Va. Group Builds Marriage Protection Alliances Across Racial Lines
by Ed Thomas
September 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Supporters of a state constitutional ban on homosexual "marriage" in Virginia are enlisting the help of black ministers to reach church members who traditionally vote Democratic but have more conservative social views.
The Family Foundation of Virginia has targeted hundreds of churches headed by minority pastors, sending them booklets, DVDs, and church bulletin inserts detailing what the amendment means and how to explain it to organizations.
Chris Freund, a spokesman for the Foundation, says marriage protection "is an issue that crosses a lot of lines, political lines and racial lines included." For that reason, he notes, "We've just been really excited to work with African American pastors across the state."
The Family Foundation of Virginia has organized VA4Marriage,org, a grassroots campaign that depends on a shared conviction that extending marriage to homosexual couples is unbiblical. One focus of the campaign is to persuade black churchgoers to unite with conservative white Christians in banning the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Freund feels this cross-cultural effort is adding significantly to the support for this marriage protection amendment. Also, he notes, "I think it sends a clear message to the rest of the population of Virginia that this is important to a lot of different groups."
The Family Foundation spokesman says the organization has had great success in reaching out to African American church leaders on the issue of marriage. In fact, he points out, black churches and their voters have played a key role in every state that has passed a ban on homosexual marriage.
"We have seen in state after state where that community is in total support of amendments to define marriage as one man and one woman," Freund asserts, "and we're finding that support here in Virginia just as well." Meanwhile, he observes, voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin will also be considering constitutional bans on same-sex marriage.
Freund says the Family Foundation of Virginia, through its outreach and information campaigns, is trying to equip Christian pastors across the state to explain the issues involved in the marriage debate to their congregations. The Foundation's hope, he contends, is that pastors' explanations to church members can counter the multi-million-dollar ad campaign that amendment opponents are carrying out, as well as the liberal media's negative coverage.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
