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This Week's Wrap
A Life Worth Saying Yes To
In a TEDx talk called “I have one more chromosome than you. So what?” disability rights advocate Karen Gaffney commented to her audience, “Imagine that, ladies and gentlemen. Here we are… removing barriers to education, making inroads into a full and inclusive life for people like me, and we have those who say we shouldn’t even be born at all?”
Born in 1977, Gaffney grew up in a time when the neglect and mistreatment of people with Down syndrome had recently been brought to light by disability rights advocates calling for reform. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the beginning of the end of mass institutionalization, but as recently as the 1980s, babies with Down syndrome could be denied life-saving treatments and even food and water until an act of Congress prohibited this kind of discrimination.
Recent decades have seen remarkable strides in the advancement of the rights of people with disabilities. Unfortunately, ableist assumptions about the “quality of life” of people with disabilities are still far too common and have lethal effects. Currently, the majority of preborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the U.S. and in many European nations are aborted. Gaffney is one of many individuals with Down syndrome speaking out against this injustice. “I believe Down syndrome is a life worth saying yes to,” Gaffney told her Portland audience. “It is a life worth saving.”
[Read the whole piece by Patience Griswold at The Family Beacon]
Minnesota Family Council and Others Urge Quick Confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett
Minnesota Family Council joined with more than 200 other groups in signing a letter to members of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee urging quick action on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
“It is not often that such a broad community of stakeholders, representing free-market, family, faith, education, business, and judicial interests comes together to speak with a clear and singular voice. Now is such a time,” the letter said.
“We firmly believe she possesses the judicial temperament and philosophy necessary to act as a xxxxxx for our Constitution and institutions of government,” the letter stated. “Judges who inject their own policy views into their decisions are not upholding the rule of law — they are creating new laws. We elect you, our senators, to do that. Judges have no legitimate hand in such business.”
Click here to read the letter in full.
This is a crucial election year, and after our amazing fundraising dinner, we raised enough funds (hopefully!) to send copies of our Voter Guide to every church in Minnesota that requests them - that's thousands and thousands of guides!
Do you need our voter guide for your church or a community group? You can use this form to request our 2020 guide in bulk. We're asking for a suggested donation to cover our processing and shipping fees. You can also donate here to support our work informing Minnesotans about what's at stake this fall! We have no time to lose - early voting is in progress!
Do you need a voter guide personalized just for you? Use mnfamilyvoter.com to see exactly which candidates will be on your ballot, and where they stand on the issues.
Whatever Happened to the Public Library? An Insider's Account
By Bill Bader
I received my first library card some time in 1958, when I was 9 or so. I've been a library user ever since. Traditionally, libraries have presented themselves as family-friendly organizations. In my early teens I could visit either the local branch library or the central library on my own. My parents had no reason to be concerned. The one and only time a librarian questioned my choice was to be certain I wasn't overextending myself as far as reading level was concerned. When she saw that I was doing fine, she had no further issue.
I relied on the library for many years for entertainment and information, but only as a user. This changed when I started my library career. I began working with the St. Paul Public Library in November 1979, and retired in December 2019. For two years I was a library clerk. For 38 years I was a library associate (27 years as a paraprofessional reference librarian, and 11 years as a cataloger).
During the 1990s I started to notice that teen fiction was becoming more sexually explicit. Not overtly at the time, but enough that I started cautioning parents to read the synopses when I saw them browsing the shelves to find books for their children. I also spotted the occasional nonfiction books aimed at teen readers who wanted to explore their sexuality and didn't want to talk about this with their parents. This trend has only accelerated since then.
Around this time I learned that the library has an unwritten philosophy: Leave your values at the door. Another unwritten philosophy: Don't interfere in any way, in any context, if a minor wants to read or borrow something potentially harmful [...]
Bill Bader retired from the Saint Paul Public Library System in 2019 after forty years of service. Read the whole piece here at The Family Beacon.
PULPITS & POLITICS Ep. 6: How can politics be a calling for Christians?
I'm pleased to share with you the sixth video in our PULPITS & POLITICS video series about Christian political engagement.
We brought pastors together earlier this year to speak with one of our elected officials (Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia) about what biblical citizenship looks like. The resulting conversations became a series of seven videos, which we're releasing one at a time for our supporters.
