Point of View November 27, 2024 – Hour 2 : Danbury Institute

[00:00:05] Live, this is Point of View, Kirby Anderson.

[00:00:45] We'll be talking to our good friend Jeff Shreve.

[00:00:47] And he was on with Jeff Shreve.

[00:00:48] My wife says, you have got to get Scott on this program.

[00:00:51] And I said, well, I don't even know much about him.

[00:00:53] And when he goes to our church, and that was another joke, because we both go to Prestonwood Baptist Church.

[00:00:58] By the way, as a program note, on Monday, Jack Graham will be sitting in that chair there,

[00:01:04] because we'll be talking about his Jesus book, also about his podcast and a number of other things.

[00:01:09] But nevertheless, Dr. Scott Coulter is the co-founder of the Danbury Institute.

[00:01:14] We have danburyinstitute.org on our website.

[00:01:18] He is chairman and chief executive officer, also served as the founding partner of Coulter & Company,

[00:01:24] has also held a number of positions, first on the faculty at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee,

[00:01:31] and then first as a director of advancement, later chief of staff at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

[00:01:37] And Scott, I really appreciate you coming in studio today.

[00:01:40] So grateful to be here, absolutely.

[00:01:41] And I was just talking with your producer outside.

[00:01:44] Learned 52 years on the radio here.

[00:01:45] What a remarkable accomplishment.

[00:01:47] So honored to be part of Point of View today.

[00:01:48] This is tremendous.

[00:01:49] Well, and again, I would love to get you more involved with some of the things that are happening here,

[00:01:52] because you bring a lot to the table in terms of some of these issues.

[00:01:55] But first of all, let's talk about the Danbury Institute, because when I first heard about it, I said,

[00:02:01] how is it I did not know about this?

[00:02:03] But as I've come to learn, you are kind of doing some research behind the scenes and finally decided,

[00:02:09] okay, do we need an institute like that?

[00:02:11] Are we reinventing the wheel?

[00:02:14] And really, in terms of your dedication to life and liberty and family, there is a complete overlap.

[00:02:21] It's one of those Venn diagrams.

[00:02:22] I don't want to sound like Kamala Harris, but you know, like one of those Venn diagrams

[00:02:25] where the overlap between what you do and what we do at Point of View is very significant.

[00:02:29] But tell us some of the history.

[00:02:30] Absolutely.

[00:02:31] Well, Danbury Institute is very new, but also very old at the same time.

[00:02:35] And the legacy we've picked up on is one of the earliest legacies in our country going all the way back to 1790

[00:02:40] when a group of Christians came together and decided we want to form an association of churches

[00:02:45] to speak out about our beliefs, about our worldview, about the things that we hold dear from the scripture

[00:02:50] and to advocate about those things.

[00:02:52] And so we care deeply about our country.

[00:02:55] And I'm convinced, as many of your listeners are, that our country has been headed the wrong direction for many, many years, decades even perhaps.

[00:03:01] And we're based around the core fundamental principle that churches can change the direction of a country.

[00:03:06] We've seen that historically.

[00:03:08] We've seen that in the early founding of our country.

[00:03:09] We've seen that in other countries around the world.

[00:03:11] And so we want to call the church together today to rise up and to stand on the front lines for our biblical values

[00:03:16] and to turn America back towards our Lord in some strategic ways.

[00:03:19] So that's the heart of the Danbury Institute in a nutshell there.

[00:03:22] And I might mention we do have a link to DanburyInstitute.org.

[00:03:25] There's mission history articles, contact all this.

[00:03:28] And if you'd like to have Dr. Scott Coulter come and speak in that regard, or you'd like to see how that organization could connect up to your church, you could.

[00:03:36] And having lived in Connecticut for two years when I went to graduate school, I knew where Danbury, Connecticut is.

[00:03:42] Okay.

[00:03:42] But also being a student of history, and that goes back to our Patriot Pastors one as well, that little booklet I was showing you.

[00:03:48] Yes.

[00:03:49] In 1802, the Danbury Baptist Association wrote to Thomas Jefferson wondering about this whole idea of church and state.

[00:03:57] I unfortunately have to say the ACLU has reinterpreted that in ways that not were intended by Thomas Jefferson.

[00:04:04] But the reason you picked Danbury is because that was a whole question as well, wasn't it?

[00:04:08] Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:04:09] The Danbury Baptist actually began before that famous letter all the way back in 1790.

[00:04:13] You know, all of these Christians had come to the United States seeking religious freedom.

[00:04:17] They wanted to get away from a state church.

[00:04:19] They wanted to get away from a government that told their church how they must worship, what they could do,

[00:04:24] and gave them permission or licenses to exist and to do different things.

[00:04:27] They wanted religious freedom, and they came to America.

[00:04:30] But as you know, when you leave Egypt, a lot of Egypt stays in you.

[00:04:33] And so we were going back to those same ways in our early state charters and the early colonies

[00:04:38] and setting up state churches once again in this new land of freedom.

[00:04:42] And so Virginia Baptists were already facing some early persecution in Baptists in Massachusetts without getting licenses to worship

[00:04:50] and without being allowed with the state government at the time to practice their Baptist religion.

[00:04:55] So it was these early Baptists that said, no, no, in America we want religious freedom.

[00:05:00] We want religious liberty.

[00:05:01] And so this group of churches came together really in Connecticut and some churches from New York to petition the state legislature, 1790,

[00:05:08] to in Connecticut have religious freedom, have no state church.

[00:05:12] Any church can come up.

[00:05:13] We work under God.

[00:05:14] Our religion is between God and man.

[00:05:16] The state has no place in that in determining whether or not we can exist.

[00:05:19] And so that was their advocacy.

[00:05:21] They did that year after year.

[00:05:22] This group of churches came together, and they sent a deacon of all people.

[00:05:25] Can you believe the pastors allowed a deacon to go and to represent them at the state legislature asking for their religious freedom?

[00:05:32] Year after year they did that.

[00:05:34] All the way up to 1802, newly elected President Thomas Jefferson, this group of churches, writes to him at the end of 1801, says,

[00:05:40] Mr. President, will you guarantee religious liberty going forward insofar as you're able to?

[00:05:46] And so that was the beginning of that relationship there, absolutely.

[00:05:49] So again, that's why it's called the Danbury Institute.

[00:05:51] Just for another minute, I might just point out why this is important because, again, being a Southern Baptist,

[00:05:58] you're well aware of the fact there are a lot of institutions in Nashville, Tennessee.

[00:06:02] And you would think that one of the institutions, the whole Ehrlich, which is called British Liberty

[00:06:09] and all the other issues that are addressed in that regard, would have spent some time talking with members of Congress.

[00:06:16] And I've heard you tell the story the other day of one senator, Marsha Blackburn, who, when you went to say,

[00:06:22] well, we'd like to kind of address some of these issues from a Christian point of view, they're going good,

[00:06:25] because it seems like nobody's shown up to actually do that.

[00:06:28] So there's a sense in which we're maybe not actually letting our light shine.

[00:06:35] There's a sense in which we're talking to ourselves sometimes in our little silos as Christians,

[00:06:40] and we're not taking some of these biblical principles into the public arena.

[00:06:44] And that's what you want to do.

[00:06:45] I've really been confounded by what we've uncovered.

[00:06:47] For so many years, I sat back and just assumed all of these things were being taken care of,

[00:06:51] that we had advocacy arms and lobbying arms and groups representing us very, very well

[00:06:56] in our nation's capital and in states all across this country,

[00:06:58] and that there wasn't an opportunity to do more or a need to do more.

[00:07:02] And so it's easy for Christians to sit back and go, this is getting taken care of beyond the church.

[00:07:07] And in all of these ways, we just trust others to do that.

[00:07:09] So many times in our life when we trust others to do things for us, it ends up not happening like it should there.

[00:07:14] And so this has been a progression in our life.

[00:07:17] I originally felt called to pastor a church and to be a preacher.

[00:07:20] I'm formally trained in that through seminary.

[00:07:22] I've worked in several churches along the way.

[00:07:23] And so this wasn't the original outcome for our life trajectory, if you will, there.

[00:07:28] But in realizing what was happening in our nation's capital, the Lord has really given us a burden that this is a mission field,

[00:07:34] that our churches do a great job in our local communities dealing with our local people.

[00:07:38] We do a great job internationally working on the foreign mission field.

[00:07:42] But we've forgotten for many years about our country and the spiritual condition of our country.

[00:07:46] We need to see God return to our public policies, to our processes in this country and biblical values instated once again.

[00:07:52] So we've got a great mission field in our nation's capital on behalf of the Lord and are working together in those ways.

[00:07:57] It kind of illustrates one of the principles of leadership I talk about.

[00:08:00] It's not what you expect, it's what you inspect.

[00:08:02] And you expected that something was happening and you inspected it and found out it was not.

[00:08:07] That's right.

[00:08:07] So again, if you'd like to know a little bit more, of course, they have a whole series of articles as well about some of these very key issues.

[00:08:15] And how could you begin to understand the issue like abortion, same-sex marriage, even the relationship of church and state, the issue of transgenderism,

[00:08:24] if you didn't have a biblical compass, if you didn't have a biblical perspective.

[00:08:28] So this is one of the reasons why we wanted you to know about the Danbury Institute.

[00:08:33] And of course, you know that one of the things we make available so often here at Point of View is we have our action items.

[00:08:40] And that's where we encourage you to contact members of Congress.

[00:08:43] So again, a lot of similarities.

[00:08:45] We're going to come back though and talk about what to expect in the Trump administration.

[00:08:49] That coming up right after this.

[00:08:58] This is Viewpoints with Kirby Anderson.

[00:09:02] Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I suspect that you are doing lots of things to get ready for this special day.

[00:09:06] Let me suggest you add one more item to your to-do list.

[00:09:10] Visit our website and download a copy of my Thanksgiving quiz.

[00:09:13] Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather as a family, but I also believe that it can be a great time to teach our children and grandchildren about America's godly heritage.

[00:09:22] I created this short quiz to be a conversation starter around the Thanksgiving table.

[00:09:28] You know, we used to go around the table before the meal and ask our children to tell us what they were thankful for.

[00:09:33] After a few years of hearing about how they were thankful for their cat, their doll, their video games, I knew we needed to do something else.

[00:09:40] The Thanksgiving quiz was born out of that frustration.

[00:09:43] It has 19 questions and answers on the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact as well as some questions and answers about the Christian heritage of America.

[00:09:50] Who were the pilgrims and why did they leave Europe for America?

[00:09:54] Why did they celebrate Thanksgiving?

[00:09:56] What is the Mayflower Compact and why is it significant?

[00:09:59] What lessons did the pilgrims learn about work and even free enterprise?

[00:10:02] How did the Christian faith influence America?

[00:10:05] These are just a few of the sort of questions that you can ask around the table and give short answers.

[00:10:09] Perhaps it is time to recapture the importance of Thanksgiving.

[00:10:13] On the bicentennial celebration of the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, Daniel Webster declared the following.

[00:10:19] Let us not forget the religious character of our origin.

[00:10:22] Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion.

[00:10:26] They journeyed by its light and labored in its hope and they sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society and diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political or literary.

[00:10:37] It is my hope that this quiz will help your family see the importance of Thanksgiving.

[00:10:41] I am Kirby Anderson and that is my Point of View.

[00:10:47] Go deeper on topics like you just heard by visiting pointofview.net.

[00:10:53] That is pointofview.net.

[00:10:57] You are listening to Point of View, your listener supported source for truth.

[00:11:03] Back once again we have in the studio with us today Dr. Scott Coulter.

[00:11:06] Let me just mention, we will open up the phones.

[00:11:08] I recognize the day before Thanksgiving we may not get any calls, but if we say something that you would like to join the conversation with, that's 1-800-351-1212.

[00:11:18] I thought we'd talk a little bit about some of the individuals that have been put forward in the cabinet for Donald Trump's administration.

[00:11:26] And if you weren't with us in the first hour we did talk about the fact that a number of individuals, and that would be John Ratcliffe, the nominee for CIA,

[00:11:34] Pete Higseth who came and spoke at our Point of View banquet recently, nominee for Secretary of Defense,

[00:11:39] Alain Stefanik, a nominee for UN ambassador.

[00:11:42] Brooke Rollins tapped as Secretary of Agriculture, Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator, and others have actually been facing some threats, bomb threats,

[00:11:52] all the way down to swifting and all sorts of other things that might be taking place, swatting.

[00:11:58] So, nevertheless, we will certainly be encouraging you to pray for those individuals.

[00:12:03] And I think maybe there's a need to actually have the current president, Joe Biden, to say maybe we should provide protection

[00:12:11] because obviously there's protection for Secret Service provided for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

[00:12:16] If indeed he is confirmed, Pete Higseth will have the Defense Department protect him, CIA director.

[00:12:22] We've seen that as others.

[00:12:23] But what about some of these others?

[00:12:25] UN ambassador, I don't know that there's any protection for them.

[00:12:28] So that is something to think about.

[00:12:31] Anyway, Scott, let me start with some easy ones.

[00:12:34] Don't really expect, but I think it illustrates again back to the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist.

[00:12:40] Sometimes you have people that are ministers to go into public service.

[00:12:45] One of those is Mike Huckabee.

[00:12:47] Here's an individual that was a pastor, used to listen to Point of View when he was at Southwestern Baptist Seminary,

[00:12:53] then becomes a pastor, then lieutenant governor, then governor, ran for president.

[00:12:58] And now the first non-Jewish ambassador to Israel.

[00:13:03] What's your thoughts?

[00:13:03] Absolutely. So excited about that.

[00:13:05] And really taking a step back and just looking at all this, I've made the point several times that with Donald Trump,

[00:13:10] you weren't just voting for a president.

[00:13:11] You were voting for all of the appointments that he will make down the line.

[00:13:15] And so you're looking at an entire worldview of the kind of people he's putting into these positions.

[00:13:19] The president fills 3000 plus positions in the White House and in the associated offices there.

[00:13:23] And so this is an entire way of thinking about the world, a belief system, a way of approaching our governments and our politics.

[00:13:29] So a lot of people love Donald Trump.

[00:13:30] A lot of people have some concerns about him.

[00:13:32] But you're not just voting for a president.

[00:13:33] You're voting for all of these people in an election.

[00:13:35] They are now being appointed.

[00:13:37] Mike Huckabee is a case in point.

[00:13:38] Absolutely.

[00:13:38] One of our dear friends, a dear Southern Baptist friend.

[00:13:40] And he has been faithful in every single way.

[00:13:43] He served local church.

[00:13:44] He served the government.

[00:13:45] He served his state.

[00:13:46] He served our country.

[00:13:47] He believes all that we believe about the Lord, about the scripture and really about Israel.

[00:13:51] And that's a key thing in the world right now.

[00:13:53] What happens in Israel in the Middle East has global consequences for America, but really for so many nations.

[00:13:58] So to have someone that we trust that believes these things, that sees them the correct way there,

[00:14:02] has been to Israel numerous times, dozens of times, really has his hand on the pulse of what's happening there.

[00:14:07] But from a Christian perspective and from a conservative perspective, I'm tremendously excited about Governor Huckabee in that role.

[00:14:13] Absolutely.

[00:14:14] And again, one of the booklets I have there is on Israel because I found that a lot of young people don't know the history.

[00:14:18] They say, well, they're just colonizers, which also relates, of course, to the booklet on anti-Semitism.

[00:14:23] There's just a real need to educate people.

[00:14:25] And I can't think of a better person to really use his skill to address those issues.

[00:14:31] And in the previous administration, you had some very significant changes.

[00:14:36] The Abraham Accords, certainly there.

[00:14:39] And then we've also had some other individuals on the program talking about the recognition of the Golan Heights.

[00:14:47] That's certainly Mike Pompeo was part of that and Donald Trump.

[00:14:50] So it does seem to me that it is possible that a Mike Huckabee, and in just a minute we'll talk about the State Department,

[00:14:57] because that certainly would be Marco Rubio and others could build upon that.

[00:15:02] So what do you think about that possibility?

[00:15:03] Absolutely.

[00:15:04] I believe that.

[00:15:05] And we can't overlook the fact that Donald Trump in his last administration moved our embassy to Jerusalem,

[00:15:09] recognized that as the rightful capital of Israel.

[00:15:11] Certainly what the people of Israel have always claimed is their capital.

[00:15:15] And by America recognizing that, the global economy will now recognize that, will follow through with that.

[00:15:20] And so this will be a really encouraging time.

[00:15:23] This is our greatest ally in the Middle East from a religious perspective, from a biblical perspective,

[00:15:27] but also from an American freedom and liberty and justice perspective.

[00:15:31] With all that's happening in the Middle East, we have to have our hand on the pulse of Israel.

[00:15:34] And so I'm looking forward to what's happening here and grateful to the Lord for what he's doing in these ways.

[00:15:38] I'm kind of struck by what's called the Trump effect, and that is all of a sudden Hamas wants to talk with the United States.

[00:15:43] It looks like we have what would be the possibility, don't want to overplay this, of some kind of truce between Hezbollah and Lebanon and Iran and some of those things.

[00:15:52] So all very significant.

[00:15:54] Well, I mentioned one pastor, and that is Mike Huckabee, but how about a pastor that you are well aware of?

[00:16:00] And that is Scott Turner, who will be the head of Housing and Urban Development,

[00:16:04] the previous individual in the Trump administration, somebody we had at our banquet.

[00:16:09] And that was, again, a very gifted individual as well.

[00:16:13] But Scott Turner brings experience because he has worked before in that area, but also was an NFL athlete.

[00:16:21] And certainly, I think, going to do very well in housing and urban development.

[00:16:25] What an unbelievable history he has from the NFL to an associate pastor at Preston Wood.

[00:16:30] We have the blessing of hearing him preach regularly there.

[00:16:32] I spoke with him actually just this Sunday after his nomination here, and he was headed to Mar-a-Lago the very next day,

[00:16:37] but got a chance to congratulate him on that.

[00:16:40] Tremendously grateful for his representation as a conservative Christian in the president's cabinet

[00:16:44] and all that he will accomplish.

[00:16:46] And he has been successful in what he's done.

[00:16:49] Donald Trump appointed him before as the director of the White House Opportunity Zones.

[00:16:52] Right.

[00:16:53] He was going into some of our most underprivileged cities and beginning to turn around those urban communities

[00:16:58] and to take care of the homeless problem, to take care of some of the challenges that our cities are facing.

[00:17:02] Our cities are under siege in this country.

[00:17:04] I work in Dallas and look at the condition of our city sometimes right here at home, and this is one of the better ones.

[00:17:09] You look at Chicago and so many others around our country.

[00:17:11] We have to have a person that understands what it will take to step into that role and to begin to turn things around back the right direction.

[00:17:17] And Scott Turner is the man to get that done.

[00:17:19] Absolutely.

[00:17:19] And I get the sense that since Ben Carson was there before, he will be able to hit the ground running, don't you think?

[00:17:26] Absolutely.

[00:17:26] Absolutely.

[00:17:27] He was mentored by Dr. Carson.

[00:17:29] They've maintained a very close relationship.

[00:17:31] You know, Ben Carson also spoke at Prestonwood and Scott Turner was the introducer of him that morning.

[00:17:35] And so great relationship working together there.

[00:17:37] It feels like this is just a commercial for our home church, but maybe in some ways they are grateful for all that they do and stand for,

[00:17:42] but looking forward to what he accomplishes.

[00:17:43] One of the biggest issues during the campaign was the issue of immigration.

[00:17:48] And you have, of course, Kristi Noem, head of Homeland Security, will have to be confirmed.

[00:17:53] But one of the individuals that I don't, I'm glad he doesn't have to be confirmed, Tom Holman.

[00:17:58] There's an individual that's pretty tough when he talks about this because over the last couple of days, Scott, we've been talking about deportation.

[00:18:05] I did a commentary on Monday and deportation yesterday.

[00:18:08] We did a deep dive on it, and even today we posted another piece about that by Rich Lowry.

[00:18:15] That's a big issue.

[00:18:16] And the overreaction, I'd have to say right now, illustrates that Tom Holman and Kristi Noem have their work cut up for them, don't they?

[00:18:24] Absolutely.

[00:18:25] Absolutely.

[00:18:25] The statistics are that illegal immigrants of military-aged fighting men have come across into this country under the Biden administration that outnumber our military six to one.

[00:18:35] And that's just unfathomable when you think about what all that means.

[00:18:38] We need someone that understands the situation and knows what it takes to get it done.

[00:18:41] The Danbury Institute, though, this year, we wanted to see firsthand what was happening on our southern border.

[00:18:46] And so we took an exposition down there.

[00:18:47] We loaded up our Suburbans, took our team down there, met with military personnel, met with the mayor's team in Eagle Pass, Texas,

[00:18:55] talked with the Texas National Guard that was down there doing different things.

[00:18:58] And really, they showed us firsthand what was taking place.

[00:19:01] I did not realize, Kirby, the degree to which this is truly a humanitarian crisis.

[00:19:06] Yes, it is.

[00:19:06] And we stood there and watched as the sun was setting.

[00:19:09] And you can see across the river, but just across the river, there's kind of an island with the water around it there and thick, thick brush.

[00:19:16] And you could see the lights of cell phones in this brush as the sun was setting that evening.

[00:19:22] And they said this is where children and women are taken advantage of and are raped as their final act of payment before being brought into America by the coyotes.

[00:19:32] And there's nothing we can do about it.

[00:19:34] This is on Mexican soil.

[00:19:35] Mexico is doing nothing to protect them.

[00:19:37] But the border guards and the Texas National Guard are watching as children and women are being sexually trafficked and are being packaged with drugs to carry across into our country.

[00:19:47] And then we went the next morning down with them and walked down and saw where the fence ends.

[00:19:52] We're all aware of the border fence that Trump was building.

[00:19:54] But where that fence comes to an end, there was a pile as tall as my waist was of children's clothing and toys and teddy bears, the kind of things my four-year-old daughter carries around.

[00:20:04] They had been left there.

[00:20:06] And that was where these children were either being picked up and put into trafficking or into drug trade.

[00:20:10] And they're leaving their belongings behind and being taken into this country.

[00:20:14] And so this isn't just about America.

[00:20:15] This is about the children and women who are being trafficked into this country because of the promises we've made for an open border that has attracted all of these people.

[00:20:23] We have to have someone who will close this border.

[00:20:25] Talk about the fentanyl coming into our country, what that does to our children, all those types of things.

[00:20:29] This is the most pressing thing that's facing our country.

[00:20:31] And I'm so grateful for Tom Homan and what he'll do to get this closed.

[00:20:33] And also just the other day, the president said, I'm going to actually impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and California and another 10% on China.

[00:20:44] And some people might say, what's Canada all about?

[00:20:47] Well, I ran the numbers yesterday and the number of people that come through the northern border, but especially the southern border.

[00:20:53] And, of course, most of our listeners probably don't know where Eagle Pass is.

[00:20:56] I do.

[00:20:56] Matter of fact, just two weeks ago, I was in Laredo.

[00:20:58] I've been there a couple of times there around that area and have a better understanding of it.

[00:21:03] But it doesn't matter anymore because they're trafficked all over the country.

[00:21:06] So every state now has almost become a border state.

[00:21:11] Right.

[00:21:11] So let's take a break.

[00:21:12] We are privileged to have in studio with us today Dr. Scott Coulter.

[00:21:15] If you'd like to know more about the Danbury Institute, we have that link on the website.

[00:21:19] If you'd like to ask a question, 1-800-351-1212.

[00:21:23] When we come back, though, we're going to talk a little bit more about all those names on that scorecard.

[00:21:28] We'll be right back.

[00:21:30] We'll be right back.

[00:21:31] At Point of View, we believe there is power in prayer.

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[00:22:47] Point of View will continue after this.

