WallBuilders

Fortifying the foundations

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the Pro-Family Legislative Network (https://wallbuilders.com/pfln/) conference known as WallBuilders in Irving, Texas. It was my second time. WallBuilders was a fantastic weekend of hearing David and Tim Barton, Seth Gruber, Glenn Beck and other speakers remind us of what it means to be a constitutional republic founded upon Judeo-Christian principles as envisioned by our founding fathers.

The event was attended by conservative, Christian legislators from 35 different states, 8 of whom were from Idaho. Aside from hearing inspiring speakers, each day included worship as well as attending breakout sessions where we could ask questions of other legislators that have passed meaningful legislation in their states, the looming impact of artificial intelligence (AI), issues in education and civics, and the future of our currency. It is truly a privilege to be able to set aside this time to drink in new ideas and speak with legislators from all over the country about the struggles they are having.

I was also able to meet and speak with Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired by the Bremerton School District in Washington. He sued the school district and won his case in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1971, the US Supreme Court handed down the Lemon law or Lemon test (Lemon v. Kurtzman) which said that faith cannot be evident or practiced wherever the state pays for an event or venue. But in Kennedy v Bremerton School District said that when certain practices have historical precedent, as religious practice does, then his actions were allowed. The Kennedy ruling basically neutered the Lemon test!

Meeting Coach Kennedy was especially meaningful. For me, he embodies what America is all about. The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are “We the People”. This is a declaration that the people, not a king, czar, or religious magistrate, are the sovereigns of this country. We the People put government in place to safeguard our God given liberties! That’s its function. Coach Kennedy prayed with his players and when they penalized him for it, he called them tyrants and took them to court, and his actions gave the Supreme Court an opportunity to remind all of us who we are – a republic founded on Judeo-Christian principles governed by We the People!

WallBuilders is a reference to Nehemiah, who began the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after it had been sacked and lay empty for over 70 years in roughly 500 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:17). The WallBuiders conference is a reminder that We the People need to rebuild the walls that have fortified and made America exceptional – a vision of a free people, created in the image of God, having certain inalienable rights endowed by their Creator, that instituted a republic to safeguard those rights according to Judeo-Christian principles.

If God grants me favor, I would love to return to WallBuilders again to hear the vision of how this great country is and what makes it so great. God bless America! America bless God! Amen and Amen!