Dear John,

In his letter to the church in Colossae, the apostle Paul warned the believers to "see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

It is just as relevant to you and I today as pundits and politicians vie for our attention in this critical year for our nation. But so many don't know where to turn for truth.

A recent Syracuse University study revealed the troubling reality of our media landscape: despite approximately 30 percent of Americans identifying as Republican, only 3.4 percent of American journalists share that description. In contrast, 36.4 percent identify as Democrat and 51.7 as Independent.

Those numbers represent a precipitous drop from the 25.7 percent self-identified Republican journalists when the survey was first conducted in 1971.

And before you think that this is isolated to the usual mainstream media brands, this trend is being observed at media outlets that were once conservative-leaning (such as Christianity Today, which was founded by Billy Graham in 1956).

Is it any wonder that trust in the media has reached historic lows?

Last February, a Gallup/Knight Foundation poll revealed that at least half of the survey respondents believe that national news outlets are intentionally trying to mislead and misinform the public.

The bias we witness in the mainstream media is designed to cause Bible-believing Christians to withdraw from the public square and silence themselves when it comes to sharing biblical truth. They are working overtime to make it appear as if their leftist narrative is so widespread and unanimously agreed upon that anyone who goes against their worldview is alone in their beliefs, discouraging them from speaking up.

This is far from the truth. But even if we were alone in our convictions, we won't allow them to silence us. Change can only come when we courageously stand upon the truth and live out that same truth.

That's why I was honored to be invited to give the official inaugural prayer Sunday night for Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry's inauguration, where I was not ashamed to pray:

"Father, we thank You for today. We thank You that we can approach Your throne of grace because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We're grateful to You, Almighty God, for the civil, political, economic, and religious liberties we enjoy. In desiring to protect individual rights to life, liberty, and property, we recognize today that these are not political rights or ideals that emanate from government, but spiritual blessings that You have granted which we must nurture and protect by acknowledging and yielding to Your divine authority and truth."

You can watch the full prayer here.

You and I both know the media will cry "Christian Nationalism" at this. But I stand by every word I prayed. And while we do not seek to cause offense to anyone, I cannot help if people are offended by biblical truth.

As Peter responded in Acts 5 to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, "We must obey God rather than man." (v. 29)

We must be bold for the truth, no matter the cost. But when you can't trust mainstream media to tell you what is really going on, where can Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservatives (SAGE Cons) like you turn?

FRC is committed to not just identifying problems but creating solutions.

We are providing biblically based analysis on the hottest issues affecting your faith, family, and freedom today through our multi-media strategy.

With FRC you can:

• Get your news and insightful commentary every morning from The Washington Stand.
• Tune in every weekday afternoon to hear from elected officials, ministry leaders, and newsmakers from across the country on our radio and television program, Washington Watch.
• Take a deeper dive into difficult topics with host Joseph Backholm and guests as they examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians should respond through our weekly Outstanding podcast.
  
• Join thousands of other concerned believers in person or online for our national broadcasts like the Pray Vote Stand Summit where you will be encouraged and equipped to make a difference in your sphere of influence.

Will you partner with FRC to amplify our voice for biblical values in the public square so we can reach more Americans?

Every one of these initiatives -- in fact, everything we do at FRC -- is rooted and grounded in the eternal truths of Scripture.

Jesus said in John 8:32 "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The first and most important thing any of us can do is to spend time reading and studying the Bible.

That's why FRC has created our Stand on the Word chronological Bible reading program. We're only 1 week into the New Year, so now is the perfect time to sign up to commit to journeying with us through the Bible and invite others to join along.

At frc.org/Bible, you'll find my video devotionals, reflection and discussion questions, and an opportunity to order the new Stand on the Word journal to complement your daily readings.

As lies and confusion run rampant this year, we must not be disheartened or give up hope. This is our opportunity to shine the light for those who are lost in our darkening culture.

Thank you for partnering with us in this critical time for our nation.

Your contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.