Please Take Action on the So-Called “Equality Act”

The late liberal activist Saul Alinsky, author of the book, Rules for Radicals, once famously observed, “He who controls the language controls the masses.”

While there is probably very little, if almost anything, I agree with Alinsky on, his statement concerning the use of words to frame an issue is spot-on. 

Words mean things – but they’re easily manipulated to mean things that are simply not true.

History is full of people who attempt to use soft words to describe dark deeds. From dictators to authoritarians of all stripes, sin is often spun to try and sound noble and merciful, e.g. “reproductive rights” and “death with dignity.”

In fact, I’ve been reminded of this in recent days with the rise of the so-called “Equality Act” – a piece of legislation that is an outright assault on freedom, privacy, safety and parents’ rights. 

The erroneously named “Equality Act,” H.R. 5, was introduced into the U.S. House and Senate in March. Now the House is preparing to vote on this legislation which adds “sexual orientation and gender identity” to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and to numerous federal non-discrimination laws.

H.R. 5 also changes the clear meaning of “sex” in those federal laws from its basic biological definition: the state of being male or female. The bill broadens the term “sex” to include: “(A) a sex stereotype; (B) pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition; (C) sexual orientation or gender identity; and (D) sex characteristics, including intersex traits.”  

The Daily Citizen, Focus on the Family’s excellent online resource, has several articles explaining the disastrous consequences of this legislation:

• “Equality Act” – An Assault on Freedom, Privacy and Safety
• “Equality Act” Discriminates Against Faith-Based Adoption Agencies
• The “Equality Act” Would Mark the End of Religious Conscience
• If The Equality Act Passes, Women Will Be Vulnerable in Restrooms Across The Country

As I travel and meet with moms and dads, many people regularly and rightly lament the moral state of our culture. They want to know what, if anything, they can do about it. Well, I heartily recommend that you reach out to your congressional representative and encourage them to vote against this terrible piece of legislation.

How can you go about doing this?

Here’s an action page from Focus on the Family and The Daily Citizen where you can easily contact your member of Congress to voice your opposition to H.R. 5.

Please let me know how your interaction goes. When people accuse Christians of wading into the “political” sphere, I often like to remind them that the reason we’re engaged in public policy is because policy is all about the welfare of people.

At its core, civic engagement is part of Jesus’ command to love our neighbor. Romans 13 says God created the institution of government to restrain evil and encourage human flourishing. So as citizens blessed to live in a representative democracy, we have an obligation to work toward the best government we can possibly have, for the benefit of all our “neighbors.”

If you look through Scripture and throughout history, you’ll see God’s people are agents for positive change in the culture. In Jeremiah 29:7, God admonishes the people to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  

You can’t do that if you’re isolated and detached from what’s going on in the world around you. Involvement in public policy is a part of our Christian witness.

So please let your voice be heard concerning H.R. 5!

Topics: Current Events Tags: current events, Equality Act, government, news May 15, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura