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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union Address:

"Last night the president detailed the many ways in which he has fundamentally transformed America.  When he took office, Barack Obama set out to accomplish this goal by tragically departing from the values that made America a great nation. But unfortunately, for the President, this isn't cause for concern -- but celebration.

"The evidence of this transformation is everywhere -- from terrorists attacks on our streets to the confusion in our classrooms; from the further fracturing of the family to the misuse of our military to the expanding racial divide. And unfortunately, we'll be spending the better part of a generation trying to repair the damage of the Obama administration. But, as those who watched last night's State of the Union know, there is light at the end of the lawless tunnel. We see it in the fresh face sitting in the Speaker's chair behind President Obama. We saw it in the audience, where women of conviction like Kim Davis and the Little Sisters of the Poor were seated -- symbols of courage in the president's war on religious liberty. And we see it in the speeches of the men and women vying to stand exactly where the president is next year.

"Today, we remember that for every outrageous ruling on marriage, there were brave county clerks. For each attack on faith and nature's law, there were cities like Houston. And for every atheist suing to take God out of schools, there were godly principals. At Monday night's State of the Family address at FRC, we paid tribute to them all -- and called on the Church to pray and act for a spiritual, moral, and cultural renewal in our nation. That clearly was not the president's message tonight, but it's the message our country needs to hear.

"President Obama's faith in Washington is far greater than his faith in the American people. He calls for national unity in the same breath that he lauds same-sex marriage - the single most divisive Supreme Court decision since Roe vs. Wade. And his condescending attitude discourages the kind of cooperation he claims to desire.

"Marriage, religious liberty, human sexuality, the church, race relations, and our core beliefs have all been frayed by the words and deeds of this administration. As Christians, if we don't have the freedom to live according to our faith -- whether it's in the home, whether it's in the workplace, or in school -- then we really can't be free.

"That's why, I believe, it's time for America's Christian leaders to come together and show our political leaders a way forward," concluded Perkins.