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An
Update From Allan Carlson, President
“We
strive to be the leading source of fresh ideas and new strategies for
affirmation and defense of the natural family, both nationally and
globally.”
Dear
Friends of the Howard Center:
Developments at The Howard Center For Family, Religion and Society have
been positive over the last six months. Allow me to begin by reporting
on signs of the influence and success of our work here.
THE NATURAL FAMILY: A MANIFESTO. On March 15, 2005, The Howard
Center and the Sutherland Institute held a news conference at The
National Press Club in Washington, DC, formally releasing The
Natural Family: A Manifesto. It was coauthored by Paul Mero (a
former Executive Vice President here) and me. Board Chairman George
Marlin chaired the session. About 20 press outlets (radio, television,
and print media) covered the event, including CBN television. Our vice
president, Larry Jacobs, and I were both interviewed on a number of talk
radio programs, including two notable national outlets, “The Michael
Reagan Show” (syndicated to 5 million listeners on more than 200
stations)” and “Point of View” (the most popular, live Christian call-in
show in America according to Christianity Today). The document
has been very well received, gaining solid and meaningful endorsements
from our friends, winning praise in unexpected places, and angering “the
usual suspects.” On April 19, The Washington Times
published a long excerpt from The Manifesto on its page 2.
We have distributed about 10,000 copies of the first printing of
The Manifesto. We anticipate printing at least 5,000 more copies
(please let us know if you can help financially with this second
printing). More than 4,000 copies have also been down-loaded from our
website. Paul Mero and I are now engaged in crafting a book-length
commentary on The Manifesto. We hope to have the
manuscript completed this summer.
FRACTURED GENERATIONS: CRAFTING A FAMILY POLICY FOR 21ST CENTURY
AMERICA. This new book, by yours truly, appeared in March from
Transaction-Rutgers University, the “international publisher of record
in the social sciences.” It has been picked up by The Conservative Book
Club, The Human Events Book Club, and The National Review Book Service.
Board member Dr. Milton Rosenberg hosted me for a two-hour discussion of
the book’s themes on his radio show, “Extension 720,” WGN-AM,
Chicago. I also gave a lecture on the book in Washington, DC, on
Wednesday, May 11. In addition, I have prepared another manuscript
entitled The Meaning of Marriage which I hope to see
published in 2006.
DIVIDED WE FALL: FAMILY DISCORD AND THE FRACTURING OF AMERICA. I
am pleased to report that Transaction will also publish this autumn
Bryce Christensen’s new book, Divided We Fall: Family Discord and
the Fracturing of America. The book is adapted from ten essays
originally written for Family in America, of which Bryce is Contributing
Editor.
RELIGION & SOCIETY REPORT REVAMPED. Starting in January, the
Report was reconfigured into a monograph series issued eight
times a year. Harold O.J. Brown remains as editor. The first three
issues have featured:
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“History ‘Lite’ in Modern American Gay Studies,” by Bradford
William Short of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute;
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“The Family in Theological Perspective,” by Professor Jean-Marc
Berthoud of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Lausanne, France; and
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“The Natural Law and Nature’s God,” by Dr. Brown. To subscribe (a
mere $24 per year), contact Carey Anderson at The Howard Center,
1-800-461-3113.
LECTURE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC. On April 27, I presented a
lecture in the Senate building of The Czech Republic on “The Swedish
Model and the Failure of European Family Policy.” My host was Martin
Mejstrik, a newly-elected young Senator who is giving priority to
family issues. Sixteen years ago, he served as a key student leader
of The Velvet Revolution which brought down the Communist regime in then
Czechoslovakia. The Civic Institute of The Czech Republic served as
co-sponsor of the event. Other Senators, Parliamentarians from the Lower
House, policy staff, and NGO leaders attended. Several persons
(including Sen. Mejstrik) also reiterated that the Czech Republic’s new
2004 law legalizing home schooling was directly inspired by
commentaries provided by The Howard Center.
