Pickin' and Clickin'
Happy New Year ! Just a quick reminder that if you're planning on filling out your permanent dividend form on-line, about 15,000 Alaskans have so far, don't forget that Alaska Family Council is a proud member of the Pick Click Give program.
It's an easy way to start your year off protecting family, faith and freedom right here in Alaska.
Let's all set aside our excuses for staying on the sidelines, saddle up, and work to make 2014 a year of renewal for Alaska and the nation.
Click HERE to fill out your PFD form now and be sure to include Alaska Family Council in your selection of valuable community assets worth investing in.
Enjoy the football and food today !
Yes We Do
Yes we do need year-end gifts.
No it's not too late to make a donation in 2013 and still get your tax deduction.
You can make a gift on-line by clicking here.
You can mail a donation to
Alaska Family Council/Action
PO Box 231425
Anchorage, AK 99523
As long as the envelope is postmarked and the check written by December 31st, 2013, you will receive your tax deduction for this year.
You can call our office in Anchorage at 907-279-2825 before 8pm tomorrow night, December 31st, and make a contribution over the phone.
However you choose to contribute, and whatever amount, although we hope you will choose your most generous year end gift, please know that we will do everything we can to stand for your values, fight for your rights and hold elected officials accountable when it comes to issues affecting life, marriage, religious liberty, school choice and parental rights - right here in Alaska.
Please know how much your support is needed and appreciated. New Year's Blessings to you and yours !
Standing for Families,
In His name!
Abounding Hope
Are you hopeful for the coming New Year ?
In Paul's letter to the Romans, he says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13.
We may not know exactly what 2014 holds but we are to be hopeful about it. From our perspective as a Christian public policy ministry seeking to transform the culture in Alaska, here are a few things we are hopeful for in the coming year -
NO MORE PUBLIC FUNDING FOR ABORTIONS
This will happen when we pass legislation that has been worked on for some time. Passage is definitely within site and we are making this once again our top priority.
PARENTS WILL HAVE MORE CHOICES IN HOW THEIR CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED
By passing SJR9, more opportunities will be created in Alaska for children to learn and thrive in. All educational environments will benefit, including public schools, when more choices are available.
STATE FOF ALASKA FUNDS WILL NO LONGER FLOW INTO THE COFFERS OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD, THE LARGEST ABORTION PROVIDER IN OUR STATE AND IN OUR COUNTRY
ALL STATE FUNDED PUBLIC LIBRARIES WILL BE REQUIRED TO INSTALL INTERNET FILTERS ON THEIR COMPUTERS TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM BEING EXPOSED TO PORNOGRAPHY AND OTHER GRAPHIC MATERIALS
Let's get these items checked off our list in 2014 ! We can strengthen families and build a better culture right here in Alaska but we need your help to do it. Now is as good a time as any for you to link arms with us financially. We need your support and covet your prayers ! Please help us represent your values and be your voice in the coming year.
Duck Dynasty and the Bigger Picture
Duck Dustup Reflects A Bigger Battle
By Jim Minnery - President - Alaska Family Action
Anchorage Daily News Compass Piece
December 27th, 2013
Phil Robertson, the ZZ Top-like, overtly Christian clan leader of the phenomenally popular television series, Duck Dynasty, has been canned. Shot down for making statements about homosexuality in a GQ Magazine interview judged by A&E, the conglomerate that oversees the show, as "disappointing" and "not reflective of the series."
In the interview, Robertson does a fair off-the-cuff rendition of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that says "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
He also takes the liberty to graphically point out why men should be attracted to women rather than other men. It's lewd but to the point.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the Duck Nation are signing on-line petitions asking for his return. On the other side, the Human Rights Commission says that to suggest that same-sex attraction is anything but normal is "dangerous." A spokesperson for a prominent gay and lesbian activist organization said that the country is changing and that Robertson needs to "get in line."
OK, let's all grab a big, tall glass of sweet tea and breathe out for a moment.
It's hard to imagine that anyone at A&E was even slightly surprised by Robertson's statement regarding sexuality. We're talking about a Bible believing, Southern religious family that cooked up squirrels and never showed the slightest inclination toward political correctness. Network executives weren't holding out hope that Uncle Si or Willie were ever going to don rainbow camouflage in future episodes.
