Values Voter Summit- Truth And Liberty Growing Across America:  Richard Harris is the executive director of the Truth and Liberty Coalition. He now has a Government School and is leading effectively in changing the culture and equipping others on how to get politically involved! Tune in now to learn more!

Air Date: 11/06/2019

Guest: Richard Harris

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note:  As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith And The Culture 

Rick:

Welcome to the intersection of faith and the culture. This is WallBuilders Live! Where we”€™re talking about today”€™s hottest topics on policy, faith, and the culture, always doing that from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective.

We’re here with David Barton, America’s premier historian and the founder of WallBuilders. Also, Tim Barton, national speaker and President of WallBuilders, and my name is Rick Green, I’m a former Texas state legislator, national speaker, and author. The three of us love bringing these programs to you.

We get some great interviews and get to talk to you about those hot topics of the day. All of it made possible by our listeners that support the program. We hope you’re one of those, but if not, if you’d like to be, go to WallBuildersLive.com and click on that donate button and become one of our supporters. You can do that with a one time donation or a monthly donation, and we greatly appreciate your support. 

Let’s dive into that biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective. After the break we’re gonna head back out to Washington D.C. at the Values Voter Summit, to pick up some more interviews out there. It”€™s gonna be with Richard Harris this time. 

We have had a tremendous amount of great interviews, former Congressman John Hostetler, Mat Staver, Aaron Metaxas, we had Dennis Prager, we had a good time out there. 

Today Richard Harris will be with us, and of course we’ve all three worked with Richard out there at the government school at Charis, and I’ve done a Patriot Academy with him a couple times, but their program now is reaching churches across the country to get them to be salt and light in their communities.

Kicking the Anthill

David:

I want to back up even beyond that, because I want to go back to Andrew Womack for a minute, because Charis, it really is a pretty big deal to get satellite campuses all over the country and all over the world. So the home campus is in Colorado Springs, and it was doing stuff that a typical bible college would do, and then a few years ago Andrew Womack said, “€œWait a minute, we need to get involved.”€Â 

He has a massive audience. I’m telling you, Andrew has a really big audience. The ratings are very high, but they’re a group that’s never been involved in the civil arena. They’ve never gotten engaged in things, in politics, or anything else. 

And a few years ago, Andrew said, “€œNo, we’ve got to get engaged in culture.”€Â 

So he started moving in a different direction. 

That takes a lot of boldness to have a very established ministry as large as that is and say, “€œLet’s kick the anthill here. Let’s kick the bucket. Let’s get this thing moving in different directions.”€Â 

Very few people would have the courage to do that. 

“€œIt’s gone really well, things are going very nicely, let”€™s stay right where we are.”€Â 

And so what’s happened is Andrew said, “€œWe need to get kids involved in the culture. We need to get citizens involved the culture.”€Â 

So that’s where they added the government school, Charis, and that’s where Andrew’s gone and said, “€œLet’s get other groups involved, and let’s get civically involved.”€Â 

The Truth and Liberty Coalition

And that’s where the truth and liberty coalition came from. So you’re taking a guy here who has millions, and millions, and millions of followers and viewers, and he’s leading them to this aspect of being civically engaged. That can be nothing but good, particularly when you come from the biblical worldview that he has, and what we’d call a more constitutional viewpoint. 

So Richard is engaged now as is kind of the general counsel, maybe even the executive director of truth and liberty. 

He helped put together a government school. But he’s got the perspective of an attorney, he understands legally what’s happening and what’s in the culture. I really appreciate the leadership of Andrew, where he stepped down and said, “€œNo, let’s do something different. Kind of rock the boat here. We got to get people involved.”€Â 

So what they’re doing in the state of Colorado is they’re engaged at the state legislature. They’re taking on the issues in Colorado, which is right now is a very, very blue state. I remembered they’ve gone from red to purple, and now they’re intensely blue, and the kind of stuff coming out of Colorado looks like the kind of stuff coming out of California, and these guys are on the ground engaged in it at the state capital and with legislators. It’s really good to see that. 

Richard Harris Will be With us After the Break

But the news is that they’re not just state and Colorado. The truth and liberty coalition is now national. The groups they’ve engaged on a national level, the way they’ve partnered and joined hands with so many other national groups, their impact now is really is massive. It’s really good what they’re doing.

Rick:

Well, quick break, and then when we come back we’ll be in Washington D.C. at the Values Voter Summit, with Richard Harris, our special guest today. Stay with us, you’re listening to WallBuilders Live.

Front Sight Training Course

Rick Greens here, from WallBuilders Live. What do Dennis Prager, Larry Elder, Ben Shapiro, Rick Green, Tim Barton, David Barton, have in common other than the fact that they’re conservative commentators that defend the Constitution?

They’re raving about Front Sight Firearms Training Institute. Go to my website right now at RickGreen.com. You can watch the video of Dennis Prager training at Front Sight, or Larry Elder, or Tim Barton and myself out there. It’s an opportunity for you to learn how to defend yourself and your family. It is a fantastic place to train. They train 30 to 40,000 people a year, and they’re just wonderful to work with. You can go with us. We’re headed back out.

We’re going to have a great time out there, and if you’re a supporter of WallBuilders, we’re going to treat you. If you’re a donor of WallBuilders, you”€™ll be able to go to this Front Sight class for free. It normally cost a thousand dollars, go to FrontSight.com right now. You’ll see that it’s a thousand dollars to attend their two-day class. You are going to be able to go for free, if you’re a supporter of WallBuilders Live.

So, check out that information at RickGreen.com and join us. We are going once a month for the next three months. You can pick one of those classes. All of our previous classes have filled up. Make sure that you get online today and get signed up. Whether you’ve never shot before, or you’ve shot your whole life, you will enjoy this class. You”€™ll enjoy the fellowship. We’ll be training on the range during the day and studying the Constitution at night. What a great combination. Check it out today at RickGreen.com.

Welcome Richard Harris from Truth and Liberty Coalition

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live! Thanks for staying with us. We are live from the Values Voter Summit, which for those that don’t know what that is, it’s a great gathering of activists that are values based from all over the country, and has all kinds of great organizations here. 

One of the speakers is going to be bringing the heat tomorrow, Richard Harris from Truth and Liberty Coalition. Richard, always good to have you brother. 

Richard:

Hey, Rick, it’s great to be with you today. 

Rick:

We’ve enjoyed working with you in the past, the government program you guys are doing a Charis, phenomenal, David and Tim come speak there every year. We also do the Patriot Academy partnership with you guys, so we’ve done a lot of cool stuff together this week. This gathering is, in some ways, a new audience. There’s a lot of people here from other ministries and other groups that haven’t been exposed to truth and liberty. So they’re gonna get fired up tomorrow when you challenge them. But first, we get a sneak peek. So tell us what you’re going to talk about a little bit tomorrow. Well, first tell us about Truth and Liberty Coalition. What you guys are doing there? 

Richard:

It’s an honor for us to be here be invited by Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council to be one of the co-sponsors here. What an amazing event and organization. Let me tell you about Truth and Liberty Coalition. The Coalition is a 501C4 that was launched by Andrew Womack and several other faith leaders, including David Barton, Lance Wallnau is on our board now, Bill Federer sits on the board as well as Karen Conrad, and what we”€™re about, in a nutshell, is the Great Commission.

The Great Commission

But when I say that people think, “€œOh, you’re out on the streets, evangelizing and that kind of thing.”€Â 

No, what I’m talking about is discipling nations, making disciples of nations, not just of individuals. I think we lose that that piece. 

By activating, educating, and mobilizing Christians to become involved in the seven mountains of cultural influence, that’s a government, that’s business, that’s education, that’s media, that’s family, that’s religion, and that”€™s entertainment.

I think God is calling the church to rise up and take our place in every area of society, not just inside the four walls of the church building. I think we’re missing that piece, and that’s why we seem to be losing this culture war. 