CENTER INFLUENCE IN EASTERN EUROPE. Our World Congress of
Families Project has also inspired two new documents in Eastern Europe.
The “Family First Declaration” of 2004 was crafted by a dozen
Parliamentarians representing six “new member states of the European
Union”: Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, and
Estonia. Referring explicitly to our Mexico City Declaration, the
“Family First” statement declares: “We will coordinate our efforts on
behalf of the traditional family, marriage and the intrinsic value of
each human life so that the future Europe is not associated…with the
culture of death, institutionalized egoism and population decline, but
with the preservation of religious, ethical and cultural values that
enhance virtuous life in all relevant aspects.” The Vranov Declaration
of November 2004 also draws directly on “the final declaration from the
World Congress of Families 2004 in Mexico City.” Drafted by delegates
from eleven former Communist nations, the Declaration embraces the
“natural family” ideal as the only hope for Europe’s future. These
documents are especially gratifying, given that we initiated the
World Congress of Families project in 1997 partly to encourage
pro-family voices in Eastern Europe.
AMBASSADOR ELLEN SAUERBREY VISITS THE HOWARD CENTER. The Howard
Center hosted two related local events featuring Ellen Sauerbrey, US
Ambassador to the UN and US Representative to the UN Commission on the
Status of Women. On January 21, we co-sponsored the annual Life
Breakfast in Rockford, with 350 taking part. Ambassador Sauerbrey served
as the keynote speaker. At lunch that same day, Ambassador Sauerbrey
spoke to local friends of The Howard Center gathered at Rockford’s
University Club.
LEGALIZED MARIJUANA: A PENDING DISASTER. Dr. John Howard has
authored a new monograph on “Legalized Marijuana: A Pending Disaster”
(publication plans are pending). He is also continuing work on his
manuscript exploring the religious nature of the American Republic.
TOUCHSTONE: A JOURNAL OF MERE CHRISTIANITY. This winter, I
accepted an invitation to become a Contributing Editor to
Touchstone, a solid journal on faith and culture combining the
best work of Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox
contributors. This is an active editorial board, involving the
review of selected manuscripts and the submission of essays on a regular
basis. My essay, “Five Rings and a Wedding: Marriage and the
Concentric Ring that Surround It,” appeared in the January-February
issue of Touchstone, along with Bryce Christensen’s essay
on “Rush to Alter: How Homosexuals Benefit from the Devolution of
Marriage.” To learn more about Touchstone, visit
www.touchstonemag.com. Other
essays by yours truly have recently appeared (or are pending soon) in
Society, The Chesterton Review, Perspective: A Public
Policy Journal of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs,
Intercollegiate Review, and National Review.
WEBSITE HITS UP 200%. The Center’s two websites,
www.profam.org and
www.worldcongress.org,
have been improved over the last year with dramatic results. We are now
averaging over 9,000 hits per day compared to 3,000 per day before the
changes. A Christian missionary in Brazil describes our website this
way: “...Although I cannot recall having heard of you, your
website seems to be something for which I have searched for some time…As
a coordinator of family ministry for several years, I always am in need
of information about families: responsible, objective, non-partisan,
and useful information, because there is plenty of the opposite kind
of information on the web. Keep up the good work, as I will be
visiting quite often, and already added you to my favorites list.”
Our weekly email list, Family Update Online!, has also
grown to over 9,400 subscribers. Sign up for our free email at
www.profam.org or
www.worldcongress.org and
click on “FREE EMAIL: FAMILY UPDATE.”
KOHLER FELLOW VISITS ROCKFORD. Our 2005 Kohler Fellow in Family
Studies, Russell Di Silvestro, visited Rockford in early January to
present a lecture at Rockford’s University Club entitled
“Capacities and Moral Status: When Does Life Begin?” Russell is
a Ph.D. candidate and lecturer at Bowling Green State University in
Ohio. This fellowship in family studies has been made possible by a
generous grant from The Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust.
