Explainer: Taliban takeover threatens human rights in Afghanistan

After a two-decade war in Afghanistan, the United States is rapidly removing the last of military troops from the country. The Muslim extremist group known as the Taliban has used the opportunity to retake the control they lost when the U.S. invaded in 2001. Within a matter of days, the Taliban captured all of ​​the major cities. The Afghan military and government quickly surrendered or fled the country. 

This Week in Washington, D.C.

This week, as conditions in Afghanistan worsened, the ERLC, along with other leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to follow through on his pledge to offer refuge to Afghan individuals and their families at risk due to their service to the U.S. government in Afghanistan.

Daniel Patterson, acting president of the ERLC, stated that “what we are witnessing in Afghanistan right now is as shocking as it is heartbreaking. Regardless of how one feels about the policies that led us to this point, Christians are called to be a voice for the vulnerable. Clearly, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding and both prayer and immediate action is urgently needed. We’ve joined this letter to request our national leaders do everything possible to help those refugees who are fleeing for their lives.”

For further reading: 

• Why the U.S. should provide Priority 2 refugee status for Afghans fleeing persecution
• A prayer guide for the people of Afghanistan

From The Public Square

What You Need to Read

Jill Waggoner with A prayer guide for the people of Afghanistan

The startling images of men, women, and children forcing their way onto a military plane in Kabul, Afghanistan, stand in contrast to the images of my daily life strewn before me. My children’s toys are scattered across the floor. Backpacks and digital devices hang ready for school, and half-eaten breakfasts fill the sink. In the midst of my undeserved blessings and comfort, I don’t want to forget the people of Afghanistan, made in the image of God, who are facing unimaginable suffering. 

Jordan Wootten with Explainer: Federal court rules in favor of religious freedom rights of Indiana Catholic high school

Last week, in the case of Starkey v. Roncalli High School and Archdiocese of Indianapolis, a federal court in Indiana ruled in favor of the Indianapolis Archdiocese, upholding its right to “provide students and families with an authentic Catholic education.” Along with other recent positive rulings, this latest decision is yet another win reaffirming the rights of individuals and institutions seeking to exercise fidelity to their religious beliefs without government infringing on their constitutional rights. This decision is good news for religious schools, the faculty, and families who send their children to those schools.

Leeann Poarch with What 1 Peter can teach us about living in a hostile world: Justice, love, and submission to authority

The Bible is clear that (1) Christians should care about injustice (Micah 6:8, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Prov 20:23) and (2) Christians should respect civil government and laws (Rom 13:1-2, 1 Tim. 2:1-2). Yet over the centuries, Christians have toiled over the dichotomy between a godly passion for justice and the biblical call to submission. 

This Week at the ERLC

• Brent Leatherwood commended New Hampshire’s new law protecting the freedom of churches during an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic as a model for other states.
   
• Chelsea Patterson Sobolik praised an unprecedented federal appeals court decision that upheld a Texas ban of a particularly horrifying abortion procedure. She also talked to Christianity Today about the importance of local pro-life resolutions and joined the Simply 127 Podcast to discuss adoption and growing a heart for the vulnerable.
   
• Daniel Patterson urged President Biden to fulfill a long-standing commitment to protect and resettle America’s Afghan allies, as well as others at risk of persecution by the Taliban.
   
• Jason Thacker talked to Lifeway Research about Facebook's new prayer request feature and how the church connects to technology. He was also featured at The Gospel Coalition with an article called Deepfakes and the Degradation of Truth.