Roger Marsh: Thank you for listening to Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh and the program you're about to hear was recorded in January 2022, at the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. Enjoy.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, my name's Dr. Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Council, your co-host here on Family Talk. I have a special guest with me today who is on the front lines of fighting for justice and defending life. He's the co-founder of an organization called Every Black Life Matters. His name is Kevin McGary. Kevin, such a delight to have you. Thank you for joining us.
Kevin McGary: Dr. Tim, it's such an honor and a privilege to be here and we're excited to be here for the March for Life weekend and the festivities that we will all be able to participate in over in the next few days, standing for life. This is awesome.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Kevin, set the table up for us because you and your partner started an organization called Every Black Life Matters. You're on a mission. It's a significant, powerful mission that all Christians need to hear and to take serious.
Kevin McGary: We started Every Black Life Matters as an exact response to BLM and the riotous behaviors that we saw, and really the response of the church to BLM. We thought it was perplexing because we didn't see a gospel response. We saw a cultural response and a political response. Again, we hear all the time from pastors, "Oh no, no, we don't want to be political. We don't want to be political." But on this movement, we saw all these pastors come out and take a political stance with this political movement. And for some reason, there's this sort of cognitive dissonance that BLM is not political. Excuse me?
Everything they did in 2020 was political. It was unbelievable. And so anyway, we started Every Black Life Matters in response to that because we wanted the church to have a righteous and faithful alternatives to Black Life Matter. And we wanted to really respond to not only to what was happening in culture and in our communities but we wanted the church to have the ability to respond to critical race theory. We wanted the church to be able to have a righteous response to racism. We wanted the church to have ammunition to be able to build bridges and to bring about real reconciliation.
Here's the thing, biblical reconciliation is that it was done. The reconciler that we want and need is Jesus. What we need to do is not so much to focus on racial reconciliation, because guess what? That's actually arrogant. Jesus did the racial reconciliation, folks. He actually did it, between Jew and Gentile, male and female, Heaven and earth, everything he reconciled unto himself. It's arrogant for us to say, "No, no, no, no, no. We need to do reconciliation." Excuse me, what Jesus did, is it not enough? What we need to reconcile is we need to reconcile ourselves to the Word of God. We need to recognize what is there and what has already been done on our behalf. We need to make sure that we fully embrace the gospel as it is and then we'll be able to live that out.
Dr. Tim Clinton: We have a little work to do there.
Kevin McGary: We got a lot of work.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Let me read the vision statement of Every Black Life Matters, to help individuals in the Black community grow and prosper in mind, body and spirit by eliminating disproportional injustices that hinder Black advancement. What are some of those injustices that are hindering Black people in America today that we need to understand better?
Kevin McGary: Biggest one is the one that we're dealing with over these past couple of days and what I'm here for this weekend. The biggest one. And actually, the reason why I completely dismiss these critical race theorists and these supposed professors that are standing up with their hair on fire, talking about white supremacy and all this stuff, it's because they completely dismiss this one fact about racism. The fact is, is that we do have a good example of CRT in and of itself. There's another very, very good example. It is in an organization that was started by a white supremacist who actually hated Blacks. She started it because she hated Blacks. She was a frequent speaker at the women's KKK. She was a member of the Eugenics Organization. She started the organization because she wanted to exterminate Blacks. This is her words. And her specific business plan was, I want to exterminate the Negro population.
She recognized that look, well, I can't start my storefronts and all of that with the expressed intent to fully exterminate the Negro populace, I need to sort of round off some services. Maybe we'll do some, pap smears and some other things around it. She started these family planning clinics. Today, we call them Planned Parenthood. The woman's name is Margaret Sanger. Here's the deal folks, today, 80 to 90% of all Planned Parenthoods are within walking distance of Black and Brown communities. She expressly started these clinics to exterminate Blacks. People could say what they want about, "Oh, no, no, no. What about other women's service?" We've got a lot of clinics around the United States that could provide all kinds of women's health.
The reality is, if you support this particular organization, was started to exterminate Blacks. You can try to equivocate about their mission all you want, but the fact is it's systemically racist. There's no reason why 90% of them should be in my community. Now, what about supply and demand? Here, here's your arguments for supply and demand. There is an organization called Walmart and Target. They've done all of the demographic research for where women are in the United States. If you have a sincere desire to just to cater to women, where women congregate, guess what? All the demographic research has been done, put a Planned Parenthood on the backside of every Walmart and Target in the United States and there you go, baby. To have them right in the middle, right in the middle of every single Black community in the country. Excuse me, we have an issue.
