Experts Discuss “Can Marriage Be Saved?”

August 2, 2011 By

 

two hands reaching for each other

Can Marriage Be Saved?

Recently the National Review Online shared a symposium on marriage entitled “Can Marriage Be Saved?” This discussion from some our nation’s leaders in the fight to preserve traditional marriage are enlightening, and encouraging. The fact is, more Americans support traditional marriage. And now is not the time to curl up in a corner and cry while giving in to the slanderous attacks against traditional marriage. Now is the time to steel ourselves and further resolve to support traditional marriage.

Take a look at some of the comments included in this refreshing discussion and be sure to read the whole thing.

“Anyone who doesn’t go along with this new politically inspired understanding of the historic institution of marriage will be treated under the law as the equivalent of a racist…But this is far from over.” Brian S. Brown

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Engaging Essentials

December 7, 2010 By

David French vs. the SPLC and Gungans – With a lovely tongue and check retort to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s naming of several pro-marriage, pro-family organizations as equivalent to the KKK, David French admits his animus against the Gungan race.

Troops Care About Religious Liberty – Daniel Blomberg does a fine job of cataloging several of the anonymous comments from active duty soldiers concerning religious liberty.  Here’s just one:

“Forcing chaplains to deny their faith in order to serve in the Armed Forces is a grave threat to the First Amendment and to the spiritual health of Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen who depend on them. If the military is forced to promote homosexual behavior, for the first time in American history there will be open conflict between the virtues taught by chaplains and the moral message delivered by the military.”(female)

DADT: Time for Cautious Judgment – Chuck Donovan does a very fine job of evaluating the Pentagon report on homosexual behavior in the military and why the Senate needs to slow down as it approaches this issue.

The Retreat from Marriage – Ok, if Al Mohler writes it, you should read it.  Period.  This piece moreso.  I listened to the interview of Mohler and Brad Wilcox last week that serves as the foundation for this article.  Both are worthy of your attention- ESPECIALLY if you are an economic conservative that does not care to involve oneself with icky social issues.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Engaging Essentials

September 28, 2010 By

The Story of Lila Rose – I hope everyone will get acquainted with this young women.  Lila Rose has almost single handily taken down Planned Parenthood – with little more than a camera and hair dye.  Her picture is plastered on the walls of Planned Parenthood offices everywhere as something of a pro-life “most wanted” heroine.  Young men and women, especially, need to learn from her dedication to defending life.

Is Religious Liberty Important? – Far beyond being a mere social concern to a few hobbled masses, religious liberty may well be the lynchpin of our society.

Senate Race is a Toss Up – Rasmussen – who just a week ago had Gov. Manchin leading by 6% now has John Raese leading by 2%, 48-46.  Whoa.

The U.N. and Preborn Children – We often talk about abortion in isolation.  That is, that it is a uniquely American problem.  The reality is that it is as international as it can be.  In fact, in some countries, it is far worse than even in America (though whatever is America’s experience is bad enough).  This piece examines international law and the issue of abortion, probably from an angle you haven’t considered.

Keeping the Promise on Marriage – Except for his dedication to Notre Dame football, I love Chuck Donovan dearly.  In this piece, Chuck offers his trademark straightforward evaluation of the GOP’s, “Pledge to America.”  Especially on the issue of marriage, Chuck is cautiously hopeful, but understanding that there is much to be accomplished yet.

Regulation Elections – Two videos for you as we approach November 2.  With WV’s spotty history in this regard, watch with interest and act accordingly:

Stoplight with Stuart Shepherd:

Colleague Kelly Shackleford (my counterpart in Texas):

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Life, Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Engaging Essentials

September 23, 2010 By

Don’t Wait on DADT – Chuck Donovan of the Heritage Foundation offers his typically insightful thoughts on the rush to repeal DADT.

City of Man – Justin Taylor previews a new book by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner (with forward by Tim Keller).  Initially, I thought it looked promising, but, after looking into it more, I’m not so sure.  First, I think the book fails for many of the reasons why I do not personally like to read Tim Keller: feigned intellectualism.  With that personal critique out of the way, I think the deeper issue here is that Gerson and Wehner appear to adopt Carl F.H. Henry’s theological position that is incomplete and borderline unBiblical.  For the sake of interest in the topic, I might read it, but I would encourage you to read Wayne Grudem’s Politics According to the Bible before you do (partly because Grudem eliminates one of the arguments Gerson and Wehner appear to make in his first chapter).

