You may have just heard Alan Sears on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast. As he explained on the program, religious freedom in America is under attack by advocates of the homosexual agenda. The goal of these radical activists is to silence and punish Christians so that they can force their agenda on our families, schools, churches, and even our military.

An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney filed an appeal Tuesday on behalf of a South Dakota church challenging a decision issued by the Pennington County Board of Commissioners. The board voted last month to refuse to lift more than $17,000 in property taxes on land owned by the church even though the law exempts the church from such taxes.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have agreed to represent a South Dakota church reported to the Internal Revenue Service by Americans United for Separation of Church and State because the church’s pastor engaged in free speech from the pulpit.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund are urging President Obama to appeal a federal judge's decision in Wisconsin that struck down a federal statute that sets a day for the National Day of Prayer. The order does not affect presidential prayer proclamations and will not go into effect unless the decision still stands after all appeals are exhausted in the case.

We are honored to inform you that on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears will be the special guest of Dr. James Dobson on two of his final radio broadcasts with Focus on the Family, the global ministry he founded more than three decades ago to strengthen and defend the institution of the traditional family.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a friend-of-the-court brief Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit asking the court to reject Planned Parenthood’s attempt to block portions of South Dakota’s informed consent law.

In September Christian leaders from across the country quietly gathered in New York to discuss the obligations and responsibilities of Christian citizens in our nation. Conversation continued and the result, announced November 20 in Washington, D.C., is a joint statement signed by 148 clergy, scholars, and ministry leaders, the “Manhattan Declaration.”

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have obtained a settlement from officials with the Rapid City Area School District in a lawsuit involving a pro-life group’s request to use a school auditorium for an after-school meeting. In 2008, ADF filed suit against the school district after it denied Citizens for Life access to school facilities even though it allowed other groups to meet.

The new “hate crimes” bill expected to be signed into law by President Obama Wednesday is another nail in the coffin for the First Amendment, according to attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund.