Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 6 | No, Christians Aren't Called to "Social Justice"

Episode Date: April 18, 2018

Christians are undoubtedly commanded to do good works, but why put a secular, progressive label on what the church has been doing through the power of the gospel for centuries: caring for the weak, feeding the poor, and fighting for the oppressed? The idolatry of social justice is actually distraction from the centrality of Jesus and his death and resurrection. I explain why. Also: Q&A and tribute to Barbara Bush. 

What is up, everyone, it's Wednesday. We are halfway through the week. So good job for making it this far. It's a big accomplishment. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. You are either like me and you're finally enjoying spring for like a consistent amount of time. Maybe if you're in the Northeast, you're enjoying it for the first time. I'm not actually sure what the weather is like there. But last I heard it was a little bit warmer. But if you're in Texas like me, you're, are finally, finally, enjoying like a few days of consistent weather. It's been like back and forth, like 45 in rainy and then sunny and 80. But I love when it's hot outside. Like I'm totally okay with sweating just a little bit and being just like slightly uncomfortable. I'd so much rather it be

hot and cold. I know I'm probably going to be regretting this in a few weeks because it gets like 157 degrees and it's an ungodly amount of hot. It's stifling. You can't even go outside. Even the pool is like bathwater. There's literally no relief. But anyway, all that to say. I'm so excited for the summer. I can't wait. I also just realized how totally lame it is to start a podcast talking about the weather. Like who talks about the weather? You talk about the weather with people that you don't know. That's like how you bridge the gap in an awkward conversation, but I do know you guys. You all are my friends and I have a lot to say. So my apologies for that introduction, but it was just what's on my mind. Also, to add to this introduction, just a reminder

that this is a podcast that comes from CRTV. You can go to CRTV.com slash Allie to watch my weekly videos, which are hopefully informative and entertaining if they are not. We have a problem and you should probably tell me. So anyway, to get us started, I need to back up just a little bit. I want to continue on a little bit what we talked about last week and use it as kind of a jumping off place to talk about what I think is a bigger issue within the church. And that is this quickening journey to Marxism within mainstream Christianity. So bear with me as I go over some race stuff again first.

And if you didn't listen to last week, I would encourage you to listen to last week because it'll make a lot more sense along with this. But just know that I'm just going to talk about the race stuff and the MLK50 conference as a leaping off point into the rest of the podcast in which I won't focus explicitly on race. Also, I promised a Q&A section and a Q&A section you shall get at the end of this podcast. Okay. So those of you who did tune in last week know that we talked about racial reconciliation within the church and how it's a movement that is seeking, I think, in my opinion, to relegate the gospel to second place and instead put, quote, inclusion in first. But what this quote inclusion actually looks like right now within this movement of racial

reconciliation within the church is white guilt. So we saw this prominently at the MLK50 conference. hosted by the ERLC a couple weeks ago, where we heard some otherwise, I think extremely sound Christian teachers call on white people to fix this problem of racial division within the church. The problem is that, of course, that isn't exactly biblical. What is biblical is that the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, has already answered the problem of racial division. first by obliterating racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender divisions within the body of Christ,

making us one in him, and then by working out in our hearts any feelings of bigotry and racism, which are, of course, sins and antithetical to a life characterized by discipleship to Jesus. Now, of course, that doesn't mean I'm not acknowledging or I'm not saying that racism doesn't exist or that it doesn't exist within the church. it obviously exists in the secular world and I think it exists in Christianity as well. And as I've said many times, racism is a sin that should be addressed. Where we go wrong, though, is treating it differently or even worse than other sins and thereby offering solutions to the sin of racism that are not found in the Bible.

Like, for example, a particular pastor at the MLK50 conference said that he hires black people over white people in his church, even if the white person might be slightly more qualified. Another author at the conference said that we white people need to take a back seat and just be quiet for a little bit. And then the other things that were offered as so-called suggestions were just totally and completely vague. So here are some quotes from certain speakers at the conference. And by the way, just a note, I don't want to call out people's names here. Not because I'm scared. I highly doubt they listen to my podcast. Just because I think it's unnecessary. It pits people against each other. I'm not trying to necessarily call people out that takes away from my main point, which is that the movement itself, I believe, is leading us to

stray. And I think some of these people that said the things that I'm about to say might be even unwittingly caught up in it. Anyway, some quotes from the MLK50 conference that was held by, by the way, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Commission. I'm saying this as a Southern Baptist, which is the largest denomination within Protestantism. So here are their suggested solutions to racism and how Christians can really help.

Quote, you have got to say something. There is no way for it if white pulpits won't talk. Another quote, the question is not so much, where do we go from here? but why haven't we gone from here? Another one, and I think God is standing back and saying to the church, you all know what to do here. You really know what to do. It's the courage and will to do it and to be it and to pay that price.

And another one, we have got to speak out. Okay. I know I didn't read those quotes necessarily in context, but I listened to some of the conference, and I don't think that I need to. I'm not trying to purposely deceive you. But those were the solutions offered, and I didn't get anything from that. What does that even mean?

Talk about what? Where is here? What are we supposed to do? Speak about what? What really is the local thriving gospel-centered church not doing to reach people of other races and backgrounds? I mean, I personally don't know a single church, and I don't know every single church, but I don't know a single church that truly

preaches the Word of God that relies on the gospel as the source of all its wisdom and strength that doesn't already do everything it can to unite people of all different backgrounds. I mean, I have watched, like I said, some of the conference, and I've read about a lot of the conference, and I can tell you that from what I've read and from what I've seen, I wasn't there, there weren't any real tangible solutions offered. That's because I don't think that any of these people actually know. Like, we hear these white pastors and teachers standing from this pulpit at the conference saying, you need to do something, you need to say something.

Okay, well, what should we say outside of what the Bible says? I mean, I think that they're jumping on this trendy social justice movement because they think that's what they have to do to make the church look more, quote, tolerant and loving by the world standards. I listened to a really great podcast called The Just Thinking podcast this week, and it was so good. The two men who host the show, which I need to note, they are black men, because I think that's relevant to this particular conversation. They did a really great job of critiquing the conference in a very gospel-centered, gentle, but I think straightforward and strong way. And they ask such a compelling question, which I think sums up everything that I feel

about this conference and everything I feel about the racial reconciliation movement within the church right now? What do these people at the conference want white pastors to say that Jesus hasn't already said? And that's my whole problem with this, is that we're talking about the problem of racism that's apparently so much worse today than it used to be. And instead of offering Jesus as the solution to it, we're offering vague white guilt. not just personal white guilt, by the way, but guilt for what your ancestors may or may not have done. If you read the Gospel Coalition article that we were talking about last week, that's not only a biblical, it is counterproductive to the work of the Holy Spirit within the church.

So why are we treating racism, which is a sin differently than any other sin? If white people are all complicit, which is the new buzzword right now, are all complicit. in racism, are all women complicit in abortion? Are all men complicit in pornography, sexism, domestic violence? Should I be mad at men because their grandfathers had more rights than my grandmother did? Should I be mad at my husband about the fact that women you should not be able to vote? Should we shame men and women for the sins of some people who have the same gender as them? Should we shame generations for the sins of some of the people their same age? No, of course not. It doesn't make any sense and it doesn't help anything. And in the same way,

I don't think that we should shame an entire race for the sins of the people who share their skin color. So to me, the answer isn't white guilt. And that's not because I don't want to feel guilty. I have felt guilty about plenty of things. But skin color, the skin color that God gave me, isn't one of them. And that shouldn't be, that should be true for. anyone. It's not, in my opinion, hiring a less qualified minority over a qualified white person. It's not taking a back seat necessarily. All of those things, by the way, by the way, for white people to suggest that we white people need to take a back seat and that we need to be the ones in the pulpits saying something that's so ridiculously patronizing, especially the one about hiring a less

