School choice is on the move in America, and President Donald Trump’s January 29 executive order to expand education freedom and opportunity for families marks another critical step toward breaking public schools’ monopoly over the country’s educational system. Ensuring that religious freedom safeguards are part of school choice initiatives will be another crucial step. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case involving St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which is run by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has sought to bar St. Isidore from the state’s charter school program. Approving St. Isidore, Drummond claims, “will require the state to permit extreme sects of the Muslim faith to establish a taxpayer-funded public charter school teaching Sharia Law.” Unless religious freedom is safeguarded, the promise of school choice to Catholic families will be empty. Such manufactured obstacles to parental choice are petty, vindictive, and out of step with the times. Just ask the Abols family of Colorado. Andy and Gina Abols, parents of five children ranging from 1 to 11 years old, moved to Colorado primarily because Medicaid provides the best coverage for their 9-year-old daughter, who has spina bifida. “We’re in Colorado pretty much only because her medical needs are covered by Medicaid better here than any other state,” Andy said. Education expenses, however, remain a challenge. Two of their children attend a charter school that, according to Andy, “doesn’t dabble in the realm of politics or anything along those lines.” Their 10-year-old son, who has learning disabilities, is enrolled in a hybrid school where he homeschools with Gina a few days a week. Their 3-year-old attends preschool at St. Mary’s, their Catholic parish in Littleton. The biggest financial strain comes from their youngest daughter’s preschool tuition, which the family must pay out of pocket. That burden could have been avoided if not for the anti-Catholic bias embedded in Colorado’s universal preschool initiative, which excludes religious institutions like St. Mary’s from receiving funding. In 2022, Colorado established a universal preschool program to provide all preschoolers with 15 hours of free education per week at a private or public school of their parents’ choice. The catch: Schools can participate in the program only if they agree to a broadly worded “anti-discrimination mandate.” If you suspect that’s shorthand for a piece of secular bureaucratic bullying, you’d be right. A statewide coalition of religious preschool providers, including the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, sent a letter to state officials requesting that faith-based preschool providers be exempt from the mandate’s “equal opportunity” provision, concerned that compliance could undermine religious teaching on human sexuality and identity — which, of course, was its real purpose. After state officials denied religious exemptions, the archdiocese directed its preschools not to participate. Along with two parishes that operate preschools — St. Mary’s of Littleton and St. Bernadette of Lakewood — the archdiocese went to court. That lawsuit argues that the sexual orientation and gender identity aspects of the mandate exclude many parents from receiving a generally available public benefit in violation of the Constitution. While allowing the schools to prefer Catholics in enrollment, the lower court ruled in favor of the state last year. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing the case. The court heard oral arguments on Tuesday. The case could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court and set an enormous precedent. The Abolses and four other Colorado families submitted an amicus brief to the appellate court to support the archdiocese. When discussing his children’s education, Andy says, “Our faith is critical.” He “absolutely trusts” St. Mary’s, explaining, “They’re just a lot more tender with the kids” than the other private schools his older children attend. “They have the compassion that our special needs family needs,” he explained. The Abolses are thankful that preschool at St. Mary’s integrates stories from the Bible as part of classroom teaching. Andy emphasizes that St. Mary’s “prioritizes virtue and faith” and notes “a clear difference in our children who have gone to preschool at St. Mary’s versus our children who have gone elsewhere.” The Abolses are not alone in making heroic sacrifices to send their children to religious schools, including preschools. Many parents understand that educating their children includes forming them in the faith and regard Catholic schools as perfect partners in this endeavor. Colorado should respect them. Hundreds of Catholic schools nationwide are not merely surviving in the 21st century; they are thriving. “The Catholic School Playbook,” a new resource from Word on Fire Publishing, highlights this trend. Authors Michael Ortner and Kimberly Begg note, “Parents who discover [Catholic schools ] are often thrilled at the formation and education their children are receiving, often to the point of benign envy once they realize how deficient their own education and faith formation were.” These revivified Catholic schools have embraced the study of classic texts, Latin, grammar, art, poetry, and music, alongside history, math, and science. In short, Ortner and Begg write, “they prioritize the cultivation of wonder and virtue over the trendy concerns of college and career readiness.” Never before have the prospects for Catholic parents been so exciting. Never before have both the executive branch and the federal judiciary been so committed to defending parents' right to choose the best educational option for their children. But unless religious freedom is safeguarded, their promise to families like the Abolses will be empty.

