Rick Green: 0:09
Welcome to the intersection of faith and the culture. It's WallBuilders. We're taking on the hottest topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective, and our programming, if you've been listening for a while, you notice the music changed. Well, our website changed as well. You want to go to WallBuilders.Show WallBuilders.Show if you want to pick up on any of the shows that you missed, especially this week. So yesterday and the day before we actually had the beginning of this presentation from Tim Barton speaking at the Pro Family Legislators Conference. We're going to get the conclusion today, so let's jump in right now. Here's Tim Barton at the Pro Family Legislators Conference.

Tim Barton: 0:43
There's a letter from Abigail that she writes John Quincy Adams. She says I haven't heard from you in a couple months and I feel terrible because I want to know if you're okay. I don't know what's happened to you and I hope you're okay, but she writes them in this letter Some encourage me, she says now, while you're in France. They're not like we are, so you need to be. Don't be like them, right, they don't know Jesus. You need to be different. So part of what she says in this letter it's great. She says adhere to those religious sentiments and principles which were early instilled into your mind and remember you are accountable to your maker for all your words and actions. Now, some of us, right, remember I had a grandmother when I was young. I could go play. I could be gone for hours, right, they didn't know where I was, they didn't care, they weren't worried. But if I was going to play with my friends, if I was going to do something, my grandmother had this finger that would come up. She would say you remember, god is always watching. Right, like, you can go have fun, but you're going to still be accountable. This is what Abigail is telling her son. Right, god is always watching. Well then, the letter gets really fun to me because she says dear as you are to me, I'd much rather you should find your grave in the ocean or an untimely death crop you in your infant years, rather than see you in a moral, wicked or graceless child. I hope you drown in the ocean. Love mom, right Like that. How bizarre is this. And yet think about what happened. Proverbs 226, remember where it says train up a child in the weather you go when they're old and want to depart from it. What does she do in that letter? She was instilling an eternal perspective. It would be better for you to die early, connected to Jesus, than for you to live a long life rejecting faith, going your own way. She knew what was eternally important, and this is what he learned as a kid. Well, as in. By the way, this is one of his early portraits, which I really appreciate, because it just tells us that all of us had bad yearbook photos, right, like that's. That's just all, it is Okay. So, as he grows up, when he was 10 years old, he got official congressional appointments to be the secretary to America's diplomat over to Paris. Well, who was the secretary or who was the diplomat that he was secretary for was his father, John Adams. And if you look at a 10 year old being your secretary, right, we might think, okay, that's a little much for a 10 year old. Okay, yes, today we would think that. But I would point out, back then most kids graduated school between 11 and 13 years old, right? So so for a 10 year old to do this, don't think of it today, 10 year old, this might have been a lot different. And I can verify that John Quartianus was a pretty special young man because when he was 14, he received a second congressional appointment, this time before the throne of Catherine the Great in Russia, and his job this time he was a somebody secretary. He was part of the diplomatic team. He was the official interpreter for the delegation. Now, why is a 14 year old your interpreter? Because he was already fluent in six languages, one of them being Russian. It's not bad for a 14 year old, right? That's a pretty good start. Well, he was just starting his career because, as he becomes a young man, in his early 20s, George Washington becomes president. George Washington chose John Quartianus to be a diplomat and, by the end of Washington's presidency, washington says that John Quincy Adams was the best diplomat America ever had. John Adams becomes president. John Adams again, choose the son, America's top diplomat, John or Thomas Jefferson becomes president, and if you remember the tense relationship between John and Thomas Jefferson at this point, well, at the end of John Adams presidency he calls the son home and says hey, I don't want you working for that guy, you come on home, right. So he comes home, he can actually get elected as a US Senator under Thomas Jefferson. When James Madison becomes president, james Madison actually chooses John Quincy Adams again to be America's top diplomat, which he actually is the one that negotiated the end of the war of 1812. Also worth noting, he was appointed and unanimously confirmed to be on the US Supreme Court, but he was over in Europe and he said I don't really I don't want to come back, just to be on like some judicial something. He said I would much rather be over here making a difference. How little did you think about the Supreme Court in the days that you're like I don't want to sit on that thing? I mean I'm just saying, right, like, how much has that changed over time? There's a different perspective of founding fathers used to have about the limited role of the judiciary and even the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, under James Monroe, he became a secretary of state. Then he became the sixth president of the United States of America. This is one of the most impressive resumes of any American period ever. And he wasn't done Because, as you guys, many of you might remember the story, after being president he went and he served in Congress. Why did he go back to Congress? Because if you've been a president and then you're going to be one member of a huge body, that seems like a major to motion. But what he said is there's a great evil that is yet to be remedied. He became the leader of the anti slavery movement in Congress and he was so much of a leader they gave him the nickname the hell hound of abolition, because they said this is the one issue he's locked onto, he's not letting it go. And he was the leader of that movement. Well, as the leader of that movement, there's a lot of really fun stories where they still they would have days. That part of the First Amendment says you can petition Congress for redress of grievances, right? Well, he, as the leader of the anti slavery movement, when people would send petitions against slavery, they often would come to his desk because he was the leader of the movement and so there were days he would go to the floor of Congress and he would present these petitions. And there was a day they said that he had more than 900 petitions that he was going to read through against slavery. At that time the majority of Congress was pro slavery. So the idea that you're going to listen to all these petitions against slavery, they said we're not doing it. So they went to rules committee and they passed a new rule. The rule became known as the John Quincy Adams gag order, officially Okay. The rule said that you are not allowed to bring up any topic that's already been considered, especially slavery. It was to make sure this guy would not talk about slavery anymore. Well, he didn't stop. He kept talking about for year after year. They censored them, they tried to expel them, they tried to reprimand them. It didn't stop them, he just kept going. One day, reporter came to Mr Adams you have been fighting against slavery for all these years and yet Congress has not been in favor and you haven't had your measures passed and your bills have been struck down. How do you stay motivated when you've not been successful? His response was based on his life motto. He said his life motto was duty is ours, results are God's. What he told the reporter it's only up to me to do the right thing, it's up to God what happens after that. Right, he understood, this is my call is to do the right thing. Well, he continues on and you know, every two years there's new congressmen elected, and so his very last he was in Congress for 17 years. His very last term in Congress there was a freshman who was elected and the freshman joins the anti-slavery movement and John Quincy Adams, as a leader of the movement, he's making all these speeches, right, he's in committee, he's doing all this work against slavery and there's a lot of people at this point whose minds have been changed, who've joined the movement. The movement is very strong and this is also a time in America where the abolition movement is very strong at this point, but John Quincy Adams is still the face of the political movement, our folks got to take a quick break.

