Three Challenges We Will Face in 2019
How Hope and Truth will win in the new year – with your help!
Happy 2019! You are quite certainly being bombarded with requests to create new resolutions. Tis’ the season to pledge to make your life better.
Our approach to 2019 isn’t as much about resolving for change as it is about recognizing the challenges in front of us and confidently confronting those obstacles directly. We understand the realities of living in a fallen world, yet as believers we can have hope and confidence to face those realities by speaking truth and love. That’s what we will be doing in 2019.
As we look into the new year, here are some challenges we anticipate – and what we can all do to overcome them:
1. Students at public universities and even younger kids will face persecution for their beliefs. You may remember what happened last year at the University of California at Berkeley where conservative student Isabella Chow was harassed on campus after expressing her views. Our children aren’t immune, either. For years, a Wisconsin-based atheist groups has been attacking small schools in other states by trying to prevent prayer. This type of suppression of conservative thought will unfortunately continue and perhaps expand in 2019, but there are many conservatives who are energized and ready to support religious freedom and freedom of speech. Family Policy Alliance® worked to create a new policy clarifying that students and teachers have the right to pray at school.
Here’s what else we are doing:
- In 2019, we will continue to advance religious freedom for students and teachers by advocating for this new policy at state capitols. Wouldn’t you agree that we need more prayer in schools, not less?
2. Doctors and other medical professionals will face rules that will require them to provide services against their religious beliefs – and even their professional judgments. We’re seeing our own country impose rules and regulations for doctors that may go against their religious beliefs, especially those that require medical professionals to provide abortion services.
Here’s what we are doing:
- We will continue to work with the states to advance religious freedom for medical professionals so that doctors, nurses, insurance providers and others are free from being forced to provide abortions and drugs that can cause abortions.
- We are working with our ministry partners on the federal and state level to ensure government intrusion into medical decisions for children don’t gain a foothold in our country.
- In 2019, we will continue to work with states to ensure that parents have the right to know about and consent to their minor child’s abortion.
3. Faith-based adoption agencies will face additional scrutiny for their pro-family positions. Kansas and Oklahoma led the nation in helping children find forever homes and protecting religious freedom in 2018 by ensuring that faith-based adoption agencies are free to serve birthmoms and children in their states. Check out this video to see why Faith-based Adoption Agencies matter.
Here’s what we are doing to help them:
- In 2019, we will work with believers in those states to ensure that newly elected politicians don’t undo those protections, especially in Kansas where a liberal governor has pledged to do just that. Stay tuned: We are also helping new states looking to pass protections for faith-based adoption agencies in 2019.
Family Policy Alliance exists to bring light to every aspect of these issues as we develop honest ways to engage our leaders and ensure your religious freedom remains intact. We’re thankful for what you did to stand up for these issues in 2018. As we approach another round of state legislative sessions beginning this month, we hope you will partner with us in speaking truth in love – and holding our elected leaders accountable to do the same.
