Concerned Women for America signed onto a letter to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, concerning the recent adoption by two American Federation of Teachers (AFT) affiliates in California of anti-Semitic resolutions that falsely accuse Israel of “apartheid and war crimes” and that formally endorse the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement. The goal of the BDS movement is the destruction of Israel.
Young Women for America hosted Mario Diaz, Esq., Concerned Women for America’s Legal Counsel this week to discuss the latest opinions handed down by the Supreme Court and to look ahead to oral arguments this coming fall in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Watch Mario’s interview below.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the radical new ideology taking our culture – and schools – by storm. Wrapped up in pretty packaging, this dangerous worldview seeks to deconstruct America as we know it and reconstruct it into a Marxist society based on social equality.
As people of faith, we must lean into understanding these terms and what they really mean so that we can combat the idea that CRT is something virtuous to support.
On today’s episode of Concerned Women Today, theologian Darrell Harrison joins Penny Nance and Annabelle Rutledge to answer all of your questions and explain the true roots of what CRT is and for what it stands. Listen below or by searching “Concerned Women Today” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you normally stream your podcasts.
This week the U.S. Department of Education held a virtual public hearing on Title IX and the Department’s role in addressing sex discrimination. Doreen Denny, CWA’s Vice President of Government Relations, provided live testimony on the issue of why subjective gender identity categories should not be added to sex discrimination under Title IX:
“Nothing in congressional statute or statutory interpretation of Title IX by the Supreme Court has changed the meaning of sex discrimination. The Department of Education has no legitimate authority to rewrite this federal civil rights law to redefine the immutable characteristic of sex to mean “gender identity” and thus force women to comply with allowing males who declare transgender status to have access to sex-separated schools, facilities, or sports programs for women.”
You can read Doreen’s full testimony here.
Watch Doreen’s live testimony below.
Young Women for America invites you…
There’s been a lot of buzz around the fact that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has decided to hear oral arguments this coming fall in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a Mississippi law that puts strict limits on abortions after 15 weeks. Learn what all the buzz is about from Mario Diaz, Esq., Concerned Women for America’s General Counsel, who is joining us on our June YWA leader’s call.
Mario will also discuss the latest opinions handed down by the Supreme Court this June when the last Supreme Court decisions are made from the current term. This is traditionally a month that will find groups like CWA/YWA outside the Supreme Court rallying. This term, we await an important religious liberty case called Fulton v. Philadelphia, having to do with adoption and foster care agencies. Don’t miss the call to learn more about all things SCOTUS!
Date: Monday, June 14
Time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. Central; 3:30 p.m. Mountain; 2:30 p.m. Pacific)
Register: Register here. Please share the link with other likeminded friends and family. An email with the link for the call and other information will follow upon registration.
Precious God, we cry to You all day long,
In the morning we praise Your name,
Giving thanks for Your works,
For Your mercies, which are new every day.
Midday we look to You to be our strength, Lord,
Our refuge, shelter, comfort and wonderful counselor.
That You may increase, and we decrease, we pray,
That we may not be wise in our own understanding, but trust in You.
At night, we meditate on Your Word and rest in You,
Praying, once again, Your glory over our lives and our country.
We are unto our enemy, disguised as he may be,
He will not have a foothold among us.
For You are present amongst Your people, Your body, Your church,
And we stand in awe of Your protection over us.
Therefore, we will not fear, though darkness may seem to increase around us,
We will move in faith, confident of Your wisdom, goodness and Sovereignty over all.
Help us to endure in the time of trouble,
Give us courage to withstand the world’s ridicule, harassment,
Even persecution, Lord; be not far from us,
Permit us to keep a proper perspective.
We pray for those in authority,
Many in very difficult settings,
Surrounded by wolves, seeking to
Kill, steal, and destroy.
Let Your Word be close to them,
Be their strength from day to day,
Hasten to help them and save them.
Answer their prayers and comfort them.
But help us to be helpful and engaged,
Increase our determination and endurance.