Rick Green: 7:42
We'll be right back. You are listening to the wallbunders show.

Tim Barton: 7:54
This is Tim Barton from WallBuilders with another moment from American History. As the American War for Independence began, the President of Yale was the Reverend Naftali Daggett. When New Haven the home of Yale came under attack, about 100 citizens rushed out to meet the British. The Reverend Daggett galloped by them on horseback, his clerical robes flowing behind him in the wind, and he took up a solitary position atop a hill. The 2,500 British soon put the townsfolk to flight, but the Reverend Daggett continued to stand alone, firing down on the advancing troops. A British officer confronted him what are you doing there, you old fool? If I let you go, will you ever fire again on the troops of his majesty? Nothing more likely was the preacher's reply. America's early pastors personally confronted danger and courageously led their communities. For more information on Pastor Daggett and other colonial patriots, go to WallBuilders.com.

Rick Green: 8:55
Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. We're listening to Tim Barton teaching at the Pro Family Legislators Conference. I'm Rick Green, America's Constitution Coach, normally here with David and Tim both David Barton, America's premier historian and our founder at WallBuilders. But today, yesterday and the day before, we've been playing for you a presentation that Tim gave at our Pro Family Legislators Conference. If you're not familiar with that, by the way, it is a phenomenal opportunity for legislators from across the nation that have a biblical worldview, that they care about the Constitution, that want to restore our nation. It's a chance for those kind of legislators to come together once a year. We do this and we do it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We've been doing it for more than a decade and phenomenal results. They exchange ideas. They hear from great speakers. It's just a great, great opportunity. And one of the speakers that they hear from often is Tim Barton, and last week we shared one of his shorter presentations. This week we're sharing what he closed out the conference with and, if you missed again yesterday, the day before, it's available on our website at WallBuildersshow. But right now let's jump right back in where Tim Barton left off with his presentation at the Pro Family Legislators Conference.

