As the March 17 deadline mandated by Congress for the Obama State Department to determine whether a genocide has taken place under ISIS in the Middle East approaches, a new report by the Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians documents the how, why, what, when, and where of the genocide that is, in fact, occurring. The report was reportedly requested by senior State Department officials themselves, who asked for help in making the case that a genocide against Christians was occurring.

In addition to detailing the horrible atrocities against Christians and how what is happening meets the definition of genocide, the report also notes that ISIS has been intent on wiping out other groups too. It outlines how under federal law, those responsible for genocide could be indicted if there is probable cause they have committed the offense. Finding probable cause, which is not too difficult in this case, would give the State Department the ability to report to Congress that it believes genocide has occurred.

The report includes a legal brief submitted by a law professor and several attorneys in private practice which clearly outlines that genocide against Christians has occurred in this case. Attached are multiple witness statements with responses to questions asking for name, gender, why and when the respondent left his or her village, what happened to them, and whether they had been physically hurt. The report also lists over 1,000 Christians killed from 2003 onward, and includes lists of attacks on Christians, Christian martyrs, attacks on churches, a list of Christian and Yezidi sex slaves, and other documents evidencing that genocide has occurred.

This report, which was released this week, is extremely comprehensive and should give the State Department everything it needs to declare that a genocide against Christians has been occurring in this case. We must not only continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being targeted just because they follow Jesus, we must use our voice to ensure Congress pressures the Obama administration to do the right thing and declares this to be a genocide. In addition to triggering our legal obligation to prevent and punish genocide, such a declaration will increase the moral pressure on the world’s conscience to do more to stop what never should have occurred in the first place.

The House of Representatives will vote on Monday, March 14 on H. Con. Res. 75, which names and denounces ISIS violence against Christians, Yezidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities as genocide. If Congress will pass this resolution, it remains with our president to join our representatives, and much of the Western world, in declaring there to be a genocide in the Middle East. We urge everyone to let their elected representatives know they support H. Con. Res. 75. We hope Congress will pass this needed resolution.

Originally published here.

Who Are Evangelicals Voting For?

What happened to evangelicals on their way to the polls, did they backslide? That’s a question people like Charles Krauthammer have been asking almost every day of the primary season. Or has the term evangelical become like the elastic in an old pair of socks, stretched beyond recognition from over use by a media that doesn’t understand the meaning of the term? Regardless, the Trump phenomenon has left pundits and values voters alike scratching their heads. This confusion has only been compounded by Ben Carson’s endorsement of Donald Trump.

Ross Douthat is the latest to try to cut through the narrative to the deeper story. “First, the good news for despairing anti-Trump believers: Despite those polls showing him doing well with "evangelicals” and Catholics, Trump is not the first choice of most active churchgoers. Indeed, active religiosity is one of the bulwarks against Trumpism, and his coalition is the strongest among the most secular Republicans, not the most religious.“

The Barna Group’s research bears this out, largely because it uses a much stronger rubric than the mainstream media. To be considered an "evangelical,” Americans have to hold biblically-based values that correlate with regular church attendance and are evidenced in life choices. Among that population, Senator Ted Cruz continues to hold a powerful lead over the other candidates. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is viewed more unfavorably than anyone. Biola professor Darren Patrick Guerra also pushed back, noting that on average, “64 percent of evangelicals in all southern states voted for someone other than Trump.” With a series of other exit polls, Guerra insists, “‘serious evangelicals’ aren’t supporting Trump.”

To be sure some are. Like me, many Americans are frustrated with a political class that overpromises and routinely underperforms. They are frustrated with the forces of political correctness that have become the rudder for most of our public institutions. But just because a candidate channels your frustration doesn’t mean he shares your values. As Christians, it’s our responsibility to look beyond our feelings and emotions to values and character and policies. If voters want to undo the mess of the last two terms, it will take a principled leader with a solid record who will work within the limits of the constitution.

Christians have a responsibility to pray and act based upon faith and reason. Our faith — informed by Scripture — provides guidance, like the counsel that Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, gave him in Exodus 18:21. We should look for and support capable, trustworthy leaders “who fear God.” And reason means digging deeper to find out what the candidates stand for and what they have done in the past. FRC Action can help. For the sake of our nation, read before you vote.

Originally published here.

Dominicans Balk at Ambassador of Activism

The State Department normally goes to great lengths to ensure U.S. representatives, especially U.S. ambassadors, are well briefed and aware of the cultural sensitivities of the host country. But those concerns have been jettisoned by the Obama administration when it comes to the promotion of homosexuality, as evidenced by an increasing array of individuals and groups that are speaking out about the behavior of the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. James “Wally” Brewster, a former Obama campaign bundler and LGBT activist was appointed by President Obama in 2013. It’s not just religious leaders who are calling for Brewster to be declared persona non grata, but political and educational leaders are as well.

The issue is not Brewster’s personal sexual activity or “orientation.” It is his heavy-handed and quite imperialistic approach of imposing special rights as a policy on an island nation which he’s supposed to be building relations with, not undermining. The country has a population of 10 million with 95 percent being a part of the Catholic Church, whose biblical teachings on human sexuality are quite clear. Brewster is using taxpayer dollars through the U.S. Agency for International Development to build up the gay community and even indirectly help elect homosexuals to office. Those seeking to oust Brewster have launched a petition on the White House website. Unfortunately, this is not surprising from this administration that has routinely neglected issues of national security and the promotion of true human rights like religious freedom and the freedom of conscience,* and instead promoting an elitist policy preference on sexuality that is not shared by most of the world’s people, or even the vast majority of those in the United States. In a further display of arrogance, National Security Advisor Susan Rice took to Twitter — not to address the actual concerns of those from the Dominican Republic, but to call them bigots.

While Christians and other minorities face life threatening persecution and women and children suffer under oppressive regimes, the Obama administration only has a voice for promoting the LGBT agenda.

*See this article on the role of conscience in the international human rights framework and the danger LGBT policy preferences pose to this framework, co-authored by our own Travis Weber, and recently published in the Regent Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy. Also, watch this talk at FRC by John Eastman on American Cultural Imperialism.

Originally published here.