Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Melissa Reid
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000314A
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00:26 Welcome to the Liberty Insider.
00:27 This is a program bringing you discussion, 00:30 news, up-to-date information 00:31 and analysis of religious liberty events 00:34 mostly in the United States but around the whole world. 00:37 My name is Lincoln Steed, Editor of Liberty Magazine 00:40 and my guest on the program is Melissa Reid, 00:44 Associate Editor of Liberty Magazine. 00:46 So this is sort of an inside talk program. 00:50 And welcome, Melissa. Thank you. 00:53 It's a pleasure to be here. 00:56 Liberty Magazine is rather important for me 00:58 and I hope for you. 01:00 Absolutely. And a New Year is important. 01:03 As we're recording this, we're just beginning 2016 01:06 and for a lot of people the New Year means many things, 01:10 resolutions and so on. 01:12 But for Liberty, what does it mean? 01:14 The beginning of the year. Yeah. 01:15 Well, the beginning of the year 01:17 is always an exciting time for us 01:19 because it's a time where we are able to reach 01:23 church members with the message of religious freedom 01:26 and really sort of start off a campaign season 01:30 that we like to think of 01:32 really involving local churches in our message 01:35 doing some fund raising 01:37 so that we can share our magazine and our message 01:40 with thought leaders across the United States. 01:41 And how does this differ from the public television 01:44 appeals which... 01:46 Well-- 01:48 I love public television but I must admit 01:49 their appeals seem endless. 01:51 Right. 01:52 And I sometime wonder because they are getting funding 01:53 from many sources. 01:55 How does it differ with Liberty Magazine? 01:56 Well, that's probably a biggest one right there. 01:58 The clue of it-- 01:59 Yeah, the funding for many sources 02:01 is not true for Liberty. 02:03 The campaign is really our one shot 02:06 at fundraising for the year and it really determines, 02:10 you know, how effective we can be in the work that we do 02:13 because, you know, however much money means 02:16 however many magazines that we can send out. 02:19 And, you know, this program is connected 02:22 by my continuing presence, 02:24 and mentioned at Liberty Magazine 02:25 to what we're doing with the magazine. 02:28 So it's not just print, there this television, 02:31 there's radio program, there's the internet 02:34 but at the center of it is the magazine 02:36 and we only have the single source of funding. 02:40 The money that comes in during this time period 02:42 when we are promoting it 02:43 and as you mentioned church members 02:45 but this is a TV program that goes out to everybody. 02:47 Sure. 02:48 And I wish that we could spread the good news 02:52 that anybody can help 02:55 what we are doing with Liberty Magazine. 02:56 Right. Well, it's really easy. 02:59 Individuals seem to do is just visit our website 03:02 and they can participate in the campaign as well. 03:04 That's LibertyMagazine.org is where our website is located 03:09 and there is just, you know, a button there that says, 03:13 you know, donate or participate in various ways. 03:15 You can also see... 03:17 I think we will probably get to it a little bit later, 03:19 but you can also see the story that we are highlighting 03:22 in this year's campaign message. 03:25 We send a packet of promotional material 03:26 to all of our local churches and we usually feature 03:29 a particular story of religious discrimination. 03:33 And so you can if you are not attending a local church 03:37 or they have chosen not to participate for some reason, 03:40 then you can see that material 03:42 and hear that story online as well. 03:44 Well, we could send that to any church 03:48 or civic organization or any club 03:51 that wants to promote it. 03:52 Absolutely. Right. 03:54 And its, actually they can just download it from the website. 03:55 Right. 03:57 They're all at one or they have to get each bit separately, 03:59 don't they, from the website? 04:01 We don't have it as a packet. Correct. Not as a packet. Yes. 04:03 So they could do that or if that seems too complicated, 04:06 we would be happy to mail them the pack. 04:09 Yeah. 04:10 But they can get, you can get the address 04:12 from Liberty Magazine. 04:14 Liberty Magazine. 04:15 For a second I thought, we put magazine, 04:16 LibertyMagazine.org. 04:18 Right. Yes. 04:19 Just under the campaign resources tab 04:21 or the contact us and just give us a call 04:23 and we will walk you through the whole process. 