Michael P. Farris, J.D.
Chancellor
Patrick Henry
College
For Christ and for Liberty!
(P.O. Box 1899, Merrifield, VA 22116-9520)
Ten Patrick Henry Circle, Purcellville, Virginia 20132
(540) 441-8740; www.phc.edu;
mfo@phc.edu
Defending Our Christian Values
Dear Fellow American,
When
a student speaking in class against homosexual marriage is called a
"fascist" by his professor... when Christian students seeking to mark
the anniversary of Roe v. Wade with a pro-life exhibit are silenced and
threatened with expulsion...
... when
even our own youth-vote obsessed President — who has claimed that many
Americans "cling to... religion" not out of faith, but response
to difficult economic times — decides to exploit Christianity to
"sell" his crusade for homosexual marriage...
... when forces converge like never before against Christians
and our beliefs, our values — and especially against the young people brave and
fearless enough to make their Christian faith known, even at the risk of their
college educations and their very futures...
... that is the time for action. And today you can take action
that will make a real difference — not by putting ourselves at the mercy of
partisan politics or "celebrity" culture and hoping for the best, but
by empowering young people today who seek to take the reins of that culture and
transform it through their talents, through their witness, and through God's
grace.
The
action I need you to take today is this: Please complete the [requested] enclosed
National Survey: Defending Our Christian
Values and rush your answers back to me right away. This is unlike any
survey you have been asked to complete in the past. It's not designed for
politicians or biased journalists who will cast it aside and dismiss your views
and values.
This
is an opportunity for you to offer your advice for the next generation of
Christian leaders — specifically, how you believe young Christians today can
best prepare themselves to STOP an alarming trend that is sweeping our country:
the
erosion, abandonment and demeaning of Christian values throughout American
society.
This
Survey is commissioned by Patrick Henry College — an independent Christian liberal arts college that
is working to educate the next generation of Christian leaders, so they can
strengthen America's culture, communities and government... "For Christ and for Liberty."
As
Chancellor of Patrick Henry College, I believe those who have gone before have
something of tremendous value to offer to young Christians who will lead our
nation into the future. I hope you will respond today and help us confront the
many challenges facing America:
·
The rejection of
traditional views of marriage with an ever-increasing demand for homosexual
marriage, even from the White House;
·
The rapid
expansion of the role of the federal government, believing the delusions that
it can borrow and spend its way to prosperity;
·
And most
alarming: The continual mocking of God and the people who take their Christian
faith as a serious commitment.
I
think you will also agree with me that these kinds of problems do not arise in
a vacuum. There are people who are actively promoting values that are 180
degrees away from those that were embraced by the Founding Fathers of this
great nation.
Young
Christians face particular challenges on college campuses, which have become
hotbeds of radical thinking. Right now innocent students are being led to
embrace theories that would shock and embarrass their parents and grandparents —
and the punishment can be severe for Christians who refuse to surrender their
values.
That's
why we are faced with outrageous situations like the California student labeled by his professor as a
"fascist" for opposing homosexual marriage (such a stand is one of
the few acts deemed "sinful" by college elites!)...
... or
another Christian student who was removed from a public university's graduate
program in counseling over her belief that homosexuality is morally wrong — and
who then watched helplessly as this censorship was approved by a federal judge.
The
"powers-that-be" on campus pride themselves
on being "open-minded" and "tolerant." Tell that to the
Christian students who sought to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and
legalized abortion with a pro-life exhibit. School officials stopped the
students, claiming their pro-life views were offensive and that any exhibit
would have to accommodate pro-abortion activists. The students were threatened
with expulsion if they spoke for the unborn.
What
can we do when faced with this bias against Christians and all we stand for? We
can send petitions to Congress or write letters to the media, begging them to
cover this epidemic of hatred (and to quit abetting anti-Christian forces in
their programming) — and then we can cross our fingers and hope things change
for the better (we'll be hoping for a long time, I fear).
Or...
we can raise an army of intelligent, articulate and passionate young people who
will have the power and connections needed to truly transform our culture —
young people who will one day not just ask for better laws but will have the
power to make the laws that define our nation... young Christians who will not
be at the mercy of news networks and movie studios, but who will instead be at
the head of such powerful cultural forces.
This
is the work of Patrick Henry College — and to make it happen we need your help.
First,
I hope you will help us tackle the difficult task of guiding young people
towards lives of godliness and meaning. You can do this by speaking out today
using your National Survey: Defending
Our Christian Values.
I
will provide final Survey results to our faculty, staff and students here at
Patrick Henry College, so we can all take courage from the fact that concerned
Christians like you support our work and refuse to surrender to the forces that
are waging war on our values.
The
final Survey results will also help Patrick Henry College recruit the most outstanding Christian students, by
showing that their commitment to restoring our nation through biblical
principles is shared by their fellow Christians across the country.
Your
response will make a difference — so please give your views and send me your
completed National Survey today. And please also include a generous
tax-deductible gift of at least $25 — or even $35, $50 or more, if you can — to
support Patrick Henry College. Your generosity will help Patrick Henry College serve Christian families as a premier four-year
liberal arts college. In doing so, you will help us lead a much needed
"counter-offensive" against the forces that seek to eliminate our
Christian values from society.
Through
your support, you will help us reclaim our nation by empowering future
generations of Christian leaders who will work "in the trenches" to
fight the cultural and political influences that are aligned against our faith,
and create an American culture that reflects the love, compassion and integrity
of our traditional Christian values.
At Patrick Henry College, we offer students Christ-centered faculty who take a
personal interest in the spiritual and academic growth of each student... a
classical Christian liberal arts curriculum that helps students solidify a
Biblical worldview... and a community of Christian students who strengthen and
encourage one another in their walk with Christ.
