Last Saturday Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker delivered what many are calling a homophobic and especially misogynistic commencement address at a Catholic university. This is because he suggested homosexuality is a “deadly sin.” But most of the media attention and outrage is about what he said about women. He said:
“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…I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother…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.”
The NFL released a statement saying Butker’s “views are not those of the NFL as an organization.” Many athletes, wives of athletes, and other celebrities have denounced him. And a petition demanding the Chiefs to release him from the team has received almost 150,000 signatures.
But that doesn’t change anything. Harrison Butker is right. Feminism is a diabolical lie that destroys women. Feminism is one of the reasons why women are twice as likely to be on antidepressants than men. It’s the reason why women are less happy than they were before second-wave feminism and the sexual revolution. Feminists call this the paradox of declining female happiness.
Feminism has also destroyed fathers and fetuses. When feminism encourages wives to abandon their homes, it also encourages husbands to abandon their wives and children. Which ultimately leads to tens of millions of pre-born babies being abandoned by their parents at Planned Parenthood.
That doesn’t mean women shouldn’t have careers. Harrison Butker didn’t say women shouldn’t work outside the home. He didn’t say wives should only be homemakers. His message to the graduating women is that getting married and having children is more important than a successful career.
He was suggesting women should prioritize their husbands and children over themselves.
Interestingly, he had a similar challenge to men, but that wasn’t received as sexist. He said:
“To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation…Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things.”
Though he’s a Catholic, he also criticized Catholic leadership. If his words about Catholics and men aren’t anti-Catholic and anti-men, then his words about women shouldn’t be received as anti-women.
But this isn’t really about Harrison Butker. The anger over his words is primarily anger over the word of God. This is really about opposition to God’s different roles for men and women in families and society.
Harrison Butker was simply echoing what the Bible says in Titus 2:3-5:
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”
So Harrison Butker is right because God is right.