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: The United Nations and religious liberty

What just happened?

This week, the ERLC was at the United Nations in Geneva advocating for religious freedom and participating in the release of a major report issued by the UN on the state of religious freedom around the world. This year’s report focused on the relationship between freedom of religion and freedom of expression and criticized the existence of blasphemy laws, which often limit freedom of expression in the name of freedom of religion but in fact limit both. ERLC Executive VP Phillip Bethancourt and VP for Public Policy Travis Wussow also met with several countries and like-minded organizations to raise specific issues of persecution in China, North Korea, and other countries and to advocate for broad acceptance of freedom of religion as a fundamental human right.

This Week at the ERLC

• ERLC Executive VP Phillip Bethancourt joined VP for Public Policy Travis Wussow on Facebook Live to give an update on their trip to Geneva and the ERLC’s international religious freedom work. Watch here.
   

• On the Called Out podcast, Chelsea Sobolik shares how her personal journey has shaped her unmet desire for motherhood and gives practical advice on how to support women who are struggling with the pain of childlessness or loss. Listen here.
   

• Trillia Newbell shares on her blog why your children can’t bear the burden of being your identity.
   

• At Facts and Trends, Dan Darling writes about three things he’s learned as a bivocational pastor.

What You Need to Know

• As a young teenager, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg suffered abuse at the hands of a pastor. In this article, she shares her story of finding healing after abuse.

...not everyone who calls himself “Christian” is a Christian. Not everyone who calls himself a pastor represents the ultimate Pastor. Not everyone who says he loves Jesus is loving. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing, and there are many wolves in shepherd’s clothes. Understanding this helped me overcome my anger at God and the church.

• What does it mean to be a truly pro-life church? Todd Brady tells the touching story of Frank, an elderly man in his church with Alzheimer's and explains how Christians can live out their pro-life convictions every day. Read his article here.

The way we treat those with Alzheimer’s is about the mission of the church. Alzheimer’s disease is yet another evidence of the fact that we live in a world that is fallen. A day is coming when Jesus will make all things new, and this horrific disease will be a thing of the past. Until then, we work and love and proclaim the gospel until he comes.

• Loving foster children means loving their families too, as Ashley Gorman writes in this powerful piece. Check out her article here.

A lot of times, foster kids do have a family long before we ever come in the picture, and their goal isn’t always to be adopted. A lot of times, their deepest desire is to simply go home. And dignifying their parents is the first of many steps in helping them get there.​

• What is the Momo Challenge? Brittany Salmon writes about the viral challenge/hoax that’s been all over the news recently, and gives practical advice on “How to parent in the age of the Momo Challenge.”

Whether it’s Snapchat, WhatsApp, or creepy messages popping up in the middle of YouTube Kids videos, we, as Christians, must be ready to give our kids the tools to navigate the technological world they live in. We might not be able to shield our kids from every potential harm, but we can light their paths with wisdom for when they come across darkness online.

News From Capitol Hill

The ERLC continues to call on Congress to repeal the new tax on nonprofits and houses of worship. This issue is a top priority for the organization’s efforts in the 116th Congress.

Thankfully, the bipartisan and bicameral Lessening Impediments From Taxes (LIFT) for Charities Act has been reintroduced in the Senate by Senators James Lankford (R–Okla.) and Chris Coons (D–Del.) and  in the House by Representatives Mark Walker (R–N.C.) and Tom Suozzi (D–N.Y.). Large legislative initiatives like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 often come with some unforeseen consequences that can be corrected by a targeted legislation later. Such is the case with the little-noticed provision, Section 512(a)(7), that requires houses of worship and nonprofit organizations to pay taxes on the cost of their parking lots and transit benefits provided to employees. Entangling the IRS with houses of worship sets a troubling precedent that must be noted.

Last December, the Treasury Department issued guidance (IRS Notice 2018-99) regarding Section 512(a)(7) which offered some relief. While we are grateful for this attempt to ease the burden, we continue to urge Congress to pass a full legislative repeal.

These organizations of goodwill will soon begin filing 990-Ts and paying income tax on parking and transit benefits. Tax experts predict this new tax will extract nearly $1.7 billion in taxes from the charitable sector over ten years. The amount extracted is likely to grow as houses of worship and nonprofits are forced to shift resources from serving their charitable mission in their local communities to dealing with paying this burdensome federal tax. We urge Congress to pass a bipartisan, full repeal of Section 512(a)(7) before taxes are due this year.

Featured Podcasts

From The Public Square

Religious, nonprofit leaders want Congress to repeal ‘parking lot tax’
Crux

Nonprofit and religious leaders, including the chairmen of two U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees, called on Congress to repeal a provision in the 2017 tax cut bill that taxes religious and nonprofit organizations for the cost of parking lots and transit benefits provided to employees.

As New Evidence of Progressive Bigotry Emerges, Jack Phillips Finally Wins His Case
David French, National Review

Remarkably, the evidence showed that Colorado had actually doubled-down on the religious bigotry that caused it to lose at the Supreme Court.

Report: 57% jump in church persecution in India
Baptist Press

Cases of hate and violence against Christians in India increased 57 percent the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, an advocacy group reported.

The New, Invasive Ways Women Are Encouraged to Freeze Their Eggs
Amanda Mull, The Atlantic

Fertility-clinic start-ups are trying out cute Instagram ads and other social-media-friendly tactics to reach young, anxious patients.