Mark Dever (via Collin Hansen) on Government – A better read, though I’m not quite settled in entire agreement, on Christians and government.  Sermon audio here.

GOP Forgets the SoCons Again? – First Things takes the GOP’s to-be-announced “Pledge to America” to task for nearly entirely neglecting the social conservatives.  But for Mike Pence, the GOP might have entirely written off the social issues.

Ponnuru on the Social Issues – The First Things article links to this op-ed by Ramesh Ponnuru.  In it, Ponnuru observes that the GOP establishment and many GOP pols are claiming economic issues are the only issues on which to win this year.  Ponnuru says:

But somebody forgot to tell the voters. The Republican primaries suggest that while, of course, economic issues are at the top of most people’s minds, conservative voters still care a great deal about social issues.

Bear Grylls in WV – File this under, “Wishing I was in the right place at the right time.”  Though, I find it ironic that Bear was eating at a pizza place when perfectly good grubs, crickets, and raw fish where clearly abundant just outside the eatery.

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Life, Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Engaging Essentials

August 13, 2010 By

Prop 8 Ruling Round Up – Chuck Donovan at the Heritage Foundation rounds up lots of quotes reacting to last week’s decision out of San Francisco that overturned the vote of 7 million Californians.  And, these aren’t the ‘usual suspects.’  Donovan has captured quotes from everyone from law professors to same-sex ‘marriage’ advocates – all questioning Judge Walker’s decision.

She’s Growing a Fetus – An interesting ‘dialog’ between pro-choice women.

Inside Higher Ed . . . Those Crazy Christians – David French reviews a debate between university professors debating whether there is a need to examine academic discrimination against Christian scholarship.

Candid Prop 8 Report – Following the (temporary) redefinition of marriage in California, same-sex ‘marriage’ activists released a report on the results of Prop 8.  It may surprise you what they admit report.

Pelosi, The Word . . . and when The Word Received the Right to Life – Classic progressive pandering and dodging:

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Life, Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Chuck Donovan: Marriage Is Worth a Real Fight

July 26, 2010 By

The US DOJ appears to have gone soft on the rule of law for same-sex activists.

One of the most disturbing issues stemming from Judge Tauro’s legal destruction of the Federal DOMA a few weeks back has been the fact that the Federal government . . . helped!

That is to say that, when it came time for the Executive Department of the Federal Government to defend the laws of these United States, it didn’t.  In fact, it appears that our government may have even conceded key points of legal dispute, points that later proved to advocate against DOMA, rather than in defense of it.

What’s more shocking, is that the person charged with defending the laws of the United States in court is now standing for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States.

My good friend, Chuck Donovan, explains more and offers solutions to members of Congress over at The Foundry, the Heritage Foundation’s blog, last week:

The collusion boils down to this: attorneys in the Obama Justice Department, who have sworn that they will “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” in which they serve, abandoned not one but all four of the bases for DOMA asserted by Congress. “Congress” in this instance was no small minority cobbled together at the last instant for legislation it scarcely debated, but a bipartisan majority that encompassed 85 percent of both houses of Congress, joined by a Democratic president who had access to comprehensive reports that amplified the many grounds for DOMA.

The Justice Department’s concessions were crucial to the outcome in the case. As Judge Joseph Tauro noted, he felt bound to address the detailed justifications Congress provided for DOMA only briefly, because, “For the purposes of this litigation, the government has disavowed Congress’s stated justifications for the statute[.]”

In short order, then, Tauro dispensed with four primary purposes for the law: “1 encouraging responsible procreation and child-bearing, 2 defending and nurturing the institution of traditional heterosexual marriage, 3 defending traditional notions of morality, and 4 preserving scarce resources.”

If anything, the explosion in out-of-wedlock child-bearing and out-of-control federal spending make these four justifications collectively stronger than they were in 1996 when Congress enacted DOMA with overwhelming margins.

Congress has an affirmative duty to put an end to the near-collusive litigation now on display in Judge Tauro’s courtroom. The rulings’ egregious character calls out for prompt appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. But an appeal might bring only more of the same from an Administration led by a President who routinely offers his opinion that DOMA should be repealed but puts forth no effort to accomplish that result either.

via Cinderella Congress: Marriage Is Worth a Real Fight | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News..

