Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to the intersection of faith and culture. It's the WallBuilders Show taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective. And just to show you how good we are at WallBuilders, we can do this while frozen. Now, I know all you people outside of Texas, you think we're wimps here because it gets below freezing and we freak out and everybody stays home, but 18 degrees is not Texas. I think you guys have nine degrees where you are in Jacksboro and Aledo. And all these northern Texas places, but down here, or, you know, practically close to the border in Fredericksburg. Okay. It's three hours away, but still, you know, if it gets below freezing, it's freezing. Anyway, Texas is surviving. It's our second Icemageddon in five years. And we're doing better this time around than we did before. For those of you that have, have been asking. Rick Green here with David Barton and Tim Barton, all of us with fireplaces and staying warm and recording from remote locations for today's program, Matt Krause, I had a chance to interview him a couple of days ago about the 10 Commandments. We'll have him on a little later. With that interview, but guys, y'all stayin' warm? 

David Barton [00:01:08] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm not sure what the issue is for you guys in South Texas. I mean it's pretty funny. Actually, I was texting with a cowboy friend up in Wyoming and they've got, I mean is a great place, we help them do roundups up there. And on their ranch, the old Deadwood stagecoach road from Deadwood, I mean he goes right through their, their place. So, I mean they are literally Western. And so, since the last couple of days, I've been out chopping ice and hauling water to the horses and breaking, breaking the snow so they can get at stuff. I mean, it's, I wrote him and said, you know, I I've been thinking of you a lot the last couple of days, cause you do this every single stinking day, you know, you're 30 below and you're doing this and I got to do about once or twice every five years. And it's you know that that's cold for us in Texas, but it's nothing compared to where the rest of those guys are. 

Rick Green [00:02:00] Yeah, you're so right David is for us. It's literally every few years. We don't even get it every year. And for a lot of our listeners man, they deal with it every day for long seasons, even I, we had a couple that was here last week from Alaska and they were talking about, you know, the limited amount of time in, in the year when they don't have to do it. But they also get those super long days of daylight in the summer with like, you, know, 24 hours of daylight. I think the three of us, we would probably never go to bed, man. We just work. We would work 24 hours a day if that was our, our situation. ANYWAY for all of our friends across the country, because this storm really did hit, I mean, what was it? It was well over 50% of the country that got some sort of ice snow or something. And so a lot of our listeners are dealing with the same things, but God bless them, stay safe, and please, Lord, bring back the hot weather to Texas. Let's jump in. Matt Krause is gonna be talking about 10 Commandments. Of course, you guys went down and helped pass the bill in Texas for 10 Commandments, and other states, and Bible in schools, I mean all these great victories that. Really, we're just returning to what made the country great in the first place. This is not new stuff. We're just getting back to the good stuff that made America great in the first place.

Tim Barton [00:03:05] Yeah, and, and I think guys, especially with some of the unfoldings and happenings over the weekend, when we think about all of what's going on in Minnesota and, you know, another person that tried to interfere with a legal operation, that person was armed. Of course, the police engaged, discharged their weapons. The person was killed and social media has kind of melted in many ways. With a lot of people going, oh my gosh, you know, how could this, you know, America, this nation and we have no morals and we're Christians, you know, why aren't we crying out of this, et cetera, et cetera. I thought this, this is such a great point of why we have to move back to restoring that, that moral foundation, because what the Founding Fathers explained and understood from the beginning. Well, when John Adams has the famous quote from that letter to the militia of Massachusetts, where he says that our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people, it is holy and adequate to the government of any other. As he explains, America will only remain in function as long as we have the morals that allow us to function as free members of a society. Once we lose that moral foundation that allows us to function, we will no longer be able to operate the way that they have the Founding Fathers envisioned, etc. Which kind of a side note on that. It also reminds me of in the midst of the revolution when John Adams wrote Abigail as it's, he was just traveling like crazy that the sacrifices that he was making, not being with his family all the time on board ships or in meetings. And, and he writes back and is a little bit, reminiscing, frustrated, it not sure that people are fully appreciating the sacrifices being made. And this is when he kind of quips to Abigail that he, what he wants to tell people, his posterity. You will never know how much it costs my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you make good use of it. Or I shall repent in heaven that I ever took half the means to, to Dad, do you remember how the quote finishes? That I ever took half the mean to preserve it, defend it, something I'm saying it for memory, so I could look it up and, and quote the whole thing. It's enough for people to go find it. But the fact that he is acknowledging the incredible sacrifice. And if we don't make good use of it, we're going to lose it. And what allows us to preserve it is that religious moral foundation. As, as we are seeing all the things that go on guys, it just, it reiterates in my mind, the dire necessity as we're seeing places and we should celebrate. And we are when in, in Fort Worth, the one of the top 20 largest cities in the US and actually the only one that is conservative of those top major cities. And they do an unveiling of the Ten Commandments. I got to be there and give a little speech for it as they're opening it. I mean, super cool. I loved being a part of it, but this is what we have to restore or we will not be able to endure and function as a free society. 

Rick Green [00:06:07] Yeah, in fact, that quote, Tim, I can't remember how it ends either, but that is my wife, Kara. That's her, I think that's her favorite Founding Father quote. It is such a challenge to it and we need to recognize that. And if we don't study these things, we won't know. I got to say something about WallBuilders and the radio program. And I hope this fits into the, you know, not to think more highly of yourself than you ought, but to think soberly. And I, and I don't think this is thinking more highly of us. I think it's thinking soberly. I think we do a pretty good job of being intellectually honest and being consistent. And you mentioned this thing in Minneapolis. We have always said, whether it was the BLM riots of 2020, whether it January 6th at the Capitol, whether it these things in Minneapolis, wherever it is, we have always consistently said, you don't fight law enforcement. You don't go in and physically be violent with law enforcement that you are asking for trouble. You don't resist arrest. You don't climb through a broken window. That's the last line of defense for police officers, defending members of Congress from what was literally on that side of the Capitol, a mob. You don't take a gun into a protest situation like this where you could end up in a scuffle with police officers. So, I think Tim, it's because of what you said, that we can be intellectually honest and consistent in this. It's not based on our emotions or who the player is in that situation. Who's president, who's protesting or not protesting, it's based on the principles. And I just want to point that out because I can't say that about even some of our conservative friends. Sometimes they take the position based on who the players are. Whereas we take the positions, we try to, and I think, again, we're pretty consistent in this, we take position based on what the principles are. 

David Barton [00:07:50] Hey, by the way, I went back and looked up John Adams, just so that we're not making it up, but he says, this is April 26, 1777 to Abigail. He said, posterity, you'll never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you'll make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it. So that was his statement is don't make me regret this. And Rick picking up with where you are. You know, there's this guy that got shot and all about him being the victim. Look, when you, when it turns out you don't have any ID on you and you came in with multiple magazines, don't tell me you're a peaceful protester. I mean, in a court of law that establishes intent right there. You, you have no ID, you leave that away so you can't be ID'd and you carry multiple magazines. Not good. 

Tim Barton [00:08:39] Well, and you know, this is one of the things too, that people might argue. Well, but if he had his concealed carry permit, like guys, and this is, you know not to give away too much information, but obviously all three of us talk openly about the fact we conceal-carry all the time. It's going to be very unusual you find us without having a handgun on us. And Rick, I know for you and me often we'll carry multiple magazines and you know, pocket knives, sometimes a tourniquet. Like, I mean, we, we carry different things. So it's not crazy. That somebody might have a firearm and have multiple magazines. However, when law enforcement is doing an operation and then you go to intervene as you would call it or interfere as they would acknowledge, and then, you put hands on an officer, when you put your hands on law enforcement and you are carrying a firearm, they are carrying the firearm, there's a scuffle that goes to the ground. Because of scuffle, we don't yet have all the information. We haven't seen it all, so we don't know if in the wrestling they saw like shirt lifted, they see the gun, or if he actually reached for the gun. We don't know. We know somebody yells gun. We know they discharge their firearms and we know he goes to stand before Jesus. Like that's what we know. But the bottom line is even if you are legally carrying, when you put your hands on an officer and it goes to the ground, at that point, you've already messed up so many ways that, Dad, I mean, maybe to your point, if you're showing up without ID, it could be because you have intention and motive beyond what maybe the liberal media is pretending like he did. But even if you were an innocent bystander, you don't intervene and put hands on officer and you go to the ground where there's a firearm and there's multiple officers telling you to stop resisting and you continue to resist? I understand, I understand the, the drama surrounding it. I do. But I think there's a lot of people being led by their emotions and not by fact and the reality of the situation that is far more significant and not to derail this too much because really we do, we should go talk to Matt. 

Rick Green [00:10:45] It is a hot topic and we need it's a hot topic and we need biblical historical constitutional perspective on it. 

David Barton [00:10:50] And, you know, the hot topic is we're going to cover the 10 Commandments in Texas being in, in, and Fort Worth at Tarrant County courthouse, but the 10 Commandments also need to be in Minnesota really bad. I mean, when your populace is defending lawbreakers against the law keepers and you're going to defend illegal aliens. And by the way, the illegal aliens that are being arrested in Minnesota are the ones that have criminal records. So, you're not only defending illegal aliens, you're defending the ones with criminal records You need the Ten Commandments up there with all the Somalia stuff as well. 

