My recommended standard of conclusion jumping in political discourse: give it at least a day.

This weekend in the nation’s capital was a convergence of Americans who hold widely disparate worldviews. And, after the dust has settled, everyone is getting not only a lesson in civics but the media may also be getting a lesson in how facts must now be checked in the age of videos that don’t always tell the whole story.

The freedom of assembly is one of the five freedoms guaranteed in the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Lots of Americans exercised their right this weekend to “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  Assembling and making their voices heard this weekend were:

• 50,000 young, religious and conservative people who participated in The March for Life where the Vice President of the United States personally appeared and the President offered comments (and the media gave focused all its attention on a video of a junior in high school from Ohio who stood motionless and smiling as others participating in a march for Indigenous People taunted him because he was wearing a MAGA hat. Yes, I know that’s not how it was originally reported but after review, it seems the boys’ story holds up and the story of those who wanted to make the story fit a negative narrative about pro-life white Catholics does not.)
• The third annual Women’s March was held amidst controversy stemming from anti-Semitic views of some of its organizers; and
• Many marched in MLK day recognition and celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each of these marches is part of a bigger story and that story is fraught with sin, mistreatment of others and a call for the world to be different than it is.

• Pro-life advocates are seeking to give a voice to the voiceless children slaughtered through abortion – even as Planned Parenthood posts uptick in abortions and funding.  And even though the ruling in the 5th Circuit against Planned Parenthood is a positive ruling, the babies whose lives were terminated and the women whose abortions were used as profiteering get no justice. The court found the videos exposing the company’s practices of harvesting and selling baby body parts for profit were not altered and
• The concerns of women and the concern for women and girls in a pornography saturated culture where some consider others to exist for their sexual pleasure are real concerns.
• Fifty one years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., we continue to struggle with systemic and personal racism in America.

Christians have something to say about each and all of these concerns. We know God and we know God’s heart for humanity. We know redemption and we God’s plan for redemption of all things. We must lean into the hard conversations of this day, our day, and speak true truth that leads to real liberty (from sin and death) and real justice (manifesting the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven right here, right now) for all. The Gospel isn’t old news it’s just news that many have forgotten and others have forgotten how to tell. Let’s change that, today.

Conversation starts by learning to listen well.

Need some inspiration? Consider what might have been – the 80th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s death

There’s a religious liberty case being heard in Arizona today we should watch. An art studio that specializes in hand-painting, hand-lettering, and calligraphy for weddings and other events is challenging a city of Phoenix ordinance that seeks to force the studio’s two owners to use their artistic talents to promote same-sex ceremonies. The ordinance also forbids them from publicly expressing the Christian beliefs that prevent them from doing so and that require them to create art celebrating only marriages between one man and one woman. Read more from The Alliance Defending Freedom whose lawyers are representing Brush & Nib studio.

Why we still the March for Life and pro-life advocacy: Doctors induce 25% of Dutch deaths.

We’ve talked about the global movement toward what is euphemistically called death with dignity, physician assisted death and aid in dying. What we are now talking about is unquestionably physician assisted suicide and active euthanasia in the Netherlands. More than 13,000 Dutch people requested to be euthanized in 2017. 6,600 of those requests were carried out. But the more alarming numbers are 32,000 people who died as a result of “terminal sedation.” According to the article, 1900 Dutch people killed themselves, 6600 were euthanized, and 32,000 were sedated into comas, dying of dehydration while unconscious. Technically, this allows the Dutch to claim they died as the natural result of their illness taking its course but inducing a coma and then withholding fluids is simply murder dressed up in medical scrubs.