Increase our faith and our trust in Your plans,
Even when it is difficult to see.
Let our praise be forever on our lips,
Let our charity be forever increasing,
Help us to spread the hope and joy of Your salvation,
Throughout the four corners of the world.
In Jesus name, we pray,
Amen.
This radical woke era is one in which Sleeping Beauty might not want to wake. If she did, she’d be surprised to learn that even Prince Charming could be a woman these days. Our Vice President of Government Affairs, Doreen Denny, gave a recent speech highlighting the hypocrisy and dangers that are wrapped inside the inadequately named “Equality Act.”
Listen wherever you stream your podcasts or by clicking play below:
Concerned Women for America LAC has been leading the way in opposing the final passage of the Endless Frontier Act, reckless legislation that would allow for your taxpayer dollars to be used to destroy, experiment on, and unethically alter human life.
As staunch defenders of the sanctity of life and believers in Christ, we believe He makes each and every life unique. To alter that life is to go against our Creator. We will never stop advocating for the protection of unborn life and life at every stage of development.On Friday, June 4, we sent a letter to all Republican Senators urging them to stand up for the respect and dignity of life at all stages of development and oppose the passage of this act.
Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) each reposted our letter expressing their support in standing with us for life.
As stated by Penny Nance, “The dignity of human life at every stage of development must be respected and protected. There is nothing in this bill to ensure the U.S. and partners abide by ethical standards that the American people expert with the billions in taxpayer funds going to such activities, especially as the Biden Administration is fueling an all-out assault on long-standing bipartisan prolife protections.”
You can read our full letter to the Senators here.
This past weekend, hundreds of formerly LGBTQ-identifying individuals gathered in Washington, D.C. as part of the CHANGED Movement’s Freedom March. They shared testimonies about how Jesus met them where they were and completely transformed their lives.
We were honored to host a group from the CHANGED movement in our headquarters this week to hear their stories, learn from them, and pray over them. These remarkable individuals help others in the LGBTQ community understand underlying trauma and healing needed in their lives and seek to bring the message of the restorative power of Christ to those facing these challenges.
In the paragraphs that follow, I attempt the impossible. Few achieve the magical task of putting into words the unspeakable fidgeting of the heart. It is a dangerous business to engage oneself, especially on matters where the cultural meets the spiritual. But it is a necessary work, for it is the work of universal truth—the work of freedom.
Millions feel the truth. But that is not enough. We must know the truth. It is that which sets us free.
The truth we must face today is that our children are being systematically targeted by secular humanists who are enemies of God and His Word. They do not want to “live and let live.” They want your children. They want you isolated. They want to dismantle in your children’s minds all notions of truth, especially those Scriptural truths you have taught to them.
Don’t know how that works? What does the rainbow symbolize for your children?
As they wake up in the morning, they’ll have their Kellogg’s cereal telling them to roleplay, choosing their preferred pronouns. Next, perhaps they want to watch some cartoons in the morning, as we all did growing up, and they have “Blue’s Clues Pride Parade Sing-Along with Drag Star Nina West Celebrating LGBTQ Families.”
There they learn about families that have “two daddies,” “babas [that] are nonbinary,” “trans members,” and even about “ace, bi, and pan grown-ups,” all “allies to the queer community.”
A friend commented she had to look up some of the terms. And guess what, many children will too. They will learn a lot more than what’s on one episode, thanks to that cute blue dog.
But your children don’t watch that; they watch Disney Plus. Or maybe they are older now and just like going to Target or Walmart where they’ll be presented with beautiful displays of LGBTQ+ affirming merchandise and messages, like the asexual or non-binary flag pride t-shirt or the “trans rights are human rights” one.
All these messages being pushed upon our children are guaranteed to have an effect. Our children will “google” these terms and find out more. They will consider them…
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!
