Abraham Hamilton III, a husband, father of five wonderful children, lawyer, home-school dad, and a Bible Teacher. He now serves American Family Association as its General Counsel and Public Policy Analyst. Abraham also hosts “The Hamilton Corner” on Urban Family Talk. He has an undergraduate degree in New Testament Biblical Literature from Oral Roberts University and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Abe is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Houston Bar Association, the Texas Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. He is licensed to practice before all Louisiana State Courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Louisiana, as well as all Texas State Courts. In the legal profession, Abe served as a criminal prosecutor. He handled major felony prosecutions at the trial level. Additionally, Abraham’s ministerial focuses include Marriage, Family, Apologetics, Biblical Worldview Training, Discipleship Formation, and Preaching. Abe also hosts The Hamilton Corner on Urban Family Talk and American Family Radio at 5pm CST.

1. What led you to pursue a background in law? How have you been able to use this area of education in your ministry?

At the conclusion of my senior year in high school, my pastor in New Orleans was finishing a series on nationalized sin. He placed particular emphasis on sin becoming national policy and highlighted the Roe v. Wade decision as an example of nationalized sin.  Soon thereafter we learned issues that were developing in our own backyard locally and statewide which led our Church to begin what we now know to be a grassroots lobbying effort.

At the time, we only knew people were proposing wicked policies to our state legislators and we had to warn them about the detrimental impact it would cause to our state if our leaders violated God’s word in public policy.  My pastor led a contingent of Elders from our Church to the state capitol to warn the legislators.  I drove the 16 passenger van to and from the state capitol for this “Government Ministry.”  In so doing, I was introduced to the legislative process and God turned my heart toward law.

My legal background and training have been invaluable assets to me in the ministry in which God has called me to serve.  Constitutional study and time spent in the courtroom as a trial attorney have given me a unique perspective through which to engage the culture on the issues of the day.

2. You’ve had a tremendous impact through your current work at the Urban Family Network and American Family Association. What are some of the areas where you feel your work is making the greatest difference in the lives of others today?

My objective has been to aid the American public and the body of Christ in particular in developing and applying a Biblical worldview to the issues that arise in modern culture. I have been blessed to host a daily national radio program that airs on American Family Radio and Urban Family Talk.  I’ve also been blessed to serve as the American Family Association’s Public Policy Analyst.

Through those roles, I’ve encountered people who say, “I didn’t realize the Bible said that” or, “I never thought about it like that.”  I try to to take concepts that seem complex and communicate them to people that allow them to grasp and apply them in daily life.  It seems to be going well so far and I pray continually that the Lord would strengthen me to be faithful and effective going forward.

3. Public policy remains an important field for impacting society, yet many people are unfamiliar with how this area connects with issues of faith. Share some examples of how public policy influences our lives as followers of Christ?

A question I’m confronted with often is, “How does public policy change people’s hearts?”  To that I respond, Jesus is the ultimate heart changer.  But he has established three primary institutions to advance His Kingdom.  The first is the family.  The second is the church and the third is civil government.  Galatians 3 teaches us that the law is a “school master.”  It trains those governed by it and establishes a normalized morality standard for those under its authority.  Changes in law, or public policy, result in changes in people’s hearts over time.

Let’s consider a couple examples from recent history.  Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision in Loving v. Virginia, there was an abundance of national hostility against marriages between people of different skin shades here in America.  Following that decision, the national sentiment concerning skin shades and marriage has changed drastically.

Next, consider Roe v. Wade.  Prior to January 22, 1973, the date SCOTUS legally sanctioned in utero baby murder, there were very few people who publicly discuss abortion let alone have a political party have people mount its national convention stage to “shout” about it.  Post Roe, half of the country view it not only as a constitutionally protected right but as a moral option (however misguided they may be).

Changes in law led to changes in people’s hearts concerning issues of tremendous Biblical and moral import.  Lastly, think about President Obama’s impact on the perception of homosexual marriage and the 2015 Obergefell decision.  31 states passed legislation and/or amended their state constitutions to assert the view that marriage was the lifelong institution of one man and one woman, including California, before 2015.

President Obama’s stance on the issue and SCOTUS’ Obergefellhave moved the needle considerably to where many more people are demonstrating a willingness to “change with the times” on the issue.  Changes in law, or public policy, always produce changes in the hearts of the people governed by them over time.

4. As you broadcast and speak nationwide at events and in churches, what do you see as some of the most significant issues facing believers today? What are some ways people or churches are responding in positive ways to these issues?

Some of the most prevalent issues I see are “social justice” and human sexuality issues. I put social justice in quotation marks because the God of the Bible is a just God. He is a God of justice.  But, when we put “social” in front of justice that is a good indication that what we can expect to follow is something foreign to the justice of the Bible.  Proverbs 28:5 says, “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.”

Therefore, Christians must be vigilant and make sure that we do not attach ourselves to the latest cultural waves without a thorough Biblical examination of them because we may very well find ourselves supporting something that is staunchly opposed to God.  Case in point, the Black Lives Matter movement.  If you visit their website you’ll find listed among their “guiding principles” their commitment to “disrupt the Western–prescribed nuclear family structure” (i.e. family consisting of a father, mother and children), their commitment to “queer affirmation” and their intention to “free ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking.”  In short, the black lives matter organization has co-opted many passionately misinformed people to advocate an agenda that is overtly hostile to the Biblical teachings on human sexuality, marriage and family.

Fortunately, I am finding many Christians and churches are pushing back against this by standing unflinchingly and unwaveringly on God’s Word.  The best way to ferret out deception in cultural trends and waves is by holding them up against the light of God’s Word.  Wherever we see culture fighting against scripture we are duty bound to adhere to God’s Word against whatever the trend du jour may be.

5. As a husband and father, you seek to provide godly leadership and set a positive example for your family. What legacy do you desire to leave behind for your family and beyond when it comes to serving God?

The Lord has called all Christians to ministry.  Each of us has a role to play in fulfilling the Great Commission.  God has blessed us within the family institution with the internal ability to participate in that call.  One of the primary reasons God has given us marriage is for the establishment of godly offspring (Malachi 2:15).  When children are born, however, they don’t arrive as sanctified snuggle bunnies.  Upon their arrival, we meet (as Voddie Bauchum says) vipers in diapers.

If you doubt this, see how quickly that the little “angels” viciously declare “MINE!”  They do this with no “how to” guide on selfishness. God calls Christian parents, however, especially godly husbands, to lead their families in evangelizing and discipling the children.  The children, having become Christ followers, chart the course God lays for them as they mature and light up the darkness where God sends them.  And then they become parents in their own right, evangelizing and discipling their offspring.  The process repeats and the kingdom family expands.

More than anything, I desire that my children become passionate disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, dedicated to serving his purposes in their generation.  In a broader sense, I pray that the body of Christ at large embraces the fact the first institution God ever created is the family.  Before there were kings, before there were prophets and before their was a church, God ordained family.

Consequently, we should approach our roles as husbands, wives, fathers and mothers with the same theological commitment and Biblical fidelity we’d expect from Pastors mounting the pulpits on Sunday mornings, if not more so.  Because we will never be able to out public policy, out politic, or out Church deficiencies in the family.  If we ground our families in the truth, our nation will be grounded in the truth.

[For more about Abraham Hamilton III, visit https://www.urbanfamilytalk.com/staff/abraham-hamilton-iii.]