Tim Barton [00:11:21] Well, literally the Ten Commandments, because yeah, so many of these people, they are stealing, they are murdering, they- they are raping, like literally things the Ten Commandments would give guidance on. So apparently there's many people that have forgotten what basic moral values are, what- what we should be upholding and defending, but fortunately guys, the good news is, in Fort Worth, out in front of the City Hall, there is a massive stone, or maybe it's granite, monument of the Ten commandments now on display, to help just remind people this is the foundation of law in Western civilization, the Western hemisphere, and specifically the foundation law in America. 

Rick Green [00:11:59] Yeah, as we're going to break here just to put that whole thing in context, I think it was Mark Driscoll, some pastor I saw online last night saying, when you call good evil and evil good, this is evil stuff. And they're literally trying to deport the worst of the worst. The ones that would, like you're saying, some of these are rapists and pedophiles and other criminal acts in addition to the criminal act of coming here illegally, they've got another criminal act. So, no doubt about it. I I'm with you, Tim, no doubt. We carry all kinds of places, but I remember right before the election I was speaking at an event that, that JD Vance was about to, was, was going to be speaking at as well. And so, I did not carry my weapon into that arena because I didn't want to be in a situation where secret service, he already had secret service protection cause it was late in the campaign, you know, I just didn't wanna just in case something happened, right? Just that one more thing. And that was the event where I got pulled over on my way back to the airport and, and literally in the middle of the highway, they shut down highway. And I got handcuffed and, and faced down in the middle of the highway, went through this whole thing and I did everything the officers told me to do. And thankfully my gun was still in my safe in the car. Bottom line is my rental car was used in a murder the day before and they returned it to Avis and I ended up being pulled over in the minute. I mean, it was a, it, was a crazy situation. And the only reason I didn't end up with extra holes in my body and dead is because I listened to every command of those officers and follow. And by the time I was all said and done, thankfully, one of the officers at the back. He goes, I was wearing all this 5.11 gear and he was like, what do you do? You know, I have my little tactical flashlight and all this. And he's like, what do you doing? I said, well, honestly, we train guys like you and, and then, and then we started talking about Biblical Citizenship and constitution class. And he says, have you ever heard of you ever heard of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills? And I said yeah, Jack Hibbs us a friend of ours. He's in our Biblical Citizenship class. And he goes, well I just trained all their security officers. So thankfully had ended up with a friend. And by the time it was over, we said we should make a video on the fact that y'all did everything right. No confusing commands. Cause this was a SWAT team that took me down and they said, you did everything right by obeying everything and we said, yeah, no accident because we followed the law and we followed what the officer said. Anyway, I just give that example to say, be smart about where you carry. Sometimes there's times when you, when you just choose not to, because of a situation like this, and definitely if you get pulled over, don't be, you know, a chip on your shoulder, don't be smartin' off. Don't be, you know. That's a time to obey all those commands. Hands on the steering wheel, windows down, light on in your car. That's just smart. And this guy was not smart about what he did. Okay, I know we're nearly out of time. We got to take a quick break. We'll come back and we'll have Matt Krause with us. Stay with us, folks. You're listening to The WallBuilders Show. 

Rick Green [00:15:39] Welcome back to WallBuilders. Appreciate you staying with us. Matt Krause, a part of WallBuilders for many, many years, legislator in Texas, commissioner in Tarrant County. And I saw his mug in the picture with the 10 Commandments unveiling at Tarrant County Courthouse. Matt, thanks for coming on, man. 

Matt Krause [00:15:57] Sorry, sorry to ruin such a wonderful moment with that. 

Rick Green [00:16:03] No, it was great, man. We're excited for you guys. And, and what a beautiful monument and leading the way of course. I just so appreciate what y'all are doing in Tarrant County. And, uh I know you and the county judge, uh longtime friends and Tim's doing great as well. So anyway, we just appreciate you and appreciate you taking a few minutes to share about it. 

Matt Krause [00:16:21] Yeah, thanks for having me on. We're really excited about what took place and so happy to talk about it. 

Rick Green [00:16:28] Is that now this is, you know, a lot of people immediately jump to, oh, you can't have 10 Commandments at a government building course. We have our big one at the state Capitol. And I think you guys actually did yours even bigger. But, what's your knee jerk reaction, not your knee jerk reaction. What's your reaction when people have that knee jerk reaction and think, oh, we're not supposed to be doing this. 