CEO and President Penny Nance responds to the Fauci email scandal, calling out Big Tech for their role in shutting down the First Amendment in America amid a national crisis. Penny also discusses the Biden Administration’s response, or lack thereof, to the growing spike in cyberattacks and the effects they may have on American families. You can watch her full interview here (Penny begins at 7:14).
(L-R: Annabelle Rutledge, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Terri Johannessen)
Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Florida State Director Terri Johannessen and Young Women for America (YWA) National Director Annabelle Rutledge joined a host of female athletes and other supporters of girls’ athletics at a bill signing ceremony with Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday. June 1. It was an important and energetic win for female athletes in Florida, and we applaud the boldness of Gov. DeSantis in signing the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. Refusing to bow to leftist bullies and the NCAA is a sign of true leadership, and we are thankful to every governor who is standing for truth on this issue.
It was a special Day for CWA and YWA, and we are grateful to have had a presence in the room for such a historic moment for women and for truth! Gov. DeSantis had his sweet little girl handing him pens as he signed, a reminder that protecting women isn’t only about our athletes competing today, but it is paving the way for future generations.
If you’re a believer, you’ve probably found yourself wondering more than a few times lately, where have people of faith been throughout these pressing cultural debates? As Christians, we are called to speak out against injustice and to defend what we know to be true.
To win the battle for the soul of our nation, we must come together as one Church under the leadership of Christ. In this week’s episode of our podcast, Penny is joined by Ryan Helfenbein of Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center to discuss how to Biblically navigate through tough issues.
This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, or below. Please take time to listen and share with your friends.
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President weighed in on the Cancel Culture’s newest victim in her Real Clear Politics op-ed: “Time and again, the Left tried and failed to cancel Rick Santorum, but this past weekend they thought they had finally succeeded when CNN released him. Santorum’s crime? Saying Western European settlers founded the United States, and they did so to establish a nation premised on freedom and liberty.”
Read Penny’s entire op-ed here.
Father in Heaven, all glory to You,
Who sent Your Son, Jesus, to die in our stead,
All glory for that sacrifice,
Which opened the way.
It is a reminder, especially today,
That we are to do the same.
And many have indeed given themselves
For their fellow men.
This Memorial Day, Lord,
We want to remember them.
We pray for their families and friends,
Protect them—bless them in every way.
It is a hard road, full of incredible sacrifice,
To give your life to defend a nation such as ours.
To him who much is given, much is required,
And You have given us much.
So, we understand the role we play in the world,
We accept the responsibility that has brought.
We only beg Your leading, even beyond,
What we think best.
Help us to never forget these who fought and bled,
Who experience the trauma of war, and yet
Endured for freedom’s sake
For liberty, for family, for peace in the world.
Help us to not use our freedom to indulge the flesh,
Instead teach us to love each other,
To forgive and strive to see the best
In each other and in the country they served.
Help us to hold on to unity in truth.
As we celebrate this day, help us to reflect,
On the innumerable blessings You gave,
And continues to place on our people and our land.
Keep us safe,
Keep us strong in Your Word,
Trusting in You and You Alone,
In Jesus’ name Amen.
Appropriations season is upon us. As President Biden unveils his $6 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal to Congress, it is time again to protect longstanding prohibitions on the use of federal funds for elective abortions. We currently face an unprecedented threat to the time-honored safeguards of the Hyde Amendment and related provisions.
The Hyde Amendment was introduced in 1976 to stop the flow of federal taxpayer dollars for abortion following the Roe v. Wade decision. Every annual spending bill over the last four decades has included this provision, defending the conscience rights of a strong majority of Americans who would otherwise be forced to pay for the destruction of human life. Additional Hyde-like pro-life amendments have since emerged to apply these critical restrictions to other relevant federal programs, both domestic and international.
Abortion giant Planned Parenthood and its industry allies have tightened their grip on the highest echelons of government power to finance their cause. Yet most Americans agree that the abortion industry should not receive federal funds and that preborn life deserves protection. A recent Marist poll found that 76% of Americans support restrictions on abortions after the first trimester, at the very least. Funding for overseas abortion is opposed by 77% of Americans and even 64% of pro-choice voters. Further, 58% of Americans support the original Hyde Amendment.
