Sinopsis
WallBuilders Live! with David Barton and Rick Green is a daily journey into the past to capture the ideas of the Founding Fathers of America and then apply them to the major issues of today. Featured guests will include Congressmen, Senators, and other elected officials, as well as experts, activists, authors, and commentators on a variety of issues facing America.
Episodios
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Why Chasing Net Zero Raises Costs And Keeps People Poor
02/12/2025 Duración: 26minPower you can count on changes everything—health, safety, jobs, and whether a storm becomes a headline or a hardship. We sit down with energy expert and former Texas legislator Jason Isaac to unpack why so many grids feel fragile despite record spending, and how policy signals have steered capital into intermittent capacity that often fails when demand spikes. From Texas’ post‑Uri reality to Europe’s price shocks, we connect real‑world outcomes to the engineering underneath the buzzwords.Jason walks us through how subsidies per megawatt‑hour shape the buildout of wind, solar, and batteries, and why installed capacity is not the same as dependable generation. We cover land use tradeoffs, the true cost of storage, and the rising urgency for firm power sources such as advanced thermal and nuclear. Along the way, we examine Germany’s industrial retrenchment, the high price of electricity for households, and what happens when companies move production to countries with looser environmental and labor standards. Ene
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Energy, Poverty, And The Cost Of ESG
01/12/2025 Duración: 26minWant a clean, honest look at energy that starts with truth and ends with action? We open with our core lens—biblical, historical, and constitutional—and then sit down with former Texas legislator Jason Isaac to examine how policies shape lives on the ground. The result is a clear, human-centered tour through ESG pressures, energy poverty, reliability, and the global tradeoffs we rarely see on headlines.Jason shares how financial tools are being used to choke off insurance and capital for traditional energy and agriculture, driving up costs for families who can least afford them. We test popular assumptions against real data—like why Austin’s air quality didn’t meaningfully improve even with far fewer cars on the road—and discuss how American emissions controls outperform most of the world. We also pull back the curtain on imported pollution and the moral costs of battery minerals, including child labor in cobalt mines, showing how feel-good goals can hide real human harm.The conversation moves from slogans to
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When Safety, Sovereignty, And Morality Collide
28/11/2025 Duración: 26minA breakthrough in safety, a hard line on security, and a surprising plea for civility—this episode brings three big themes into sharp focus. We start with the long-overdue debut of a female-specific crash test dummy and why that matters for real-world outcomes. With higher injury and fatality rates for women in identical collisions, better biomechanical models mean better seats, belts, and airbags—design decisions that can finally reflect how female bodies experience force in a crash. It’s a case study in what happens when engineering catches up to the data.We then tackle a charged policy shift: Texas designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, along with updates on federal actions. We dig into why state and national security frameworks are tightening, how property and legal standing could be affected, and what this signals for border enforcement and counterterror efforts. The thread running through it all is sovereignty and prudence—how a free so
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Gratitude In Hard Times
27/11/2025 Duración: 26minWhat if the most meaningful Thanksgiving starts with only five kernels of corn? We revisit the holiday’s unvarnished origins and follow a line of gratitude that runs through blizzards, barracks, and battlefields. The Pilgrims faced disease, hunger, and loss, yet learned to give thanks for small mercies: a buried kettle of corn, new allies, enough wood for the fire, and the hope that the next winter might not claim them all. That stubborn gratitude didn’t ignore suffering; it taught people how to endure it, rebuild after it, and turn scarcity into wisdom.We connect those early lessons to moments when America needed backbone, not platitudes. Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation barely mentions the Civil War and instead points the nation toward God’s character and providence. The Continental Congress and FDR did likewise, calling citizens to read Scripture, to reflect, and to anchor hope beyond turmoil. These proclamations remind us that gratitude is not a luxury emotion reserved for easy times. It’s a civic and
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Pilgrims, Persecution, And Thanksgiving
26/11/2025 Duración: 26minPersecution, closed doors, and shipboard vows—our journey starts where power tried to silence conscience and ends with a small band drafting a covenant that rewired how authority works. We sit down with Bill Federer to map the Pilgrims’ path from England’s star chamber to the rocky shore where consent became the basis for order. Along the way, we explore how the Reformation, censorship laws, and the flight to Holland set the stage for a bold experiment that would echo through New England town meetings and, eventually, into the American idea.What unfolds is a grounded, vivid look at the Mayflower Compact as more than a paragraph in a textbook. It was a civic translation of church covenant—neighbors choosing obligation, accountability, and shared rule. We unpack why Romans 13 reads differently under a king than under a republic, and why citizens must see themselves as co-sovereigns with duties as real as their rights. We also take on Thanksgiving myths with the fuller story of Squanto—kidnapped to Europe, freed
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Faith, Freedom, And The American Future
