Resources for pastors and values voters. Saturday, July 3, 2021 To: Friends & Supporters From: Gary Bauer Friends, the challenges we face are enormous. To defend our values, we are partnering with various allies, including Lindsey Communications, The Lindsey Foundation, Faith Wins and the Pacific Justice Institute to empower the resurgence of the Church vote. Below is their latest alert. Please share the resources included here with your church leaders and fellow worshippers. – Gary The Church Finds Its Voice A Coalition of Lindsey Communications, The Lindsey Foundation, Faith Wins and the Pacific Justice Institute to Empower the Resurgence of the Church Vote! Comm #21: You’re A Ringer! Good afternoon to you, respected Church leaders. Joan here, and I am wishing you a very Happy Independence Day, as well, as it's coming right up. Two hundred and forty-five years - an amazing length of time for any country to succeed under just one, same Constitution, but we've done it. We've done that very exactly, and we still, to this day, expend enormous amounts of effort to exactly decide how best to stick to that document. Our Declaration of Independence goes hand in glove with our Constitution so that both are closely followed. Both were written by human men, but praying human men. They asked God to help them every day they wrote, and when they were done, they recorded in their journals, letters, and notes how closely they had felt God's very presence guiding them. Our Constitution - every word of it - is sourced from the Bible. The men who wrote it knew scripture, really, really knew it. A couple of them had read the Bible all the way through by age four! All of them were men of deep, strong faith and used scripture, not human reasoning, to guide their thinking. They were very aware of how flawed human reason can be, so they specifically wrote that our new nation would be guided by the laws of nature and of nature's God. The laws of nature are what God instituted when He made the creation. These laws are good for all time, and they're to be followed by all people all over the world. They are certain and true. The laws of nature supersede our biased, swayed reason, so we defer to them. Nature's God is the expression of what He wants us to do, put into Scripture for us to know. There's no such thing as the 'divine right of kings' for us here in America. Human kings make human mistakes and are pushed about by biases. America's independence was declared for all the world to read, so all mankind would know we were going to be under God. And it's gone well, very well. Think of all these years of favor we've had!! But we forget, and we just mustn't forget. We must remember who we are. We are a Christian nation with our guiding documents in step with nature's law, and nature's God. It's so awesome, and we can be immensely proud of it. Proudly ringing out with boldness and joy to tell our story once again - to our families, to our churches, throughout our country. Just as a sports team has its 'ringer' (its best player), YOU are our country's ringers. You're our best team members using your voice to ring out freedom; both the freedom to be found in Christ, as well as the freedom here in America. If Americans are not an example to the world of the life with Christ, how can we be any kind of witness? Why would anyone want what we have? And yet America’s true story, true history, and true focus has always been the laws of nature and of nature's God, which we follow and then present our joy and freedom to the eyes of the world. Dear friends, I believe our Church is in revival. Our voice is not just louder, it's truer and surer than it was. In God we trust as we help freedom ring!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As we approach the 4th of July with this remarkable history in mind, here is Brad Dacus, coalition member and President of the Pacific Justice Institute, with his top 4 freedom of speech reminders he wants to provide you with, so that you can be letting them ring! 1. Freedom of speech is the God-given right of every American Thomas Jefferson once said, "Reason and free inquiry are the only effective agents against error." When free speech decreases the amount of error and deception increases. This is why Jesus spoke so many times about truth and error. Truth is God's gift to freedom loving people, and it is not a benevolent gift that can be given or removed at the whims of whoever happens to be the ruling class. The freedom of lawful expression for every American is guaranteed and given by our Creator and no one can mute that right. So regardless of how the government sees the matter of free speech, it is our sovereign privilege and we must treat it as such. 2. Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of the Constitution If the Constitution is the foundation of our democracy, then free speech is the cornerstone upon which all of our liberties rest. Without the freedom of speech, all the other freedoms provided by our founders will be quickly erased. Independence thrives in a free market where ideas are being shared and prosperity is always linked to the freedom of expression. If free speech succeeds in our country then we as a country succeed, but if the government and big tech clamp down on this crucial liberty every other liberty will be at risk. Someone once said, "Those who can control words can control the world." Obviously, there are natural consequences to anything that is said and those consequences should be weighed, but there is a greater consequence to hindering free speech in order to try not to offend. 