Stream Splashes: September 1-7 in Review
Every week, The Stream rounds up some highlights from the recent news. We call these our “splashes”: everything from insightful commentary on the week’s big events to small inspiring stories you may have missed.
“This is so horrible. I wish I could help. I feel so helpless.”
How often have you felt this when reading stories about child sex trafficking? I know I did. And I know the stories never stop. Whether at the ritzy digs of Jeffrey Epstein or the darkest corners of the globe, along the mountain roads of Nepal, the dirty streets of Taiwan, or along our own I-20, the horror goes on day-after-day.
Stories of sex trafficking have always shaken me. But I didn’t know how to stop it. Judging from the comments found in articles about child sex trafficking case, I’m not alone in feeling angry and helpless.
But: We. Are. Not. Helpless!
It’s been ten years since former Connecticut representative Mike Lawlor had his head handed to him for trying to pass the “Bishop Removal Bill.” And he still remembers the sting of losing. To Christians. Led by one determined bishop.
The bill was aimed only at the Catholic Church. But any assault on the religious freedom of one Christian body sets the precedent for assaults on others’ freedom. It was the famous camel’s nose in the tent.
Today, an estimated 529,000 to 869,000 black men, women, and children are still slaves. They are bought, owned, sold, and traded by Arab and Muslim masters in five African countries. This statistic estimates those enslaved in Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Sudan. It excludes Nigeria, for which there are no tangible estimates.
Western human rights organizations and the mainstream media are practically and painfully silent on this matter. It does not fit with their focus on Western white sin. Here is a brief survey of this quasi-taboo topic.
The laws of science imply a Law-giver. Why is there an orderliness to nature that can be expressed in mathematical equations that our minds can understand? Where did these patterns come from? It’s no small thing: Consistency in the natural world is what makes the study of science even possible.
God is revealing things about Himself through the universe He created. His power, wisdom, creativity, orderliness, and goodness are on full display. So much so that we’re without excuse if we deny that what we see in nature points us to God.
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