Breakpoint

Eleven years ago today, Chuck Colson delivered a Breakpoint commentary on what would be his last July 4 holiday. In it, Chuck reflected on the basis of our national identity. Specifically, he recognized that the only true way to ground the ideals found in the Declaration of Independence, "that all men are created equal" and possess "certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," is if we are indeed "endowed by their Creator." The stunning clarity of the Declaration of Independence in stating that rights are granted ultimately by God, not the State, is something too often forgotten today, if not entirely dismissed. Here's Chuck Colson reflecting on this important truth: The great British intellectual G.K. Chesterton wrote that "America is the only nation in the world that is founded on [a] creed." Think about that for a moment. Other nations were founded on the basis of race, or by the power of kings or emperors who accumulated lands—and the peasants who inhabited those lands. But America was—and is to this day—different. It was founded on a shared belief. Or as Chesterton said, on a creed. And what is that creed that sets us apart? It is the eloquent, profound, and simple statement penned by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." I'll never forget when I graduated from Brown University during the Korean War. I couldn't wait to become a Marine officer, to give my life if necessary, to defend that creed. To defend the idea that our rights come from God Himself and are not subject to whims of governments or tyrants. That humans ought to be free to pursue their most treasured hopes and aspirations. Perhaps some 230 years later, we take these words for granted. But in 1776, they were earth-shaking, indeed, revolutionary. Yet today, they are in danger of being forgotten altogether. According to Gallup, 66% of American adults have no idea that the words, "we hold these truths," come from the Declaration of Independence. Even worse, only 45% of college seniors know that the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are proclaimed in the Declaration. As America grows more and more diverse culturally, religiously, ethnically, it is critical that we embrace the American creed. Yes, America has always been a "melting pot." But what is the pot that holds our multicultural stew together? Chesterton said the pot's "original shape was traced on the lines of Jeffersonian democracy." A democracy founded on those self-evident truths expressed in the Declaration of Independence. And as Chesterton remarked, "The pot must not melt." Abraham Lincoln understood this so well. For him, the notion that all men are created equal was "the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together, that will link those patriotic hearts as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of men throughout the world." So go to the Fourth of July parade. Go to the neighborhood barbecue and enjoy the hot dogs and apple pie. But here's an idea for you. Why not take time out at the picnic to read the Declaration of Independence aloud with your friends and neighbors. Listen—and thrill—to those words that bind us together as a nation of freedom-loving people: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." These are the words that Americans live for—and if necessary, die for. Chuck Colson's words are just as relevant today, and perhaps even more important for us to understand. From all of us at the Colson Center, Happy 4th!

After discussing the horrific death of migrants in San Antonio, John and Maria talk about the reactions of some Christians to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. They analyze the hedging that is occurring and insist there's no shame in being grateful. Afterward, they parse misunderstandings of the establishment clause for Supreme Court cases on religious liberty. — Recommendations — What is a Woman>> Tearing Us Apart>> — In Show References — Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler "The Vatican's stance toward Nazism is fiercely debated. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope. But a key part of the story has remained untold" https://www.amazon.com/Church-Spies-Secret-Against-Hitler/dp/0465094112 On a Texas road called 'the mouth of the wolf,' a semitruck packed with migrants was abandoned in the sweltering heat "A distant cry led a worker Monday evening to a tractor-trailer abandoned on a desolate country road under the blazing Texas sun on the outskirts of the city." https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/us/san-antonio-migrant-truck-deaths/index.html John Mark Mcmillan - Economy

According to The Economist, potential employees are beginning to discover the cost of their online behavior. "The rise of the online self means the employer's eye can travel … past your desk, past your office and into your home, family and even (through ill-judged social-media posts) your most intimate thoughts. Today, companies wield the sort of spy power less commonly associated with directors than with dictators, even deities." Of course, this shouldn't come as a surprise since our "most intimate thoughts" aren't online in the first place unless someone chooses to post them. Still, the fact that some believe there should be a kind of immunity for bad behavior online points to a deeper truth about technology: Our tools shape us whether we like it or not. For example, studies show that "negativity" spreads more easily than "positivity" online. What we'd never say to someone's face, we'll put on Twitter. What we'd never say about a neighbor, we'll post on Nextdoor. We aren't two people. The best advice for Christians, whether online or off, is to "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer."