25/11/2025 Duración: 26minTired of hearing America is beyond repair? We make a grounded case for renewal—rooted in first principles, legal clarity, and a fuller telling of our national story. With Mike Berry from First Liberty, we unpack how recent Supreme Court victories have reopened space for faith and conscience in public life, including schools, and why that matters for culture as much as law. When rights are secured in the real world—teachers protected, students free to express belief, communities able to build moral formation—confidence rises and civic duty starts to make sense again.We also confront a hard question: how do you recruit young people to defend a country they’re taught to hate? The answer isn’t spin or nostalgia. It’s honest history—the good, the bad, and the ugly—paired with the founders’ radical design that places sovereignty with the people and limits government power. That framework doesn’t make us perfect, but it uniquely equips us to correct course through peaceful means. Think Declaration of Independence, c
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Survey Shock: Churchgoers And Worldview
24/11/2025 Duración: 26minWhat happens when people fill pews but drift on first principles? We sit down with researcher George Barna to unpack a new survey of frequent churchgoers that reveals only 11 percent hold a biblical worldview, a third prefer socialism to capitalism, and support for Israel rarely moves beyond prayer. It’s sobering, but it’s also a roadmap. If we can see clearly where formation has failed, we can rebuild how we teach, mentor, and live the faith in public.We dig into why worldview isn’t an academic word—it’s the lens behind every decision you make. From voting and stewardship to generosity and courage, belief drives behavior. We explore how moral relativism sneaks in when churches avoid hard topics, and how kindness without conviction becomes a substitute for obedience. On economics, we separate personal charity from state control and connect Jesus’ teaching on stewardship, diligence, and envy to today’s policy debates. On Israel, we outline a layered approach: pray, learn the history, understand the covenant th
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From Pulpit To Policy: How Biblical Teaching Shaped American Law
21/11/2025 Duración: 26minForty million people live in slavery today, yet many pulpits are quiet where they were once loudest. We revisit a forgotten tradition of courageous preaching that confronted unjust laws, trained citizens to think biblically about public life, and helped turn spiritual conviction into cultural reform. From biblical prohibitions against “man stealing” to the explosive pushback against the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, we explore why past pastors urged civil disobedience when policy defied conscience—and why that courage matters now.We walk through the practical legacy of the Pilgrims—elective government, purchased property instead of seizure, early education statutes, and due process reforms that shortened witch trials—showing how Scripture can shape fair, durable policy. Then we widen the lens to Genesis’s three institutions: family, civil government, and congregational worship. If laws shape culture more than programs do, a private faith that never engages public life leaves families, schools, and communities expo
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From Revivals To Public Policy: When Faith Shapes Culture
20/11/2025 Duración: 26minIf spiritual fireworks don’t change the neighborhood by Monday, what are we missing? We take a hard look at a century of American revivals that stirred the heart but barely nudged the culture, and then we trace a different path: how revivals become awakenings when believers are discipled and Scripture is applied to daily life. Not just belief, but apprenticeship. Not just emotion, but formation that shapes families, work, and public decisions.We dig into the Great Commission’s overlooked command to “teach them to observe all things” and connect it to concrete civic questions. What does Jesus’ teaching on stewardship say about rewarding productivity? How does the vineyard wage story illuminate voluntary contracts? Why does “Where are your accusers?” echo through America’s due process rights to confront accusers and compel witnesses? Along the way, we surface sobering data on the behavior gap between professing Christians and the wider culture, making the case that conversion without discipleship leaves public
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How Spiritual Awakenings Can Shape Public Life
19/11/2025 Duración: 26minA billion people watched a memorial defined by bold forgiveness, and something shifted. Church attendance spiked, Bible sales soared, and campus arenas from Ohio State to Florida State filled with students lining up for baptism. We take that momentum seriously and ask the harder question history demands: when hearts change, do cultures follow?We walk through the evidence: record Easter services, mass beach baptisms, and stadium crusades drawing thousands. Then we hold it against the long arc of American revivals. The First and Second Great Awakenings shaped ideals of liberty and fueled abolition, yet later waves overlapped with the Progressive Era, when eugenics spread through state laws and media reframed faith as anti-science. The Scopes trial’s legal reality lost to a narrative that still echoes. Meanwhile, the Frankfurt School’s critical theory crossed the Atlantic, took root in elite universities, and helped redirect the formation of generations.Our aim is clarity and responsibility. Renewal is real when
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From Minority Voice To Lasting Change In California Schools
18/11/2025 Duración: 26minChange doesn’t arrive with a hashtag; it arrives with a name on a ballot, a calm voice at a microphone, and a chair at the school board table. We sit down with Joe Messina—who spent twenty-four years in the trenches of a California district—to unpack how a lone dissenting vote became a durable majority that actually moves policy. From pulling back the curtain on graphic curriculum to establishing clear flag policies and defending parental notification, Joe shows how local courage scales when it’s anchored in law, civics, and community.You’ll hear how a trades education fight led him into public service, why he lost twice before winning, and what changed once he was inside the room. We dig into the practical: reading questionable passages aloud to force transparency, leaning on legal allies to set guardrails, and equipping students to assert their rights without picking unnecessary fights. Joe’s approach is simple and repeatable—fill the room with thoughtful supporters, speak to policy not people, and keep goi
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Will Spiritual Fire Reshape A Nation Or Fade Without Discipleship?
