The Times: The Rise of Socialism in America
“‘Socialism is a wonderful idea.’ It is only as a reality that it has been disastrous. Among people of every race, color, and creed, all around the world, socialism has led to hunger in countries that used to have surplus food to export.
“Its economic disasters have afflicted virtually every industry. In its Communist version, it killed far more innocent civilians in peacetime than Hitler killed in his death camps during World War II.”– Thomas Sowell
Center for Christian Virtue's 2025 Essential Summit
Cultural Commentaries
Celebrating What Is Good — There was a lot of commentary this month about the New York City election of Zohran Mamdani, an openly socialist candidate elected to run one of the largest cities in the world. Five Courageous Christians by John Stonestreet offers hope. The testimonies highlighted in Stonestreet’s Breakpoint article are worth celebrating and sharing!
Creating What Is Missing — The new documentary “Truth Rising,” a joint effort between Focus On The Family, Colson Center, and Os Guinness, highlights powerful Christian testimonies and reveals how ordinary people can make an extraordinary impact by boldly choosing courage over fear.
Restoring What Is Broken — My continued prayer is that the sparks of revival we are seeing around the country will be fanned into the flame of the next great awakening. In an article for Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen, Paul Batura explores how America is Simultaneously in Revival and Revolt.
Ending What Is Evil — In the wake of Mamdani’s election, I am surprised by the rate at which socialism is gaining momentum, especially among America’s young adults. We must help young Christians, in particular, understand not only the historical failure of socialism but also its anti-biblical tenets. For more insights and guidance on this topic, Some Thoughts on Socialism and the Bible from Shepherds Seminary is a good starting point, and Gregory Conti’s article titled Mamdani and the New Phase of Wokeness is a good, insightful resource on recent events.
SEEKING THE GOOD OF OUR NEIGHBOR
Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) Legislative Liaison, Ryan Folz, and Executive Policy Director, David Mahan, meet with Ohio State Representative Melanie Miller
As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, the CCV Policy Team is grateful to God for the opportunity to bring glory to His name through our work. Although the legislature will soon pause for several weeks because of the holiday season, our advocacy will continue through our broader projects. These projects include work in opposition to the Ohio Equal Rights Amendment, funding for our faith-based strategic partners to continue their important work in our state, and work that strengthens parents and families with regard to their children’s education and moral development, among other projects. More information and announcements on these projects will be coming soon!
In the weeks leading up to the break, three bills have been our primary focus. Two of the bills that CCV has been advocating heavily for, House Bill 324 (HB324) and House Bill 485 (HB485), have been voted out of their respective committees and passed on the House floor.
CCV has strongly supported HB324, sponsored by Representatives Mathews and Craig, which, if passed by the Senate, would restrict the sale and prescribing of drugs with high rates of severe adverse effects, including abortion-inducing medications.
We recently provided proponent testimony on this bill and highlighted research from the Ethics and Public Policy Center demonstrating the risks associated with unrestricted access to such drugs.
We have also supported HB485, sponsored by Representative Miller. If approved by the Senate, this bill would require public schools to teach fetal development using high-quality video animation. This instruction would enhance existing health curricula and offer students a compelling scientific presentation of human life in the womb.
The third bill, House Bill 476, would authorize online raffles throughout Ohio. CCV testified in opposition to this proposal due to serious concerns about expanding gambling access at a time when many faith-based groups and individuals are working to curb predatory gambling practices.
Nevertheless, the bill has passed its committee and received majority support on the House floor. All three bills are expected to be taken up in the Senate quickly once lawmakers return from their time away.
We want to wish all of our supporters and the entire CCV family a very happy Thanksgiving. This blessed time of food, family, and fellowship is deeply cherished by everyone on the Policy Team.