Just five days remaining in 2013. Click HERE to see what we have planned for 2014 and Why You Should Give. Please know how important and appreciated your support is. Help us move into 2014 with stability and confidence as we seek to transform the culture right here in Alaska.
Religious Liberty Breakfast at Petroleum Club
George Washington said that "While just government protects all in their religious rights, true religion affords to government its surest support." Are people in today's American culture being asked to check their faith at their house of worship ? Are we as believers in the Holy Scriptures being prevented from engaging in the marketplace because of our deeply held convictions ? Where is all of this headed and what can we do about it ?
If you are a church leader, elder, pastor or work in a ministry, we'd be happy to buy you breakfast this coming Thursday, December 5th at 8am at the Petroleum Club in mid-town Anchorage for a conversation on religious liberty. RSVP's are encouraged as seating will be limited. Please pass this along to those you think who might be interested.
CitizenLink Interview
We were humbled recently to be featured on theCitizenLink website. Click here to read the interview that ran this past Friday.
From their website, "CitizenLink is a family advocacy organization that inspires men and women to live out biblical citizenship that transforms culture. As an affiliate of Focus on the Family, we provide resources that equip citizens to make their voices heard on critical social policy issues involving the sanctity of human life, the preservation of religious liberties and the well-being of the family as the building block of society.
We help citizens understand and passionately engage in policy issues relevant to families from a foundation firmly established in a biblical worldview. We also encourage them to participate in the democratic process in order to forge a better future for our children and our culture."
As we've mentioned previously, we are honored to be a part of an effective national network of pro-family ministries fighting for the values that you and I share. We are privileged to represent your views in the public marketplace of ideas and look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year and beyond.
"Should We Speak On Behalf of These Babies ?"
Living in a state with two radically similar U.S. Senators when it comes to issues of life, religious liberty, marriage and every other social/cultural issue, ( Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich are two peas in a pod ) its hard to imagine one of our own actually introducing a piece of legislation that protects or strengthens one of these core values.
Until we replace one or hopefully both of them, Alaskans will have to appreciate vicariously the actions of other U.S. Senators who are doing their part to impact culture in a positive way. U.S. Senators like Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Granted, Senator Graham is certainly not known as a conservative on many matters including the debt ceiling, U.S. Supreme Court appointments and ahost of other issues, but yesterday's landmark legislation he introduced that would ban abortion after 20 weeks is to be unapologetically applauded.In an article in World Magazine, one of the best sources of news you can obtain, Sen. Graham says of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that “If we can convince the American people to prevent abortions at the 20th week nothing bad is going to happen,” Graham said, anticipating the coming attacks on the bill by the pro-abortion lobby. “Good things will happen. Babies will be born that would not have made it otherwise. And only God knows who they will grow up to be.”
How refreshing to hear that kind of clarity. Is it really so bad that babies who make it to the 5th month of pregnancy get to actually live ? How many women has the pro-abortion movement found who are willing to get up and say - "My life would be better had I aborted my child". It's ridiculous.
Senator Graham went on further to say - “We are talking about a baby that science and medicine is urging the parents to talk to because they can hear you,” Graham said. “The question for us is should we remain silent as a society? Or should we speak on behalf of these babies? My answer is yes.”
The article goes on to say that "15,000 unborn children are aborted each year at 20 weeks into a pregnancy with the vast majority of those being the victim of purely elective abortions performed on healthy mothers and healthy babies."
It is very difficult to overestimate the importance of achieving victory on this legislation that passed the House in July by a vote of 228 to 196 with our own U.S Congressman Don Young supporting it.
The author of the article thinks "this likely will be a key issue in both the 2014 and 2016 elections. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, believes this bill marks one of the biggest crossroads in the abortion fight since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in 1973."
“This is an historic moment,” she said. “It won’t be easy, but it certainly will not be impossible. Real lives will be saved and real women will be protected.’”
Graham’s bill so far has 34 co-sponsors in the Senate and he's looking for more. Hey Senator Murkowski - do you think you might reconsider your longstanding opposition to - oh never mind. We know the answer.
Murkowski Needs to Hear From YOU Now !
As early as this upcoming Monday, Nov. 4, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the deceitfully named “Employment Non-Discrimination Act” also known as ENDA. Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights Campaign (HRC), this type of legislation has proven to cause discrimination, not deter it.
