The Wrong Environment
The pastor at the church we attended this Sunday used an interesting illustration. He had us picture a relatively familiar sight: a tiger pacing back and forth in its enclosure at a zoo. He asked us why the tiger was pacing, and then suggested that the reason might be that the tiger was in the wrong environment. It wanted to be out, roaming free on some grassy plain in Africa, but instead, it was in captivity and confined to a relatively small enclosure. Zoos can be great places, but they are no substitute for the wide-open savanna.
I’m certainly no tiger, but I also pace. Often you can find me on the phone pacing back and forth while telling someone exciting news, or perhaps being a guest on a radio show. I also pace when I speak at a church or other public event. It seems to help me think more quickly, although one would be hard pressed to find a study showing that linkage.
However, the pastor’s comment got me to thinking about another type of pacing. As humans, we “mentally pace” as well. It may come from the frustration with a job, a troubled marriage, a rebellious child, financial woes, or many other sources. We go back and forth thinking about the problem, wishing that things were otherwise.
I believe that when you and I mentally pace, we are like our tiger – we are in the wrong environment. Our head is in the wrong place and our thoughts need to be on a different plane. That is not to say we forget about life’s challenges or avoid them, but we need to go back to that place where we first came from – our true home environment.
As humans, our current environment is this earth. It has fabulous things, horrible things, and everything imaginable in between. But you and I are pacing, seeking that home environment. Thankfully, for those of us who are Christians, we know where our home environment is – the place we came from and where we are longing to return to.
When I was a child, I watched the movie Born Free. At the end of the movie (spoiler alert), Elsa the lion, who was very close to being sent to a zoo, is given one last chance and set loose on the savanna to fend for herself. It’s difficult for her after being in captivity so long, but she slowly adapts. Eventually we find Elsa acclimated to her new home, even reappearing later with a family of cubs. Elsa is finally in the environment where she belongs. As a movie watcher, you breathe a sigh of relief when you see the peace and happiness now present in her life.
Sometimes we feel like the lion in that cage: pacing back and forth. But as Christians, we need to remember that our true home environment is not the cage in which we find ourselves now, but instead, it’s the majestic fields of heaven. When we reach those fields, we can finally stop pacing. We can rest. Like Elsa, we will be home.
Did You Know a Hippo's Sweat is Red?
Fun fact #2: more turkeys are raised in Minnesota than in any other state. Did you know that the oldest mummy in the world was found in Portugal? They are very interesting facts, but not terribly useful, unless you plan to be a contestant on Jeopardy. I learned all these things last night, but what I learned was far less important than how I learned them.
Our family is on vacation at the moment, so it has been great getting to relax a bit and visit Ruth’s and my families. It has been enjoyable to catch up on events, tell family stories (which generally result in everyone doubled over in laughter), and see the newest members of our extended family, who of course are cute as can be. But there is something even more valuable – time with your immediate family.
We’ve been spending the last few days with Ruth’s sister. They have a home nestled in the woods, far from the noise and lights of civilization. It’s very peaceful. So where do the random facts come in?
If you had peered from those dark woods into the living room window last night, you would have seen a solitary light illuminating two people curled up on the couch looking at an iPhone. Stephanie and I were playing a trivia app. The game itself was interesting, and it certainly helped having an English major to assist in answering which of the Brontë sisters wrote Jane Eyre (it was Charlotte). However, the more significant part of the story is that a dad and his daughter were spending time together, brainstorming solutions, laughing over goofy questions, and congratulating themselves on correct guesses.
I don’t know about your home, but those types of moments don’t happen as frequently as I’d like, especially now that our kids are grown. But the important thing has remained the same since the day they were born: family. That’s also why we are called North Dakota Family Alliance. All our work is about preservation and advancement of the family and the biblical values which undergird it. We exist so that these moments will never go away.
Yes, hippos have red sweat, Minnesota raises a lot of turkeys, and the oldest mummy in the world was found in Portugal. Those are interesting facts to me, but the most important part of last night was the bond between a father and daughter, curled up on a couch. Facts are fascinating, and may catch our interest for a time, but they change. It is love that lasts.
NDFA: What You Wanted to Know
When I talk with ministry partners such as yourselves, I am asked a variety of questions. I periodically like to tackle some of the more common ones, to further describe and provide clarity on our organization.
Q: Do politics really matter? Who cares if an organization such as yours is lobbying for our values?
A: Yes, politics and the laws and policies that are shaped by it are incredibly important. All you need to do is look at the trail of destruction the Biden Administration is leaving in its wake to be convinced. Politics shapes the future, and the future is the legacy we will be leaving for our children and grandchildren, so yes, it really matters.
Q: Why do we need you representing us when we can do that ourselves?
