By Blaine Conzatti, President, Idaho Family Policy Center | Originally published at idahofamily.org
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was rejected by Deseret News following a story that IFPC claims misrepresented their message and goals.
How does a Christian promote biblical values in politics and culture?
For several years, I’ve served as the president of Idaho Family Policy Center, which is now the premier conservative Christian policy organization in our state.
And if there’s one thing I believe with all my heart, it’s that Christian political engagement must always be rooted in love for God and love for neighbor.
Over the last two thousand years, Christians have applied biblical solutions to contemporary political and cultural problems. These faithful believers took seriously biblical teachings on the jurisdictional role of government, the duties of government officials, and the God-given rights of each individual person.
And when they joined together to combat the social evils of their day – whether slavery, infanticide, socialism, statism, racism, or the sexual revolution – they didn’t leave their Bibles at home.
Like them, we want to live out our faith in all spheres of life—including in politics and culture, where we have the opportunity to bless our neighbors by building an Idaho that better reflects biblical truth.
From making sure biological males don’t have access to school bathrooms and locker rooms designated for girls to outlawing irreversible sex change drugs and surgeries for gender-confused children, Idaho Family Policy Center has achieved some significant policy victories that make the Gem State a better place to live, work, worship, and raise a family.
Unsurprisingly, our statewide public opinion polling shows that most Idahoans – regardless of their religious affiliation – agree with our policy agenda.
But we also don’t hide the fact that Idaho Family Policy Center is a Christian ministry, meaning that we affirm the essential truths of biblical Christianity as outlined in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
This means we don’t agree with our LDS friends and neighbors on some key theological questions. Journalists are quick to point this out, hoping to drive a wedge between us and conservative Mormons who share our values.
Quite frankly, it’s outrageous. Why can’t we love our Mormon friends and neighbors – and even partner together on shared political goals – without demanding that they endorse our theology, or vice versa?
Sometimes the speculation runs wild. One journalist writing for the Deseret News went so far as to insinuate that Latter-day Saints would have no place in the “Christian America” envisioned by Idaho Family Policy Center.
As I told the Deseret reporter during his interview with me, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s true that we unapologetically support all levels of government formally recognizing the God of the Bible in meaningful ways. But we have also consistently advocated for the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom, as understood within the framework established by our founding fathers.
As an evangelical Christian, I will gladly partner with people of all religions to advance biblically sound public policy that honors God and improves the lives of every Idahoan.
“By the blessing of the upright, a city is exalted” (Proverbs 11:11). When our state and our nation follow the eternal principles of right and wrong found in God’s Word, everyone flourishes.
About Idaho Family Policy Center
Idaho Family Policy Center is a ministry that advances the lordship of Christ in the public square through engaging the church, promoting God-honoring public policy, and training statesmen. Visit IFPC's website at https://idahofamily.org/