Tim Barton: 9:59
John Quincy Adams as the leader of this movement. One day he got up. He thought he was going to make a speech. He actually clutched his chest, he fell over his death. He had a stroke. He actually died in the Capitol building. Well, once he died, the political face of the movement is now gone. Now again, there's still very strong leaders in the movement, but there's now this pretty big gap when it comes to a political leader. So there's a lot of people that are saying we're going to carry the torch, we're going to carry the mantle. This young freshman actually was one of only a small handful that was chosen to be on a committee that oversaw the funeral procession of John Quincy Adams. And John Quincy Adams was again one of the most noted, famous Americans ever. Not only did he personally know every founding father in all of his years at the Divimat, he knew all of these kings and these royalties and the queens and these leaders. He was one of the most significant guys ever. His funeral procession was huge and I mean tens of thousands of Americans came. He was on a train and they took him to several towns. It was quite a procession as a sending off for John Quincy Adams. Well, this freshman decides that after his two-year term he's going to run for reelection. And he was defeated. But he wasn't discouraged, he wanted to continue on. He ran again and got defeated a second time for Congress. He then ran for US Senate and got defeated. He then ran for State House and got defeated. And you guys know the story right. It was President Abraham Lincoln who was the guy inspired, mentored by John Quincy Adams. And here's what's interesting is, people think today of Abraham Lincoln right being the leader, the hero, the anti-slavery movement. Why? Because he's the one that did the Emancipation Proclamation. He's the one responsible laying the foundation for the 13th Amendment ending slavery in America. But what I would point out is arguably the greatest influence in his life was John Quincy Adams, a guy who fought his entire life for something that he never saw realized, and he probably had no idea that God was using him to pour into, mentor and train the very person who would accomplish the calling a God had placed on his life Right. This is something I want to encourage you with, because, whatever stage of the game you're in, right, whether you are the John Quincy Adams with Abraham Lincoln right, if you're the John Quincy Adams, you need to find who can you pour into, who can you mentor to carry on the torch. And if you are the younger one, then you need to find the John Quincy Adams who can pour into me, who can mentor me, who can help give me guidance on this. Because ultimately, right, what happened in America? Abraham Lincoln didn't come up with this idea by himself. He didn't come up with these plans by himself. He had somebody influencing him. And one of the reasons that I also love this is because this is one of the incredible stories as we look at America. There are so many amazing stories that it really bothers me when we look at education today and kids are hearing oh, America is bad, the founding fathers were evil. And I'm like you're only, you're only getting a part of the story, and obviously even the part of the story you're getting is wrong in a lot of ways. I don't know if you remember Paul Harvey. I grew up a loving Paul Harvey, right when he would say and now the rest of the story? Our kids need to learn the rest of the story. They're only learning part of it. And what I also would point out is is even even from this perspective, as a Christian, anytime you hear something we always should think well, what does the Bible say about that? We always should go back to get guidance from the Bible. When the Bible right? Who are some of the heroes, our leaders, examples in the Bible? One of the most famous ones is King David. Now, if you think about King David from the Bible, a couple of things of note. King David was an amazing warrior. We know that he killed lions, we know that he killed bears and we actually know he did it at a very young age because before he ever goes to kill Goliath, when he stands before Saul and Saul's like ooh, I think you're a little young for this, right, scholars believe David was between 14 and 17 years old when he killed Goliath. So when Saul's like I think you're a little young, remember what David tells them. He says it's no problem, I watch my father sheep all the time and if a lion or bear comes and they take a lamb, I will chase them down and I will kill them. If he was 14 to 17, what does that mean? That he was chasing down lions and bears when he was 10, 11, 12 years old? I've been an outdoorsman and a hunter my entire life, right, if at some point I have the opportunity. Somebody's like hey, let's do a grizzly bear hunt in Alaska. I'm in, right, like that would be amazing, but I'm taking some real big guns right, this was a kid with a rock and a stick. So what do we know? We know David was real good at killing stuff. Right, I mean, it had to be. David was an amazing warrior. We also know he was an amazing worshipper. He wrote the majority, the book of Psalms. He was a man after God's own heart.

Rick Green: 14:47
Our folks quick break today. Stay with us. You're listening to the WallBuilders show. We're sharing a presentation from Tim Barton at the ProFamily Legislators Conference. We'll be right back.

Tim Barton: 15:00
Hey guys, we want to let you know about a new resource we have at WallBuilders called the American Story. For so many years, people have asked us to do a history book to help tell more of the story that's just not known or not told today. And, we would say, very providentially, in the midst of all of the new attacks coming out against America, whether it be from things like the 1619 project that say America is evil and everything in America was built off slavery, which is certainly not true or things like even the Black Lives Matter movement, the organization itself, not the statement Black Lives Matter, but the organization that says we're against everything that America was built on and this is part of the Marxist ideology. There's so many things attacking America. Well, is America worth defending? Well, what is a true story of America? We actually have written and told that story, starting with Christopher Columbus, going roughly through Abraham Lincoln. We tell the story of America not as a story of a perfect nation or a perfect people, but the story of how God used these imperfect people and did great things through this nation. It's a story you want to check out, wildbuilderscom the American story.

Rick Green: 16:05
Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. We're listening to Tim Barton teaching at the ProFamily Legislators Conference. We're going to jump right back in.

Tim Barton: 16:13
David had some amazing things in his life, but the Bible doesn't stop there. The Bible tells us about some of his kids, amnon and Absalom, that and I, amnon was the one who had a crush on his sister and rave to sister. And what did David do Nothing. And that's why Absalom gets angry that his father did nothing. And Absalom comes up with a plan where Absalom kills his brother. And what does David do Nothing? Absalom begins to think you know what? My dad's not a very good leader and I think I should be the leader. Absalom sets himself up with the city gates as a leader and says hey, don't go to my father, he's been the company. When Absalom is finally elevated himself, he thinks he has enough notoriety, enough recognition to power. He leads a violent revolution against his father. What does David do? Nothing or runs, depending on how we define that. He did nothing. In fact, at this point in scripture, the Bible has already introduced us to David's mighty men. Right like you had one dude that defended a bean patch by himself against a thousand people. If you have the mighty men, I can only imagine how frustrated they were with David. Like guys we got to go. And they're like why. I can solve this problem by myself. Like those are these people? I think the Bible doesn't tell us how this happened. I think it was David's mighty men who were, like, can we please? Like, just turn us loose, we will solve this problem in the weekend. Like, this is not a big deal, we can take care of this. What we know is, finally, David's men are able to go against the men of Absalom and also remember Absalom's, the one that got his hair caught in a tree. David's men use Absalom as javelin practice and Absalom's done. The Bible then tells us about Adonisia. Adonisia, he wanted to throw him from his father and in 1 Kings, chapter 1, verse 6, it says in Adonisia, the son whom David never corrected. The Bible tells us the father disciplines his son, elos. What we know about David? He's one of the worst fathers in the Bible, I mean generally. This dude is absent. He's unloving, he is a terrible father and arguably that might not even be the worst part of David, because the Bible tells us about a time when kings go to war and David stayed from his balcony and saw this woman of an usual beauty bathing right Bathsheba. They have the affair she gets pregnant. Well, what are we going to do. We got to do with the husband, uriah, and so David has Uriah literally bumped off, assassinated. David is an adulterer and a murderer. This is really ugly. But here's what's also interesting from a biblical perspective. The Bible, unapologetically, tells the whole story. It tells the good, the bad and the ugly. This is the biblical example. The biblical example is not to cancel the story, it's tell the whole story. Right, what's the rest of the story? But here's where it's also crazy, because modern culture, right, we would say, oh, we should cancel David. Look at all the bad he did. I would point out earlier this morning we were literally singing songs, songs that the words were taken from the Psalms of David. How are we singing songs from a murdering adult or absent, terrible, unloving father? Like, how are these the songs we are singing? Because we're right Again, remember what does modern culture tell us? We can't celebrate people that are in bad things. The reason we can sing the Psalms of David is because we have never once celebrated the sense of David and said we acknowledge that was sinful, that was awful, that was evil. We recognize bittily that sin does not disqualify you from being used by God, that God can still use people, even the ones who weren't perfect, which is everybody, because there was none righteous? No, not one. But see, this is where, as Christians, we should not see the world the way the world promotes itself, because our perspective is shaped by the Bible. What does the Bible tell us? That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners to need to save you. But if that's my starting place, what does that mean? That means, if I look back historically and we take some of the most noted leaders, some of the most incredible influences in American history, and people today say, oh, we should cancel them because they weren't perfect. Which, if you don't know, all of them had baggage, every single one of them. And culture says, well, we should cancel them. No, no, no, no. You've misunderstood the reason they were honored, the reason that we ever celebrated them. It was never because we thought they were perfect. We always knew they weren't perfect. Instead, what was happening is we were celebrating how a perfect God used imperfect people and did great things through them.

Rick Green: 20:35
Alright, folks, one more break today. Stay with us. You're listening to the WallBuilders Show.

Tim Barton: 20:45
Hey, this is Tim Barton, with WallBuilders, and, as you've had the opportunity to listen to WallBuilders Live, you've probably heard the wealth of information about our nation, about our spiritual heritage, about the religious liberties, about all the things that makes America exceptional, and you might be thinking, as incredible as this information is, I wish there was a way that I could get one of the WallBuilders guys to come to my area and share with my group whether it be a church, whether it be a Christian school or public school or some political event or activity. If you're interested in having a WallBuilders speaker come to your area, you can get on our website at www.WallBuilders.com and there's a tab for scheduling. If you'll click on that tab, you'll notice there's a list of information from speakers bios to events that are already going on, and there's a section where you can request an event to bring this information about who we are, where we came from, our religious liberties and freedoms. Go to the WallBuilders website and bring a speaker to your area.

Rick Green: 21:48
Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. Here we are listening to Tim Barton teaching at the Pro Family Legislators Conference. Let's jump right back in with him.

Tim Barton: 21:55
And so when we are seeing this cancel culture, you need to know that is one of the most unbiblical perspectives ever for lots and lots of reasons. And even though I say this, let me point out one of my favorite places to help Christians really understand this Hebrews 11 is known as our faith hall of fame. We're told to look to the ears of the faith who have gone before us and let their lives be an example to us of how we should walk in faith. It starts chronologically and as the list moves on, let me just let me point out, if you're not really familiar with some of these stories, I just want to highlight a few real quick for you. Because Noah amazing faith. It's never rained before, ever. God's like, hey, build a boat not near water, build it over a land, it's going to rain. Like that's amazing faith. Because it's never happened. Nobody's ever seen. That's amazing faith. The Ark lands on Marinette Owred. Noah gets off. Genesis 9, it says that Noah became a farmer. He planted a vineyard. What happens next? He doesn't just get drunk, it says he got drunk and passed out naked. His two sons had to get a blanket right back in, dropping over dad. Like that's awkward. I'm going to suggest. If we had an elder, a deacon or a pastor at our church, they got drunk and passed out naked. They're probably off leadership for a while. Right, like, let's, let's get you a little help and let's figure this out. Right, this is one of our heroes, Abraham. Amazing faith. God says hey, take all your stuff, go that direction, like, not even a specific location, just go that way. That's amazing faith. Yes, he had incredible faith. He was also one of the biggest cowards and liars in the Bible, because every time he went before another leader, the Bible tells us right, he had apparently a very pretty wife. And he would tell his wife hey, I'm afraid, like, the king's going to see you and think you're pretty and kill me. So here's what we're going to do. When the king's like who is this? I'm going to be like it's my sister. So, literally, the king's like who's a pretty lady? He's like, always, my sister, would you like her? He literally was offering his wife to other leaders. Okay, now, I know, in 2023 we have some confusion of virgin roles, but I would suggest what should be fairly obvious is that if you are the man of the relationship and danger is coming towards your family. You do not offer your spouse as a sacrifice to save yourself. It is the exact opposite the man puts himself between danger and his family. It's not what Abraham did. Abraham was a liar and a coward. If you go on to Moses, moses was a murderer, rahab was a prostitute, samson was a womanizer All kinds of sexual issues. David was a murderer, adulterer, terrible, absent, unloving father. This is the most jacked up list of heroes and we're like, hey, look to those people, they're awesome. Have you ever thought about why did God give us such a jacked up list of people? I think there's a couple reasons, but I would point out one of the most significant, I think, is that God willing to have hope, that if God could use them, we're never going to be disqualified. And God wants to use us too, and this is the reality. As we study American history, don't think the founding fathers were perfect angels who never messed up. They weren't. They were people Read your Bible. But what we also need to recognize just like everyone of those heroes of the faith, they had defining moments. We're in crucial times when it mattered. They stood up and God used them and did something quite significant through them. This is what I want to encourage you with as you go home don't ever, don't ever, let the devil come in and tell you you're disqualified, you can't be used, nope. Because our entire faith is built on the fact that we don't celebrate our perfections. We celebrate how a perfect God uses imperfect people and does great things through us, and that is our hope, that is our prayer for you guys. Going forward, as always, we want to be a help and assistance to you, if we can.

Rick Green: 25:46
Alright, folks, that was the conclusion of Tim Barton speaking at the Pro Family Legislators Conference. You can get all of it at our website, WallBuilders.Show. Now we still have WallBuilders.com. That's where our main website. You want to go there for any of our materials all kinds of great books and talks and videos and everything else that you can educate your friends and family with. Make sure you check that out today. Also, some really cool swag. So check out some of the t-shirts and hats and other things as well, available at WallBuilders.com. But for the radio program, it's now going to be housed at WallBuilders.Show. That's WallBuilders.Show. You can get the archives there and we encourage you, if you tuned in today maybe you just found us for the first time today or you're a regular listener, but you haven't been able to listen this week Then what you just heard was actually the last part of a three-part series of Tim Barton teaching at the Pro Family Legislators Conference. So if you want to get the full thing, go to the website today WallBuilders.Show. We sure appreciate you listening and, as always, thanks for listening. You've been listening to WallBuilders.