qualified minority over a white person that's so condescending to patronizing. I mean, it's white people saying, aw, you minorities can't handle it on your own. So here, let me help you. You're not really capable of doing anything. So here's a little boost. I'm sorry, but do we think that other people, regardless of their skin color, want to be treated like toddlers? Like, is that going to help? I haven't really heard very many people of color or, of white skin ever say that that is helpful to them and that's something that they want because it's not the answer isn't condescension for minorities and it's not self-deprecation for white people it is believing in living out and sharing the gospel the gospel the reality that the king of the

universe died for your sins it changes everything everything it changes hearts and lives which changes churches which change communities you want racism and bigotry and division die? So do I. So does God, by the way. So let's go share the good news of the gospel, which tells us that in Christ we have no racial or ethnic divisions and that no one is better than someone else. We are one. So maybe we should just go out and love our neighbors, no matter their background. Love them as ourselves. That's exactly what Jesus calls us to do, no less than that. everything we need to say and do can be found in the Bible, not just for problems of race, but for all problems. The Bible is sufficient for that. And when we get into this very dangerous

territory of telling certain groups of people to do something and not others, I think it's very scary because I think it eventually causes further division and will eventually cause further conflict and resentment. People, whether they're really, right in this or not, but people are going to eventually get very tired of being told they're guilty of something that they're not actually guilty of. But unfortunately, this is a trend that we're seeing in the church right now, not only in regards to race, but in regards to many things. And what I continue to see among Christians is this exchange of the gospel for superficial social justice. And if you don't know what social justice is, it's described as it's theoretically a movement

towards equity for all people by breaking down power structures that create oppression. I know that sounds very vague and a lot of catchphrases, but that's what it's described as. In reality, what we see it as and what we hear a lot of people talking about is oppression and elusive structures like the patriarchy, but they don't really do anything about it except just talking about that these power structures exist and then calling everyone bigots who dare question them on this. And really, the biggest aspect of social justice and the part that I just disagree with, at least these days, is that it calls upon the government to be the savior of the so-called oppressed. It is entirely, I don't know if it's always been this way.

I think social justice probably at one point was a virtuous cause, but now it seems to be entirely dependent on government handouts, which is why social justice is very often and accurately tied to socialism. There's a reason why social justice is a progressive cause. Because if social justice was just about doing good works, I think conservatives and all Christians would be on board with that, but it is intertwined with government dependence, which is why I don't agree with it,

which is why the church shouldn't agree with it. the church already fights for the marginalized and oppressed by bringing them to Jesus, by feeding the poor, by taking care of the orphan and the widow, and showing these people Jesus and sharing the gospel, which is what the thriving gospel center of church has done literally forever. The church's so-called social justice is just carrying out what the Bible tells us to do, which is why we have to be very careful and latching on to this worldly movement. of social justice that really Christians don't need and actually should resist because it makes the

government savior instead of Jesus. We are called to do good works. I hope that in nothing that I'm saying here, it sounds like I'm saying that we shouldn't be doing good works. We should. Ephesians 2 says that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. James 2 says faith without works is dead. we are supposed to fight oppression and advocate for justice. But like I said, the church has always done that. This isn't new. Christ's followers have always fought against these evils. The only difference is now the church feels like they need to call the work we've been doing for century social justice and racial reconciliation so as to fit in with the cool progressive crowd.

We've got to use terms like tolerance, inclusion to make sure we're hanging with the cool kids. The church has been fighting for justice as Jesus founded it. I mean, this is going to be very politically incorrect, but how many Hindu missionaries do you know? How many Buddhist groups do you know that go into villages in the Congo share their faith and provide people with means to live? How many atheists do you know who have founded organizations to eliminate sex trafficking? The answer might be a few.

It might be. I'm not saying that these people don't exist. there are humanitarians in every religion because compassion is a part of the natural human makeup no matter what. But predominantly, it has been the Christian church who has led the charge for love and justice. That is why so many hospitals bear the names of saints. That's why so many non-profit and humanitarian organizations were founded by Christians and churches. We have been on the front lines of goodness and justice our entire existence. We have been. We have been on the front lines of goodness and justice our entire existence. We should continue to do those things while never allowing them to be our thing.

These things mean very little, if not accompanied by the message of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Jesus asks, what good is it to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul? While it is crucial to address physical needs, I mean, we see that reiterated over and over again in the Bible and we saw it as an example in Jesus's life. It actually does very little these good works if our banner, if our message, if our purpose isn't centered on the message that Jesus is the son of God and came to save us. Some Christians act as if all God told us to do was to do good and be nice to people. Sorry, but that's not the Great Commission. Jesus's primary call is, of course, to take up our cross and follow him. And after that, he says, go and make disciples. You make

disciples by sharing and cultivating the good news of Christ and those around you. That's not a black, white, gender, socioeconomic thing. That news transcends all of that. We cannot place the pursuit of social justice above or in place of the gospel. Works do not save you. Works do not save anyone, actually. But Jesus does. But here's the thing. I think that fact makes a lot of people understandably uncomfortable. The idea that you have to be saved, for one, is weird for people. I remember when I was a freshman in college, I said something to my friend who was Catholic about someone being saved. And she said she didn't like that term because it implied that some people are not saved, a.k. some people will go to hell and be separated from God forever. And of course, she was right.

That is a very uncomfortable reality. But it is reality, at least according to the Bible. and the reason it's inconvenient is because if it is true that without Jesus, people are unsaved and are going to be stuck in torment for all eternity when they die, then it is the most compelling and important message for us to convey. If the people around us are bound to hell without Jesus, then we need to tell them about Jesus. But see, we don't like to do that. Because in order to tell people they need Jesus and the salvation he brings, we have to talk about this really awkward subject, one that we will avoid at all costs in 2018, and that is sin. You don't need a savior if there's nothing to be saved from, and the thing Jesus saves us from is sin and its

consequence, which is eternal separation from God when we die. So in order to talk about why people need Jesus and why Jesus is so great, we have to talk about sin. Because Jesus came and died to save sinners. He didn't come just to be a good moral teacher, a philosopher, an example of how to be nice and tolerant. He came to reconcile sinners to God through his gruesome death, which was a call for repentance from sin. And by the way, when I'm saying this, I'm not saying, I'm kind of, I've kind of left the topic of the MLK50 conference. I don't want it to seem like I'm lumping in all of the pastors that spoke at that conference with this accusation of not actually preaching the gospel, that's not true. Like I said at the top, there are a lot of teachers who were at

that conference and a lot of pastors who I think preach of the gospel very well, but just missed the mark at this particular conference. So I kind of moved on from that and I'm talking about this movement in general towards social justice within the church and towards progressivism in the church, which I think really distracts us from the centrality of the gospel. So I just wanted to add that caveat. but when I hear people talking about how Christians are supposed to be uber tolerant and accepting and hush hush about people saying, I'm like, what Bible are you reading?

I see that in exactly zero part of the Bible that a Christian's highest calling is to be unconditionally nice. I don't even see that in Jesus's life. But that's so often what we see from liberal progressive Christians is this, don't judge people, just love them, as if love can be excluded from speaking the truth. It can't. We're actually called to speak the truth in love, which is exactly what Jesus did and what we see demonstrated by God throughout the Bible. Jesus was too loving to leave sinners

as they were. And we should be modeling that. Not some secularized version of hipster, wimpy Jesus who never talks about sin and God's wrath and judgment and crossbearing and repentance. That's because so-called racial reconciliation, like all social justice movement, within the church are not actually the hard conversations that so many of these social justice pastors are pretending they are. They're not hard conversations. They're actually distractions from the hard conversation, the real conversation of, hey, Jesus saves you from hell. That's the hard conversation. That's the awkward and convenient truth. These social justice pastors are acting like they're so brave for standing up there and talking about social justice. And I'm like, who are you kidding?

This is the hottest trend in the world right now being a social justice warrior. You'll probably attract even more people from this because you'll get a ton of non-Christians being like, wow, see, they're just like us. So, yes, we are called to good works. And that does mean using the power of the gospel to fight against injustice for all people. Good works empowered by Jesus serve the kingdom and glorify God. But, but good works as a replacement. for the message of salvation are nothing but filthy rags.

They ultimately and spiritually result in nothing. Have you ever noticed that at Unitarian churches, many Episcopal churches, many Catholic churches, PCA churches, really any church, no matter the denomination, and I'm not saying that all of those denominations and all Catholic churches are like this, but I think we see this most prevalently within those sections of the church, that these churches who claim tolerance and acceptance and tout social justice also don't preach the gospel. These churches usually embrace, you know, all forms of sexuality, gender fluidity, open borders, basically the whole progressive platform, and their mantra is just like, don't judge,

and Jesus loves people. But they're total moral relativists. They don't really believe in enforcing anything that the Bible says, except for subjective and worldly versions of tolerance. Isn't it funny how those churches with fully liberal politics also, tend to be liberal in their theology? Like, I don't think I've ever heard a pastor with full-on progressive politics and ideology who also preach that Jesus is the only way to heaven. That's because people who put social justice above the gospel don't actually believe in the

gospel of Christ. If you believe in the gospel of Christ, it's number one, no questions asked. And the concept of sin and the exclusivity of Jesus' salvation is paramount. But what these churches do as champion social justice, progressive causes, and claim to be doing the work of Christ. First of all, if you're fighting for things that the Bible call sin, you're working for Satan, not God, so like, let's just put that out there. Secondly, social justice doesn't matter if not fueled by and coupled with the good news. So all this to say, I say chill on the social justice stuff. And simply read and live out the Bible.

Follow God with your whole heart. surrender your entire life to him, sell yourself out to him and his will for you. From fellowship with God, flow peace, reconciliation, unity, charity, love, joy, and all the spiritual fruit that social justice alone cannot bear. Okay. Now, on to the question and answer. You guys ask me some questions, and now I shall answer them for you. And then I have one more thing at the end.

So, first question. is an interesting one. The question is, what role do you see godly women playing in politics, considering the power structure God lays out in the scripture concerning women in the church hierarchy? So, if the question is, can women lead? The answer is yes. The only rules that women are not biblically permitted to play in the Bible are, one, the role within the church of exercising authority over men and then also the role within marriage of exercising authority over her husband. So in the church, that means no female lead pastors. And in the Bible, we see no mention of female deacons or elders. Women can teach women in the church. They can teach children. They can serve

in many capacities. But they are not to teach men in an official capacity. I don't think that includes conferences and things. I think that's specifically and exclusively within the church. but we do see women leading outside the church in the Bible. Deborah and Esther are some of the first that come to mine. And women are used in powerful ways throughout the Bible. Rehab, Ruth, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Martha, Lydia. So it's very clear that God instills women with the capacity to do mighty things and carry out his will just as he did for men.

It's just in different ways for women because we have different strengths. Now, anyway, that said, I think godly women do have a role to play in politics. think that's crucial. I think it's crucial for any Christian to play a role in otherwise, quote, secular spheres. Now, this can look like a few different things. This could mean that the extent of your political involvement is voting and volunteering for causes that matter to you. Like at a pregnancy center that offers alternatives to abortion, it could mean volunteering on campaigns of a candidate who stands for your values. It can mean doing what I do, blogging, speaking, writing, podcasting, being a voice for what you believe in,

or maybe you just talk about the issues that are important to you on your own personal social media. And then, of course, there's the much bigger scale you could run for office. Now, this could be local. You could run for school board. Local elected officials have a lot of influence on their communities. You could run for a state office. And of course, you could work your way up to D.C.