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[00:23:01] The opinions expressed on Point of View do not necessarily reflect the views of the management or staff of this station.

[00:23:09] And now, here again, is Kirby Anderson.

[00:23:13] Dr. Scott Coulter with us, and he is with the Danbury Institute.

[00:23:16] Let me encourage you again to go to danburyinstitute.org.

[00:23:20] And you'll find a number of things, a little bit more who we are.

[00:23:23] You can see their statement of faith, their mission, their history, and all the rest.

[00:23:27] Events, I might just mention that Tuesday, December 3rd, just coming around the corner here,

[00:23:31] going to have an opportunity there at the Fort Worth Club to hear from Riley Gaines.

[00:23:36] Now, there is a bold woman who, in the midst of the transgenderism issue, has stood out.

[00:23:43] And I see more and more of these younger voices coming to the fore.

[00:23:48] And one of the reasons, Scott, sometimes people say they enjoy our Millennial Roundtable

[00:23:52] is you get sort of discouraged about the future until you hear some of these very articulate millennials.

[00:23:57] And now we're bringing in some Gen Z's in there to articulate their conservative and Christian values.

[00:24:03] And certainly Riley Gaines has stood up for what I think would be just basic common sense about men and women.

[00:24:09] Don't you think?

[00:24:10] Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:24:11] She does a great job.

[00:24:12] She was on track to be a dentist and wasn't set out to do any of this public advocacy work.

[00:24:16] But she was one of the best female swimmers we have in this entire country and tied for first place against a transgendered man

[00:24:23] attempting to become a woman that was massively taller, stronger, in all of those ways,

[00:24:27] but was like the 400th best male swimmer in the country.

[00:24:30] And, of course, he ties with her for first place.

[00:24:32] And because of PR and the way that looked, they gave the award, the medal there, the gold medal,

[00:24:36] to the male becoming female swimmer, if you can imagine that.

[00:24:40] And so she lost her award there.

[00:24:41] She's becoming an activist just for common sense.

[00:24:43] It's just that men are men, women are women.

[00:24:45] And so we're honored to have her at our end-of-year dinner coming up in Fort Worth in a few days.

[00:24:49] So if anyone's close to what I think is the greatest city in all of the country here,

[00:24:52] we'll allow Fort Worth to jump on board here in the DFW Metroplex.

[00:24:55] Come on over and join us December 3rd.

[00:24:57] You can sign up for that on our website.

[00:24:58] And here are Riley Gaines in person that evening.

[00:25:00] Come and meet her, get your photo with her, and join us for that evening.

[00:25:03] Well, again, even if you can't join there, you certainly can join with what you are doing.

[00:25:07] And it's a great resource that I wanted people to know about.

[00:25:10] And I'm sure we'll have you back to do some of the roundtable discussions.

[00:25:13] I'd love to see you interact with some of our other guests.

[00:25:15] But let's look at foreign policy.

[00:25:17] And just a minute ago, of course, I mentioned Marco Rubio, which, of course, would be the Secretary of State.

[00:25:23] We, of course, mentioned the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, that those come about.

[00:25:27] You have Elise Stefanik, United Nations, Mike Waltz of National Security Advisor.

[00:25:33] Of course, I just mentioned a minute ago the CIA Director.

[00:25:35] And also Tulsa Gabbard, National Intelligence.

[00:25:40] Some of these are, again, back to younger individuals that are rising stars.

[00:25:45] And Donald Trump, even when he chose who his vice presidential nominee would be,

[00:25:51] picked somebody that I jokingly say on the air is younger than all three of my kids.

[00:25:55] But he recognizes that the future is not just with him.

[00:25:59] The future is with some of these individuals that are going to be in some position in the cabinet.

[00:26:04] Absolutely. The future of the conservative party is very bright.

[00:26:06] There's a next generation rising up, taking the reins in ways far stronger even than those who have come before them.

[00:26:12] And so we are seeing a correction from some of our RINO policies before that have held office for years and years

[00:26:17] and not accomplished anything to generations coming up saying we're going to get things done.

[00:26:21] You're seeing that across the board here.

[00:26:22] Pete Hegseth is a really neat out-of-the-box choice here.

[00:26:25] I'm really excited about him.

[00:26:27] There was a father who tweeted just a few days ago and said, our son is going off to serve in the military.

[00:26:32] We're filling out the paperwork here as he's enlisting.

[00:26:34] And it has a place to fill out this form.

[00:26:36] And it says birthing parent number one and birthing parent number two.

[00:26:40] Oops.

[00:26:40] And so he tweeted that.

[00:26:42] And Pete Hegseth retweeted it and said, not for long, period.

[00:26:45] And I'm just excited to bring our country back to common sense, back to what the Bible says.

[00:26:49] This is most Americans absolutely understand what this means, what's going on.

[00:26:53] And we've got to get out of this craziness that we've been in for so long.

[00:26:56] Sarah Sanders, governor of Arkansas, put it well.

[00:26:58] This isn't left and right.

[00:26:59] This isn't up or down.

[00:27:00] This is insane versus normal.

[00:27:02] And for the first time in my, you know, remembrance of history where we're coming, coming back to some normalcy in our country.

[00:27:08] Good commentary came out the other day and it was in the Wall Street Journal that says, after four years, will we come back to normal?

[00:27:15] Yes.

[00:27:15] First of all, I think common sense is breaking out all over the place and is illustrated by the fact that I've got to admit, Scott,

[00:27:22] I didn't a couple of years ago think I'd be quoting in a positive way, Joe Rogan or a variety of individuals like that.

[00:27:31] Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Haidt, although we've had him on the program, Alan Dershowitz.

[00:27:36] We've had him on the program a couple of times.

[00:27:38] You just, you go through this list of individuals who identified themselves as left, but they were not.

[00:27:46] They were more liberal because one of the things that Dennis Periguer has been in the studio and by phone a couple of times has said,

[00:27:53] there's really a difference between liberals and the left.

[00:27:57] That is, liberals and conservatives believe in an open dialogue and believe in free speech.

[00:28:03] The left does not.

