New England Patriots Tight End Benjamin Watson took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) with a simple message for conservative activists: the American family is in danger.
“Family first. This is a country about family first,” the Super Bowl 39 champion said. “My job is to play football, that’s my day job. But my most important job is as a husband to my wife, Kirsten, of 14 years and as a father to our seven children.”
“As parents, the home is where we teach social capital that passes from one generation to the next,” he continued. “How we teach our children about being kind, about faith, and about service. The goal of all this is to raise well rounded, confident, and faith-filled adults.”
“The family will always be the nucleus of civilization, history tells us this,” Watson warned. “And the current state of the American family is in peril.”
“There are three threats to the family that I want to bring to your attention,” Watson said.
“The first is moral relativism. We increasingly say and do things, as a society, that seem right to us – and in the name of tolerance, no one can speak out,” he said.
Watson said there are Biblical truths that cannot be denied – and there is no room for moral relativism in American society.
“Some say that family values are outdated or too-traditional for a changing world,” he said. “To that, I say that truth never changes, only people’s opinion of it.”
“The second threat to the family is fatherlessness,” Watson said. “In many communities, as many as 1-in-4 children are living without their fathers.”
The star NFL player said that children without a father-figure are in danger.
“Men, our role as fathers extend far beyond conception. To women, as marvelous as you are, you should not be parenting alone,” Watson told the crowd.
“Men, we need to be present in the home, showing our children what it means to love and lead,” he continued. “We are our daughter’s first love, and our son’s first hero.”
“Our kids will imitate us, for good or for bad. Use that imitation as a force for good.”
“The third threat to American families is the issue of abortion,” Watson continued.
“I believe abortion is the most important human rights issue of our day. Nearly one million lives are lost yearly in this country,” he said. “Human dignity begins at conception and extends all the way to the grave.”
“What greater threat is there to the family than the legal and celebrated extermination of their most vulnerable members?” he asked. This should be a bi-partisan ideal.”
“This issue of justice is dividing us. It doesn’t have to be the case.”
“Even now, some of you are quietly suffering and you feel alienated. This doesn’t have to be. We all have inherent value,” Watson said. “Sometimes things seem hopeless, but there is hope through God.”
“As great as she is, America is not perfect,” he said. “But her greatness is her ability to hold honesty, truth, and integrity in high regard.”
Watson said there was still work to be done – but through God, the family would win.
The Horn editorial team