I don't want to digress too much, but here's the other issue. All of our CRT proponents, Ibram X. Kensi, Robin DiAngelo, all of these supposed professors, everyone that's screaming with their hair on fire, talking about white supremacy, not a single one. And let me put these other ones on front street. These Black pastors that are screaming in their pulpit about white supremacy and white nationalism. As a matter of fact, we even have some white ones that are out there talking about, "Oh, white nationalists, you support white... Here's the thing, folks, if you're in the body of Christ and you are being preached at with your kids and grandkids and your woke neighbors about supremacy, just ask them.
"That means you're standing with me against Planned Parenthood." "Well, no, no, no, no. Why would I do?" "Excuse me. I thought you were against White supremacy and systemic racism." And this is our opportunity to make sure that we bring these people on board to what is real about white supremacy and about systemic racism. We need to bring this organization to its knees and the only way we're going to do that is to bring out the truth about their history and about what they've done and about what they're doing to Blacks.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Through the years, Dr. Dobson has emphasized the role of fathers, the role is important across ethnicities and cultures. I wanted to ask you, Kevin, why are dads so important? And what happens when dad's fathers aren't in the picture, specifically in a Black family.
Kevin McGary: Here's the thing, biblically we saw there's biblical precedence for fathers establishing the family, fathers being the cornerstone of the family and God establishing that when fathers were not present in the home, how others in the community should take the role of the father and continue to rebuild that family. Fathers are important because they provide stability. They provide really the cornerstone for helping to provide a great example for how children and coordination, if you will, of the building of the family. I'll give you my example.
When I was growing up, my father was an alcoholic. Every day, he would roll into the house, my sister and I would roll him upstairs because he was just, he was a wreck. But he came home every night. Came home every single night but just him being there kept me in school and kept me getting good grades. People ask, "Well, were you ever angry or bitter at him because all your formative years," it was from the time I could remember until I graduated, he was a runaway alcoholic. Really didn't spend much time with him because he was all the time out of his mind. Now my mother prayed him into the kingdom. Today, they're still married, happily married 62 years. He's a mighty man of God. And this is how God redeems His kingdom.
But I tell them, "No, I learned so much in his transgressions, in his state." It taught me that I can't be casual with alcohol. I have in my family, this kind of generational curse, this kind of generational thing in my family, because his father had suffered with the same thing. I learn from him. Fathers, even in our worst condition, teach children what can and cannot be, that we learn from them. And so what we try to teach fathers when we go out and we have our conversations about fatherhood and et cetera, is look, children don't need perfect examples of fathers. We just need a father to be connected to us because in our best or our worst conditions, children are still learning from their father.
And those are life lessons that who knows what kind of great impact it's going to have or what kind of telling impact. It's when fathers are absent that children have that sort of absence in their heart and then they feel like they're unrestrained and then they go off and they start trying to look for that thing that's missing, that you know, well maybe I need to join a gang because I don't have that.
Dr. Tim Clinton: That connectedness.
Kevin McGary: That connectedness.
Dr. Tim Clinton: I think the majority of Americans would agree that the greatest social of our day is the absence of dad from the home. And when he is present, the research is profound. And what he contributes in terms of influence in his son or daughter's life. We need to get that home. We need to strengthen and encourage strong, Godly fathers. Kevin, I want to keep going here. The significance of educational choice to Black families, we know that there is a profound influence from poverty and from a lack of education and opportunity.
Kevin McGary: Yep. Two biggest differences, social anthropologists and cultural anthropologists have found two biggest differences in crime and poverty are fathers in the home and educational choice. That makes the biggest difference in being able to stem the percentage of poverty and crime in any community. We have in the Black community, significant percentages of poverty and crime and we have significant percentages of fatherlessness and we have significant percentages of public school. Our children are being relegated, so to speak, to public school. And so what's going to make a tremendous difference is our ability to get our children out of public school, ideally, and to have them either in charter or other school platforms. Could be, some kind of school choice. Could be parochial, could be learning modules, could be any other type of school choice program.
