United Families International wishes to express gratitude to Mike Duff for his wonderful leadership as President of United Families International the past two years. He has enabled UFI to continue its worldwide influence for good in the pro-family movement. Mike has now consented to turn his attention to the domestic affairs in the United States -recognizing that politics in the U.S. have a dramatic affect on the international arena. We appreciate his leadership and we’re excited for him to turn his talents to helping individual countries in their domestic challenges.
Carol Soelberg has consented to serve as President of United Families International. The UFI board of directors is pleased to announce these changes in leadership. United Families International has benefited greatly from Carol’s vision and dedication and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve with her.
In the following message, Mike shares his insights on the cultural war that lies ahead and the necessary part we all play in winning that war.
Best,
Phil Marriott
Chairman of the Board
United Families International
Times and Seasons…
I was listening to what my children would call an “oldies” radio station the other day. They played a 60s era rock-n-roll song that had been a big hit in its day. What struck me when I heard it was that the basis for the lyrics was found in Old Testament scripture. The musical theme was, “There is a time and purpose for everything under heaven.”
Indeed, the chorus suggested that all things have a season and that seasons change in one eternal round or life cycle. For me, the time for a seasonal change has come as I transition from President of United Families International to another role more narrowly focused on U.S. domestic family policy. And for Carol Soelberg, it is also a seasonal change as she, once again, assumes the mantle of UFI leadership.
As I assume this new focus, I return to the music theme mentioned above. What an ironic contrast to the society that we live in today. Just a few decades ago, popular culture featured the various positive aspects of the foundational pillars of a successful society. These included family, marriage, religion, and respect for life.
Today’s popular culture features none of these societal pillars. To the contrary, pop culture advances that these good things are now, somehow, bad things. Media millionaires crusade for the chromagraphic negative of what brings joy to life and supports and maintains a successful culture. Sex outside the bounds of marriage, unwed parenting, secularism/atheism, homosexual marriage, abortion, escape for responsibility for your own actions, profligate spending and personal debt, drug and alcohol addiction, the list of degrading and self destructive habits goes on and on.
Now, modern society finds itself at a tipping point. Do we continue to hold to the foundational pillars that successfully advanced cultural development? Or, do we adopt the new social agenda that will eventually result in continued decline and decadence? The battle is not being waged in the place where values have traditionally been taught, preserved, and passed down; the family. Increasingly, parents surrender their parental rights and responsibility to coalesce and instill values in their children. In that vacuum, popular culture uses the public school system and the likes of MTV to teach children when parents will not. Oh, and by the way, what they teach children cannot be termed “traditional values.”
Those who seek to preserve the good in modern society have been forced to meet the forces of negative change by elevating the defense of values into the political realm. As the crusaders for decadence move to institutionalize their agenda into federal, state, and local government, courts, and various other institutions, they have been met by resistance.
We have experienced significant victories over the past few years. Passage of various state constitutional amendments defining and defending stands out. Recent victories in Maryland where legislation to create same-sex marriage in the state were defeated by a coalition of religious groups, and a large African-American population that weighed in on the side of marriage, rejecting the false argument that gay marriage is a civil right.
Yet the anti-family onslaught continues with the focus on Washington, D.C. The high watermark for this movement appears to have been the 2008 U.S. presidential election, when the nation chose to give the reins of leadership to the most anti-family, pro-abortion, anti-marriage political movement in America’s history.
The recent 2010 congressional election indicates that America is pushing back in favor of sound family policy. Yet the anti-family forces are determined to institute their agenda, destroying marriage, undermining religion, destroying parental rights, and subverting the justice system, before another presidential election takes place. Their unconstitutional refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act is just one recent, and egregious, example.
But, even in the face of this great societal debate, governmental leadership at the federal level is fractured and distracted. Distracted by the significant consequences of profligate spending and debt, defense of our societal institutions have been, for the most part, shunted aside, at least for now.
Now is the time and the season for those who relish the virtue in what we euphemistically call “traditional values” to enter the fray. It is no longer sufficient to hope and dream of better days, we must act. It will be my opportunity to share with you understanding of the issues at hand and highlighting the time to act.
In the meantime, we at UFI are also laying the groundwork for new educational tools that will help educate millions of Americans on the profound benefits of life, family, and the institution of marriage to each and every one of us. These are exciting times as we face the future of the pro-family movement together.
Yes, a seasonal change has brought our society to the precipice. Now is the time to re-invigorate our efforts to preserve and protect the family.
Sincerely,
Mike Duff
Vice President, Domestic Affairs