Glenn's FULL keynote speech from the Restoring Love event

July 28, 2012

Wilson

Writer

Exclusive Live & On Demand Coverage of Restoring Love Available Now on GBTV Plus - Click for Details

With all the problems in the world…

And with politicians giving all those speeches…

Doesn’t it feel good to do the work?

Just stop whining……

And roll up your sleeves!

One million meals have just left the stadium.

We’re feeding the hungry in 11 cities.

There are churches…

That can worship again when it rains…

Because we –

YOU – put a roof up.

The elderly…

The lonely…

Those who are afraid…

We said to them.

Be not afraid!

For we are with you.

And we will be your shelter.

Shelter from the storm.

Those who came with your parents.

I want you to get used to ….

Seeing them in action.

And tell your parents this:

“Mom, Dad…

I liked doing this.

I liked YOU doing this.

And I don’t want this…

To be a one-day thing.”

Hold each other to that promise.

Because this is your inheritance.

This whole event is about you.

We did this for you.

It’s about what you watch on TV….

…it’s about your music, movies and school.

It’s about your America …

The America we are building for you.

Right now.

We talked tonight about America’s history…

The pilgrims… George Washington…

…Abraham Lincoln… Martin Luther King….

And these men… they are part of history.

And you may be thinking…

…that’s history! I hate history!

All those guys are DEAD!

But that’s not true.

History is always alive.

History breathes. It doesn't belong behind glass.

It belongs to you.

History is where we learn…

…who we really are.

Everything we have…

Everything we enjoy…

Was done….

By someone else….

Before we were born.

The America we have today …

… is what someone else created for us.

We inherited America…

…this America …

…from our parents and grandparents.

What we have…

They built.

We can’t be blamed for what they did wrong.

And we can’t take credit for what they did right.

We didn’t fight their wars.

We didn’t march with them.

We didn’t build the schools.

That was done for us.

And we will do that for our children.

That’s how an inheritance works.

You can’t control what you get from your parents…

But you can shape what you leave behind.

If you get an inheritance…

You can improve on it.

Or you can spend it…

The story of America …

…is filled with great families.

The Rockefellers. The Carnegies. The Vanderbilts.

Some have grown in prosperity.

Some have spent it all.

In Newport, the mansions sit high on cliffs.

But the families that built them…

Can’t afford to live there anymore.

They inherited something great…

…but they lost it all.

All they have is their famous names.

If this can happen to a great family…

…It can happen to a great country.

We must not become America in name only.

We must always strive to be a great country.

We don’t have to spend our inheritance.

We can build on it.

Invest it. Improve it.

Make it bigger and better.

That’s your choice. It’s our choice.

Our inheritance is America.

And we have to decide…

…Are we going to spend it all?

…Or will we make the dream bigger?

Tonight: I charge each of you with a mission.

No matter your age.

No matter how you got here…

Or how far you traveled.

A mission.

To act.

To commit.

To shape the future.

To do one pure thing:

Make America better than it is today.

Build a bigger inheritance…

Do what we’re supposed to do…

For our children.

Every generation of America faces this challenge.

Every generation.

Some succeed.

And some fail.

Those who have failed

Failed because…

They waited for someone else to act.

They found out much too late that

When you wait for someone to help you…

…That someone will show up….

…And sometimes…

…They may give you a push.

But far too often they will push you around,

There is a difference between getting pushed…

…and getting pushed around.

Two results

Two choices

For two types of people

There ARE two kinds of Americans.

Not Democrats and Republicans.

Not God-fearing and God-doubting.

Bigger than those differences.

Much bigger.

I think there are two kinds of Americans.

Those who like to be pushed.

And those who push themselves.

Those who see our problems and refuse to see our blessings.

And those who see our problems as our blessings…

Tonight: I ask you:

Which are you?

Where do you stand?

With those who like to be pushed?

Or those who push themselves?

Each of us likes to think…

We won’t get pushed around.

