News & Updates

As students head back to school this fall, they’ll be confronted with the latest and greatest in nonsensical, liberal, social theory.

It begins in kindergarten where Heather Has Two Mommies, and culminates in college where campuses and courses now more closely resemble Alice in Wonderland than serious intellectual pursuit. It begins during orientation where students are taught to avoid committing microaggressions, aggressions so incredibly small (hence the term “micro”) that they are only felt or even observable by the most hyper-sensitive of liberals who must then run to a safe zone where they can decompress and try to come to grips with a world that just doesn’t realize how insensitive it is. Only then can they muster the intestinal fortitude necessary to go back and confront the microaggressor, who is then dragged before the Student Human Rights Council before being sent to re-education classes and sensitivity training. Large blocks of students are now so focused on forcing politically correct doctrine on everyone around them that one wonders how they have time to actually attend their classes.

Never fear, it’s now possible to kill two birds with one stone with the University of Iowa’s creation of a Social Justice bachelor’s degree. Yes, students can now get university credits while patrolling the campus in search of microaggressors and other politically incorrect deviants. The only challenge comes when the students try to service their college loans with a degree in social justice. Maybe they can get a job in one of the offices of inclusion and intercultural relations springing up on college campuses across the U.S.

And speaking of the virtue of inclusion and the effort to make all students feel welcome, the University of California at Davis and California State University, Los Angeles, are now offering, I kid you not, segregated housing for black students. This in response to a demand from the black student union because black students wanted a safe place where they would be protected from microaggressions and racially insensitive comments. Can you imagine the outcry and flurry of lawsuits if Liberty University was to announce segregated housing for black students? I’m not even sure it’s legal, since federal Title VI law prohibits racial discrimination in any program that receives federal funding.

And speaking of breaking the law, segregated housing seems minor compared to the all-out assault on the first amendment resulting from scores of newly-created university policies on acceptable speech, which translated, means speech so lacking in substance that it stands not the slightest chance of offending anyone. Campuses that once used to be bastions of rigorous debate in an aggressive pursuit of the truth have now become little more than publicly-subsidized laboratories of politically correct social policy where any dissent from the liberal party line is aggressively prosecuted. And the result, if allowed to continue, is best summed up by Benjamin Franklin who once said, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”

One of the main purposes of this broadcast is to inform, and today I’d like to tell you about two events in which we hope you will take part.

The first is the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Decision America Tour coming to the steps of the Montana Capitol next Tuesday, August 9^th, at noon. For those who don’t know, Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, is traveling to all 50 state capitols to challenge Christians to live out their faith at home, in public and at the ballot box. It is a bold message of civic responsibility, mixed with an uncompromising Gospel message of hope and repentance. In other states, Graham has denounced the current state of our nation and its moral failings, including the continuation of abortion and the legalization of same-sex marriage. He has also decried the fact that America is being stripped of its Biblical heritage, and the fact that secularism has replaced communism as the primary threat to the nation. Through a secular lens, the future of our nation looks bleak. We are saddled with debt so large that even our great-grandchildren may not be able to pay it off. Terrorist attacks are becoming almost a daily occurrence, both here and around the world. The current administration under Barack Obama has turned our military and our schools into a vast sexual social experiment, and the two main candidates nominated to replace him are as bankrupt morally as the nation is fiscally.

On the surface, our future appears grim, but as Franklin Graham points out, our hope is where it’s always been, in the God of the universe who oversaw the founding of the nation and whose power and wisdom transcend any government we elect or any policy they may implement. We have been here before as a nation, and it was in those dark times that we turned back to God. Will we do it again? For the sake of our children and grandchildren, I certainly hope so. Please join us next Tuesday at noon on the steps of the Capitol as we pray and repent and seek God’s wisdom for the tough road ahead.

