Society & Culture

“There is no such thing as a self-made man nor is it possible to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. Those are lies selling us on the destructive myth of personal autonomy; lies reminiscent of Serpent-Satan’s lies to our first parents and the subsequent lie of Cain who dared to mutter to God, ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’” - The Gospel & Poverty

“In addition to identifying a steep increase in the rate of alcohol-related deaths, the study’s authors also presented other findings showing an increase in the annual number of alcohol-related injuries.

“The Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case you may recognize, Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

“Its Religious Affairs Office has announced that not only must all religious organizations get state approval for any activity they undertake. They are also expected to ‘spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party.’” - Acton

The Jan. 2 brief asks the Supreme Court to uphold a 2014 Louisiana law that requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. The court will hear oral arguments March 2. - Christian Headlines

“A law requiring an abortion doctor to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital should be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court as the ‘legitimate interest’ of a state in protecting the lives and health of women, the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity told the justices.” - BPNews

“China will enforce new restrictions on religious groups, organizations, meetings, and other related events starting on February 1.” - Catholic Herald

“Over the centuries, Christian thinkers from Augustine to Aquinas to the Reformers—seeking to reconcile Christian teaching on the sanctity of human life with the Christian responsibility to love our neighbors by protecting them from evil—have proposed a set of conditions by which a violent act can be considered justified.” - Christian Post

“Lost in all the cheering emanating from his supporters, President Trump’s boasting stands in stark contrast with one of my favorite passages in the Bible – Joshua 5:13-15.” - John Ellis