Huckabee to Disney: ‘They Have Certainly Lost Me’
The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by Walt Elias Disney (1901-1966) and his older brother Roy Oliver (1893-1971).
The company established itself through the years as the leader in the American animation industry and found fortune with its family-based, family-focused and family-centered programming. Walt Disney died in 1966 from complications relating to lung cancer.
He would have been thoroughly disgusted by those who have profaned and sullied his legacy and name.
Mike Huckabee opened his monologue last week on the demise of Disney: “[In my youth] the Disney brand was magic and Walt Disney was like everyone’s favorite uncle who was rich and had all the cool stuff. The Disney movies were dependably wholesome, family-friendly, and had a moral lesson embedded in the plot.
“Parents knew that their kids could see a Disney film and be entertained without being embarrassed or indoctrinated. Just a few years back, we took our entire family to Disney World. But the wonderful family-friendly company that Walt Disney founded is gone, replaced by creepy corporate executives who have lost their minds and will likely lose a lot of their customers.
“They certainly have lost me …
“Disney executives have outright lied about the Florida legislation that prohibits government schools from teaching sexual content to preschoolers and young elementary children. What person in his or her right mind wants 4-year-old children to be taught about homosexuality, transgenderism, and sexual expression?
“Disney execs repeated the utterly debunked lie that the bill was a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. Such language was nowhere in the bill. But it gets worse. In a conference call, other Disney leaders expressed the goal that in future Disney movies, at least half of all the characters in a film are to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or something other than heterosexual.”
Huckabee continued: “This is so outrageous it’s hard to believe that the Disney company has become such a purveyor of soft-porn and woke-ism so that instead of entertaining children with fantasy and magic, Disney’s new model is sexual fantasy, outright betrayal, and rejection of traditional values of marriage and gender, and instead of moral neutrality … Disney has opted for immoral advocacy.
“I simply refuse to believe that this dishonesty and insanity from Disney represents what American parents and grandparents want to purchase for their children. But the only way to push back against this filth is to find other products and places when you purchase entertainment for your family.
“This is no longer about party politics. A clear majority of Florida Democrats support the law prohibiting schools from indoctrinating 4- and 5-year-old children about various sexual agendas that are probably NOT the agendas of parents.”
In today’s America a battle is taking place between two distinct religions — eternal and immutable biblical Christianity versus transient and mutable secularism — vying for ideological supremacy in the public square. These two cannot coexist, as one will ultimately collapse due to the elevation of the other.
The most effective countermeasure to the current crisis is prayer, asking God to infuse the culture, override public education curriculum with righteousness, and galvanize the legislative, judicial and executive branches of local, state and federal government with the gospel fire.
Then, set in motion Jesus’ kingdom assignment from the Mount of Beatitudes — “You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13, NKJV) — by applying the preservative in the rough and tumble of the public square, eliminating moral putrescence and decay with the purifying power of salt.
A Gideon Stands in Tennessee
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has invited a private conservative college — Michigan-based Hillsdale College — to open 50 charter schools whose anti-woke curriculum will teach students the true history of America, that it is “an exceptionally good country.” Gov. Lee said that Hillsdale could open the schools using public funds, including $32 million set aside for charter facilities.
A Gideon also stands in North Carolina.
We reported in January that the American Renewal Project hosted 13 North Carolina pastors’ luncheons across the state featuring North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, in 2021. A total of 2,700 North Carolina pastors and spiritual leaders participated in those luncheons, resulting in 40-50 pastors and spiritual leaders running for local office across North Carolina this year, 2022. Pastor Neal Jackson is one of them; he was interviewed by Just The News’ John Solomon last week.
Political advisor Chuck Colson (1931-2012) once said that the kingdom of God is not going to arrive on Air Force One. Even so, Solomon presupposes activity in the political arena: “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men” (Prov. 22:29, NKJV). And: “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food” (Prov. 23:1-3, NKJV).
Dr. Bruce K. Waltke observes that dining with a ruler “assumes a close enough social relationship to a ruler to invite [one] to dine with him. [Proverbs] does not concern itself with the reason [for] the meal. The ruler’s dainties [v. 3] test one’s mettle, not merely feed someone. Proverbs is concerned with moral character, not with gastronomy.”
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford once invited pastors at one of the American Renewal Project events to “name one book in the Old Testament that is not written by, to or about political leaders.” He then offered, “I think there are three in total. I’ll make you figure out the three … Job is one.”
We close with a story told in Ronald Greer’s excellent book If You Know Who You Are, You Will Know What to Do: Living with Integrity. In the dark days of the Nazi invasion of Holland in May 1940, with Gestapo in every direction, Jews vanishing, the Dutch people forced from their homes, starved, and approximately 500,000 Dutchmen between the ages of 18 and 45 transported to Germany and forced to work in German factories, Dutch Reformed theologian, linguist and missiologist Hendrik Kraemer (1888-1965) was asked by Dutch Christians, “What should we do?” “I cannot tell you what to do but I can tell you who you are,” Kraemer replied. “If you know who you are, then you will know what to do.”
He then read to those shaken Christians the words first spoken to the early fearful Christians in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The people thanked him, left, and launched the Dutch underground resistance.
Every solution to every social and political crisis is found in God.
Thankfully, Gideons and Rahabs are beginning to enter the public square. {eoa}
David Lane is the founder of the American Renewal Project.
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