Have you heard why Harrison Butker has been in the headlines for the past few weeks? For those who may not be familiar, Harrison Butker is the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. On May 11, 2024, Butker delivered a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic institution in Atchison, Kansas. This speech ignited a flurry of strong, critical, and, frankly, vitriolic responses. Why did this speech provoke such a reaction, and what can it tell us about the state of our nation and popular culture?
The Content of Butker’s Speech
While you can find recordings of the speech, I chose to read a transcript of what he said provided by the National Catholic Register. Now, I will say that this is a Catholic man speaking to a Catholic audience. Many parts of his speech touched on specifically Catholic issues, of which I have no opinion. Other parts of his remarks speak to Christian values in general, which I dig into a bit.
In his speech, Harrison Butker touched on numerous hot topics, including abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, and cultural values. He criticized bad policies and poor leadership, stating that these issues result from a pervasive disorder in our society. He notably criticized President Biden for publicly identifying as Catholic and even making the sign of the cross at an abortion rally, giving the impression that having a pro-abortion stance is compatible with Catholicism. The killing of innocent life is patently incompatible with Christianity.
One part of Butker’s speech that didn’t receive the backlash I expected was his critique of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, calling them tyrannical. He argued that people are expected to keep their beliefs to themselves if they go against the new manmade “trinity” being held up as supreme. With no other context, DEI, at first blush, seems “good” and benevolent, but as soon as you begin to scratch the surface, the corrosive acid of “anti-racist” concepts is revealed. Why this venom is being spewed in every workplace and public place is another discussion. Suffice it to say that it was shocking that this point did not make the headlines quite like other points made in Butker’s speech.
One of the top two comments that received the most criticism was, “I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn’t be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride, not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him.”
Both sexual immorality and homosexuality are explicitly referenced multiple times in the Bible as sin. Sin is bad. Sin separates us from our relationship with God. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Butker referred to the LGBTQ lifestyle as sinful, highlighting a biblical worldview on sexual immorality, which includes homosexuality. This is a biblically accurate statement. It is true. And while Butker got heat for that one-liner, the statement that got the most headlines was when he spoke about women being homemakers.
“…I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all, homemaker.[applause lasting 18 seconds] She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of husband and father.”
Butker pays the highest compliment to a title that is so belittled in today’s world. I will confess to having held a disparaging belief about women being homemakers. I don’t anymore, but I used to because, from the time I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to get married, become a mother, and pursue a career. And in my extremely self-centered perspective, I believed that since I wanted these things, ALL women should want these things too. In choosing “all the above,” I experienced the tensions and struggles that came with that decision. Homemaker has been made to be a dirty word to women today. The world would have you believe that being a homemaker is oppressive, benefitting only the man. That is a lie. God designed men and women for each other. God designed marriage between man and woman. God designed the family unit to include a father, mother, and child. Being a homemaker falls within that design.
I don’t believe that Butker was indicting women for choosing careers as much as he was lifting up a title women have occupied, and continue to today, as an essential role in the family unit. The husband is not the only one who benefits from having a wife as a homemaker; the wife and the children also benefit. Some families make a lot of sacrifices to make a single-income household work. In the end, not all families who desire this are able to pull it off, and therefore, they must have a two-income household.
The criticism Butker received from men and women alike would have made me think that he said women’s place is only to be barefoot and pregnant. Instead, I found that he paid a high compliment and expressed the true value and importance of being a homemaker.
Lessons
While many lessons can be gleaned from observing the backlash and commentary of Harrison Butker’s speech, three come to mind.
First Lesson: Think Critically
There is no place for passive and complacent consumption of news and headlines. If true journalism existed where facts of an event were reported in a cohesive manner for you to read and formulate your opinion, it is not the norm today. Opinions are more often written as news. Independent news outlets with a large readership and following are a rare breed. Most news outlets are biased and owned by big companies. Critical thinking means considering the news source you consume and seeking complete information where possible. When I saw all the negative headlines about this speech, I didn’t just accept what was posted; I sought out the transcript to read it and formulate my opinion. Critical thinking includes having self-awareness about the assumptions we bring to the table when analyzing something. We all have reactions to things we hear or read about. Examining why you agree or disagree with something will serve you far better than just feeling validated or angry.
Second Lesson: We Live in a Post-Christian World
Today’s premise and foundation of cultural morals, values, and societal norms no longer come from a Christian perspective. The erosion of a Christian worldview has been ongoing for decades. In less than 100 years, society has migrated from being able to safely assume the person you meet and talk to believes in God and the Bible. People do not fear God or respect God. To many, Jesus was maybe a cool dude or a good teacher but not the Son of God, not the standard by which we should aspire and live. Many examples can illustrate this point. Sexual purity virginity is one such example. Maintaining one’s virginity was, at one point, standard, an expectation. Abstaining from sexual activity until you got married was valued. Today, abstaining from sex or preserving your sexual purity for your future husband or wife is mocked, especially for men. Sexual promiscuity is what is normalized today. We can see this with the response from society when people don’t wait to have sex until marriage. Teen pregnancy and having a child out of wedlock were not the norm 70 years ago. Today, we have high schools with daycare centers for all teen moms and produce TV entertainment around the topic of teen pregnancy. Households with single moms are at an all-time high. Absentee fathers? Totally normal. It’s not really. It is not God’s perfect design, but society has rewritten what is normal or acceptable today.
All this is to say that where God was once the standard in society yesterday, God is no longer the standard used today.
Third Lesson: Professing Christian Values Will Bring Criticism
Jesus said this clearly in John 15: 18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
To illustrate this point, think of all the professional athletes who have physically beaten up their wives or girlfriends. What criticism did they receive in the media? They might have gotten a headline or two, but do we see the same outrage against domestic violence as we do against a man speaking about values inherent to his faith? Hardly. The disproportionate response to an illegal act of a man physically beating up a woman compared to a constitutionally protected act of speaking Christian values should be keenly noted.
Speaking Christian values and truths will often elicit hatred from the world. Prepare yourself; standing firm in the faith will be tested.
As Christians, we are called to live in this world but not be of this world. Harrison Butker did this by speaking boldly about his faith. It makes me reflect on how I am doing on that front. How about you? When did you speak boldly about your faith? How can we prepare to seize opportunities to speak boldly and not shy away?