How to Stop the Seismic Cultural Shift Threatening the Next Generation

America is facing a moral and cultural crisis like never before. In his new book, Fault Line:  How a Seismic Shift in Culture is Threatening Free Speech and Shaping the Next Generation, author and journalist Billy Hallowell explores the battle being waged against our foundation through the mainstream media, the entertainment industry and the educational system. He also offers practical steps for all Christians to take and provides advice on how to respond to these growing problems. Hallowell joined Glenn Wednesday on radio for a lively discussion.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN:  I'm going to look something up here.  I'm looking -- I'm reading Billy Holloway's book Fault Line.  And he says how to be able to solve this, one, you have to be informed.  I think we're informed on this story.

PAT:  Yes.

JEFFY:  We are.

PAT:  I think so.

GLENN:  Then don't tell me what you believe, live what you believe.  What are your values and beliefs?

PAT:  Okay.

JEFFY:  We put on the red, white, and blue flag.  We believe in America, amen.

GLENN:  Okay.  Got to make sure you're living it.  

PAT:  Right.

GLENN:  So the people that were wearing the red, white, and blue, they were living what they believe.  It wasn't about -- it was team spirit for their school.  Why is it that somebody else is -- why is there a problem here?  Most likely because people on the other side took offense.  That was coming from them.  Not from the other side.

PAT:  Right.

GLENN:  They took offense to it because they weren't informed on the subject.  They didn't know these guys did this all the time.  And they're not living their principles of, I am a refugee from a very oppressed place, and I'm coming to the United States for shelter.

PAT:  And the United States is taking me in.  So I should enjoy seeing those --

GLENN:  Hello.  I'm grateful that I live in a place with diversity.

PAT:  Yeah.  How about the fact that I'm at a basketball game looking at other students wearing red, White, and blue, rather than I'm looking out the window at an ISIS fighter slicing the head off of somebody?  How about that?

GLENN:  All right.  All right.  All right.  All right.  Okay.  I got it.  

Let me -- can I get Billy Hallowell on?  

Billy Hallowell has a new book called Fault Line:  How a Seismic Shift in Culture is Threatening Free Speech and Shaping the Next Generation.

This is really important to pay attention to.  Because the facts and figures in this book are accurate.  And they are going to fundamentally transform us.  Billy, welcome to the program.

BILLY:  Hey, thanks for having me.  

GLENN:  So let's go to -- you talk about in the book, you say, you know, one of the biggest faults we have -- and I don't want to misquote you, but basically that it is the line between being tolerant and being relative.  And we have slid into moral relativism, where we need to be tolerant, but it has been used against us.  How do we -- first, give me the facts or the stats on this.  And then tell me how to fix that.

BILLY:  Yeah, we've got over half of the country saying that it's up to cultures to figure out what they think is moral.  Right?  So there's this baseline of morality that's completely gone.  I mean, the majority of us are saying, oh, you just have to decide for yourself what you believe to be true.  And that's specifically true with millennials.  Fifty-one percent of millennials believe that truth is relative.  So you have a big problem there.  

And so that's sort of the starting point.  How do we fix it?  Well, you've got to acknowledge the problem first, which is that the Hollywood content we've seen, media universities, all three of those have really reshaped the culture.  We've allowed that to happen.  And we've allowed that to happen because so many of us have disengaged.  

So my big solution to this, and this is from a 30,000 foot level in fault line is that we've got to get engaged.  We have to make good Hollywood content.  We have to make -- you know, get involved in media.  We've got to be professors.  We've got to be out there.  People who are Christians, conservatives, people who are complaining -- you know, it's great to complain, but what are you going to do to fix the problem?

PAT:  Yeah, we got to -- we have to make an impact in the culture.  It's interesting that you note in the book, Billy, that 35 percent of millennials have no faith whatsoever.  They're atheist or agnostics.  Is it 35 percent?

BILLY:  So that number, in fact -- and it's crazy because every two years, you know, a new study will come out.  It was 2015 that Pew first came out saying it was about 34, 35 percent.

PAT:  Wow.

BILLY:  Now we've got a poll out saying it's about 39 percent.  Now, those people are -- and here's sort of the hope.  They're atheist, agnostic, or just unaffiliated.  And the biggest chunk are unaffiliated.  

But those are the people who we're going to lose, right?  If we don't go out there and bring the message to them, we're going to totally lose them.  

But the hope is, hey, they're not agnostic, they're not atheist.  They believe in something.  But because of this chaos that we've created in culture and that we've allowed, they're just not sure what that is.  So would he give you to get that message to them.

GLENN:  But, Billy, I think the churches are approaching -- most of the churches -- many of the churches are approaching these things all wrong.  They're still coming at it with the -- with the -- with the same style of message.  The message has to remain true.  But the same style of message.  And if -- if it's not the same style, it's just the -- the same kind of almost judgmental message.  Except now it has, you know, fog machines and -- and rock bands behind it.  People are not -- millennials are not interested in talk.  They're interested in, show me the results.  Do it.

