Faithfulness, not Pride
Recently, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared the month of June Nuclear Family Month. In doing so, he also declared that June is not “pride month.” The resolution stated that Tennessee will prioritize the nuclear family, which it described as “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children [as] God’s design for familial structure.” Even more, according to the resolution, “The nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper.”
Predictably, the Tennessee resolution engendered outrage from LGBTQ activists. After all, it is now expected that the nation will recognize Pride Month each June, and that the media, professional sports, local and national retailers, and federal and state governments participate. One might think that Pride Month is federally mandated, but as Tennessee has now demonstrated, it is not.
The first Pride Month marches took place in 1970 in response to a police raid on a gay bar in New York City. Activists date this as the beginning of the so-called “gay liberation movement.” In 1999, President Clinton issued a presidential proclamation that June be recognized as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.” In 2009, President Obama renamed it as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month.” Since then, the Ts have basically taken over.
Presidential proclamations are important but are ceremonial and not binding laws. The Tennessee resolution makes clear that the family has contributed far more to our nation than have sexual minorities. And yet, it faces attack from various angles in American society. Thinkers as far back as Aristotle have argued that the family is the most natural of associations and thus an essential pillar of civilization. In How Now Shall We Live?, Chuck Colson wrote,
Nearly every civilization has protected the family both legally and socially, for it is the institution that propagates the human race and civilizes children…The [contemporary] systematic deconstruction of the oldest, most basic social institution is a prime cause of the social chaos in America in recent decades.
In recent years, organizations like the Institute for Family Studies have provided a treasure trove of data about the family, demonstrating the essential link between a healthy and flourishing society and healthy, flourishing families.
The Tennessee resolution is an example that, even at the state level, hopeful alternatives exist to so-called “pride.” An even better example is “Fidelity Month,” a grass-roots project imagined by Princeton University professor Robert George. As Professor George explains, Fidelity Month is “dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities.”
The Fidelity Month initiative is not primarily a statement against, but is rather a proposal for. It is an attempt at “lighting a candle rather than merely cursing the darkness,” as their website says. The Fidelity Month website provides an array of resources for individuals, families, churches, communities, and local governments to promote and celebrate faithfulness through social media with friends and neighbors, public announcements, state legislative resolutions, and within the church.
New this year to Fidelity Month is a national essay contest for High School Juniors and Seniors. An effort to challenge students to recommit to God, family, and country, the essay prompt asks students to focus on areas of American history with a specific emphasis on faithfulness—even when it’s challenging and unpopular—to the basic values that unite Americans. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three essays.
In fact, the 250th anniversary of America’s Founding is a wonderful opportunity to meaningfully reflect on what it means to be faithful to one’s country by first being faithful to God and family. After all, faithfulness is a virtue. Pride is a vice that only leads to destruction.
Related Article
Tennessee Declares June as ‘Nuclear Family Month’ – Not LGBT Pride Month
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/NATALIA DE LA RUBIA
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
