Call it an ideology, a worldview, a philosophy, or a religion. Label it humanism, liberalism, or progressivism.
No matter how it’s characterized, society’s dominant social movement is reordering the values and structures of American life in complete scorn of the God of the Bible. No institution has escaped its corroding influence – not family, education, church, media, entertainment, or government.
More than 40 years ago, a small-town Southern preacher began to envision what life without God would look like in the country he loved. With divine prompting, he began to rally like-minded Christians to stand against the godless tide.
During the decades that followed, God rewarded Don Wildmon’s faithfulness and perseverance, broadening the scope and reach of his efforts by forming a national grassroots coalition of people from all segments of Christianity.
Today, the American Family Association reaches across the land, making use of both traditional and digital means. AFA’s message is heard and read by untold numbers of individuals, families, and churches, educating and inspiring Americans to discover anew the biblical precepts on which America was founded.
Much of AFA’s daily work goes on through various divisions of the ministry: American Family Radio network that includes 181 stations in 31 states; AFA Journal magazine that reaches over 100,000 households per issue; The Stand, AFA’s official blog; American Family Studios, the filmmaking team; OneMillionMoms.com, an online initiative that monitors entertainment and media; Engage, a ministry focused on younger generations; and American Family News, a radio news service; as well as various national campaigns, Internet properties, and a widespread social media presence.
2019 AFA HIGHLIGHTS
In 2019, AFA was a leading Christian and conservative voice in the discussion of critical moral issues in America’s public life. AFA used its communication resources to:
▶ Warn parents about the sexually explicit and violent Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.
▶ Applaud President Trump for defunding part of Planned Parenthood’s federal funds.
▶ Exhort senators to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
▶ Urge retailer Target to drop its misguided and very dangerous bathroom policy that has allowed sexual predators to wreak havoc in the lives of women and children in its stores.
▶ Encourage the current administration to revoke President Obama’s transgender policy regarding bathroom usage in public schools.
AFA also significantly increased its volume and quality of resources for Christian activists. These included promoting and distributing:
▶ More than 9,000 copies of The Boy to Man Book by Bryan Fischer, AFR radio host. The book is designed for fathers to read with their 12-year-old sons to introduce them to manhood according to the wisdom of the book of Proverbs.
▶ Over 11,000 copies of an AFA-produced pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution.
▶ The second book in The Covenant Creek Kids children’s series by author Whitney White.
▶ In partnership with Revelation Media, AFA played a key role in adapting The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s epic masterpiece, to a feature-length animated film. It has already been to theaters, churches, and personal screens around the world.
With news, analysis, and inspiration, AFR and AFR News reached listeners across a 181-station radio network in 31 states and on the Internet. OneNewsNow.com, AFR’s news website, averaged more than a million page views a month and emailed a news update every weekday to more than 135,000 subscribers. In every way, the gospel of Jesus Christ undergirded the core of every broadcast and every email.
AFR also partnered with other ministries to advance God’s kingdom in the U.S. and abroad. These included:
▶ Pre-Born – AFR listeners provided free ultrasounds to some 24,000 women; more than 19,000 babies were saved from the threat of abortion.
▶ India Partners – Almost 32,000 days of safety, rescue, and care were provided for women and girls in India’s “red light” district.
▶ Operation Christmas Child – Over 12,000 discipleship books were distributed to children who wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ.
▶ Truth for Youth – Over 63,000 Bibles were distributed to young people who committed to give them away to unsaved peers in their high schools, crossing the 1,000,000 Bible mark in this 18-year partnership with Revival Fires ministry.
❚❙ AFA Journal
With over 100,000 readers from all 50 states, the award-winning AFA Journal informed and inspired readers through news and features that addressed critical issues important to Christian families. In addition, AFAJ writers took three of the top four awards for magazine writing at the June 2019 Southern Christian Writers Conference.
In 2019, American Family Studios produced a variety of video resources that inform, encourage, and entertain. Of special note:
▶ A six-week marriage curriculum titled Love Sings: The Artistry of Marriage, hosted by Barbi and Terry Franklin.
▶ God in the Constitution with historian and Wallbuilders founder David Barton.
▶ Three more episodes of Ryan Defrates: Secret Agent, an AFA original children’s animated series.
COMING IN 2020
In the closing months of 2019, AFS neared the last stages of production of what promises to be a groundbreaking feature-length documentary titled In His Image: Delighting in God’s Plan for Gender and Sexuality.
The documentary will be hosted by popular author and AFR radio host Dr. Michael Brown. The release is scheduled for spring 2020.
❚❙ Engage
AFA reached out to Millennials and Gen Z through Engage, a ministry focus led by young AFA staff members seeking to better understand the spiritual needs of young Christians and how to meet them.
Efforts included Engage Magazine, a popular podcast, and the Orange Letter Campaign that collected 1,500 letters from young people to send to persecuted Christians and missionaries all over the world.
❚❙ Marriage, Family, and Life Conference
More than 500 people attended AFA’s second Marriage, Family, and Life Conference. The conference spanned a number of core issues related to AFA’s mission. These included the greatness of America, sexual freedom through Christ, the church’s fight against abortion, and the trustworthiness of the Bible.
The mission of American Family Association is to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture, and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission.
AFA will continue to be faithful to the mission which started with one man's obedience to God's calling, Don Wildmon. We always appreciate any prayers and support in this mission and seek to be faithful to use these shared resources wisely to honor God.
