Families are the key to saving America.
So says Terry Schilling, president of American Principles Project, and the driving force behind its new initiative, "The Big Family."
Schilling believes there was something missing among the various special-interest groups in Washington. "You've got Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Oil, Big Business," Schilling says. "There are so many bigs, but there's no big family. And that's why we chose the name, Big Family. We want the family to be the big guy in the room when it comes to public policy."
He adds, "We want politicians, when they're passing a bill, to consider how this is going to affect families first. We don't want them to think about how it's going to affect Big Pharma or Big Oil or any of those other special-interest groups first. We want them to put the family first and we wanted a political organization that rivaled the [National Rifle Association]."
Schilling is right about one thing: the family matters! It is the institutional foundation for society ordained by God, and we must work to protect it. As Dr. James Dobson has written, "Marriage serves as the foundation for every dimension of human life. Everything of value rests on it, including procreation and the care and training of children. If that ground floor is weakened or undermined, the entire superstructure of civil society will come crashing down."
Study after study confirms that kids do best when they are raised by loving and committed mothers and fathers. They are less likely to be on illegal drugs, to be held back a grade, to drop out of school, to commit suicide, to be in poverty, to become juvenile delinquents and, for the girls, less likely to become teen mothers. They are healthier, both emotionally and physically, even 30 years later, than those not so blessed by traditional parents. And yet our culture has sought to deconstruct families and marriage through the media, the sexual revolution, and even law and policy.
It's past time to support and advocate for policies and elected officials who recognize marriage and family as the central building block of a healthy society. Let your voices be heard — in your homes and in your communities, and in helping to influence government policies. God help us if we fail to do our part.