Our
goal, quite simply, is to take back our nation — from the forces that despise
Christian beliefs... from the secularist news outlets and entertainment corporations
that corrupt young people's minds with moral relativism and godlessness... from
the schools that have banished God from the classroom, and exiled Him from
campus, all ironically in the name of "tolerance" and
"diversity."
We
are fighting these forces one student, one mind at a time. Unlike most other
colleges and universities, our goal is NOT to erase our students' Christian
values. Just the opposite: We work to reinforce those values, and give students
the intellectual firepower they will need to fulfill the potential God has
given to them to follow His calling in the world.
For
our work to be effective, we must be able to show that Patrick Henry College speaks on behalf of committed Christians like you —
people who are fed up with the scorn being poured upon Christians, and who want
to take an active role in taking back our nation.
For that reason, it is very important
for you to give your opinions today, and support Patrick Henry College as we
help young Christians defeat the powerful and determined forces that are
aligned against our faith, and seek nothing less than the eradication of the
values that you and I cherish.
We're
in a world of college professors who seek to penalize students for simply being
Christian, and who pressure young peqpe to sacrifice
their beliefs for a diploma...
... a world of TV shows, movies and websites that ridicule
Christians, and impose a secular worldview that celebrates promiscuity,
homosexuality, drug abuse and broken families...
... a world of powerful politicians who are determined to chip
away at America's Christian values, and create a "heaven on
earth" guided not by God, but by government.
At Patrick Henry College we envision nothing less than a transformation of
American society. You can be part of this transformation by helping us train
Christian students to serve God and mankind through careers of public service
and cultural influence.
The students at Patrick Henry College today are
those who will soon stand on the frontlines in this war against Christianity,
defending your values and your beliefs against those who despise our Christian
faith.
The
lawyers who will defend religious freedom eases in state and federal courts,
all the way up to the Supreme Court... the elected leaders who will serve in
state legislatures, city councils, school boards, the U.S. House and Senate,
where they will defend free expression and incorporate Christian values into
our laws...
... the
elementary, middle and high school teachers who will educate a generation of
Americans with Christian values, and fight the rampant secularism plaguing our
public schools... the innovators in entertainment and the arts who will work to
produce TV shows, movies, music and websites that celebrate Christian values...
... these people are being educated at Patrick Henry College right now.
Consider
this: Much was made of the fact that President Barack Obama served as editor
and president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Recently, a Patrick Henry College alumna served as an executive editor of this renowned
journal. This is just one example of the many ways that we are transforming our
society — one student, one opportunity, one career at a time.
But
our ability to build this "army of thought" that will fight for you
and your beliefs throughout our society depends on the support we receive from
our fellow Christians.
Patrick Henry College accepts NO government funding — and thus we are
forced to accept none of the moral and spiritual compromises that federal
bureaucrats seek to impose upon taxpayer-funded schools. And we are a young
school, founded in 2000 — so we do not have the lavish endowments enjoyed by
most colleges and universities.
What
we do have is confidence, and faith in the determination and talents God has given
us — and that inspires our efforts to educate new generations of Christian
leaders who will represent your views and values in our government and culture.
I hope that we will also have your support, so that Patrick Henry College can speak for you in our communications and
educational initiatives in defense of our Christian faith.
Please
give your opinions on this National
Survey; Defending Our Christian Values, as well as a generous
tax-deductible gift to support Patrick Henry College. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Michael
P. Farris, J.D.
Chancellor,
Patrick Henry College
P.S. If you are at all concerned about the hatred
and abuse being inflicted upon our Christian values, please represent the views
of committed Christians in your area by answering the enclosed National Survey: Defending Our Christian
Values — and please send in your response as quickly as possible. As Patrick Henry College works to identify and educate future Christian
leaders who will help take our nation back from the secularist forces that
control so much of our culture, we must be able to show that we speak for
concerned Christians like you.
I
hope you will also support Patrick Henry College with a tax-deductible gift and help us defend our
faith by educating the Christian leaders of tomorrow. We are fully independent
and accept NO government funding as we offer students a Christ-centered
education rooted in America's founding ideals — so please be as generous as you can.
Thank you (PHC, P.O. Box 1899, Merrifield, VA
22116-9520).
********************
Who We Are...
·
Patrick Henry College is a highly selective four-year liberal arts school
with more than 300 students and over 40 full-time and adjunct faculty.
·
We are a force in
America's culture, with a growing network of alumni in
business, law, politics, journalism, the military, education and the arts.
·
We are fully
independent and do NOT accept federal funding — making us free from government
restrictions on our curriculum and values.
·
Patrick Henry College is flourishing thanks to the support of concerned
Americans who share our vision: For Christ and for Liberty.
"I
celebrate what this school does, because it's not just equipping students to
get a degree and sit back and wait for somebody to hire them. These students
look at the world and say, 'Let's go change it.'" ~ Fmr. Governor Mike Huckabee
"It's
not by accident or luck that Patrick Henry College is turning out so many fine students of such high
caliber. It's their ethos and culture. This is a school that's transforming our
world one student, one mind at a time. I'm proud to support Patrick Henry College as they work to take back our nation.” ~ Radio host and commentator Bill
Bennett
"I
am just thankful that it's there. I want a blessing to be poured out on it. I
want it to be extremely successful, because our country needs Patrick Henry College." ~
Sen. Tom Coburn
"I
believe in the mission and purpose of Patrick Henry College, which is educating bright young men and women to think
biblically so they can become leaders in the Church and nation, defending
Christian truth." ~ The late
Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship