While many political observers argue that the economy is the big issue this election, the president of the Family Research Council (FRC) believes values such as biblical marriage will also play an important role at the ballot box.
To a room full of journalists and guests of FRC, Tony Perkins opened Wednesday's address at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, by recalling the aftermath of the August 15 shooting at FRC headquarters that left a security guard wounded. The FBI characterized the shooting as "an act of domestic terrorism."
Perkins' primary comments, however, assessed the influence of social issues during the balance of the fall political campaign.
"A recent Zogby poll showed the one area that people do agree on is on the importance of the family and a marriage of a man and a woman -- that's the single largest issue that people agreed on," he tells OneNewsNow. "Those issues are going to be factors. Now it may not be the front-and-center issue, but they are going to be deciding factors in this election."
Since 1983, Family Research Council has advocated faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview. Perkins address came on the eve of a gathering of leading national policy advocates, including Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan, at the upcoming Values Voter Summit in Washington (Sept. 14-16).
"I think what we have to do is show the world what Christians are really about -- and we are driven by love, ... by charity, by compassion, but by truth. And we have to be able to do both," emphasizes the FRC spokesman. "That's what I said here -- that we are committed to speaking the truth; speaking in love, but speaking the truth nonetheless."
The Southern Poverty Law Center has listed FRC as a "hate group" since 2010. Perkins denounced that designation and called upon the SPLC to exclude FRC from that list.