Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
November-December 2005 – As America continued to morph into a society earlier generations could never have imagined, AFA sought to help its members make sense of changes that occurred in 2005.
In its 29th year of operation, AFA stayed true to the organization’s mission: to inform and motivate citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth, as well as to protect the rich heritage we have been given by our forefathers.
As 2005 slips away into 2006, AFA Journal reflects on some of the issues and accomplishments of the past year.
Issues in 2005
“To me the most significant issue in 2005 was that more Christians finally began perceiving the existence of the culture war,” said Fred Jackson, news director of American Family Radio (AFR). “They’re realizing this battle is for real, and it could affect them.”
AFR is a network of 173 radio stations in 29 states.
According to Ed Vitagliano, AFA Journal news editor, the facade of media ambivalence toward Christianity was stripped away in 2005. “There is now a hostility toward believers that is bold and unrestrained,” he said. “And I think the attempt to marginalize Christians will become more insistent in 2006 and beyond.”
The AFA Journal, the ministry’s primary print publication, has around 130,000 subscribers.
“For me, the most important story of the past year was the death of Terri Schiavo,” said Jody Brown, editor of AgapePress, AFA’s online news service. “The decision to starve Terri demonstrates our culture’s growing disregard for the sanctity of life. I believe that such callousness will have repercussions in every area of society.”
AgapePress sends its daily news stories to almost 50,000 readers.
Some of those stories covered a critical legal case in which 11 Pennsylvania Christians were arrested in Philadelphia for proclaiming the Gospel at a public gay celebration. All charges were eventually dropped. However, Steve Crampton, chief counsel for the AFA Center for Law and Policy –which defended the rights of four of the Christians, said the case was representative of a troubling trend.
“The courtrooms have become the theaters of the most serious engagements of the culture war,” said Crampton. “We might not be able to win the culture war in the courtroom, but we could certainly lose it there.”
Power of the Internet
On another front of the culture war, AFA is successfully using the Internet as a major vehicle for informing Christians and encouraging activism.
The ministry’s main Web site, www.afa.net, recorded more than three million visits for the month of September alone, while www.agapepress.org had over 1.1 million for that same period.
AFA Journal also maintains a full-text Web site at www.afajournal.org that includes comprehensive search capabilities.
Using AFA information, millions have signed online petitions on issues ranging from protecting the sanctity of marriage to protecting the American flag from desecration.
Advertisers that sponsored trashy TV programs also felt the impact of AFA’s Internet activity through “Action Alerts” and updates from OneMillionMoms (www.onemillionmoms.com) and OneMillionDads (www.onemilliondads.com).
So successful was AFA in approaching TV sponsors that Advertising Age listed AFA Chairman Don Wildmon as one of the year’s top 10 influencers on advertisers in 2004.
The nation’s capital also heard from AFA supporters via the Internet. For example, after receiving nearly 800,000 e-mails from AFA members concerned about the new trend of cell phone pornography, the Federal Communications Commission contacted AFA to discuss wireless porn protection.
“As American culture continues to change, our supporters can look to AFA to help make sense of what’s happening and point to effective means of participation,” said Wildmon. “As God was faithful in 2005, so our prayer is that in 2006 we will see even more success.” 
