Resources for pastors and values voters. Fighting For Faith, Family & Freedom Sunday, May 1, 2022 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 #31: Combatting the Easy Takedown Hello to our wonderful pastors, Kielle here, and I’m so glad to be sharing with you this month. As you well know by now, our Church Finds Its Voice Coalition member, Joan, is an expert on all things media. She’s provided profoundly helpful wisdom in so many of our Comms over the past 2 and a half years, and while she is the media guru of our small Coalition of 4, I focus more specifically on emerging media, and particularly on social media. I’ll tell you right now and with absolute certainty that the devil is on the prowl in this space, and he uses it to take down believers. It’s a swift and effective takedown, too. Social media has only been around since about 2004, but it’s exploded in popularity in that short amount of time. It’s unique because we not only rely on it for speedy updates on what our friends and family members are up to, as well as what’s happening in the news cycle at any given moment, but it allows us the platform to share that content and our own. Somewhere around 4.5 billion people use social media. That’s more than HALF the population of the planet! Not only is that number only going up, but big tech has basically been given free rein on the determination of content on their social media platforms, meaning there is a ton of nasty and negative influence being pumped into our brains multiple hours a day. Social media is easy, fast, and we can access it nearly anywhere, so why not resign to letting it be our main source of entertainment and information. The problem is…this so-easily accessed content is often distorted, explicit, offensive and has had a horrific effect on mental and emotional wellbeing of younger generations by further isolating us and setting unrealistic standards for every aspect of life. Adults are spending an average of 2 and a half hours a day on social media. Are we putting that kind of time into prayer, reading the Bible, or on the development of our faith? Our focus and our time are being consumed by misinformation and damaging ideas - and with Gen Z spending more than 8 hours a day online!!!! - the enemy has found billions of easy targets without much in the way of healthy counter tactics. The question then is, how do you, as the leaders of your church and church community, counter this permeating assault on not only our younger generations, but more than half our population? Joan shared in our last Comm #30 how you can “swerve” around the media by being a strong leader in gathering your church body physically together. There is great power in getting your congregation to look up from their phones and be reintroduced to a healthy community of believers and clear, true, biblical wisdom. Swerve, gather…. and Get In There!! Don’t be afraid to get into the social media arena to inject biblical truth into that space! It’s a critical need to combat the ways the devil is so easily trying to take us down. There are churches, pastors and faith leaders with millions of followers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok - but we need more!! So, as of just this week, we’re seeing BIG changes in the social media landscape through the historic purchase of Twitter by Tesla founder and CEO, Elon Musk, with the intention of restoring free speech to the platform. Hallelujah!! Many on the left and even employees of Twitter have expressed concern over Musk’s appreciation of free speech…but why? We know that this threatens their death grip on “their version” of the truth… a dangerous rendition that must be met with a louder response of healthy, factual information from those like YOU! It looks as if this space is slowly changing for the better, but it needs to hear from you! So get in there and offer what we know will be a hopeful, truthful and biblical counter-message to so many seekers. Always praying for you, -Kielle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And here’s a quick word from coalition member and Founder and President of Lindsey Communications, Joan Lindsey…. Good afternoon, esteemed Church leaders. I couldn’t agree with Kielle more that emerging media/ digital media has a spectacularly immense reach, and that we have a duty to use our voices within it. The sheer volume of messaging gushing digitally daily is relentlessly shaping the way we think about things so as Kielle puts it, let’s get in there and use the power of digital media to teach, to edify, and to strengthen others. -Joan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now here’s Brad Dacus, President of Pacific Justice Institute… Truth is the antidote to misinformation. We at Pacific Justice Institute are well-aware of misinformation dispersed across social media. This should not discourage you as a believer, but encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities to share the truth of the gospel through the avenues of social media. In fact, PJI has put in more effort to be present on several social media platforms to reach the upcoming generation. This next generation will be the source for advocacy for the protection and preservation of religious freedoms. Partner with PJI today by sharing with your network via social media about what PJI can do for you and your local community. For over 25 years, it has been PJI’s mission to ensure no one is left on the side of the road. Our attorneys are here and ready to help you and your congregation. Get connected with PJI today. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32 www.facebook.com/pacificjusticeinstitute www.twitter.com/pacificjustice www.instgram.com/pacificjusticeinstitute www.Hischannel.com -Brad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And an update from Faith Wins President, Chad Connelly… I’ve just come off stage from speaking in New Jersey at a conservative conference about pastor engagement. This is the 14th state I’ve spoken in this year so far, and I can echo and testify to the words you’ve just read- truth is breaking out all over. There is no doubt that Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter may be a lynchpin in this truth movement but I have to say, we’ve been watching this for months now. God is moving in our nation and His people are rising up and pushing truth out there once again. We’re planning a larger and more expansive - but laser-focused on church voter registration - American Restoration Tour with David Barton of Wallbuilders and our other partners this year. We hope you’ll join us! Watch our video to see the kind of impact we’re having and how you can get engaged! God bless, -Chad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Sermon Showcase: A Recommendation of America’s Best Historical Sermons for Your Consideration This Month.” This new resource is the addition of remarkable, historical sermons that Wallbuilders hosts on their website. Each month, we’ll be showcasing 4 sermons from the Wallbuilders archives that are historically significant and also relevant to current political and cultural events. Here is our latest Sermon Showcase: Divine Judgments upon Tyrants: And Compassion to the Oppressed. A Sermon Preached at Lexington Our Civil War as Seen from the Pulpit Topical Sermons: The Infirmities and Comforts of Old Age The Modern Emigrant or Lover of Liberty ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now where was that again? How to Hold a Voter Registration Drive Voter Registration Resources by State Ballot Gathering Training Video & Ballot Gathering Procedures Church Dos and Don’ts Five Ways Pastors Can Encourage Their Members To Vote Find My State or Local Elections Office Website Pro-bono Law Firm Contact List All Archived Past Church Finds Its Voice Comms - see attached pdf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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