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Concerned Women for America

Key Leaders

Concerned Women for America was founded by Beverly LaHaye in 1979, and she remains the board’s chairperson more than 25 years later. LaHaye, a longtime conservative figurehead, has written numerous books on women and their "traditional" roles as wife and mother. Titles include The Desires of a Woman's Heart and A Woman By God's Design. She also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, Beverly LaHaye Live.

LaHaye’s work extends far beyond her non-profit organization and her solo book-writing notoriety. Rounding out the LaHaye family business empire is her husband, Tim. Mr. LaHaye is co-founder of Jerry Falwell’s The Moral Majority Coalition and is co-author of the infamous, best-selling Left Behind book series, as well as numerous books on biblical prophecy and counseling.

Along with his wife, the LaHayes have long been players in the “rise and fall” of the "religious right". Meanwhile, the LaHayes have made a fortune promoting their conservative Christian beliefs and values regarding men & women, marriage, and sexuality through their joint publications, well-attended seminars, media appearances, and other business dealings.

Using their financial influence, the LaHayes are strong supporters of other religious-right groups and leaders. For instance, the LaHaye’s gave Falwell’s Liberty University $4.5 million dollars, resulting in a student center bearing their names and the new Tim LaHaye School of Prophecy. Mr. LaHaye was also the chairman of the very controversial and very wealthy Sun Myung Moon’s Christian Voice organization and the now-defunct Coalition for Religious Freedom. The Coalition for Religious Freedom was formed primarily to protest Moon's 1984 imprisonment following his conviction for filing false tax returns and obstructing justice.

Organizational Background and Activities

“The mission of CWA is to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens - first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society - thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation.”

Among CWA’s core issues are the "traditional" definition of family, “sanctity of life,” national sovereignty, opposition to homosexuality and, just in case they miss an opportunity to share their opinions, their website includes an all-encompassing, self-described section for “miscellaneous.” Like many of their peer groups, support for the "sanctity of life" does not include condemnation of the death penalty, which they even argue in support of here. They do make an ambiguous qualification at the beginning—"Set aside your position on capital punishment for now"—just before they proceed to suggest you should support it.

Their website contains links for what CWA defines as affiliates. These so-called “partners” are for-profit businesses—offering cell phone services, internet security, and a soy protein product called “Revival”—which share profits with CWA and reap the tax benefits.

During the past few years, the organization focused efforts on lobbying the FCC regarding “indecency standards” following the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. They also successfully lobbied the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withhold allowing over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception (inaccurately called the “morning-after pill,” since it can be used up to several days following unprotected intercourse).

Another point of interest is CWA’s very visible opposition against the Harry Potter books, claiming the books promote witchcraft among children. To support their claims, the LaHayes have had a hand in producing books and videos such as, “Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged: Making Evil Look Innocent.”.

CWA is a member organization of the Coalition to Protect Marriage, formed in 2004 to support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages. Coalition members include American Values, Eagle Forum, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest religious organization.

CWA also monitors state legislation, organizes Prayer/Action chapters, and coordinates the “Project 535” grassroots congressional lobbying program. Through this effort, they have volunteer leaders on Capitol Hill meeting with members of Congress on a regular basis. (“Project 535” refers to the total number of Congress members in both the House and Senate.)


Address

Concerned Women for America
1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 488-7000
Fax: (202) 488-0806


Funding and Budget

Fiscal Year 2004

Income: $8,484,108

Expenses: $8,082,298

Net Gain: $401,810

Assets: $1,376,968

View their IRS Form 990 at GuideStar.org (login required)


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