Christian Doctor’s Digest – April 2016
Public Policy comes to the forefront as we discuss ways to impact the world around us. Phil Lees brings the issues to the local level with an EXPLICIT discussion of Comprehensive Sexual Education being taught in our schools today. Richard Swenson, MD talks about the State of Medicine and examines how we can be a beacon of hope to our colleagues. Jonathan Imbody shares from his book Faith Steps about how you can get involved with public policy.
Freedom of Faith and Conscience and Sexuality
Meet Our Guests on This Episode
Phil Lees
Individual Interview Location within the program: 2:05
Phil Lees devoted most of his working career to public education as a teacher, school board education consultant, university instructor and Ontario Ministry of Education consultant. In the mid-1990s, as a result of a highly controversial, explicit sexual health curriculum viewed by his daughter in the fifth grade, Phil organized a community parent group that resulted in the school board adopting an abstinence-based curriculum. Within two years teen pregnancies in the city dropped by 22 percent. In 2009, he founded P.E.A.C.E. to actively inform parents about the changing curriculum within public education systems, as well as provide families with a set of communication tools to empower parents to advocate for the values they instill at home. After visiting and speaking in Hawaii in 2013, Phil established PEACE Hawaii, modeled after his experiences in Canada. For more information, visit www.peaceontario.com or www.peacehawaii.org. You can reach Phil at [email protected].
Jonathan Imbody
Individual Interview Location within the program: 33:55
Read full biography on the Authors & Contributors page.
Jonathan Imbody serves as Vice President for Government Relations and directs the Christian Medical Association’s Washington Office. As CMA’s liaison with the federal government, he makes more than 200 personal contacts with Congressional leaders and government officials each year. Jonathan authored Faith Steps, which encourages and equips Christians to engage in public policy issues. He has published more than 100 commentaries in The Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and other national publications. His writing focuses on issues including freedom of faith, conscience and speech; human trafficking; abortion; assisted suicide; stem cell research; the role of faith in health; international health; healthcare policy; sexual risk avoidance and HIV/AIDS. Jonathan received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and speech communications from the Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree from Penn State in counseling and education and a certificate in biblical and theological studies from the Alliance Theological Seminary in New York. For more information about Freedom2Care, visit www.freedom2care.org.
Freedom of Faith and Conscience and Sexuality