But history tells us that’s not the truth.

We know that sometimes…

It’s easy to do nothing.

Not long ago, America was divided by race –

One white, with rights…

And one black, without rights.

Some said: “This is the way it has to be…

“We just have to live with it…”

That’s what a lot of people believed…

…thought… and said.

Whites believed. And some blacks did, too.

There was….

… another way of looking at things.

A small number of men and women…

…They saw injustice.

And they knew it wouldn’t last.

They said: “America is a great nation,

“and it is capable of justice.

“America has the tools to be great…

“And one day, America will be great…

“We will tear down Jim Crow.

They didn’t say we might overcome.

They said: “We shall overcome.”

Martin Luther King said it was his DREAM.

But it was not his dream.

It was the American destiny.

He did not wait for the arc of history to bend towards justice…

He and millions like him pushed…

They pushed and they pushed uphill.

They pushed and they were pushed back by water cannons.

They pushed and they were pushed back by billy clubs and tear gas.

They pushed and they were pushed back on the bridge at Selma.

They pushed and they were pushed off the bus in Montgomery.

They pushed and they were pushed into jail.

They pushed and some gave their lives…

But they never stopped pushing.

And in the end…

They bent history towards justice.

That was their inheritance to us.

WASHINGTON, LINCOLN and KING

They are the American story.

Each gave their whole life to America.

And what they built…

Has lasted for 236 years.

They did not see a completed America in their days.

And it’s never finished.

They saw a void…

…and filled it.

AND SO SHALL WE.

Now…

Where’s that card?

Worth $2.8 million!

You’re not holding an asset.

You’re holding a man’s life!

You’re holding a man’s legacy!

The man on that card.

Is Honus Wagner.

He was a great player.

But his card’s value…

Comes from a different greatness.

We remember him not just because…

He was a great hitter.

We remember him

…because he stood for something.

It couldn’t have been easy.

Back in his day…

Everyone smoked or chewed tobacco.

But he wouldn’t smoke.

And they put…

…an ad for cigarettes…

…on his card.

Right next to his name.

His name!

Honus Wagner was a Christian man.

He didn’t smoke. He didn’t chew.

So he was faced with a choice.

He stood up.

He didn’t want his name…

Next to something he opposed.

He refused to bend.

He refused to comply.

And so while there were others…

Other players…

Other great baseball players…

Honus Wagner’s card is the one…

Everyone wants.

Honus Wagner is the name we remember…

Honus Wagner is the card with the most value.

This card is telling us something.

Something that Honus didn't know at the time.

This card is screaming

Pleading to be heard

"Do the right thing!

It is the only way….

…. to create lasting worth and great value."

You see…

History isn't about a bunch of dead guys…

Staring at us sternly…

From the textbooks.

And the paintings.

History’s great figures

Are talking to us still…

If we just listen.

History isn't in museums.

It's here.

We are creating it right now.

Everyday.

With every single choice.

Will we do the easy thing or

Will we stand….

…and create something of lasting value?

It is an easy choice

But it is not an easy commitment.

Commitment is where it starts.

The Puritans had it easy.

All they had to do was make it through the winter.

George Washington?

All he had to do was beat the British.

Abraham Lincoln?

All he had to do was keep the Union.

Martin Luther King?

All he had to do was get Americans to listen to the words of the Declaration of Independence…

…That all men are created equal.

…And endowed by their Creator…

…With freedom.

What’s our challenge?

We don’t have to build a nation.

We don’t have to conquer racism.

We don’t have emptiness in our stomachs.

No.

What we have is a void…

…A void in our hearts.

An emptiness in our culture.

We have forgotten…

What we’re building.

And so others step in and tell us what to build.

Where to build it.

How to build it.

When to build it.

America --

We have lost our way.

You have heard me talk about this.

If you want to raise money …

… with a bake sale,

The government will stop you.

“Junk food!”

“Transfats!” They’ll say.

No bake sales!

If you want to give food to soup kitchens…

Don’t try to give them doughnuts… or salty snacks.

You’ll be turned away. “Unhealthy”… “Not nutritious.”

And they’ll say: “Don’t worry, we got this one.”

“We’ll take care of these people. So you don’t have to.”

But because of you,

The first of many trucks are headed out…

Right now…

To our cities…

Our American cities…

To send a clear message…

This is who we are.

This is what we were taught.

When we see someone hungry…

…we will give them food.

When we see somebody hurting…

…we will give them help.

We are Americans.

We are builders.

We are helpers.

And if there’s one thing …

…our government must NOT do…

…it’s this:

Don’t stop us.

Don’t stop us from helping.

Don’t stop us from feeding.

We. Will. Serve.

We are not a selfish people.

We are selfless.

You are the living proof of this.

You are living proof that Americans are good.

Americans are still people of action.

Americans want freedom.

Americans want justice.

We want love.

And here’s the thing:

There are millions of you.

Millions just like you.

Millions ready to act.

Ready to take up the struggle.

Ready….

To commit

To activate,

To live it …

To create….

… to restore love to America.

We will not let go.

We will not give up.

We’re not going to put our cars in neutral.

We’re not going to coast down the hill.

We’re going to do it the hard way.

We’re going to put our shoulders down.

We’re going to get behind the car.

And we’re going to push America up the hill.

Know this:

We’re never going to get to the top

But neither did they,

They did not give up.

And neither will we.

Because we are Americans.

And we will, in the end…

Have more than our great name.

We will have a great country again.

And a great legacy for our children!

We will not give up.

We will not give up our inheritance.

We will not give up the right to feed the hungry…

…the right to care for the sick…

…the right to run a bake sale!

We will not give someone else…

…the work of our hearts…

…the work that we must do.

We will do it…

…because we ARE already doing it.

I will not let go.

I will not sit down.

I will not comply.

Because I know…

I know this:

America is not done.

And if you are watching this broadcast…

In a distant foreign land…

And looking for American weakness.

Looking for surrender.

Look at this crowd!

And know that we are putting you on notice.

Witness the Third Great Awakening!

Your time has passed,

And our time has just begun!

Let this be the beginning

Commit and declare it for all to hear.

For those who count us out

Are counting on

ONE weekend of action…

…ONE weekend of speeches…

ONE weekend. ONE day.

Let this be the first of many…

It’s not over.

We have not yet begun to restore ourselves

And reclaim our country

The Puritans didn’t leave Plymouth after a day.

George Washington didn’t pack up ….

… at Valley Forge after one cold night.

He got down on one knee…

He called on the blessings of heaven.

He had firm reliance on the protection…

Of divine Providence.

God is with us.

God is our sovereign.

And with Him…

Our battle is already won.

Washington, Lincoln. King.

Even in death, they live...

And speak to us.

And so let us live fully…

Not just mark the days.

But LIVE!

As Washington said,

"deeds not words"

And for Lincoln,

The mission of the living…

Was written by those who came before.

“The world will little note,

nor long remember…

What we said here.

But rather what we dedicate…

To do here.”

History is a guide …

…not a guarantee.

It is for us the living ….

…to be dedicated …

to the unfinished work…

which they …

…who came before us

….have thus far so nobly advanced

It is for us …

To be dedicated …

To the great task before us—

that from these honored dead

we take increased devotion

To that cause

For which they gave…

The last full measure of devotion—

that we here highly resolve

that these dead

Shall not have died in vain—

that this nation, under God,

shall have a new birth of freedom—

and that government of the people,

by the people,

for the people,

shall not perish from the earth.”

That is our charge,

That is our duty,

That is our blessing,

With malice toward none

And charity toward all

Let us tonight restore Love…

…for love

will hold us together.

Love...

…will make us a shelter from the storm.

I will be my brother’s keeper.

The world will know once again…

That they are not alone.

The Americans again have arrived.

With honor

Courage

And love.

What our response to Israel reveals about us

JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor | Getty Images

I have been honored to receive the Defender of Israel Award from Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Jerusalem Post recently named me one of the strongest Christian voices in support of Israel.

And yet, my support is not blind loyalty. It’s not a rubber stamp for any government or policy. I support Israel because I believe it is my duty — first as a Christian, but even if I weren’t a believer, I would still support her as a man of reason, morality, and common sense.

Because faith isn’t required to understand this: Israel’s existence is not just about one nation’s survival — it is about the survival of Western civilization itself.

It is a lone beacon of shared values in the Middle East. It is a bulwark standing against radical Islam — the same evil that seeks to dismantle our own nation from within.

And my support is not rooted in politics. It is rooted in something simpler and older than politics: a people’s moral and historical right to their homeland, and their right to live in peace.

Israel has that right — and the right to defend herself against those who openly, repeatedly vow her destruction.

Let’s make it personal: if someone told me again and again that they wanted to kill me and my entire family — and then acted on that threat — would I not defend myself? Wouldn’t you? If Hamas were Canada, and we were Israel, and they did to us what Hamas has done to them, there wouldn’t be a single building left standing north of our border. That’s not a question of morality.

That’s just the truth. All people — every people — have a God-given right to protect themselves. And Israel is doing exactly that.

My support for Israel’s right to finish the fight against Hamas comes after eighty years of rejected peace offers and failed two-state solutions. Hamas has never hidden its mission — the eradication of Israel. That’s not a political disagreement.

That’s not a land dispute. That is an annihilationist ideology. And while I do not believe this is America’s war to fight, I do believe — with every fiber of my being — that it is Israel’s right, and moral duty, to defend her people.

Criticism of military tactics is fair. That’s not antisemitism. But denying Israel’s right to exist, or excusing — even celebrating — the barbarity of Hamas? That’s something far darker.

We saw it on October 7th — the face of evil itself. Women and children slaughtered. Babies burned alive. Innocent people raped and dragged through the streets. And now, to see our own fellow citizens march in defense of that evil… that is nothing short of a moral collapse.

If the chants in our streets were, “Hamas, return the hostages — Israel, stop the bombing,” we could have a conversation.

But that’s not what we hear.

What we hear is open sympathy for genocidal hatred. And that is a chasm — not just from decency, but from humanity itself. And here lies the danger: that same hatred is taking root here — in Dearborn, in London, in Paris — not as horror, but as heroism. If we are not vigilant, the enemy Israel faces today will be the enemy the free world faces tomorrow.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about truth. It’s about the courage to call evil by its name and to say “Never again” — and mean it.

And you don’t have to open a Bible to understand this. But if you do — if you are a believer — then this issue cuts even deeper. Because the question becomes: what did God promise, and does He keep His word?

He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations and to give him “the whole land of Canaan.” And though Abraham had other sons, God reaffirmed that promise through Isaac. And then again through Isaac’s son, Jacob — Israel — saying: “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.”

That’s an everlasting promise.

And from those descendants came a child — born in Bethlehem — who claimed to be the Savior of the world. Jesus never rejected His title as “son of David,” the great King of Israel.

He said plainly that He came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when He returns, Scripture says He will return as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And where do you think He will go? Back to His homeland — Israel.

Tamir Kalifa / Stringer | Getty Images

And what will He find when He gets there? His brothers — or his brothers’ enemies? Will the roads where He once walked be preserved? Or will they lie in rubble, as Gaza does today? If what He finds looks like the aftermath of October 7th, then tell me — what will be my defense as a Christian?

Some Christians argue that God’s promises to Israel have been transferred exclusively to the Church. I don’t believe that. But even if you do, then ask yourself this: if we’ve inherited the promises, do we not also inherit the land? Can we claim the birthright and then, like Esau, treat it as worthless when the world tries to steal it?

