is looking for

VOLUNTEERS

to help with the recall elections

and this fall’s elections!

WE NEED YOUR HELP to:

• IDENTIFY
• EDUCATE
• MOBILIZE

pro-family, pro-life, pro-freedom 

Wisconsin voters to vote their values in these elections.

Email joegelhoff@new.rr.com or call 866-849-2535 for details!

These words spoken by Evangelist Billy Graham dive deep into the heart and guide us to embrace what we cannot fully understand – the ”forever” impact of a mother’s role in the lives of her children.

In a world that has eroded the intimate God-ordained role of motherhood, anything less than the Christian eye cannot see what God has revealed through His Word, that being the ability to mold, influence, and shape the heart of a future generation, another culture of people.

Oftentimes, we look to Proverbs 31 to get a glimpse of God’s heart regarding the role of a mother.  His eye does not see a woman for her outward beauty.  Personal characteristics are cast aside for greater attributes with a Kingdom viewpoint. Strength and honor surpass fashion and outward appearances, wisdom and instruction carry more weight than wealth and possessions.

A mother’s worth is not found in a secular position, but in Christ Himself.  She may not be recognized by the world around her as the overflowing resource of Christ’s love, but her children and her husband are the recipients of this knowledge and recognize her as the cornerstone of the home.  A mother lays down her life for her family and has given more than any workplace could ever demand, reaping a reward larger than any company paycheck.

We have witnessed the ramifications of homes devoid of a mother.  Divorce and abandonment have taken their toll and the struggle for balance in the home remains skewed as a mother’s role simply cannot be replaced.  God has implemented an order for families that maintains a husband/wife relationship, calling upon a mother to fulfill a very specific role.

It is often a mother’s faith that sets the foundation of her children’s beliefs. It is the mother who holds the hearts of her children in her hands and her heart.  It is the mother who is the refuge, strength and blessing of her home.  She is the encourager, teacher, caregiver, and example. This noble calling cannot be cast aside as a commodity to be replaced.  As Christians, we see motherhood as part of God’s perfect plan for families.

Proverbs 31:10 begins with a question “Who can find a virtuous woman?”  If that virtuous woman is someone you recognize in your life, lavish her with the praise and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.  She may be found in your own mother (biological or adoptive) or grandmother, an aunt, a widow, or a neighbor.  Her calling is high, her gifts are great, her role is generational.

Here’s what I told her: “I completely understand. However, our ‘getting sick of it’ and getting angry to the point of doing nothing doesn’t change the reality of what we are facing. What can help change the reality is our getting involved.  At a minimum, we have to vote and vote our Christian values.”  She looked at me, silent for a moment, and then said, “You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. I’m so tired of it all, I just wasn’t going to vote, but I now realize I have to vote.”

I think this lady expressed what many of us are experiencing right now.  But I cannot state strongly enough that now is not the time to sit on the sidelines angry.  Now is the time to stand strong and make a difference.

That said, here’s fair warning: It’s now one month until Wisconsin’s unprecedented general recall elections on Tuesday, June 5. I am deeply concerned about these elections and what they mean for the future of our state and our nation.  Therefore, I am going to devote the next four commentaries to these elections, with each week taking a different emphasis.

We’re starting this week with the role of churches and pastors. Simply put, it is extremely important that Wisconsin’s churches and pastors take a few actions that are perfectly legal and would be very helpful in educating and encouraging their people as we move toward the election.

First, pastors and church leaders need to realize that the outcome of any election affects them. Depending on who wins the recall elections could mean a real difference in how much religious freedom we have in this states, how clergy are treated under the law, what kinds of fees churches are required to pay, and more. It could also make a difference in how much money the church brings in through its families. Tough economic times for families mean tough economic times for churches, as giving drops because of reduced family incomes or lost jobs.  To think that churches are not affected by elections is very short-sighted.

