WASHINGTON UPDATE 06/16/2016

| June 16, 2015 | Permalink A Call to Lead As the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting began this morning in Columbus, Ohio, SBC President Dr. Ronnie Floyd, who also serves as pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, issued a clarion call for pastors, Southern Baptists and followers of Jesus Christ to lead in this day of growing chaos and confusion. "Now is the time to lead," he said, "and the time to stand." Dr. Floyd began by citing Christian persecution around the world and noting that within our own country, social crises abound. Using data reflected in FRC's Marriage and Religion Research Institute, Dr. Floyd emphasized that less than 50 percent of American children reach 18 in a home with both biological parents. He reminded delegates of the evil of racism and abortion, noting that 57 million unborn children have lost their lives since 1973's Roe decision, and warning that "when we devalue human life from the womb to the tomb, we deprive God of His glory." And of same-sex marriage, Dr. Floyd offered words of both grace and truth: "We love all people, even if they are struggling with same-sex attraction or adultery ... We want to help them; we are all sinners and need His grace." Yet, he said, "I humbly declare this in love to all people, to the leaders of our nation, to the Supreme Court: We stand believing that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime." Dr. Floyd asked the delegates if, like the church in ancient Philadelphia, American Evangelicals will keep Jesus' word and not deny His name (Revelation 3:8). That's a good question for all of us as we consider how to live in a culture whose government is increasingly hostile to Christian faith. The challenge before us is simple: How will we answer? Dr. Floyd rightly points out that only an awakening can turn America back to its roots -- back to God. As other "religious" leaders and denominations increasingly yield to the prevailing winds of the culture, Dr. Floyd is challenging the nation's largest Protestant denomination to tether themselves to the truth and then reach out to a lost and hurting world. I am grateful for Dr. Floyd's leadership and honored to partner with him, as we did last month when he spoke at FRC's annual "Watchmen on the Wall" pastors conference in Washington, D.C., on reviving and awakening the American church. No Pregnant Pause for at-Risk Youth According to a recent study in the American Public Health Journal, not only are LGBTQ youth getting pregnant, they're getting pregnant more often than their heterosexual peers. The culprit, according to the Left: abstinence education. Lisa Lindley and Katrina Walsemann, authors of the study, conclude that in New York City, LGBTQ youth who obviously also engage in opposite sex relationships were twice as likely to experience pregnancies as were heterosexual youth. RHRealityCheck journalist Gloria Malone asserts that this is because these youth were not given sufficient gender-inclusive sex education to prepare them to prevent against pregnancy. What? She goes on to blame this insufficiency on the stigma of sexual risk avoidance programs (formerly known as abstinence education). But the real reality check is that according to the Guttmacher Institute, New York sex education programs are not even required to include information regarding abstinence, nor are parents even required to be notified or to give consent regarding their children's sex ed classes! These teens are not engaging in risky sexual behavior because they've been told such behavior is harmful, they've engaged in it because they've been deceived with a lie that you can engage in sexual activity outside of a monogamous married relationship safely. The CDC has reported that LGBTQ youth are much more likely to be at risk from unsafe sexual behavior than heterosexual youth. Sexual risk avoidance programs would be much more effective in protecting LGBTQ youth than would comprehensive sex ed programs that sanction all sorts of risky behavior. Sexual risk avoidance programs equip all students for strong and healthy living, teaching them how to set and achieve personal goals, and how to avoid consequences of risky sexual behavior, be it pregnancy, STDs, emotional hurt, or setbacks from life goals. These principles are true in heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual relationships -- if students do not engage in risky sexual behavior, they will not reap the negative consequences of such behavior, nor will society. Mark Your Calendar for a Marquee Event Save room on your calendar now! Values Voter Summit, marking its 10th anniversary on September 25-27, is "considered a rite of passage for prospective Republican presidential candidates", according to The Hill, and CNN dubbed it as "one of the conservative movement's marquee annual events." As the Supreme Court considers redefining natural marriage -- the bedrock of civilization for thousands of years -- and religious liberties of American citizens around the country are threatened, this year's event promises to draw a stellar line up of speakers. Confirmed* and invited speakers include Governors Greg Abbott, Sam Brownback, Jeb Bush, Mary Fallin, Nikki Haley, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, Rick Perry, and Scott Walker; Senators Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum and Tim Scott; Naghmeh Abedini*, Glenn Beck, the Benham Brothers*, Dr. Bill Bennett*, Dr. Ben Carson, former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran*, Carly Fiorina, Brigitte Gabriel*, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Megyn Kelly, Aaron and Melissa Klein*, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Bill O'Reilly, Star Parker*, Dennis Prager, Todd Starnes*, Col. Allen West and more! The summit will feature dynamic breakout topics, such as the spreading chaos in the Middle East to taking back state legislatures from the Left, a student mixer, a Job Fair sponsored by Leadership Institute's ConservativeJobs.com, New Media Row sponsored by Media Research Center, exhibitors from all over the nation and celebrity book signings. On Saturday evening, it's our honor to recognize Brent Bozell, founder and President of Media Research Center, with the Vision and Leadership Award. VVS is sponsored by FRC Action, Family Research Council, American Family Association Action, American Values, Liberty Institute and Ohio Christian University. You don't want to miss this special 10th anniversary edition of Values Voter Summit. Visit valuesvotersummit.org or call 877-372-2808 to register! Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.