Category

Culture

Jul 07 2021
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The Spiritual War Against Children

By | Culture, LBB, Legal, News and Events, Sex Trafficking / Pornography, Sexual Exploitation, Substack | No Comments

I have pleaded with you before to realize that secular humanists are systematically targeting our children for indoctrination. A recent op-ed titled “Yes, kink belongs at Pride. And I want my kids to see it.” in one of our nation’s most prestigious newspapers, The Washington Post, helps stress the urgency of the call to stand up and fight for your children.

Though The Post makes the headline personal to make the writer Lauren Rowello’s message more palatable, her call is collective. She is pushing community standards. It’s not that she wants her kids to see sexual deviant behavior (she will make sure of that); she wants your kids to see it. That is why she is writing publicly, advocating for the behavior to be kept in full public display of children—again, they are the target.

She is not urging this wickedness for herself or even as the “self-expression” of those involved, but for the great “benefit” of corrupting children’s minds.

To their shame, The Washington Post, gives her a platform to expand her reach. The author writes, “Children who witness kink culture are reassured that alternative experiences of sexuality and expression are valid — no matter who they become as they mature, helping them recognize that their personal experiences aren’t bad or wrong, and that they aren’t alone in their experiences.”

Your child needs this, you see. That is why Pride parades must be celebrated in public on the busiest streets of the most dynamic of towns. And the more sexually deviant behaviors they showcase, the better…

Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!

Jun 15 2020
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Supreme Court Rewrites Law to Appease PC Police, Again

By | Blog, Culture, News and Events, Press Releases, Religious Liberty, SCOTUS, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

Washington, D.C. — The United States Supreme Court has released its decision in the Title VII cases Harris v. EEOC, Bostock v. Clayton County, and Altitude Express v. Zarda. Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) made the following comments:

“The majority of the Court has effectively destabilized protections for women in federal law with this ruling. Today they invite federal lawsuits in every other area of federal law where the word ‘sex’ appears. Women will need to redouble their efforts to retain the protections that have cost us so much throughout the years. And that is exactly what we will do.

“The protections based on ‘sex’ in federal law were specifically enacted to protect women and strengthen justice, not threaten it because of the beautiful differences between males and females. But today, the Court erases that and envisions a world where fundamental truths can be twisted to mean whatever the ‘woke’ culture of the times dictates.

“Worse, the Court majority diminishes what it means to be a woman and the status and dignity of being female. This is not a left or right issue. Concerned Women for America rallied in front of the Supreme Court alongside radical feminists who boldly stood to ask the Court to stand strong for women and not deviate from the truthful application of the word ‘sex’ in federal law.”

###

Jun 12 2020
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Justice, Not Chaos Needed for a More Perfect Union

By | Blog, Culture, National Sovereignty, News and Events, Politics/National Sovereignty, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

CWA has signed onto the below Conservative Action Project’s (CAP) Memo for the Movement entitled “Justice, Not Chaos Needed for a More Perfect Union.”

“Conservatives are confronting a country at unrest. Peaceful demonstrations over the unjustified murder of George Floyd have turned violent, exploited by individuals and organizations using Floyd’s death to pursue their own agenda of social conflict and destruction.
Some of the videos of the unrest all over America during the last ten days clearly show some protesters breaking the law by looting, for their own gain and, apparently, their own great amusement. Are we to condemn all protesters because of the few arsonists and looters?”
Jun 05 2020
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In Defense of Kay Coles James

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues, Tennessee, Wisconsin | No Comments

CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance teamed up with Susan B. Anthony List’s President Marjorie Dannenfelser on the following opinion article published in Real Clear Politics defending Kay Coles James after her comments were criticized in the media.

“As pro-life women leaders we have particular revulsion at the murder of George Floyd, a precious human life created in the image of God, by a white policeman in Minneapolis. We are also revolted by the senseless violence of criminals using this tragedy for their own selfish purposes.   
Our nation is shaken to its core. In this moment, as the nation looks for leadership, we are grateful for the transparency and vulnerability shown by our friend Kay Coles James, the first African American (and the first woman) to lead the historic Heritage Foundation. We noted that she received criticism recently from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, saying that she “wrote a long screed denouncing America as an irredeemably racist nation” in her response to Floyd’s death.  
We agree with his righteous anger against lawlessness. However, we feel compelled to say this statement is contrary to the woman and leader we know. 
Indeed, Kay deeply believes in American exceptionalism and opposes the rewriting of our nation’s history. In addition, having experienced racism in its malignity herself, she has become a preeminent conservative spokeswoman who can address it while applying its antidote — constitutional principles.   
As a little girl, from her screened porch she listened to civil rights leaders plan in her living room. The fight for human dignity was in the air and flowed in her bloodstream early on. 
This formed her into an ideal advocate for those on the economic margins, the unborn child, all those disenfranchised who were promised to and provided for in our founding documents. It’s no coincidence that, before she became a giant in the conservative moment, she got her formation in pro-life activism. 
In her recent op-ed, Kay wrote thoughtfully about the promise of equality in the Declaration of Independence, and she emphasized how America’s founding principles contain the tools of redemption necessary for every generation to right what is wrong in order to form a more perfect union, and how we must look to those principles to expand human flourishing to all Americans. 
Can we just say, “Amen”? 
The entire history of America is the story of this expansion, from the emancipation of slaves to the enfranchisement of women in the 19th Amendment (which turns 100 this year) and – soon – the restoration of the right to life for the unborn. Every successful human rights movement in our history, rooted in the deep soil of the American founding, has asserted that authentic rights cannot be built on the broken bodies and rights of others.”
Read Penny and Marjorie’s Entire Op-Ed Here: 
Jun 03 2020
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Conservative Leaders Offer Principles to Counter Biased Social Media

By | Blog, Culture, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues, Tennessee, Wisconsin | No Comments

 

The Free Speech Alliance (FSA), a coalition in which CWA participates, responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order addressing social media platforms’ bias against conservatives by releasing the following statement setting out four principles these platforms need to adopt.

Read the Entire Response and Four Principles Here

May 28 2020
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Victory in Women’s Sports Civil Rights Case Carries Warning: Don’t Deny Female Athletes Equal Opportunity

By | Blog, Culture, Feminist / Women's Issues, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Press Releases, Sexual Exploitation, Social / Cultural Issues, Women's Sports | No Comments

Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for taking a significant step in the fight to protect the integrity of women’s sports. The ED Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has correctly ruled that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) and associated schools are in violation of Title IX regulations prohibiting sex discrimination for denying female student-athletes benefits and opportunities in girls’ track by allowing the participation of male students. Among the findings: “CIAC treated students differently based on sex, by denying opportunities and benefits to female student-athletes that were available to male student-athletes.”

CWA filed a similar civil rights complaint at the college level against Franklin Pierce University for unfairly winning a national NCAA title in the 400-meter women’s hurdles with a biological male athlete.  That case is still under investigation by OCR, and we believe a similar action should follow.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, had this to say:

“Concerned Women for America supporters from around the country have stood at the forefront of the fight to protect equal opportunity in women’s sports.  We applaud the Office for Civil Rights for finally taking action to recognize that female athletes are being denied their rights and that schools are violating the law.

“From middle school sports to the Olympics, our daughter athletes are being bullied by activists and sidelined by silence. They simply want to compete on a level playing field against athletes of their own sex. That is what Title IX achieved for female athletes over 40 years ago.

“The ruling in this case shows just how twisted and off-track women’s sports has become, and it carries a warning for all schools: don’t deny female athletes equal opportunity. CWA urges swift action on our complaint in college sports where the NCAA and member schools continue to trample the rights of female college athletes.

“This is not a left or right issue.  Women and girls, regardless of political persuasion, deserve to have the laws that protect us respected and followed, ensuring equal opportunities and benefits in sports for all female athletes.”

May 12 2020
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Podcast: #MeToo Kavanaugh v. Biden – Due Process In All Cases

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Now that Presidential Candidate Joe Biden is accused by Tara Reade of Sexual Assault, the same democratic senators like Kirsten Gillibrand and Maize Hirono and Hollywood celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Amy Schumer are echoing our very sentiments from the Kavanaugh days of due process! At the end of the day, principles and consistency are important. Women should have the freedom to come forward and tell their stories but it must be investigated. Listen as our CEO and President, Penny Nance hosts and our VP of Government Relations, Doreen Denny discuss the latest.

Click Here to Hear This Latest Podcast.

Apr 25 2020
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The Constitution was Made for Covid-19

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance and our General Counsel Mario Diaz co-authored this opinion piece published in TownHall.

“The genius of the U.S Constitution is that it was designed to withstand the pressures of crises. It was a document born of conflict, and the Founders wrote it intending to curtail the human excesses and abuses that tend to come to the surface in times like the one we are living right now.

