ACSI Action

This week I was honored to speak at the Public Policy and Advocacy Summit for the Association of Christian Schools International (@ACSIUSA). As someone who grew up in Christian schools myself, I’m a firm believer in the importance of an education rooted in timeless truth. We can’t shield our children from the world—but we can equip them to contend faithfully within it. That’s what Christian schools aim to do. I’m so grateful for ASCI’s commitment to building and strengthening these crucial institutions.

🚨 URGENT: The current version of the Protect College Sports Act could jeopardize women’s sports. Every Senator who cares about women’s equal opportunity should act immediately to clarify that this bill does not preempt state laws protecting girls’ sports. There is a simple fix available: ensure the preemption of state laws is narrow. We are living in a moment where lawyers can’t even define what a woman is. There’s no room for ambiguity. Let’s not undo the hard-fought gains or pass permanent legislation that could jeopardize these victories. We are thankful for President Trump’s legacy of protecting women’s sports to date. We don’t want to see it undone. It’s time to keep girls on the field, not sideline them again.

I am appalled that—while Päivi Räsänen was thankfully acquitted for her 2019 Bible verse tweet—the Finnish Supreme Court has convicted her of criminal “hate speech” for a church pamphlet she wrote in 2004, long before the law in question was passed. Her Lutheran bishop, Juhana Pohjola, was also convicted for publishing the pamphlet, when all they did was share their beliefs in the public square. In its 3-2 ruling, the Court ordered the pamphlet to be “removed from public access and destroyed.” This is a dark day for freedom in Europe and across the Western world. Punishing peaceful expression undermines the very foundation of free societies. The right to speak freely, including on matters of faith and morality, is firmly protected under international law. We will continue to stand with Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola as they consider an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The Western world has aggressively adopted more and more restrictions on speech. This case makes clear beyond doubt that now is the time for the governments of Europe to repeal unjust “hate speech laws” and commit to a free speech reset.