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Welcome to the Family Beacon, your source for news and commentary on life, family, and religious freedom in Minnesota and beyond! 

• Watch or listen to this week's podcast! 
• Minnesota Leadership Forum December 15th - Get Tickets NOW!
• Blog: Attorney General Ellison Targets Christian Colleges and Universities
• Al Mohler: Are We Witnessing the Dismantling of Conservatism? Why the Term ‘LGBT Conservative’ is an Oxymoron
• Prayer Rally to END Abortion (November 18)
• GiveMN Makes it Easy to Support Our Work!

One quick note: If you have friends and family who want to get pro-life, pro-family Minnesota news every week, click to get a shareable link so they can sign up.

Minnesota Leadership Forum, December 15th - Get Tickets Now!

Tickets are NOW AVAILABLE for our gubernatorial debate on December 15th! Get your seats now!

Join Minnesota Family Council, and cosponsors AM1280 The Patriot, Freedom Club, and Alpha News, for the Minnesota Leadership Forum, an evening with conservative candidates for Governor of Minnesota.

Moderated by national radio talk show host and author Hugh Hewitt, the evening will allow the candidates to highlight where they stand on issues that matter to pro-life, pro-family, and pro-freedom voters.

All of the candidates will be on stage together for a forum with Hugh and Minnesota Family Council CEO John Helmberger, and Alpha News Managing Editor Kyle Hooten, in the beautiful environs of the Performing Arts Center at Providence Academy in Plymouth. We'll ask these candidates the tough questions that matter to conservative voters.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Senator Michelle Benson, Doctor Scott Jensen, Senator Paul Gazelka, and Doctor Neil Shah all on the same stage as they speak on why they deserve your support at the February caucuses. A straw poll will be conducted at the forum.

WHEN: December 15, 2021. Doors Open 6 PM. Forum Begins 6:30 PM. 

Private VIP Reception Before Forum - 5:15 PM - 6:15 PM. Appetizers will be served 

Attorney General Ellison Targets Christian Colleges and Universities

Last week Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined 18 other attorneys general in asking a federal court to remove religious freedom protections for colleges and universities. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the attorneys general urge the court to rule against Christian colleges and universities in the case Hunter v. U.S. Department of Education. The lawsuit is seeking to strip religious colleges and universities of funding for holding to Biblical beliefs on marriage and sexuality. As Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, put it, this lawsuit “is a deliberate effort by a major means of coercion to bring an end to institutions of Christian conviction, that operate as colleges and universities and seminaries.”  

Although the case focuses on Christian colleges and universities, initially, the only defendant in the case was the Department of Education. By suing the Department of Education, the lawsuit would have been able to target religious institutions without giving them an opportunity to speak in their own defense. This was especially concerning given the federal government’s reluctance to come to the defense of religious freedom.  

In June, the Department of Justice initially promised to defend the religious freedom of the schools in question but quickly walked that back when LGBT activists complained. Within 24-hours, the Department of Justice amended their filing to say that they would offer an “adequate” defense of religious freedom, in contrast with their earlier statement promising a “vigorous” defense. It also removed its initial statement that the Department of Education and religious colleges and universities “share the same ultimate objective, … namely, to uphold the Religious Exemption as it is currently applied.” Given the Justice Department’s unwillingness to commit to meaningful religious freedom protections, the importance of allowing the schools to step in and come to their own defense was clear.  

Thankfully, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, as well as three Christian colleges represented by Alliance Defending Freedom have been allowed to intervene and will be representing the concerns of religious colleges and universities in the case.   

Are We Witnessing the Dismantling of Conservatism? Why the Term ‘LGBT Conservative’ is an Oxymoron (Albert Mohler - The Briefing)

Via Albert Mohler - The Briefing

The news story was reported as if it should make perfect sense. Fox News was reporting the story about what was described as a political happening. A newsworthy political happening, but actually I'm going to argue that this political event was actually a moral earthquake. It was disguised as a social celebration. It was reported as a political event. When did it happen? Just a matter of last weekend. Where did it happen? It happened at the home of the 45th President of the United States and the former First Lady. It was held at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Who was there? Well, for one thing, the group known as the Log Cabin Republicans, that is an LGBTQ action group within the Republican Party, or at least organized by Republicans in order to influence the Republican Party.

Who else was there? Well members of the Republican Party leadership, including the head of the Republican National Committee. Who else was there? The former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump and the former First Lady, Melania Trump, who as it turned out was one of the honorees of the evening. But even as Fox News reported the story, we were told that a high profile group of attendees was present there in order to establish a new beachhead for outreach to the LGBTQ community on the part of Republicans. The event was advertised as the Spirit of Lincoln Gala. Now you'll notice Lincoln Log Cabin Republicans. The claim here is astoundingly enough that the party of Abraham Lincoln would be an inclusive party, particularly when it comes to LGBTQ identity and that political intersection of sexual identity and identity politics.

But my point is this. Even as this was built as a political event, a turning point perhaps in the history of the Republican Party, even as Mrs. Trump was honored as someone who has given advance and encouragement to the LGBTQ community within the Republican Party, the spirit of Lincoln Gala really does represent a moral transformation. As I said, a milestone in the death of American conservatism. My argument comes down to this. You can have one or the other. You can have conservatism, or you can have the LGBTQ revolution. You can't have both. We're going to talk about why that is the case. And we're going to talk about why the phrase gay conservative or LGBTQ conservative is actually an inconsistency. It's an oxymoron. You can't to push the LGBTQ issues and actually be in any legitimate sense, a conservative. I want to explain why.

Now remember the central purpose of the Log Cabin Republicans is to advance the LGBTQ movement within the Republican Party. RNC Pride was launched over the weekend. That's Republican National Committee Pride as a coalition "partnering with the Log Cabin Republicans to invest and mobilize LGBTQ communities ahead of the 2022 midterm elections." The head of the Log Cabin Republicans, President Charles Moran told Fox News, "When LGBT conservatives are included in Republican campaigns, we win." Well, there's the phrase of our concern, "LGBT conservatives."

Prayer Rally to END Abortion - November 18

GiveMN is an amazing way to support Minnesota Family Institute. You have a chance to help us meet our fundraising goal by November 18 by clicking GIVE NOW below!

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For life, family, and religious freedom,