Dear Jack,

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. YOU'RE INVITED: "Politics, Murder & Spiritual War" Free Event and Livestream This Sunday in Raleigh

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, many are asking: Why did this happen, and what should the Church do now?

We invite you to continue this conversation with us this Sunday, September 21, at 6 PM in Raleigh for a free-to-the-public event at The King's Chapel (400 Newton Rd, Raleigh NC), entitled “Politics, Murder & Spiritual War.” Together, we’ll discuss why Charlie Kirk died and how believers should respond in this moment.

The panel will include:

• Pastor Grant Castleberry – The King’s Chapel

• Andrew Walker – Professor of Christian Ethics, Southern Seminary

• Walt Heyer – Christian author, detransitioner, and advocate for protecting children from harmful gender interventions

• Joseph Backholm – Moderator, Government Affairs Advisor, NC Values

This is a vital gathering for the Church and all believers seeking to stand firm in truth during these challenging times. We hope you’ll join us!

Read more: https://ncvalues.org/event/politics/

If you are unable to join, you’ll be able to watch a livestream of the event on our website.

2. NC VALUES INSTITUTE: New Amicus Brief filed in Important Women's Sports Supreme Court Case

Our sister organization, the NC Values Institute, filed an amicus curiae brief in Little v. Hecox & West Virginia v. Jackson urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse recent rulings by the Fourth and Ninth Circuits that threaten the future of safety and fairness in women’s sports. The courts blocked state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that protect female athletes by requiring sports teams to be designated on the basis of biological sex. The brief emphasizes that separating athletic teams based on sex is both constitutional and necessary to preserve equal opportunities for women.

“Title IX was enacted to protect women and girls and to ensure they have opportunities in sports, not erase them,” said Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the NC Values Coalition and the NC Values Institute. “It is not only unfair, but it is also dangerous when males are allowed to compete against females. The Supreme Court must uphold laws like those passed in North Carolina, Idaho, and West Virginia that protect fairness and safety in women and girls’ sports.”

Read our press release: https://ncvalues.org/pr-nc-values-institute-files-amicus-brief-urging-supreme-court-to-protect-fairness-in-womens-sports/

Read the brief: https://ncvi.org/little-v-hecox-west-virginia-v-jackson-amicus-brief/

3. WNG: JOSEPH BACKHOLM: Gen Z’s Futile Priorities

"We know the kids are not ok, but a recent study of Gen Z (18-29) from NBC News may provide clues as to why. It seems they may be looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

In an apparent challenge to the stereotype that women are inherently nurturing, the survey found that only 6% of female Harris voters said that marriage or children are an important part of personal success. Biblically minded readers would rightly note that obedience to Jesus, not a spouse or children, is what makes our life successful, and that’s true, but that’s likely not what respondents were thinking. The top three things that female Harris supporters said are important to personal success were a fulfilling job/career (51%), having money to do things you want (46%), and emotional stability (39%)."

Read more: https://wng.org/opinions/gen-zs-futile-priorities-1758148979

4. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Whatley Narrows Gap With Cooper in New CJ Poll of US Senate Race

"Republican Michael Whatley has closed much of the gap with Democrat Roy Cooper in a new Carolina Journal poll of the US Senate race in North Carolina.

The survey finds Cooper leading Whatley 46% to 42%, a margin narrowly outside the poll’s margin of sampling error. Four percent of respondents say they would back another candidate, and 8% remain undecided. The results mark a tightening from Carolina Journal’s August poll, which showed Cooper ahead 47% to 39%."

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/whatley-narrows-gap-with-cooper-in-new-cj-poll-of-us-senate-race/

5. CAROLINA JOURNAL: UNCW Draws Nationwide Coverage Over Kirk Memorial Incident

"Charlie Kirk memorial painted on UNC Wilmington’s spirit rock was defaced with buckets of paint by students, sparking national coverage.

The rock, painted Monday afternoon, was dedicated to Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. That evening, the UNCW chapters of Turning Point USA and College Republicans held a candlelight vigil that drew more than 1,500 attendees."

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/uncw-draws-nationwide-coverage-over-kirk-memorial-incident/

Weekly Prayer: Family

LORD, we cry out to you as Father. You are a model of the love, mercy, and authority of the perfect parent. We thank you for modeling for us what every parent should strive for, and for creating this wonderful institution called family.

LORD, we thank you for creating us with a basic nature designed to not be alone. You made us to desire the intimacy of relationships, and it is here where we experience joys indescribable: the joys of marriage, the joys of having children; the joys of seeing our children have children. What a blessing and mercy you gave us in the family! In it we find our first teachers, our first guardians, and our first authorities.

LORD, we recognize how deeply you love your children, and how deeply it pains you when they go astray. Alongside our adoration and thanksgiving, we pray in confession—as individuals and as members of larger communities—over any sins we may have committed that undermine your beloved institution. Forgive us when we endanger your institution through selfishness and arrogance. Forgive our communities and nation for attempting to redefine some of the most basic and deepest parts of being human—being made male and female, having lifelong marriage vows and responsibilities, and having parental rights over educating one’s children.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values