BILLY:  Absolutely.  And so we've got a lot of Christian actors, which is great, right?  A lot of Christian journalists, which is wonderful.  But we need actors who are Christian, directors who are Christian.  I mean, look at Hacksaw Ridge.  Look at some of these films that tell really good stories.  And I think Christian moviemaking is great.  God's Not Dead.  All that is fine.  If you want to preach to the choir, that's great.  But that is not going to solve this problem.  We have got -- I know you've talked about this a lot over the years.  We have got to get engaged.

And I think the whole point here, you know, with this book is to show the problem, right?  These numbers -- you mention the statistics.  A lot of us don't know.  We kind of have a feeling that Hollywood is off.  The media is off.  Universities are off.  We see these anecdotal examples.  But we don't really have the data.  

And I wanted to really put that data out there and sort of show that there's this triangular dominance and sort of what I call this progressive privilege that has existed in these areas for too long.  And, yes, we've got to complain about that, like I said.  But we have to figure out how to tell the stories and do it in a way that reaches people and shows them, not just tells them, the message.

STU:  There was a video that came out, it went viral, Billy, right after the -- after the election, that I saw a lot of people posting.  And it was -- you know, a lot of the left was kind of coming out and saying, how could this have happened, Donald Trump won.  Here's a guy who, you know, said he was going to grab women in ways and look how crass he is.  How is this -- the culture allow this.  The culture is getting so much more crass.

And this person pointed out, hey, wait a minute.  Have you guys noticed that every piece of our culture -- forget the president -- every piece of our culture has become more and more crass over a long period of time, and it's been cheered on by the left.

And you really go through that in the book, in that the development -- as we've gone through on television and movies, has become much more advanced to that -- the anti-faith sort of side.  And many people haven't even noticed it.

BILLY:  Well, and that's why, you've got to look at the numbers, from like 2007, 2002, to 2014 and 2016.  When you look at what Gallup has measured and others have measured.  I mean, moral acceptability on so many issues.  

Even -- even polygamy, you go down the line, it's insane, because of the relativism, what people are now willing to accept.  We've got, you know, 67 percent of the country saying that having a baby, you know, outside of marriage is morally acceptable.  Seventy-two percent, saying divorce is morally acceptable.  

And these numbers have changed dramatically, even within the last decade, decade and a half.  And we have been pushing -- we have allowed this to be pushed out.  We haven't been effective in our messaging.  

And I think, you know, Fault Line really kind of leaves people convicted a little bit.  And I hope, you know, it has us thinking, how can we do this?  Not all of us can be directors, actors, you know, professors.  But, you know, we have to figure out how -- how we can at least encourage people, good people who have their values in check, to enter into these arenas.

GLENN:  I have to tell you though, Billy, the answer really is living it ourself.

Look, Donald Trump -- you can blame Donald Trump on a lot of things if you want to talk just about him to the left.  You know, they try to, "Well, you take responsibility for him."  You know who Donald Trump is?  Donald Trump is the first Howard Stern president.  That's what he is.

PAT:  Hmm.

GLENN:  He's a guest on Howard Stern that loved Howard Stern.  Played hard.  And we all laughed.  And we all thought it was great.  And some stood against and said, "No, this is immoral.  This is wrong."  And those people were driven out of society because they have sticks up their butt.  But this became the mainstream culture.

And, look, that's just how guys talk.  Yes, they do talk that way.  On Howard Stern.

And now we seem to have a problem.  The left does.  Because they don't -- they don't like that.

Well, okay.  But you -- you were fine with it.  You were totally fine with it in Hollywood.  If anyone dare says like clean films -- or clean pure flicks, whatever that is, where they want to edit and make things less crass, how dare you don't touch my art.

BILLY:  Well, they've created this environment.

GLENN:  Right.

BILLY:  They've created this very environment, which is so fascinating to me.  Everything that Donald Trump has represented and everything that both candidates represented in the general is basically what they have created.

And so they're kind of relishing in that and trying to figure out, you know, well, how did we get here?  Well, turn on prime time TV, and you'll figure out how we got here.  There's nothing you can watch with your kids outside of The Middle and maybe a couple of other shows.  So...

GLENN:  We tried to say that this is why character matters in the '90s when the women's organizations were defending Bill Clinton as just a rogue.

No, that's like saying what Donald Trump said, well, that's all the way men -- no.  If that is the way men behaved, men shouldn't behave that way.  Those are boys that behave that.  Men do not behave that way.  But it requires us to be consistent.  And I like this about your book.

You know, you talk about how most people can't even tell you what they believe.  95 percent of Christians, according to Billy in his book, cannot tell you what they believe.  Well, that's a real problem.

The first thing we need to do is figure out what we believe.  And then live it.

BILLY:  Absolutely.  Living it out.  That's the example we set, right?  So we've got to do that.  And we've got to encourage other people, particularly millennials, because that's the generation this most impacts.  Although, I'm sure the generation behind them will be hit even harder by this.  We've got to figure out how to have that presence.  But doing it by living it first, I think is the most important.  And that's what I encourage in Fault Line.  And people can get more information at HallowellFaultLineBook.com.  

GLENN:  Billy Hallowell.  The name of the book again is Fault Line.  Billy wrote for TheBlaze for a long time.  And I'm so proud of you.  And proud of your success and to see where you're going.  Thank you for everything you're doing.  Billy Hallowell.

BILLY:  Thank you, appreciate it.

GLENN:  The name of the book again is Fault Line.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE