Solving the Top Threats Facing Families Today

by Zachary Mettler | February 27, 2025 | Family

This article is the second in a two-part series focusing on modern threats to the family. It features remarks from the National Religious Broadcasters Conference (NRB) being held February 24-27, 2025, in Dallas, Texas. You can read part one here.

The very first panel held at NRB this year, titled, “Protecting Foundations of the Family,” featured several important speakers, including:

  • Chris Elston (Billboard Chris), Founder of We Speak Truth
  • Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us
  • Mary Margaret Olohan, D.C Correspondent at The Daily Wire
  • Delano Squires, Research Fellow, Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family at The Heritage Foundation

In their remarks, the panelists highlighted many problems facing the family – the rise of same-sex marriage and parenting, IVF, social media, gender ideology, cultural apathy, abortion, and more.

The speakers also offered several concrete steps average citizens can take to reverse our cultural decline.

An Engaged Citizenry

Elston exhorted Americans not to rely solely on elected representatives to solve our cultural problems, but to take action by speaking up, running for local office and protecting their children from evils like gender ideology.

“It’s our job as citizens to create awareness,” Elston said. “It’s not our job to rely on a political leader to take care of all of our problems.”

He said a couple of his friends chair local school boards in their respective cities and encouraged others to do the same.

“That’s where the front line is, that’s where the battles are being fought,” Elston added. “It comes down to us. We are the soldiers.”

Elston also encourage Christians and conservatives to speak the truth about gender ideology.

He observed that for most people, family is the most important thing in their life.

“On our death beds, we don’t remember the business deals that we missed, we think about our family,” Elson said. “But children [undergoing transgender medical interventions] will never have a family because puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are sterilizing them.” He added,

We as a Christian community are afraid to talk about it because you’re going to hurt some feelings? It’s ridiculous.

Culture and Politics

Faust asserted that the solution to gender ideology – and other problems facing the family – will not come from either the cultural or political realm, but, rather, from both.

“I don’t know if culture is downstream from politics, or upstream these days. To me, they’re one and the same,” Faust mused. “Unfortunately, culture is politics.”

She observed that the Left has made every issue a political issue. “And so, that means our response has to be two-fold,” addressing both culture and politics, Faust said.

She explained,

We have to be very serious about both changing hearts and changing laws. We can’t just do one or the other. We have to do both.
That means we do need to stand up and resist and fight against bad legislation; we need to propose good legislation. But we also have to educate our own people.

As an example of addressing the political realm, Faust encouraged Christians and conservatives to fight for traditional marriage.

“Five Supreme Court justices do not determine whether or not children deserve, need or have a right to their own mother and father,” Faust said. “That is an unjust law. It is always going to go against the rights and wellbeing of children.”

Therefore, Christians must “speak up on that legislatively whenever possible.”

Addressing the cultural realm, Faust – whose husband is a pastor and Navy chaplain – said that Christian leaders must speak out on important cultural issues.

“Christian leaders, you are the first one to do this. You must do this,” she said, adding,

In the evangelical world, many refused to directly tackle issues of marriage and family and instead, focused on the Gospel. But marriage and family are gospel issues. And if you refuse to disciple your people on issues of LGBT, marriage, family, sex, cohabitation, reproductive technologies, I will tell you, the leftist activists are happy to do it for you.

“If we don’t have our own house in order, how do we expect the culture to get it right?” Faust asked rhetorically.

Speaking Truth

Mary Margaret Olohan, a Catholic, focused her remarks on how many Catholic priests and bishops have been afraid to speak up on hot button cultural issues for fear of reprisal.

“For years, I’ve seen bishops and priests avoid talking about it entirely because they were afraid to hurt people’s feelings,” Olohan said. “There’s a sense that we should not talk about this topic because we love everyone, and so even weighing in implies a lack of love, which I completely disagree with.”

Olohan pointed out,

It is loving to protect our children. It’s loving to shine light on the truth to help people understand the reality of the situation.

In addition, Faust added to Olohan’s point, saying that tactically, Christians must advocate on behalf of children.

“Take the focus off adults and put it on children. 100% of the time,” Faust advised. “Whoever is the victim will determine the policy.”

“In matters of marriage and family, adults who don’t get what they want are framed as the victim,” she added. “One of the reasons why we have been so hesitant to speak up is because it felt like we were speaking against adults.”

Faust continued,

Adult feelings don’t determine policy if it means that children have to lose their right to life, or their right to their mother and father, so the adults can have what they want.
We must frame all these conversations for what they actually are, which is matters of child defense. Children have a right to life; they have a right to their mother and father. All adults, single, married, gay, straight, fertile, and infertile, must conform to those rights because the only alternative is for kids to sacrifice for adults, and that is a world characterized by injustice.

Elston added that he has “a theory that people don’t talk about things because they don’t know how to talk about these things.” So, when it comes to gender identity, Elston encourage Christians and conservatives to “always focus on the positive which is that our children are perfect just as they are. No one is born wrong.” He emphasized:

Gender ideology is pure, unadulterated evil and we need to find our voices.

All Christians should be encouraged to speak truth and get engaged in the political and cultural realms to promote life, children’s rights and traditional marriage. If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of our free resources below.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Focus on the Family will soon unveil a new documentary Truth Rising. John Stonestreet of the Colson Center and social critic Os Guinness lead a journey through the decline of Western Civilization and the confusion about the defining issues of our time. We point to the hope we have in Christ and our calling in this incredible moment. Be inspired to love truth and stand firmly, wherever you are.

You can watch the trailer and sign up to stay updated on Truth Rising.

Related articles and resources:

The Irreplaceable Impact of a Mom and Dad with Katy Faust

Chloe Cole: Gender Reassignment Surgery Regret

Addressing Gender Identity with Honesty and Compassion

Tech Trends: Protecting Kids from Social Media Harm

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