Jesus didn’t tell us to tell the world, “€œCome.”€Â 

He said, “€œYou go into the world.”€Â 

To do that, we’re gonna have to go like the three Hebrew children and Daniel, and go into the positions of leadership to live, speak, and demonstrate the truth of God’s word. We focused a lot on government because government has so far exceeded its God given jurisdiction, it”€™s God given boundaries, and has exerted disproportionate influence over the other mountains. 

Everything from family, to education, to business, the government is controlling it all, so we’ve got to get the church involved to stand up and represent the truth of God in that arena so that so that it can be restored to its proper role. 

Two Very Big Topics

Rick:

I heard two very big topics there that I want to try to dive a little further into. One is that you’ve got to get involved in culture and government in order to get the church’s jurisdiction back. The government has overstepped its boundaries into the family, and the church, and all those things.

So one reason Christians should be involved is just simply to right the ship in terms of who has jurisdiction, and then the other thing—so we’ll talk about that—the other thing you mentioned though, we have not talked a lot about, and I love this, I think this is what you were alluding to in disciples nations. It’s not just about the individual, we are supposed to pay attention to how a nation acts, and how a government acts. Let’s start with that one then we’ll come back to the second one, because it might even fix the jurisdictional thing.

Richard:

I think in the church today we have too limited of an understanding of the Kingdom of God. We think the Kingdom of God is something in the future. When Jesus comes, He will establish His kingdom on earth. I believe that He will, but he’s called us to demonstrate that kingdom now. 

Here’s what people don’t understand: God cares about people. He cares about our lives, and because of that He cares about government, and he cares about family, and about all these other things that we”€™re involved in.

Rick:

Because those things affect our lives, they affect how we can worship and they affect how we can raise our children.

We”€™ve Got to Change the Way We Think About the Kingdom of God

Richard:

That’s right. They affect how we think about reality. So yeah, absolutely. We’ve got to change the way we think about the Kingdom of God. 

Psalm Chapter 2 says that God will give His Son, the Messiah—we know that looking back from a New Testament perspective that He’s talking to Jesus—He says, “€œI’ll give You the nations for Your inheritance.”€Â 

In Matthew chapter 25 Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes, He’ll separate the nations, the sheep on His right, and the goat nations on His left, and He’ll say to this to the sheep, “€œYou now enter into the kingdom prepared from you from before the foundations of the earth.”€Â 

Then He says in Matthew 28, “€œGo and disciple the nations.”€Â 

So God cares about nations. 

We we kind of know a little bit about how to disciple an individual… maybe. I think we’re too limited there. If you look at the statistics on what’s happening in America—and this isn’t just American, it”€™s the whole West—but there is a falling away taking place. 

The escapist mentality says, “€œOh, it’s the great falling away prophesied! Well, we’re out of here, so it doesn’t matter.”€Â 

But that’s not love, is it? 

No, that’s the easy way out. The call of God and the heart of God is, “€œNo. You guys get in there, and get into the fight, and save this culture. Save this nation for Christ.”€Â 

So does that mean you get tagged with the label of dominionism? 

“€œOh, you’re just wanting to dominate.”€Â 

Well, that’s not true. What we’re trying to do is spread the truth. 

The Salt and Light

Rick:

Be salt and light. True salt and light. 

When we say that salt and light—we say that expression all the time—but we don’t think much about what that means. Light is a little easier I guess, because you”€™re shining truth on things, but that salt, that preservative, not only preserving the culture, but bringing out the best flavor. 

The answers God gives us in His Word aren’t just right, they work best. They’re a blessing. Nations get to enjoy the fruit of living out His principles. If you put those principles in place for a nation, the nation is getting blessed.

Richard:

That’s right. I can’t give you chapter and verse, but I know that somewhere in the law of Moses it says that God commands us these things so that it may go well.

Rick:

Yes. 

Richard:

Because He’s a good God.