But I think that Virginia has got the right, they've got the right mechanisms now that they have a great governor. You've got his great leadership team. Oh my goodness. I envy people now in Virginia. You've got just such a wonderful, wonderful platform to really launch from over the next several years. I'm excited about Governor Youngkin and Winsome Sears and the rest of the team there. But anyway, that is really the roadmap for being able to stem the tide of crime and poverty. And look, I'm excited about Virginia and hopefully so many of the other states that'll be adopting school choice programs, especially in light of what we see public school teachers are all about. They're all about perverting our children. Now, some people would say, "Well, that's kind of harsh." No. No, no, no. Wait. The fact is, is we do have perverted sex education program. It's so gross and perverse and vile, I can't even begin to tell you what the curriculum is.
Dr. Tim Clinton: It's shocking.
Kevin McGary: It's absolutely.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Shocking.
Kevin McGary: It's unbelievable. Now people in this parts, are just now getting hip to it. It's been in California for over 10 years. And I have to tell you, it shocks the conscious.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Power, control. By the way, the suppression, censorship. Everything that's going on in our world today. It's making people really not just fearful, they're bordering on severe anxiety and confusion. This is a wild time. As we kind of wrap up today's broadcast, I want to ask you a little bit about the efforts of organizations, so called social justice groups and others. And a lot of the discussion we've had, seems to have precipitated confusion, a lack of clarity there, division and more than anything else, I guess, in some ways. What do you say to the Christian who truly wants to just love their neighbor? They don't want to be a part of anything racist. The younger generation, they're kind of looking sideways, thinking what in the world? I'm not racist. I don't even, where all this is coming from or what have you. But they've gotten caught up in the political correctness, virtue signaling piece of today's climate. What do you say to them? To us?
Kevin McGary: That's a great question. A lot of people, so we're in January, a lot of people like to do sort of their New Year's resolutions. I'm encouraging everybody to resolve in this year to repent and to forgive. Now people will say, "Well, okay. But I'm just trying to figure out how do I love my neighbor? How do I get all this racist thing?" Okay, so here's the thing. Here's where it all connects. Critical race theory would not exist, Black liberation theology would not exist or liberation theology in general, social justice per se would not exist if we were able to forgive. They just wouldn't. Think about it. They subsist on unforgiveness and CRT it's, look, you did this to this entire community of Black folks back in the day, my people got all jacked up because you White people and you're victimizers and oppressors. I have to hold you in contempt now and forever, period. And you're irredeemable and I'm not going to forgive you.
That's underlying. Now people can nuance that. Pastors can say what they want. Black pastors who embrace CRT can say whatever they want about that. But that is a fact. Now, Black pastors, I'm speaking to you. You've got to come to grips with that and you've got to forgive because your very soul is at risk. How is that? Well, read Matthew 6:9 to 15. It's right there. Read Mark 11:25 and 26. It says, look, if you will not forgive, your father in Heaven will not and dare I say, it's unequivocal, will not forgive you. Folks, we've seen a lot of people leave our body here over these past two years with COVID and everything else, just dropping dead. It's unbelievable how many people have left here.
And I know you've seen it because I've seen it and we've seen people every day. And we think we have a lot of time. We are in a time and a season where people are leaving up out of here. This is not the time to play games. I'm encouraging everybody to please make this a year of repentance and forgiveness. If you want to love your neighbor, please, the first thing you do, repent and forgive. And that means you've got to let go of these cultural themes of critical race theory, of liberation theology, social justice, because they do not allow you to forgive. They don't. They don't allow for it. Please, for your very soul, this is for you and you can do your own research on unforgiveness or forgiveness. Just do a strong, and look at every Scripture on forgiveness. It's always conditional. Every single time. I've done the research. I wanted to see, God is this really this unequivocal? Folks, it is.
Dr. Tim Clinton: And celebrate and honor the image of God in every person. When we do that, the game changes.
Kevin McGary: Absolutely. Do that.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Kevin, how can people learn more about your organization, Every Black Life Matters, and this mission you're on?