Fear, insecurity, and perceived need shake us to the core as human beings and, if we are not careful, these times may push us to be willing to enter into oppressive agreements that will ultimately enslave us. It’s part of the human condition that men love power and find it difficult to resist overreach. That is why, now more than ever, we must cling to the principles of liberty embodied in our Constitution. In times of crisis, the overextended hand of nanny state makes citizens feel safe, but that same power can easily morph into a fist.”

Read Penny and Mario’s Entire Piece Here:

Apr 24 2020
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4 Things You Should Know about Mrs. America, Hulu’s Series on Phyllis Schlafly

By | Blog, Culture, Defense of Family, Feminist / Women's Issues, News and Events | No Comments

The Television Network FX/Hulu has released a series called “Mrs. America,” a dramatization about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fight. This series has offensive and often inaccurate depictions of Phyllis Schafly, Eagle Forum’s beloved founder. CWA’s  founder, Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, also worked hard to fight against the ERA in the early years of our organization and along with Phyllis Schlafly, our side won!

We at CWA are working alongside our friends at Eagle Forum to see that the truth is spoken about Phyllis Schlafly’s legacy. An attack on Phyllis is an attack on the conservative movement, and we must fight back! Recently, our CEO and President Penny Nance was interviewed by Crosswalk about this series and Phyllis Schlafly. Here’s what Penny told reporter, Michael Foust:

“She was such a bright woman – really one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met … She was brilliant, astute and strong. She was often the only woman in a group of men and certainly the smartest person in the room.”

Read Michael Fousts’s Entire Piece Here about Phyllis Schlafly:

Apr 23 2020
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It’s Time to Re-Open American Communities