DAVID HARTMAN RETIRES, WAYNE TEW COMES ON BOARD. At its Annual
Meeting held May 13, the Center Board of Directors express its gratitude
to David Hartman of Austin, Texas, for his eight years of distinguished
service, including five years as Vice Chairman. Elected to fill his
position was Wayne Tew of Las Vegas, Nevada. He serves as
President and CEO of The Clark County Credit Union where he
executed a successful financial turnaround. He and his wife Patrice have
been valued supporters of The Howard Center for several years.
HOWARD CENTER MOURNS THE LOSS OF GAYLORD SWIM. We are saddened
by the recent passing of our friend and associate, Gaylord Swim,
the founder of the Sutherland Institute in Utah. He passed away on
Saturday evening, February 5, surrounded by his family. His
encouragement and support of The Howard Center was a great blessing to
us.
HOWARD CENTER INTERNS MAKE A DIFFERENCE. The Howard Center has
launched an intern program with five students from Rock Valley College
and Rockford College: Lauren Vander Heyden, Rich Heitz, Erin Kenney,
Gabe Zammit and Anna Griesbach. Two of the interns, Mr. Heitz and Miss
Vander Heyden, also represented us admirably at the March meeting of the
UN Commission on the Status of Women: Beijing +10, in New York
City. Their dedication and professionalism earned the respect of Sharon
Slater, President of United Families International, who wrote, “I
would just like to commend Richard Heitz and Lauren Vander Heyden for
the fantastic job they did lobbying at the CSW last week…I have never
seen such quick learners. They did exactly what was asked of them and
were fearless.”
ENDORSEMENTS OF THE MANIFESTO CROSS RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL DIVIDES.
More than 200 endorsements from American and world leaders testify to
the impact and power of The Natural Family: A Manifesto.
Even more gratifying is the diverse nature of these testimonies,
involving women and men across the political, religious, and geographic
spectra. A selection of these endorsements can be viewed at:
www.profam.org and
www.worldcongress.org On the
homepage, click on “Here are some of the endorsements.”
WE NEED YOUR HELP! I hope that this letter gives you a feel for
the vital work being advanced by the Howard Center. However, for this to
continue and grow, we dearly need your support. Lean and frugal,
operating out of a small Midwestern city, refusing to accept government
funds, we rely on the generosity of good folk such as you. So please
consider a gift for summer, 2005. As foes and friends testify alike,
The Howard Center is specially positioned to protect those
things—traditional marriage, children, grandchildren, the home, vital
faith—that you hold dear. Your collaboration and your help at this
time would be deeply appreciated.
Sincerely Yours,
Allan
C. Carlson
President
P.S. In
anticipation, thank you for your help and encouragement in making a
positive difference for the natural family. For every new gift to The
Howard Center of $150 or more, I will be pleased to send you a specially
signed copy of my new book, Fractured Generations: Family Policy
for the 21st Century
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“The Natural Family: A Manifesto
continues the outstanding work carried on by The Howard Center,
which has emerged as the most informed, perceptive, and effective
defender of authentic family values in the United States.”
JAMES HITCHCOCK, ST LOUIS UNIVERSITY |
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“…No other ‘family’ organizations work in the
country even approaches the high standards [of The Howard
Center]. The essays are both models of scholarship and at the
same time written so they can be understood and appreciated by all.”
“THE WANDERER: NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY” |
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“Much bolder measures are necessary, … if American culture is again
to be put on a family—and community—centered footing. In [Allan
Carlson’s book] The ‘American Way’ he provides a stirring
foundation and blueprint for just such measures.”
“NATIONAL REVIEW” |
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“…under the savvy
leadership of its president, Allan Carlson, this little-known
organization is at the center of an emerging conservative
religious and political world strategy on families.”
DON BROWNING,
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO |
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