Harrison Butker: Not That Controversial

May 29, 2024

by David Earl

Key Quote of Focus

First, I suggest you either listen to the video of his commencement address or read the full transcript before you make any judgment. If we want to be fair, this topic of discussion should be discussed with an informed and honest approach. Why? Well, the following quote answers that in many ways:

• “I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.”

If you come away with anything from this column, it should be that the setting for this speech was a graduation ceremony at Benedictine College (Catholic University). This is a University deeply rooted in scripture and traditions; thus, a speech revolving around this is appropriate. How is it proper, you may ask? I’ll take a deeper dive later, but, whether or not you align with Butker’s belief, focus on just the setting right now. The setting was not a normal university or trade-type school where the student population is diverse among many multiple religious beliefs or even with those who do not have a conviction of faith. This was a Catholic school with traditions deeply rooted in that faith – what type of speech were you expecting? Therefore, this is not a “right place / right time” argument. The responses from outside this event truly are irrelevant.

What oversensationalizes this to a ridiculous level are comments from such people as Colin Kaepernick, who reposted an instagram story from his girlfriend Nessa Diab, who wrote, “That’s why I don’t watch that organization – and I still don’t care who performs at their halftime show.” Logically, it seems obvious that the opinion of Diab, and Kaepernick via his endorsement, was formed out of the backlash of kneeling during the National Anthem on the field while protesting police brutality. Not to divert into that over-exposed discussion, but the relevant point here is that it’s the stage at which the protest occurred. In Kapernick’s case, the stage was a nationally televised event where most people seek to get away from the everyday problems and politics of life.

Witnessed by millions of NFL fans, he had to understand the impact of this decision especially to Military Gold Star families who tragically lost loved ones in active duty.  Regardless of where you stand on his protest, it was known to be a mixed audience so reactions were going to be drastically different. Therefore, comparing the Kaepernick situation to that of Butker is disingenuous. Butker’s timing was that he spoke to a graduating class within his very own Catholic faith and not at a public university such as the University of California – Berkeley. The context of Butker’s presentation has been grossly ignored and discarded as narrative and internet clicks became far more important. This pushback leads to another one of Butker’s quotes:

• “The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.“

The Numbers of it All

Before getting into the details of what made this address controversial, what truly dominated the speech as a whole? Out of this entire 3,667-word speech, only 360 words (9.82% of the speech) were directed to the women of the audience which I cover in more detail later. Taking this plus the approximately 378 words (10.3% of the speech) spoken to the men of the audience and the roles they play in both the home and society, approximately 79.87% of his speech ranged from the internal issues of Catholic leadership to the poor political leadership of Christianity and much more. Such as this on Priests and Bishops:

• “There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks.”

If we are being honest, which is the one faith that is routinely criticized, at times demonized, in the public eye yet society is warned from doing the same across the religious spectrum? Christianity has been the primary faith that has continuously been told to be silent and more tolerant towards other beliefs, which Butker eluded to when he said, “His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity — private, hidden away, and harmless.” This doesn’t go unchecked by him either as he’s quoted saying:

• “As members of the church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don’t be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent.”

Butker is quick to point out the Church’s hypocrisy on many issues. For example, the church’s history of abuse led to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, concerns of becoming too corrupt while no longer being spiritual leaders as designed, and the new leniency on blessing same-sex marriages. Naming a few topics that do not sit well among many Christians as they are seen to go against God’s will plus individual recounts of the church, many feel pressured to remain silent and tolerant of the conduct of the church. This is a discussion that carries far more detail but it addresses some of what Butker most likely was eluding to in my opinion. Then he made a rather direct statement about our political leadership:

• “Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.“

We all understand this quote is about President Joe Biden specifically, but it is also a criticism of the entire system. Every political season the Pro-Choice voice appears to continuously overpower Pro-Life with the overarching theme being women’s reproductive health. Any idea of dialogue to find any form of middle ground on abortion brings responses regarding women’s personal health and reproductive rights. While individual privacy in healthcare is very important, it’s the hard stance and irrational position our leaders take to not even listen to the counterpoints. That messaging of, “Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues,” mentioned by Butker by people such as Biden creates not only a disconnect in social barriers, but also exponentially increases animosity in society. Butker also does not exclude the ineffective leadership of the church:

• “The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all.”

Leaders in the church should be at the forefront of creating the dialogue needed for those on the Pro-Life side of the debate and providing the tools needed scripturally that does not begin with the price of your actions in abortion is eternal damnation. Regardless of your stances on the topic of abortion, political and church leadership have done more harm than good in this discussion. The idea of abortion for which a Christian should stand firm is the idea of a life of convenience or a life of promiscuity, but also handle without condemnation. When an abortion is required to save the mother’s life or from the trauma of a rape victim, church leadership should be giving their parishioners the tools to handle this appropriately.

Again, the toughest decisions a woman needs to make should not be responded to through immediate condemnation: “Luke 6:37 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” It is not necessarily condoning the action of abortion but comforting those women struggling the most. To avoid going too far off onto a tangent, I hope the point is driven home enough as the point of emphasis is extremely poor leadership on a sensitive topic like abortion by both political and Christian leadership.

Butker Said “Most important titles of all: homemaker“

Now we are to the quote heard around the world, “Most important titles of all: homemaker,” which went off about as well as he had hoped (insert sarcastic voice). We are now at the point of his address which comprised just under 10% of his complete theme to the graduating class. Of course, you see posting this as a heading into this section shows just how misogynistic of a statement this is to those who lack proper context. Yes, many people, especially the Hollywood elite, ran with this one quote to ridicule and demonize Butker (as they do best). What was the context of this statement? This was a remark about his wife’s ultimate satisfaction with her role as a mother, which followed this statement:

• “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
  

The first half of this statement is not the main focus here but does help lead to the misconceptions or lies of a Christian woman’s role in the household in many instances. Such verses like Ephesians 5:22–23, “22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife,” plus the subsequent verses describing how a wife should subject themselves to the husband as you would to Jesus can be used to weaponize a faith they trust. When this is especially used against young women who are still a baby within their faith, the effects can become devastating.

It is this example of a disingenuous approach manipulating women I perceive Butker speaking to. The remaining subsequent verses in Ephesians 5:25-26, “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” are purposefully left out. Furthermore, in Corinthians 7:3-4 and 1 Peter 3:7, you will read where the husband must honor the wife as you would God. This shows the importance of Genesis 2:24, which states, “24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” It has never been that a woman must subjugate herself to the man, but rather that they become joined to as one flesh as they have very differing but equally important roles in a marriage.

The closing of his statement, “I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” can be pulled directly from scripture as well. A woman of faith understands the blessings from God in having children as stated in Psalm 127:3, “3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.” As a Mother and a Wife, women are to be held of great reverence, which you can see in Proverbs 31:25–29:

• “25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. 26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 29 “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”

You see, the husbands are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the household, setting the example to which the wife is comfortable submitting herself. Women were never demanded by God to give themselves into some level of servitude that many would like you to believe but are held to a high degree of honor. When Butker speaks to the “Diabolical lies” I certainly see this being one of the many misconceptions spoken in today’s society. When he speaks to what these women are most excited about it is not being a “Suzy homemaker” stereotype, but rather fulfilling one of God’s greatest blessings in having children.

Final Thoughts

As a product of a Catholic household, I watched a man in my father hold my mother in great regard. The role he played may not have been perfect or even entirely biblical, as we are not perfect, but there was never any doubt about the value and equal role my mother had in the home. It is that overall aspect to which Butker is surely speaking when talking about the role of a Christian housewife. Sure women should have the freedom to be as successful as possible, and they do in this country regardless of ignorance, but when a Christian woman desires to be a wife and mother they hold very specific roles. The idea these roles are essentially putting the woman in bondage and must submit completely to her husband is just a mischaracterization of what God structured. Now do men overstep their boundaries and weaponize the word of God absolutely but you don’t condemn scripture because some cowardly man uses it with malicious intentions.

Context is key and there is no way you could take anything malicious from Butker’s commencement address if you are being honest. The fact he stressed mostly on leadership, both political and religious, being the largest concern today in society should be evidence of his genuineness. He didn’t go on some in-depth misogynistic rant about a woman’s place being in the home followed by some dominant role men play to which women must submit. It is this mischaracterization, beyond religion as well, in society by people like the Hollywood elites that have created such turmoil in society. I guess the narrative is far more important than the truth, even at the expense of a woman’s dignity.