wants to “make sure they are treated with the proper dignity and respect deserving of anyone.” The Diocese of Gary, Indiana, is offering to provide a site. “We are working with officials to explore how to best facilitate that process,” a spokesman told reporters.

Sex Trafficking Bust. Authorities have arrested more than 100 people in a massive child sex trafficking sting in central Ohio. The Homeland Security special agent in charge of the investigation warned, “We are just scratching the surface… it’s that way across the country.” The Ohio sting operation involved more than 30 law enforcement agencies. A report commissioned for the city of Columbus last year found that Ohio is one of the worst states in the country for human trafficking. The report went on to say, “Central Ohio rescue groups have served more than 700 human-trafficking victims since 2008; girls between the ages of 12 and 18 are at the highest risk.” This sting was unique in that it arrested the customers of the trafficked girls. Among the suspects were a doctor and a church youth director. Investigators said they focused the traffickers themselves and “the men who feed the sex trade with their dollars.”

 

Warren Cole Smith is the Vice-President of Mission Advancement for the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

Image: YouTube

Share


  • Facebook Icon in Gold
  • Twitter Icon in Gold
  • LinkedIn Icon in Gold

Have a Follow-up Question?

Want to dig deeper?

If you want to challenge yourself as many others have done, sign up below.

Webinars

Short Courses