Equipping Christians for the Ballot

Elections,

Early voting is underway and candidates are making their final push to reach the voters before Election Day arrives. The rush of election season can be a demanding process as voters and candidates get to know one another and discuss the issues of the day. 

Voting is a right and responsibility. It is something many men and women have fought and died for to preserve. Though many Christians exercise this right, others choose not to participate. 

According to a George Barna survey conducted in 2024, 56% of self-identified Christians voted but 44% did not. Although turnout was historically high overall, millions of Christians still did not participate. This can always be approved upon. 

The American electoral process gives millions of Americans the opportunity to choose who leads federal, state, and local government. It is important to vote wisely. This is one reason Family Council produces the Arkansas Voter’s Guide. Many of the issues that are important to Christians are decided at the ballot box and that is one more reason Christians should engage in the political process.

The voter’s guide is a non-partisan, educational resource that shows voters where candidates stand regarding the issues that matter most to them. Candidates get the opportunity to answer a survey with a wide variety of issues and Family Council publishes their answers. Simply put, Family Council provides an impartial resource and voters get to decide who they want to represent them. 

Since Family Council first began publishing the Voter’s Guide in 1990, staff members have contacted hundreds – if not thousands – of candidates and distributed millions of guides to churches, individuals, civic groups, libraries, and others across Arkansas. Countless supporters have contributed to this effort because they recognize it as a vital resource for voters. 

Founding Father Samuel Adams once wrote in the Boston Gazette, 

“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual – or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”

Christians are accountable for many things, including how they steward voting. May it not be a responsibility that is taken lightly.

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Initiative Launched to Directly Confront Obergefell SCOTUS Ruling

Marriage, ,

Many people remember the dark day of the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States and the dramatic effects it had on America and the world.

God’s design for marriage, a fundamental staple of society, had been blatantly devalued by the highest court in the land.

Advocates for traditional marriage were left wondering what implications this ruling would have on society. Unfortunately, many of those fears came to pass.

County clerks have been expected to issue same-sex marriage licenses, while marriage and parenthood have been dramatically redefined.

Human life has been devalued through commercial surrogacy to provide children for homosexual couples.

Children’s greater good has been put second to adults’ feelings, wants, and desires.

The deeper roots of the ruling have reached levels many never dreamed of. Same-sex marriage has given way to transgenderism, which has caused many children to question their gender identity.

Obergefell and its tragic effects have hurt society, but it has also created permanent victims in the law and culture — namely, children.

Family Council along with countless other organizations, individuals, elected officials, and parent advocates have consistently spoken the truth about Obergefell and its consequences.

In 2021, Arkansas passed the first law protecting children from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries. As of today, at least twenty-five other states have passed a similar law protecting kids!

Arkansas lawmakers have also passed laws protecting women’s safety in showers, locker rooms, changing rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters in schools, government buildings, jails, and shelters. They have also protected fairness in women’s sports and clarified the meaning of “sex,” “male,” and “female” in state code. These legislative and cultural wins have been huge victories for the side of truth and common sense! 

There is a new initiative that launched just last month that will directly confront Obergefell. It is called the Greater Than Movement and according to their website, this is “A coalition of parents, students, researchers, think tanks, influencers, and citizens who are willing to state the self-evident but costly truth: children need, deserve, and have a right to their mother and father. Marriage is and always has been the most effective tool to secure that right.”

This new coalition is a direct response to the tragedies that Obergefell has left on society. Family Council is grateful to be a part of this growing movement. 

As Christians, we know God, in the creation order, made male and female to represent his beauty in the earth. As image bearers it is our responsibility to do our best to defend, protect, and preserve it. And that includes protecting the next generation. Will you join us?

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Legal Challenge Serves as a Reminder Why Arkansans Stand Strong for Life

Abortion, , ,

In recent news, Arkansas pro-lifers have been given an opportunity to publicly address abortion rhetoric and reiterate why Arkansas still stands as the most pro-life state in the nation.

Last week, a legal challenge was filed in Pulaski County to overturn Arkansas’ law that generally prohibits abortion except in cases to save the life of the mother. Many pro-lifers in the state have been anticipating another abortion amendment similar to the one that reared its head in 2024, but attorneys with Amplify Legal are representing plaintiffs who want to strike down current law that has been on the books since Roe v. Wade was overturned. 

Interestingly enough, the lawsuit addressed three different aspects of the pro-abortion argument, particularly in Arkansas:

  1. It claims Arkansas law is vague, restrictive and unconstitutional.
  2. It argues a woman ought to be able to abort her baby if the baby has a fetal abnormality.
  3. It says there should be exceptions to Arkansas’ law for rape.

The lawsuit does not have much legal basis, but we shouldn’t miss this opportunity to address their arguments straightforwardly. 

Is the Arkansas abortion law vague, restrictive, or unconstitutional? No, and here is why.

Act 180 was passed in 2019 to prohibit abortion except to save the life of the mother. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this law has saved many lives and prevented the lifetime trauma of abortion for many mothers. Many of these mothers were invited into loving pregnancy centers instead and given the help they needed to carry their babies to term and care for them after birth. This is the loving option — one that does not leave the lasting effects of trauma from abortion. Women deserve better than abortion and Arkansas law reflects the care and compassion that Arkansans offer to hurting women.

Arkansas’ abortion law was amended during the 2025 legislative session to better its clarify definitions and wording. It says that physicians should use “reasonable medical judgement” to determine whether an abortion is necessary. This is the same medical and legal standard used to make other important medical decisions. This effectively made the law crystal clear for both mothers and physicians and leaves no room for confusion or malpractice. 

Family Council and many other pro-life leaders have spoken out against exceptions for abortion for many years. Pro-abortionists use the 0.09% to justify 99% and that is wrong. Pro-lifers lead on this matter out of a heart of compassion, truth, and value for every human life. Adding abortion to trauma does not take away the pain of rape or fetal abnormality. In fact, it adds more pain and suffering for the mother, her family, and the baby. Abortion is not the answer. These situations demand compassion, care, justice, and active support and assistance. 

Though we are confident our courts ultimately will uphold Arkansas’ pro-life laws, let’s not miss this opportunity to tell our friends, family, and neighbors the truth of abortion and its devastation. There is a better way — and abortion is not it.

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