Hello readers,
I truthfully feel God is leading me to work and write about the intersection of faith and politics. I don’t know how or what that means for me as a freelancer, activist, volunteer or professional but I’m keeping an open-mind and just trying to see what doors open.
I’d like to share some of the FB Live videos I do here and I’m going to start with this one.
Interview with Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life
I wrote recently at National Review about Maddi Runkles, the pregnant high schooler who was banned from walking at graduation at her Christian high school. The reason Maddi’s story made national news is because Students for Life of America took it up and made it so.
I have known Kristan Hawkins, President of SFLA, for many years so I was excited when she agreed to talk with me about Maddi. This is after she and Maddi appeared on Fox News to discuss the story — and Maddi’s story appeared in the New York Times.
There’s so much to say about this story, but in a nut shell, we need to offer grace, love, support and empowerment to girls & women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. Here’s our interview:
Lastly, I really want to encourage you to check out SFLA’s “Pregnant on Campus” initiative. This is something everyone can support because it lobbies to provide pregnant women with education of their rights (that they cannot be discriminated against), resources, daycare, diapers, lactation rooms & more on campuses.
While I see the pro-life movement as a whole as very loving & supportive (the rumor that pro-lifers only support “life before birth” is preposterous), there’s always room to grow, both in the church and in the movement largely.
This is another space where I’m not sure how I will continue my work but for now, I support SFLA, as well as my favorite pro-life organization, Save the Storks.
Beyond babyhood, we should also be sure to support & encourage foster care, diaper drives, and sponsored children overseas. I know I can never ever do enough but I will do what I can and I hope you will too.
For regular TSL readers…
The Sweet Life has long been a fitness and lifestyle blog. I have no plans to discontinue those kinds of posts but I also feel like I want an outlet to write about spiritual matters too. This may include politics — and with that, some controversy.
However, I don’t make my living off this space and perhaps I will garnish a new readership — and maybe lose some along the way.
I’ve been told on occasion that even when people disagree with me, they still respect my opinion. They might ask me what an honest opinion from a conservative is, without the spin of the media. I hope that’s true and I hope whatever I write & do is with civility and humility. I don’t always succeed. Sometimes, sarcasm & anger get the better of me on Twitter (not a wonderful place to live!) but in general, I try to be fair, honest, empathetic and open-minded to other opinions even if I don’t agree with them.
Hope you will stick around.
RSK says
It saddens me to see the mistaken publicity given this stunt by SFL, of whom I am, or was, a supporter. I understand the issue and them taking it on to hopefully encourage Maddie and “adjust” the situation is not the problem I see.
They mistakenly took it public, even to what extent I do not know.
If, big if, this was a conflict among Christians, which it appeared to be from the information I had been given directly from SFL, then dealing with it among Christians was the proper and ONLY way of handling it. Even PRIVATELY if necessary.
Only Christians who were invited to correspond or pray or “help consider” should have been involved.
I pray that there is no lasting negativity or fuel to the fire provided to those whose agenda is to discredit, diminish, or desecrate Christianity. A tack we have grow exponentially in the last few years.
Ericka Andersen says
Hmmm, well I can see your point about dealing with a Christian issue among Christians. It most certainly is…and that’s why i was careful to point out that I do believe the pro-life/Christian community is generally supportive & full of grace for women in this situation…and I do not want to denigrate the church as a whole by any means. But they aren’t perfect and I do think this is one place SOME could improve. I can fully respect the opinion that taking it public wasn’t the right choice, but don’t know that I necessarily agree.