04:25 Now we do this a lot but I would like you to outline 04:29 who do we send Liberty Magazine to? 04:31 Right. Well, I use the term-- 04:33 Who are the targets? Yeah. 04:34 I use the term thought leaders 04:35 and that's one that we usually use. 04:37 But what we mean by that is individuals 04:38 that are making decisions about our personal freedoms, 04:42 about our liberties on the federal government 04:45 and the state government, even in your local community. 04:47 A lot of times, you know, we always have people asking, 04:50 "Oh, you know, you're sending one to the president, 04:52 are you sending one to this member of Congress?" 04:54 Which we are, we have a list that we refer to as, 04:58 you know, our priority list and we keep that updated 05:01 so that as individuals go through, 05:04 you know, office positions or serve different terms 05:07 that, you know, we keep those positions active 05:09 and the subscriptions current. 05:11 But a lot of times, 05:12 when we look to our church members 05:14 and our local readers to really let us know 05:17 who in the community is sort of the decision makers, 05:21 who are the influential people? 05:22 You know, is it their city council member, 05:25 is it their, you know, somebody that sits on the school board 05:29 or things like that. 05:31 You all are able to identify those individuals much better 05:35 than we are and a lot of times, they are making decisions 05:37 that affect us more than, 05:40 you know, what's happening in Washington DC. 05:42 Absolutely, the local government, 05:43 for all, you know, the presidential election 05:46 is rising up in front of the whole nation 05:48 and that's important but day-to-day 05:50 its really local government that makes 05:51 more of a difference in someone's day-to-day life. 05:54 Absolutely. Absolutely. And those-- 05:55 We want those people to know these principles. 05:57 Absolutely. 05:58 And what I actually encourage a lot of people to do 06:00 is to sort of, you know, you can give us a call 06:03 and we can send you some magazines 06:04 and if you are sponsoring a subscription 06:06 for like your local, you know, city council member 06:10 or something like that, 06:11 actually take an issue into their office 06:14 and explain to them, we sponsored... 06:16 Our local church, the local Seventh-day Adventist Church 06:18 has sponsored this subscription for you 06:20 and so you are gonna be getting that for this next year. 06:22 Because lot of times the subscriptions 06:23 will just start and they are not sure, 06:25 of course, they are getting the information 06:27 but they are a bit curious about, 06:28 you know, how that came about 06:30 and so it's a way to really start a relationship. 06:32 Right. 06:33 Most people don't understand how relatively easy it is 06:35 to connect with their local or state 06:39 or even federal officials. 06:40 Absolutely. Even in Washington. 06:42 Once you get past the metal detectors 06:45 and all that stuff and though you can wander 06:46 the hallways of power 06:48 and go into a Congressman or Senator's office 06:51 and talk to their, to their assistants 06:54 and perhaps the Congressman 06:57 might even be in the foyer. 06:58 I see that happens a lot they are in the hallway. 07:00 Yeah. More times than you would expect. 07:02 You can stop them and say appreciate what you're doing, 07:04 give them the Liberty Magazine. 07:05 Sure. 07:07 It's another tool to make that contact as you are saying. 07:09 Right. Right. Absolutely. 07:11 And, you know, I know that you hear these stories 07:14 just like I do because a lot of times 07:16 people at the church level will sponsor a subscription. 07:19 Again, you can do that online if you are not attending 07:21 a local Seventh-day Adventist Church. 07:23 Just go to the website and say that you want to do 07:26 a gift subscription, but the... 07:31 A lot of times people are, you know, sort of wondering 07:33 well, do you ever hear back from the individuals 07:36 that we're sponsoring the subscriptions for? 07:38 Oh, yeah. I've gotten wonderful letters. 07:40 Wonderful letters. 07:41 Very appreciative, people are very appreciative. 07:43 They are always curious. 07:44 And then, you know, how they got on this list, 07:46 but then very appreciative... 07:48 We had lots of situations where individuals are retiring 07:51 from their position. 07:53 I think about the judges, we've had that happen 07:55 several times where they are saying, 07:57 "Can I get this at home now? 07:58 You know, I've been getting it for decades 08:00 while I'm sitting there and serving this in the position." 08:02 Every few months I get a letter like that. 08:03 Yeah. 08:05 And I think you've even had situations 08:07 or people have talked about specific issues 08:09 they have been dealing with in their work 08:11 and Liberty has sort of been a real guide force for them. 08:15 You know, I was told by one of the legislators 08:17 in New England which... 