3. Freedom of speech is preserved through open expression The only thing that can ever preserve free speech is more speech. The more debate and open discussion in our country the less fear and silence will be the norm. Our voice online and in our communities is the key to preserving this First Amendment right. Our current government and big tech are no doubt infringing and censoring free speech, but the greatest threat to free speech is always the self-censorship of free people. Free speech will only be free the more we choose to use it. So, SPEAK COURAGEOUSLY and inspire confidence in others to be thought leaders - leading where God has given them influence. 4. Freedom of speech prevails in the unified pursuit of its protection Benjamin Franklin was relentless in his pursuit to protect free speech, and he would always warn, "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." In an era of misinformation, we all must be committed to standing up and making our voice heard when any public or private entity chooses the "abridging of free speech." The phrase, "we the people" is still the most powerful phrase in our founding documents, but we must stand together to make our voice heard. Organizations like Pacific Justice Institute are enabling and standing with those who are courageous enough to speak up and stand for the freedoms that make this country great. Pastors and faith leaders must have a voice and the confidence to know that the legal right to lawful expression - that right can and will be defended at any cost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chad Connelly with you now, President and Founder of Faith Wins, sharing his top 4, most inspirational stories of powerhouse ringers: There is no doubt that these are critical times for our nation. I'm not sure that we're not at another 1776 fight for Independence or 1944 D-Day type of turning point for America. Like those times, our nation NEEDS people to stand for truth. The very idea of "truth" is under assault -- movements to abolish American history and monuments, insane ideas like "defund the police," out of control government overreach and limitless spending -- it all makes our heads spin! We need more leaders who are willing to stand and be the 'ringer' of the bell calling for a stand! We as believers know we’re in a spiritual fight -- it is playing out before our very eyes, but there are ringers who are standing. I have had the great pleasure of watching pastors we're working with catch the vision of a fully engaged Church -- being salt and light and becoming the 3/3 pastor that my buddy Pastor Billy Ingram describes. Pastor Ingram told me last fall, "Chad, until I heard you guys speak about the importance of engaging in this culture and at this time, I was a committed 2/3 pastor. God created 3 institutions: the family, the Church, and civil government. I had ignored the third one of those -- but not any more." Since then, Pastor Billy had 38 people from his church get involved in the local county party and take leadership roles in two separate county party teams! Not only is his church conducting voter registration drives, Pastor Billy is actively engaging other pastors in Georgia to take up the bell and start ringing for freedom too! I met Pastor Brian Gibson of Kentucky by watching him on TV interviews. Pastor Brian recognized early that the shutdowns were not only punitive and discriminatory against churches, but definitely were unconstitutional at best and maybe even unnecessary at all! He formed a group called www.peaceablygather.com where he rallies other pastors to stand up against government overreach and tyranny! We met this past week in person at the National Religious Broadcaster's convention in Dallas to discuss Faith Wins and our efforts to encourage pastors. We hit it off immediately and Pastor Gibson will be partnering with Faith Wins as we move ahead to spread the word that church is always ESSENTIAL and that it is crucial that pastors take their leadership roles in our nation with total commitment to truth. Pastor Tom Alvis has been a friend for some time. He had always done his part in ministry and in the Central Virginia area communities as a pastor leader. He had even participated in local party politics and gone to a state convention or two. This year, with all of the attention on Virginia as one of only two states with statewide elections, Faith Wins has been very active and we worked to get pastors to put Christians into the process for the selection of candidates of the party they chose. Pastor Alvis took a major role in helping get almost 600 CHRISTIANS to participate in Virginia's unassembled convention in early May. Four years ago, Pastor Alvis was one of TWO people he knew of in churches to become involved at that level and this year, he helped get nearly 600, or almost 9.5% of the total turnout, to come to a statewide convention and vote for candidates that most clearly aligned with a Biblical worldview. He's a ringer! Finally, and I suppose I could tell these stories all day long, but Pastor Dom Burkhard, of Swarz Creek, Michigan, deserves notice! Dom took the energy he gained from our work and the imprint on his heart by God's conviction that it was time he led other pastors to engage in voter registration and in connecting with state representatives and senators in his home state of Michigan. Dom formed a group there called 121 Capitol Connection -- a Christ-centered ministry reaching the people who influence policy and legislation. The mission of 121 Capitol Connection is to provide prayer support, encouragement, and