Just days ago, on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, Senator Diane Feinstein pronounced that Amy Barrett, a respected law professor at Notre Dame, may have excluded herself from a federal judgeship by virtue of being a faithful Catholic. Senator Al Franken then accused Barrett of
(This is an especially critical read for all Catholics, especially Catholic business professionals. Please share with colleagues!—ed.)
Just weeks ago, the Southern Poverty Law Center absurdly labeled a number of Christian and Catholic groups–including, The Family Research Council, The Ruth Institute, the Alliance Defending Freedom and many more—as “hate groups” because they adhere to traditional views about human sexuality and marriage.
Just days ago, on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, Senator Diane Feinstein pronounced that Amy Barrett, a respected law professor at Notre Dame, may have excluded herself from a federal judgeship by virtue of being a faithful Catholic. Senator Al Franken then accused Barrett of having appeared before a irrationally labeled so-called “hate group,” namely the Alliance Defending Freedom (which is not true in the least).
In light of these recent developments, the talk given at the 2017 Napa Institute by Alan Sears, who is Alliance Defending Freedom’s founder and newly retired former president, is particularly poignant. His talk focused on the immediate culture in which we live and was entitled, “Christianity is No Longer a Separate Set of Beliefs to be Tolerated, But Something that Needs to be Crushed.”
NAPA, CA—Special to the Catholic Business Journal—The Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) founder and former CEO, Alan Sears, closed out the second day of the 7th Annual Napa Institute by addressing an overflow crowd with a “New Moral Vision for America” or how Catholics should be responding to the increasingly hostile environment for Christians and Christian belief.
“We are seeing a society that is becoming more estranged from the Judeo -Christian culture,“ as Sears put it.
Sears began by underscoring the simple truth that religious liberty is fundamental and it is for everyone.
“It is our first liberty,” said Sears, refering to religious liberty. “Without it, all other freedoms are at risk.”
But despite its importance, special interest groups such as the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Southern Law Poverty Center and others are now actively trying to suppress religious liberty and religion. For these special interest groups, Sears emphasized, “Christianity is no longer a separate set of beliefs to be tolerated, but something that needs to be crushed.”
Unlike the dogs and firehoses Martin Luther King Jr. faced, Christians today are not only dealing with special interest groups that have self-serving agendas, but are also facing the federal government which has “rushed in to aid these groups in implementing their agenda.”
Sears emphasized that “These persecutions themselves are spiritually crippling. Souls are being wounded.” They cannot be ignored.
“Can you imagine the doors of your church being locked?” said Sears. “Will they (the government) come for us someday? Will they leave our children and grandchildren alone?”
Religious persecution in the U.S. is more widespread than most people realize.
Sears provided several examples of religious discrimination to illustrate the breadth of persecution that is taking root.
One example centered on a Marine veteran who is married to an Army veteran who sued the city of East Lansing, MI, for religious discrimination. Here’s their story: The couple has sold fresh fruit from their farm at the city’s farmers market for six years. Their 120-acre farm is located 20 miles away, in Charlotte, MI. They posted their traditional view of marriage on their Facebook page. The city then moved to ban them from selling their produce, accusing them of violating the city’s human relations ordinance, an anti-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation. The city characterized the couple as “bigots,” even though this couple have a history of employing “people from a wide variety of racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds, including members of the LGBT community.”
Are “our churches just an irrelevant social club?,” challenged Sears. “Do we really feel any instinct to pray for those who are being attacked? Do we write letters? Do we talk about it at church?…We need to bear one another’s burdens in upholding Christ’s truth.” As Martin Luther King Jr once noted, “Injustice anywhere affects us all.”
And “what about our children – what do they see? How would they feel about a God whose children are afraid to uphold him? No wonder parishes are closing,” noted the speaker. (Catholic Business Journal editor adds, what are your children and grandchildren learning in their Catholic schools, not merely in religion class, but in their history and social studies classes?—ed.)
Our Action Plan
Sears closed his exceptional talk with an action plan for changing this culture of oppression and persecution:
“The fight is up to us. How far are we willing to let the pendulum swing?” said Sears. “We must act. We must rise up and stand together…but not with a false unity which leads to confusion, and wounds those who seek courage to stand up.
“We need a vibrant and unified church – one in which all stand together and boldly. We need to overcome fear and weakness, and realize we are not on the wrong side of history.”
It will take a tireless effort of people of goodwill to change the culture… Weakness invites attacks. Freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.
“Be extremists—not for hate, but for love,” Sears challenged Catholics and Christians.
Again quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Sears echoed King’s words: “When there is darkness, there is a force in the universe to change the darkness in the sunshine. The arc of God bends towards justice.”
“The measure of a man is where he stands in times of difficulty in crisis. How will you stand for others?” asked Sears.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) non-profit organization with the stated goal of advocating, training, and funding on the issues of “religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family.” It was created in response to a crisis in the courts on issues of religious liberty and has advocated for religious freedom for all – regardless of religious affiliation. The ADF has played a role in 52 victories in the U.S. Supreme Court, won over 80% of its cases and has advocated in hundreds of international legal matters involving religious freedom. ADF has 3000 allied attorneys.
The Napa Institute was inspired by a 2010 essay, “The Next America,” (First Things) by Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput and resembles the Aspen Institute with provocative talks given by leading Catholic clergy, authors, and laypeople. The Institute which celebrated its seventh year was co-founded by the Rev. Robert Spitzer, S.J., former president of Gonzaga University and Tim Busch, a successful lawyer and entrepreneur in the hospitality business. The aim of the Institute is to better equip Catholic leaders to face the challenges of the “next America.” More than 550 people from all over the world attended this year’s four day conference.
RELATED RESOURCES:
—————————-
Thomas M. Loarie is the CEO of BryoLogyx, a rotating host of THE MENTORS radio show, and a senior editorial advisor and columnist for Catholic Business Journal. For a more robust bio click here. He may be reached at TLoarie@CatholicBusinessJournal.biz