Volume 1, Issue 12

September 17, 2024

Hi First name / friend!
 

Before we get into this week's topic, I want to celebrate! This is issue 12 of Faith FULL Echoes, and that means it is the last issue of Volume 1. Next week, I will not be publishing a newsletter. Volume 2 will begin on October 1st, and I'm sure I will have a lot to share since I will have just returned from the Share the Arrows conference in Dallas.

 

Now for today's content.

 

Ever since the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States, Christians have been celebrating and squabbling about how best to move forward. Whether they call themselves "pro-life," "incrementalists," or "abolitionists" determines their position and what lines they are willing to cross.

 

Meanwhile, the culture of death in our country has been mobilizing. They have been united behind their goals, which they call "reproductive rights." Of course, this is a euphemism because it is intended to deceive—abortion is the opposite of reproduction, homosexuality cannot reproduce, and "transgender" affirmation sterilizes its victims.

 

Last week, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned a ruling and is allowing Amendment 3 to appear on the Missouri ballot in November. It went to the Supreme Court because a previous judge found it to be lacking the requirements necessary to appear on the ballot. There have been accusations of cheating and intimidation to force it through.

 

So why should you care about an amendment on the Missouri ballot, especially if you don't live in Missouri? Because Missouri is a solidly red state that already has laws in place to limit abortion. In fact, at the time of this writing, there are no abortion clinics operating anywhere in the state. Think about that.

 

If this amendment can pass in Missouri, it can pass anywhere!

 

And I would guess there are similar amendments in many states across the nation. Like I said, while we've been in-fighting, the culture of death has been hard at work.

 

I will link the amendment so you can read it for yourself if you would like, but I want to point out a few things that this amendment would do, yet these things are not clearly stated within its points.

 

First, there are only two terms defined in the document, "Fetal Viability," which is left to the "good faith judgment of a treating health care professional," and "Government," which means ANY public entity in the state of Missouri, including schools. Even though this is being called "The Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative," the term "Reproductive Freedom" is not defined. This is important because nowhere in the document is the word "woman" used. Instead, it uses the phrase "pregnant person."

 

Could it be that the culture of death is expecting to apply this amendment to protect gender "transitioning"? If you accept the definition of reproductive rights as presented by the National Women's Law Center, then the answer, of course, is "yes."

 

Second, when the amendment lists the measures of "reproductive healthcare" protected by this law, it uses the phrase "including but not limited to" leaving the door open to add "treatments" to the list. In addition, it says that these rights "shall not be infringed upon" with no age restrictions or other parameters, and it goes on to instruct that this freedom "shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted unless the Government (remember the definition) demonstrates that such action is justified." Translation: Parents, doctors, and counselors would no longer have a say, only a public entity could interfere or even delay the process.

 

A necessary abortion is explained as one that is "needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person." And the person who gets to decide this is a treating health care professional. It is interesting that "health care professional" is not defined, leaving it open to include the school nurse or counselor. And when the abortion is deemed "necessary" by this health care professional, even the government cannot interfere.

 

Even if you are reading this and you are pro choice, the last two points I want to make should cause you to pause: The amendment specifically states that the "health care professional" cannot be held liable for the outcomes of any of the procedures. They have complete immunity if anything goes wrong. And by stating that the government cannot discriminate against anyone who is seeking “reproductive healthcare,” it means that the cost of these procedures could be covered by the taxpayers (see points 5 and 6 in the amendment document).

 

When we vote on this amendment in November, it is all or nothing. Whether you dislike all or part of this amendment, you MUST vote "no." This amendment would change the Missouri Constitution rendering all of the current safeguards unconstitutional.

 

There is no question that this amendment is a Trojan horse intended to allow much more than appears on the surface. I encourage you to carefully read any amendments appearing on the ballot in your state, and even get help understanding them if they are intentionally confusing.

 

As Christians, we must finally unite and take a stand against this culture of death!

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Several weeks ago, I told you that I was taking a break from teaching. I have been tied to the school schedule for my entire life as a student, a child of teachers, a teacher, and then a homeschool mom. I thought I was ready for a break… but God had other plans.

 

I was approached by the homeschool co-op we attended and asked to stay on. I turned it down mainly because of the distance I would have to travel every week to participate. Then I was approached by a hybrid (homeschool/private) school and told they needed a 5th grade teacher. I turned it down because 5th grade is not my wheelhouse.

 

One day I got a call out of the blue from a previous colleague (actually, she had been my professor before she was my colleague), and she asked if I’d be willing to have a meeting with her and the academic dean about an interesting situation that had come up. I was intrigued.

 

Before I tell you what the opportunity was, I feel like you need to know some things. One of my advanced degrees is Intercultural Studies with an emphasis on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). In fact, when I taught English at this same college, I created a TESOL minor specifically for students who wanted to teach English on the mission field. I also had the opportunity a while back to teach at an English Language Institute in my town, connected to a state college. It was a very structured program where I had a lot of support and curriculum to follow.

 

Now back to the meeting: Through a series of events, there were two brothers who had enrolled in classes at my Alma Mater who did not speak English. So I was asked to teach them. Since this was an unexpected situation, there was nothing in place as far as a curriculum or resources for these students. It was a blank slate.

 

How could I say “no”? So every Monday and Wednesday I spend an hour and fifteen minutes teaching English to two sweet students who are excited to be here and eager to learn. And, bonus, it is just around the corner from my house on a campus with which I am very familiar (I was on that campus long before I was a student or professor there).

 

So far it has been an adventure, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish!

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