By | Blog, Culture, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance signed onto a letter applauding our nation’s Governors who are responsibly opening their states and supporting Americans as they exercise their constitutional rights and return to daily life.

~~~~~~

April 23, 2020
Washington, DC

In response to public health guidance from the White House, governors in Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, Alaska, and Tennessee have begun announcing phased re-openings of their states and communities, allowing people to choose to return to work, go shopping, purchase services, and attend religious services, and once again exercise their rights and judgments as citizens. We applaud the thoughtful leadership of these governors.

  • In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp has announced that some businesses, including gyms and hair salons, will be permitted to reopen, and elective surgeries can resume on April 24. Restaurants and theaters can re-open on April 27.
  • In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott re-opened state parks on April 20, and stores can begin offering “retail to go” starting April 24. Texas residents may also resume attending religious services.
  • In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves has allowed nonessential businesses to do curbside pickup, delivery, and drive-through service, and is considering permitting businesses to re-open on April 27.
  • In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis opened beaches for walking, biking, hiking, fishing, and running in parts of the state on April 17, and will soon issue a plan to safely re-open the entire state.
  • In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster is permitting some beaches and retail stores to re-open, including department stores and bookstores.
  • In Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy is permitting restaurants, retail stores, and non-essential businesses to re-open while following “rigorous health and safety standards.”
  • In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee said the “vast majority” of businesses may re-open on May 1.

Americans mobilized quickly in the face of the COVID19 outbreak, and through their efforts, prevented the spread of the disease and the overwhelming of hospital facilities. But now, it is time to allow the country to re-open, so that the public health response does not result in even more damage and fatalities from sustained financial ruin.

Read the entire letter here:

Apr 21 2020
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CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance on “Marcus & Joni” on DAYSTAR Television

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, Defense of Family, Family Issues, Feminist / Women's Issues, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, Social / Cultural Issues, Uncategorized | No Comments

Our CEO and President Penny Nance appeared on Daystar TV on the “Marcus & Joni” Show.

Penny spoke to Marcus and Joni Lamb about numerous topics including her book, Feisty and Feminine, current events, COVID-19, Concerned Women for America, abortion, and President Trump among many additional topics. Penny closed the show in a heartfelt prayer!

See Penny Nance’s Segment and the Entire Marcus & Joni Show Here: (Penny’s segment runs from 43:30 to 59:13)

Apr 15 2020
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CWA Among Coalition of Conservatives Reminding CEO OF “Moral Imperative” of Sticking With Free Market Capitalism

By | Blog, Culture, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

CWA is speaking out today asking business leaders to focus on employees and earnings, not political activism, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. CWA stands against the liberal social justice agenda of Big Business that elevates political activism and pet projects over principles of free-market capitalism. Policies that threaten women in the name of transgender rights, like the Equality Act in Congress and requiring girls to compete against biological male athletes, and actions to promote abortion are examples of the activism these companies push under the cover of “stakeholder” concerns. Corporations need to mind their own business and focus on employee stability and shareholder earnings to get our economy back.

BlackRock CEO, Larry Fink who leads the largest asset management company in the world, has been tasked by the Federal Reserve to assist in our nation’s economic recovery. CWA and other conservative leaders are simply asking him not to divert resources to political causes. “Shareholders and society at large benefit when companies are guided by values such as producing quality products and services, having integrity in dealing with customers and vendors, and developing the talents and skills of employees.”

Now, more than ever, America needs business leaders to focus on their mission in the marketplace.

Read the entire letter here and go to LarryFink.org to add your name.

FINAL B2N Response to Fink April 11 2020
Jan 15 2020
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The States Act: Federal Marijuana Legalization Masquerading as States’ Rights

By | Blog, Counterpoint, Culture, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues, Uncategorized | No Comments

 

Marijuana is not a state’s rights issue and misguided bills like the STATES Act create more confusion and problems than it claims to solve.  We are living in unprecedented times — never before have states bypassed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to legalize a federally illegal schedule I substance on the state level and call it medicine, but 33 states have legalized some form of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes. The federal and state conflict is not one of big government versus small government; it is not one of natural medicine versus the establishment — it is a conflict of what science and medicine says is safe and effective versus what big businesses and advocates say is safe and effective. There is no doubt the federal government and state governments are at an impasse, one entirely created by the marijuana industry and exacerbated by informal guidance from the Obama Administration.

This paper scrutinizes the arguments used by proponents of the STATES Act and follows the scientific evidence, extrapolates logical conclusions, and elucidates the real effects of marijuana legalization. The marijuana legalization problem is one created by the marijuana industry, and it should not be up to Congress to solve. Rather, we should take big business, clichés, and financial interests out of the marijuana conversation and instead focus on the sociological and scientific evidence which says legalization harms individuals, families, and communities.

Read The Counterpoint: The States Act: Federal Marijuana Legislation Masquerading as States’ Rights Here

