Welcome to G3 Weekly—a summary of this week’s top news stories on Christianity and the public square.
This week, candidates for the Republican presidential nomination addressed the possibility of new federal abortion laws. Bank of America canceled accounts for a conservative evangelical ministry which helps Christian entities in Uganda. Meanwhile, homelessness is reaching record levels in the United States as economic hardships and drug epidemics throttle the nation.
Republicans Discuss Possible Federal Abortion Laws
“Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:16-17).
Candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination dodged on the question of supporting a federal abortion ban at the party’s first primary debate.
Former Vice President Mike Pence vowed that Americans would have a “champion for life” in the Oval Office under his administration but floated only a “minimum standard” of a fifteen-week abortion ban. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley countered that any Republican president would be unable to ban abortion because of constraints in the Senate but expressed support for the same fifteen-week ban. She also asserted that “contraception should be available” and that “we are not going to put a woman in jail” for having abortions.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum meanwhile said that he would not seek to implement a federal abortion ban of any kind. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did not answer the question of whether he would sign a federal six-week ban, which he recently enacted in his state, and instead focused on Democrats neglecting to support any restrictions on abortion.
The discussion of federal abortion laws comes as conservative states move to regulate abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Even in states with nominal restrictions on abortions, none have passed laws establishing equal protection for preborn babies.
Bank of America Cancels Accounts for Christian Ministry
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22).
Indigenous Advance Ministries, an evangelical ministry which supports other Christian nonprofits in Uganda, abruptly had their accounts canceled by Bank of America.
The organization, which held accounts with Bank of America for nearly a decade, was informed earlier this year that they were “operating a business type we have chosen not to service.” Indigenous Advance Ministries therefore filed a consumer complaint with the state of Tennessee, alleging that their religious views played a role in the cancellation of their accounts.
“Being forced to transition so quickly caused a great deal of trouble for us,” the ministry said. “We had to find another bank and open new accounts and adjust our payroll, accounting, accounts payable and receivable, and other parts of our business. It also disrupted our mission trip to Uganda in June and we were temporarily unable to pay salaries in Uganda.”
Indigenous Advance Ministries affirms biblical views on sexual morality and marriage, according to their website, as well as historic Christian doctrine on the fundamentals of the faith.
Homelessness Reaches Shocking New Records
“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).
More than 577,000 Americans are now homeless, according to a new analysis from The Wall Street Journal, even as the nation sees the sharpest year-over-year increase in two decades.
The number of homeless Americans increased 11% between 2022 and 2023, which constituted the largest surge since government officials started tracking the figures. The nearest comparable increase was a 2.9% rise recorded in 2019.
Surging addiction to substances such as fentanyl, as well as economic issues such as rising price levels and low real estate inventory, contribute to the homelessness crisis. The influx of illegal immigrants over the southern border has meanwhile stretched the resources of large cities already struggling to care for homeless individuals.
