Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Rep.) signed a bill into law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade. This bill, which was dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, brought about an intense national controversy. This is due, in large part, to the prominent role that sexuality and gender identity play in today’s cultural conversations, as well as the influence of the LGBTQ+ movement in all aspects of our society. Even as the bill was being debated in the Florida legislature, organizations and companies across the country rallied in support or opposition of the bill.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood, speaking about the bill, said, “For years, we have asked elected officials to prioritize the protection of children and to respect families in their policy-making. In general, this new law creates a framework for just that. Mothers and fathers absolutely should be the ones surfacing complex matters with their children for the first time, not someone outside the home.” But it seems that many in our culture believe that the state should encourage and teach these controversial and divisive subjects as early as possible, essentially stripping parents of their God-given responsibilities to raise their children to become wise, virtuous people.
The Rundown
FBI Uses DNA From Partially Eaten Food to Arrest Suspect in Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Firebombing by Caroline Downey | National Review
The FBI arrested a suspect in the firebombing of a Madison, Wis. pro-life pregnancy center on Tuesday, nearly one year after the Mother’s Day attack.
Scruton’s Castle by Carl R. Trueman | First Things
When Roger Scruton died in early 2020, the world lost a philosopher with that rarest of gifts: the ability to express profound ideas in elegant and limpid prose. It also lost the man who more than any other in his generation had sought to develop a positive conservative philosophy, eschewing both the naive confidence that the free market would solve all problems and the temptation to reaction and authoritarianism.
Natural rights have natural limits by Cory D. Higdon | World News Group
College campuses seem to have emerged as the likely arenas of the culture wars. In fact, a campus in rural Texas now finds itself caught in the contest of ideas when the university’s president scandalized his campus community with a profound declaration of moral clarity and sanity.
Bestselling author challenges Audible over “poor” deal terms by Will Chase | Axios
Brandon Sanderson — an industry heavyweight with 15 New York Times bestsellers, including multiple #1 spots — is the first author of his stature to publicly challenge Audible. His book “Oathbringer” was the most pre-ordered book of all time on that service.
The Open Letter to Stop ‘Dangerous’ AI Race Is a Huge Mess by Chloe Xiang | Vice
More than 30,000 people—including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, politician Andrew Yang, and a few leading AI researchers—have signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.
Chinese Christians Adapt Under New Restrictions by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra and Zhang San | The Gospel Coalition
Earlier this month, news broke about a Chinese government requirement that people in the Henan province register before attending worship services. They’re supposed to use a “Smart Religion” app, which records each person’s name, address, date of birth, occupation, and government ID number.