So, when terrorists come to slaughter Israelis simply for living in the land promised to Abraham, will we stand by? Or will we step forward — into the line of fire — and say,

“Take me instead”?

Because this is not just about Israel’s right to exist.

It’s about whether we still know the difference between good and evil.

It’s about whether we still have the courage to stand where God stands.

And if we cannot — if we will not — then maybe the question isn’t whether Israel will survive. Maybe the question is whether we will.

When did Americans start cheering for chaos?

MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND / Contributor | Getty Images

Every time we look away from lawlessness, we tell the next mob it can go a little further.

Chicago, Portland, and other American cities are showing us what happens when the rule of law breaks down. These cities have become openly lawless — and that’s not hyperbole.

When a governor declares she doesn’t believe federal agents about a credible threat to their lives, when Chicago orders its police not to assist federal officers, and when cartels print wanted posters offering bounties for the deaths of U.S. immigration agents, you’re looking at a country flirting with anarchy.

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic.

This isn’t a matter of partisan politics. The struggle we’re watching now is not between Democrats and Republicans. It’s between good and evil, right and wrong, self‑government and chaos.

Moral erosion

For generations, Americans have inherited a republic based on law, liberty, and moral responsibility. That legacy is now under assault by extremists who openly seek to collapse the system and replace it with something darker.

Antifa, well‑financed by the left, isn’t an isolated fringe any more than Occupy Wall Street was. As with Occupy, big money and global interests are quietly aligned with “anti‑establishment” radicals. The goal is disruption, not reform.

And they’ve learned how to condition us. Twenty‑five years ago, few Americans would have supported drag shows in elementary schools, biological males in women’s sports, forced vaccinations, or government partnerships with mega‑corporations to decide which businesses live or die. Few would have tolerated cartels threatening federal agents or tolerated mobs doxxing political opponents. Yet today, many shrug — or cheer.

How did we get here? What evidence convinced so many people to reverse themselves on fundamental questions of morality, liberty, and law? Those long laboring to disrupt our republic have sought to condition people to believe that the ends justify the means.

Promoting “tolerance” justifies women losing to biological men in sports. “Compassion” justifies harboring illegal immigrants, even violent criminals. Whatever deluded ideals Antifa espouses is supposed to somehow justify targeting federal agents and overturning the rule of law. Our culture has been conditioned for this moment.

The buck stops with us

That’s why the debate over using troops to restore order in American cities matters so much. I’ve never supported soldiers executing civilian law, and I still don’t. But we need to speak honestly about what the Constitution allows and why. The Posse Comitatus Act sharply limits the use of the military for domestic policing. The Insurrection Act, however, exists for rare emergencies — when federal law truly can’t be enforced by ordinary means and when mobs, cartels, or coordinated violence block the courts.

Even then, the Constitution demands limits: a public proclamation ordering offenders to disperse, transparency about the mission, a narrow scope, temporary duration, and judicial oversight.

Soldiers fight wars. Cops enforce laws. We blur that line at our peril.

But we also cannot allow intimidation of federal officers or tolerate local officials who openly obstruct federal enforcement. Both extremes — lawlessness on one side and militarization on the other — endanger the republic.

The only way out is the Constitution itself. Protect civil liberty. Enforce the rule of law. Demand transparency. Reject the temptation to justify any tactic because “our side” is winning. We’ve already seen how fear after 9/11 led to the Patriot Act and years of surveillance.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic. The left cannot be allowed to shut down enforcement, and the right cannot be allowed to abandon constitutional restraint.

The real threat to the republic isn’t just the mobs or the cartels. It’s us — citizens who stop caring about truth and constitutional limits. Anything can be justified when fear takes over. Everything collapses when enough people decide “the ends justify the means.”

