SIGNS AND WONDERS

Christian colleges and journalists take a stand, Christian ministries “step up” during gov’t shutdown

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (perhaps even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off-brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.

Pentagon Walkout. You probably heard that news outlets have walked out of the Pentagon rather than to submit to its draconian rules for news coverage. What you may not have heard is that conservative news outlets have joined the walkout. Fox News, The Washington Times, and NewsMax were a part of the walkout. Some far right news outlets, including One America News Now (OANN) and RedState, took their place in the new Pentagon press corps.

Opening Up During Shutdown. As the government shutdown continues, mothers who rely on WIC or SNAP benefits could be in trouble. Some prolife organizations are standing in the gap. HerPlan, a prolife group that is part of the Susan B. Anthony List constellation of organizations, is raising funds to “cover the cost of food, diapers, baby formula, and groceries for themselves and their children.” According to HerPlan, “nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers nationwide offer free diapers and material support items like grocery gift cards to vulnerable moms. Food pantries across the country supply needed food staples and baby formula. With the potential for these organizations to see more moms and families in the coming weeks, donations of diapers, food, baby formula, and grocery gift cards are all the more essential.” Our advice here at MinistryWatch is to give locally and give now. The need is acute.

McKenzie Scott Continues Mega-Giving. The ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has given away another $120 million. Most of her giving is going to organizations concerned with climate change and DEI initiatives, causes some conservatives think do more harm than good. My own opinion is: while I commend Scott for her willingness to put money to work today and not let it languish for decades or generations in a foundation, I wish her choices were better informed. For the rest of us: read Fikkert and Corbett’s book “When Helping Hurts,” and be as generous as you can be with the organizations you know and love. If you’re interested in learning more about McKenzie Scott, I recommend previous MinistryWatch coverage, which you can find here and here.

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Christian Colleges Say No. For an administration wanting to “drain the swamp,” the Trump administration is putting its fingers in more pies than past administrations. Another example came when it asked colleges to sign on to a new statement related to the mission and purpose of higher education. Christian colleges joined most secular colleges to say the new agreement amounts to “undue government control.” According to a report in Christianity Today, “The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), which in the US represents 150 largely evangelical institutions, signed on to a statement from the American Council on Education that said the compact was ‘government control of a university’s basic and necessary freedoms.’”

In early October, the administration issued a 10-point memo outlining changes colleges should make. According to CT, those changes include “freezing tuition for five years, refunding students who drop out their first semester, capping the number of international students, removing race-and-gender-diversity consideration in hiring and admissions, and eliminating parts of the institutions that ‘belittle … conservative ideas.’” But almost all colleges, including conservative schools such as Hillsdale College, think these matters should be decided at the institutional level, not by the federal government.

Thanks, Dallas. I was in the Metroplex this week, meeting with ministry leaders and donors, and I’m grateful for the dozen or so MinistryWatch readers and supporters who came out for lunch on Tuesday. You were an encouragement to me! I’ll be doing more of these get-togethers in the months ahead, including events in Phoenix and San Francisco. If you live in these cities, I hope to meet you face to face.

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