The Weekly is a rundown of news by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission highlighting the week’s top news stories from the public square and providing commentary on the big issues of our day.

Evangelical Leaders Issue Statement on ‘Dreamers’

On Thursday a group of evangelical leaders issued a statement calling on Congress to provide a legislative solution for the so-called ‘Dreamers.’

The term Dreamers (sometimes DREAMers) refers to young undocumented immigrants who would qualify under the DREAM Act for permanent residency in the United States. The DREAM Act (an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) is proposed federal legislation that would provide permanent resident status on a conditional basis for certain long-term residents who entered the U.S. as children.

Even though the DREAM Act was never passed, the term Dreamers is often used to describe young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, are pursuing or have pursued education, and have never been convicted of felonies or multiple misdemeanors.

The coalition of signers was led by ERLC President Russell Moore. In the statement, Moore and others encouraged Congress to come up with a solution in a timely manner that would protect these young immigrants. The statement does not endorse any particular piece of legislation but rather asks Congress to take action and act justly.

The statement offers six overarching principles which signatories believe should characterize any legislative solution Congress proposes:

• We believe it is unjust to punish children for offenses they did not commit.
• We believe America’s borders must be secure.
• We believe we should welcome Dreamers of good moral character and who are working hard to contribute to our country.
• We believe Dreamers deserve to be recognized as our fellow Americans.
• We believe our government should provide a pathway to permanent legal status and/or citizenship for eligible Dreamers.
• We believe a just government works to maintain the integrity of families.

“It is long past time for Congress to work together to find a workable solution for our broken immigration system—especially for the hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to our country by their parents,” said Moore. “Many of these Dreamers have stepped forward in good faith, and our government has a moral obligation to deliver on the promises made to these men and women and protect them from perpetual uncertainty.

“I’m honored to be joined on this statement by convictional leaders from across the evangelical spectrum. We stand together united by many things, in this case the conviction Congress should provide a fair, compassionate and speedy solution.”

A recent poll found that seventy-six percent of Americans believe the government should allow Dreamers to remain, with 58 percent of that 76 percent saying they should be able to become citizens if they meet certain requirements, and 18 percent saying they should be allowed to become legal residents.

Those who agree with the principles can add their name to the statement here.

This week on ERLC podcasts: Daniel Darling talks to Jimmy Scroggins, lead pastor at Family Church in West Palm Beach, FL and author of Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations, about how to talk about Jesus in everyday conversations. And on the ERLC podcast, Sally Lloyd-Jones joins Russell Moore to talk about her bestselling children's book, The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Other Issues

American Culture

Las Vegas killer had more explosives, 1,600 rounds of ammo in car
Holly Yan, Faith Karimi and Darran Simon, CNN

Chilling new clues suggest the man behind the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history planned to inflict even more carnage.

Bioethics

House OKs ban on late-term abortions in 237-189 vote
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

The U.S. House of Representatives continued its efforts to protect unborn children Tuesday (Oct. 3), passing a ban on the lethal procedure in the last half of pregnancy.

Supreme Court Refuses Surrogacy Case Of Mother Pressured To Abort Triplet
Margot Cleveland, The Federalist

The questions Melissa Cook sought to litigate before the Supreme Court involved a case that screamed of the scandal underlying the U.S. surrogacy industry.

Suicide: Church response to tough topic studied
Bob Smietana, Public Discourse

Suicide remains a taboo subject in many Protestant churches, despite the best efforts of pastors, according to a new study.

Baptists lament Ill. governor's reversal on abortion
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

Southern Baptist leaders reacted with deep disappointment to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's change of mind in support of groundbreaking abortion-funding legislation.

Christianity and Culture

After the Storm, Churches and Relief Organizations Don’t Share the Same Call
Richard Stearns, Christianity Today

Congregations shouldn’t go it alone when there are resources across the body of Christ they can leverage.

Judge rules in favor of MBC in Baptist Home, MBU case
Missouri Pathway Staff, Baptist Press

A specially-appointed judge has ordered The Baptist Home and Missouri Baptist University to seat trustees elected by the Missouri Baptist Convention. If the ruling stands, the two organizations would resume operating under convention-approved charters and boards for the first time since 2001.

Family Issues

America's Child-Poverty Rate Has Hit a Record Low
Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic

The economy is nearing full employment. The stock market is at record highs. The expansion keeps continuing. Add to that one more very good piece of economic news: The child-poverty rate fell to a record low in 2016.

Forcing Faith-Based Organizations Out of Foster Care and Adoption Hurts Children
Elizabeth Kirk, Public Discourse

Driving out those child welfare providers that have been at the forefront of caring for children for centuries fails to respect the rich and diverse religious pluralism of our nation. Their absence will not benefit same-sex couples, but it will harm children.

International Issues

The Sudan Sanctions Must Stay
John Prendergast and Ian Schwab , U.S. News & World Report

The continued persecution of Christians in Darfur should be a serious red flag to the Trump administration.

Many Countries Favor Specific Religions, Officially or Unofficially
Pew Research

Islam is the most common state religion, but many governments give privileges to Christianity.

Turkey Offers to Free Jailed American Pastor in Clergy Swap
Barbara G. Baker, Christianity Today

Andrew Brunson used as leverage to get US to extradite exiled Muslim leader Fethullah Gülen.

Religious Liberty

There Should Be No Religious Tests for Judicial Nominees
Sen. Jeff Flake, The Daily Signal

"It is religious liberty that is threatened when we seem to evaluate the fitness of nominees for high office on religious orthodoxy," Sen. Jeff Flake says.

Trump Nominates Religious Liberty Expert For Seat On 5th Circuit
Howard Friedman, Religion Clause

Yesterday President Trump announced (among other nominations) the nomination of Kyle Duncan for a seat on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Much of Duncan's career has been devoted to religious liberty concerns. Reporting on the nomination, the Baton Rouge Advocate calls Duncan a "conservative Christian legal warrior."

Sexuality Issues

The Playboy Lifestyle and the Death of Sexual Complementarity
Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo, Public Discourse

The Playboy account of complementarity is nothing more than an intellectualization of domination and dehumanization. Though some envision Hugh Hefner as a martini-drinking gentleman surrounded by beautiful women, it is better to think of him as a coward.