Daly Focus Blog
Are you feeling jaded about the election in just two weeks? No doubt this has been one of the ugliest and most peculiar political seasons any of us have witnessed. Some of you may even be thinking of not casting a vote on Nov. 8.
I hope to change your mind.
Even when our choices aren’t as clear as we’d like, elections are a God-given opportunity. Asked whether God’s people should pay taxes to a pagan, corrupt government, Jesus referenced a Roman coin.
Many of my conservative friends don’t see eye-to-eye on this year’s election, and I suspect I’m not alone.
Scroll through social media, go to churches across the country – goodness, go to a family dinner table! – and you might see good, sincere Christians with differing opinions on who to elect for president and how to think through the voting process.
For some evangelicals, it might be the first time they’ve faced this level of disagreement with their family or church community over a presidential election.
Earlier this week the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – the group that oversees about 460,000 student-athletes and more than 1,000 colleges and universities – announced it was relocating “all seven previously awarded championship events from North Carolina for the 2016-2017 academic year” due to its commitment to “fairness and inclusion” over the state’s bathroom bill.
The moving is sweeping in its scope, though not surprising given our culture’s desire to be viewed by the world as “inclusive” – not “homophobic.”
But the NCAA’s move is intellectually perplexing.
“Politics is nothing but an expression of culture, so if politics is sick, it’s because the culture is sick.”
That astute observation was from the late Chuck Colson from a broadcast we aired a few weeks ago. President James Garfield shared a similar concern in 1876 when he said, “The people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it’s because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption.”
In a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” our leadership is ultimately a mirror reflection of the culture that elects them.
A few months ago, I asked American Christians to urge the State Department to help Middle East Christians under persecution. I did so because the situation there is dire. As I wrote:
“[ISIS] has made clear its intentions to terrorize, kill and destroy anyone who doesn’t adhere to the tenets of Islamic fundamentalism.
“Christians remain a key target of ISIS. The widespread and vicious persecution of believers in Iraq and Syria, is tragedy of staggering proportions… Christians who refuse to renounce their faith face almost unimaginable consequences—kidnapping, rape, torture, and slavery for those who survive.
Buckle up, everyone, the final stretch of election season is just around the corner.
I’ve talked to a lot of people recently who are feeling apathetic about our nation’s political situation. Enthusiasm for either presidential candidate is virtually non-existent, and the battle for morality has been waging in our country for decades. A lot of people are just plain tired.
Some of us may even be tempted to stay home instead of voting this fall. While I can understand the growing sense of “political fatigue” gripping so many, I want to challenge you not to do that.
It was 2008 when my state of Colorado passed what local media dubbed a “bathroom bill.”
In the days and weeks leading up to then Gov. Bill Ritter’s signing of the controversial bill, many people were incredulous when Focus on the Family warned the bill would open bathrooms and locker rooms to the opposite sex.
“The claims that are made in this campaign are not based in fact. They are based in fear,” Gov. Ritter’s spokesperson had said.
Friends: This is the statement we sent out to the media today. Please continue to pray for our country. -JD
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Focus on the Family Responds to SCOTUS’ Hellerstedt Decision
“The Supreme Court rejected… commonsense regulations prompted by ghastly history of Kermit Gosnell’s abortion activities. Making all surgery as safe as possible for women is common sense and pro-woman.”
Colorado Springs, Colo. – Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family, released the following statement today in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Whole Woman’s Health v.
I first blogged about marijuana back in January 2014, when Colorado became the first state to open its doors to the commercial sale of recreational marijuana. (Since then, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon have followed suit.)
The changes in drug policy came after years of lobbying and campaigning by a group of committed activists who compared marijuana to alcohol. They also promised voters many benefits for our communities, like more efficient use of law enforcement and judicial resources; increased revenue for our schools and infrastructure; and an improvement to public health and safety.
Last week’s controversial directive by the Obama Administration to the nation’s public schools and colleges has understandably shocked many parents and students.
In fact, according to a new Rasmussen poll earlier this week, 55 percent of parents with elementary and secondary school age children oppose it while 32 percent support it; 16 percent are undecided.
As I said in my media statement Friday, the move to open up restrooms and showers to gender-confused students undermines parental rights and politicizes our kids’ education.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