Jan 14 2020
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Need a Primer on Socialism? CWA’s Got It!

By | Blog, Culture, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues, YWA | No Comments

You’ve heard all this talk — in the media and on college campuses — about why we need socialism in America today. Do you want to understand what socialism is and how it impacts society? Or, how to respond to socialist promises like – Free Stuff! – healthcare and college?

For answers to these and many other questions, read our Concerned Women for America’s YWA Socialism lesson written by our Vice President of International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison and designed by CWA’s Graphic Designer, Julia Curtis.

Socialism Study Digital Copy

Dec 29 2019
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Nance: Christianity Today has Damaged the Christian Witness in America

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, News and Events, Religious Issues, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

CWA’s CEO and President, Penny Nance, penned the following opinion piece for The Washington Examiner about Christianity Today’s recent editorial opining that President Trump should be removed from office.

“The recent Christianity Today editorial calling for President Trump’s impeachment was beneath the institution founded by Billy Graham.

The magazine, frequently accused of a leftward drift, proved every critic correct with its misleading attack on fellow believers. It was sad to read.

In order to make the case for impeachment — a constitutional and legal matter that is being contested at every turn — Mark Galli, the author, concludes that it “is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.” Unfortunately, Galli chose to do something that evangelicals involved in public policy are accused of doing all the time.

The organization I lead, Concerned Women for America, the largest public policy organization for women in the nation, is opposed to this impeachment. We believe it is a sham because the facts presented do not meet the high bar set by the Constitution. But you have not and will not hear us say that if you do not believe as we do on impeachment, then you are opposing “the Creator of the Ten Commandments.” How silly would that be? How pompous, arrogant, prideful, pharisaical, and un-Christian would that be?

No one is arguing that Trump or his administration or his policies are perfect. I have been blessed to meet and even dine with Trump. Like most of us, he is on a complicated spiritual journey that he began with little understanding of the Gospel. Only God knows what’s in his heart. And in order to share God’s word, wise counsel, and encouragement of his “better angels,” I have made a conscious choice to praise his administration publicly and correct it privately. Christianity Today prefers to stand on the outside and cast aspersions, while even condemning those who fail to take the same approach.

Galli decided his assertion that one cannot be both Christian and a Trump supporter needed to be in the pages of Christianity Today. Yet his silence about all other politicians has been deafening. I suspect that his “remember who you are and whom you serve” has brought embarrassment enough to the publication already.

In fact, its president and CEO, Timothy Dalrymple, has already felt the need to come out with an explanation of the disastrous editorial. Regrettably, it was just as dubious as the original piece. Dalrymple would have us ignore the way Galli wrote as speaking for the institution. “CT does not have an editorial board,” he wrote. “Editors publish under their own names.””

Read the Entire Article by Penny Nance in The Washington Examiner, here:

Nov 04 2019
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Penny Nance: Fight Against Sex Trafficking and Child Porn Could be Hurt by Change to Internet

By | Blog, Culture, News and Events, Sex Trafficking / Pornography | No Comments

CEO and President Penny Young Nance wrote an opinion piece recently for Foxnews.com explaining how a new standard could have implications in protecting children on the Internet:

Google and Mozilla recently announced plans to begin testing a new standard that would encrypt the Domain Name System, often referred to as “the address book of the Internet.”

Depending on how DNS encryption is implemented, it could have serious implications for the protection of children.

While encryption in the name of additional security is a laudable goal, it needs to be done in a way that does not have the unintended consequence of impeding law enforcement and efforts to filter inappropriate and, in the case of child pornography, illegal content.

As a leading organization dedicated to protecting children and ending sexual exploitation, Concerned Women for America is deeply concerned about any potential changes to the functioning of the Internet that could inadvertently open the floodgates of harmful content and hurt efforts to identify and stop sex trafficking and child pornography.

Read Penny Nance’s Entire Article on Foxnews.com Here:

Oct 30 2019
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Your Unofficial Guide to Kanye’s “Jesus is King”

By | Blog, Culture, LBB, News and Events | No Comments

Count me among the millions of Americans who have had Kanye West’s new album “Jesus is King” on replay ever since it came out on October 25. I want to take you on a listening journey to explain why. For those who are just looking for the bottom line, I would say this: this album is appropriately titled. In it, “Jesus is King.” Every second I spend listening to it, my mind is focused on the Holy One. I see Jesus glorified throughout every track, and this is the purpose of my life, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, I loved it.

Which is the other point. Kanye’s new music is enjoyable. It is interesting. It is good. No mindless repetition. It is straight and to the point.

The point being Jesus is king!

Even if you don’t like the genre, I’d like to share with you some of the highlights in the message he is spreading to all who listen. If you love Jesus, I guarantee you’ll smile.

Let’s push play.

Track 1, “Every Hour” right away stops me on my tracks. I want to praise. I want to join in this gospel choir. “Sing ’til the power of the Lord comes down … We need you … Every hour, every minute, every second…” Yes. The voices are perfect, and the syncopation between the different parts and the piano leaves me mesmerized. I’m already in praise mode.

All of a sudden everything drops out. A lone organ comes in. Enter “Selah,” track 2. The first line? “God is King, we the soldiers.” The music style fits that line, too. It’s hard-hitting. This is an anthem for battle.

Before the flood, people judge
They did the same thing to Noah