I believe that walking in God’s will and making decisions with confidence are impossible without the power of the gospel at work in our lives. Why? Because the gospel is attached to our purpose, and the gospel transforms us. When we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive a brand-new heart (2 Corinthians 5:17), and a new heart will supernaturally result in a new direction. Purpose is found in Christ alone. Keep your gaze fixed on him. As we reflect on our purpose and the way we approach decisions (with the wisdom of God versus in the foolishness of this world), living out the three truths below will be a game-changer for our past, present, and future. 1. Repent of sin, turn to Christ in faith, and commit your life to God’s glory. I like to say that no Christian ever graduates from the gospel. Can I encourage you to go back to the gospel again and again? You need it, I need it, and it takes us back to the foundational reality that we can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). The gospel is a wellspring of living water to the parched soul. The gospel turns the bitter heart sweet with grace. The gospel melts the heart of stone into a soft and submissive vessel. You need the gospel to live out God’s will. There is no greater next step toward purpose than to turn from sin, put your faith in Jesus Christ, and commit to live for his glory. If you’ve never done that, today is the day of salvation — you can be born again and experience how Christ makes all things new. If you’ve been saved by his grace, go back to that first love that changed your life and renew your commitment to live for him all the more. 2. Focus on Christ as the key to your purpose. Identity is everything. Walking in the will of God starts with walking in your identity. Jesus doesn’t save you and then say, “Okay, now you take it from here. Muster up the strength to be good enough, to stay saved, and get yourself to your destiny.” Instead, the Bible reminds us that growth begins with our gaze. Where are you looking? If not on Christ, you won’t make it. Do you remember the story of Jesus walking on water and the lesson Peter learned in the process? Matthew 14:28-31 tells us: “Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ And He said, ‘Come!’ And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” Peter started out with his gaze fixed on Christ, even committing to do whatever the Lord asked. Before he knew it, he was walking on water! But the miracle was short-lived because Peter took his eyes off the one who called him out of the boat in the first place. He sank into the waves that the one who called him out of the boat controlled. How often do we fall into the same pattern? We’re all in, only to take our eyes off the one who calls and sustains us. Purpose is found in Christ alone. Keep your gaze fixed on him. 3. Reject the worldly opinions of fools. With what Proverbs says about fools in mind, along with Paul’s instruction to put away worldly patterns and walk in a manner worthy of your calling, you can confidently reject the opinions of those who live their lives for self-glory and self-satisfaction and boast that they are self-made. Instead, choose to heed and treasure the divine wisdom God provides for your purpose. There will be days when the Enemy will lie to you and put temptations in your path that invite you to take shortcuts, give up, or see God’s will as little more than a cosmic killjoy meant to ruin the fun of life. The devil is predictable, having tempted Christ with the same self-serving routine, only to fail. He will fail with you as well if you stick to God’s word over his wicked lies. One of the primary ways he will assault you is through the peer-pressuring opinions of fools. Turn down the lies; turn up the truth. Taken from "Walking in God’s Will" by Costi Hinn. Copyright ©March 2025 by Zondervan. Used by permission of Zondervan, www.zondervan.com.

Was Jesus a refugee? The question of Jesus' refugee status once again became topic of debate after President Trump began issuing America First policies on immigration and foreign aid. Curiously, those who definitively assert that Jesus was, in fact, a refugee are individuals most likely to oppose Trump. It's imperative that Christians learn how to discern when empathy is being weaponized as a tool of persuasion against them. Russell Moore, editor of Christianity Today, is one such example. In an essay titled, "Yes, Jesus was a refugee," Moore claimed the evidence that Jesus was a refugee is "straightforward and without any ambiguity." To back his claim, Moore cited the United Nations and Merriam-Webster definitions of the word "refugee" and several (mostly unrelated) biblical stories. Here is where I stand on the question: It is debatable whether Jesus was functionally or definitionally a "refugee." Both sides of the debate can present evidence to support their case. On one hand, the Holy Family's flight from Bethlehem to Egypt was a foretold prophecy, and they never departed their "home country," as Egypt was part of a the Roman Empire. On the other, Jesus' parents were escaping persecution, and they sought refuge in a distant land to protect Jesus. Again: Both sides can argue their case. While I doubt that Jesus was technically a "refugee" — and I find it bizarre when people try to map 21st-century politics onto the Bible — the more interesting question is not, "Was Jesus a refugee," but: Why definitively assert that he was? Moore gives us an answer. After citing the evidence that he believes supports his claim, Moore connected the question of Jesus' refugee status to contemporary politics. He asked, "So, what does that tell us about refugee policy?" And although he admitted it's "not very much," Moore mapped his assertion about Jesus onto modern-day refugee policies. He wrote: We won’t always agree on how to design a national refugee policy, but we can’t say we haven’t been warned about what happens to us when we learn to harden our hearts to those in danger. We should be so shaped by the story of Christ that we catch ourselves when we hear ourselves saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Yes, Jesus was a refugee. And he is still in their camp. We should be too. It's now rather obvious that Moore's emphatic declaration that "Jesus was a refugee" is not a simple theological assertion. Rather, it's a rhetorical sleight of hand comparable to emotional blackmail. The goal, I believe, is clear: Moore wants Christians to adopt a specific stance on refugee policy. By framing the issue around Jesus and theological ethics, Moore provokes moral urgency for Christians while creating a (false) binary choice: Either you accept his claim about Jesus (faithful Christian) or you reject it (unfaithful Christian). The rhetorical effect of Moore's identification of Jesus with modern-day refugees is an implicit accusation that if you deny a certain flavor of refugee policy, then you, in effect, deny Jesus. This argument is designed to evoke an emotional response from the reader. After all, Christians don't want to be found opposing Jesus, right? Right. Moore, therefore, is leveraging (and weaponizing) the emotions of his readers to shift the conversation about refugees away from policy nuances. And by using moral absolutes, he moves the debate from, "How should we help refugees?" to "Because Jesus himself was a refugee, how can we possibly agree with any of Trump's policies toward refugees?" This type of emotivism discourages good-faith debate and makes dissent seem unchristian. Just as bad, it oversimplifies a serious and complicated issue while pre-empting alternative perspectives. Even if Jesus were a refugee, the discussion about U.S. refugee policy cannot be framed in moral absolutes only. Obviously, President Trump and lawmakers must take into consideration the economic, national security, and legal implications of their policy decisions. Don't get me wrong: I do not believe empathy in its purest form is bad. Mature people understand how to relate to people different from them; they know how to put themselves in someone else's shoes. But I fear that empathy is increasingly being used against Christians to steer them in certain directions. In this case, Christian empathy is being strategically weaponized to push Christians toward a specific political aim: to discourage Christians from supporting Trump's policies on immigration, refugees, and foreign aid. Even worse, by definitively declaring that Jesus was a refugee, Jesus becomes the bait that ultimately pushes Christians toward that specific goal. It's imperative, therefore, that Christians learn how to discern when empathy is being weaponized as a tool of persuasion against them. Do Americans, or Christians specifically, have a moral responsibility to care for legitimate refugees? Maybe. We can and should have that debate. However, asserting that "Yes, Jesus was a refugee" and using that debatable claim to create moral urgency and steer Christians toward a specific policy or view is dishonest and manipulative. Yes, Christians should have compassion for the vulnerable. Yes, we should care for and meet the needs of the vulnerable. It's what Christians have done for 2,000 years. But when it comes to national policy, we must engage these issues with biblical and political wisdom and reality itself. It would not be wise, for instance, to adopt policies that destroy American communities simply because Jesus may or may not have been a "refugee." Without wisdom to balance empathy, we're just pawns in someone else's game. Don't fall for it.