From Family Research Council: (my bolding)
The current town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, is anything but the peaceful town that we sing about at Christmas each year. Bethlehem--now under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA)--is in the area that Jordan labeled the West Bank after it took control of a swath of land known as Judea and Samaria in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. During the six-day war of 1967, the Israeli military regained control of the area, but Jordan didn't relinquish its claims on the region until 1988, when it ceded authority to the PLO. Today, the PA, underwritten by the U.S., has governmental and security jurisdiction in several West Bank cities, including Bethlehem. In fiscal year 2010, America funneled more than $500 million dollars in economic support to the PA--nearly half of what the entire international community provided to prop up the fledging authority.
Knowing that the PA couldn't exist without U.S. funding, it was particularly disturbing what our delegation heard last week when we met with Pastor Naim Khoury at the First Baptist Church in Bethlehem. Pastor Khoury is a Christian Palestinian who recognizes and supports the right of Israel to live in and control the land God gave to them. His church of about 300 has seen tremendous growth as he boldly preaches the gospel to Jesus Christ in an area now dominated by Muslims.
Unfortunately, his courage has come at a steep price. The church, with worship banners adorning the walls, resembles a church you'd find in America's heartland. But looks can be deceiving. The church has been bombed 14 times and Pastor Khoury has been shot at four times during the course of his 32-year ministry. What's most troubling is the fact that the PA is trying to shut down this thriving evangelical church by refusing to recognize it. To us, that doesn't sound like a big deal. After all, who needs government approval? But this isn't a matter of tax-exemption, as some in the U.S. might be concerned with. In this Muslim-dominated region, as with most, you have to declare your religion or church (which, by default, is Muslim). If you worship in an unrecognized church, the consequences are astonishing. Parents can't obtain birth certificates for their babies, couples who want to get married cannot get a license, and congregants of an unregistered church will find employment hard to come by. (That explains why Pastor Khoury's church has almost 70% unemployment.)
The intent is obvious: to drive people away from churches in the very city that gave birth to the hope-filled, life-changing message of Jesus Christ. If the U.S. continues to prop up the PA with financial support, we are complicit in this discrimination and the hostile environment created by the PA toward these evangelical churches. While discrimination against Christians may not be troubling to the Obama administration, it should be to us as Christian taxpayers.
  Washington UpdateBaker Won't Play Flour Girl at Gay 'Wedding'
She may be a baker, but Victoria Childress isn't in it for the dough. At her Iowa Cake Cottage, she knows the recipe for success is sticking by your convictions--even if it costs you some business. So when two lesbians asked Childress to make their "wedding" cake this fall, she politely refused. "She introduced herself," Childress told Fox News, "and I said, 'Is this your sister?' She said, 'No, this is my partner.'" At that point, Victoria knew what she had to do. "I was straight-forward with them and explained that I'm a Christian, and that I have very strong [beliefs]." When the couple went to the press with their story, gay activists launched a boycott. "It's not to discriminate against them," Victoria explained on TV. "As I keep saying, it's not so much to do with them as it's to do with me and my walk with God and what I will have to answer for." The two lesbians don't see it that way. "It was degrading," they told KCCI. But apparently, calling Victoria a bigot is not? Obviously, the only form of discrimination that's acceptable in this country is directed at men and women of faith. Whether this couple likes it or not, religious freedom is for everyone--including Christian business owners. Just because Victoria runs a bakery doesn't mean she has to check her conscience at the kitchen door. Childress is well within her rights to decline an order that would force her to join in the assault on marriage. Usually, homosexual activists like to sugar-coat their agenda--but not these two. The couple came right out and admitted that this controversy " is not about cake or someone's right to refuse service to a customer." It's about running Christians out of business. Unfortunately, Americans don't seem to understand that religious freedom and same-sex "marriage" can never coexist. Why? Because the Left's definition of "tolerance" is surrender. And until more people like Victoria dig in their heels and refuse, homosexual activists will continue to bully anyone who disagrees with them. Despite the threats and hate mail, Victoria has no regrets. "People are telling me they were proud of me for standing up for my beliefs because not many people do that these days," she said. "Business people are afraid to because they're afraid to lose money." At the Cake Cottage, Victoria isn't worried about her profits getting battered. This baker's here to serve Jesus. What Liberals Aren't Telling You about the Defense Bill...
There's also a distinct possibility (as we mentioned last week) that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) could try to sneak an amendment onto the Defense bill to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). While there's no confirmation that she'll go through with it, Feinstein would have to scrounge up 60 votes just to attach the anti-marriage bill onto the final legislation. That's a tall task in this Senate climate where many incumbent Democrats don't want to be seen voting for sodomy and against marriage! If those developments weren't disturbing enough, rumors are circulating that the Pentagon is quietly planning to move forward with its first-ever policy to place women in combat roles. While the life of any deployed soldier is tough, the growing number of female recruits means even greater sacrifices on the home front, as many cope with long tours in the Middle East. Women historically have played a vital role in America's military, and they should continue to serve where appropriate--but not on or near the front lines. FRC will keep you posted on these rumblings as we have more details. For now, it's just speculation. Let's hope it stays that way. Woe Little Town of Bethlehem
Knowing that the PA couldn't exist without U.S. funding, it was particularly disturbing what our delegation heard last week when we met with Pastor Naim Khoury at the First Baptist Church in Bethlehem. Pastor Khoury is a Christian Palestinian who recognizes and supports the right of Israel to live in and control the land God gave to them. His church of about 300 has seen tremendous growth as he boldly preaches the gospel to Jesus Christ in an area now dominated by Muslims. Unfortunately, his courage has come at a steep price. The church, with worship banners adorning the walls, resembles a church you'd find in America's heartland. But looks can be deceiving. The church has been bombed 14 times and Pastor Khoury has been shot at four times during the course of his 32-year ministry. What's most troubling is the fact that the PA is trying to shut down this thriving evangelical church by refusing to recognize it. To us, that doesn't sound like a big deal. After all, who needs government approval? But this isn't a matter of tax-exemption, as some in the U.S. might be concerned with. In this Muslim-dominated region, as with most, you have to declare your religion or church (which, by default, is Muslim). If you worship in an unrecognized church, the consequences are astonishing. Parents can't obtain birth certificates for their babies, couples who want to get married cannot get a license, and congregants of an unregistered church will find employment hard to come by. (That explains why Pastor Khoury's church has almost 70% unemployment.) The intent is obvious: to drive people away from churches in the very city that gave birth to the hope-filled, life-changing message of Jesus Christ. If the U.S. continues to prop up the PA with financial support, we are complicit in this discrimination and the hostile environment created by the PA toward these evangelical churches. While discrimination against Christians may not be troubling to the Obama administration, it should be to us as Christian taxpayers. |
The fiscal year may have kicked off on October 1, but the Senate is just now getting around to funding its departments. After the Armed Services Committee approved the Defense Authorization bill back in June, our sources tell us that Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could bring the spending measure to the floor as early as this week. Unfortunately for our troops, the bill hides a lot more than appropriations. Buried deep in the Pentagon's budget is one major change in Defense policy. As part of the mark-up, the Senate included language repealing the military's sodomy ban. That's right. While liberals couldn't be bothered to consider amendments protecting religious liberty or marriage, they did find time to advance the President's perverse agenda. If the bill passes, our troops will have Congress's approval to introduce sodomy in the ranks.