Victories We Have Been Blessed With in 2005

TO: Christine
FROM: Alan Sears, President

By the continued grace of God, 2005 has been another banner year for the Alliance Defense Fund.

The prayers and faithful support of our ministry friends have enabled ADF to win major victories for our First Liberty—religious freedom—and the right of all Americans to hear and speak the Truth.

Below is just a sampling of victories we have been blessed with in 2005:

Marriage—ADF and our allies were involved in legal battles in 12 states this year with many victories across the nation in this escalating battle. In Oregon, 3,000 “marriage” licenses for same-sex couples were invalidated by the state’s supreme court. Major victories were also won in New Jersey, Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, and Indiana. Many other battles rage on and we appreciate your prayers and continued support.

Read more about same-sex "marriage" here...

Ten Commandments—ADF strategy, training, and funding played a decisive role in a partial victory over the public display of the Decalogue. Two Supreme Court rulings gave ambiguous guidelines but actually protected displays when not posted to “advance religion.” We anticipate that the ACLU and their allies will continue their “search & destroy” mission against Ten Commandment displays and we are prepared to meet them head to head.

Read more about the Ten Commandments here...

Equal Access for the Gospel— the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill denied official recognition to a Christian fraternity whose leaders refused to accept non-believers as officers. As a result, the fraternity lost access to facilities that all other student organizations enjoyed. ADF attorneys intervened, and the fraternity’s access was restored. Over the years, ADF’s University Project has won similar victories for equal access and religious liberty at universities in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, and more, and will continue to defend the equal-access rights of Christian groups not only at our nation’s universities, but in all public schools, parks, libraries, and other taxpayer-supported facilities.

Read more about equal access here...

Sanctity of Life—At the University of Texas-San Antonio, Students for Life applied to use campus facilities for a pro-life exhibit. University officials demanded payments for security, a demand not made of other groups, including abortion advocates. Thanks to an ADF-allied attorney’s intervention, officials treated life advocates fairly and the exhibit was finally approved.

Read more about the sanctity of life here...

Christmas—ADF recently defeated the ACLU and its allies twice in key legal battles – in Louisiana and Rhode Island – over the right to publicly celebrate America’s most popular holiday. Other victories across the country have preserved school Christmas programs, city Christmas parades, and the right of students and government employees to wish each other “Merry Christmas.”

Read more about the ADF Christmas Project here...

This year’s victories, because of your sacrificial support, are a continuous reminder that together, on our knees in prayer, we will win. But with the enemies of freedom and decency more determined and better funded than ever, we cannot pause, nor even blink (John 15:5).