The Power of Family and Faith in Shaping Society with Abraham Hamilton, III

Traditional marriage and family structures have long been the cornerstone of stable societies. They provide a nurturing environment for children, impart essential values, and promote emotional security. These institutions foster strong social bonds and support systems, contributing to the overall well-being and cohesion of communities.

Abraham Hamilton, III is someone who understands this well. He is General Counsel and Public Policy Analyst for the American Family Association. We recently sat down with him to discuss the importance of strong families in America. Excerpts from our conversation are included below but you will not want to miss the full conversation here.

We asked Abraham why he has dedicated so much of his time and energy to defending traditional marriage and family. Here is what he said:

Well, it's a passion for me because if you look at the institutions that God ordained in scripture, the first of the civil institutions and social institutions that God created was the family. The fundamental building block of any civilization is the family. A lot of the things that we're contending with in the public square—if you drill down to it—they're revealing deficiencies that have been cultivated within homes….

When we're fighting at the ballot box, fighting the socio-political battles in the public square, these things are exposing what may or may not have transpired in our home. So that's why family is a preeminent focus for me and our organization, the American Family Association.

The reality is that all of us have a responsibility to fight for what God ordained in scripture whether it is marriage and family, the sanctity of life, or fiscal responsibility. As we were discussing the extent to which Christians in America should get involved in politics, Abraham offered these words of wisdom:

The same God who ordained Paul for the first century, ordained you and me for the 21st century, and expects us to use everything at our disposal to exalt Christ. People ask me, “Why do you engage in civic affairs?” To say it very plainly, to keep the door open for the propagation of the Gospel. Our nation historically has sent the most missionaries into the entire world. Unfortunately, we're at a state where our nation has become the mission field.

This constitutional republic with democratic features requires our participation to determine who will set policy. I say all the time that darkness is not an affirmative force. It's not. It merely occupies the space that is vacated by the light….

God has planted his church in the world in every context to be salt and light. As American Christians, we have the unique opportunity to create our governing policies. Our brothers and sisters in China don't have that opportunity. Our Nigerian brothers and sisters don't have that. Our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ don't have that. But we have that opportunity and God expects no less from us than He expected from the apostle Paul, that we not only say we love the Lord personally, but we use everything at our disposal to put the light on the lampstand as Jesus taught us.

Unfortunately, there is a concerted effort among secular society to diminish the influence Christianity has on culture, education, family, etc. We asked Abraham how we got here and what the Christian response should be. This is what he said:

We've gotten to this place by and large, because we have too much absence of those who are committed to Christ from participating in a lot of these conversations. So, I say reject the marginalizing effort to impugn and to insult your influence as a Christian, but make sure you're connected with the why.

If you're engaged civically, make sure you're connected with people who are evangelizing and making disciples. If you are a disciple maker and you are engaged in evangelism, you need to be partnered with people who are helping to keep policies in place that allow us to go out into the public square and proclaim the gospel. It doesn't have to be an either or. It must be both…. We don't need everybody being an eye. We don't need everybody being a nose. We don't need all big toes because we couldn't high-five if that was the case. But we need every member of the body fulfilling its role for the ultimate purpose that the Gospel of Jesus is proclaimed, disciples are being made in, and the context is established policy wise to allow this to perpetuate generationally.

Marriages and families are under attack in our society. There is no doubt about it. But we have an opportunity and a responsibility as Christ followers, to engage in policy debates and to vote our biblical values so that the institutions ordained by God are protected and sustained for the generations to come.

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My Faith Votes—is a nonpartisan movement that motivates, equips and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. By partnering with national faith leaders, My Faith Votes provides resources to help Christians Pray, Think, and Act to create an America where God is honored in the public square.

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