The bill, S. 815, is similar to Proposition 5 - an ordinance Alaska Family Action successfully defeated back in 2010 that would have created special privileges based on the subjective standards of sexual orientation and gender identity. ENDA would make it illegal for organizations with 15 or more employees to "fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual ... because of such individual's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity." The purported exemptions for faith-based organizations do not protect First Amendment freedoms.
Our friends at the Family Research Council have established a website specifically to fight ENDA. Click HERE to learn more.
The infamous Elane Photography case out of New Mexico was a direct result of policies similar to ENDA. As you may know, Elane Photography was fined almost $7,000 for declining to take photographs at a same-sex commitment ceremony because she held a biblical view of sexuality and marriage.
Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation clearly explains why people from all walks of life should oppose S. 815:
Of course, employers should respect the intrinsic dignity of all their employees. But ENDA is bad public policy. Its threats to our freedoms unite civil libertarians concerned about free speech and religious liberty, free marketers concerned about freedom of contract and government interference in the marketplace, and social conservatives concerned about marriage and culture:
- Civil Liberties. ENDA would trample fundamental civil liberties and unnecessarily impinge on Americans' right to run their businesses the way they choose. Individuals should be free to form associations and contracts according to their own values and should not be coerced into accepting the federal government's set of values.
- Free Markets. ENDA would further increase federal-government interference in labor markets, potentially discouraging job creation. It would not protect equality before the law, but create special privileges that are enforceable against private actors. It would impose liability on employers for alleged "discrimination" based on their employees' subjective, self-disclosed identities and not on their objective traits.
- Traditional Values. ENDA would further weaken the marriage culture and the ability of civil society to affirm that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and that maleness and femaleness are not arbitrary constructs but objective ways of being human. The proposed law would treat these convictions as if they were bigotry.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski unfortunately has been reliably one of the most liberal Republican U.S. Senators and has been specifically courted by the gay-activist community to support ENDA since she came out in support of same-sex marriage. She has credited the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights political group, for convincing her to vote in support of this unnecessary and harmful legislation.
Murkowski needs to hear from you right away with a respectful request to vote NO on ENDA!
- Send Senator Murkowski a short note encouraging her to vote No on S. 815.
- Call Senator Murkowski's office. Ask her to not support policies that foster religious discrimination and unfairly penalize businesses.
- Forward this email to 5 friends.
- Post our Action Alert to your Facebook page.
- Pray that Sen. Murkowski will think beyond the talking points of the ACLU and HRC. Pray for strength and support for our leaders as they cast their vote.
What is marriage?
What is marriage?
Why does marriage matter to the Government?
What are the consequences of redefining marriage?
These are questions that are driving a national debate right now in our country. Are you comfortable with the answers ?
Our friends at the Heritage Foundation have put together a downloadable brochure that provides thoughtful responses to those questions and others people in your circle of influence are struggling with right now. We encourage every Alaskan to download it, become familiar with it and share it with your family and friends.
In future e-mails, we will be providing solid Biblical responses to why marriage matters. God designed marriage as a tangible description of who He is and what He seeks to accomplish.
Let us each prayerfully equip ourselves to engage in this debate in a manner that glorifies Him.
Click HERE for the piece from Heritage Foundation and share it with those you know.
Fostering Hope
Scripture is filled with mandates for us to care for the poor, the orphaned and the needy.
But how does that play out in our everyday lives filled with work commitments, family pressures, schedules and limited resources ?
As a pro-family, pro-life ministry, we are humbled and privileged to be a part of connecting the "throw-aways" in our culture to families who desire to step up and "defend the poor and fatherless." In that light, please consider attending a forum in Anchorage this Friday, November 1st at Wayland Baptist University that will provide tangible opportunities to bring hope to the hopeless. From the Fostering Hope Forum website -
"Arrow Child and Family Foundation presents the Fostering Hope Forum to Alaska as a way of helping children and strengthening families across the state of Alaska. This one day forum is devoted to educating, promoting, resourcing and mobilizing a community of church and civic leaders, child welfare professionals, and caring families as we connect to foster hope for abused, vulnerable children and families of Alaska."
The conference will have a Church Ministry Track, a Social Services Track and and an Education Track for families already and wanting to serve children in foster care or adoption environments.
Click here for more info and to register.