John Stonestreet – Page 63

Kenyans Erased for Lucrative Baby Business

Jun 14, 2021John StonestreetBioethics, Life, SurrogacyCommercial Surrogacy, Life, Surrogacy

*John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center*

Recently, a reporter who went undercover to investigate the growing international commercial surrogacy industry in Kenya found that Kenya has no real laws on the books governing surrogacy. Some would-be parents, including wealthy international couples, fudge the rules to get what they want. In some cases, couples have convinced the surrogate to illegally list their names on the child’s birth certificate – which legally erases the mother from the child’s life, forever.

With one-third of Kenyans living in poverty, and the cost of surrogacy less than a third of what it cost in the United States, the situation is ripe for exploitation, corruption, and violence.

And there is no official count of the number of babies born by surrogacy in Kenya. Every one is born into a tragic situation. Even if it were just one, it’s awful. Neither babies nor poor women are bodies for sale. And every child has a right to their own mother and father.

John Cena and the House of Rock

Jun 7, 2021John StonestreetChinaChina

John Cena has built a persona, both in the wrestling ring and on the silver screen, as a tough guy. Last week, however, Cena made headlines for contritely apologizing to China for referring to Taiwan as a country. And he did it in Chinese, even.

As tempting as it is to get snarky about the whole scene, this story is about far more than one celebrity. Millions of dollars are on the line with a new Fast and Furious film, and Hollywood hasn’t been willing to criticize Beijing since Seven Years in Tibet twenty-four years ago. Beijing’s oppression of Taiwan and Hong Kong and Christians and Muslim Uyghurs has only gotten worse since then. Yet Hollywood and much of corporate America turn a blind eye, while criticizing Georgia and North Carolina.

Of course, the pressure of having to choose between your career and your convictions is very likely in the future for every Christian. As Christ warned, our faith won’t survive unless it is built on the Solid Rock.

The Population Bomb Bombs

May 24, 2021John StonestreetCulture, Current EventsCulture, Current Events, Family, Marriage

Recently, the New York Times reported that U.S. population growth is now at its second lowest rate in history. Lower birth rates devastate a country’s ability to ward off labor shortages, compete economically, and take care of its elderly.

The question is, why is this happening now?

One overlooked factor is the power of bad ideas: particularly the treatment of sex as a commodity, commitment as optional, and children as a burden. Children are often seen today as obstacles, not blessings, getting in the way of making money and satisfying our desires.

But this view misses the awesome responsibility and source of immense joy children are. Every person bears the image of God, so whenever families produce children, they mirror God to the world. Sure kids are sometimes irritating, but they’re often hilarious, and they always remind us that life isn’t about ourselves.

That’s a message a culture on the brink of a demographic crisis desperately needs to hear.