Barry, rest assured there is a new and vibrant generation of conservative Christians that are already engaging what are called the “Culture Wars.” I personally have never liked that phraseology. This is really a clash of world views. There is no doubt that Dr. James Dobson, Founder of Focus on the Family, has laid an important foundation. Dr. Dobson has been an ardent advocate for the family and a passionate defender of life. He has made significant contributions over the years and never wavered in his commitment to work to protect the family and the unborn — serving as a powerful voice for millions of Americans.
The fact that Dr. Dobson wants to make room for new leadership should not be viewed as a sign of weakness. Rather, it is an indicator of the intensity of the engagement and a desire for a new generation to take the lead. You have experienced first hand the training that is ongoing at Regent University, founded by Dr. Pat Robertson. You know of the capacity of these students and their desire to impact the critical issues facing their generation, including abortion. Upon graduation, these students will have a significant impact on the clash of world views. I enjoyed having you in my class at Regent and the students did as well. And, it’s also clear that we can respectfully disagree on key issues.
And let us not forget that conservatives have had significant victories. When Congress tried to push a regulatory scheme on grassroots lobbying that would have stifled the ability of ordinary citizens to petition their government for the redress of grievances, the ACLU actually agreed with us on this issue and the measure was defeated in Congress. Just two months ago, we had a unanimous victory at the Supreme Court in two cases involving displays of the Ten Commandments. All is not lost.
President Obama’s decision on the abortion issue is mobilizing those who support life on a wide variety of fronts. One of the first actions by President Obama – his decision to repeal the so-called “Mexico City Policy” which prohibited U.S. funds from going to abortion providers abroad. That was really just the beginning of a 90-day juggernaut against life. The President removed the ban on federal funding on embryonic stem cells and is now poised to remove conscience clause regulations protecting pro-life medical professionals.
And most recently, a troubling new warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.”) actually targeting pro-life supporters as a domestic terrorist concern. An outrageous characterization that we are challenging.
In response, Christians are engaging these issues in unprecedented numbers. And many of those leading the charge are in there 20 and 30’s. One example – my son, Logan and my daughter-in-law, Amanda, have launched the BeHeardProject which has attracted over 37,000 Facebook members who are mobilized for action. It’s clear that there are a growing number of people (many of them younger) who understand what’s at stake in our culture – who are committed to taking a stand on these critical issues.
Barry, the issues have been joined and get ready for an unprecedented response to the “Culture Wars.”
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