Because of God’s provision and the steadfast prayers of many, we have seen great success at the Statehouse this year. As we head into a much-needed break for family time, one word fills our hearts and minds: gratitude. Our thankful hearts are especially reminded of the beautiful truth found in Psalm 100:1-5, which says,
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Legislative Tracker
Review the November 2025 Legislative Tracker to see where all of the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV)-backed bills currently stand in the 136th General Assembly and pray over the bills that are moving in 2025.
Pray for Ohio
Pastor Tommy Youngquist and son speaking at CCV's October 2025 Prayer at the Statehouse
We have partnered with Pray for Ohio to bring you a monthly topical prayer guide that can be shared with your church!
The Prayer Guide for December, along with the accompanying prayer letter, focuses on the sanctity of life.
Prayer Requests
Church Ambassador Network’s Hope and A Future Tour is off and running. Praise God for successful events in October and November, and pray with us as we continue to share our Hope and A Future initiative with churches around the state.
Praise God that we are approaching 10 cohorts for The Minnery Fellowship! Pray with us for the pastors who will join those cohorts in 2026.
Send prayer requests to Ruth Edmonds at ruthedmonds@ccv.org so our team and intercessors around the state can be praying.
Resources
Check out some recent episodes of The Narrative podcast.
Protect Your Kids from the Tech Trap with Clare Morell addresses how churches should encourage their people to engage with smart devices.
Restoring Fatherhood through Habits of Grace with Justin Whitmel Earley is a discussion on fatherhood and the responsibilities involved with fathers’ role as the spiritual anchor in the home.
The Christian Genocide in Nigeria with Evans and Ben Nwankwo unpacks the brutal reality of Christian persecution in Nigeria, an ongoing genocide claiming roughly 30 lives every day.
In his article Make Dating For Marriage Great Again, John Stonestreet argues for the importance of dating for marriage in revitalizing the state of marriage and family in our country. Church Ambassador Network’s Hope and A Future initiative for local churches offers solutions for restoring the state of marriage and families in Ohio one community at a time.
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Rosaria Butterfield's keynote session at CCV's 2025 Essential Summit
Upcoming Events
Register now for one or more of Church Ambassador Network’s (CAN) 2025 Hope and A Future Tour stops! Pastors will hear about CAN’s mission to revitalize the state of marriage and families in Ohio and how state legislators are supporting this mission. We will ramp up to a couple stops each month in 2026. Let us know if you’d like your community to be on the list!
Rest and Renewal
This month, we are featuring a recommendation from one of our readers! Laity Lodge is located on the Frio River in the Texas Hill Country. All-inclusive retreats that are “designed to reawaken a sense of the sacred—the nearness and goodness of God in all of life”.
If you have other Rest and Renewal suggestions that we should share with the pastors in our network, let us know! We are building out a list of properties/retreats that we will soon begin sharing each month in The Times!
Pastor Testimony
“The Lord parachuted my family into Columbus, and from day one CCV and the Church Ambassador Network were among the first to come alongside us with genuine encouragement and support. Chris [Lightfoot] and Ruth [Edmonds] welcomed us with open arms and made this new city feel like home. Their partnership has strengthened our ministry, provided resources and networking opportunities, and given us confidence to flourish where God has planted us.”
– Pastor Tommy Youngquist, Leave a Mark Church
Closing Thoughts
Twenty-five years ago, Muslim terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Now, a Muslim socialist is the Mayor of NYC.
While I’m surprised at how short our memories seem to be, this is a reminder that we must keep our eyes on eternity. As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
Eyes on the prize.
Serving and Resourcing Pastors in Ohio
A number of churches have decided to support CCV and the Church Ambassador Network financially through their budget. To set up a recurring monthly donation to CCV, please visit CCV.org/Donate and make sure to click the check box at the end of the form, above the comments field, before submitting your gift.
We would be honored if you chose to invest a portion of God’s resources into our effort to serve and support churches in Ohio with resources to help them carry out the Great Commission in the spirit of The Greatest Commandments in our current cultural context.
