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Dear John,
We all had hoped that the cancel culture was dead, but unfortunately, it's alive and well.
Three weeks ago, Luke Ash was fired from his job at a public library in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was fired, not for misconduct or for incompetence, but because he refused to lie.
Luke -- a bi-vocational pastor and father -- politely declined to refer to a female coworker using male pronouns. He told his supervisor "I'm not going to lie. I cannot do it. I will not do it." And for that, he was told he violated the library's DEI policy and was shown the door.
He never even addressed the individual in question -- he simply wouldn't affirm a falsehood in conversation with another employee. That refusal to play along with a lie because of his biblical convictions was enough to be terminated. Even still, Pastor Luke remained firm in standing for his convictions based upon biblical truth.
This is where the cancel culture has led us. Make no mistake, it's not just the truth that the Left hates. They hate those who speak truth -- specifically Christians -- because we cannot ever bend the knee to a lie and are commanded to boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The Christian message is inherently exclusive.
Oftentimes you'll hear those on the Left say something akin to "freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences" to justify stories just like this one. It's a sinister threat intended to intimidate people like Pastor Luke, like you, and like me into silence.
But Pastor Luke didn't surrender to a lie -- and neither should you and I.
After Luke's firing, he was driving down the road in Baton Rouge when he saw a sign for Family Research Council's Faith and Freedom Chapel. In need of encouragement and remembering FRC's unwavering stand for faith, family, and freedom that he'd heard on the radio, he decided to stop and share his prayer needs with our team.
Luke needed fellow believers to stand with him in his crisis, and I am personally grateful that he decided to share his story with us. Our team listened and prayed with him and invited him to join us for a prayer breakfast for other pastors and ministry leaders.
I also invited Pastor Luke to join me on Washington Watch, where he could relay his story. He didn't ask for a spotlight. He didn't come to us so he could be on the program, he came because he remembered who we were, and what we stood for -- and he needed prayer and encouragement from believers who stand on the truth of God's Word.
He wasn't trying to cause a stir, he simply wanted to serve his family and community with integrity. But the Left's orthodoxy has no tolerance for dissent, and Christians who dare to live out their faith publicly continue to be targeted.
That's why FRC won't let this threat go unchallenged. Our legislative affiliate FRC Action even launched a petition calling on believers to stand with Pastor Luke. We will stand up and defend the truth.
When you give to FRC, you make it possible for stories like Pastor Luke's to be told -- and for Christians like him to know they're not alone. You ensure that when believers are targeted, FRC stands with them.
Will you join us today to defend religious liberty and proclaim biblical truth across America?
COMMIT TO STAND WITH FRC
Pastor Luke's firing was unjust -- but, unfortunately, it wasn't unusual.
From library boards to corporate boardrooms, Christians who won't repeat the cultural script are being silenced. They're being told to sit down and shut up -- or lose everything. We've seen it before with police officer Jacob Kersey, Republican State Representative Laurel Libby of Maine, and former Texas Children's hospital nurse and whistleblower, Vanessa Sivadge, and now Luke Ash. Each one has paid a price for staying faithful to God's Word.
And yet, these brave men and women have become living witnesses to the fact that truth is not determined by majority opinion, and freedom of speech includes the freedom to not speak lies.
At FRC, we're not just raising awareness of these threats -- we're training believers to stand boldly. Through our Center for Biblical Worldview, Washington Watch, The Washington Stand, and tools like our Stand on the Word resources, we are equipping Christians to confront lies with courage and clarity.
We also know that real change requires policy reform. That's why we're pressing lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures to defend First Amendment rights and roll back coercive DEI mandates that punish religious conviction. We welcome the steps the second Trump administration has taken to better protect religious liberty, such as the task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias in government, but clearly there is still more work to be done. Thankfully, lawmakers are taking notice.
Just look at Georgia. Currently, their version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is making its way through the legislative process. This crucial bill would ensure the government can't trample someone's religious beliefs without a compelling reason -- and it would give believers the legal footing to push back.
This is the kind of legislation that FRC is advocating for -- because when we fight back with boldness and clarity to defend religious liberty, we can reshape the public square to protect truth instead of punishing it.
When you partner with FRC, you're committing to stand alongside men like Pastor Luke -- and helping to ensure there are fewer stories like his in the future.
FIGHT FOR TRUTH WITH FRC
Truth doesn't change -- and neither does our calling. We must stand boldly, no matter the opposition we face. Scripture makes it clear that there is a cost to following Christ (2 Tim. 3:12). But we also know that we aren't alone.
Like Pastor Luke told me on Washington Watch two weeks ago, "We don't go looking for a fight... [but] when it comes time to fight, find a group of happy warriors and go to battle." Let his courage be an example to us all.
John, in times like these, your partnership speaks louder than ever. It tells believers like Pastor Luke that they are not forgotten. It tells our leaders that religious liberty is not optional -- it's a God-given right.
And above all, it's a bold declaration to our wayward culture that we, as followers of Christ -- the Way, the Truth, and the Life -- will not back down or be silent.
Thank you for standing, unflinchingly, for faith, family, and freedom.
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