Unfortunately, President Biden has abandoned his previous position and promise to defend Hyde, a troubling sign that he is beholden to radical leftist interests rather than the will of the American people. Many in the Democrat majority in Congress have pledged to repeal these life-saving measures, raising the stakes even higher for the battle ahead. If they cannot get their way on Hyde, some have even proposed grant programs to directly fund Planned Parenthood clinics.
In anticipation of the Biden budget request, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee joined dozens of others in the pro-life community in a letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to guarantee inclusion of the Hyde Amendment and related provisions in FY 2022 appropriations. Nearly 2.5 million precious lives have been preserved since Hyde’s inception. We cannot sit idly by while this Administration seeks to open to floodgates and send our hard-earned tax dollars to those preying on the most vulnerable among us. As appropriations season commences, we must hold Congress accountable for holding the line on Hyde.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has obstructed proper Congressional oversight of the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through its refusal to share information on over $90 million in total loans to Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
At a recent Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing, Ranking Member Rand Paul demanded answers on the unlawful distribution of funds to PPFA affiliates deemed ineligible for the aid program. SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman dodged the inquiry, failing to recognize the critical need for transparency on the use of precious taxpayer dollars. Under her leadership, the SBA approved at least $17.6 million in additional loans to PPFA, including a maxed-out $10 million loan to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York just before the program exhausted funds in early May 2021. This despite ongoing inquiries regarding $80 million in aid yet to be returned by 38 affiliates. Paul underscored the role of the Hyde Amendment to prevent federal money from going to abortions, thus preserving Americans’ conscience protection rights.
The SBA’s failure to enforce the rules against Planned Parenthood sends a clear message. This Administration will stop at nothing to protect the abortion industry’s survival, even at the expense of our nation’s small, main street businesses who are truly in need.
We stand behind the efforts of Sen. Rand Paul and others to uncover the truth and hold bad actors accountable. Our leaders must not stop until funds are returned, necessary legal action is taken, and the proper controls are instituted to prevent such a scandal from occurring again.
View the full exchange: Dr. Rand Paul Questions SBA Administrator Guzman on Planned Parenthood PPP Loans – May 26, 2021
This weekend many Americans will leave work looking forward to a long weekend ahead, to spending more time with their friends and loved ones, and to some much-needed time in the sun. As the unofficial kickoff to summer draws near, we pause to remember the men and women who left for work one day and never made it home for another long weekend and their families who would never get that extra time back.
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is an American holiday honoring the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. military. It originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official holiday in 1971.
Although this weekend will leave us all feeling a little more excited for the season that’s to come, it’s important to remember the real reason that we get to have this extra day to spend however we choose.
John 15:12-13 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Scripture tells us that there is no greater sacrifice than laying down one’s life for others. In America, we are uniquely positioned to understand this principle in a more meaningful and personal way. We know what these men and women were defending. We know that when they kissed their family goodbye for the final time, they did so knowing they were protecting the rights and freedoms for them to prosper. America is the greatest country in the history of the world because of the men and women who sacrificed their all to protect it.
This Memorial Day, while you are enjoying a day off, take a moment to remember those heroes, past and present, and remember the people they left behind. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.
Penny Nance
CEO and President
By Lela Gallery, YWA Ambassador – Mount Holyoke College
Whenever the question arises about why Christians–specifically, Evangelicals–support Israel so staunchly, some point to a surface-level and one-dimensional answer: preparation for Armageddon. Armageddon is the end-times battle mentioned in Revelation 16:16 where earthly kings under demonic leadership will wage a great war against God’s forces in Megiddo, Israel. During this time, Jesus Christ will come again to save millions of Jews from dying, and the nation of Israel will accept Jesus as their Savior, which would begin a thousand-year reign of peace.