Rick:

I think sometimes we think, and maybe this is kind of a part of our American mindset, “€œI don”€™t want anybody telling me what to do. Individual liberty means I can do anything I want, no matter what. I don’t want any rules.”€Â 

And as a result of that mindset we have been very reluctant, even as Christians, to look at God’s commands and say, “€œThose are a blessing.”€Â 

This isn’t some stern, strict, “€œI don’t want you to have fun,”€ rules. This is, “€œI want you to have the best things. As you said, “€œSo that things may go well with you.”€

Richard:

Yeah. It’s like it’s like the Bible is an owner’s manual. We can disregard it if we want to, but at our own peril. That car is not going to last very long if you do that. 

God is a good God. His commands are for our good. 

“€œTeach Them”€

Jesus said, “€œTeach them all things whatsoever I’ve commanded you.”€Â 

We have to do that. We have to rightly divide the word of truth. But the Great Commission is more than just the Romans Road and getting somebody saved and born again. That is essential, critical, absolutely must happen, it’s the first step in becoming a disciple, but you don’t stop.

Rick:

Absolutely right. Teaching people how to live and how to apply God’s word, as He said, “€œTo obey all of My commands”€, is critical. So that’s the truth part. 

And it’s the Liberty part right. Is that how you guys came up with the name? 

Richard:

Sure.

Rick:

You and Andrew sitting around and go, “€œLet’s see, what do we want for the name”€¦”€Â 

Richard:

I don’t know how they came up with the name. I was not in that meeting. So but we need both.

Rick:

You won’t get the liberty if you’re not teaching the truth. The misnomer today is, “€œWell if your truth”€—as if truth is different, “€œIf your truth is taught, and I have to follow your truth, then I don’t have liberty.”€Â 

We miss the fact that actually real truth produces liberty it’s what’s going to give you freedom.

Richard:

Well, that’s what Jesus said in John 8, “€œYou shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”€Â 

I like what Andrew Wommack says, “€œIt’s only the truth you know that sets you free.”€Â 

You can’t be set free if you don’t know it. So we’ve got to proclaim the truth, and you mentioned that phrase that you hear millennials and people say today which is, “€œYour truth and my truth.”€Â 

The Meaning of Love

That’s ridiculous. But the other thing you hear a lot, especially in the context of the LGBT issues, is that we just love. We just love people. 

Rick:

We”€™ve changed what that even means. 

Richard:

But love Without truth is not love. It’s fear of man. 

Rick:

Yeah. In fact, I would argue it’s it’s it’s the opposite of love. 

If I know you’re doing something that’s going to hurt your family, or hurt you, and I just go, “€œHey brother, you be you. I love you.”€Â 

Wow, I didn’t love on you very much. 

So, tell us what people at home can do if they want to be part of Truth and Liberty Coalition.

Richard:

Oh yeah. Thank you for that opportunity. Well, first thing is to check out our website, truthandliberty.net. You can go on there and subscribe, and if you subscribe then you will get our weekly email, and that’ll tell you who’s coming up on our live cast, and share our blogs with you, and also you’re eligible to receive free gifts and so forth. Our live casts are Monday night at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time. 

Rick:

This should come with some sort of—I don’t know if you wouldn’t call this a parental guidance thing—just a, “€œEveryone be warned, because they have some really weird people on the show like David Barton, and Tim Barton, maybe even Rick Green!”€

Richard:

So I think that invitation is overdue. 

Rick:

Viewer beware! It might not be pretty to look at, but it’ll be good information.

You guys do great, great stuff, and you do it quickly so people can watch that and get a lot of bang for their buck for the time they invest in watching it.

A Biblical Perspective

Richard:

Yeah. It’s an hour long live cast, and then past episodes are archived so you can get on our website and watch all the way back to the beginning, and check out our resources page on our website. We’ve got lots of things on there from how to find your congressman, to registering to vote, to a Christian prayer guide for the government, and Trump’s accomplishments, and even the recent transcript of his phone call with the president of Ukraine. Just all kinds of stuff. 

Rick:

Before I let you go—it’s almost out of time—but watching those videos is part of becoming disciples, because you guys address economics you say, “€œHey, how do I look at economics from a biblical perspective? How do I look at entertainment and all these different spheres.”€Â 

So you address that. It’s a way, as a believer, for me to get on there and go, “€œI’ve been wondering about this one.”€Â 

So you scroll through all those videos, and the topics are right there. 