Second, pastors and church leaders should provide educational voter information to their members and friends so that they know who the candidates are and the positions of the candidates on important, relevant issues.  Wisconsin Family Council has long provided such voter information publications to churches in this state and will be doing so again for the June 5 recall election.  Such publications are non-partisan, unbiased, and are strictly educational. They don’t favor one candidate over another and they don’t tell people who they should vote for. They present information so that the reader can make up his or her own mind and then go cast a knowledgeable and responsible vote.

Beyond just putting such educational voter information on a literature table, pastors should make a point of letting people know it’s available, where it’s available and encourage people to pick up a copy. Or, better yet, put the information in bulletins as inserts.  This is all perfectly legal and more importantly is a part of a church ministering to its people and helping them prepare to exercise their civic duty.

Lastly, pastors and church leaders should make pointed “go vote” announcements from the pulpit, especially the Sunday before the election. Pointed pastoral reminders of our civic responsibility as Christians go a long way in motivating people to take time to vote. Encouraging people to vote their Christian values is also appropriate and entirely legal.  Our values matter—greatly—and those values need to be reflected in the votes we cast.

The above is not political—not in any way. It is about churches, pastors and general church leadership being involved with their government, the government God has ordained for this state and this country. It’s about the spiritual authorities in our lives appropriately encouraging us and helping us to be salt and light in every area of our lives, even in these frustrating recall elections.

If Wisconsin Family Council can help you with information or voter education material as we approach the June 5 recall elections, call us at 888-378-7395.  We stand ready to do everything we can to help churches and pastors help their people make a real difference, to turn anger and frustration into purposeful action.

So, is anyone else a bit distracted by the pink shoes, pink arm bands, and hats with pink stripes that our World Champion Green Bay Packers and other NFL teams are wearing this month?  What’s sad is that I’m sure a majority of the players and the management don’t really know what they are supporting when they’re sporting pink all October.

All of this pink display is sponsored and promoted by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, an organization that has made its fame and fortune in promoting finding a cure for and ostensibly preventing breast cancer.  Lest anyone think I am against finding a cure for this dread disease—or better yet, preventing it, rest assured that my heart goes out to those who are currently fighting breast cancer, and to their families—as well as to those who have lost loved ones to this pestilence. 

By having Major League Baseball teams use pink bats and wear pink accoutrements on Mothers’ Day, having the NFL devote October to promoting its work, and doing a host of other promos, the Komen organization is fund-raising for its work.  The money the Komen Foundation raises then goes to other groups that are doing research or are doing screening and education work in the breast cancer area. 

For several years now, the Komen Foundation has been giving to Planned Parenthood affiliates to supposedly help fund their breast cancer prevention, education and screening work. 

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Recent polls claim that more and more Americans—including Wisconsinites—believe same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships are just fine and should basically be treated like marriages.  And, of course, those promoting acceptance and normalization for their non-traditional relationships are touting these polls as being the barometer of what is right.

Let’s make this very clear: Truth is not subject to nor is Truth swayed by public opinion polls.  God’s Truth stands independent of all of man’s machinations. Public opinion may or may not reflect accurately where a group of people is on a certain issue, but that by no means makes public opinion right—or good for the public, for that matter.  The Word of God is the arbiter of right and wrong, especially on issues such as marriage.

It’s hardly surprising that the polls show that people are saying individuals in same-sex relationships should be treated just as if they are married. The media has done a fabulous job of beating that drum at every opportunity. The schools have opened their doors to groups such as GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network and others who want to promote and normalize homosexuality from kindergarten up.

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Bullying is bullying—and it’s always wrong.  Intimidating, harassing, and threatening someone until you scare them into doing what you want is bullying—no matter who’s doing it.  And it’s always wrong.

However, those are the tactics of the people who push the homosexual agenda, including those who support same-sex marriage.  Whenever people have had the audacity to speak out as pastors, business owners, politicians, or even just individual citizens, the bullying begins.  I know; we’ve watched it and been involved with it for years.

In 2006 when our organization was involved in educating people on Wisconsin’s Marriage Protection Amendment that would receive a statewide vote in November that year, we learned just how effective such bullying can be.  In September, in the heat of the campaign, our graphic arts designer and web site host, called and told me that her company was immediately dropping us as a customer.  We would need to find a different designer and another company to host the Vote Yes for Marriage site.  When I asked why, the owner hesitated until I said, “You’re getting threats, aren’t you?”  Reluctantly but with some relief she said, “Yes.  I’ve been told if we keep doing work for you, those who oppose you will basically run me out of business.”  She wasn’t willing to run the risk of losing everything she’d worked for—and she should have never been put in that position. If that’s not bullying, then what is it?

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I call it the muzzle.  Some call it the Johnson Amendment. It’s that IRS rule that restricts churches and pastors from endorsing or opposing a candidate or a party. 

Did you know the church didn’t wear this muzzle until 1954?  In 1954, Texas Democrat Lyndon Johnson was facing re-election to the US Senate.  Two not-for-profit anti-Communist groups were attacking Johnson’s liberal agenda.  Johnson retaliated with the force of an incumbent.  He inserted language into the IRS code that prohibits not-for-profit organizations, which includes churches, from endorsing or opposing candidates running for political offices.  Congress went along with the idea, in spite of the fact that many believed and still believe this prohibition violates the First Amendment.

Whether or not Johnson intended for all churches in America to be affected by his “muzzle” is not clear.  Nevertheless, intended or not, the muzzle was slapped on America’s churches, too.  And it’s remained firmly in place since then—and we know the rest of the story.  Johnson eventually becomes president of the United States and the churches remain sidelined and silenced in some of the most important issues of our day.

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The Constitutional Convention really was all about the kind of government this new nation would have for generations to come.   The men who represented the 12 colonies that attended –all the original colonies except Rhode Island send delegates—knew that they faced yet another defining moment in the young country’s history. 

As the summer wore on, they knew they had to get it right.  Too much was at stake.  So they stayed. They again made personal sacrifices on behalf of future generations–and on September 17, 1787, the Constitution was signed by a majority of the delegates.  And, now 224 years later, their original words still form the bulk of the rule of law in this country.  Their gift to future generations is truly a gift that keeps on giving—providing a framework for governing a country for generations, unlike any other document before or since has done or is doing.

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So, what is with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the presiding official at the 10^th commemoration of 9/11?  What doesn’t he understand about America?   Why ban clergy and prayers from this service at Ground Zero?  What lies has he believed? 

Some Bloomberg defenders ask how we would decide who would pray. How could we possibly choose one clergyman to represent most Americans? And after all, they say, a 6-minute time of personal meditation will be offered—whatever that means. 

Mayor Bloomberg has shown an utter disrespect for one of the greatest traditions in this country—turning to God in times of grief and tragedy—and in the times we remember and commemorate those national tragedies.   He has shown a disrespect for our clergy in general. 

While we have incredible diversity and no state-mandated religion, we identify strongly with a general Christian religion—over 78% of Americans self-identify as some type of Christian, the majority, over 50%, as some type of protestant.  Finding members of the clergy to represent Americans and to offer prayers at the 9/11 service next Sunday wouldn’t be difficult.

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So what is a family—and does it really matter how we define family in our culture and in our law?

If you listen to the media or debates on the floor of the legislature or Hollywood, you would think that family is whatever anyone wants it to be—a traditional married mom and dad, a single parent and child, two persons of the same sex with or without children, friends living together as roommates or housemates, cohabiting heterosexual couples with or without children.  Whatever.

Government has made it clear that it is all for promoting a variety of definitions of family by enacting public policy that all too frequently treats them all the same.  For instance, State Senator Glenn Grothman has pulled together numbers that show between the state and the federal governments single mothers can get over $38,000 a year in tax-free benefits through programs such as Earned Income Credit, food stamps, state-funded day care and more.  

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