Kirk’s legacy at the forefront of Civics Bootcamp hosted by Beckwith in Fort Wayne

This post was provided by News Now Warsaw

 

By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

FORT WAYNE — Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith hosted his first in a possible series of Civic Bootcamps Saturday in Fort Wayne, but the legacy of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday while speaking on a college campus, reverberated repeatedly.

Beckwith and a pastor from the host site, Concordia Theological Seminary, discussed the shocking death at the start of the meeting, and Kirk’s name came up at least a half dozen times during the two-hour workshop, which was organized by the Coalition for a Better Indiana with the support of Moms for Liberty.

“My heart breaks for (his wife) Erica and the kids,” said Beckwith, who considered Kirk to be a friend and had texted him three days before his death.

Beckwith, who is also a pastor at Life Church in Noblesville, said he grew to appreciate Kirk’s growing focus on religion in recent years.

“But you know Wednesday was Charlie’s best day of his life … Sitting there talking bout Jesus and all of the sudden something strikes him in the neck and he closes his earthly eyes and opens his eternal eyes,” Beckwith said.

Much of Saturday’s meeting focused on the connections between the Bible and the country’s Founding Fathers and how those apply in modern government.

The program was geared toward teachers, students (age 12+), families, pastors, business professionals, and “anyone who wants to understand the governing authorities over us.”

The crowd of about 50 people, including many older folks, paid $15 for admission. A chance for questions was set aside toward the end of the program.

The workshop was titled Civics Bookcamp, but one of the pamphlets that was part of the program was titled “Biblical Citizenship in Modern America,” which is produced by Patriot Academy.

The second title, Beckwith said, also captured the essence.

“That actually could have applied, too,” Beckwith said after the program. “And people might say, ‘Oh, it sounds a little too much Bibley,’ but I just went back and showed you what the founders were saying.”

Much of Saturday’s meeting focused on the connections between the Bible and the country’s founding fathers, but also delved into modern-day political concerns.

Kirk was viewed by some as a culture warrior, but Beckwith said that his motivation was to pull people toward God’s word.

Applying Biblical principles to business, family and government, Beckwith argued, will lead to success in those areas.

Discussion points were derived from 20 facts on the US Constitution.

Those included simple facts like the date the Constitution was signed to more complex issues like qualifications required to serve in Congress (must be at least 25 years of age, must be a citizen for at least seven years and must reside in the state where they were elected.

That led to conversations on the Separation of Church and State, the importance of having Godly people in positions of leadership and American Exceptionalism.

He said the average lifespan of a constitution in world history is 17 years, while the US Constitution is nearly 240 years old.

“What you’re seeing here in America is exceptional. It does not happen by accident … American exceptionalism is an understanding of what God did in America for his glory and his purposes.”

At one point, Beckwith illustrated the importance of Divine guidance through human counsel in a story about Jethro talking to Moses.

His point was that the government is intended to protect the rights of people instituted by men.

“This is the whole point of government — to protect your rights … This is what Jethro was telling Moses: ‘They need to fear God, they need to be men of truth and need to hate covetness,’ which is another word for socialism.”

Beckwith also equated government services to socialism and used the construction of a road as an example.

While the private sector would receive a “way better price,” he said that the government will “jack up the price” and “cut corners” on similar projects.

“This is the problem with socialism. This is the problem with big government,” Beckwith said.

The city of Detroit was another example of wasteful government spending. He said the city had thrived decades ago but has been hurt by high taxes, too much government, and a breakdown of the family unit.

“Want to see what happens when the American family falls apart?” Beckwith said as he pointed to a photo of the city in a slideshow. “This happens. Want to see what happens when Western traditional Biblical values fall apart? This happens. This is Detroit today.”

Beckwith also took a jab at former president Jimmy Carter, a devout Christian, whom he called a “brother in Christ,” but added that Carter was “kind of ignorant” when it came to how government and Christianity should apply.

Beckwith claimed Carter had said, “If you don’t want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don’t.”

“I would say to President Carter, ‘Jimmy, show me the scripture where God said to the government, take care of the poor,” Beckwith said. “He didn’t. He said the church should.”

However, numerous websites discredit the quote.

The quote has been circulating on the internet in various memes since it was actually uttered by comedian John Fugelsang in May 2013, according to Politifact.com.

Reuters news service also posted a story discounting the quote.

Statewide, he applauded Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on passage of a “Churches Bill of Rights,” which has opened the door for faith leaders to endorse candidates and not worry about the church losing its tax-exempt status.

He urged people to get involved at the grassroots level by running to serve as a state delegate or as a precinct committee member.

Efforts to get parishioners from two churches to serve as state delegates in the Republican Party eventually led 63 of them to win, which helped him in his upset bid for the nomination as the lieutenant governor.

He also urged people to get more involved and support causes they believe in.

“Essentially, do what Charlie did,” Beckwith said. “Just speak up.”

Beckwith has hosted a series of town hall meetings across the state and said they hope to host more bootcamps in the future.

He said he wants to use his office to engage and inform people and believes events like the bootcamp fall within the purview of his job.

“This was very non-partisan today. It wasn’t Republican or Democrat. This was, ‘Hey, as a citizen of Fort Wayne and Indiana and America, what can you do to help make a better Fort Wayne, a better Indiana, a better America?”

The post Kirk’s legacy at the forefront of Civics Bootcamp hosted by Beckwith in Fort Wayne appeared first on News Now Warsaw.