Glenn interviews Dr. James Robison on his new book

Pastor and friend of the show Dr. James Robison called in the radio program this morning to talk about his and Jay W. Richard's new book, Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It's Too Late.

Glenn had high praise for the book saying, "it is probably the best book on answers and clear thinking I have read in a very long time if you're looking for answers.  In fact, I've had a copy of it for a while now and I have read it, my wife has read it, Pat has read it.  All of us are saying absolutely fantastic book."

"The book is a great reference," Glenn says, "it's clear-thinking and concise." It is a great resource both economically and spiritually as a guide for Americans to pave the path back to a strong economic spiritual foundation. The co-author of the book, Jay W. Richards, is a former Marxist. Now a devout Catholic, he does a fantastic job taking on the ideas of socialism and communism, especially those that tied Jesus to the ideas of these ideologies.

Glenn asks Dr. Robison about this topic in the book, "Was the early church communist, was Jesus Communist?"

"Absolutely not," Robison replied. "They had all things in common only because they had the love of God overflowing in their heart. When they saw a need, they were anxious to meet it. We still are today. And one reason people do not go ahead and address the needs is they've already paid so much money to the federal government and they've been told the federal government is supposed to take care of all these problems which they absolutely have not and cannot. You cannot separate the compassion connection. The early church was anything but communist. They shared in common the needs of the people around them because they were so full of the love of God. No one came in and took their property and distributed it according to their own discretion. It was something that came out of the overflow of the love of God that was in their hearts. And that is as far from communism and collectivism and statism and progressivism as anything on the planet."

Dr. Robison, who recently was a guest host on The Glenn Beck Program interviewing MLB star Josh Hamilton, says the wrote this book with the intention of getting America back to it's roots of faith and personal responsibility. He says Indivisible provides "the steps necessary to really get us out of the pit of depression and debt and defeat and get us back on the road to success and peace and prosperity where we're going to be able to address the needs of the poor."

Robison went on to talk about how he was able to achieve the American dream, and how the attitude of being able to overcome personal struggles to do the same is being erased by the mainstream media and the left. "I came out of poverty, and I didn't come out of poverty in a fatherless home because someone taught me to hate everybody that wasn't in poverty and to resent those that had succeeded.  I looked out and saw success as a possibility for me in poverty, and I went for it.  And I started at age 12 and I found out we can live the American dream if we don't allow the general public and the upside down world view that's prevailing in Washington and throughout the academic community and through much of the media, if we don't let that upside down world destroy the opportunities that we have, we can literally see the greatest days America has ever experienced and we can continue to be the most benevolent and helpful, compassionate nation on the planet."

Glenn reads a LOT of books, and very few recieve the amount of praise he is giving this one saying it is "one of the best books that I have read in a while, and very clear." Glenn has said previously you know God is active when he speaks in multitudes. This morning he said that this book is echoing the messages of his prayers, saying, "these are the answers. This is not just about faith. This does have Biblical backing behind it, but it is also really good political thought. a way for you to understand it, a way for you to debate it, a way for you to, like he said, put the armor on, because you know what's true."

Pick up a copy of Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It's Too Late by Dr. James Robison and Jay W. Richards today.

Read the Full Transcript Below:

GLENN: There's a book that just came out. It's called Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family and Freedom Before It's Too Late. It was written by a friend of mine and a former Marxist and it is probably the best book on answers and clear thinking I have read in a very long time if you're looking for answers. In fact, I've had a copy of it for a while now and I have read it, my wife has read it, Pat has read it. All of us are saying absolutely fantastic book.