Matt Krause [00:16:49] You know, I think this is why we need WallBuilders. This is why need Patriot Academy. This is we need those groups that are teaching people or reintroducing them to the foundations and principles that America was built upon. Because if you truly understood what our Founding Fathers did, how they approached these kinds of public displays of religion and others. It would be a no-brainer. You would totally understand like, oh yeah, of course, that makes complete sense. We did this for the first 200, 220 years of our nation's existence. It's only in recent memory that we thought this shouldn't go on public property. And so, when I hear people say that, I just think, oh, I wish they were more educated in their history so that they would know this is actually following the tradition and history of America, not doing something new or novel. 

Rick Green [00:17:38] Oh man, yeah, so true. So true. And if they just take the time, maybe just to read them and say, I wonder if, I wonder if I want to be in a neighborhood where people think murder's a bad idea and stealing is a bad and we should encourage people not to do those things. You know, it's kind of like, I just, what are they against, you know? 

Matt Krause [00:17:56] That's right, I had a few media folks come up to me afterward and said, what do you say to the people that don't follow your faith tradition or your worldview? And I say, look, even if they don't share my worldview, I think we can all agree not to steal, not to kill, not to covet are all good principles. So, no matter who you are in society, these should be good guiding principles for you in your daily life. And so, and our Founding Fathers understood that because again they put each and every one of the Ten Commandments, not just the quote-unquote secular ones, but all of the Ten Commandments in statutes and laws at some place in the state's American history at some point showing the importance of that, what they thought to run societies to be governed well, you needed to utilize these principles. We should all be able to agree with that. 

Rick Green [00:18:46] Yeah, just, it's just common sense, man, just make sense. And, and again, you know, using that word knee jerk, I mean, that's really what it is. It's a knee jerk reaction when people, you know, they think they think it's a theocracy. You're making me adhere to all of your, you know, everything in your religion. I have to worship the way you want. It's just such an exaggeration. And like you said, it, it it's really born out of a, just a lack of wisdom, lack of knowledge and knowing that history and knowing, you know, this is first of all, something we should all be able to come together and agree on. I think most people want a $900 exception to a number eight, you know, and no stealing except up to $900. You know, I think having it in stone is actually a good idea.  Gavin Newsom can't go in there and just hand write, uh, except up to $900 or. 

Matt Krause [00:19:31] That's right, that's right.  

[00:19:33] It should be something we, that actually brings us together, not tears us apart. 

Matt Krause [00:19:37] Absolutely. That's what we said. This should be a unifying day. For everybody in Tarrant County, it helps us recognize the founding principles that not only our country, not only our state, but our county were built upon. And these are all things that we should rally behind. And so, it was interesting to hear people talk that you're trying to establish a religion. I'm like, well, which one, right? The Ten Commandments were given to Moses in the Old Testament, are we trying to establish the Judaism? It's also in the new in the Bible that many Christians follow. So, is it Christianity? Is it, is it this, they don't even know which religion, uh they're trying to say is being established. They've just, as you said, the knee-jerk reaction is, oh, it religious, it in the public square. That's gotta mean it's unconstitutional. 

Rick Green [00:20:20] Yeah. Hey, Matt, take us through process for a little bit, just for, you know, we've got a lot of commissioners and state reps and others that, that, that listen around the country. If they wanted to do something like this at their courthouse or state house or whatever it might be, what would be your recommendation? I mean, I know you guys obviously had to do some sort of resolution with the commissioners. You probably rallied a lot local support and groups. I mean kind of, I, I don't know, we don't have a lot of time, just a couple of minutes here, but what would be your one, two, three to those folks on how to get started? 

Matt Krause [00:20:47] Yeah. And there's a couple of different ways. Every county and every city is going to be different how you have to go about it. But we put it as a resolution on our commissioner court agenda. It was approved by a majority of the members of the board. We had a private commission set up from private citizens. It kind of helped design and give us some advice on what they wanted to see that look like from many of the faith leaders in our in our community. And then we raised funds. So private donations paid for the production of the monument, the placement of the monuments, the shipping, the landscaping, the lights from here for like the next 99 years. So, it's all privately donated. So, I tell everybody, feel free to give me a call or to reach out to me. I'll help you walk through what we did in Tarrant County. And another big piece of the puzzle is First Liberty Institute, which is the nation's largest religious liberty organization in the country, has come alongside us. They've offered to represent us for free if anybody does sue us. They've been consulting other counties around the state and around the country on how to do that. So that's another big piece. Reach out to First Liberty Institute. They can help you from the legal aspect. And if anything happens, they'll represent you for free, which again, no taxpayer dollars spent, either the production placement of the monument or the defense of it. And that should give you a lot of confidence and encouragement. I would encourage every county and every city to do it. 

Rick Green [00:22:07] Man, I agree. Yeah. And what a great time to do it too. There's the timing's incredible with the two fiftieth and people being focused on the principles that make a good nation and we're going to, you know, be great again, we got to know what made us great in the first place and, and hopefully repeat the first 250, you know, in terms of our greatness, yeah, I think it's a great for people to do it. We actually added it to our Rebuilding Liberty effort for our new course, following a biblical citizenship to make it one of the core 12 steps that were asking people to pick one of those. So, 10 Commandments might be their pick, you know, to, to do this at their county courthouse or schools or whatever it might be, or make sure their legislature gets some good stuff passed. So Matt, just thank you for kicking it off, getting it started in, in the 250th. Looking forward to seeing this just spread all across the nation. 

Matt Krause [00:22:49] Amen. That's one thing you don't have to wait for your county commissioners or city council to bring the idea up. You, it as an individual can take it to your commissioner's court or city council. We want this to be a grassroots effort around the country. And individuals, this is one way for them to restore faith in America, to reclaim our nation's history and tradition. And I would encourage folks that they live in a place that they think that they have a relationship with that commissioner's court or city council, go talk to them and see if they're willing to do that. And then others will come alongside and help them make that a reality. 

Rick Green [00:23:23] Well, and that's a, that's great, man. I'm glad you said that Matt, because, you know, I'm assuming you would agree with me on this, but when you're in the legislature or your commissioner, you're pretty busy and you got a thousand projects and things going on. So, if a, an active, excited, motivated citizen comes to you and says, hey, here's an idea and I'll help. I'll, I'll help spearhead the project. I'll kind of be your, your, you, know, your gopher and go to this stuff because you need somebody that's willing to run around and go get the support and talk to pastors, talk to. You know, fundraising businesses to donate all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, you're exactly right. You don't have to be a public servant to do this. You can be a citizen that takes this on as your big 250th project. That's a great idea, man. 

Matt Krause [00:24:02] That's right. Absolutely. Absolutely 100%. 

Rick Green [00:24:06] Love it. Love it, love it. Well, man, keep up the great work. Thanks so much for coming on. Let's get you back soon. 

Matt Krause [00:24:11] Yes, sounds great. And thank you for all the work you're doing and keep it up as well. 

[00:24:15] Well, that was Matt Krause. Thank you, Matt, for coming back with David and Tim now, guys, and just a great victory here to have the Ten Commandments. And man, not only to have those clearly foundational principles and laws about our society, but us starting to use wisdom about how we live those things out, not showing up at a protest, armed and then turn around and interfere. With law enforcement and just, what are we protesting by the way, guys? I mean, literally protesting the removal of rapists and child predators from our communities. We've lost the 10 Commandments and the wisdom that comes with it, and this is a chance to restore it. 

David Barton [00:24:50] Yeah, it is, and Matt laid out a really easy course that people can follow if they want to do this in their own community, they can do this. And by the way, about the time Tim and Matt were doing this in Tarrant County, I was up in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, dedicating the new courthouse up there where they've got In God We Trust on the outside of the courthouse and in all the courtrooms. And I say that to say that biblically, the Bible makes it really clear that if you're God conscious, you behave very differently than if you forget God. And so, anything like the Ten Commandments, or in God we trust, or anything that's a public display, a public acknowledgement of God, when you start thinking about God, your behavior changes. And that's really important thing. And so being God conscious, really advocate that, whatever that is. So, if it's Ten Commandment posters in classrooms, if it Ten Commandments monuments at courthouses, if it's In God We Trust, whatever it is, those are all really good things to do that will help restore the nation. And by the way, we've got a good friend, Rob McCoy. And he taught us how to memorize the 10 Commandments really easy with just 10 fingers and just a really cool thing. I think that video is online out there from Rob McCoy. Everybody can look it up and see it on the 10 Commandments, but everybody should at least know the basics of the 10 Commandments, whether you post them in your courthouse or not. Try to know those things and live by them, make all the difference in the world. 

Tim Barton [00:26:07] Well guys, as we obviously have to wrap the program out I'm reminded again to reiterate something I think we talked about last week that this is the time that we have to pray more we have to speak up more and we have to be more courageous than we have up to this point because we have a culture war a spiritual, war an information war happening around us and we need to be part of the solution pray more, speak more and stand up more courageously. 

Rick Green [00:26:33] Good stuff, guys! And super excited that Tarrant County's leading the way. I love it when Texas finally leads, and this is a great example of Texas leading for the rest of the nation. Thanks so much for listening. You've been listening to The WallBuilders Show.