Today marks the death of Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), a Christian whose storytelling ability inspired thousands to see the evils of slavery. Born in Litchfield, Connecticut, Harriet was the sixth child of prominent Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher. Unlike many girls from that time period, she received a first-class education, attending the Hartford Female Seminary which was run by her older sister Catharine. In 1832, Harriet's father became president of Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. The city was booming at the time, but competition for jobs between Irish immigrants and runaway slaves often erupted in violence, with the Irish attacking the black community. In 1834, the seminary held debates about slavery that, won by abolitionists, may have helped spur anti-abolitionist riots in 1836 and 1841. It was by witnessing these events that Harriet not only became interested in the issue of slavery, but also began to interview runaway slaves. Harriet and her husband Rev. Calvin Stowe relocated to Maine in 1850. That same year, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law, which prohibited aiding runaway slaves, even in free states. As ardent abolitionists, the Stowes ignored this law. In fact, they made their home a station on the Underground Railroad. After losing her 18-month-old son, Stowe's sympathy for slaves separated from their families on the auction block deepened. Inspired by a vision of a dying slave, which she claimed to have experienced during Communion at her church, Stowe began to write the book for which she is now so well known. It is a book that can truly be said to have changed the world. Uncle Tom's Cabin was originally published as weekly installments in the anti-slavery journal The National Era, between June 5, 1851, and April 1, 1852. It was first published in book form in March of 1852, and sold an unprecedented 300,000 copies within its first year. By November of that same year, it was made into a play in New York. By 1857, the novel had been translated into 20 languages. Eventually, Uncle Tom's Cabin would become the second bestselling book of the 19th century after the Bible. While the main theme of the book is the evil of slavery, it also includes significant reflections on the nature of Christianity, Christian responsibility, and Christian love. In the end, Stowe clearly and compellingly presents slavery as incompatible with Christian theology. In this, she followed the mainstream of Christian tradition since the Middle Ages. Stowe hoped her book would show how slavery affected, not just those directly involved, but everyone in society. She also hoped to document the horrors of slavery which she had learned directly from escaped slaves. In each of these aims, the book succeeded admirably. Its popularity energized the abolitionist movement in the North, and prominent abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass promoted it as a vital tool in the battle against slavery. Not surprisingly, Uncle Tom's Cabin generated significant backlash in the South. Southerners complained the novel was slanderous and accused Stowe of not knowing what she was talking about. Some Southern authors responded with novels of their own that defended slavery, but none that approached the success of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe received hate mail from defenders of slavery in both the North and the South, including one package that contained the severed ear of a slave, ironic evidence for the accuracy of her description of slavery's horrors. In response to her critics, Stowe wrote A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, in which she documented the sources used in her novel, as well as the accounts that corroborated her descriptions. During the Civil War, Stowe was invited to the White House. Lincoln is said to have greeted her with the words, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war." Altogether, Stowe wrote 30 books, including novels, travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. As important as she was as an author, she was equally famous for her public stands on the important social issues of the day, from slavery to women's rights. Her courageous life is a profound example of someone using their calling to engage the world around them. By obeying God's calling on her life, using her God-given talent in the time and place in which He called her, she changed her world and continues to influence ours. May we also have the courage to do the same with our own skills in this cultural moment.

"For many years, the internet in China was seen as a channel for new thinking, or at least greater openness," writes Human Rights Watch researcher Yaqiu Wang. "Online discussions were relatively free and open, and users, especially younger ones, had an eager appetite for learning and debating big ideas about political systems and how China should be governed." That changed when Xi Jinping took power. Explaining what's known as China's "Great Firewall," Wang notes, "the government got savvier, and more aggressive about using its own technology." For example, dissidents, journalists, and public figures disappear frequently, sometimes often for minor infractions like logging onto Twitter. The state's actions have created "a generational split," says Wang. "[T]hose who experienced a relatively free internet as young people—many strongly resent the Great Firewall. Among people who started college after Xi took power, however, there is a strong impulse to defend it." It's an extreme example of how tools intended and used for good can also be harnessed for evil. The same resource that can promote flourishing can also promote tyranny. That's true everywhere, not just China.

