The past several years have been a time of great blessing in the battle for religious freedom. In the past 12 months alone, ADF has seen outstanding victories, and lives have been changed as freedoms were restored.
A Life Saved
Last October, Jesse Ramirez walked out of an Arizona hospital. This is incredible considering that just a few short months earlier, after barely surviving a tragic automobile accident, Jesse was cut off from water and nutrition – until ADF interceded to give him a second chance at life. All life is precious, and this case is a great example of the importance of defending those who can't defend themselves.
Christian Speech Protected
This past March, the California State University system in California removed unconstitutional portions of its speech codes that could discriminate against Christian students throughout the entire state system. As a result, at 23 schools, 450,000 students now are free to hear and speak the Truth on campus. This settlement truly benefits everyone who cherishes First Amendment rights.
Unfortunately, there are still courts throughout the country issuing rulings that restrict religious freedom, ignore the sanctity of life, and weaken marriage and the family.
Marriage at Risk
Just a few short weeks ago, the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to strike down Proposition 22, the California Defense of Marriage Act. By declaring this law unconstitutional, the court trampled on the traditional definition of marriage and ignored the will of California voters. This outcome shows exactly why a state law alone is not sufficient to protect marriage.
First Amendment Ignored
And in New Mexico, that state’s Civil Rights Commission told the owner of an Albuquerque photography company that she was not free to abide by her beliefs. The commission found the owner of Elane Photography and her husband guilty of “sexual orientation” discrimination, simply for declining to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony.” It shows a stunning disregard for the First Amendment to force individuals to violate their conscience.
Religious freedom is under attack.
With your prayers and support, we can stand against these attacks in the courtroom and preserve religious freedom, defend the sanctity of life, and uphold marriage and the family. But we face a challenge.
While God has continued to bless this ministry in many ways, the current economic struggles have affected us – just as they have other ministries and many of our allies. There are many opportunities and cases critical to the future of religious freedom we are ready to take on, but we must have the necessary financial resources before moving forward. The founders of this ministry determined that ADF should operate as a no-debt ministry, and we do not implement programs or take on cases until God has provided the resources to do so. For this reason, it is imperative that we continue to grow the resources of ADF so that we can surpass the ACLU and its allies. ADF was founded with the understanding that by working with our allies, we can accomplish much more in the battle for religious freedom. For this reason, in addition to our direct litigation efforts, we have worked with more than 300 allied organizations, coordinating efforts and supplying funding for hundreds of cases and legal projects. Time and time again, when we step on the battlefield and into the courtrooms, God has granted us victory. We have met the ACLU and its allies head to head and proven that, with God’s blessing, we can win as we work to restore America’s legal system.
June 30 marks the end of our fiscal year, and we must make up ground to finish in a position that will allow us to continue fighting—and winning—against the ACLU and its allies. For this to be possible,
we must receive $4,815,000 by June 30.Over the next 12 months, with God’s grace, we will train another 100-plus allied attorneys, mentor another 108 outstanding law students, bring more cases to courts at every level, including the Supreme Court, and provide financial support to precedent-setting cases…all for one reason: to win the battle to protect
Our First Liberty – religious freedom!
How You Can Make a Difference for Religious Freedom
- Prayerfully consider making your gift by June 30. You can give online today by clicking here, or send in your gift by mail. Click here to download the mail-in form.
- Forward this message to other Christians who are concerned about religious freedom and want to protect it for their children and grandchildren.
- Please pray for God’s blessing on this ministry. Without Him, we can do nothing.
|
There are many victories still to be won for His glory, and your continuing prayers and generous gifts make it possible.