WallBuilders-Fortifying the Foundations

Representative Steve Tanner Attends Wallbuilders

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the Pro-Family Legislative Network conference known as WallBuilders in Irving, Texas. The WallBuilders event was a fantastic weekend of hearing David and Tim Barton, Seth Gruber, Glenn Beck, and other speakers remind us of what it means to be a constitutional republic founded upon Judeo-Christian principles as envisioned by our founding fathers.

Christian conservative legislators from 35 different states, including 8 from Idaho, attended the event. Aside from the inspiring speeches, each day included worship as well as breakout sessions where we could ask questions of other legislators that have passed meaningful legislation in their states. Topics discussed included the looming impact of artificial intelligence (AI), issues in education and civics, and the future of our currency. It is truly a privilege to be able to set aside this time to drink in new ideas and speak with legislators from all over the country about the struggles they are having.

I also had the opportunity to meet and speak with Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired by the Bremerton School District in Washington state because of his faith. He sued the school district and won his case in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1971, the US Supreme Court handed down the Lemon law or Lemon test (Lemon v. Kurtzman) which said that faith cannot be evident or practiced wherever the state pays for an event or venue. But the final ruling of Kennedy v Bremerton School District said that when certain practices have historical precedent, as religious practice does, then his actions were allowed. The Kennedy ruling basically neutered the Lemon test!

Meeting Coach Kennedy was especially meaningful for me, because he embodies what America is all about. The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are “We the People”. This is a declaration that the people are the sovereigns of this country, not a king, czar, school district, or religious magistrate. We the People put government in place to safeguard our God given liberties! That’s its function. Coach Kennedy prayed with his players and when they penalized him for it, he called them tyrants and took them to court. His actions gave the Supreme Court an opportunity to remind all of us who we are – a republic founded on Judeo-Christian principles governed by We the People!

WallBuilders is a reference to Nehemiah, who began the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after it had been sacked and lay empty for over 70 years in roughly 500 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:17). The WallBuiders conference is a reminder that We the People need to rebuild the walls that have fortified and made America exceptional – a vision of a free people, created in the image of God, having certain inalienable rights endowed by their Creator, that instituted a republic to safeguard those rights according to Judeo-Christian principles.

If God grants me favor, I would love to return to WallBuilders again to hear the vision of this great country and what makes it so great!

In Liberty,

Representative Steve Tanner