Last night I'm laying in bed and I bought it on Amazon so I could have it on my iPad because this is a book you will reference, and it is ‑‑ it's clear‑thinking and concise like this. Just listen to this one paragraph: When we talk about poverty, we often compare the poverty of some with the wealth of others, as if the wealth of some causes the poverty of others. The problem with our international global economy, argues Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, is that the wealth of the world goes from the poor to the rich. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and poorer. But the gap between the rich and the poor does not automatically mean that wealth is just transferred from the poor to the rich. In a market economy, it is as wrong to say ‑‑ as saying that the health of some causes the illness of others, or the intelligence of some leads to the ignorance of others. Steve Jobs and his many well‑paid employees didn't get rich by stealing iPads from homeless people. In fact, this "gap" thinking can actually prevent us from helping the poor.

Now, if you just know that one paragraph and you are in a debate with your friends and you can say, "And the rich just keep getting richer," and you just remember that one paragraph, you win. The name of the book is Indivisible. James Robison is on with us now. He is the co‑author with Jay Richards. Hey, James, how are ya?

ROBISON: Glenn, I'm fine, and I really enjoyed hosting your program last week. No one can fill your shoes but I did think the Josh Hamilton story was quite encouraging to people who have been defeated. I want to thank you and I just want to say to you that any of your viewers who come to appreciate what you stand for and what you've told them they should be concerned about and they really would like to have some body armor to fight and win this culture war and to correct our nation's catastrophic course and get us back on a safe course, we have append in Indivisible the steps necessary to really get us out of the pit of depression and debt and defeat and get us back on the road to success and peace and prosperity where we're going to be able to address the needs of the poor. And I came out of poverty, and I didn't come out of poverty in a fatherless home because someone taught me to hate everybody that wasn't in poverty and to resent those that had succeeded. I looked out and saw success as a possibility for me in poverty, and I went for it. And I started at age 12 and I found out we can live the American dream if we don't allow the general public and the upside down world view that's prevailing in Washington and throughout the academic community and through much of the media, if we don't let that upside down world destroy the opportunities that we have, we can literally see the greatest days America has ever experienced and we can continue to be the most benevolent and helpful, compassionate nation on the planet. And the American people want that, Glenn. That's why when you talk to them, you see that they resonate with your concern. And the people that really care, here's the real problem they have so often. They are taking care of their family and they are doing what they should do, but they haven't realized that someone else is taking this nation in an opposite direction that really is dismantling and destroying everything that gave them an opportunity to be prosperous and to understand personal responsibility and to have a good home. And we've got to get the people active right now. And I join with a Catholic and here I am an evangelical protestant evangelist and I'm working with a philosopher from Princeton who was once a Marxist socialist himself and a liberal and God almighty changed his life just like God changed your life and changed my life and we've now come together to, really as people of faith who love families and understand what really matters ‑‑ and yes, poverty matters, but the government's war on the poverty's proved to be a war on the poor and a war on the wealth‑creators. And I want to ask all the socialist‑minded people, the progressive socialists, where do they think they're going to get the money to support all their redistribution of the wealth if they destroy the ability to produce the wealth?

I mean, we are literally being governed right now by the most inverted world view you can ever imagine, and every time our leaders think they're pulling up, they're taking us further down toward total collapse and ruin. And it's time for the American people to stand up, get suited up like one talk show host said, put on the body armor that's found in Indivisible and let's become the city set on a hill that cannot be hidden and let's pierce this darkness and illuminate the way. And Glenn, it's time to do it and we can do it, but we must start now.

GLENN: I only asked one question and I mean, that is the ‑‑ you are one of the best monologuers I think I've ever run into.

ROBISON: You know, I didn't even have a TelePrompTer.

GLENN: I know. Let me take you to a couple of highlights in the book because what the book does is ‑‑ and James, I can feel your influence in it but I also can feel the Marxist influence in it, a guy who turned his life around. He knows, he knows right where their argument is, and the two of you then take it apart.

There's several things in it. Let me start with ‑‑ let me start with the global aspect. I just got back from Rome this weekend. I was with ‑‑ we called a conference of Tea Party, if you can call them that, leaders from all over Europe. They're freaked out of their mind by what's coming. I was in Greece. I met with the Vatican in Rome. They all also are very concerned about what's coming, and it is a global effort. You want to talk a little bit about globalization that you talk about in the book?

