“Christian morality is being ushered out of American social structures and off the cultural main stage,” declares a recent survey by the Barna Group. Is there any better example of this than the recent push to repeal the Hyde Amendment and allow for taxpayer funding of abortions?
Hillary Clinton has vowed to end the Amendment. Her running mate has waffled on the issue, saying he opposes repealing the Amendment but is nonetheless committed to Secretary Clinton’s agenda. Trump hasn’t said anything at all, but given his past pro-choice support, conservatives can be forgiven for being skeptical of whether he’ll be willing to defend the Amendment or not.
Is it any wonder, then, that Christians feel like lone voices calling out in the wilderness as they fight for causes that matter to them? And not just concerning the Hyde Amendment. Christians are concerned about many issues, including protecting faith-based education, defending the religious liberty of small business owners, and getting Hollywood to produce more faith-based films. But on all these fronts, Christians feel like their positions are being increasingly marginalized. A majority of practicing Christians told Barna they feel “misunderstood,” and “persecuted” for being people of faith in America. Others indicated they felt “silenced,” “sidelined,” and “afraid to speak up,” even though they think their faith is a force for good.
But Christians who care about these causes aren’t alone anymore. They’re making use of a new tool, StandUnited.org, to educate and organize supporters using online petitions. Digital advocacy tools have been around for awhile, but StandUnited.org is the dgital grassroots platform exclusively promoting conservative causes and the transcendent values conservative Christians care about.
As a Christian, it’s easy to feel like the sole voice fighting for family values on other online petition sites. Platforms like Change.org and Care2 are flooded with petitions from liberal, progressive voices. Pro-life petitions sit alongside plenty of pro-choice petitions. How effective is it really to have your petition to defund Planned Parenthood on the same page as the twice as many petitions calling for politicians to #StandwithPP?
Instead, Christian voices can join a chorus of like-minded voices. For instance, on StandUnited.org. A current petition to defend the Hyde Amendment has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures in a little over a month. It sits alongside a petition calling forCongress to investigate Planned Parenthood and another pushing to get Voiceless, a pro-life movie, into theaters this Fall. These petitions reside next to other Christian-based causes. One popular petition calls on state legislators to stand up for religious freedom in their states. Another is gathering signatures for the First Amendment Defense Act, which would prevent the government from punishing schools, businesses, and individuals for their religious beliefs concerning marriage.
One voice may not seem like enough to change the course of all these fights, but when you sign a petition, you’re pooling your opinion with countless others who are just as passionate about these issues as you are. You’re no longer a lone voice crying into the wind. Instead, you’re harnessing the power of new technology to take a stand and make an impact.
The petition you sign goes directly to the decision-makers it’s meant to reach. These decision-makers pay attention to numbers. They’re not immune to outside pressure. Groups on the left have been using online petitions and digital organizing as their bully pulpits for some time now. Online petitions and other social platforms were used to muscle Target, Mozilla, and Macy’s into advancing progressive causes. If they bullied corporations, you can bet they’re not afraid to bully congress, state legislators, or small businesses. And, chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably personally felt bullied for your conservative Christian beliefs. There’s strength in numbers, and it’s time for conservatives to not only protect but advance those beliefs. Now conservatives can fight back, petition for petition, signature for signature, voice for voice.
Liz Anderson is Marketing Coordinator for StandUnited.org, a digital grassroots platform developed by Intermarkets, a digital media firm based in Reston, Virginia. Follow StandUnited on Twitter @StandUnitedOrg