This episode of Washington Watch uncovers the legal struggles of Calvary Chapel against COVID-19 restrictions with Robert Tyler, and examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s pivotal decision on gender procedures with David Claussen. Explore the ways in which legal and moral frameworks intertwine in the fight for religious freedom and the protection of minors.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, good afternoon. Welcome to this Friday edition of Washington Watch. Hope you’ve had a fantastic week and getting ready for a wonderful weekend. I’m Jody Heiss, a senior fellow here at the Family Research Council. Glad to have you joining us today. We’ve got a lot to bring your way. Let me give you some of the highlights. First of all, Israel and Iran continue to exchange strikes as the world awaits President Trump’s highly anticipated decision on whether or not the U.S. will get involved directly in this conflict. But the U.S. made clear today that whatever that decision might be, America supports Israel’s fight against Iran.
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Iran is the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East. While the United States was not involved in Israel’s strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, that was U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea during the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting today. And we’ll discuss the latest on the war when I’m joined a little bit later in the program by Ruthie Bloom from the Jewish News Syndicate. And I’ll also get the perspective from Capitol Hill when I’m joined here in just a moment by Texas Congressman Randy Weber. And meanwhile, right here in the US, Democrats continue to villainize agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. But they’re accusing them of terrorizing Americans and even human trafficking. Now, all of this is coming from those who did nothing to stop real human trafficking that was taking place during the Biden administration. And I’ll be discussing all of this with Congressman Weber as well. And speaking of the Biden administration, do you remember? All right, I’m sure this is an easy question. Do you remember how they pushed for mandates during the COVID pandemic? Perhaps probably a better way of saying it is, how could any of us ever forget how they pushed mandates during COVID? Well, those days might be long gone, but there’s still one church fighting to overturn a $1.2 million fine that was imposed on them for holding worship services during the COVID lockdowns. And we’ll get the latest on that important case as the program unfolds. And then to close out the program and to close out the week, I’ll be joined by David Claussen for our weekly Biblical Worldview segment to discuss some of the headlines from this week, including the Supreme Court ruling that upheld Tennessee’s law prohibiting experimental gender procedures on minors. That was a big one. So as always, we’ve got a lot to bring your way today. You don’t want to miss any of it. But if in case you do, you can always go back and get it and as well as other archive programs and lots of information at our website, TonyPerkins.com. So be sure to check that out. All right, let’s jump into our first item for the day. There’s a lot of attention right now on Israel and their fight against terrorists who threaten their safety and their security. The Trump administration continues to work hard to keep Americans safe and secure here at home while at the same time trying to deal with what’s happening in Israel and abroad. But this week, right here at home, the U.S. Border Patrol revealed that it has unearthed an extensive smuggling tunnel that was spanning from Tijuana all the way to the San Diego area. An acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego sector, Jeffrey Stoniker, says that the move underground is not surprising for these foreign terrorist organizations. There’s that word again, terrorists, be it in the Middle East, or perhaps right here at home. So meanwhile, Democrats are labeling these ICE agents as the ones who are terrorizing Americans. It’s amazing. You would think that they didn’t learn a thing from the fallout over the defund police movement. But nonetheless, here to discuss this and more is Congressman Randy Weber. He serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and represents the 14th Congressional District of Texas. Congressman Weber, my friend, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, thank you, Jody. Glad to be here. Glad you all keep things in perspective. We sure appreciate Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, thank you so much. All right, let’s go. I know you and I both served a lot. This has been one of your hot buttons for a long time with your own home state of Texas. But this discovery of the smuggling tunnel, especially given the distance and how sophisticated it seems to be, what are your thoughts about this so far?
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, it actually kind of coincides with some stuff from the Israel events that are going on, Jody. You know, I was there in 2013 with AIPAC when I first got elected, and Israel had uncovered tunnels from Egypt all the way into the Gaza Strip. And of course, they were funneling weapons, they were funneling concrete so they could make barriers and all that kind of stuff. Not food for the people in Gaza Strip. They were using tunnels as simply a terroristic conduit, if you want to call that, use that name. And so it’s no surprise that they’re using it there on the southwest corner of our country because that’s what they’re doing. They’re smuggling drugs. They’re smuggling fentanyl. They’re smuggling human trafficking and I’m sure weapons. And so the fact that it comes into California is no surprise to me, especially when you watch, I call him Governor Gruesome, because his policies are just that. When he is wanting to sue President Trump for trying to protect Californians, I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. I wouldn’t be surprised, Jody, if there’s not more tunnels that’s going to be uncovered.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I agree with you. And it’s interesting you brought that up, the similarity between the tunnels here and those that we’re seeing going into Israel and so forth. That was the first thing that came to my mind when this was unearthed and they discovered it and the sophisticated nature of it and the capacity to drive and to do all sorts of things immediately. Because like you, I’ve been to Israel and it’s subliminal. So, so similar. You just wonder if there are some dots that are being connected there. So how does this, Congressman Weber, this discovery of the tunnel, how in your mind does this support the overall effort of President Trump and Republicans to squash illegal immigration? I mean, they found the tunnel now. They’re going to deal with it. This is part of a big agenda promise. Is that correct?
SPEAKER 21 :
It absolutely is, and President Trump’s intent, as I understand, on building the wall. Of course, as you know, Jody, the United States and Mexico share about a 2,000-mile border, give or take. And Texas has, I think it’s 1,967 miles, whatever it is. Texas has almost 1,200 miles of that border, so right around the two-thirds range. So border, for us, is extremely important. I would not be surprised that we would find tunnels coming from Mexico into Texas. Now, will they be of that magnitude? I don’t know. California is a lot more forgiving when you watch people trying to riot against a great… Custom Border Patrol, when you watch people just – when you watch elected officials trying to tell federal officials that you cannot protect the federal border, basically, things are way out of whack. But I think President Trump, as you know, from all the – Statistics that are coming back, hardly any people are being released. CBP is releasing hardly zero people here in the last month or so. And so it’s working. President Trump is on the right track, and he’s going to stand through for his promise.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and it’s interesting that you brought up the attacks and so forth that we are watching against our own federal personnel. I’m sure you probably saw that the DHS data is showing that ICE agents are facing a some 500% increase in assault attempts while they’re trying to arrest illegal aliens who are living here in the U.S. What does that mean? Tell us, in your opinion, about our fight to secure the U.S. from foreign threats. Who knows? We may already be here. But when we are seeing this type of assaults against the increase against our ICE agents, what do you think?
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, it says to me socialism, communism, because they want the federal government to do everything for everybody all the time, irrespective of costs, like Governor Grusome, as I call him, because they want to protect everybody who’s coming into the country illegally. You’ve heard this. I’ve heard this. We believe the Democratic Party wants to get enough illegal voters, if you will, so that they can take over the electoral college. They can win elections. They can take over. But for us to simply, for Americans, I’m not talking about our greatest customer patrol or police officers, but for Americans to simply ignore criminals coming across the border, they’ve lost their mind. They expect the federal government to step back And let them bring in as many thugs as they can, along with drugs, along with, you know, sex trading and all those things. People have lost their minds. We’re not an open border country, not supposed to be. This is how it starts with socialism and communism, if you read your history.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and you know what is so disturbing to me, among other things, there’s so much, but one of the things that just is so disturbing is how Democrats continue to support these protests. They continue to support these riots that are impeding our ICE agents. Why in the world do they continue to support that despite all the data? It just seems to me that this is just against American principles.
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, it’s not hard for me, Jody, when you think about it. They want to win the next election. They want to get back in power at any cost, even if it means bringing illegals, drug trafficking, that means young girls in sex trade, and lots of fentanyl. Even if it means all of those things harmed, or you’re seeing more and more thugs in Colorado now, and some of these apartment complexes in Denver. You’re seeing all of this happen simply because they can demonize Donald Trump, They can demonize the Republican Party. They can try to gain the sympathy of the American people. I think American people are fed up, too smart for it. But that doesn’t stop the Democrats from trying to do that just so they can get back in power. To do what? Let more illegals in? I don’t think so. Not on our watch.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, you know, it’s a great point you bring up. In fact, I just want to, if we can get clip two, I want to bring this up. This is Congressman Maxwell Frost on Stephen Colbert. And he talked about demonizing. Let’s play this clip and get your reaction to it. Clip two, please.
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We have ICE federal agents pulling up, terrorizing our communities, hopping out of unmarked vans, stealing and, yes, kidnapping people, not giving them their day in court, and, yes, human trafficking them to other nations, other countries around the entire world.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow. What do you make of those comments?
SPEAKER 21 :
You cannot make this stuff up. He’s trying to turn it over onto us as if we are the villains, as if we are the human traffickers. He’s using every single stunt he can from the villainous, I would call them communists, from Hitler’s regime when it was in power. He’s trying to make it sound like it’s our fault. It’s our fault. And the truth of the matter is they’re turning a blind eye, although not so blind, because as I said, I think they’re actually collaborating with everybody, each other, everybody they can to make sure they win the midterms coming up. I hope people are waking up.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I do, too. Listen, we’ve only less than a minute left. Your thoughts about the possibility of the U.S. becoming more involved in the Israel-Iran conflict? I know there’s not all Republicans are on the same page. Real quickly, your thoughts.
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, I think we should. You know, Zechariah 2.8 says that Israel is the apple of God’s eye. And so we make sure that nobody destroys Israel. Nobody hurts Israel. You got to love our brothers and sisters in Israel. And you know this, Jody. Israel is the most, he’s the country that has the most different nationalities. They’re very, very fair to everybody that comes. Iran has been trying to destroy them forever. It’s high time we said, look, no nuclear weapon. This is the deadline.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so much, U.S. Congressman Randy Weber of Texas. Always great to have you on the program with us. Thanks for your insight and your input. All right, friends, coming up next. You’re welcome. Coming up next, we’re going to go directly to discuss Iran and Israel with Ruthie Bloom. She’s in the know, and she’ll be talking to us right after this break.
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Hi, everyone. This is Pastor Jay Johnston, National Prayer Director with the Family Research Council. I want to invite you to join our 21-day Family Bible Challenge as we read through the book of Matthew. This is an opportunity for you and for your family TO COME TOGETHER FOR 15 MINUTES A DAY TO READ GOD’S WORD TOGETHER. DEUTERONOMY 6 SAYS, THESE COMMANDMENTS THAT I GIVE YOU TODAY ARE TO BE ON YOUR HEARTS AND PRESS THEM ON YOUR CHILDREN. TALK ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU SIT AT HOME AND WHEN YOU WALK ALONG THE ROAD, WHEN YOU LIE DOWN AND WHEN YOU GET UP. Seek the Word of God, obey the Word of God, share the Word of God so that you and others might know the joy of walking with God now and for all eternity. As your family gathers to read the Bible, invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life to spiritually transform each one of you. Ask the Lord to show you creative ways for you to connect with your family, to read God’s Word together. I pray that however God uses this challenge in your life and those that you join together with will be a blessing to you and strengthen you as you read the Gospel of Matthew together. Visit FRC.org slash Family Bible Challenge for more information.
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SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I am Jody Heiss, your Friday host, and we’re thrilled to have you with us today. All right, earlier this morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will strike all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the fortified Fordow facility. He also implied that the Israeli military has all the capability they need to strike these facilities without… the U.S. joining the fight. So what does this mean for the conflict at large, and what other developments perhaps have taken place since yesterday? Well, here to discuss the latest is Ruthie Bloom. She’s a columnist and senior contributing editor at the Jewish News Syndicate. She’s also a former advisor at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ruthie, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you. Great to be back. Thank you, Jody. Well, listen, what do you make of Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments regarding Israel’s plan to strike all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the Fort O facility?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I have no inside knowledge of Israel’s military capabilities. However, I will remind you of something that Netanyahu said to the Biden administration at some point after the October 7th Hamas massacre when Secretary of State Blinken was issuing warnings about withholding weapons. And Netanyahu said, look, we want those weapons that we purchased, but if we have to, we will fight with our fingernails. And the reason I’m bringing that up is that today we have the most friendly president in the White House. I mean, we had him prior in his first term, the most pro-Israel president ever. And so Netanyahu doesn’t need to say something like that. If you don’t help us, we’ll fight with our fingernails. But what he is, the message he’s conveying is you do what’s in America’s interest and we do what’s in Israel’s interest. And if you can’t for some reason or are not interested in joining this fight, Israel still has to do it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, that’s a great point. And, you know, I guess you may not be able to answer this. I don’t know. But one of the reasons why I ask that question is we have all heard now in recent days that the Fort O facility is really out of reach for any weapon except the American bunker busters. And I don’t know, perhaps Israel has something now that is able to go down there or there may be other options. But you bring up a good point that either way, the relationship now is vastly different between this president and the previous president. Is that what you’re saying?
SPEAKER 14 :
Completely. I mean, it’s night and day. OK, because President Trump is totally pro-Israel. He has shown nothing but sympathy and friendship. He understands that the alliance is, of course, Israel needs the United States. He understands the United States also needs Israel. And yes, it’s true. These are two separate countries. with separate interests that often align. And in this case, I believe they do align because the Islamic Republic of Iran is a threat to the whole world. It’s certainly a direct threat to Israel, but also to America. After all, the Ayatollahs have been saying that America is the great Satan and Israel is only the small Satan. It’s just that Israel happens to be much closer geographically and in the line of fire. And I would like to remind everybody that Israel, it’s true that Israel launched this war a week ago, but it was a preemptive defensive war.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. And speaking of that, we’re seeing it now virtually every night, exchange strikes between the two countries. And it happened again last night. Can you tell us about what took place?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, there were a lot of strikes last night, but in the meantime, Iran is firing very heavy ballistic missiles into Israel. As a matter of fact, my kids keep having to run to and spend the night in bomb shelters. In fact, just a few hours ago, there were a few missiles that actually hit that weren’t intercepted. and hit a building in Haifa that we saw yesterday that a missile hit the Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva because Iran is targeting civilians while Israel is going after military targets. Now, what we know is that Israel has eliminated at least 50 percent of Iran’s missile launchers. And that’s very important because without a launcher, a missile isn’t worth anything. And we know that now, whether or not Israel has the capability to bomb Fordo from the air and has the right bunker busters, I certainly couldn’t say. But what Israel does have is incredible technology and soldiers willing to go in on the ground. Again, Israel is not asking for American troops on the ground. I know that there are some certainly Democrats, but there are also many Republicans who fear that Israel is trying to drag America into a war. It is nothing like Iraq and even the Iraq war, Israel didn’t drag America into that war. In fact, Israel then wanted to attack Iran and not Iraq. So I would just like to refute some of these misconceptions. Now, what is true is that Israel has many kinds of, I would say, tricks up its sleeve, if I could put it that way. And who knew that this strike was going to happen in this way and that so successfully? I mean, you know, when President Trump a few days ago said, we have control of the airspace over Iran, I think Israelis were kind of smiling because they said, if President Trump says we have he means to enter the war, because actually it’s Israel that seems to have control over the airspace. And in October, Israel took out Iran’s air defenses. That is what is enabling it to conduct these strikes without its planes being shot down.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. We’ve got less than a minute. So real quickly, it seems that President Trump is still being hopeful of achieving some sort of negotiations with Iran. Do you think that’s possible?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I never believe it’s possible to negotiate with jihadists at all. But what’s brilliant about what President Trump said is he said unconditional surrender. I mean, basically what Trump, I think, is saying, of course, we would prefer a diplomatic solution. But the diplomatic solution he prefers is a white flag from the enemy. And that’s a crucial distinction between what the U.N. is saying and what Trump is saying.
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Ruthie Bloom, columnist and contributing editor at JNS. Thank you so much for joining us. As always, stay safe and we appreciate your insight. All right, friends, coming up, a huge religious freedom case out of California. We’ll break down all the details in just a moment. Stay tuned. We’ll be back.
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SPEAKER 09 :
The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principle.
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Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you today. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss, and we welcome you aboard. All right. If you’re a longtime viewer or listener to Washington Watch, you may recall our coverage of a local church in San Jose, California. They faced tremendous persecution while they were trying to weather literally their state, as well as local governments’ onerous COVID-19 lockdown policies. We were seeing this type of thing all across the country, but it seemed to zero in on Calvary Chapel, San Jose. In fact, they won a myriad. of appeal cases during that period of time. But now the church has issued a new petition to overturn a heavy fine that was imposed on them during those lockdowns. And here to discuss this case is Robert Tyler. He’s the president and chief counsel of Advocates for Faith and Freedom. And he currently represents Calvary Chapel’s senior pastor, Mike McClure. Bob, welcome to Washington Watch. Great to have you joining us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Great to be with you again. Thank you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, so let’s, if you would, break down for us the initial details of this case regarding Calvary Chapel. Why was this church targeted? What was the deal here?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I’m glad you asked that question because that really is the crux of the scenario we sit in today. Look, we’re in California. And one of the reasons why we exist as Advocates for Faith and Freedom and we’re focused here in California to a large degree is because I’ve been saying this for 25 years that what comes out of California gets exported to the rest of the country. And COVID was no different. It’s important to know when and where did the COVID lockdowns in the United States begin. They began in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is Santa Clara County, California. Santa Clara County is the one who issued close to $4 million in fines to Calvary Chapel San Jose. Our client, Pastor Mike McClure, who is just – he and his church just – stuck it out with tenacity and courage. And so in Santa Clara County, when you look back and see, they are the ones who started the lockdowns before California started the lockdowns, before any other county or state started the lockdowns, before President Trump issued lockdowns nationwide. It started with a gentleman named, an attorney named James Williams, who it appears went to his medical officer and said, we need to shut everything down. A lawyer making that kind of a decision. And I don’t have any belief that it was actually the medical director for the county who made the decision. It was him, in my view. And so he got a lawyer who was there’s a foundation called the George and Daisy Soros Foundation. And if you recognize that name, my understanding is he’s George Soros’s brother. Well, apparently they funded about ninety thousand dollars to Mr. James William to go to law school. in the first place. And then he gets into the county. And next thing you know, we have these lockdowns after he rises in the ranks and becomes the senior counsel for the county council’s office in Santa Clara County. There’s a lot behind this. And you go back and you take a look at who benefited the most out of COVID-19 from a financial perspective. I believe it was Silicon Valley. Probably not even the pharmaceuticals, but I don’t know. Between the pharmaceutical industry and Silicon Valley, consider all of the technology, Netflix, etc., etc.
SPEAKER 03 :
So let me ask you this. Yeah, let me ask you this because we’ve only got a couple of minutes here. But now there’s another petition. The church is trying to get back horrendous fines that were put against him. But this case as a whole, why is it so important not only to Calvary Chapel but across the whole, as you said, what starts in California tends to spread across the country? So do you think the church is going to get their money back? And why is this such an important case?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, the church hasn’t paid any money to the county at this point in time. This is important because how in the world can it be lawful that a church who stands up on their constitutional principles and is right constitutionally and legally can be fined $1.2 million? Now, we did get it knocked down. I mean, it’s about 25% of what they were originally trying to get. At this point in time, the fines are about a face mask. Can you force a church, a pastor to require that people who come into church wear a face mask when they allow all sorts of other exemptions to the rule, allow people who are working in industry, government contractors who can decide, well, I’m not going to wear a face mask because it might inhibit my work. Well, Pastor Mike McClure sincerely looks at this and says, for me to stand there behind a pulpit and to preach with a mask on or to go pray with someone who’s dying of cancer and not be willing to take my mask off so they can see my face and my emotions, that inhibits my sincere prayer. a responsibility as a pastor to minister to people. When we were told in California that you couldn’t touch someone, you had to stay six feet apart. It was just one. You couldn’t do baptisms. You couldn’t give communion. This is a case that really stands, I believe, in the long run for how far the courts are going to permit a local government in restricting religious worship.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. I want to thank you so much, Robert Tyler, President and Chief Counsel at Advocates for Faith and Freedom, for standing in the gap, not only for Calvary Chapel, but for all of us across the country for religious freedoms. Bob Tyler, thank you so much. God bless you. We’ll be keeping a pulse on this. All right, friends, coming up, FRC’s David Clawson will join me for our biblical perspective on the news that took place this week. So stay tuned to hear his thoughts. We’ll be back right after this break.
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Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 11 :
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How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host Jody Heiss. Glad to have you on board with us. All right, before I get to my final guest, I want to encourage you to join believers across the country for Lift Up Life. That’s a national day of prayer and fasting for the unborn. And on Tuesday next week, June the 24th, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, You can tune in to a special prayer event. It will be featuring pastors and pro-life leaders as we lift up this urgent need before the Lord. And you can certainly participate in that if you have our Stand Firm app, which we encourage you to get. Or you can also go to LiftUpLifeDay.com. That’s one word, LiftUpLifeDay.com. And so to learn more, you can go there, LiftUpLifeDay.com. Or you can simply text the word PRAY. to 677-42. But whatever we do, let’s continue praying for this important issue. And I will talk a little bit more of that here with my next guest. We’ve got a lot to discuss with David Claussen, our weekly Biblical Worldview segment leader. He’ll be joining me. But here are some of the things that I want to talk with him about. Democrats are still reeling, really, From a major decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s a landmark decision, and the vote was 63, took place earlier this week, but they had upheld Tennessee’s law prohibiting experimental gender procedures on minors. This is a huge case. And I don’t know, maybe to some extent, some of the shock is now beginning to wear off some of the Democrats, but they’re now plotting a path forward into how to push their destructive message in the midst of a world that where, at least here in the United States, Tennessee and at least 20 other states can now legally protect children from the permanent harms of so-called gender transition procedures. Huge, huge, significant decision this was. And I want to start with that topic and we’ll move from there. Joining me now, Family Research Council’s Director at the Center for Biblical Worldview, David Claussen. He’s also the author of the book, Life After Roe, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. David, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to have you on Friday, my friend.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hey, great to be with you as well, Jody. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, listen, I do want to get to some of the life issues as we go down through some of this, but the Supreme Court, this decision protecting minors in Tennessee and beyond, I think this is huge. I mean, in my mind, Tennessee was just trying to protect minors from puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and all sorts of stuff. Break this down for us, David. Why was this such a significant victory, both From a legal perspective but also morally, why is this such a big decision?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, Jody, unbelievable precedent-setting decision, one that I am profoundly grateful, and I think Christians, millions of Christians all over this country ought to be profoundly grateful for this as well. This is the Scrimetti case. Interesting, I actually got to meet the Attorney General last week at the Southern Baptist Convention, Attorney General Jonathan Scrimetti, incredibly gracious, kind, loving man. And the way you described this case, Jody, is exactly how the Attorney General himself would. Tennessee, their law that was originally passed in 2023, known as SB1, was designed to protect minor children. from these medical interventions. These are children who are struggling with gender dysphoria, and it would protect them from getting things like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and even physical irreversible surgeries. And what happened just a couple of days ago at the Supreme Court was a 6-3 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote it. And what’s incredible about this is he from just a legal perspective, he rejected the claim that Tennessee’s law constituted sex-based or transgender-based discrimination and simply said that this law was a neutral regulation based on age and medical context. He said that the law’s rationale was plausible, that states can decide how to regulate these novel and uncertain medical treatments for minors. And what’s Also really helpful, sometimes I just love doing this when I look at a Supreme Court ruling, is to read the concurrences. Jody, this tells you where the rest of the court is. Justice Barrett, Alito, and Thomas wrote significant concurrences that help us see exactly where the court is on this issue. Just for the sake of time, let me just read one line from Justice Thomas’ concurrence. that I think is just so, it’s a breath of fresh air. I’ve lived here, you know, in DC for six years and this is one of the neatest things I’ve read in an opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas said this, in politically contentious debates over matters shrouded in scientific uncertainty, courts should not assume that self-described experts are correct. They have built their medical determination on conceitedly weak evidence and they have serendipitously compromised their medical recommendations to achieve political ends. Talk about some moral clarity from Justice Thomas. So again, I think this is a victory for common sense. It’s a victory for the created order. And what this means practically, Jody, is that the 27 states that have similar laws on the books can now enforce those. Big win for children.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow, that really is. And you brought up the science. It seems to me, and I say this largely because of what we’re seeing in Europe and other places in the world, but increasing evidence of harm from these so-called gender-affirming care procedures, especially as it relates to vulnerable children. So how should Christians here in America understand How should we think about the role of government in protecting children from these type of procedures?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, Jody, I think we need to be clear what we’re talking about here. You know, the left will actually use, it’s such a William language, gender affirming care. That’s the language you’ll see on newspapers and websites that are kind of commenting on this gender affirming care. Let’s be clear what these medical interventions are. Again, cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and physical surgeries, these cause permanent harm. For example, many of these things will cause permanent sterilization. They will cause a loss of bone density. The emotional trauma that many of these children go through is also very, very real. And so I think as Christians, we need to be the people who are bold, who are full of just clear eyed and courageous on this. In the name of gender affirming care, what we’ve actually seen is harmful ideologies pushed on minor people. children. Again, this is not about hatred, as the left is going to argue. This is about safeguarding the most innocent and vulnerable that we have amongst us, which are our children. And of course, as Christians, we believe that everyone is made in God’s image, has value and dignity, and the way God created you is exactly how you were supposed to be created.
SPEAKER 03 :
And yet, just as you said, the critics on the other side are going to look to you and me and others like us and say that we are hateful, that we are opposed to science when, in reality, science… Justifies everything we’re talking about right now. But my question is, how can Christians respond to these critics clearly, compassionately, full of grace and truth and protecting children, all of that kind of wrapped up at the same time?
SPEAKER 07 :
Biology is not bigotry. And I think as Christians, we need to be really, really clear. Ephesians 4.15 is kind of my go-to verse for my political theology and for how I engage in politics. That’s where Paul talks about the importance of truth and love. That’s how we’re to engage. And again, We just need to be the people that are really, really clear. Protecting children from harmful medical interventions is actually not hateful. It is loving. We need to also be the people that look and understand those who suffer from gender dysphoria, which is acute. Those who deal with this, adults and children, talk about how disorienting it can be. But we need to be clear-eyed. Eighty-five plus percent of minor children who experience some confusion about their gender at a young age, they grow out of it. And so, again, we… We are the people that believe in real medicine and real science. And because a minor child is confused, we’re not going to then rush to affirm that confusion by altering their body, by pumping them full of hormones. We want to be those full of compassion who can lead them out of that confusion, not come along and affirm that confusion. Again, truth and love, Jody. But we need to, again, say biology is not bigotry.
SPEAKER 03 :
Great statement there. All right, before I move to another topic, I introduced coming into this segment talking about the Lift Up Life Day prayer and fasting. This battle of life that continues, and you’ve got your book that I, of course, want to continue to plug, Life After Row, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. David, how important is it that we stay engaged on this fight for life, and particularly as we’re coming into next week with a national day set aside for prayer and fasting?
SPEAKER 07 :
Jody, it’s of crucial importance. This is an issue that is on the very heart of God. I did an interview earlier today. We were talking about a host of issues and the life issue came up. And I just made the point, you know, there are issues that those of us who go to church, we can agree to disagree on. There are different strategies and ways. issues that we can look at and come out on different sides. Life’s not one of them. The issue of abortion is really clearly addressed in Scripture. We have God’s revealed truth. We have Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, Luke chapter 1, verse 39 through 45. There is a thus saith the Lord. God is really, really clear on this. And if God’s clear, we ought to be clear too. And I think, yeah, next week we should celebrate God’s gracious gift and kindness and mercy to us. and the overturning of Roe v. Wade that had reigned for 49 years and had coarsened the moral conscience of this nation. But there’s so much more work to be done. Think about chemical abortion and other issues that we’re still on the front lines fighting. So I think next week on the 24th, we ought to be those who are grateful to the Lord. How ungrateful it would be to not thank Him for this good gift. But we know that there’s so much more work to still be done.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. And again, I just encourage people, you want more info on that, text the word PRAY to 67742. All right, David, if I can switch gears on you now, let’s jump overseas. There’s so much tension between Israel and Iran. All of the fighting is escalating significantly. And David, You’ve got some great points on the principles, particularly biblical Christian principles, as it relates to war, just war theory. Can you kind of elaborate some on that? What is a righteous response, if we can put it that way, that one might want to look at this type of conflict that’s taking place in Israel?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, the framework that Christians have honestly used for centuries, going back to Augustine, is called just war theory. This helps us to evaluate when a conflict, it’s just to enter a conflict and then actually the rules of engagement as well. You know, war is always tragic, Jody, and I think we need to start there. War is always tragic. But a couple of kind of criteria that Christians have used would be just cause. So self-defense would be an example of a cause. A war can be just if it’s waged by a legitimate authority, if there’s right intention and if there’s proportionality. And looking at the situation with Israel, I think obviously Israel is a legitimate authority as a nation state. And they do have the right and responsibility to protect their people. And since 1979, Iran has been calling for their destruction. And intelligence experts that I’ve watched this past week, week and a half, have said Iran was really, really close to getting the uranium enrichment that they needed for a nuclear weapon. And Israel acted on that intelligence that it’s an existential threat if Iran actually has the capability of delivering a nuclear weapon. And so I think the principles of just war, at least for the sake of Israel, make it really clear that they have to protect their people. They have just cause. And so, again, I think Christians should be praying for the Israeli people, for the prime minister. And we need to also be praying for our president over these next two years, excuse me, over the next two weeks. as President Trump also weighs potential American involvement.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I agree. And let’s also pray for the people of Iran. Yesterday, we had Dr. Harmoz Shariat on with us, who heads up the Iran Alive Ministries. And there’s a lot of people in Iran who are not at all associated with the tyrannical government there that we need to be in prayer for as well. All All right. Real quickly, our time is slipping away from us, David. But while we’re overseas, some more life news coming out of the UK is they basically have legalized abortion up until birth. They voted on that. How should Christians be praying and responding to that? And what does this say about this issue in the West here?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, Jody, this is a morally catastrophic and heartbreaking decision. Essentially, over there in England, they have a law on the books going back to 1861 that protects life. Now, subsequent legislation has allowed abortion really pretty late into a pregnancy, up to 24 weeks. And the decision they’ve made now is to simply decriminalize it. So that law is still on the books, but it’s no longer criminalized. And Jody, again, this is just… representative of the moral and spiritual decline of Europe at large, but specifically England. I think it’s clear to say that England is running on the final fumes of their Christian heritage. All I can say, Jody, is when a society begins to celebrate what God calls evil, whether that’s abortion, gender ideology, you can kind of go down the list. You go on a Romans 1 trajectory, exchanging truth for a lie. So, Christians just need to speak clearly to this in England. We need to preach the truth. We need to testify to God’s truth, and we need to remain faithful, but we need to be praying for our brothers and sisters overseas because this is morally catastrophic what’s happening.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think it’s a clarion call for the church here in the United States and around the world to step up to the plate with biblical truth and to be a prophetic voice of truth in the midst of darkness that is sweeping all around us. David Claussen, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at FRC. Always great to have you on Fridays. Thank you so much. Hope you have a great weekend. Thank you. And friends, that wraps it up. That wraps up our week. Hope you have a great weekend. We’ll see you next week right here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 16 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