ROBISON: Well, here's the thing, Glenn. The last 0 years I worked all over the world. Our ministry's active in 50 countries and we've been alleviating poverty with a compassion connection and I find the American people and the people in Canada and Australia and even in the U.K. who understand the importance of compassion, I find them joining hands to really undergird works that change lives, whereas our government tends to turn money over to foreign governments and it has no oversight. The infrastructure was promised by other governments never takes place and our corporations and our government don't even care to give it the oversight enough to make the changes.

What I am seeing that is absolutely fantastic right now, however, on the part of the people around the world, there's a real desire for someone to come in and show them the way. I just met with a lead missionary in Africa. As a matter of fact, the Clinton Foundation actually gave him the award for their effectiveness on the mission field and they are our mission organization. And he was telling me about all of the opportunities to develop through a free market ideology and philosophy, the most unbelievable resources to benefit the people of Africa. As a matter of fact, Jay and I point out clearly in the book that we here in America, even because of many of our subsidy programs, we have diminished the ability of the third world countries to be productive even in agriculture. And we have moved so away from our founding principles that we're having a negative effect on a world that's in desperate need. And I tell you, Glenn, the stage is set. You talk about making an impact on the vote, people all over the planet are praying for us right here in America. They realize that the very ‑‑

GLENN: They are.

ROBISON: ‑‑ future hopes for freedom and advancement depends upon the decisions we make right here in our country now. So the stage is set for something great to happen but not in a one‑world government but with the love of God and the truth of God being shared in action and not just in words.

GLENN: Is ‑‑

ROBISON: So the stage is set for us to touch the whole world. The world is ripe right now.

GLENN: Is the ‑‑ I love this part of the book. Is the early church, was the early church, was Jesus a communist? (Sniffing.)

ROBISON: Was he ‑‑ you're asking me was it socialist?

GLENN: No, no, I'm asking ‑‑ that's one of the topic headings here. Was the early church communist, was Jesus Communist?

ROBISON: Absolutely not. They had all things in common only because they had the love of God overflowing in their heart. When they saw a need, they were anxious to meet it. We still are today. And one reason people do not go ahead and address the needs is they've already paid so much money to the federal government and they've been told the federal government is supposed to take care of all these problems which they absolutely have not and cannot. You cannot separate the compassion connection. The early church was anything but communist. They shared in common the needs of the people around them because they were so full of the love of God. No one came in and took their property and distributed it according to their own discretion. It was something that came out of the overflow of the love of God that was in their hearts. And that is as far from communism and collectivism and statism and progressivism as anything on the planet. It is the exact opposite. And David, as George Gilder said in the book, Jay Richards and James Robison prove this persuasively and concussively how the social and economics cannot be divided and how what we do in the social and moral community affects the economic. And I tell you, Glenn, you started off on the right track, you're on the right track, your viewers and your listeners know it and I really do believe that we're going to see the greatest awakening, I think we're going to see the next great awakening. It must happen.

GLENN: I will tell you that while I was over at the Vatican, it was said to me several times exactly what you're saying: That they're very concerned. They're more concerned about us than they are about them. Because if we fall, the whole world falls. The Western way of life falls. Who is there to protect it? And they ‑‑ I mean, I ‑‑ it was amazing to me how many people in very powerful positions were saying things like, "I don't know if you guys know what you're up against because you guys are asleep at the switch." But this is a global movement against freedom. This is a global ‑‑ this is ‑‑ you know, honestly, James, this is what it talks about in the last book of the Bible about a one‑world government. This is it.

ROBISON: Absolutely. Well ‑‑

GLENN: This is the basis of it.

