Published April 23, 2024

"[The Christian] must understand what confronts him antagonistically in his own moment of history. Otherwise he simply becomes a useless museum piece and not a living warrior for Jesus Christ.

"The orthodox Christian has paid a very heavy price, both in defense and communication of the gospel, for his failure to think and act as an educated person understanding and at war with the uniformity of our modern culture."  – Francis A. Schaeffer, The God Who Is There 

Cultural Commentaries

• The ACLU made headlines this month for filing two lawsuits in Ohio, one against HB68–which protects children from the dangers of experimental gender "medicine" and preserves women's sports, and the other against the 24-hour waiting period and informed, free-will consent for women seeking abortions.

• Brad Wilcox, author of "Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization" responded to critics of marriage who claim that it's a "death sentence to men" by sharing the facts that men who get married generally live longer, have more intimacy, make more money, and enjoy happier lives than their unmarried counterparts. He also sat down with the hosts of The Narrative podcast to reveal the power of marriage to break the poverty cycle and create thriving, stable communities.

• Thoughts from reading through the 2024 State of the State Address which Governor DeWine delivered this month:

  • How many of these things could be better accomplished by the Church in local communities? We need more Church/State partnership, not more government programs.

  • How much of this really falls under the biblical purview of God’s design for government? (See the article on “God’s Institutions and Their Roles On Earth” in the resources section below.)Partner Ministry Updates

Church Ambassador Network is part of Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) and its affiliated ministries, which seek to impact public policy, education, and the Ohio marketplace with the truth of the Gospel. Check out these updates from our ministry partners!

Policy 

• HB295: The Innocence Act aims to protect children from the porn industry by requiring Ohioans to provide ID for age verification when accessing obscene websites. The Innocence Act also prohibits a person’s image from being used against their will to create sexual content, such as “deepfakes” made using artificial intelligence. Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Township) gave testimony on the Innocence Act before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee during the bill's first hearing on April 3. A second hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23.

Christian Business Partnership  

• The Partnership met with members of the Church Ambassador Network over a livestream in April to share about the Partnership's values-based health insurance, and the gathering was a true success! If you missed, it here is the recording. If you would like to learn more or get a free comparison of your current health insurance plan with The Partnership's plan, please email Char at charbonsignore@cbpohio.org.

Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN) 

• On April 9, representatives from nine OCEN schools descended on Columbus for the very first OCEN Advocacy Day at the Statehouse. After a brief training session equipping school leaders with the why and how of advocacy, school leaders had twenty different meetings with lawmakers and their staff. Each meeting was an important opportunity to thank their lawmaker for their support of the EdChoice expansion, ask for support for OCEN’s current legislative agenda, and build key relationships that will serve their schools well in the future.

Pray for Our Leaders

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)

We have had the privilege of meeting with a few members of Governor DeWine’s cabinet recently and invite you and your church to pray for them this month:

Continue to pray for your district lawmakers. You can even click on the link on their page and send them an email to let them know your church prayed for them this month.

If you have prayer requests, please send them to Ruth at ruthedmonds@ccv.org.

Resources

• Western Heritage: From the Book of Genesis to John Locke is a free online course from Hillsdale College that allows you to explore the history and unique character of Western Civilization and discover how its central elements gave rise to the American Founding.

• God’s Institutions and Their Roles on Earth is a bible study from Capital Ministries that shares, from a theological perspective, that the State exists to manifest God’s restraining grace. Commerce exists to manifest common grace. Marriage exists to manifest creational grace. Family exists to manifest formational grace. Church exists to manifest saving grace. Because of this, disciple-making has an effect on the here and now. It's not just to point our focus to God’s spiritual, eternal kingdom. The Church has unique value. Whether they realize it or not, all the other institutions are dependent on the health of the Church and its disciple-making abilities!

• A Christian Approach to Politics and Social Media dives into the reality that during an election year, Christians must learn to disagree in a way that honors God. "'We treat every political vote as if it's a cosmic battle between good and evil,' Tennison says. 'And if the wrong person wins, it's as if the universe has now sided for evil. We treat every political fight as if it's somehow eschatological. That's politics becoming religion.'" Read to explore the ways we can encourage the Body of Christ to engage with others, especially on social media, in ways that honor God.

• 5 Biblical Principles for Choosing a Shepherd of a Nation offers a look at the high calling Christians have when choosing leaders.

Upcoming Events

• Prayer at the Statehouse: CCV, in partnership with the Church Ambassador Network, will host the next Prayer at the Statehouse event on Thursday, May 16. Please consider joining us for prayer and worship from 10:00 to 11:30 am. The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio is our lead partner and Jeremy Westbrook, Executive Director, will share our 15-minute pastoral exhortation.

• The Columbus Weekend To Remember: Held Friday, May 31, to Sunday, June 2, Weekend to Remember® is a marriage getaway that has equipped over 1.5 million couples with practical tools & resources. Don't just survive, discover a marriage that thrives.

  • Check out this 1-minute video for an overview of this amazing marriage retreat!

  • SAVE $100 PER COUPLE by using our group name: “Church Ambassador Network"

  • Pastors, click here to register for a FULL SCHOLARSHIP for you and your spouse.

• Save The Date for The First Annual Essential Summit

  Hosted by Center for Christian Virtue, The Essential Summit will take place Wednesday, October 2, through Thursday, October 3! Join us to hear from speakers like Dr. Ben Carson, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, and more. Pre-registration begins in May, watch your inbox for more details coming soon.

Pastor Testimony

“As an evangelical pastor, I so appreciate the good work CCV is doing to promote godly values in the public arena.  I’ve been impressed with their passionate, grounded leadership and their gospel-centered philosophy, and I hope and pray that their work continues to flourish for decades to come!” – Pastor Steve Benninger, Lead Pastor at New Life Church

Closing Thoughts

This poem “Explores the inception, history and future of this body so many belong to through the lens of the church as a body, a bride, and a building, and rediscover the identity it has been given by its Creator.”

A number of churches have decided to support CCV and the Church Ambassador Network financially through their budget. To set up a recurring monthly donation to CCV, please visit CCV.org/Donate and make sure to click the check box at the end of the form, above the comments field, before submitting your gift. 

We would be honored if you chose to invest a portion of God’s resources into our effort to serve and support churches in Ohio with resources to help them carry out the Great Commission in the spirit of The Greatest Commandments in our current cultural context.