Maybe this won’t surprise you, but Wisconsin politicians have begun to ignore us. By “us,” I mean true hard-core conservatives. Now this statement is, of course, not true of all of our politicians, but a considerable segment of our elected officials are beginning to withdraw support for the policies that garnered our votes that got them elected.

Just recently the Wisconsin State Senate voted on a bill that would require Wisconsin hospitals to provide emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault, and of the twenty-seven senators who voted in favor of the bill, at least nine, by virtue of their party affiliation, should have stood against such measures. Although their votes alone still would not have defeated it, their support for the bill shows that they have not only bought the lies of our opponents, but also that they do not hear the social conservatives’ opposition to the bill among their own constituents.

Part of the reason this is happening is that Christians are increasingly being marginalized in the political arena. In academia and the mainstream media we are often grouped alongside the Islamic fascists, for example. This marginalization was pointed out recently by radio host, Glen Beck, and founder of Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson, when they discussed how the media was skewing Dobson’s words to portray his supporters and other social conservatives as radical. This political disregard can also be seen in the reaction these groups gave to the passing of Dr. Jerry Falwell, a leader in promoting Judeo-Christian principles and values in our culture and in our government. Many in the media villified him and his ideals as very radical. Some also went as far as to not give him the respect that any recently deceased deserves.

Academia and the media are not the only ones though; political parties have also begun to ostracize the social conservative. Just look at the major presidential contenders already campaigning for the upcoming election. Many have taken a position against protecting our unborn children. On the one hand Democrat leadership fails to even discuss the issues important to protecting the family, while on the other hand Republicans seem to take the Christian conservative vote for granted and contend less and less for the policies and laws we would like to see enacted. Too often the attitude seems to be “give us your money and your vote, and then go away and be quiet.”

Although they are still a long way off, important elections are fast approaching. In order for the pro-life and pro-family policies conservatives support to remain important to lawmakers, we need to ensure that our voices are heard. If social conservatives are going to be acknowledged in 2008 and 2010, we must remain a viable force and hold our public servants accountable, so that they walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.

We also need to work to hold political parties accountable for the candidates they put on our ballots. As voters, we cannot afford to support a candidate simply because he or she belongs to a certain party. We must know the candidates and support them because of their stand on the issues important to us. If we want to see policies that protect our families, our rights, and our property remain essential issues that politicians must address, then they need to know we care, both by our voices and our ballots.

Elections are not the only area in which our voice must be heard and influence felt. So that officials act on their words, we must continually give them our opinions on issues, issues such as the emergency contraception bill mentioned earlier, mandating that the HPV vaccine be given to all girls entering sixth grade in any Wisconsin school, or using taxpayer money to fund Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. When we take time to call the state’s legislative toll-free hotline on these and other issues, we remind our officials about why they were elected.

Yes, it takes time and effort to become educated and familiar with the issues—and that’s where Wisconsin Family Council can be of help. We seek to help the average Christian become more informed, active, and able to influence their elected officials, political parties, and the community around them. We provide resources and venues that make it easier to get informed, such as voter education materials and our new SALT Ministry program for the local church. These resources take individual voices and multiply them exponentially—bringing about the collective voice that results in influence with and accountability for our elected officials.

The message social conservatives, especially Christians, give to politicians on matters of life and family is based on the unchanging truths of God’s Word. Our responsibility is to present these truths to our elected officials in such a winsome, yet powerful way that we cannot be ignored.

For Wisconsin Family Council, I’m Julaine Appling reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”