A: If you want to get directly involved in politics, that’s fabulous! We need more Christians to run for office and/or express their views to their Senators, Representatives, and others who shape policy at all levels. That said, you are most definitely still in the minority if you get directly involved. Most people have their own lives with jobs, child rearing, mortgages, school events, etc. and don’t have the time to track 1,000+ bills each session, talk with legislators all year long, plan policy strategy, educate citizens on public policy, and similar activities. That’s a key reason why we exist – to represent your values when you can’t be there.
Q: Why do you hate LGBTQ individuals?
A: We certainly do not hate individuals who identify as LGBTQ, in fact, it’s exactly the opposite. Every person is created with worth and dignity by God, and because of that, we love them. The place where we disagree with the LGBTQ movement is when their agenda begins to undermine biblical beliefs of others and those upon which our great nation was founded, and when their actions result in discrimination against others for not supporting their agenda.
Q: Why do you try and impose your values on everybody else? Why don’t you just leave us alone?
A: By definition, public policy is the shaping of laws according to a set of beliefs, and there are many different value sets that attempt to influence North Dakota policy. ND Lobbyists We are one of those voices. The purpose of our organization is to shape public policy, and to do that, we need some reason/basis for undertaking the work. Our basis is biblical values, as expressed by the Christian faith.
Q: Why did you endorse candidate x instead of candidate y?
A: North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action has a standard endorsement process for all candidates who request our endorsement. The process is based upon your biblical values and how the candidates intend to support those values when in office. For that reason, our process will never be the same as that of other organizations such as the NRA, American Conservative Union, Americans for Prosperity, and similar entities. We often end up with different results, which is not surprising. Our process is there to be even-handed and ensure we are fair in our evaluation of all candidates. It may happen that one of your preferred candidates will be endorsed by us, but another may not. That actually helps demonstrate that we don’t play favorites.
Q: Why should we worry about politics in North Dakota when the vast majority of legislators are Republican?
A: Because, while legislators may identify as Republican, many often don’t vote the Republican platform. While we are nonpartisan, the Republican platform most closely aligns with the values our organization holds. If legislators vote any way they choose, regardless of whether they have an “R” behind their name, our “deep red” state becomes far less red in its legislative actions, and your values are not adequately represented. This is a key reason we publish post-session legislative scorecards which show voting records on bills that support biblical values. Resources Page
Q: Don’t some legislators or other organizations try to “buy” your support?
A: Frankly, no. A very tiny amount of our financial support comes from legislators and other organizations that might benefit from our support, but these individuals/entities have never asked for any special treatment or support from us. We will never “sell” your values or our organization’s support to anyone, and I think they know that. Integrity is a core value of our organization, and we take it very seriously.
Q: What type of donations help you the most?
A: We need the most financial support for our non-tax-deductible legislative entity: North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action. The funding we receive through NDFALA is the most flexible for us and can be used for lobbying, elections, education, advocacy, and more. NDFALA funding is also critical to help us plan for the 2023 legislative session. NDFALA Donation Page
If you have an important question we didn’t answer, you can take a look at our website’s FAQ Page, email us (mark@ndfamilyalliance.org), or call (701-355-6425), and we’ll do our best to help. As always, thank you for your prayers, responses to our action alerts, and financial support. We can’t do this without you!
Persons as a Commodity
Many years ago, when I was still a university student studying Economics, I took an upper-level Public Finance course and came across the concept of “value of a human life”. At first blush, this seems sacrilegious, that one could try to put a value on human life. However, I found the concept intriguing.
The idea is that if each person’s life was truly of infinite value, we would treat it as such, and the fact is that we don’t. People drive too fast, take harmful drugs, smoke, and many other things which reveal that they don’t value their own life having infinite value. This includes those of us who profess Christ.
There are many ways that economists estimate the value of a human life, but back when I attended school, I recall that estimates of a human life were in the $250,000 - $1,000,000 range; today most values used by government agencies for things such as cost-benefit analysis put the value of your and my life at between $7.5 million and $10 million. Regardless of the value, we can be priced in the marketplace; we are a commodity.
An example of where this leads is never more obvious than in abortion. Many in our society place no value on the life of an unborn child, and you could argue that they actually consider the value to be negative, given that the child is considered to “intrude” upon the mother’s life. The child’s existence actually reduces the value of the mother’s life. The child is a commodity: something that was nonsaleable and did not (and should not) have a price, but is now saleable at some price.
That cost may be income lost through not having a full-time job because of child rearing, the general inconvenience brought on by having to take care of an infant, or loss of reputation in one’s community. As a result, you can eliminate this cost (i.e., price) by eliminating the source – the unborn child.
If you want another commodification of an unborn infant’s life, consider that an abortion costs anywhere from between $500 to $2,000+, depending on the type, gestational age, and other factors. Considering that a child can be bought and sold for that amount, he/she is not regarded as being worth much; certainly not the $7.5-$10 million estimate we noted, above.