08:21 Trying to remember the state, but anyhow, 08:23 it's a New England state and they said... 08:26 And I don't want to give too many particulars 08:27 because it's very complicated. 08:29 But they said that it was because of reading Liberty 08:31 that they took this position on it 08:34 and they said it was Liberty Magazine 08:35 that was really the guiding light. 08:38 Yeah. Yeah. 08:39 But even if they don't follow liberty, 08:41 that's their choice to make. 08:42 We want them to be informed on the principles 08:45 that historically and biblically 08:48 underscore religious freedom 08:50 and then they can go from there. 08:52 We can't force or direct anyone. 08:55 Liberty is not, you know, one track thing, 08:57 its information reform. 08:58 It's a resource. Yes. 09:00 Absolutely. 09:01 Now I agree but just over the years 09:03 and working together and working with Liberty 09:05 for over a decade now, 09:07 I just really have been impressed the way 09:10 that God will inspire 09:13 or sort of put it in the right place at the right time. 09:16 A lot of times, you know, we will see it in offices 09:19 when we are going to, you know, to meet with someone 09:22 on a particular issue 09:23 and it will have already been there 09:25 before we got there and I think that's really neat. 09:29 You keep saying something... 09:33 We talk about the Seventh-day Adventist Church 09:35 but I really want to make it wider. 09:38 How can we open this wonderful religious Liberty material, 09:44 Liberty Magazine, a resource, 09:45 how can we involve other churches? 09:48 Right. Well, the first-- 09:49 Not only churches but, you know, 09:50 churches are a prime avenue for religious freedom. 09:53 Sure. Sure. 09:54 Well, the first way is to go to our website because... 09:59 Or you can give us a call. 10:00 Go to our website get our contact information. 10:02 You can give us a call and we would love to send you 10:04 a complimentary issue. 10:05 Again the website is www.LibertyMagazine.org. 10:11 But not only do we have the magazine available, 10:14 you know, in a print edition 10:16 but we actually publish 10:18 the entirety of our magazine for free online. 10:22 And so, you know, if you are curious about 10:25 a particular topic you could 10:26 or, you know, just want to sort of check us out 10:29 then go to our website and read the current issue. 10:31 But not only do we have the current issue there 10:34 we have archives, we have probably... 10:36 We have over a decade of back issues available there online. 10:39 I think it's probably 30 years now. 10:42 It's incredible. It's incredible. 10:44 So we have it back to the beginning 10:45 of electronic top setting, that's what it boils down to. 10:48 And its just incredible resource. 10:50 Again, we have this show available on our website 10:54 the Liberty Insider. 10:55 You can go and watch if you've missed a particular episode. 10:57 You can go and watch it-- 10:59 I missed few of the most-- I was present but not-- 11:04 but yeah, I never had watched one, that's the irony of this. 11:08 Yeah. 11:09 Again, another way is, 11:11 you know, if you are listening at home 11:13 and you would love to have us come and speak 11:14 at a local community event... 11:16 That's what I was hoping you would say. 11:17 Well, again on our website 11:20 you can email us and we will happily arrange 11:23 somebody to come and present. 11:24 Right. Right. 11:26 Not just on Liberty Magazine, 11:27 but on religious liberty in general. 11:29 Right. Right. Right. 11:30 And these are issues that concern all people of faith 11:33 and beyond that all people 11:35 particularly in the United States that 11:36 have constitutional interest 11:38 and understand the value 11:40 from a constitutional point of view 11:41 over religious liberty. 11:43 Absolutely. We'll talk to them. 11:44 I think not only from a constitutional point of view, 11:46 but from a Christian perspective as well, you know. 11:48 That was my first point. 11:49 Even many people that may not buy directly religious point... 11:55 As Hillary Clinton once said 11:56 "You can pretty much tell 11:58 civil liberties by the constitutional... 12:01 By the state of religious liberty. 12:03 It reflects in a larger freedom issue." 12:06 Now, one thing I really love about the publication 12:08 is that while it's sponsored by a particular faith group, 12:12 we really stand, you can see 12:15 just by looking at the magazine, 12:16 the type of issues that we are covering, 12:18 the authors that we use, the cases that we highlight. 12:22 We're really standing for individual freedom 12:24 for all people. 12:25 Yeah, it's not tunnel vision on Seventh-day Adventism 12:27 by any stretch. 12:28 We'll take a break and be back shortly. 12:29 So stay with us. |
Revised 2016-04-04