The first step towards this second coming of Jesus was the rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948–a prophecy predicted in Ezekiel 20:33-38 and Ezekiel 22:17-22. Now whenever Israel gains more political traction, from acquiring new boundaries and territory to the U.S. recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, end-times are getting closer and closer. The argument is that Evangelicals lobby for Israel’s interests to accelerate the second coming of Jesus so that all Israelites will convert to Christianity and live in their promised land in peace.
While this answer is fascinating (and was what I was taught when I took a class about the Israel-Palestine conflict), not all Christian Zionists share this view. Theological reasons to support the Jewish nation run much more deeply than these apocalyptic New Testament prophecies.
They go back to the beginning of Judaism in Genesis with the Abrahamic covenant. After the fall of man, God established a covenant with Abraham to redeem the fallen world. He told Abraham that He would bring forth a great nation that would bless the rest of the world and show that only one God exists. He would bless anyone who blesses this nation and curse anyone who curses this nation (Genesis 12:1-3). This nation became the nation of Israel. So, to stand against Israel is to be cursed by God.
Interestingly, world history shows that any nation that stood against and oppressed the Jewish people faded into the background of history. For instance, where is the great power that Egypt once was? Where are the Assyrians? The Babylonians? How about the Romans? Hitler’s Third Reich? They’ve all disappeared into history. Yet, despite centuries of dispersion, oppression, and genocide, the Jews–along with Israel–continue to exist!
When God issued the Abrahamic covenant for the third time to Abraham, God also acted as a real estate agent, promising the whole land of Canaan (roughly where modern Israel is today) to the Jewish people in Genesis 17:7-8. In this passage, God twice called this covenant “an everlasting possession.” Because of this promise, the Jews are the only nation with a God-given right to a piece of land. They don’t occupy the land of Israel, as many who oppose the Jewish nation claim; they own the land yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.
Throughout history, Jews have struggled to remain in their homeland. Yet, God’s promise to Abraham is an unconditional covenant, meaning that there is a fixed outcome that will supersede any circumstance. His promise to the Jewish people still stands; He can’t lie or go back on His promise, as Hebrews 6:17 and Numbers 23:19 state.
To Christians, Israel is more than a social, political, or compassionate issue; it’s a matter of the absolute faithfulness of God. If God can’t keep His promise to the Jewish people–especially an unconditional one–He can’t keep His promises with us.
God loves the people of Israel, and as Christians, we must pray for them and seek their good. Israel and Jewish people face active physical, ideological, and financial threats; this is as true today as it has been throughout history. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran currently seek to annihilate the Jewish state. The Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement, and the plethora of misinformation surrounding the Jewish nation in the media, also seek to kill and destroy the state of Israel. Israel needs our support.
As Psalm 122:6-9 says: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’ For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, ‘Peace be within you!’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
We are still to know that You are God,
Father of light and beauty.
We will exalt Your Name this day
And forevermore, wherever we stand.
You are our Fortress and our Shield,
Your love is from everlasting to everlasting.
Forgive our internal distress due to our lack of faith—
Born from the fact that we have taken our eyes away from You.
With the sons of Korah, we declare
That “we will not fear … though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea”
For You are with us.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is our Refuge;
Who can withstand His perfect will?
Therefore, we do not fret, complain or grumble;
We trust Your perfect ways.
We do not lose heart—we have hope in Christ,
Though evildoers celebrate in the city gates,
Saying they have prevailed in their warped ways,
We fight with renewed vigor each new day.
We know our labor in You is not in vain;
Your Word does not come back empty, but
Will accomplish the purposes for which You have sent it.
And You have sent us—keep us focused and grounded.
Help us see that which is good and true, honorable and praiseworthy,
Just and inspiring, commendable and excellent,
All the love You have poured out for us, Lord. Help us to see
Help us remember it daily.
Unite Your body, Father God,
Help us to fight together,
To speak with one voice
Proclaiming Your never changing Truth.
With courage and compassion,
Help us to be faithful to Your plan
In all areas of our lives.
In Jesus, Amen.