The sixth video features Pastor Jason Wredberg of Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka. Pastor Wredberg asks Rep. Nash whether politics is simply a job, or a spiritual calling for Christians. This question may be of interest to you, someone in your family, or someone in your church. Click here to watch the video. If the video is helpful to you, FORWARD it to a friend or family member!
We will share the final video in the Pulpits & Politics series next week.
- What is the cost of being a Christian politician?
Additionally, there are five videos we've already featured. Click the video title to watch each one.
Judge Blocks Madison School District from Lying to Parents
Parents should know what happens in their children’s schools and they should be informed immediately if their child is experiencing mental health struggles while they are at school. This is basic common sense. Unfortunately, Madison Metropolitan School District adopted an update to their policies and guidelines handbook in 2018 allowing and encouraging teachers to deceive parents of children struggling with gender dysphoria. Under these guidelines, students are able to socially “transition” behind their parents back, adopting a new name and using opposite-sex pronouns while at school without their parents ever knowing.
The district encouraged teachers to exploit a legal loophole in order to conceal information from parents by filing “Gender Support Plans” in their personal notes instead of in the student’s official records. Earlier this year, a group of concerned parents filed a lawsuit challenging this harmful policy, and last week the court issued an injunction prohibiting the school district from deceiving parents. The injunction will be in place until the court rules on the case.
A policy that encourages children to live a double life and enables teachers to hide important information about a child’s mental health from their parents is unhealthy and troubling. In an expert affidavit, Dr. Stephen Levine wrote,
For a child to live radically different identities at home and at school, and to conceal what he or she perceives to be his or her true identity from parents, is psychologically unhealthy in itself, and could readily lead to additional psychological problems.
Dr. Levine also pointed out that “affirmation” of a child’s “gender identity” does not improve mental health outcomes, but that encouraging “transition” at an early age can have lifelong consequences.
[Click here to read the whole piece in The Family Beacon]
Christianity and Wokeness Event: Watch now!
We've had a great response to the Christianity & Wokeness event last week, and so we're pleased to share the video recordings with you now.
With these recordings, we're seeking to equip Christians to understand and rightly engage subjects like race, ethnicity, Critical Race Theory (CRT), justice, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dr. Owen Strachan compares "wokeness" to scriptural theology, helping us to understand that CRT—like related ideology—is a distinct system from biblical Christianity. Ultimately, we hope these recordings will help Christ's church to be salt and light by training attendees to speak the truth in love on divisive matters.
Talk 1: What Are the Major Claims of Wokeness?
Talk 2: How Does the Bible Present Ethnicity?
Talk 3: Why Is Wokeness an Ungodly System?
Talk 4: How Should We Understand History?
Talk 5: Question & Answer
Talk 6: How Can Christ's Church Find Unity in a Divided Time?
Want to see all the videos?
[Click here to view all the videos as a playlist on YouTube]
CONTEND: A FREE conference for parents, family and friends of those dealing with same-sex attractions.
Topics included:
A Kingdom Perspective of Parents
The Satanic War on Parents
Finding Freedom from the Blame and Shame of the Enemy
Understanding Trauma and the Brain
God’s Higher Vision for Your Child
The Building Blocks of Attachment
Kingdom Tools to Fight for Your Child
Also:
Powerful Testimonies and
Extravagant Worship
Email: [email protected] for more info and to register.
**Conference is being held in the Twin Cities. Get location information when you register.
Educating and Equipping Parents on the Transgender Trend
Get Your Copy of the Minnesota Parent Resource Guide! The Parent Resource Guide sheds light on the consequences transgender ideas have on kids' lives, while equipping parents to play a positive role in creating a truly welcoming school community.
Responding to the transgender trend with truth and compassion starts with the Parent Resource Guide. Get your copy HERE today and invite a friend to do the same! Click to order your copy today:
Support MFC When You Shop Online - Prime Day is October 13-14!
Did you know that when you shop with Amazon Smile, Amazon makes a donation to Minnesota Family Institute at no cost to you? This is one of the easiest ways to support our mission of advancing life, family, and religious freedom in Minnesota!
Amazon's "Prime Day" is October 13-14. You can support our mission while you shop by clicking here (smile.amazon.com/ch/41-1439560) or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app and AmazonSmile donates to Minnesota Family Institute.
Thank you for sharing Minnesota Family Council’s vision for strong families and communities through Christ. As we approach a momentous election, we need your support now more than ever. Click here to give now. We are grateful for your partnership with us through prayer and financial support.
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