Friend,
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. <[link removed]>
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2. NC VALUES: Rep. Dean Arp is our 2021 Legislator of the Year
As we find ourselves in the middle of November, the anticipated approach of Thanksgiving provides a seasonal invitation to take inventory of that which we—as individuals and an organization—are grateful for. During this month of thanksgivings, we wanted to share with you an individual who we are especially blessed to serve alongside.
At this year's earlier Celebration of Carolina Values event, we got to publicly thank one legislator in particular for his exceptional dedication to advancing NC Values this past year.
Representative Dean Arp (R-Union) was awarded our “Legislator of the Year” award, for his passion for parent’s right to know legislation and his tireless work advancing the Human Life Nondiscrimination Act this past legislative session.
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2. DAILY SIGNAL: Pro-Life Group Begs Lawmakers to Block Biden Administration From Stealthily Easing Access to ‘Death by Mail’ Abortion Drugs
"A major pro-life group is asking lawmakers to stop President Joe Biden’s administration from stealthily easing Food and Drug Administration regulations on abortion pills.
In a letter first obtained by The Daily Signal, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins wrote that 'an abortion crisis is developing in America through a radical shift in policy in the works that will create a reckless death-by-mail, online, chemical abortion pill market.'
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3. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: Legislator’s ‘equity coaching’ organization involved in Wake County schools’ Critical Race Theory course
"An 'equity coaching' organization co-founded by a North Carolina state representative was scheduled to offer professional development training on the controversial Critical Race Theory to Wake County Public School teachers and staff.
The course, which was titled “Intro to Critical Race Theory,” was to be conducted by a member of the Equity Collaborative, an organization co-founded and run by state Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Orange)."
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4. N&O: NC birth certificate law discriminates against transgender people, federal lawsuit says
"A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday says North Carolina law prevents some transgender people from changing their birth certificate to reflect the gender that they identify as. State law says individuals can legally change their gender on a birth certificate only if they have undergone sex reassignment surgery. The lawsuit says that’s unconstitutional and discriminatory. Represented in the litigation is a transgender woman and two plaintiffs who are transgender minors represented by their parents. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina by Lambda Legal, a national law firm specializing in LGBTQ issues."
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5. THE CHRISTIAN POST: Christian Florist agrees to pay $5K to end lawsuit over refusal to serve gay wedding
"A Christian florist has agreed to pay $5,000 to end a yearslong legal battle centered on her refusal to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding ceremony. She has also announced that she will retire so that her flower shop can be run by her employees.
Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington, was sued by Rob Ingersoll, a man she had done business with in the past, because she refused to provide a floral arrangement for his same-sex wedding in 2013.
Stutzman was represented by the conservative legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, while Ingersoll was represented by the progressive group the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU argued that Stutzman’s refusal was a violation of state discrimination law. The florist suffered legal defeats in lower courts before her appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was rejected earlier this year.
A settlement has been reached in the legal case that allows Stutzman to avoid having to pay crippling fines and legal fees."
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WEEKLY PRAYER: LIBERTY
LORD, you have blessed us with a spiritual liberty that is so wonderful and beyond description, that it can only be understood through experiencing a life-giving relationship with Christ. However, we also recognize that in your grace, you have blessed our country with a political liberty that enables us to openly proclaim the experience of a life lived in the freedom of the Gospel.
LORD, as individuals and as a nation, may we never take the inalienable right of religious freedom for granted. Right now our country has faced a rapid increase in the number of attacks made against this cherished right. We have seen groups across our public arena increase in boldness and frequency their smears against religious liberty. They claim it is bigotry, when we know it is the security of the greatest of all possible loves.
Be with your people and our country as it continues to protect the constitutional right protected by our nation's Founders. Be with legislators and the Supreme Court, as they determine through their actions the protection of this particular and fundamental freedom.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)
"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God." (1 Peter 2:16)
Amen
Will you chip in $100, $50, $25, or even $10 to help the NC Values Coalition continue to fight for your rights? You can donate by clicking here. <[link removed]>
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Sincerely,
North Carolina Values Coalition
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NC Values Coalition - 9650 Strickland Rd, Suite 103-226, Raleigh, NC 27615-1902, United States
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