“Christians, it's up to you to save this country.”
So said former Arkansas legislator Jason Rapert this past Saturday at a Faith and Family Conference held on the campus of North Greenville University. Rapert is the founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.
The conference was put on by the South Carolina legislature's Family Caucus and was moderated by Greenwood legislator John McCravy, the head of the caucus.
Rapert also called for a modern-day “appeal to heaven,” which harkens back to the American Revolution and the pine tree flag flown during that period that bore the words “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN.”
Ben Quine, vice president of Christians Engaged, echoed Rapert's sentiment. He said that the “problems we see in this country are spiritual problems,” adding that the church is the answer.
In addition to McCravy, several other South Carolina legislators were in attendance, including Billy Garrett, Bill Chumley, Mike Burns, Travis Moore, Daniel Gibson, Doug Gilliam, David Vaughan, and Jason Elliott.
Several candidates for local offices were also present, including Frank Farmer, Stephen Frank, Alex Reynolds, Stan Tzouvelekas and Jay Gresham.
University president Dr. Gene C. Fant and Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette offered opening remarks. Tony Beam, director of church and community engagement and public affairs at NGU offered up the opening prayer.
The three-hour seminar consisted of two panels and a meet-and-greet breakfast in between. The topic of the first panel was “Changing the Law and Preventing Bad Law.” The panelists were Rapert, Quine, James Quarles, South Carolina director of Heritage Action America, which is an arm of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The topic of the second panel was “Parental Rights and Current Status of Prolife Laws.” That ;panel included Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, Tonya Shellnut, senior state government relations director at Alliance Defending Freedom, and Steve Pettit, president of the Palmetto Family Council.
McCravy said that the purpose of the legislature's Family Caucus is to promote Christian conservative legislation.
“It's about protecting our children,” said McCravy.
Quarles echoed that sentiment. These kids are very vulnerable online,” he said, noting that his organization is supporting the Child Online Safety Act. He said that the tech companies are intentionally influencing children. He wants a law in South Caorlina that would require a minimum age of 18 for being on social media. He said that several states already have such a law and that these laws have already had an impact.
Rapert said that, after feeling led of the Lord to run for office, he won a seat in the Arkansas legislature that had not been held by a Republican since the War Between the States. Encouraged by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, he founded the NACL, of which McCravy is a member, in 2020.
The organization works on what is termed 'model legislation,' which is then introduced in other legislatures for their consideration. After just four short years, the organization already has chapters in all 50 states.
Quine's organization has built a voter mobilization effort for the church. “It's absolutely vital the church be mobilized,” said Quine. The organization uses email reminders to remind Christians to vote. He said that this effort has seen “incredible” results. Christians Engaged works to awaken, educate, and empower believers in Jesus Christ to pray, vote and engage.
Pettit echoed what both Rapert and Quine said. “The power of influence in the state house, at least in my opinion, is in the church house.”
The mission of the Palmetto Family Council, said Pettit, is to protect life, preserve freedoms, honor God, and strengthen families. He said that the PFC is a voice for biblical values. He wants the church and the people of God to become more passionate and more concerned for the state of South Carolina.
“The men and women that are in our state house who are fighting for that which is right are as much a hero, in my mind, as those who are fighting overseas defending the freedoms of the United States of America,” said Pettit.
Shellnut said that she sees three things that are trending today: the continued threat of gender ideology, the attack on parental rights, and global censorship.
“We try to be very visionary and strategic in looking to the future to find out what's going to be coming down the pike,” said Shellnut.
The Alliance Defending Freedom is the world's largest religious liberty advocacy organization. Shellnut said that the organization served over 3,000 religious institutions last year and that they have been involved in 74 Supreme Court victories.
One of Shellnut's prime concerns is in the area of parental rights. “South Carolina has an 'F' on parental rights,” lamented Shellnut. She said that children are being transitioned without parental consent. Her organization is working to pass the Family's Rights and Responsibilities Act in the next legislative session.
Tobias, who spoke about the pro-life issue, said that the “abortion industry does not care about the women at all,” adding, “Pro-life people are the most loving, caring, understanding, patient, merciful, gracious people you will ever meet.” She knows of churches that have adopted pregnant women.
Tobias said that the Biden administration flagrantly violates federal law and that it wants hospitals to perform abortions on demand. She said that the abortion battle is “an overwhelming battle – David versus Goliath,” adding, “We're going to see a bigger battle – I'm ready for it.”
