For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood

There is an old saying that comes to mind in these troubled times: Judge a man by the quality of his enemies.

By that standard, Indiana’s new pro-life law is doing an excellent job, as it is being opposed by “The Satanic Temple”. It isn’t often that we run into open satanists in this day and age, but this satanic group has brought a legal challenge to the bill, suing Governor Holcomb and Attorney General Rokita.

The temptation here is to laugh off the name, to think they are unserious or just another atheist group mocking our faith.

This could not be farther from the truth. Whatever the people behind the name believe they are doing, they are acting exactly as a follower of Satan would act, targeting the weakest and most vulnerable people in our society for death. They advocate for the right to perform a “religious abortion ritual” that does not allow “any medically unnecessary and unscientific requirement, such as mandatory waiting periods or unwanted sonograms, that interferes with the practice of our ritual.”

This is evil, a perversion of what we hold dear.

Hoosiers are not known to give in when times get hard, we fight through; and it is critical that we make it clear to our elected officials that bowing to literal satanists is unacceptable. Here at the Indiana Family Institute, we will continue to fight for the unborn, oppose the forces of Satan, and stand up for our faith.

Pray for Indiana, the unborn, and for the repentance of satanists.

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Bringing People Together

The Indiana Family Institute’s own Gerson Cardona was featured by WTHR for his tireless work building and bridging communities here in the Hoosier State.

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Cardona and his wife, Elsa, recently moved back to the Hoosier State after living in Houston for five years. The Guatemalan pastor has been helping his community since 2007. 

“I get calls from pastors in the community saying, ‘I need this. I need that.’ I am kind of like the resource guy or the guy that bridges between cultures. That’s one of my passions,” Cardona said.

Gerson Cardona currently works for the Daniel Initiative, a ministry for Indiana Family Institute. He was also a chaplain with IMPD, working to connect police with the Latino community. Cardona was born in Guatemala City. When he was five, his parents came to the United States. He has lived in New York City, Los Angles and Oakland. He has five children and 14 grandchildren.  

“I am Guatemalan, and I am an American, but I am also a Hoosier,” Cardona said.

“That’s what we need in a community. All of us need to work together. Get to know one another so we can help one another and change the community,” Cardona said.

A few years ago, Cardona spent months helping with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. 

Most recently, he also held a prayer vigil for the victims of the Greenwood Park Mall shooting. After the vigil, the family of two of the victims asked for his guidance. “I went to their house, and I ministered to them. They were doing a lot of things for fundraisers, but I was privileged to come to their place when they needed something,” Cardona said.

One day, Cardona hopes to open a multi-purpose building in the heart of Indianapolis that welcomes everyone.

“We have so much crime, so much hate in our city and there are so many ministries, but we need more,” Cardona said.

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Here at IFI, we are thankful to have Gerson on our team, connecting people and building amazing relationships all across Indiana. Together, Hoosiers of all nationalities can come together around our shared values, and our shared faith.

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The Next Generation of Leaders

Today, I travelled with our current Hoosier Leadership Series class to Washington DC, to meet with national experts and Indiana’s US House and Senate members to discuss the key issues being debated in Washington. This class will come home with a greater understanding of the battle before them, as we send them back to their communities equipped to create an environment here in Indiana where families can flourish.

In every area of cultural influence (family, religion, business, education, media, government, and arts/entertainment) we are always in need of more biblical christian leaders. However, I don’t believe our past and present must be our future. I believe we can train and equip leaders right here in Indiana to lead well for Jesus in all areas of cultural influence.

That’s what we’re doing with the Hoosier Leadership Series, and it’s working.

Indiana Family Institute’s 17th Hoosier Leadership Series (HLS) started in May, and it’s been a tremendous experience so far; working towards creating a movement of high caliber, committed leaders from across the professional spectrum who are grounded in a principled conservative philosophy and oriented toward thoughtful cultural engagement and service to the people of Indiana and beyond.

We highly encourage you to attend next year’s HLS, or if you cannot attend, please prayerfully consider donating or sponsoring a student! Your gift allows other Hoosiers to make a difference in their community and beyond. HLS is producing high quality leaders all over the state, but giving these leaders the experience they need is not cheap. Even though we are frugal and make every effort to make our ministry dollars stretch, the program costs over $60,000 per year. $35,000 of that is raised through student fees and generous ministry partners, like you, who believe in the program. However, that leaves an annual operating deficit of $25,000 that IFI must make up for out of our general budget. Would you help us close that gap for 2022? Indiana Family Institute is eager to grow HLS so we can flood our state with conservative christian leaders, but we can’t do it without your help. Will you consider giving a monthly donation of $50, $100 or even $250 today?

We have generous ministry partners who are currently matching all donations to the Hoosier Leadership Series, so your $50 donation has a $100 impact on the education and training of the next generation of biblical leaders.

Together, we can keep Indiana at the forefront of advocating for families, the unborn, and our faith.

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California’s Mistake

SB1 has gone into effect, and although it’s not a perfect bill, it is a huge step towards an Indiana without abortion. This really bothered some people, especially Governor Gavin Newsom of California. As part of his re-election campaign in California (and very likely a run-up to a 2024 Presidential run), he is posturing by spending campaign funds in Indiana and other states with abortion bans in place, putting up billboards that advertise that California still has abortion services.

This underscores the difference between California and Indiana. Governor Newsom does not understand that the people of Indiana are proud of the pro-life culture we’ve built. He doesn’t understand that Hoosiers see through what he’s selling, the execution of a child. He has no shame in peddling death. He’s so proud of supporting death that he’s putting up billboards to brag about it.

States like California are going to encourage abortion in every way possible.  Abortion advocates have rejected their old slogan of “Safe, legal and rare”. We have to stand tall in Indiana and hold our ground, as this is just the first, rather clumsy, wave of out-of-state money that is going to pour in to attack our values.

The abortion industry has become rich through profiting off of the vulnerable and the ignorant. Here in Indiana, we are not ignorant of the cost of abortion, the death of a child. Here in Indiana, there are resources for the vulnerable, support for mothers who wish to carry their child to term. 

Maybe, instead of putting up billboards to advertise death, California should try to learn from Indiana.

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No, MSNBC, the Bible doesn’t support abortion

The abortion industry is losing ground in state after state, and their supporters in the corporate press are beginning to panic. They are lashing out with arguments that don’t begin to make sense, but they’re hoping that the people they’re reaching will never hear a rebuttal. Now, more than ever, we need to stand up and point out the truth.

On MSNBC on Friday, Joe Scarborough said “Jesus never once talked about abortion…For people perverting the gospel of Jesus Christ down to one issue, it is heresy.”

Let us be extremely clear in our response when someone attempts to use faith as a bludgeon, to undercut the basis of our understanding of controversial issues. Let us return to the text.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

This is a well-known passage of scripture that highlights the care we were crafted with. The fact that the corporate press is ignorant of the basics of our faith should not be shocking, but let us see this as the opportunity it is to educate those who repeat the media’s claims without examination.

When we stand together to defend the unborn and our faith, we are creating a culture that will fight for what it believes in. We are teaching our children that when popular media is against us, we will stand firm on the rock. We are armed with the knowledge to correct with love those who oppose us in ignorance, and show them the peace that comes through understanding.

Part of how we are working to build this community is by bringing people together to consciously make connections with other advocates for life. We would love to have you join us at the Indiana Family Institute Fall Dinner, with keynote speaker Allie Beth Stuckey in Westfield on September 29th.

You can get your tickets or even sponsor a table by clicking here.

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