“€œOK. This is one. I have no idea what the Bible says about money, economics, or whatever it is.”€Â 

Richard:

For example, if you got on those archives and you look up Bob McEwen, and he’ll go through his section for economics. 

Rick:

Yeah. Bob McEwan is a synonym for understanding economics.

Richard:

Yeah, it is. He”€™s like a translation of it. 

Rick:

If you’d like an English translation of economics: Bob McEwan. It’s true. 

Richard, you guys do great work. Bless you, brother. You”€™re speaking Saturday?

Richard:

Yeah, I”€™m speaking Saturday on the freedom of conscience, and the progressive assault on it. 

Rick:

Which continues.

Richard:

It does continue, and then it will continue until we vanquish it.

Less Liberty

Rick:

It feels like they’ve gone too far, and people are starting to say, “€œWait a minute, you’re gonna stop someone from this? Or you’re going to use the power of government to make someone do this?”€Â 

I just feel like those middle of the road people that aren’t passionate like us, they don’t live this like us, but they see this whole tolerance thing is looking to be less liberty. 

Do you think that? 

Richard:

I think there might be some of that. 

Rick:

That’s not to say the progressives are not still pushing it. I’m just thinking the culture itself is kind of pushing back a little bit.

Richard:

Our culture is not a static thing, and it’s changing, and I’ve seen some some real promising information about the youngest generation that’s coming up. What do they call them? GenZers? They’re actually fairly conservative, and they’re— 

Rick:

What are you gonna do after Z? I’m sorry, go ahead. 

Richard:

I don”€™t know. Maybe we’ll start double A? Like the batteries. 

Rick:

Generation AA?

I’m sorry. What did you say about GenZ?

Richard:

Well, the GenZers, I’ve heard that they’re actually one of the most conservative generations, according to polling that’s coming up. 

They’re more pro-life than Baby Boomers, and all these others, I don’t remember all the gens, but yeah. I think also more prone to let people talk and let them share their views. So that’s hopeful.

Rick:

They’ve seen all this safe space stuff on campus, and gone, “€œWait a minute. You know this is Lulu.”€Â 

Purpose Driven

I remember David Barton said other day on one of our programs how they are much more purpose driven. They want to do something that matters, they want to know that they’re not just floating through life. They are finding truth, and they’re seeking truth. So there’s good signs out there, man, good signs.

Keep up the great work. 

Richard:

Right. 

Rick:

Appreciate you man. Website for Truth and Liberty Coalition is TruthAndLiberty.net. Stay with us folks, you”€™re listening to WallBuilders Live.

America’s Hidden History

DAVID:

Hi, this is David Barton.

TIM:

And, this is Tim Barton, and we want to let you know about a series that’s happening right now on TBN on Thursday night. TBN is the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Every Thursday night, there’s a series that we’ve filmed called America’s Hidden History.

And, this season is called “€œAmerica’s Hidden Heroes.”€ The reason is, we highlight heroes from American history. For years we’ve been focusing on the forgotten history and heros of the nation.

And now, we have a TV show just highlighting some of those heroes.

DAVID:

These are inspiring stories about some of the greatest people maybe you’ve never heard about. We go on location to the sites and show you where the events happened. It’s the stories of folks like Bronco Charlie, Stagecoach Mary, Jedediah Smith, Robert Smalls, and so many inspiring folks.

TIM:

Now, this happens every Thursday night, and the time is gonna be different based on where you live. Either way, we think this is something that will so encourage and inspire you in learning some of these great stories from America’s Hidden History.

Sheep, Goat, Left Hand, Right Hand

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live! Thanks for staying with us today.

Special thanks to Richard Harris for joining us during the Values Voter Summit in Washington D.C.. We are back in the WallBuilders Live studio in the big city of Aledo, Texas. I used to joke with that, but it is a big city now. You guys used to be the country out here, but no more.

