The Times: The Beauty of Marriage
"Love...is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself."―C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Our next Prayer at the Statehouse event is on Wednesday, April 16. Registration is now open.
Cultural Commentaries
Celebrating What Is Good… and Beautiful - In her article Thou Shalt Make Beauty for Beauty's Sake, Maria Baer critiques the philosophy of "effective altruism" (EA), which posits that philanthropy should prioritize actions that save the most lives per dollar spent. Baer argues that this perspective undervalues the intrinsic worth of beauty and art, as exemplified by the meticulous restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral. She contends that EA's materialistic approach overlooks the profound impact that beauty and art have on human experience and well-being. She emphasizes that, from a Christian standpoint, creating and preserving beauty is a moral good in itself, reflecting God's character and enriching our lives beyond mere utilitarian measures.
Creating What Is Missing - The Church Ambassador Network is looking to replicate Communio’s successful case study in Jacksonville across all 88 counties in our state. In 2014, Jacksonville, Florida, faced a significant challenge, ranking sixth among America's worst cities for marriage. Duval County consistently reported the highest divorce rates among large Florida counties for 40 of the previous 44 years. Communio partnered with Live the Life Ministries, Alpha, and 93 local churches to address this in a three-year initiative to strengthen marriages and reduce divorces. This collaborative effort led to a 24% decline in the divorce rate, saving taxpayers an estimated $65 million and providing more stable homes for thousands of children. The initiative involved developing ongoing relationship ministries, delivering programs focused on marriage preparation, wellness, and faith development, and utilizing predictive modeling to reach individuals at higher risk of divorce through over 20 million digital impressions and as radio and billboard advertisements. These efforts directed couples to resources available at local churches. By 2017, Jacksonville's divorce rate had fallen to 20% below the state average, marking a significant transformation in family stability within the community.
Restoring What Is Broken - In Broken Families Break Children, a Washington Examiner article, Aaron Baer and Brad Wilcox highlight the alarming state of American children's academic performance, citing low proficiency in reading and math. The authors argue that the root cause of these struggles is family breakdown, not just failing schools or economic hardship. Using data from Ohio, they demonstrate that children from broken families are more likely to face poverty, struggle academically, and experience violence. The research underscores a strong correlation between intact marriages and better life outcomes. While acknowledging the challenges single parents face, they emphasize that strengthening family structures is crucial for building a healthier society, arguing that government intervention alone cannot solve the crisis.
Ending What Is Evil - The Cleveland Clinic has quietly removed a webpage promoting transgender treatments like puberty blockers and wrong-sex hormones for minors. This move comes amid publicized consequences of the dangerous ideology and efforts to protect children from so-called "gender affirmation" and Ohio's HB68, which was signed into law last year. That said, the Clinic's decision may have been influenced by the campaign Consumers' Research launched, claiming the Clinic had "infused a political agenda into their patient care."
Legislative Update
Take a moment to review where all of the CCV-backed bills currently stand in the 136th General Assembly and pray over the bills that are moving in 2025.
Ohio Prayer Guide
We have partnered with Pray For Ohio to bring you a monthly topical prayer guide that can be shared with your church. The Prayer Guide for March will help us unite and focus our prayers. You can also read the prayer letter that shares background information about the topic in the guide, reflects on the transformative power of prayer in historical revivals, and calls upon believers to intercede for a spiritual awakening in Ohio.
Resources
CCV's new report on family culture: Last week, Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) and the Institute for Family Studies released a new report revealing the disastrous effects of marriage decline and family collapse across America. The report includes the Family Structure Index, which ranks all 50 US states based on their family culture, and a strategic plan to rebuild families with public policy and cultural solutions in Ohio. As CCV President Aaron Baer shared with Cleveland.com, the data shows that the best way to reduce poverty–especially child poverty–and decrease the demand for government assistance programs is to ensure strong, stable marriages and families.
The Identity Project is now FREE! This is a great biblical worldview resource to share with your congregation.
My Favorite Argument for the Existence of God by Ross Douthat is worth a read. Even though we don’t often leverage opinion pieces from The NY Times as a resource, it discusses the evolving role of religion in modern society while examining how traditional beliefs are adapting to contemporary cultural shifts and the growing influence of secularism.
If you believe other pastors in your network would benefit from receiving The Times, please forward this to them and encourage them to subscribe!
Upcoming Events
The Rechurching Toolkit Livestream with Michael Graham is this Thursday, February 27. The Rechurching Toolkit has a 20-point checklist of the areas that most impact de-churching. The Toolkit includes processes for those who are moving, membership processes, formation and discipleship, mental health plan, abuse prevention, navigating polarizing cultural conversations, digital footprint, exegeting your context, outlining the physical and spiritual needs of your community, doctrinal clarity, and missional focus. Michael Graham and co-author Jim Davis are gifting attendees a free copy of the Rechurching Toolkit.
Sexuality, Singleness, and Marriage: How God’s Design Points All of Us to Jesus’ Love - The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics has created an excellent interactive live online learning cohort with two experts on this subject– Rebecca McLaughlin and Sam Allberry. This is the second time they have conducted this cohort material and the 400-plus pastors and ministry workers that went through it gave it rave reviews. The cohort will be on Thursdays, March 13 through April 17, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Registration closes this Thursday, February 27.
The Keller Center has been kind enough to offer our network some pretty significant discount codes:
BOOKS15 – 15% off any individual
GROUP30 – 30% off for a group of 3 or more and includes books
GROUP50 – 50% off for a group of 3 or more
TEAM75 – 75% off for a group of 5 or more
The Reality Apologetics Youth Conference is Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26. Bring your youth and young adult groups to join Greg Koukl, J. Warner Wallace, and the team at Stand To Reason for two days of equipping the next generation. The theme of the conference is It Is Written. We’ll meet the challenges raised against God’s Word, answer the critics, and respond to the attacks. We’ll build a foundation for why we can trust the Bible. You can purchase tickets today.
Pastor Testimony
"CCV is both a blessing and a valuable partner to The Church of Jesus Christ. They have represented Biblical truth and important Kingdom issues in the places of power and government. Their goal is to help our nation, which claims to be 'One Nation Under God,' to thrive by advocating for policies that are Biblically based, family-centric, and value the life and dignity of all. I have been equipped and empowered by collaborating with them both in the public sector as well as in the faith community." ―Al Yanno, Church Multiplication Director, Assemblies of God Ohio
Closing Thoughts
"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage." ―Martin Luther, Table Talk
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.
