Have you heard of Harrison Butker? He’s a kicker for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. He recently gave the commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchinson, KS. Ever heard of it? I don’t think anyone had until Butker’s speech. It drew national media attention and the ire of liberals for its perceived take on faith and conservative values for the home and family. The cry was mostly from liberal humanists and feminists calling Butker a bunch of names to include misogynist. The liberal media was more than willing to lend a hand spinning their own web of talking points and distorted quotes to support their ‘journalistic’ views.
Before going on, I would like to provide a link of the actual speech so that you can read it yourself at your leisure.
https://www.today.com/news/harrison-butker-speech-transcript-full-rcna153074
Here are a few highlights:
Butker addressed the women graduates directly in an attempt to counter the "most diabolical lies" they have been told. More than professional achievements, he said they should be excited to take on the "vocation" of homemaker. He used his own wife, Isabelle, as an example and the fulfillment she has had being a home maker, wife, and mother.
He touched on birth control, COVID restrictions, "dangerous gender ideologies" and principles of his Catholic faith. He also took a swipe at the LBGT making a distinction between the God-centered pride and the ‘type of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.’
He called out abortion: "There is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive."
I started to say “As you can imagine, his speech has caused quite a stir.” But I think my point is that it’s well beyond what I would imagine. It was a total meltdown from liberal progressives. This was a devout catholic man giving a commencement speech at a small, obscure Catholic college. The audience, by the way, gave him a standing ovation. Did I mention that within several hours of his speech, he had the highest selling jersey in the NFL?
What has happened to free speech?
Aristotle said, “Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.”
By the way, just because you’re offended doesn’t make you right.
They want this viewpoint silenced. They want Mr. Butker’s head. They are no more tolerant that I am an astronaut. They slip off their masks of being the oppressed to reveal that they are the heavy-handed oppressors. The spirit of the age is hellbent on obliterating all moral standards and self-evident human thought from the past six thousand years.
Less I digress into a political diatribe, let me get to the point of making a reference to Mr. Butker and his speech as it relates to Treign Up.
Seemingly buried within the layers of his speech, he urged men to be men.
“To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree.”
“Be unapologetic in your masculinity.” That may be the rally cry we need. Remember 1 Kings 2; 2-3a, David’s final words to his son, Solomon:
“‘I am about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said. ‘So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. ”
This isn’t about political parties or ideologies. Here’s a quote from my friend Alan Robertson that I found on his Facebook page, addressing this issue.
“This is a matter of where we place authority. Do we fall in line with the latest fad of godless humanism, or do we look to the rooted wisdom of the ages and the Good Book containing the very words of God?”
It’s time.
It’s past time.