[00:28:04] And you all of a sudden have all sorts of individuals who identify as liberal looking at the leftist sort of almost Marxist mindset and say, these people are crazy.

[00:28:15] And I guess I do have more in common with some of my conservative previous enemies, now maybe co-belligerents, than I do with some of the leftists.

[00:28:24] And I found that to be the case.

[00:28:26] Well, the difference really is what the left and the right do with power.

[00:28:29] Yes.

[00:28:29] I believe the left wants power to abuse power.

[00:28:31] And we see that over and over again with government overreach, with lawfare, with all that's taken place in the last four years of an abuse of power.

[00:28:38] And so, you know, conservatives seek power in a much more humble and gentle way.

[00:28:41] I wish sometimes we were more aggressive, but they seek power to be stewards of power and to provide freedom and liberty to those who are around them and opportunities and ways to pull yourself up according to the American dream and really to limit that power and to self-regulate it.

[00:28:54] And so there's a whole different worldview there of why you're seeking power, you're seeking leadership.

[00:28:59] You mentioned Tulsi Gabbard.

[00:29:00] The joke was that we traded Liz Cheney for Tulsi Gabbard and what a net positive that was across the board there.

[00:29:07] But when she came out and questioned the Biden-Harris administration, they put her on a no-fly government watch list that's really for terrorists.

[00:29:17] And she's figured this out being searched every single time she went on a plane.

[00:29:20] Well, now Trump has nominated her to the secretary position that will oversee that and will deal with TSA and those types of things.

[00:29:26] And so the irony of what's happening here and bringing our country back to the straight and narrow really is encouraging.

[00:29:30] I've been pulled over a few times.

[00:29:32] Maybe I should check that out for me, too.

[00:29:33] I think we're both on it.

[00:29:34] So, nevertheless.

[00:29:36] Okay, you're talking about, if you will, the weaponization of the Justice Department.

[00:29:40] Pam Bondi is now the attorney general being tapped because Matt Gaetz is of and set aside.

[00:29:46] But I think that that is an illustration of something that needs to take place.

[00:29:51] And there is an argument being made that you don't want to do to others what they have done to you.

[00:29:58] We really want to set the course correctly.

[00:30:01] And Vibhuk Ramashwamy sometimes even says that we don't want to use the bureaucracy for our ends.

[00:30:08] We don't want the bureaucracy to be as big as it is.

[00:30:11] The administrative state or the managerial class, or in this case, the Justice Department, has been used and abused.

[00:30:19] And it's time to bring it back to some kind of normalcy within the constitutional confines, right?

[00:30:25] Well, you talk so much about a biblical worldview on your show here.

[00:30:27] And the biblical worldview is not retribution, but it is true justice.

[00:30:31] And it's getting back to what that means.

[00:30:33] Due process, fair weights and measures.

[00:30:35] And Pam Bondi is tremendous.

[00:30:37] She's been the attorney general for Florida for quite a matter of time now.

[00:30:41] And then also the general counsel for America's First Policy Institute.

[00:30:44] So she is very familiar with what the Trump era and his team have gone through with lawfare and with the way that this department has been weaponized against them.

[00:30:52] And recognizes how it has been misused and also has the credentials to bring it back to the way it should be used.

[00:30:58] I watched several of the legacy media outlets talk about her nomination here.

[00:31:01] And they've been melting down over it, if we can use that term, because she believes in the right conservative politics.

[00:31:06] But she also knows how to get it done.

[00:31:08] And she's been tried and true in a successful role already and knows how to come in on day one and get things done.

[00:31:13] And so they're really worried about her, which makes me all the more excited about it.

[00:31:16] Speaking about worried, the other day I was looking at the list.

[00:31:19] You always can tell how good an individual might be by how the left is worried by them.

[00:31:24] And I've seen the long list.

[00:31:25] But one of the ones that popped up, because I go to a lot of websites so that our listeners don't have to.

[00:31:31] One of the people they're most worried about is Russ Vought.

[00:31:34] Now, we've had him on the program before.

[00:31:35] Now, you might say, I don't know who he is.

[00:31:37] And he's with the Office of Management and Budget.

[00:31:39] You might say, I don't even know what that does.

[00:31:41] But Elon Musk and Vivek Ramashwamy, who are part of the JOJ, that is the Department of Government Efficiency, say they're going to work closely with the Office of Management and Budget, identify regulations that have been put forward that are not constitutional, and then have Donald Trump pause those.

[00:31:59] And then begin to ask, what does this department do, and to bring it down, and to maybe bring it back to constitutional principles.

[00:32:08] So, in some respects, a lot of that might be behind the scenes.

[00:32:12] But if you're concerned about the expansion of the government and its expanding size and scope, in some respects, that's another issue that the American people sort of voted for in terms of they were concerned about inflation.

[00:32:27] But a lot of that came from the government spending too much money and thus having to print too many dollars, and as a result, making your dollars worth less in your pocketbook and in your purse.

[00:32:37] Absolutely.

[00:32:38] One of the things Donald Trump has brought into this administration is a businessman's mindset.

[00:32:42] Yes.

[00:32:42] He's not a career politician.

[00:32:43] Russ Vaught was in the OMB before and was doing great work.

[00:32:46] A lot of that was derailed by COVID, and so I'm grateful he's getting back into that role to kind of pick up where he left off before.

[00:32:51] But Trump has picked up two like-minded businessmen here with Vivek Ramaswamy and the other one there.

[00:32:56] Elon Musk.

[00:32:57] Elon Musk, absolutely.

[00:32:58] Yes, of course, coming together into this role.

[00:33:00] They understand what it means to operate a business the same way that all of our families do.

[00:33:04] We can't spend more money than we can bring in, and only the government seems to get away with that.

[00:33:07] You can spend more than you can bring in, and that doesn't work in the real world.

[00:33:11] So they're going to put those principles into place here.

[00:33:12] We've seen reports of empty government buildings and just massive overspend, and I think these two can get this under control in some ways that are helpful to the American people.

[00:33:20] Yes, one of the things we have heard from some of the people that are kind of our eyes and ears up there like Gary Bauer and Dr. Merrill Matthews and others is some of these buildings are almost completely empty.

