If there’s anyone busier than Santa, it’s Congress. With just a handful of days left before members jingle their way home for Christmas, most leaders are scrambling to put a bow on the 114th Session. Hill offices are hoping to crank through a pile of unfinished business before Friday, when the House and Senate hope to adjourn. Before then, the to-do list is a diverse basket of priorities from funding the government to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

One of the bills at the top of our list, which we hope Congress can squeeze onto its schedule, is Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-N.J.) “Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act,” which would help turn the floodlights on the dark world of faith-based hostility. Under this administration, religious liberty hasn’t been pushed to the back seat — it has no seat at the table of U.S. priorities. In the waning days of 2016, conservatives are racing to fill the diplomatic gap left by this White House and help lay the groundwork for a new administration to combat a crisis that’s caused the blood of countless innocents around the world to be spilled. Under Rep. Smith’s bill, America would create a “special watch list of countries or violent state actors that have engaged in or tolerated such violations, but do not yet meet the criteria for designation as countries of particular concern for religious freedom.”

As Frank Wolf and I explained in a joint column on the subject, the bill would hold offending countries to a higher level of accountability. It would also direct the president to appoint a Special Adviser for Global Religion Engagement and International Religious Freedom, a clear sign to the world that Americans take this issue seriously in U.S. foreign policy. If this president won’t talk about religious persecution, Congress must. In the absence of strong leadership, our enemies only gain more power to destroy this fundamental right.

Fortunately, religious liberty has a friend in President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who both understand that America has a legal and moral obligation to speak and act on behalf of this universal right. Leaders in the House and Senate can help jumpstart that priority by adding the bill to their list of must-pass legislation this week. Back in 2015, the idea was so popular that it sailed through the House on unanimous consent. The best gift America could give the world this Christmas is new hope that people can once again hear the message of the child who was born in a manger without fear.

Originally published here.

Stationery Company Invites Controversy with Beliefs

If liberal activists get their way, Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski won’t be behind a counter — they’ll be behind bars. That’s the stunning scenario facing the business owners in Arizona, where a Phoenix ordinance is telling the stationery company to write off their beliefs — or else. It’s difficult to imagine, say the friends, who met at a Bible study and discovered they had the same interests. Eventually, they opened Brush & Nib Studio, which they describe as an “upscale hand-painting, hand-lettering, and calligraphy company that creates and sells customized art, including for weddings.”

Now their shared bond — not for art, but Christ — could land the pair in prison for turning down an order to create invitations for a same-sex wedding. Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Jonathan Scruggs, who’s representing the duo, has made it clear: “The pair willingly serve and will create art for anyone, but they cannot create art promoting certain messages and ideas. For example, Brush & Nib doesn’t create art that demeans others, promotes racism or objectifies the female body. They also do not create art that violates their Christian beliefs about marriage.”

That doesn’t seem to matter to the city, which is determined to use the long arm of the government to punish 53 percent of the population who believes in natural marriage. In an interesting twist, the Phoenix ordinance also bars the owners of Brush & Nib from “informing customers and the public why they can only create art consistent with their Christian beliefs about marriage.” A year after the world watched in astonishment as Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis was imprisoned for her beliefs on marriage, the city of Phoenix seems determined to give Joanna and Breanna a similar choice: “go to jail, forsake their beliefs, or shut down their business.”

That’s not just wrong — it’s un-American. No one should have to give up their constitutional rights because they’re artists or business owners — or in this case, both. It also exposes exactly what this debate is all about: forced acceptance. When there are plenty of other options for same-sex wedding invitations (cakes, flowers, dresses and reception sites), why should liberals be able to use the power of government to force Christians to participate?

Remember when President Obama sat down and told ABC News that “churches and other faith institutions are still gonna be able to make determinations about what their sacraments are — what they recognize”? Neither does he. Or, for that matter, the rest of his party, which lit the same-sex unity candle with the same match it’s taking to the Constitution. The hypocrisy is astonishing. Far-Left fashion designers like Sophie Theallet have no problem saying they refuse to dress future First Lady Melania Trump — but where are those cries of “discrimination”? Christians turn down a job order and they’re threatened with $2,500 in fines and six months in jail! I’m fine with designers declining to dress the Trumps — but I’m not fine with the double standard, when Christian wedding vendors like Joanna and Breanna are prosecuted.

Originally published here.

Arrested Development in California

If California wants to secede from the union, stories like this one will have more people cheering it on! The Golden State hasn’t exactly been hospitable to men and women of faith, and Father James Linton is the latest pro-lifer to find that out the hard way. The Anglican pastor, who has stood and prayed with women outside a local abortion clinic for more than a year, was slapped with a hefty fine — and may even face jail time — after being arrested in San Bernardino for offering comfort to the moms and dads entering the clinic. Officially, he was charged with “interference with a business,” which is ironic since the “business,” a Planned Parenthood facility, has a full-scale wall around the facility.

Like most people, Allison Aranda, senior staff council for Life Legal Defense Foundation, thinks the charges are bogus. “Father Linton simply offered assistance and alternatives to its patrons that could save the lives of their precious babies… In fact, the code section under which Father Linton was charged, specifically exempts from criminal liability those who are engaging in [free speech].” FRC’s Travis Weber thinks the case against Linton is on shaky legal ground at best. “There appears to be zero basis for prosecuting Father Linton,” he explained. “Though charged with interfering with a business under state law, he does not appear to have interfered with the abortion facility in any way. Moreover, the state statute explicitly exempts activity (like Father Linton’s public prayers) which is protected by the federal and state constitutions. There’s no reason why this prosecution should have occurred at all — whether due to animosity, ignorance, or something else.”

Unfortunately, this is just part of a national strategy for cracking down on any speech that competes with the pro-abortion message. For years, the Obama administration has teamed up with abortion groups to find ways to target and intimidate peaceful protestors. They don’t seem to care that clamping down on pro-lifers is a violation of the First Amendment. But then, that’s never been a concern of this White House. It’ll use whatever tactics it takes to advance its pro-abortion agenda.

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.