17/11/2025 Duración: 26minStadium altar calls, campus baptisms, and a surge in Bible sales are stealing headlines for all the right reasons—but the real story is what comes next. We dive into the data pointing to a national spiritual renewal and challenge ourselves to aim higher than momentary inspiration, asking how to turn revival into a durable great awakening through deliberate discipleship and principled policy.We share the energy and outcomes from the Pro Family Legislators Conference, where more than 400 lawmakers and spouses compared notes, traded model bills, and left with a playbook of 150+ policy ideas. From privacy and parental rights to education reform, we walk through how one “what if” can spread across dozens of states and become law. Along the way, we revisit history’s best teachers—George Whitefield and Charles Finney—who coupled evangelism with action, showing how spiritual conviction can guide civic courage.The conversation shifts to the long game: why faithfulness outruns quick wins, how school board persistence i
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From Nigeria’s CPC Status To Campus Revivals And A Sealed Border
14/11/2025 Duración: 26minHeadlines have trained us to expect the worst. Today we chase what’s actually moving the needle: international pressure for religious freedom, a youth movement catching fire on campuses, a surprising recalibration in the climate debate, and a clear turn in border enforcement that’s reshaping incentives on the ground.We start with Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, led by former Congresswoman Vicki Hartzler. That CPC label isn’t symbolic—it can trigger cuts to foreign aid and other diplomatic levers when persecution spikes, and the data from recent years has been devastating. Naming the problem is step one; signaling consequences is step two. We unpack why this matters for believers, minority faiths, and anyone who thinks human rights should mean something beyond resolutions.From global policy to local momentum, we head to Texas where Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged one million dollars to launch Turning Point USA chapters on high sch
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America’s Interest, Nigeria, And The 17th Amendment
13/11/2025 Duración: 26minWhen should America step in abroad—and when should we hold the line? We open with Nigeria and the persecution of Christians, unpacking the hard tradeoffs between humanitarian outrage and constitutional guardrails. We weigh the tools that can move regimes without war—credible threats, sanctions, aid leverage, quiet diplomacy—and the times when defending American lives, ships, and commerce must take priority. Using the Barbary pirates and the French Quasi-War as guides, we lay out a practical test for “American interest” that avoids isolationism without drifting into endless entanglements.From there, we zoom out to the role of government itself. Individuals and churches are called to forgive; civil authority is tasked with justice. That distinction matters for foreign policy and domestic order alike. We connect it to the Constitution’s enumerated powers and the Founders’ warnings about entangling alliances, showing how a clear mission for government keeps compassion meaningful and justice consistent.We also tac
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Honoring Service, Understanding Veterans Day
12/11/2025 Duración: 26minA world war ended with silence at the eleventh hour. From that moment, the United States began a long journey from Armistice Day to Veterans Day—a shift from marking a ceasefire to honoring every American who wore the uniform. We explore how that change happened, why it matters, and what it asks of us today as citizens navigating policy, budgets, and public life.We open with the history: proclamations from Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge, Congress formalizing Armistice Day, and Dwight Eisenhower leading the move to Veterans Day after WWII. Then we turn to the Marine Corps, celebrating 250 years since Congress formed two battalions in 1775—before a formal Navy existed. That origin set the tone for the Pacific theater, where Marines carried island after island under brutal conditions. Through Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal, we unpack the leadership and tactics that shaped strategy and, ultimately, the war’s end.The heart of the episode is story. Herschel “Woody” Williams, a flamethrower at Iwo Jima, survived stagg
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Shutdown Ends, What Changes Now
