'They’re relentless.' How a Christian group turns beliefs into bills
The Center for Christian Virtue began as a little-known group of anti-pornography crusaders in Cincinnati over 40 years ago. Now, it is Ohio's largest Christian policy group with headquarters directly across from the Statehouse.
Over the past decade, CCV has lobbied on more than 300 bills and created a network of religious schools and churches. Since 2020, its revenue has quadrupled, raising more than $4 million last year.
CCV is backed by major conservative groups and figures such as the Heritage Foundation. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was slated to be a keynote speaker at CCV's Sept. 26 gala.
CCV has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its anti-LGBTQ stances. The group's president previously dismissed the center as "liberal political hacks" on social media.
The Center for Christian Virtue's growing influence represents a shift in how Christian conservatives engage with politics in Ohio and nationwide. The libertarian bent in Republican politics is fading. Now, Christian lobbyists are shaping the legislative agenda in red states like Ohio.
"We are starting to see a trend that also reflects the national trend right now, of a conservative party that is more about forcing Christian values on everyone and less about a ‘live and let live,’ free-market philosophy," said Jessie Hill, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University who has challenged Ohio's abortion restrictions.
In 1993, CCV pushed through a ban on Cincinnati laws protecting gay people from discrimination. That was repealed 11 years later.
In 2004, the group led a successful ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriages in Ohio. That language became moot in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in a case brought by Cincinnati native Jim Obergefell.
The Christian lobbyists were instrumental in changing state law to allow every private school student to take advantage of taxpayer-funded scholarships, known as EdChoice vouchers. Public school leaders vehemently opposed the change, which sparked a legal battle.
CCV also helped pass a ban on most abortions, which blocked access to the procedure for months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Ohio made national headlines after a young rape victim was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion.
“They work hard, and they’re relentless. They’re not afraid to take on big battles,” said state Sen. Kristina Roegner, a Republican in Akron's metro area who sponsored the 2019 abortion ban. Her son-in-law works for Christian Business Partnerships, CCV's chamber of commerce for Christian business owners.
Despite their growing influence, the Christian lobbyists aren't always victorious. In 2023, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access and rejected the CCV-backed abortion ban. Voters also shot down an effort to make it harder to amend the state constitution, which was aimed at blocking the abortion measure.
Williams, a Republican who represents a district outside Toledo, sought out CCV while running for the state Legislature in 2022. Since then, he’s worked with the Christian lobbyists on several bills, including one to ban gender-affirming care for minors and prevent transgender girls from participating in women’s sports.
Williams also sponsored a CCV-backed bill to ban public drag performances outside of adult cabaret venues, called the “Indecent Exposure Act.”
Through its Minnery Fellowship, CCV offers online training for pastors to help them “speak to the difficult cultural and political issues facing their members today,” according to the fellowship's website. A page on CCV’s website advises pastors how to legally support political candidates and get their congregations to engage with legislation.
Baer said there are more than 4,000 "church ambassadors" in CCV's network.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/po...181115007/
The Center for Christian Virtue began as a little-known group of anti-pornography crusaders in Cincinnati over 40 years ago. Now, it is Ohio's largest Christian policy group with headquarters directly across from the Statehouse.
Over the past decade, CCV has lobbied on more than 300 bills and created a network of religious schools and churches. Since 2020, its revenue has quadrupled, raising more than $4 million last year.
CCV is backed by major conservative groups and figures such as the Heritage Foundation. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was slated to be a keynote speaker at CCV's Sept. 26 gala.
CCV has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its anti-LGBTQ stances. The group's president previously dismissed the center as "liberal political hacks" on social media.
The Center for Christian Virtue's growing influence represents a shift in how Christian conservatives engage with politics in Ohio and nationwide. The libertarian bent in Republican politics is fading. Now, Christian lobbyists are shaping the legislative agenda in red states like Ohio.
"We are starting to see a trend that also reflects the national trend right now, of a conservative party that is more about forcing Christian values on everyone and less about a ‘live and let live,’ free-market philosophy," said Jessie Hill, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University who has challenged Ohio's abortion restrictions.
In 1993, CCV pushed through a ban on Cincinnati laws protecting gay people from discrimination. That was repealed 11 years later.
In 2004, the group led a successful ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriages in Ohio. That language became moot in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in a case brought by Cincinnati native Jim Obergefell.
The Christian lobbyists were instrumental in changing state law to allow every private school student to take advantage of taxpayer-funded scholarships, known as EdChoice vouchers. Public school leaders vehemently opposed the change, which sparked a legal battle.
CCV also helped pass a ban on most abortions, which blocked access to the procedure for months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Ohio made national headlines after a young rape victim was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion.
“They work hard, and they’re relentless. They’re not afraid to take on big battles,” said state Sen. Kristina Roegner, a Republican in Akron's metro area who sponsored the 2019 abortion ban. Her son-in-law works for Christian Business Partnerships, CCV's chamber of commerce for Christian business owners.
Despite their growing influence, the Christian lobbyists aren't always victorious. In 2023, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access and rejected the CCV-backed abortion ban. Voters also shot down an effort to make it harder to amend the state constitution, which was aimed at blocking the abortion measure.
Williams, a Republican who represents a district outside Toledo, sought out CCV while running for the state Legislature in 2022. Since then, he’s worked with the Christian lobbyists on several bills, including one to ban gender-affirming care for minors and prevent transgender girls from participating in women’s sports.
Williams also sponsored a CCV-backed bill to ban public drag performances outside of adult cabaret venues, called the “Indecent Exposure Act.”
Through its Minnery Fellowship, CCV offers online training for pastors to help them “speak to the difficult cultural and political issues facing their members today,” according to the fellowship's website. A page on CCV’s website advises pastors how to legally support political candidates and get their congregations to engage with legislation.
Baer said there are more than 4,000 "church ambassadors" in CCV's network.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/po...181115007/
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
