Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition is a non-profit organization seeking to make a difference in the public arena regarding the issues that matter most, according to its website.
“We stand for integrity in government, high moral values, constitutional authority and Christian principles,” the website states. “Our purpose is to educate and influence voters and politicians to keep their commitment to both liberty and law; that America may continue to be one nation under God.”
And, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition claims to not be “tied” to any political party. Now, of course, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition often shares posts from the Republican Party of Iowa. And Republicans are typically the speakers at their fundraisers.
In fact, both Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks participated in the group’s spring event.
It is great that Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition attempts to influence lawmakers in a way that promotes, well, faith and freedom. God knows we need more and more lawmakers influenced by those things more than ever.
Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition is quick to credit our Iowa Republicans when they do good. But what about when they don’t?
Case in point, both Hinson and Miller-Meeks voted with Democrat Representatives Cindy Axne, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Nancy Pelosi and — well, every Democrat in the U.S. House — to codify homosexual marriage and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
They took this vote on Tuesday, July 19.
There has been nothing publicly stated about this vote or this bill from Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in the past days. In fact, all the group has posted about is its upcoming fall fundraiser.
The group posted this clip of North Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who will be speaking at the fall event.
“You got politicians that won’t show up on Capitol Hill,” Robinson said. “When the going gets tough, they’re nowhere to be found. Here’s what’s even worse. Got a whole lot of pastors out there that won’t get in the fight either.
“They’ll sit in their own communities, find their own little comfortable fox hole somewhere in their big mega-church with their micro Gospel and have the nerve to say I’m not political. No, you’re not political, what you are is a coward that’s not fit to be a follower of Christ. Every pastor in this nation right now ought to be coming out of the fox hole.”
The redefining of marriage to include same-sex couples is a pretty significant public policy change in the last 10 years. Yet so far, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition has been silent on the fact that both Hinson and Miller-Meeks, to who they give a forum at their own events, voted in support of it.
It is really easy to be an elected official’s friend when they do what you want — but it’s the proper relationship with our elected officials isn’t one of friendship, it is one of employee-employer. And, if Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition means what it says on its “about” section of its own website, it cannot remain silent on the votes taken by Hinson and Miller-Meeks. It can’t.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first questionable move of 2022 for IFFC. Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition also promoted anti-Life Republican State Rep. Jane Bloomingdale during a contested primary earlier this year.
Bloomingdale voted against the Protect Life Amendment as well as the Heartbeat Bill. She didn’t vote at all on a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But she appears to be in the good graces of Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition nonetheless.
And, earlier this year, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Director of Legislative Affairs showed up at a caucus to speak in support of a Republican LGBTQ “ally” called Rep. Joe Mitchell.
We told you about that in this story.
It’s ironic, considering the Faith & Freedom Coalition was founded by Christian Coalition founder Ralph Reed. One of the organization’s main issues it has fought has been the LGBTQ agenda.
Yet here in Iowa, it appears the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition is not going to address the votes of Hinson and Miller-Meeks.
I’m looking forward to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaking here in Iowa this fall. His passion and energy seem to be top-notch. Just watch this clip once more:
Robinson is right — politicians need to stand up and be counted when the going gets tough. He’s also right — pastors need to escape the fox hole and speak out.
But you know, so do we. So do all of us who consider ourselves to be Christian conservative voters doing all we can to advance faith and freedom while remaining “untied” from any political party.
Unfortunately they are not about faith when it matters and not about freedom. Sadly stopped supporting them along time ago
Thank you, Jacob Hall, for pointing this out. I cut my support for this group last year after seeing how tied they were to Iowa RINOS. Getting a star speaker means nothing if your organization continues to try and ride the fence. I used to be a big Ralph Reed fan decades ago when Christian Coalition first started. Now I consider him like “RINO Light.”
I know the stakes in the fall election and will vote Republican. Another hold my nose and vote event in too many cases. The alternatives are too evil and timeliness too critical. But we must not forget come primary time.
I wonder if the organizations Iowa Faith & Freedom (IF&F) and Iowa Family Policy(IFP) interviewed the Iowa delegation on the subject of marriage and if so shouldn’t that be a part of their commentary at this time? And if not were there statements the politicians made that would have revealed their position that the organizations did not report or bother with in honoring them at variuous functions? Surveying candidates is traditional and useful enterprise for pro-family organizations. Both organizations should have used their auspices to inform the public of the candidates positions on the matter. Perhaps IF&F will still issue a statement. It needs to.
The statement of IFP which said they found the vote “Especially disappointing, three of Iowa’s representatives (Axne, Hinson and Miller-Meeks) voted to redefine marriage.” Well how was Axne “disappointing”? The word is essentially defined as failing to meet expectations. In what universe is a Democrat voting as such unexpected?
I make the point in trying to figure out the homogenization of the term applying it to Hinson and Miller-Meeks. The matter would seem to call for stronger language. If that is all they can muster. — no comment from one and such a mild rebuke from another — it would seem to green light Grassley and Ernst to entertain their not unheard of pathetic capabilities.
The bill has deep cultural implications and effect. Grassley and Ernst need to step up and tell the Dems where to get off . . . that they are not going to sanctify the language of the bill.