The record group contains materials from The Michigan Freedom Council (MFC -1985-1987), the Michigan Committee for Freedom (MCFF -- 1986-1992), the MCFF offshoot organization Celebrate Life (1989-1992), and the Council for Traditional Values (1991-present), conservative Christian political activist groups working in Michigan. The records contains a variety of documentary materials such as office files, correspondence, budgets, reports, fundraising information, draft materials, and news clippings to give a well-rounded view of the conservative Christian political scene in Michigan.
The Freedom Council (FC -1985-1987) was an organization of devoted Christians actively working "to defend, restore and preserve religious freedom in the US." Pat Robertson, a pro-family conservative Christian, owner of the Christian Broadcasting Network and host of the 700 Club television program, founded the national organization of the Freedom Council. Local Freedom Council chapters worked to get Christians nominated and elected to state and local office, and to lobby legislators on issues of key interest. The FC also strove to fill precinct delegate positions, which would have a primary role in selecting candidates for the state legislature and for state Republican Party leadership positions. The FC was tied closely to Robertson's candidacy for president. When that faltered, the Freedom Council also folded although its overall mission to support Christian candidates and issues was continued through the Michigan Committee For Freedom (MFCC) which had many of the same membership as The Freedom Council.
The Michigan Committee For Freedom (MFCC) was founded in 1986 by David Walters, who had previously worked for the FC. The MFCC was founded to continue the values of the Freedom Council, supporting Christian candidates in state politics, particularly supplying valuable information to precinct delegate candidates on how to win elections in their areas. After the August 1986 election, over 40% of the elected Republican precinct delegates considered themselves part of the MCFF. Prospective presidential candidate Pat Robertson mirrored the values of the MCFF and had the support of many of the candidates. The MCFF and Pat Robertson's potential campaign organization were often viewed interchangeably as the two organizations had many of the same goals and supporters. In February 1987, Robertson won the Michigan Republican Presidential nomination due to the work of the MCFF delegates. Soon after the election, Americans for Robertson (1987-1988) was formed on a national level to assist Robertson with his campaign. After Robertson failed to win the national nomination, the MCFF continued their work to elect moral Christians to public office.
In 1990, the MCFF created an offshoot organization called Celebrate Life. Celebrate Life was an organization created from within the MCFF with the help of longtime staff member Maxine Elwell, dedicated to the right to life movement and the limitation or reversal of abortion legislation. The Celebrate Life had a project in three phases; the first created and printed a newspaper insert that appeared in newspapers all over Michigan. The second and third phases of the Celebrate Life project continued to seek support for the advancement of pro-life issues and advocate for support of adoption and the repeal of abortion legislation.
Since 1991, Citizens for Traditional Values (http://www.geocities.com/ctvweb/) has taken over the political activity of the MCFF. The Citizens for Traditional Values continues to promote conservative Christian political candidates for all levels of government, produces voter's guides, and lobbies for moral issues in the legislature.
