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The Weekly is a highlight of the work the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is doing to strengthen you and our churches for God’s glory.

Explainer: What you should know about the Khashoggi incident

What just happened?

Two weeks ago, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist living in self-exile in the U.S., disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Evidence suggests he may have been brutally murdered by Saudi operatives at the behest of Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who also serves as the country's Deputy Prime Minister.

What is the importance of this incident?

In a radio interview Vice President Mike Pence explained the significance of this international incident.

"If true [that Khashoggi was murdered], this is a tragic day," said Pence. “Violence against journalists across the globe is a threat to freedom of the press and human rights. The free world deserves answers.”

"Any attack against an innocent individual should be offensive to any American," he added. "But an attack on a journalist is an offense to a free and independent press."

This Week at the ERLC

The ERLC communications team is excited to announce that we have five new channel editors who will cover the areas of religious liberty, human dignity, family and parenting, news and culture, and book reviews. We are looking forward to expanding and diversifying our content through their work.

Russell Moore and Dan Darling both spoke at LifeWay’s ETCH Family Ministry Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, this week about family and human dignity. Dan’s talks included “Teaching Kids About Human Dignity” and “Why Our Bodies Matter to God.” Russell Moore’s session was titled, “Family is Not First.”

Russell Moore is in Chicago tonight for the All Church Equipping Conference, where he will discuss preaching and how Christians can engage the culture.

We were grateful to partner with The Good Book Company as a sponsor of our 2018 National Convention. If you’re looking for solid, accessible, biblical resources, check out their books and studies. Click here to read an article titled, “Answers To The 3 Most Common Objections To A Christian View Of Gender And Identity,” from one of their recent publications. ​

What You Need to Know

This week, the ERLC highlighted several important stories with religious liberty implications. We covered Andrew Brunson’s release from Turkey, the Belfast bakery victory, and the case of two filmmakers who are defending their right to create.

As Christians, we should be the most vocal in defending the rights of all peoples to live out their convictions in alignment with their conscience. -Alex Ward

When I placed the silver “True Love Waits” ring on my 15-year-old finger, I never dreamed that I would still be single into my 40s. . . . In retrospect, I didn’t even have a category for people like me. Today, most churches still don’t have a category for people like me.

News From Capitol Hill

The Capitol Conversations Podcast from Washington, D.C., relaunched this week after some time off the air while the office was in transition. On this podcast, you’ll hear from the ERLC policy team on the ground in D.C. as well as featured guests from outside the office. The conversations will cover the policy debates and news shaping the world as the ERLC aims to connect Christian theological motivations to political engagement in Washington.

Featured Podcasts

John Onwuchekwa joins Dan Darling on The Way Home Podcast to talk about the calling on his life and the importance of corporate prayer. He is the author of the book Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church.

“We have to be historians when it comes to prayer - chronicling the things that we’re praying about, the things that we ask God to do, and then drawing the church’s attention back to what God has done.”

From The Public Square

Pastor Andrew Brunson says he's probably 'one of the most hated men in Turkey' where he was detained
Conor Finnegan, ABC News

Pastor Andrew Brunson, the American who was detained in Turkey for two years before his release over the weekend, said he is "one of the most hated men" in the country where he had lived and worked for more than 20 years because of the Turkish government's accusation that he spied and was linked to terrorism.

The Future of American Sexuality and Family: Five Key Trends
Mark Regnerus, Public Discourse

We find ourselves in a liminal spot, one between long-taken-for-granted traditional relationships anchored in marriage and the future relationship system characterized more consistently by “confluent love.” There will not be two dominant systems.

For the first time, a woman is leading the largest command in the US Army
Andrea Diaz, CNN

For the first time in US Army Forces Command, or FORSCOM, history, a woman will be leading the largest command in the Army, representing 776,000 soldiers and 96,000 civilians.

Still No Churches in Saudi Arabia, But Small Steps Toward Religious Freedom
Kate Shellnut, Christianity Today

US envoy celebrates “unprecedented” progress under the promise of more moderate Muslim rule.

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