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , ,

Chuck Donovan: Ready, Fire, Aim on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

May 27, 2010 By

One question among many: How would repeal of DADT affect the role of military Chaplains?

My good friend and Senior Research Fellow for the Heritage Foundation poses some legitimate questions that Congress needs to answer prior to eliminating the review period and hastily moving forward with the repeal of DADT:

Congress and the Administration should serve our nation and put the armed forces first by declining a politically expedient and hasty vote, allowing the Pentagon to finish the now-in-progress assessment scheduled for delivery this December, and giving members of Congress and the American people time to examine the results of that assessment in an open and exhaustive public debate. That debate can and should address at least the following questions:

1. What does full repeal mean, and how does it improve the national security of our nation?

2. What do officers and service members actually think about the current policy and proposals to repeal it? Can an accurate assessment be obtained and how? Will service members feel free to state their actual views without threat of reprisal?

3. What would be the impact of repeal on retention policies and results and recruitment policies and results?

4. What would be the impact of a full repeal on particular operational issues (e.g., fraternization, submarine service, field deployment, special forces, etc.)?

5. Some jurisdictions now license homosexual unions either as marriages, domestic partnerships, or civil unions. If Congress’s policy on homosexuals serving openly in the military is changed, and military personnel enter into officially licensed same-sex unions under state law, what would be the impact on military family policy with respect to benefits related to housing, insurance, and other compensation contingent on spousal or family status?

6. How would changing Congress’s military eligibility law affect other federal laws, including the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as the union of husband and wife? Would a change to the current law make the U.S. military exempt from the application of DOMA? If Congress fails to make its intentions clear, could a later court interpret a change to the current ban on open homosexuality as an implicit repeal of DOMA? How would repealing the statutory ban on open homosexuality in the military affect constitutional litigation challenging the traditional definition of marriage at the state and federal levels?

7. What would be the impact on the personal moral beliefs and religious expression of other service members? Will the utterance of a belief that homosexual conduct is morally wrong be punishable in any manner as an expression of discrimination or intent to discriminate?

8. What would be the impact on service chaplains and counselors who may have specific denominational or personal views on the illicitness of same-sex conduct and same-sex relationships? Could they face punitive, administrative or remedial measures (e.g., sensitivity training) that impact their ability to perform their professional roles or infringe on their right to hold and express certain moral or religious views?

9. If military personnel express disagreement with changes to policy approving of homosexuality, how will that affect their careers?

10. Will homosexuality be considered a protected class for promotion or advancement purposes? Will the new law require that promotion boards include precept language requiring the promotion of homosexuals?

Clearly, the answers to these questions have broad import for present and future members of the armed forces.

via Ready, Fire, Aim on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News..

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , ,

The Foundry – Chilling Effect of Hate Crimes Law?

November 9, 2009 By

A very insightful and thought-provoking blog on recently passed and signed hate crimes law by my good friend Chuck Donovan at the Heritage Foundation:

Future misapplication of the new hate crimes law to invite federal prosecution of individuals who express moral or religious beliefs about homosexual conduct remains a deep concern among religious and family groups, who believe that language offered by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) may not prove strong enough to prevent federal inquiries designed to chill discussions of traditional moral views.

On this point, some of the rhetoric surrounding President Obama’s signing of the bill offered scant comfort. Rather than insisting that the hate crimes law does no more than allow occasional federal assistance in cases where local resources are inadequate to ensure proper prosecution, advocates of the measure cited it as a nondiscrimination measure designed to serve as a prelude to an entire new class of civil rights law. The Washington Post hailed its signing with an air of regret that the bill does too little: “While this [the hate crimes law] is an advance, more important legislation awaits: banning workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation; ending the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, and allowing same-sex marriage.” If it looks, sounds and feels like a slippery slope . . .

Meanwhile, as Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow Tom Messner has documented, evidence is accumulating that crimes of vandalism, physical and verbal intimidation, invasion of privacy, disruption of employment and threats of serious physical harm are occurring against people with opposing views on the merits of same-sex marriage. Even President Obama has referred to advocates of traditional marriage as seeking to “enshrine discrimination into our Constitution.” Laws have consequences, and eventually – perhaps soon – the debate over the implications of the new federal hate crimes measure will cease to be academic.

via Chilling Effect of Hate Crimes Law? » The Foundry .

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,