Kevin McGary: Please come visit us at everyblm.com, everyblm.com. Go to our resource column. We have, these are the things that we have for you. Some people will say, "Okay, how have you been helping environments and different?" We go and we visit churches. We do what we call Remnant Rising Workshops. We help churches and clergy and communities. We arm the community with how to engage with your teachers and with your school boards and with your city councils about the very important talking points that are important about how to be anti-critical race theory without being antagonistic. We don't want you on the FBI list so we give you all of the talking points that way. But if you go to our resource column, you'll see some CRT stuff.
They're already pre-written letters. All you have to do is put your name in there and you could send it to your school boards and or city councils and it'll help you to become an activist overnight. Those types of things are on our website. Please go visit us. We are here to maximize your freedom, to maximize your biblical understanding about what's happening with racism and we want you to be fully reconciled biblically. And so there's all kinds of resources on that as well. Please visit us. We also have the opportunity for you become a partner with us to help us to make sure that we maximize this message across the country.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Kevin, it's been a delight to have you here on Family Talk.
Kevin McGary: Oh, thank you much, Dr. Tim.
Dr. Tim Clinton: It really has been, and the stain of racism is real. We need to listen more. We need this real spirit of humility and we've got a lot of work to do.
Kevin McGary: Yeah, we have a lot of work.
Dr. Tim Clinton: But we appreciate the work you're doing and pray that God will just all lead us in a way where we do celebrate and honor the dignity of human life together.
Kevin McGary: Absolutely.
Dr. Tim Clinton: What a joy having you. Thank you for joining us.
Kevin McGary: God bless you.
Roger Marsh: I'm Roger Marsh and you're listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. What you just heard was Dr. Tim Clinton's recent conversation with Kevin McGary, the founder and president of an organization called Every Black Life Matters. The mission statement of Every Black Life Matters reads as follows, "Our mission is to protect Black life from conception to death, by confronting injustice and deconstructing barriers inside and outside the Black community, through a national platform of training, networked resources, community organizing and faith building." Kevin McGary and his team are doing important work. The disproportionate number of Black babies aborted each year is an atrocity and that is why we wanted you to hear this message today. We hope you'll take note and stand up for life in your faith walk and in your circle of influence. Now to find out more about the ministry of Every Black Matters, you can visit our broadcast page.
And of course, to learn more about Family Talk or to hear any of today's program that you might have missed, you can go there as well. Visit drjamesdobson.org/broadcast. That's drjamesdobson.org/broadcast. You can also give us a call at (877) 732-6825. A member of our team will be happy to answer your call 24/7, taking your prayer requests, praying with you or answering any questions you might have about the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. Again, the number to call is (877) 732-6825. Thanks so much for listen to Family Talk today, and for your prayers and faithful financial support. We are so grateful for our listeners and we hope that you'll join us again next time. From all of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, God's richest blessings to you and your family.
Announcer: This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
Dr. James Dobson: Many behaviorists in past years, believe that newborns come into the world devoid of personality. They're just a kind of a blank slate to be written on by their parents and the world around them. That's why moms and dads got all the credit or all the blame for everything their child eventually became. But most parents have had a hard time believing this blank slate theory. Every mother of two or more children will affirm that each of those infants had a different personality, a different feel, from the very first time they were held. Numerous authorities in child development now agree with her. One important study identified nine characteristics that varied in babies, such as moodiness and level of activity and responsiveness. And they found that the differences tended to persist into later life.
Now, this one study is only the beginning, I believe. When we have a better understanding, we'll find an infinite number of ways that children differ at birth and how foolish of us to have believed otherwise. If every snowflake is unique and every grain of sand is different from another, does it make any sense that children will be stamped out as though they were manufactured by Henry Ford? I think not. Now, no observer of human behavior will deny the importance of the environment and human experience in shaping who we are, but we are truly one of a kind from the very first moments of life outside the womb.
Roger Marsh: Hear more at drjamesdobson.org.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Hi, I'm Dr. Tim Clinton for the James Dobson Family Institute. Who inspires you on matters of faith, family and culture? If you don't already get it, sign up for Dr. Dobson's monthly newsletter at drjamesdobson.org. Each month, you're going to receive insight and news that impacts your family and solid advice that you can trust. Whether it's wisdom for parents, tips for building a lasting marriage or discernment on issues your family may be facing, you're going to find direction, encouragement and more every month. Visit drjamesdobson.org and sign up for that monthly newsletter today. And again, that's drjamesdobson.org. You'll be glad you did.