We must choose differently. Uphold the rule of law. Guard civil liberties. And remember that the only way to preserve a government of, by, and for the people is to act like the people still want it.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stand with Voddie Baucham’s family in this time of loss

In the quiet aftermath of a profound loss, the Christian community mourns the unexpected passing of Dr. Voddie Baucham, a towering figure in evangelical circles. Known for his defense of biblical truth, Baucham, a pastor, author, and theologian, left a legacy on family, faith, and opposing "woke" ideologies in the church. His book Fault Lines challenged believers to prioritize Scripture over cultural trends. Glenn had Voddie on the show several times, where they discussed progressive influences in Christianity, debunked myths of “Christian nationalism,” and urged hope amid hostility.

The shock of Baucham's death has deeply affected his family. Grieving, they remain hopeful in Christ, with his wife, Bridget, now facing the task of resettling in the US without him. Their planned move from Lusaka, Zambia, was disrupted when their home sale fell through last December, resulting in temporary Airbnb accommodations, but they have since secured a new home in Cape Coral that requires renovations. To ensure Voddie's family is taken care of, a fundraiser is being held to raise $2 million, which will be invested for ongoing support, allowing Bridget to focus on her family.

We invite readers to contribute prayerfully. If you feel called to support the Bauchams in this time of need, you can click here to donate.

We grieve and pray with hope for the Bauchams.

May Voddie's example inspire us.

From isolation to connection: Overcoming loneliness

Loneliness isn’t just being alone — it’s feeling unseen, unheard, and unimportant, even amid crowds and constant digital chatter.

Loneliness has become an epidemic in America. Millions of people, even when surrounded by others, feel invisible. In tragic irony, we live in an age of unparalleled connectivity, yet too many sit in silence, unseen and unheard.

I’ve been experiencing this firsthand. My children have grown up and moved out. The house that once overflowed with life now echoes with quiet. Moments that once held laughter now hold silence. And in that silence, the mind can play cruel games. It whispers, “You’re forgotten. Your story doesn’t matter.”

We are unique in our gifts, but not in our humanity. Recognizing this shared struggle is how we overcome loneliness.

It’s a lie.

I’ve seen it in others. I remember sitting at Rockefeller Center one winter, watching a woman lace up her ice skates. Her clothing was worn, her bag battered. Yet on the ice, she transformed — elegant, alive, radiant.

Minutes later, she returned to her shoes, merged into the crowd, unnoticed. I’ve thought of her often. She was not alone in her experience. Millions of Americans live unseen, performing acts of quiet heroism every day.

Shared pain makes us human

Loneliness convinces us to retreat, to stay silent, to stop reaching out to others. But connection is essential. Even small gestures — a word of encouragement, a listening ear, a shared meal — are radical acts against isolation.

I’ve learned this personally. Years ago, a caller called me “Mr. Perfect.” I could have deflected, but I chose honesty. I spoke of my alcoholism, my failed marriage, my brokenness. I expected judgment. Instead, I found resonance. People whispered back, “I’m going through the same thing. Thank you for saying it.”

Our pain is universal. Everyone struggles with self-doubt and fear. Everyone feels, at times, like a fraud. We are unique in our gifts, but not in our humanity. Recognizing this shared struggle is how we overcome loneliness.

We were made for connection. We were built for community — for conversation, for touch, for shared purpose. Every time we reach out, every act of courage and compassion punches a hole in the wall of isolation.

You’re not alone

If you’re feeling alone, know this: You are not invisible. You are seen. You matter. And if you’re not struggling, someone you know is. It’s your responsibility to reach out.

Loneliness is not proof of brokenness. It is proof of humanity. It is a call to engage, to bear witness, to connect. The world is different because of the people who choose to act. It is brighter when we refuse to be isolated.

We cannot let silence win. We cannot allow loneliness to dictate our lives. Speak. Reach out. Connect. Share your gifts. By doing so, we remind one another: We are all alike, and yet each of us matters profoundly.

In this moment, in this country, in this world, what we do matters. Loneliness is real, but so is hope. And hope begins with connection.