FRC President Tony Perkins Delivers Annual State of Faith, Family & Freedom Address

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council President Tony Perkins delivered his 'State of Faith, Family & Freedom' address last night, correcting the record on President Joe Biden's handling of all issues related to faith, family, and freedom. The address was given at FRC's headquarters one day before President Biden is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address.

FRC President Tony Perkins' remarks stated, in part:

"Ladies and gentlemen, special and honored guests...welcome to Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. I can say the state of faith, family, and freedom is already stronger simply because you're here.

"[Among] our many guests joining us are pastors from 19 different states...I introduced these pastors to several members of Congress who are standing for faith, family, and freedom. We were hosted by my Louisiana colleague, Steve Scalise, the Majority Leader in the House. We met in the Lincoln Room, which is located just outside the House chamber. The room served as the House post office when Abraham Lincoln was serving in the House, but he used it as a place to huddle with colleagues to plot their way forward.

"While we were there in the Lincoln Room, I thought about just how significant the divide is in our nation today. We've not been this divided since Abraham Lincoln's day. I thought of Mr. Lincoln's "House Divided" speech that he gave in 1858. He was speaking to the bitter division of the nation over slavery when he quoted the Bible, saying: 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.'

"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

"I do not expect the Union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

"It will become all one thing, or all the other.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

"Two weeks ago, in a speech celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade decision, Vice President Kamala Harris said this: 'America is a promise ... It is a promise of freedom and liberty--not for some, but for all. A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'

"But [today], President Biden is likely to say that he and his administration have stood up for 'reproductive rights' and so-called 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' in public life. We, in turn, are grieved that abortion, aided by abortion drugs, is on the rise again.

"I am certain there will be at least one place of semi-agreement. President Biden is fond of saying America is at an inflection point. It's at more than an inflection point--it is at a crossroads, a place of choosing.

"This time, I believe something is different. This time, the conflicts are absolutely fundamental. This time, the conflict goes deeper and points to severe fractures in the fault lines of worldview--how we see the world, how we respond to the truth. No society can remain healthy--or survive long--with such fractures. Red lines are being crossed.

"Americans are a patient and tolerant people, but we have seen the signposts on the road to perdition. We are ready to turn, and we won't wait for Washington.

"[Today], let us recognize and be emboldened that this is our government, and we, the people under the authority and direction of God, will determine the future of this nation.

"We will not wait for Washington," concluded Perkins.

To watch the full address, please visit: frc.org/address

To read the full address, please visit: https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF23B10.pdf

SOURCE Family Research Council