NationBuilder

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.

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1. DAILY SIGNAL: A new report shows the US abortion rate is declining. Here are 4 things you need to know.

"1.) U.S. Abortion Data Is Inadequate and Incomplete.

2.) Guttmacher and Its Mainstream Media Allies Paint an Incomplete Picture of What’s Driving the Decline.

3.) Loss of Life Continues on an Industrial Scale.

4.) Declining Rate Is Encouraging, but an Enormous Task Remains."

2. FOX NEWS: Arizona court backs business owners who refused to make wedding invitations for same-sex couple

Arizona court backs business owners who refused to make wedding invitations for same-sex couple. The co-owners of Brush & Nib Studio react to their win for religious freedom on 'Fox & Friends.'

3. NC VALUES: 🚨 District asks teachers not to violate privacy. How widespread is it?

Complaints from parents to Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) officials and our awareness survey campaign that directed parents to ask their teachers whether they were teaching the Social Justice Standards in their child's classroom seem to be working. The school system has acknowledged that its Diversity Inventory violated federal law and privacy rights of students.

To read about the Union County teacher's threat against Vice President Pence, click here.

To read about the NC high school cheerleaders punished for supporting President Trump, click here.

To read about the letter from WCPSS to Wake school teachers, click here.

4. NEWS & OBSERVER: New political maps pass NC legislature will be reviewed by judges who ordered redraw

"North Carolina’s new political maps gained final approval from both the N.C. House and Senate on Tuesday. Nearly all Republicans supported them, and Democrats were split."

Also of note, one-stop early voting for local municipal elections has begun. Click here to find your local races.

You can also learn about the NC House's override of Governor Cooper's budget veto here.

5. CHRISTIANITY TODAY: Young Life voted off campus at Duke

More craziness from Duke.

"Duke University’s student government has denied the Christian organization Young Life official status as a student group on campus, citing its policy on sexuality.

The decision by the Duke Student Government Senate on Wednesday comes amid ongoing clashes nationwide between religious student groups and colleges and universities that have added more robust nondiscrimination policies.

Young Life, like many evangelical groups, regards same-sex relations as sinful. Its policy forbids non-celibate LGBTQ staff and volunteers from holding positions in the organization."

WEEKLY PRAYER: LIBERTY

LORD, you are the giver of life and liberty. You are the One in whom we find true freedom. We pray with the deepest of gratitude, because you've broken our chains of depravity, and have gifted us a freedom born in love and service.

LORD, may we not take our liberties lightly. Even today, our brothers and sisters all across the globe experience physical, emotional, and social torture because they rightly cry out: "JESUS IS LORD!" Every day, our brethren across the globe experience persecution, and this has been a shared story of the church since its inception. Be with our brothers and sisters all across the world who suffer for crying out alongside us, "Jesus is LORD!" Grant them the fullness and power of your Spirit.

Finally, LORD we ask you to give babies—born and unborn—the freedom to live! To be cared for and treated with dignity and respect, so that they may live the lives You created them for.

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)