TX-Based “Christians Engaged” Merging With DC's “Family Policy Alliance”
A new contender in our state's turf war has appeared.
Conglomerates are increasingly part of Texas politics, and understandably so. Using large umbrella organizations that contain smaller front groups allows access to windfalls of mega-donor cash, all while still calling your group a “ground-up grassroots group” (which looks believable to the average voter.)
Creating a political entity capable of raising money is easy in Texas. A popular method is to create a bunch of different political groups which raise money, and then groups transfer the money amongst themselves. There can be many reasons for this, and it’s perfectly legal to do. This one easy step makes following the money in Texas politics more difficult, and it seems everyone, regardless of party or faction, utilizes this strategy.
Apparently, a Texas group for Christians has caught wind of this trend.
The Texas-based political activist network Christians Engaged (CE) held a two-day conference in Carrollton, Texas. Notable developments included:
Congressman Nathaniel Moran speaking.
Speakers going over the organization’s expansion over the past years.
Announcements for Biblical Justice and Biblical Economics classes.
Ex- Presidential Candidate and Pastor Ryan Binkley placed on the group’s National Advisory Board.
CE starting a youth division lead by a Oklahoma Senator Lankford staffer called 1630.
If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll know we’ve tracked CE since late 2022, even predicting their growth and offering constructive criticism.
However, the event’s most notable happening was heralded by the group’s leader, Bunni Pounds, a former staffer to Congressman Mike Cloud, who announced her group’s merger with Family Policy Alliance (FPA), a DC-based political consortium. According to further digging, the merger occurred in July.
Even CE’s new youth arm proudly proclaims that their parent organization is owned by FPA.
We researched the aforementioned conglomerate, and it claims to be a Christian, socially conservative foundation that seeks to help decide policy.
FPA and FPAF are multi-issue in focus and unique as the only national pro-family organization to host an alliance of 40 state organizations, which have more than 320 employees, $40 million in annual revenue, over 40,000 church partners, and millions of Christian advocates.
FPA’s state and federal election work has impacted election outcomes for years…
If true, CE just merged with a future powerhouse capable of impacting America in the coming years.
Former Michigan State House Speaker Craig DeRoche is the President and CEO of FPA, and he spoke on the first day of CE’s conference. While opining on policy and giving his background, he spoke on when he was invited to a the Left-leaning Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s meeting due to supporting felon voting.
Although well-intentioned, he might want to flesh out this position a LITTLE extra; do you want pedophiles deciding child abuse law? Completely giving felons voting rights would exacerbate this insanity on a massive scale.
Moving on, a point some overlook is FPA’s other connection: Texas Values. Texas Values is an Austin-based think tank claiming to promote socially conservative public policy. The institution is close to FPA, with a CE conference speaker calling it the “Family Council of the Family Policy Alliance.” In fact, they’re listed prominently in FPA’s “Allies” section.
Texas Values is well-liked among a hefty chunk of Rightists across the state and helped with decent legislation in the past. That said, they were unfortunately among the earliest to endorse Democrat donor and the first Trans-district candidate, Brent Hagenbuch.
On the upside for CE however, Texas Values is a powerful force, and gaining closer association with them will likely increase CE’s standing in Texas politics.
Getting back to the organization’s head, Bunni Pounds seemed to be especially supportive of former Vice President Mike Pence who eventually betrayed President Donald Trump.
Circling back to the overall point, this new alliance is potentially the next great organization to shift Texas politics; what remains to be observed is results. Will Texas be the “Lone Star illuminating the other forty-nine” during the aftermath, or will this be yet another grift giving GOP voters false hope?
While many are disturbed about the Texas landscape openly shifting toward front groups, our state has arguably always been ran by interest groups of some stripe throughout its history, at least behind the scenes. As a song goes “how long has this been going on?”
The persistent sway of deceptive Christian movements exposes a concerning pattern in which vulnerable individuals are exploited to uphold agendas that value profit over authentic faith. Although these groups may seem to possess influence, their control predominantly targets those without access to reliable information; it is disheartening to witness followers and grassroots organizations such as Texas Values rally behind contentious figures like Corey DeAngelis for perceived personal benefits. The aggressive tactics of organizations such as Texas Values in challenging State Board members who stray from their agendas reveal the lengths to which they will go to secure power. However, as these extremist factions grow increasingly marginalized in the broader societal landscape, their survival is heavily reliant on ongoing financial backing from benefactors, a.k.a. oligarchs, who dictate their political narratives. Ultimately, the grassroots movements capable of countering their dominance are suppressed by this financial reliance, hinting at a potential erosion of their significance and authority. Furthermore, I believe that it is crucial to recognize that these religious affiliations do not foster a united Christian community; rather, religion is too often leveraged to subjugate those who fail to grasp the wider implications of such dynamics.
New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and 7MM cult members pose as Christ-followers and use dominionist tactics to control the 7 spheres of influence (7 mountains) in Texas and beyond…especially in education. It’s everywhere. Thank you for writing this. Anyone who opposes them is accused of being a Democrat or accused of not being a believer.