Butker kicks right issue

He’s getting an assist from For King & Country

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butler gave the Commencement Address to Benedictine College in Kansas on May 11. YouTube/Benedictine College

The days in which we live in moral mayhem and cultural chaos are not for the faint of heart.

To be a Christ follower is to be under constant scrutiny and potential attack. People want to know you truly live what you believe. That’s fair. The legacy media and the left, however, loathe God and any accountability to Him. They mock God and anyone who regards Him as relevant to their lives.

If you aren’t hauled off to jail for protesting abortions, you may be canceled for your beliefs.

After all, these are the days in which Mark Houk, a devout Catholic in the Philadelphia area, had an FBI raid on his home just a few years ago because of an incident at an abortion clinic where he peacefully protested for years. He was acquitted in 2023 and has filed a lawsuit against the FBI for malicious prosecution. “The Houcks are seeking $4.35 million in damages for the hardships and trauma brought on by the FBI’s actions,” Peter Pinedo reported for the National Catholic Register.

Since then, pro-lifers have been sent to jail following incidents at abortion clinics in Tennessee and Washington D.C. Believers may be canceled by losing their job, being doxxed, or some other diabolical tactic for having beliefs that align with the Bible, not the culture. That’s not fair, it’s unAmerican and evil.

These are hard days for the faithful to the Lord, which includes Harrison Butker.

The reactions to the commencement speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker at Benedictine College on May 11 have run from leftist hair-on-fire to surprise, in good ways.

Based on the media coverage, one would believe Butker only made statements about women, which isn’t true. He said the following to the men: (The full speech is here.)

To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.

Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree.

American men desperately need this message.

Unsurprisingly, the NFL threw Butker under the bus. Yet, brass from the same league don’t scold the thug life that is all too common as it despises traditional values at every turn.

Meanwhile, the city of Kansas City, Missouri, sent out a post on X that doxxed Butker. That wasn’t greeted kindly by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. He penned a letter to KC Mayor Quinton Lucas. The Blaze’s Joseph Mackinnon wrote: 

‘Use of government social media to retaliate against an individual based on their religious beliefs amounts to discriminatory behavior that is not tolerated under our Constitution or Missouri statute.’

‘Mr. Butker was well within his rights to discuss his religious views — views which are shared by millions of members of his faith tradition. Sadly, history is filled with examples of people of religious faith being targeted for their beliefs by government officials.’

The city issued an apology and has parted ways with the employee who sent the post.

While many on the left lost their minds, acting like Butker’s speech was a sign of the apocalypse, the response by others raised eyebrows, in a good way.

Tavia and Gracie Hunt, the wife and a daughter of Chiefs’ owner Clark Hunt, supported Butker. So did lefty comedian Bill Maher, former Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz, and actress Patricia Heaton. On Wednesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes gave vigorous defenses of Butker too.

One of the most interesting trends on social media following the speech is women, many of whom have advanced degrees and careers, doing videos stating their greatest accomplishment is being a Mother.

A promotion for the movie Unsung Hero via MovieGuide.

All of this comes at a time when the Christian band For King & Country has produced the movie “Unsung Hero” that is currently in theaters. The movie is a nearly 2-hour tribute to their parents, David and Helen Smallbone, for the sacrifices made in their 1990s move from Australia to Nashville, Tenn. 

The movie was number 2 in the nation the last weekend of April when it hit theaters. It was No. 3 in the nation on Mother's Day weekend.

“The heartbeat behind the movie is this: I believe in the power of family. I think family is more important today than it ever has been in the history of the world,” Luke Smallbone told Mike Huckabee in an interview. 

An adult conversation about the importance of mothers and fathers in the lives of children is long overdue.

Stable families are the building block of a society that flourishes.

If Butker and For King & Country serve as the catalyst for that, good for them.