ERLC Staff

On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reached an agreement with plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit concerning free speech for churches. In a joint motion, the parties asked the court to settle the dispute, reinterpreting the Johnson Amendment and clarifying that churches are no longer restricted from speaking about political issues or candidates. 

In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to implement age-verification laws to protect minors is constitutional.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision last week in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a landmark gender ideology indoctrination case, addressed parental rights and religious liberty in public education. The case challenged a Maryland school board policy requiring elementary students to participate in gender ideology lessons without parental notice or opt-out options, which placed a burden on families’ deeply held religious beliefs. This ruling is an unequivocal affirmation that public schools must respect families’ religious convictions and cannot condition access to education on surrender of those beliefs.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has initiated a strategic effort to leverage the current Republican majorities in Congress and the executive branch to defund Planned Parenthood by eliminating the organization’s federal funding. The ERLC is mobilizing Southern Baptists to achieve this objective during the ongoing congressional reconciliation process, through various means, including a public sign-on letter.

As results continue to come in, here are three additional takeaways about the election and how the results are likely to affect issues of life, religious liberty and marriage and family.

Israel launched direct strikes against Iran on October 26, 2024, in retaliation for Tehran’s ballistic missile attack earlier in the month. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted operations against military installations in Iran, targeting sites in at least three provinces, including Tehran, Ilam, and Khuzestan. The IDF military confirmed that the assault focused on military installations, explicitly excluding energy facilities, such as nuclear power plants. These strikes were described as a response to “months of continuous attacks” from Iran and its affiliates.

In June, the United States Supreme Court announced it would hear the case of United States v. Skrmetti, a lawsuit joined by the Biden administration against a Tennessee law prohibiting all medical procedures intended to “affirm” a gender inconsistent with a minor’s biological sex. The law provides necessary protection to children under the age of 18 from harmful and dangerous “gender transition” medical procedures like hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgery that carry devastating, lifelong consequences. 

Christians are called to stand for life and seek justice for the most vulnerable among us—and one of the ways we can do that is by praying for life. In prayer, we can unite for the sanctity of life, focusing on the preborn, their families, and the many individuals involved in tirelessly promoting a culture of life in our world today. Let us pray with hope, faith, and love, trusting in God’s sovereignty and reflecting his heart for our neighbors.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- In June, the United States Supreme Court announced it would hear the case of United States v. Skrmetti, a lawsuit joined by the Biden administration against a Tennessee law prohibiting all medical procedures intended to “affirm” a gender inconsistent with a minor’s biological sex. The law provides necessary protection to children under the age of 18 from harmful and dangerous “gender transition” medical procedures like hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgery that carry devastating, lifelong consequences. 

Shortly after President Joe Biden formally ended his pursuit of the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, following weeks of pressure from party officials, elected leaders and donors, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee.