Good and bad non-disclosure agreements OCTOBER 26, 2019 PROTECTING THE CHILDREN 82-year-old Uncle Wong asks Hong Kong police: Why? TURKEY: Kicking out foreign pastors CALIFORNIA: Foster care to homelessness ARIZONA: Kissing library fines goodbye This is a ministry that is trying to actually do some good out there for the Lord when it comes to health care. — Cameron & Roanna, members since 2017 A Biblical solution to health care For the last twenty-five years, Monthly costs Samaritan Ministries members Ranges based on age, house- hold size, and membership have been sharing medical level costs while praying for and Individuals $100–$227 encouraging one another — 2 Person $200–$454 all without health insurance. 3+ People $250–$555 Faithful. Affordable. Biblical. samaritanministries.org/world (877) 578-6787 CONTENTS | October 26, 2019 • Volume 34 • Number 20 30 17 38 42 46 FEATURES DISPATCHES 5 News Analysis • Human Race 30 Stepping into the fray Quotables • Quick Takes As violent demonstrations roil Hong Kong, a bold group of volunteers is providing moral support and physical protection CULTURE for young protesters 17 Movies & TV • Books Children’s Books • Q&A • Music 38 A climate of insecurity NOTEBOOK Turkey is deporting Christian workers and church leaders, despite bowing to U.S. pressure one year ago in releasing 53 Law • Health • Religion American Pastor Andrew Brunson Lifestyle 42 Silence of the sheep VOICES Christian nonprofits and churches have adopted practices 3 Joel Belz from the for-profit world of avoiding liability, sometimes 14 Janie B. Cheaney leading to devastating outcomes 28 Mindy Belz 46 Fatherless and homeless 61 Mailbag Too many kids in the foster system end up on the streets 63 Andrée Seu Peterson once they reach adulthood 64 Marvin Olasky ON THE COVER: Uncle Wong of Protect the Children confronts police in Hong Kong; photo by Kiran Ridley Give the gift of clarity: wng.org/giftofclarity Notes from the CEO “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.” —PSALM 24:1 BIBLICALLY OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM THAT I like problems that have an obvious right or wrong solution: The answer INFORMS, EDUCATES, AND INSPIRES R is clear, I make a decision, and I’m done. Chief Content Officer Nick Eicher Trouble is, these kinds of easy problems tend never to show up. Editor in Chief Marvin Olasky Senior Editor Mindy Belz That’s frequently the case for our journalistic team at WORLD. We occa- Deputy Editor Michael Reneau Deputy Chief Content Officer J.C. Derrick sionally see simple stories, in which the options are starkly opposed, and the Magazine Editor Timothy Lamer National Editor Jamie Dean right choice is apparent. Occasionally, but not often. Digital Executive Editor Mickey McLean Life doesn’t give us many black/white, right/wrong, 2+2=4 questions. Most of life’s questions involve a lot of gray. Most of the stories WORLD covers Managing Editor Daniel James Devine Senior Reporters Emily Belz, Angela Lu Fulton, involve complexities and complications, and often the more digging we do, the Sophia Lee Reporters Leah Hickman, Charissa Koh, more complex and complicated the stories become. Harvest Prude Politics exacerbates the problem, because for most of us, and for most Story Coach Susan Olasky Senior Writers Megan Basham, Janie B. Cheaney, issues, we have only two choices. Implicitly, we recognize that no political Andrée Seu Peterson, Lynn Vincent Correspondents June Cheng, John Dawson, Juliana choice perfectly addresses all the complexities of every issue, so we use expres- Chan Erikson, Charles Horton, Mary Jackson, Arsenio Orteza, sions like “the lesser of two evils” to refer to our decision-making process. Jenny Rough, Jenny Lind Schmitt, Andrew Shaughnessy, Laura G. With complex political issues, we will almost always have to resort to that kind Singleton, Russell St. John, Jae Wasson of decision. Reviewers Sandy Barwick, Bob Brown, Jeff Koch, Marty VanDriel We get in trouble when we try to oversimplify a complex issue, whether at Mailbag Editor Les Sillars Editorial Assistants Kristin Chapman, Amy Derrick, home or in business or in our church congregations. We like to offer a definitive Mary Ruth Murdoch Art Director David Freeland “yes” or “no” on every question, but it is hardly ever that Assistant Art Director Rachel Beatty Illustrator Krieg Barrie simple. Graphic Designer Arla Eicher Of course, if it were, then we wouldn’t need to turn to Digital Production Assistant Dan Perkins God and His Word for wisdom, and we wouldn’t need Website wng.org to “forbear with one another” as we work through Managing Editor Lynde Langdon Assistant Editor Rachel Lynn Aldrich problems. Complicated questions surround the rearing Reporter Onize Ohikere of our children, the life of our churches, the focus of Correspondents Julie Borg, Kiley Crossland, Anne Walters Custer, Laura Edghill, our time and energy, and our engagement in civic Julia A. Seymour, Steve West Editorial Assistant Whitney Williams issues. All of these urge us to seek God and trust his wisdom, and to extend grace to our brothers and sisters Website wng.org/radio as they do the same. Executive Producer/Cohost Nick Eicher Managing Editor J.C. Derrick News Editor Leigh Jones Features Editor Paul Butler Dialogue Editor/Cohost Mary Reichard Reporters Kent Covington, Anna Johansen, Sarah Schweinsberg Correspondents Maria Baer, Myrna Brown, Laura Finch, Katie Gaultney, George Grant, Kim Henderson, Jill Nelson, Kevin Martin Trillia Newbell, Bonnie Pritchett, Cal Thomas, Emily Whitten [email protected] Producers Johnny Franklin, Carl Peetz (technical), Kristen Flavin (field) Listening In Warren Cole Smith, Rich Roszel HOW TO CONTACT US To become a WORLD member, give a gift membership, change address, access other Chief Executive Officer Kevin Martin Founder Joel Belz member account information, or for back issues and permission … Development Pierson Gerritsen, Debra Meissner, Andrew Belz, Sandy Barwick Email [email protected] Administration Kerrie Edwards Online wng.org/account (members) or members.wng.org (to become a member) Marketing Jonathan Woods Advertising Partnerships John Almaguer, Kyle Crimi, Phone 828.435.2981 within the U.S. or 800.951.6397 outside the U.S. Kelsey Sanders Monday–Friday (except holidays), 9 a.m.–7 p.m. ET Member Services Amanda Beddingfield Write WORLD, PO Box 20002, Asheville, NC 28802-9998 GOD’S WORLD NEWS Website wng.org/children Back issues, reprints, and permissions 828.435.2981 or [email protected] Managing Editor Rich Bishop Follow us on Twitter @WORLD_mag Design Director Rob Patete Follow us on Facebook @WORLD.Magazine WORLD JOURNALISM INSTITUTE Website worldji.com WORLD occasionally rents subscriber names to carefully screened, like-minded organizations. If you would prefer Dean Marvin Olasky Associate Dean Edward Lee Pitts not to receive these promotions, please call customer service and ask to be placed on our DO NOT RENT list. BOARD OF DIRECTORS John Weiss (chairman), William Newton (vice chairman), WORLD (ISSN 0888-157X) (USPS 763-010) is Published biweekly (24 issues) for $69.95 per year by God’s World Publications, Mariam Bell, Kevin Cusack, Peter Lillback, Howard Miller, (no mail) 12 All Souls Crescent, Asheville, NC 28803; 828.253.8063. Periodical postage paid at Asheville, NC, and additional mailing R. Albert Mohler Jr., Russell B. Pulliam, David Skeel, David Strassner, Ladeine Thompson, Raymon Thompson offices. Printed in the USA. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. © 2019 WORLD News Group. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WORLD, PO Box 20002, Asheville, NC 28802-9998. Member of the Associated Press VOICES Joel Belz Congregation B is bolder. Under the heading of “Biblical Worldview,” its leaders don’t hesi- tate to bring up subjects like abortion, care for the environment, or immigration. They may differ with one another on the applicability of specific Biblical sources, and they may not all come to exactly the same conclusions. But they believe such Bible-based teachings are available A better tone to us, even if it may take some hard work to pry them loose. The goal in this category is to equip WE CHURCH MEMBERS NEED TO LEARN TO congregants with thoughtful conclusions on a DISCUSS POLITICAL ISSUES CONSTRUCTIVELY variety of topics, so that those people can— either individually or in small-group Not since the Civil War, some thoughtful “fellowship”—take their conclusions R observers are saying, has our nation been so into the public marketplace of ideas. divided. Never so polarized. Never with so many Congregation C is even more of its citizens set so bitterly against each other. specific. It may or may not take time Since I wasn’t around back then, it’s a little and effort to equip its people in the hard for me to compare. But over the last three development of a thoughtful or four years, I’ve seen enough emotional yelling, Biblical worldview. No matter. The unrestrained table pounding, and enraged blame- leaders of Congregation C decide shifting to know that something more than for everyone which political posi- typical politics is at work. Or just look at your tions and measures ought to be calendar. There are still 13 months to go before enacted—and they rally the forces the next presidential election—but we’re going at needed to bring about such action. it as if we were in the last week of the campaign. “Vote for Proposition X,” they say. And it’s not just in the sanctuaries of elec- Congregation D takes the next toral politics that you’ll find all this ruckus. The How do we logical step by endorsing specific candidates for exchange spills over, naturally, to the news various offices. A Sunday morning pastoral media. From there, it jumps into the worlds of resist our prayer in such a church won’t just include a min- entertainment, music, and even sports.