David:

It’s not a joke. It used to be a joke, but because it is so real, and because I love being in the country, it’s not a joke anymore. Very sad. But if you like big cities, we’re getting to be one of those! 

Listening to Richard, there were so many things he said that just were captivating may even from a Bible standpoint. He was talking about sheep and goats, and we’ve used that phrase so often in biblical Christianity about the sheep and goats, right hand left hand, etc, but I had forgotten that it dealt with sheep nations and goat nations. 

It”€™s talking in the sense of nations, and as he started rattling off all the Bible verses that say, “€œGo make disciples of nations. You’re supposed to be engaged at a national level.”€ This is not just kinda, “€œLet’s sit in our church and we’ll have a local fellowship.”€Â 

It’s great for you, but you’ve got to be nationally involved. I thought that that biblical standpoint was really, really good. 

You guys were talking even about end-time theology. The point he made was really great, that this idea of, “€œWe’ve gotta get out of here and go see Jesus.”€Â 

That’s really a very selfish idea for us. 

“€œI want to enjoy myself with Jesus, so let me get the heck out here.”€Â 

A Selfish Approach

That’s a very selfish approach. I was just listening to so many of the biblical truths that were coming out, which is just a really, really good reason to get involved. And then you guys were talking even about how the government’s outside its jurisdiction, and you’re right. The government is not going to put itself back in the box. Once the genie is out, he’s not going to get back in. It’s going to take other people doing it. That’s what they’re doing. The Truth and Liberty Coalition is helping put that genie back in the box.

Tim:

One of the things too, as you”€™re mentioning Truth and Liberty—I know that Richard mentioned it in the interview—they have a broadcast that you can view online. It really is something that—one of the things we try to do every week is Good News Friday to help encourage people with what’s going on, and there are positive things happening—well, this Truth and Liberty live cast that you can stream and see what’s going on, it’s a pretty positive, encouraging thing, because they do highlight some of the positive things that we’re seeing happen to the nation and ways people can get involved. It is an uplifting, educational, informative, and just an hour, little packed moment. And so this is really something worth considering checking out, as Richard already gave the information for it. 

Good News and Good Perspective

It is only an hour, but it”€™s really informative and they do have great people on there. Even, as you were joking about Bob McEwan being the English economic guru, and really, we appreciate Bob so much in the way he’s able to break down so many economic things, but they have so many great people on there. It is a really encouraging place to go for one hour each week. You can check it out. 

We are so grateful to see what Richard is doing, what what Andrew and Richard are doing together. Dad, you’re part of the board as well, so really good things happening from the Truth and Liberty Coalition. They are equipping people all over the nation, and it’s so important for people to tune in to get that equipping and get that inspiration.

Rick:

And then you can go out and make a difference in the elections and in your community. That’s why every believer has a responsibility to vote. It has an impact on our lives. It has an impact on our backyard, our families, our churches, and our freedom—the freedom to speak, the freedom to live out our faith, all of those things. 

That’s why we’ve been given this wonderful talent of freedom, this gift that God has given us. The Master has laid it at our feet and given it to us. When the Master returns, what are we going to say about what we did with that talent? Did we bury it and not participate in it, or did we actually invest in it work it multiplies it and make it possible for others to enjoy that same freedom? 

Rebuild the Walls

That’s what we’re about here at WallBuilders, rebuilding those foundations, rebuilding those walls, as it says in Nehemiah, “€œArise and rebuild the walls, that we may no longer be at reproach.”€Â 

Thank you for being a part of that by listening to the program, by sharing the program with others, and by donating to the program. When you go to WallBuildersLive.com and you donate, when you click on that donate button, you are helping to expand this message. You’re helping to preserve freedom and you’re helping to educate, equip, and inspire citizens all over the nation to get involved and do their part. So thanks for being a part of that. We really appreciate those of you out there that support the program and share the program through your social media tools.

Truth and Liberty Spreading Across America

It is a great part of what we do, and it’s what makes it possible for us to have the impact that we’re having. It’s getting great results because of you. Thanks so much for listening. Thanks so much for supporting. We appreciate your listening to WallBuilders Live.