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. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Updated
legislative electoral maps pass General Assembly
"The N.C. House and Senate gave final
approval to redrawn
or remedial legislative electoral maps Thursday, after last-minute
adjustments delayed the Senate session several times. The House gave
largely bipartisan approval to its own map, 115-5, Wednesday night,
with five Democrats voting against it. The Senate approved the House’s
maps, as well, with a 41-3 vote and no comment or
change.
Tension was higher over the Senate map, with Democrats
opposing the plan and offering multiple amendments that were tabled in
party-line votes. Ultimately, the Senate approved its own map with no
Democrats voting in favor of it, 26-19. Democrats in the House
followed suit, voting against the Senate map, with it passing the
House with Republican votes, 67-52.
In total, the number of
competitive seats has grown from nine to 15 in the remedial House map
and from six to seven in the Senate’s new map."
2. ICYMI; WFAE: NC 'boot camps'
prepare candidates for culture war's front lines: school board
elections
"In an interview after Thursday’s session at Trinity Baptist
Church in Mooresville Fitzgerald said attendance for the two sessions
was about 200, with about 100 saying they plan to run. In the
Charlotte area, she said Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties had
strong participation. Participants heard from current board members,
including Union County school board Chair Melissa Merrell. The
sessions dealt with challenging the way racism and gender issues are
discussed in schools and the presence of what some call pornographic
books available to students. Fitzgerald said concerns have been
building for several years."
Check out our recap of the School
Board Bootcamp events here.
3. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Lawmakers
vote to ditch masks as Cooper signals end to mask
mandates.
“Cooper’s and Kinsley’s actions came after the House
Committee on Education announced a hearing on Senate Bill 173, Free
the Smiles Act. The House ultimately passed the measure, 76-42. The
Senate passed it, 28-17, on Thursday afternoon.
The act gives
parents the right to have their children opt out of wearing masks in
school.
‘I am glad the governor is coming to our position on
this,’ House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, told lawmakers,
referencing letters sent to Cooper. ‘These decisions should be based
on science, but not political science.’”
Other important
education-related stories that came out this week include:
- CAROLINA JOURNAL:
Lawmakers move to ban diversity litmus tests in K-12 schools,
universities
- BREITBART: North
Carolina Schools: Must Use Child’s Chosen, Not Legal Name in School
Records
- AMERICAN FAMILY NEWS:
After running from 'Lia' uproar, NCAA returns and overrules new
policy
4. FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: Pro-Life
Sidewalk Counselors in Greensboro, N.C., Win Settlement in Unlawful
Arrest Case
Great victory for our friends at Love Life!
"A
handful of Christians arrested in March and April 2020 for walking and
praying in front of an abortion facility in Greensboro, North
Carolina, have finally won some vindication of their clear free speech
rights following a settlement of their claims against the city as well
as Guilford County, which issued the restrictive health order that led
to their arrest.
Lawyers with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)
announced the settlement, which involves a payment from the city of
$15,000 for legal fees involved in the case, along with an agreement
that engaging in peaceful prayer and sidewalk counseling outside an
abortion facility is protected by the First Amendment."
5. LIFE NEWS: Florida
House Passes Bill to Ban Abortions After 15 Weeks, Saving 5,000 Babies
Every Year
"By a strong majority, the Florida House passed a bill early
Thursday morning that would protect thousands of unborn babies every
year by banning abortions after 15 weeks.
Action News JAX reports the pro-life bill passed
just after midnight in a 78-39 vote, and now heads to the state
Senate, which also appears likely to pass it. Gov. Ron DeSantis
supports the bill.
The Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act
(House Bill 5) would ban abortions after 15 weeks
of pregnancy. Exceptions would be allowed if the mother’s life is at
risk or the unborn baby has a fatal disorder. The bill, which would go
into effect July 1, also includes measures to reduce infant mortality
and a requirement that abortion facilities report suspected human
trafficking cases to the state."
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.
Sincerely,
North Carolina Values Coalition
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