By Autumn Leva, VP of Strategy for Family Policy Alliance®
Our culture today seems obsessed with “dirty politics.” Cover-ups, power grabs, constant division and name-calling, obsessing over every poll and potential election outcome, leaders finding themselves caught up in some scandal—sadly, usually one that destroys their family. It’s almost as if the country wants to turn Netflix’s ultimate dirty politics show, “House of Cards,” into our reality.
That’s one vision for America, and there’s no sugarcoating it. That’s where we’re headed. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds exhausting. And, playing those games may win a few elections, but it’s ultimately a losing strategy.
Family Policy Alliance believes that Christ-followers can cast a different vision for America—and that we’re called to do so as Americans placed by God in the United States at this time. We believe that this different vision can not only win elections, but ultimately win what really matters from a biblical perspective.
In a “House of Cards” America, voters send brand-new elected leaders to state capitols and Washington, D.C. with no preparation—never bothering to care whether these leaders have been truly equipped to serve in the “mission field of public office” and withstand the pressures of politics.
Christ-followers can do better than that. That’s why Family Policy Alliance believes we were called to create, through our sister Foundation, the Statesmen Academy™. This Academy educates elected leaders in the practice of effective politics to carry on the fight for godly values, preparing them to maintain a biblical worldview even in public office.
In a “House of Cards” America, when these leaders are elected, we say “good luck” and leave them to figure out the ins and outs of policy and the political process for themselves—hoping they might someday do some good.
I can’t imagine a church or ministry that would send its missionaries off to the mission field without providing them ongoing support and resources. Likewise, we believe we’re called support our elected leaders serving in the ministry of public office. Family Policy Alliance and our network of state-based family policy allies provide ongoing support and lobbying at the state and federal levels. We equip politicians with the best resources available to advance good public policy on prolife issues, religious freedom, parental rights, strengthening families, and more. We testify at hearings on bills that impact families, equip legislators to understand and advocate for these issues, and alert Americans when their legislators are considering bills that relate to family policy. We believe this helps all of us work together to make each state, and our country, a better place for all.
In a “House of Cards” America, politicos sweep in a month before the election and barrage homes with an onslaught of political ads and mailers (prepare yourself for this in October)—leaving Americans confused about the facts and who they can trust.
Family Policy Alliance believes that building relationships of trust with candidates and elected leaders, as well as voters, year-round is critical. We want to earn your trust as a voter so that when we advocate for a candidate, you know that we’ve put in the effort to thoroughly vet the person we’re asking you to vote for—and why. Similarly, we want to earn the trust of elected leaders and candidates. We want them to know we will treat them fairly as men and women made in the image of God—and that we will also speak truth about the policies they stand for, the good and the bad, without apology.
And, in a “House of Cards” America, winning those elections matters only for the sake of winning. It’s the ultimate game for power where the winner becomes the new “king” until someone else can pull off a “checkmate.”
To be clear, we want to see pro-family candidates win elections—and we invest strategically to help them do that. But we believe God’s vision for a system of government that aligns with a biblical worldview is so much bigger than winning at the ballot box. You see, the true winning is what happens when good elected leaders don’t hang their hat on an election-day victory and then take a break till the next election. True winning happens when those leaders work tirelessly to pass strong prolife, pro-family, pro-religious freedom laws that build a nation where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished. Now that is what we call winning.
So, if you agree that believers can cast a better vision for America than “House of Cards,” we hope we can count on you to partner with us in this 2018 election—and year-round—to prepare, serve, minister to, and elect good leaders who will pass godly laws in your state and in D.C.
If you’d like to give to our election efforts, your elections gift will be doubled until October 1st up to $130,000!
And next week, all primary elections will be concluded across the country. This means we can report back what results you helped achieve in bringing more pro-family leaders into public service! I’ll give you a hint…just 9 people who showed up to vote in one race made a big difference for religious freedom in one state!
For winning what really matters,
Autumn Leva,
VP of Strategy