In all the talk about racial injustices, the racial disparities for abortion are ignored. And that's because we would need to talk about marriage. I'm John Stonestreet, and this is Breakpoint. Recently in The Wall Street Journal, Jason Riley asked a provocative question, "Why Won't the Left Talk About Racial Disparities in Abortion?" In it, he describes how the "black abortion rate is nearly four times higher than the white rate," how more black babies in New York City are aborted than born, and how "[n]ationally, the number of babies aborted by black women each year far exceeds the combined number of blacks who drop out of school, are sent to prison and are murdered." Even books on racism by Christian publishers, for example, Jemar Tisby's How to Fight Racism, never mention the significant racial disparities that exist when it comes to abortion, even while spending significant time on other disparities, such as student achievement, incarceration, wealth, and healthcare in general. The new book Faithful Anti-Racism by Christian Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan shares similar disparity stats to Tisby's, but the only mentions of abortion are embedded in quotations regarding conservative interests. According to Riley, one issue is that talking about the racial disparity when it comes to abortion would necessitate discussing how to "increase black marriage rates," since so many women having abortions are single. Riley states: One problem is that such a conversation requires frank talk about counterproductive attitudes toward marriage and solo parenting in low-income black communities. It requires discussing antisocial behavior and personal responsibility. Now, to be clear, disparities do not always point to injustice or racism. As Thaddeus Williams writes In Confronting Justice Without Compromising Truth, those who call themselves antiracists assume that disparities reveal widespread discrimination or institutional injustice. And disparities do sometimes point to systemic wrongs. Clearly, in Exodus 1, if the midwives Shiphrah and Puah had obeyed Pharoah when ordered to slaughter baby boys, a clear injustice would have created a disparity between the number of Hebrew boys born versus the number of Egyptian boys. Other times, disparities do not reveal an injustice. In his book, Williams describes how what appeared to be a racial disparity issue of injustice on the New Jersey Turnpike turned to be an issue cause by age instead. Disparities can have multiple factors. In the case of the high number of abortions of black babies, as we've shared on Breakpoint before, almost 80% of Planned Parenthood's clinics, according to a 2012 study, were near majority black or Hispanic neighborhoods. Pro-abortion advocates argue that the racial disparity for abortion is more about poverty. Perhaps, for example, the mother couldn't afford to care for another baby. According to Riley in the Wall Street Journal, however, this argument fails to explain why the abortion numbers among Hispanics who are impoverished are not comparable. Riley proposes that the high number of abortions of black babies is related to a reduced number of marriages. Quoting a book by Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks, Riley writes, A single woman with an unplanned pregnancy is about twice as likely as a married woman to abort. . . . Black women thus may have so many more abortions than other groups in part because they are so much less likely to be married. Since blacks who are married are much less likely to be in poverty, then why, he asks, aren't activists promoting black marriage? It's a good question. According to the Family Research Council, "Married-couple families generate the most income, on average" compared to single-parent families, cohabiting families, or divorced families. Other studies have shown that marriage provides health benefits and the ability to deal with stress. One individual courageous enough to talk about such issues is Anthony Bradley, a professor at The King's College and an Acton Research Fellow, whom Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, and I hosted at an event, Lighthouse Voices, last February. Prof. Bradley points out again and again "that marriage is the vital/essential/the actual oxygen children *need* to thrive." He writes, "If you love the poor, providing resources to support marriage has to be a top priority, otherwise you're likely just helping people remain comfortably poor." Once again one of God's ideas—marriage—is the best idea.