But in 2018, thankfully, all of these options are on the table for women. And although I am kind of hesitant to say things like, oh, representation matters, because I actually think it only matters in some ways and sometimes. But I do think that the country benefits from female leadership because we were given, by God, different perspectives and different strengths, different leadership styles than men have. And I think we complement male leadership in a necessary and beneficial way. I don't believe in electing a woman just because she is a woman, but I do think that having strong female candidates and leaders is important. Now, all of that said, I don't think any woman in any career should purposely, purposely put off marriage and family

just to pursue her job. And I don't think that for a man either, by the way, it's not just women. And I'm also not saying rush into marriage, definitely not saying to settle and to be unwise, just get married no matter what. I'm not saying that. I'm talking about deliberately saying no to getting married and settling down and making a commitment in order to pursue. pursue work. I think that that is fruitless for anyone, and I don't think it's God's best for us. Of course. Now, some of you are listening and you're like, I don't want to get married. Thanks a lot for making me feel guilty. I'm not talking to you. Of course, there are people that God is calling to be single either for a season or God is calling to be single forever and celibate forever. And the Bible actually

says that that is a gift. But the fact is most of us do not have that gift and are called to commit to one man or one woman and eventually have family. So basically my advice is to get involved in politics and policy that matters to you, whether that is volunteering, always vote by the way, no matter what, that's the bare minimum. But in addition to that, volunteering, being a voice or running for office yourself, but don't forsake a family just to do that that goes for any career. The wonderful thing about 2018 is that we are able to do all of it. So that's great. That's a blessing. Another question, will you ever run for office? The answer is no, probably not. I mean, who knows? I can't predict the future, but I really don't think so. Anything could happen. I'm open to

whatever God has for me. But I've always known that I would be basically doing what I'm doing right now talking and writing and I have never have the desire to actually be a politician. But again, that could change, I guess. You never know. I just really doubt it. How do you drink your coffee or tea black and I don't drink tea? Gross. Tea is like weak coffee. Blach. Where do I like to shop? Well, ideally, ideally, I love anthropology, but that's a little little rough on the budge on the budget so that's just on special occasions i mostly shop at nordstrom rack sales section or target and look i know i'm not supposed to like target because i'm a conservative so you can take that up with i don't know not me god you can sue me uh last question another good one

so someone asked me if i had advice for someone who isn't religious but was raised conservatively this person feels like they are less conservative because they're not religious and wanted to know if I have an opinion on that. Well, first of all, I really appreciate you listening to my podcast, even though you might not agree or might not like the religious aspects of it. I really, really appreciate that. And I appreciate you reaching out to me about this. So my thought is you don't have to be a Christian or religious person to be a political conservative. I mean, you can believe that the free market works better than regulation. You can see the harms of socialism and vowed for democracy and capitalism. You can see that more government overreach leads to mediocrity and suffering for people. You can feel the burden of taxation. You can recognize the desire for liberty within the human spirit. And you can even appreciate American exceptionalism. And all of these things can lead you into conservatism. Conservatism

is extremely logical and based on quite simply reality. But here's the kicker. And track with me, we're going to take a stroll down philosophy lane. You can believe all of those conservative ideas because they work and are true, but it's when you ask why those things work and are true, that's where atheism doesn't really work. That's where atheism doesn't really give you the answers that you need. See, free markets are effective. Liberty perpetuates greatness.

Capitalism creates success. Small government leads to human flourishing in America is exceptional because Each of these recognize the inherent rights of the individual. They recognize and play off the fact that rights are innate, that they are natural, they are born within us, not given to us by the government. Because if our rights are given to us by the government, then the government can take them away.

And we really have no business defending the Bill of Rights because who are we to say what the government can and can't give us? But if our rights are inherent, then we have every reason to fight for the rights outlined in the Constitution, which is exactly why conservatives do. So the question is, if our rights are within us and not given to us by the government, as all conservatives believe, the question is who gave them to us? You can't say they're just there. You can't say it's just a fact of life.