[00:33:30] Yes.

[00:33:30] If you think about these government employees going to work, no, they're doing hybrid, but most of the time they're just at home.

[00:33:36] So Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and a couple of other individuals might start asking some tough questions.

[00:33:42] We'll be right back.

[00:33:55] You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth.

[00:34:00] Back for a few more minutes.

[00:34:01] Again, this is Thanksgiving week.

[00:34:03] I might just mention that tomorrow we will be running a tape program, and Friday we'll be running a tape program as well.

[00:34:11] Jack Hibbs will be on.

[00:34:13] It's an interview we've done with him before.

[00:34:14] You know Jack Hibbs pretty well.

[00:34:16] And, of course, also Sean McDowell, Dr. Sean McDowell.

[00:34:19] So you'll be hearing the previous interviews with them tomorrow on our Thursday program.

[00:34:24] We also have a link to the Danbury Institute.

[00:34:26] In just a minute I want to talk about some of the ways you can be involved with them both individually and as a church.

[00:34:32] But I have mentioned some of the people that are somewhat controversial to the left.

[00:34:37] One other one which we haven't mentioned, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

[00:34:41] First of all, I guess I have to admit, I've been around for a while.

[00:34:45] If you had told me even a year ago that a person with the name Kennedy would be in the cabinet,

[00:34:51] I would think you're probably talking about the senator from Louisiana.

[00:34:54] I couldn't even get my head around the fact that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be the head of Health and Human Services,

[00:35:01] and they want to turn from Make America Great Again to Make America Healthy Again.

[00:35:06] And I didn't see that coming, but it is very intriguing to see that Robert F. Kennedy, if indeed he's confirmed,

[00:35:13] and he may be one of the most controversial ones on the list, could really begin to shake up everything from the CDC to NIH.

[00:35:20] What are your thoughts?

[00:35:21] Well, we were watching Robert F. Kennedy from early on when he first announced his candidacy to see what would happen.

[00:35:25] I wasn't sure if he would be a spoiler for Joe Biden or for Donald Trump or where he would pull from there.

[00:35:29] So we were tracking him early on, but not with any idea that he would end up in this administration.

[00:35:33] This has been an amazing turn of events.

[00:35:35] But he stated just recently that he'd been praying for decades that the Lord would give him an opportunity to make a difference for the food industry in our country.

[00:35:43] And the only way he knew he could do that was from the platform of the presidency.

[00:35:46] And so he was running for that.

[00:35:47] And he said on such and such day, Donald Trump called me and he gave me that opportunity.

[00:35:52] And I disagree with Robert Kennedy on several things, especially the abortion issue there.

[00:35:56] Yes, we do.

[00:35:56] And so I was concerned about all those types of things.

[00:35:58] But I really think he's doing a remarkable effort into this health turnaround in our country.

[00:36:03] I didn't realize this was really a pandemic that was happening across our country.

[00:36:07] Just a few days ago, I watched the hearing that was hosted in Congress there that he was speaking at several others that were talking about the chemicals in our food, the foreign objects in our food, the ideas that are made out of Agent Orange that have been put into pesticides.

[00:36:19] Now, they are still on the food that we're consuming.

[00:36:21] They are not disclosed to us.

[00:36:23] I had no idea all that was taking place out there.

[00:36:25] You just assume we're all going through the world and that these organizations and departments are looking out for our best interest.

[00:36:29] He's really spent years figuring this out.

[00:36:32] And so I'm excited.

[00:36:33] This is kind of an added bonus to this administration.

[00:36:35] And I didn't expect that this kind of from left field here, literally left field, but coming in.

[00:36:40] And so what a neat thing that is to watch how this is taking place.

[00:36:43] Trump is assembling a team here that really are playing to their strengths and people that have some strengths and some weaknesses.

[00:36:48] He's capitalizing on all of their strengths, mitigating their weaknesses and bringing together a team that I'm excited to see.

[00:36:54] This is a generational administration that will make this country different for my children and my grandchildren.

[00:36:59] And again, just in the health issue of the first hour, we talked about James O'Keefe, who actually has revealed and released some of these videos from somebody at NIH.

[00:37:07] Oh, well, we knew the vaccines didn't really work.

[00:37:09] I don't even take them.

[00:37:10] And we really probably didn't know where the virus came from from Wuhan Institute of Virology.

[00:37:16] We all that's coming out right now.

[00:37:18] So we will certainly see that as the case.

[00:37:20] So, again, that's just a brief overview of some of these individuals.

[00:37:24] And again, we will continue to look at some of these particular appointees and see how some of the confirmation hearings go.

[00:37:32] Some of these individuals do not have to be confirmed by the United States Senate.

[00:37:36] And I think there are some that would like to streamline that because when the founders talked about advice and consent, I don't think they had any image of these senators getting up there giving long speeches before they even ask a question of the nominee and some of the showboating that takes place.

[00:37:53] So we'll talk about that in a future program or two.

[00:37:57] And as a program note, let me just mention that on Monday we're going to have Jack Graham with us and we'll be talking about his book and his podcast.

[00:38:04] Tuesday is Giving Tuesday.

[00:38:06] I hope you'll pay attention to that.

[00:38:07] But speak of giving, there's a way in which, again, Scott can participate with you at the Danbury Institute.

[00:38:14] There's a place where it says give and there's also a place that says join.

[00:38:19] And what I thought was so interesting is a lot of times people when we come on the program think, well, maybe as an individual I can join.

[00:38:26] You can.

[00:38:26] But there's also a place in which you can have an association of churches.

[00:38:30] And it does seem to me that if we want to get our voice known to the elected officials and we want to turn this country around, we need to think more about really being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

[00:38:43] Well, if you look at just the evangelicals in this country, that's 35 percent of our country's population.

[00:38:49] If you think about what that block of individuals can do, if the evangelical vote would mobilize in this country, we would win every election from the presidency all the way down to the school board every single year, year after year.

[00:39:01] That's what it looks like for Christians to engage and to be salt and light.

[00:39:04] And yet that's not happening.