We see a similar result with the practice of human trafficking. Worldwide, estimates of the value of a trafficked person average about $13,600, albeit with estimates ranging from $4,000 to as much as $50,000. Aside from the obvious issue of commodification of life, it is extremely sad that the value of a trafficked victim is hundreds of times lower than that of you or me. The examples of commodification go on and on, with prostitution, beauty, pornography, etc.
In the latest insult to our society’s perceived value of human life, our friends at Netflix® are airing a new series: He’s Expecting – When a successful ad executive who's got it all figured out becomes pregnant, he's forced to confront social inequities he'd never considered before. I can’t make this stuff up if I tried.
Netflix® obviously has its own rather transparent agenda and continues to show us that, just when we think it can stoop no lower, it rolls out yet more vapid content. That notwithstanding, a baby is once again shown to be a means to an end. A commodity to be used as an expedient route to push the LGBTQ agenda (and at the same time, insult mothers everywhere).
So, after all this, why does it matter so much if people are regarded as commodities? Very simply, because the core of who we are is eternal. As C.S. Lewis put it so eloquently:
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
We may decide to smoke, drink too much, never see a doctor, or other ill-advised things. Humans do stupid things, there is no doubt, however the eternal lives within us. That’s why we are not worth $6,000 or $10 million. We may be a commodity in society’s eyes, but in the eyes of Him who gave us value, we are most definitely not a commodity. We are priceless.
Education in North Dakota
I thought that title might grab your attention. Why? It’s simple. Anything that involves the shaping and upbringing of our children (and grandchildren) is of paramount importance to us, and not just to us, but also to those opposed to our beliefs. We all know that if we impart our values to future generations, we lock in a legacy that will live for decades. As the oft quoted poem title goes, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World.”
Do you think North Dakota’s education system is generally good or bad, when compared to other states? Let’s look at some ratings, recognizing their limitations and associated caveats. U.S. News & World Report has the North Dakota education system right in the middle of the pack at #25 (combined score of #16 for higher education and #34 for pre K‑12), based on educational attainment, graduation rates, college debt and tuition costs, enrollment in pre-K, standardized test scores, and the public high school graduation rate. USA Today puts us at #15, based on indicators such as high school graduation rate, public school spending, 8th grade NAEP testing, percentage of bachelor’s degrees, and median incomes. World Population Review ranks ND at #20 (combined score of #5 for higher education and #35 for K‑12), using 33 different metrics.
So what can we make of all this? These and similar sources put North Dakota higher education rankings in the upper third of the list, and k-12 in the second third. Collectively, they put the North Dakota education system somewhere slightly above the middle of the pack – not great, not terrible. Would we like to be higher on the lists? Sure, but there are as many suggested solutions to this issue as there are North Dakotans. Nevertheless, we can all agree that we must continue to improve our educational system as best we can.
However, Christian parenting and educating our children is much more than getting the best ranking. We have a biblical mandate to, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). The Bible is full of exhortations to parents that they should teach their children morals and virtues that are based on biblical principles.
Make no mistake, this is not limited to simply at home. There are three places where most of our children’s instruction happens: home, church, and school. Parents are responsible for the instruction their children receive in all three places and more. You are responsible. Not the church, not the school, not summer camp, not a mentor, not the latest celebrity. You are intended to have both the responsibility and control.
Our state’s educational system is perhaps not ranked as high as we’d like, but education in North Dakota has an ever-growing more serious problem, similar to other states. I’m talking about a problem of values. Thankfully, most school districts have their compasses pointed in the right direction here in North Dakota, but the insidious creep of moral relativism and political expediency has already been at work in our state.
Grand Forks School District #1 has a policy that allows school officials to not tell parents that their child identifies as transgender. It also allows for children of the opposite biological sex to enter restrooms and locker rooms if identifying as transgender. The West Fargo School District has a very similar policy on these issues, with some modifications. NDSU was taken to task by our legislators, with the prospect of losing a portion of state funding, for their active financial support of Planned Parenthood’s educational activities in our state. UND recently tried to adopt a hate speech policy that would penalize those who did not capitulate to the LGBTQ social agenda. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure there are more examples.
Why am I calling all these institutions out? It’s about accountability to your values. These are institutions you financially support. If North Dakotans don’t have an issue with the values underlying these actions, then let’s plow forward. However, if we do have a problem, we need to do something about them. They are not going away, my friends.
What can you do? Attend school board meetings, run for your local school board, contact institutions of higher education when they step over the line, make sure your lawmakers are aware of what is happening, and similar involvement. You might note that the NDSU and UND examples I gave earlier were both resolved in a manner that upheld your family values. It can be done!
A friend and I were talking recently about these types of educational challenges in our state, and he summarized our ideal response perfectly. He said, “We are called to be vigilant”. He’s absolutely right. The educational future of our children and our state depend on your and my vigilance.