Rusty Benson
AFA Journal associate editor
February 2016 – It would be hard to imagine a single year in recent history in which Americans have witnessed greater moral and cultural decline than in 2015.
As the biblical and constitutional foundations that formed and sustained America for over two centuries came under severe attack from dominant secular influences, the fabric of our nation rapidly deteriorated as we witnessed:
● The overthrow of natural marriage by the U. S. Supreme Court, a momentous triumph of the secular elite in their effort to gain our culture’s affirmation that homosexuality is natural and normal.
● A barbaric low in respect for innocent life, as a series of undercover videos revealed that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion services provider, is profiteering from the body parts of unborn babies.
● The persecution and murder of Christians in Libya, Syria, Egypt, and other countries, and increasing reports of blatant anti-Christian bigotry in America, at times coming from our most cherished institutions, including the U. S. military.
● Towns and cities endangered by racial tension and violence, and law and order undermined by pressure to comply with political correctness.
As society’s storms swelled, many Christians turned to American Family Association and asked, “Can America survive? Is there hope? How can I make a difference?”
The answer from AFA was an unwavering trust in the one thing that never changes – Jesus Christ and His Word.
In the 38th year of ministry, AFA offered unyielding leadership in promoting and acting upon biblical principles in every sphere of life and every institution of society.
Below are ministry highlights of 2015.
Standing for our first liberty, religious freedom
● Launched the Corporate Religious Liberty Index, a questionnaire that seeks to assess and publicize the importance of religious liberty to major companies.
● Leveraged all media outlets and resources to rally support for the cause of religious freedom and the growing number of courageous Americans who withstood great pressure and suffered personal loss for standing for biblical values. These included small business owners, the fire chief of a major American city, a highly decorated Marine veteran, and others.
● Identified and reported on anti-Christian organizations across the nation.
● Petitioned President Barack Obama to work for the release of Saeed Abedini, a U. S. citizen and Christian pastor who was arrested and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison because of his Christian faith.
● Produced What Now? a documentary that provides legal analysis of the dangers posed to religious liberty by the SCOTUS same sex marriage ruling.
● Published in AFA Journal an article titled “Will a gay marriage storm crush your church?” The article offered practical help to churches in understanding and responding to the dangers of the ruling.
Resisting evil, including ungodly entertainment
● Prior to the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same sex marriage, AFA placed a full-page newspaper ad that addressed the Court and the nation at our most critical moral crossroad. In part, the ad read: “God, in His great wisdom, profoundly established the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman.” The ad demonstrated what has been AFA’s four-decade, uncompromising stand for marriage as God ordained it.
● Cited and/or took action against companies that promoted products, policies, or practices that are contrary to the Scripture including:
Macy’s
Chase Bank
Radio Shack
Target
Carfax
PetSmart
SmartStyle
McDonald’s
Planet Fitness
Angie’s List
Disney-ABC
Girl Scouts
Abercrombie and Fitch
Fox Network
Wells Fargo
Tylenol
United Way
Boy Scouts of America
Office Depot
Frito-Lay
Carl’s Jr.
Promoting gospel efforts
● Provided a radio/internet platform for the fifteenth annual “Truth For Youth Week” across the nation. A campaign of Revival Fires International, “Truth For Youth Week” gave over 60,000 Bibles to teens who committed to give the Scripture to their unsaved friends.
● Launched Engage Magazine, an outreach and resource geared toward the Millennial generation. Engagemagazine.net is an online resource aimed at helping Millennials ground their worldview in the truth of the gospel.
● Relaunched One Million Dads, an online initiative aimed at encouraging and strengthening men in their God-given position of family leadership.
Expanding AFA’s reach
● Established a strategic radio station in northern Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., and added four more stations: Huntsville and Montgomery in Alabama, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and Lexington in Kentucky.
● Redesigned and launched a new version of OneNewsNow.com to be cutting edge among online news media outlets.
● Expanded online capabilities and strategies reaching millions of Americans. AFA’s new blog, The Stand, reached over 150,000 each month. 
American Family Association 2015 highlights
AFA afa.net
The Stand afa.net/the-stand
American Family Radio afr.net
AFA Journal afajournal.org
American Family Studios facebook.com/americanfamilystudios
American Family News Network onenewsnow.com
AFA Foundation afafoundation.net
1 Million Moms onemillionmoms.com
1 Million Dads onemilliondads.com
AFA Marriage Conferences repairingthefoundations.com
Engage Online Magazine engagemagazine.net
Urban Family Communications urbanfamilytalk.com