ROBISON: The support coming our way from countries like Australia's staggering. We were getting unbelievable support to our ministry and our outreaches and the message we're delivering. And when I get the notes from Australia, I'm talking about strong support. I'm talking about major gifts. You know what the people ‑‑ they don't even get tax credit. They are sending it because they say you know what? If you lose your understanding of freedom and if you don't stand, the whole world is teetering on the edge of collapse. And they are praying for us. I'm telling you people all over the world are praying.

GLENN: I tell you, James, it's really ‑‑

ROBISON: This is our chance.

GLENN: It's really ‑‑

ROBISON: This is our chance.

GLENN: It's really strange you bring up Australia because I was over in Rome and I was having dinner and I just felt so strongly. I said to the crew, we're going to Australia. And they said, what? I said, I don't know why, I don't know when, but we're going to Australia. And it's strange that you would bring them up. We get a lot of mail from Australia as well. One of the, one of the people who is now kind of doing research for me, she's from Australia. And the stuff that is coming out, the Australians know. That's the other side of the globe. And they're very nervous because if America falls, Australia and New Zealand become Chinese. They fall under the darkness of China.

ROBISON: Glenn, you and I, you're going to be with me on our program and we're going to be talking about ‑‑ and I did say this on your program last week. Being George Washington, with all of our flaws, if we will assume the great character qualities that he had and stand together. And if people will understand the message that you delivered in that book and then coupled with Indivisible, which I pray everyone will rush to the bookstore. As a matter of fact, I'm on this, the bus with Premiere speakers that you travel on a lot, and we're about to walk in the Barnes and Noble here in Tampa. Right now as I'm talking, I'm five minutes from being in there to sign the copies of Indivisible. We'll be in The Villages a little bit later in the day, Glenn, which is where I talked to you the first time.

GLENN: That's right.

ROBISON: And you said while you were there, God showed you that you had to make a course correction yourself in order to do what God wanted you to do.

GLENN: Yeah.

ROBISON: We'll be at The Villages in just a FEW hours and then we'll be in Jacksonville AND coming across the country. Glenn, if people get the message that you shared in that book ‑‑ you haven't written a book that people didn't need to read in my opinion. But also if you take Indivisible and we get this out, I'm just going to tell you and I'm going to say it. You can call it prophetic or you can call it a foolish prediction. You get a good percentage of America reading those two books and I believe really going and getting Indivisible so they put on this body armor to win the culture war, we are going to correct our course. And it isn't just about this election, as important as this election is. It's about a new understanding of the appropriate correct direction and doing the necessary corrections that must be made. And I pray people will go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble or go to all the bookstores because it is in the bookstores today.

GLENN: Okay.

ROBISON: And let's get America reading this book. Let's get on our face before God and then let's stand on our feet for God.

GLENN: James, thanks very much. Have a good time in Tampa and The Villages later today and God bless and I'll see you soon, my friend.

ROBISON: And regards to Tania and I've been praying for your back. I hope it's stronger.

GLENN: Thank you. It is. Thank you, James. Bye‑bye. All right. Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family and Freedom Before It's Too Late. I am telling you, and Pat, I think you would echo these words. One of the best books that I have read in a while and very clear. The same kind of stuff that I am, I'm hearing in my prayers, these are the answers. This is not just about faith. This does have biblical backing behind it, but it is also really good political thought, a way for you to understand it, a way for you to debate it, a way for you to, like he said, put the armor on. Because you know what's true.

PAT: Yeah. Because so often you get trapped on something that somebody will surprise you with and you're not ready for. After this book I think you're going to be more ready for those debates.

GLENN: You are. And it's just really, really clear and easy to read. My wife said ‑‑ she picked it up and she was reading my copy, I don't know, a couple of weeks ago and she said, man, James' book is real ‑‑ my wife never reads my books. And she said, James' book is really, really good. And I said, it is, isn't it? She said, I could not put it down. Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family and Freedom Before It's Too Late. James Robison and Jay Richards, available in bookstores everywhere.

 

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

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Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

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Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

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When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.