That's a cop-out. I mean, facts of life, if you don't believe in a higher power, completely subject. and arbitrary. So no, if we are saying that we have rights that transcend government force, therefore they can't be taken away, then we are acknowledging that something transcendent exists. And what could possibly transcend human authority, except for a power higher than human authority? The Declaration of Independence acknowledged this. It says all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable or inherent rights, among them being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness or property. The Constitution, and therefore all of conservatism,

is based on this idea, that our rights were given to us by a higher power, our creator, and can't be taken away. They're not up for grabs. And without that idea, the argument for conservatism is shaky at best. It's really vulnerable to arguments like, well, this is a different time and we need to move away from the Constitution. The things that we hear progressive say all the time because they don't actually believe that we have rights from our creator. They believe that we have rights from the government. But we believe that our rights outlined in the Constitution are inherent. Therefore, they are timeless and they are worth fighting for. And the reason we believe they're inherent is because we believe that they were given to us by someone bigger and higher than us.

So I'm sure there's a lot more succinct way to explain that. But that's why conservatism and the belief in just a higher power. Now, we can go into theologically why Christianity is the only correct religion. But just as kind of a starting point, the belief in God is, I think, really important to bolster why you believe what you believe. Now, if you just want to stay on the surface and say, well, conservatism just works better, and progressivism, that's fine. I still think that you can fight for those things, but I do encourage you to kind of dig a little bit deeper and ask yourself, well, why do these things work? Why is it important for us to have the First and Second Amendment? Why has throughout time and culture,

why have these liberties led to human flourishing? And the answer is, it's because it taps into something that is innate and inherent in the human spirit that I believe was given to us by God. Okay. One more thing. First Lady Barbara Bush died yesterday. My husband can tell you I could start crying right now. I couldn't stop crying. And he, I mean, he wasn't being rude, but he kind of laughed in me. I mean, she was 92 years old. She lived a very full life. And I think that her soul was probably, you know, at ease. And I think everyone probably felt the same way. She did amazing things, completely dedicated to her family and her country, to literacy, to fighting for the vulnerable, witty, classy, headstrong, confident, and so passionate. And to me, I think the reason why I'm

so sad, and I talked about this last week when I was reading the book about the Regans, the reason why it makes me sad when people from this era die is because I think she and the bushes, whether you agree with them politically or not, and the Regans represent a better America. in which people were optimistic about the future and proud of the country that we fought for. John Meacham wrote a great book about George H.W. Bush called Destiny and Power. And in it was only one of, if not the only, wartime letters George wrote Barbara when they were engaged. And this is what it said, at least part of what it said. I love you, precious, with all my heart.

And to know that you love me means my life. How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours someday. How lucky our children will be to have a mother like you. As the days go by, the time of our departure draws near. He's talking about the war. For a long time, I had anxiously looked forward to the day when we would go aboard and set to see. It seemed that obtaining that goal would be all I could desire for some time. But bar, you have changed all that.

I cannot say that I do not want to go, for that would be a lie. We have been working for a long time with a single purpose in my. mind to be so equipped that we would meet and defeat our enemy. I do want to go because it is my part. Barr, you have made my life full of everything I could ever dream of. My complete happiness should be a token of my love for you. Good night, my beautiful. Every time I say beautiful, you about kill me, but you'll have to accept it. And I just love that. I love not only the just intense and so pure love that he had for Barbara. And there are a lot of other parts in this book where he's talking to his mom about how much

he loves her and just thinks that she is the most wonderful woman. Not only that, but also his equal bravery that was really only rivaled by his love for Barbara and how eager he was to go fight in a war because of his patriotism and because how much he loved his country. I think that's extremely rare these days. That letter was written in 1943. and I think sums up very well, not just how they felt about each other then, but how they felt about each other and what we saw throughout their lives. They were the longest married presidential

couple ever in history. I think it was 73 years or something like that. So I know that she left an amazing legacy and I know that her family is going to miss her dearly. But I think that she's one of those lives that we look at and we can model our own after and pursue the things that she pursued with the same kind of vigor and passion. And anyway, so I definitely am praying for their family. And I just love the Bush's. I think that they are just a classy, wonderful American patriotic family. So I encourage you to look into her life for inspiration and look into the life of George H.W. Bush and definitely look into their marriage, which I think is very, very sweet. Okay.

All that to say, this is a long podcast for me, kind of. So you're welcome, by the way, for those of you who have been asking for a longer podcast. I hope that you all have a great day and I'll see you next week.