The second event is a little farther out as my wife, Jennifer, and I invite you to join us in May for our next trip to Israel. For those who have always dreamt of going, the time is now. Our trips are a little different than most. We get out of the bus and walk the land in the footsteps of Jesus and the patriarchs. In addition to visiting all of the important historical sights, we eat the food, we rub shoulders with Arabs and Jews in the market places, wade through underground water tunnels, climb the Roman ramp at Masada, and look down on Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria from the top of Mt Hermon. We will also sleep in tents in a Bedouin camp in the desert, just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did, and we will finish our trip in neighboring Jordan at the ancient city of Petra.

This is the Bible study tour of a lifetime, and you will come away knowing that God was not only the God of Israel 4000 years ago or 2000 years ago, but He is the God of Israel today, and exciting things are happening in the Holy Land. Another idea might be to send your pastor. Recently, a pastor was given a trip to Israel as a retirement gift, and he came back broken. He said if he had gone to Israel at the beginning of his ministry, rather than at the end, his ministry would have been very different. You can find details on our website at montanafamily.org. And we hope you will join us.

For nearly 15 years, this broadcast has sought to inform, to entertain and to call to action. Today’s broadcast is a call to action.

As you know, earlier this year, the Obama administration threatened all schools in America with a loss of Federal dollars if they don’t allow boys who think they’re girls to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms, play on girls’ sports teams and stay in the same hotel rooms when the sports teams travel. The directive also stipulates that it is discriminatory to ask for any kind of proof that the boy actually believes he’s a girl. If he says he is, then he’s in. Period. End of discussion. The Montana Family Foundation commissioned a large and expensive state-wide poll to determine the public’s attitude on the issue. Not surprisingly, Montanans of every persuasion think it’s a bad idea. In total, 62% opposed the directive, while only 29% supported it. When we dug into the data, we found some interesting surprises. Those parents with children 6 to 11 years old oppose the directive by 85%; those with children 12 to 17 by 74%; and those with children 18 to 22 also oppose it by 74%.    67% believe the directive has the potential to ruin girls’ sports and negate the protections guaranteed under Title IX. They believe it’s not fair to force girls to compete with boys, who may be taller and heavier-muscled, and they may have a point. Recently in Alaska, a girl lost her chance to compete at the state track tournament because a boy who claims he’s a girl took her place. And what about privacy? The University of Toronto recently scrapped a plan allowing boys who claimed to be transgender to use the girls’ restrooms because of too many incidents of boys taking pictures over the tops of stalls. The same thing happened at a Target store in Idaho Falls earlier this month when a man who claimed to be transgender was arrested for secretly taking pictures of an 18-year old girl in the changing rooms. It’s a case of political correctness run amok, and it’s coming to your child’s school this fall if we don’t stop it.

This week we sent out two press releases, one describing the details of the poll and the second describing our effort to get elected officials and candidates to sign our pledge to do everything in their power to stop the implementation of this directive. Check out the Great Falls Tribune for two well-written articles.

We have done what we can to get the word out. Now it’s your turn. If you care about Montana’s kids, it’s time to call Governor Steve Bullock, Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, and your local school board. Tell them to protect our kids and stop the implementation of this directive. Tell them it’s nothing but heavy-handed Federal overreach. While you’re at it, call your local candidates and encourage them to sign our pledge. Copies were sent out to all candidates for legislature, governor, OPI, attorney general and the Supreme Court. You can see who signed the pledge and the poll results on our website at montanafamily.org. This is a perfect project for your local PTA. Someone needs to step up to protect our kids and if not us, then who?

In 1895, Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem, IF.    It has been one of my favorites since my sophomore year in high school, and its message has guided me through ups and downs throughout the years. Though written over 100 years ago, its message stands timeless and relevant, even today. The poem is advice from a father to a son on those character traits necessary for manhood, and the first stanza reads:

“If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise….”

It goes on from there, but you get the point. It’s a great reminder in our day and age when the world seems to be spinning off its axis, that we must stand our ground when we know we’re right, even if a vocal minority screams otherwise.

A case in point is President Obama’s transgender directive for public schools. He thinks it’s a great idea and so does the mainstream media and the education establishment. In fact, school districts across the state are working to implement the policy for the 2016-2017 school year. The question for us is whether we will allow it to be implemented without a fight. We know it’s wrong. Boys should not be in girls’ bathrooms, shower rooms or hotel rooms, even if President Obama thinks it’s just fine. To listen to the media, one would think everyone is fine with the proposal, but it’s not true. In fact, if you oppose this directive, you’re in a huge majority.

The Montana Family Foundation recently commissioned a poll of 450 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.62%. The results are exactly what we expected: 62% of Montanans oppose the directive, while only 29% support it. Even in the Missoula media market, 55% oppose while only 38% support. Among parents with children, opponents outnumber supporters by at least 2 to 1, and in some cases, 3 to 1. Meanwhile, not even 25% of voters believe that discrimination against transgender people is a problem in Montana. And one of the strongest responses came as the result of a question on the impact of the transgender directive on Title IX protections for girls in sports. 67% of Montanans believe boys playing on girls’ sports teams will give the boys an unfair advantage and reduce the opportunity for girls to compete. Already in Alaska, one person who was born a male but believes he’s female, has competed and won medals in girls’ track and field, directly resulting in a female athlete being denied a chance to compete in the state tournament.

Another interesting finding, given that we are in an election season, is the fact that 68% of those polled would be less likely to vote for a candidate that supported President Obama’s transgender directive. Given the high degree of opposition, the Montana Family Foundation this week sent a pledge to every candidate for legislature and some state-wide offices, asking them to pledge to do everything in their power to stop this directive. Those who sign the pledge will be listed on our website, along with the complete results of the poll. As Kipling once said, a true sign of maturity is standing your ground when you know you’re right. In this case, we ARE right and it’s up to us to stand firm for the sake of our children and our grandchildren.

Today the Montana Family Foundation released information about public opinion on the federal government’s new transgender schools directive. The foundation commissioned a poll that surveyed 450 likely voters, yielding a margin of error of 4.62%.

Take action now – sign the petition against males in girls’ locker rooms!

“Montanans don’t support putting people who were born male in high school girls’ locker rooms,” said Montana Family Foundation president Jeff Laszloffy. “It just raises too many unanswered questions about privacy and the equality guaranteed to girls on their sports teams under Title IX.”

In the poll, 62 percent of Montanans oppose the transgender school directive while only 29 percent support it. Even in the Missoula media market, 55% oppose the directive while only 38% support it. 72% percent believe high school is too early to make a decision to change gender. Among parents with children, opponents of the directive outnumber supporters by at least 2-1, and in some cases 3-1. Meanwhile, not even a quarter of likely voters believe discrimination against transgender people is a problem in Montana.

Take action now – sign the petition against males in girls’ locker rooms!

The risk of invalidating Title IX protection for Montana’s female athletes also drew a strong response. 67% of Montanans agreed with the following statement: “Opponents of the directive point to the fact that boys who self-identify as girls will be encouraged to play on organized sports teams with biological girls, despite the boys’ possible anatomical advantage in height, weight and strength. This has the potential to invalidate Title Nine protection for girls, since biological sex assigned at birth is no longer a clear line.  This will have a dramatic effect on women’s sports.”

Already in Alaska, one person who was born male but identifies as a girl has competed and won medals in girls’ track and field, resulting in a female athlete not having the chance to compete in the state tournament.

Also noteworthy during this election season is the fact that 68% of those polled would be less likely to support a candidate that supported the transgender school directive.

Laszloffy concluded, “We’re calling on all candidates to sign the pledge to resist this directive. It’s a classic example of federal overreach. It jeopardizes local control and negates protections for girls’ sports under Title IX.”

In depth analysis of poll results is available by clicking here.

Take action now – sign the petition against males in girls’ locker rooms!