Last month, NBA legend LeBron James tweeted, "It's a weird feeling to feel so alone sometimes!" He received over 4,000 replies from people expressing sympathy, disbelief, and from some, criticism. It can be difficult to understand how rich, famous celebrities, like LeBron, could be lonely. Doesn't he have it all? Four NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, a $23 million LA mansion, marriage to his high school sweetheart, three kids, deep investment in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, ... and still, he feels lonely, even when 138,000 people liked his tweet saying so. The problem with having it all is defining "it all." Define it wrong, and you could get everything you want before realizing the hole in your heart is actually God-shaped. Fame, talent, wealth, stuff, activism, charity ... these things only mean something if life itself has meaning. Of course, loneliness has always been part of the human condition after Eden, and I certainly don't know what LeBron is dealing with. I just know more people than ever report being lonely, despite having more things than ever to distract them.

This term of the U.S. Supreme Court has been consequential, to say the least. In addition to the landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, the court has now issued a second ruling that protects religious freedom. The first, issued about a week ago, protects religious institutions from being singled out and discriminated against by state-run entities and programs. The 6-3 decision was consistent with previous rulings in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer and Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue that state programs available to non-religious entities cannot be withheld from religious entities simply because they are religious. Instead, the state bears the burden of proof to demonstrate a compelling state interest in discriminating against religious institutions. It remains to be seen whether state officials have finally gotten the message. This week, the court handed down their decision on Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, or what's become known as the "Coach Kennedy Case." High school football coach Joe Kennedy was fired for praying on the football field after games by school officials who kept (pun intended) "moving the goal posts" about what religious expressions were allowed. Contrary to various news reports, Kennedy never forced student athletes, coaches, or anyone else to join him. After school officials raised concerns, he even agreed to pray silently by himself. However, he was told that if he insisted on closing his eyes in silent prayer, he must do it somewhere out of sight. Coach Kennedy rightly recognized their demands as a violation of his right to free religious expression and took his case to the Supreme Court with the aid of First Liberty Institute. On Monday, the court ruled overwhelmingly for Coach Kennedy, on both free speech and free exercise grounds. As Justice Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion: By its own admission, the District sought to restrict Mr. Kennedy's actions at least in part because of their religious character. Prohibiting a religious practice was thus the District's unquestioned "object." The District explained that it could not allow an on duty employee to engage in religious conduct even though it allowed other on-duty employees to engage in personal secular conduct. This behavior, Gorsuch concluded, was unacceptable. Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a personal religious observance, based on a mistaken view that it has a duty to suppress religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech. The Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination. Often, religious liberty violations are more symptoms of bureaucratic inertia or ignorance, than of animus. The first few letters sent by school officials to Coach Kennedy asking him to stop praying are not rantings of radical atheists. Officials acknowledged Coach Kennedy was "well-intentioned" and never forced students to participate in his religious observances. Still, they asked him to stop out of fear they would be sued for a First Amendment violation. In the end, they failed to understand the First Amendment and violated it themselves. This is what happens when ignorance of the law mixes with stubbornness, or, even worse, animus toward religious conviction. When religion is seen as non-essential, religious freedom is limited to "religious" activities like private prayer, church attendance, and personal piety. At the same time, "secular" is wrongfully thought of as "neutral" or "unbiased." Faith is reduced to a hobby, and a highly idiosyncratic one at that. Spiritually inspired convictions must be kept safely within church, synagogue, and mosque walls, and out of the government and schools. This, however, is not religious liberty. It is merely "freedom of worship," what some of the worst tyrannies and their successors falsely claim to be freedom. Thankfully, the court has seen through this muddled thinking and brought clarity to the freedom all Americans have to speak and exercise their religious convictions. Christians, and those of other faiths, absolutely can stand on a football field and close our eyes in prayer, even if others can see us. Christian educators can cite the Bible as a historical record or a masterclass in philosophy. Christian school kids can host Bible studies after school. Christian workers do have the freedom to not take part in the latest ideological fad that business leaders have latched onto. I am grateful for our friends at First Liberty, ADF, and elsewhere that defend conscience rights, and for organizations like Gateways to Better Education who help Christian educators know what those rights, in fact, are. I am grateful that the court has stated, again, that being religious is not a crime, and that the state is required to respect the religious freedom of individuals and institutions. A final lesson for Christians is that we must not become like those who seek to silence us. If the truth is on our side, we've no reason to fear.

Disney's newest Pixar film, Lightyear, isn't doing great at the box office. While critics puzzle over why, an obvious reason is parents are tiring of the constant indoctrination in sexual matters. They feel betrayed by the once trusted Toy Story franchise. All that may come as a surprise to Chris Evans, the new voice of Buzz, who recently said concerned parents are "idiots" who will soon "die off like the dinosaurs." Not only, as Hans Fiene noted, is it strange for 41-year-old man with no children to predict the extinction of the fertile, it's strange to leave children asking whether girls can marry girls, and how the couple had the baby who just magically appears in the film. It's one thing to promote the idea that dads and moms are interchangeable despite, you know, science, but it's another to accuse anyone tired of being force-fed this whole thing of bigotry. As one reviewer put it, "Perhaps calling critics of a movie 'idiots who are going to die off like the dinosaurs' wasn't the best strategy to get families to watch the latest entry in the Toy Story franchise."

There are certain moments in history, such as the end of the Roman Empire or the dawn of the Enlightenment, when it becomes obvious just how much the cultural ground has shifted. In such moments, cultural norms that once fostered social cohesion and defined the good life can change dramatically. Shared ways of thinking, such as the definitions of words, can no longer be taken for granted. It's precisely at these historical hinge points that Christians must "re-catechize" themselves. This means recommitting to what is true and good, and regrounding who we are and how we live in the unchanging, overarching story of redemption outlined in Scripture. We are living in one of these historical hinge points. And, if we take seriously what Paul told the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens, it is not by accident. God intentionally put us in this time and this place. Or, to quote something Tim Tebow said at the "Preparing for a Post-Roe World" event at the recent Wilberforce Weekend, "Anyone who has been rescued is now on the rescue team." God has called the Colson Center to help Christians navigate this consequential cultural moment, to become more deeply grounded in the True Story of reality, and to embrace their calling to this time and this place. In fact, every resource the Colson Center offers is designed to provide (a) a Christian worldview analysis on culture (that's Breakpoint, The Point, and the What Would You Say? video series), (b) a deeper dive into Christian worldview, one that counters the dominant cultural narratives (that's the Upstream and Strong Women podcasts, short courses, and Wilberforce Weekend), or (c) in-depth formation in Christian wisdom and leadership (that's the Colson Fellows program and the Colson Educators collective). Our founder, Chuck Colson, realized that American culture was changing dramatically—he could see it coming—and that the Church needed to prepare for what lay ahead. We've embraced that call fully, and as our podcasts, conferences, training, and events continue to grow, we sense that more and more Christians are also sensing that they need to go deeper in their understanding of truth. This year's Wilberforce Weekend event was the largest yet and featured the commissioning of the largest class of Colson Fellows yet. We anticipate over 1,000 Colson Fellows in next year's class, studying in nearly 60 regional cohorts and over 40 church affiliates. That's amazing. The Colson Educators collective is an investment into the training and formation of thousands of Christian educators, at a time—right now—where it is crucial for Christian education. And this year, by God's grace, the Colson Center will launch a new, online education in public theology that every Christian can access. We believe that every Christian can live like one in this time and this place. And that's exactly what every Christian is called to do. We didn't choose to be in this cultural moment, or to face the challenges it presents. Our time and our place in history are chosen by God. Our moment in history is not an accidental context in which we try to follow Jesus: It's an essential aspect of the calling to follow Jesus. He invites us into His life and to join in the advance of His kingdom and His story right now. So, if Breakpoint or any of the Colson Center ministries have been helpful to you, as a parent, grandparent, citizen, employee, leader, or neighbor, please prayerfully consider partnering with us with a fiscal-year-end gift. Any gift given by Thursday, June 30, 2022, will help us plan to more effectively obey the call God has for the Colson Center in the year ahead. Imagine if more Christians could live with the clarity, confidence, and courage that only a Christian worldview offers. That's what this is all about. To give a gift, please go to ColsonCenter.org/June.