Everybody wanted Yandhi
Then Jesus Christ did the laundry
They say the week start on Monday
But the strong start on Sunday

Boom. You are clearly on one side of the battle line. I find myself among God’s army, and I feel at home. I look around and see Kanye has changed sides. He now stands beside me, and I want to praise God again for His goodness and mercy. I remember from where He saved me too as the hard-hitting lyrics continue to flow.

Won’t be in bondage to any man
John 8:33
We the descendants of Abraham
Ye should be made free
John 8:36
To whom the Son set free is free indeed
He saved a wretch like me

The only response to this is worship. And Kanye seems to understand this. Right in the middle of this battle anthem comes the, “Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah … Hallelujah, He is wonderful.”

Next comes “Follow God” (track 3). “Father, I stretch, stretch my hands to You,” it starts with an old style that immediately breaks into hip hop. It deals with trying to live the Christian life. Every Christian will identify. Every new believer struggles to live according to a new way. The longer you have lived in the world the harder it is. This track reflects that, “I’m just tryna find, l’ve been lookin’ for a new way. I’m just really tryin’ not to really do the fool way.” It’s a short song that ends with a scream of frustration when hearing the words, “That ain’t Christ-like.” The answer to this struggle is still Jesus. We take on His righteousness by the Spirit.

A smooth classical guitar greets you in track 4, “Closed on Sunday.” Undoubtedly one of the most memorable tracks in the album. Soon a rhythmic alarm-like sound will accentuate the urgency of this message. WARNING:

Hold the selfies, put the ’Gram away
Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray
When you got daughters, always keep ’em safe
Watch out for vipers, don’t let them indoctrinate

This is when I realized I was listening to one of the most important cultural messages we need at this moment in American history. Kanye’s counter-cultural voice is desperately needed. Perhaps he can sound the alarm for a youth that stands before great danger. They are entering the war zone unequipped.

Raise our sons, train them in the faith
Through temptations, make sure they’re wide awake
Follow Jesus, listen and obey
No more livin’ for the culture, we nobody’s slave

Friends pray for Kanye. This is pure truth. He will face the full onslaught of the culture’s attack, no doubt. Listen to this declaration:

Stand up for my home
Even if I take this walk alone
I bow down to the King upon the throne
My life is His, I’m no longer my own

This is my anthem. This is every Christian’s anthem. Or it should be.

Track 5, “On God,” gives us a bit of Kanye’s testimony. The Gospel opens it: “’How you get so much favor on your side?’ ‘Accept Him as your Lord and Savior,’ I replied.” But this confession is what gripped me: “The devil had my soul, I can’t lie.” This recognition, for any man, is crucial for a life of repentance. The enemy is real. There is no neutral ground. God is the only one who can save us from the slavery of sin.

An a cappella chorus greets you in track 6, “Everything We Need.” In a culture that screams that you need something else—the latest iPhone, a degree, more “likes”, a following, etc. – this chorus breaks the cycle of endless self-seeking. “We have everything we need,” repeats time and again.

What if Eve made apple juice?
You gon’ do what Adam do?
Or say, “Baby, let’s put this back on the tree” ’cause
We have everything we need

This is truth for both the artist with much material wealth, as much as it is for the humble person with much of nothing, if they both “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful,” (Hebrews 10:23). Jesus is all we need.

Track 7, “Water,” feels like a deeply personal prayer. The highlight of this song, again, puts the focus on Jesus.

Jesus, flow through us
Jesus, heal the bruises
Jesus, clean the music
Jesus, please use us
Jesus, please help
Jesus, please heal
Jesus, please forgive
Jesus, please reveal
Jesus, give us strength
Jesus, make us well
Jesus, help us live
Jesus, give us wealth
Jesus is our safe
Jesus is our rock
Jesus, give us grace
Jesus, keep us safe

The listener is then taken to a beautiful hymn, “God is” (track 8). Here we get to hear Kanye’s singing talent in a beautiful declaration of worship to God alone.

Everything that I felt, praise the Lord
Worship Christ with the best of your portions
I know I won’t forget all He’s done
He’s the strength in this race that I run…

This song is full of beautiful devotion to who God is:

King of Kings, Lord of Lords, all the things He has in store
From the rich to the poor, all are welcome through the door
You won’t ever be the same when you call on Jesus’ name
Listen to the words I’m sayin’, Jesus saved me, now I’m sane
And I know, I know God is the force that picked me up
I know Christ is the fountain that filled my cup
I know God is alive, yeah

It is the perfect setup to track 9, “Hands On.” This is a hope-filled encouragement to persevere in the faith. It is raw in that it recognizes who was accomplishing things when we walked in the old self: “Told the devil that I’m going on a strike. Told the devil when I see him, on sight. I’ve been working for you my whole life.” A Christ-like rebuke of our pharisaical attitudes feels also appropriate here:

Told people God was my mission
What have you been hearin’ from the Christians?
They’ll be the first one to judge me
Make it feel like nobody loves me

His humble conclusion also strikes a refreshing note. He asks that we pray for him.

Yes, I understand your reluctancy, yeah
But I have a request, you see
Don’t throw me up, lay your hands on me
Please, pray for me
Hold myself on death
Hold it down, all fallen down
Somebody pray for me

He’s got my prayers.

“Use this Gospel,” track 10, feels like the beginning of a great commission to share what God has done. This is the passion of every Christian.

Use this gospel for protection
It’s a hard road to Heaven
We call on Your blessings
In the Father, we put our faith
King of the kingdom
Our demons are tremblin’
Holy angels defendin’
In the Father, we put our faith

This message can bring freedom to many. “From the concrete grew a rose,” one rapped line is heard. Isn’t that a beautiful picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He can do the impossible. When we die, we live.

Finally, the whole experience is capped with an anthem declaring “Jesus is Lord” (track 11). Fitting.

Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
Jesus is Lord
Jesus is Lord
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
Jesus is Lord
Jesus is Lord

He is. May His name be praised now and forevermore.

—
Mario Diaz, Esq. is CWA’s general counsel. Follow him on Twitter @mariodiazesq.

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