the light of the gospel to Michigan State Government officials. Dom realized that in I Timothy 2:1-2, the Bible commands Christians to avidly pray for their government officials to the end that (v2) we can live out our godly life in freedom and peace, and (v4) God can work to save souls. Our desire is to see the power of the love of Christ and His gospel making a difference in our state Capitol for eternity. Dom's a modern-day ringer too and he's doing his part to bring along other pastor leaders in his community and state. I appreciate all of these guys! I could list dozens and maybe hundreds more. Honestly, I believe there is an awakening going on -- that we as Christians CANNOT be silent in the face of the nonsense we’re witnessing in our nation. I have been utterly amazed at the response. Yes, very RARELY, I'll have the normal negative Norman who tells me what one pastor actually said the other day, "You know Chad, people are just tired – they're tired of COVID, the elections, the unrest and protests and they just don't want to come to meetings about how they need to engage more." I respectfully told him that those things ARE THE REASONS we must engage. I used the Apostle Paul's life example of hardship and setbacks in the midst of writing the majority of the New Testament to let him know that those things demonstrate exactly why we need to stand. At the same time, I'm watching organic uprisings of parents and teachers who are saying "NO" to the governmental push for a Marxist theory in our schools and watching normal, tax-paying, God-fearing Americans taking a stand for truth. Summit Ministries just commissioned a poll that you'll like. Here are the takeaways: 82% of Americans say freedom of religion is important to a healthy American society, only 9% say it is not important. Only 20% of Americans say churches and faith-based charities should be required by law to hire people who oppose their religious beliefs. This is outstanding! Eighty two percent of Americans know that religious freedom is foundational to America! Boy, that's a far cry from what the mainstream press tell us and what some government officials believe, huh?? This tells me that the press and the left are totally out of touch, once again, with Americans. Here's a 6-min Newsmax clip about it from Chris Salcedo's Tuesday show. Take heart, people are standing! They just need leadership. This is our time...we aren't having to cross the frozen Delaware River or march with no shoes in the frozen tundra to attack Trenton at Christmas in 1776, and we're not having to face the withering fire of the German guns on the beaches of Normandy, we just need to vote. And make sure our churches hold voter registrations and that 100% of the people in our churches vote. That's it. Take a stand. This is OUR time. It's our turn! God Bless you and I sure hope you'll join us on our 30+ city tour with American historian David Barton this fall to learn why America is so special and worth fighting for! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello amazing pastor friends! What encouraging stories of faith leaders and pastors standing up as Ringers, letting their voices be heard, and making a tidal wave of difference for the Kingdom of God. We know that you and your most important voices are making such an impactful difference right now...we see the ripple effects and are amazed! I am most hopeful to see some of you later this year, as we take our remarkable national treasure, David Barton, around the country to speak. What a phenomenal resource he is! I could listen to him speak all day. His wealth of knowledge about our nation's Christian founding and heritage is astonishing, and the way he presents that history captures our attention in ways that very few can. In an age when we are overwhelmed with available resources and information, and the opposition twists the truth on a daily basis, isn't it nice to have such wonderful, sure, go-to instruction at hand? Sometimes I have to remind myself to take a step back from the sea of articles, books, tweets and posts that are available today - all sharing wildly differing opinions, and very often stretching, twisting, and manipulating what is actually true - and refocus on those real, go-to resources. I thank God all the time that He left us the ultimate resource with the right answer every time on every issue - the Bible! - the go-to power tool for you, the faith leaders and "ringers" of our time. What else do we need to let our voices ring loudly with actual, biblical TRUTH; truth that cuts through the noise of deception and arms God's people with just what they need to be warriors for Christ in a time when they are needed most. Thank you for your voice that shares that truth and for your steadfast commitment to letting it ring! -Kielle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We stand with you and are praying for you! -Joan, Brad, Chad and Kielle - Your Church Finds Its Voice Leadership *Please share and forward on to your networks! Contact Us: Chad Connelly President, Faith Wins [email protected] To read more about Church Do’s and Don’ts and for an expanded list of resources and contacts to call for help, please visit: [link removed] Brad Dacus President, Pacific Justice Institute [email protected] Joan Holt Lindsey Founder and President, Lindsey Communications [email protected] Kielle C. Horton President, the Lindsey Foundation [email protected] MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION NOW As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. 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