[00:39:06] And so we want to encourage churches to stand together.

[00:39:08] We are an association of churches that's equipping and mobilizing churches to engage in these processes.

[00:39:14] You know, I don't like politics.

[00:39:15] I didn't get up in the morning and just decide to get into politics.

[00:39:17] But politics affect policies and policies affect people.

[00:39:21] And Christians, we have an obligation to love our neighbors and to care about the people around us.

[00:39:26] The policies in this country either are helping or are hurting and hindering our neighbors all around us.

[00:39:31] And so I'm involved in politics because I care deeply about the pro-life issue.

[00:39:34] I care deeply about the religious liberty issue.

[00:39:36] We call the Danbury Institute for Life and Liberty, those two things working together there.

[00:39:40] And so the idea is to bring together pastors, to bring together individuals and to speak on their behalf to elected officials and say, this is what Christians expect you to do.

[00:39:48] We expect you to vote this way on this issue.

[00:39:51] This is our biblical worldview here that we're approaching is we expect you to support and to propose pro-life policies and to vote correctly on those things.

[00:39:57] We expect you to protect churches and not to ever get back to a place where we close down churches or say churches can't worship while the strip club is open and the bars open and the car wash is open.

[00:40:06] Churches couldn't be open.

[00:40:07] We can never again do that in our country.

[00:40:10] Churches are the moral compass of America.

[00:40:13] They have been from the very beginning.

[00:40:14] And when we lose our churches, we lose our country.

[00:40:16] So the Danbury Institute exists to keep churches on the front lines, to keep churches engaged.

[00:40:21] We don't need a political revival in this country.

[00:40:23] We need a Christian revival in this country.

[00:40:25] We need the Lord to restore his blessings to our churches and to encourage them to get out there and to speak up and to be salt and light in the world.

[00:40:32] And so we're equipping churches and pastors to do that.

[00:40:35] That's what the Danbury Institute is all about.

[00:40:36] So we'd encourage individuals or pastors to sign up.

[00:40:39] Your church can join our association, partner with what we're doing, and we can do more altogether than we can separately.

[00:40:44] Absolutely.

[00:40:45] Might also mention that, of course, you have a number of pastors that have endorsed you.

[00:40:48] Robert Jeffress has been in the studio.

[00:40:49] Jack Graham, of course, could be on on Monday.

[00:40:51] Of course, we mentioned Jack Hibbs.

[00:40:53] I don't know that he's endorsed you, but I'm sure he believes in what you're doing.

[00:40:56] Gary Bauer is on that list.

[00:40:58] Robert, well, Richard Land is a good example.

[00:41:00] Yes.

[00:41:00] He used to be with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is actually on some kind of board function with you as well.

[00:41:06] So a veritable who's who of people that have been on this program have endorsed you.

[00:41:10] And so if this is the first time you've heard of the Danbury Institute, let me encourage you to go to DanburyInstitute.org.

[00:41:17] If you'd like to know a little bit more about Scott, we have information about him on the website there as well.

[00:41:24] We also have a link to his Facebook page and his X or Twitter page and links and all of the resources there.

[00:41:31] And if you'd like to maybe have him come and speak to your church or speak to your group about this, I think you are available as well.

[00:41:38] So I'm sort of introducing you to our listeners, but I'm sure this will not be the last time we'll have you in studio.

[00:41:45] I'm looking forward to some times where you can engage in some of the roundtable discussions and bring some more expertise in that regard.

[00:41:51] So thank you for being with us today.

[00:41:53] Just so encouraged by all that the Lord is doing through this administration, through your organization, through these resources here you're putting out.

[00:41:59] Christians have to stand together and speak to our culture and be salt and light.

[00:42:02] We need the flavor.

[00:42:03] We need to preserve the morality around us.

[00:42:05] Again, Danbury Institute there.

[00:42:08] And just before we run down again, we have a banner that says Giving Tuesday.

[00:42:13] So that's just around the corner.

[00:42:14] So be thinking about giving that you might give to our organization, of course, to the radio station that carries that to your own church,

[00:42:20] maybe even to the Danbury Institute, of course, even First Liberty.

[00:42:24] My viewpoint's commentary today on the Thanksgiving quiz.

[00:42:28] Have a video there on voting your biblical duty.

[00:42:30] And as we pointed out the other day, I think some people need to see that because still about 40% of evangelicals don't vote.

[00:42:37] And we're going to try to turn that around as well.

[00:42:39] We have the Pray for America and the Point of View highlights and highlights on Spotify, all of that there as well.

[00:42:45] So enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend and enjoy all the opportunity to be with family.

[00:42:51] We look forward to seeing you back here on Monday.

[00:42:53] Most importantly, I want to thank Megan for her help engineering the program.

[00:42:56] Steve, thank you for producing the program.

[00:42:58] And again, go to the website pointofview.net to find some of those articles.

[00:43:03] Have a great Thanksgiving.

[00:43:04] See you back here on Monday, right here on Point of View.

[00:43:10] It almost seems like we live in a different world from many people in positions of authority.

[00:43:16] They say men can be women and women men.

[00:43:19] People are prosecuted differently or not at all, depending on their politics.

[00:43:24] Criminals are more valued and rewarded than law-abiding citizens.

[00:43:29] It's so overwhelming, so demoralizing.

[00:43:32] You feel like giving up.

[00:43:34] But we can't.

[00:43:35] We shouldn't.

[00:43:36] We must not.

[00:43:37] As Winston Churchill said to Britain in the darkest days of World War II,

[00:43:42] Never give in.

[00:43:43] Never give in.

[00:43:45] Never, never, never.

[00:43:46] Never yield to force.

[00:43:48] Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

[00:43:52] And that's what we say to you today.

[00:43:55] This is not a time to give in, but to step up and join Point of View in providing clarity in the chaos.

[00:44:02] We can't do it alone, but together, with God's help, we will overcome the darkness.

[00:44:09] Invest in biblical clarity today at pointofview.net or call 1-800-347-5151.

[00:44:18] Pointofview.net and 800-347-5151.

[00:44:26] Point of View is produced by Point of View Ministries.