11/11/2025 Duración: 26minHeadlines say the shutdown is over; the real story is where the fight moves next. We open with how the Senate finally broke the stalemate—motion to proceed, cloture math, and why debate time became a bargaining chip—and then trace the ripple effects into your wallet, your health care, and the federal workforce. Eight Democrats crossed the aisle to end the longest funding lapse on record, and that crossover set up a December carveout to debate the Affordable Care Act on its own.We walk through what actually got funded and why: Agriculture to keep SNAP steady, Military and Veterans to protect benefits, and the Legislative Branch to keep Congress paid. The remaining nine appropriations bills head to the House, where nothing is guaranteed. From there, the focus tightens on health care: rising exchange premiums, subsidies that primarily flow to insurers, and studies showing coverage can lower stress while system costs keep climbing. We challenge the incentives behind today’s subsidy design and explore reforms that
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Young Priests, Clear Convictions
10/11/2025 Duración: 26minA generation raised on shifting standards is reaching for something solid. We sit down with Father Frank Pavone to explore why younger Catholic priests are embracing clear, biblical convictions on life and identity—and how that clarity is drawing Gen Z, especially young men, back into the Church. This isn’t a political pivot; it’s a move toward coherence in a time of confusion, where objective moral truth replaces the fog of moral relativism.We trace the cultural and spiritual forces shaping this trend: pandemic-era disruption, public ambiguity from high-profile politicians, and decades of muddled teaching on life ethics. Father Frank shares insights from a new national survey showing younger priests leaning more conservative, especially on abortion and sexual morality. We connect those convictions to America’s founding ideals, revisiting the right to life as a core principle affirmed by early jurists like James Wilson and rooted in the nation’s moral imagination.The conversation also highlights what’s drawin
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Passports, Polls, And Pews
07/11/2025 Duración: 26minHeadlines hint at chaos, but the signals underneath tell a different story. We connect three surprising trends that point to a quiet realignment: a 6-3 Supreme Court decision that reaffirms biological sex on passports as a verifiable, security-critical fact; polling that shows a growing share of Americans view Democrats as too liberal while Republicans are seen as slightly less conservative; and new Barna research revealing men—especially Gen Z—are returning to church in significant numbers.We unpack what the Court’s ruling really means for identity, equal protection, and border security, and why the comparison to country of birth matters. Then we dig into the polling: how positions on late-term abortion and gender policy alienate moderates, why sentiment hasn’t always translated into votes, and what courage and clarity would look like for candidates who want to serve the broad middle without abandoning core convictions.The most hopeful signal comes from the pews. After years where women outnumbered men in ch
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Majority Rules Or Senate Roadblocks
06/11/2025 Duración: 26minEver wonder how 60 votes can stop 51 from passing a bill? We pull back the curtain on the modern filibuster to show how Senate procedure—not the Constitution—decides whether a majority can actually govern. We trace the shift from the old, talk‑until‑you‑drop tactic to today’s cloture threshold and explain when a simple majority can change the rules, when it can’t, and how the nuclear option carved out exceptions for nominations and budget matters. It’s a candid look at principle versus prudence: even if restoring majority rule aligns with the Founders’ intent, what happens when moral consensus is thin and stakes are high?We also dive into presidential term limits with clear answers. George Washington set the two‑term standard; FDR broke it during World War II; the 22nd Amendment settled it. We address persistent myths about loopholes—whether a former two‑term president can return via the vice presidency or another path—and explain why those theories falter against constitutional text and eligibility requireme
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Faith, Votes, And The Pulpit
05/11/2025 Duración: 26minThe headlines from Virginia and New Jersey aren’t the whole story. What’s happening inside America’s churches is shaping the way people think, vote, and live far more than a single election night. We sit down with David Closson of Family Research Council to unpack new nationwide research on regular churchgoers—folks in the pews weekly—and the picture is both sobering and hopeful.On the hopeful side, the data show an unmistakable hunger for worldview training. Large majorities want clear, Bible-based teaching on religious freedom, social and political responsibility, human sexuality, and the value of life. Gen Z and millennials are showing up more, streaming worship music, and downloading spiritual apps at record rates. People are searching for truth and meaning, and they’re walking through church doors to find it.The sobering side: core doctrine is slipping. Only 61% of frequent attenders affirm an orthodox view of God, and a growing share substitute new-age “higher consciousness” language for biblical truth.