Welcome to this edition of The Rundown, the most important political and cultural news for Christians in Ohio.

What's Happening

• Good news: While the ultimate Good News is Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection to set us free from our sins and to take us to heaven, check out these 10 encouraging stories The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission rounded up.

• ID who? Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted out a statement condemning Ohio's new election integrity laws that require voters to present a photo I.D. before casting their ballot, which also included a requirement of the state BMV to issue free state I.D. cards. If Governor DeWine approves the bill, Ohio's voting requirements will be about as strict as getting a library card.

• Protecting children: If Governor DeWine approves the bill, "Erin's Law" will require schools to teach developmentally appropriate signs of sexual abuse. Working in tandem with the bill's namesake Erin Merryn, Center for Christian Virtue successfully prevented Planned Parenthood and other radical left-wing groups from co-opting the proposed sexual violence prevention education as a vehicle to teach comprehensive sex education to minors.

• Not playing games: Congress included a proposal to ban TikTok on government devices in their massive $1.7 trillion spending bill unveiled early Tuesday morning. Bipartisanly supported by politicians including Nancy Pelosi and Josh Hawley, the proposal is in response to growing security concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to the app's vast user data.

• Deadly gains: The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that it has seized more than 379 million doses of the deadly drug fentanyl this year. With roughly 333 million people in the U.S., that means there's been more than enough seized to kill every American—and there is certainly still more in illegal possession.

• Men aren't women: Across the U.S. and Canada, imprisoned men are allowed to transfer to women's prisons if they self-identify as female. It has gone as badly for women as you could imagine. Learn more from Breakpoint and The Christian Post.

Listen Up

With the new year approaching, "Aaron and David's Slightly Too Early 2023 Forecast" is now right on time.

Aaron and David share their predictions for what narratives will be at the forefront of culture in 2023. Go back and give it a listen while you wait for the brand-new episodes coming in January!

Don't Miss

• Save the date for a special half-day conference for pastors and ministry leaders on January 26! Join Pastors Lee Davis of Berlin Church, Jeff Haygood of Living Word Church, and Eric Tober of Faith Community Church as they facilitate meaningful conversation on how Christians are to live as dual citizens while engaging in today’s culture war and keeping Christ at the center of it. Learn more here.

• Registration is now open for all four 2023 Prayer at the Statehouse events. You can register for free at CCV.ORG/Pray.

Prayer

Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority and to have confidence that God hears our prayers. Join the CCV team this week in praying for: 

• All of our Ohio government officials, including those finishing their last terms, as well as our re-elected and newly elected officials. We will pray for our individual representatives by name beginning in January.

• The peace and joy of our Savior's birth to fill and renew our state and nation.

That’s all we have for this week. Be sure to keep an eye out for our next edition, and don't forget to share CCV's Rundown with others.