‘God Gave Children to You, Not Government’
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Overflowing crowds enthusiastically welcomed actor and author Kirk Cameron to story hour at public libraries in New York and Indiana last week to hear him read his Christian-themed kids’ book “As You Grow.”
The Brave Books storybook espouses a message of “biblical truths of the fruits of the spirit”—those are “love, joy, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control,” Cameron told Fox News’s Julie Banderas.
Scarsdale Public Library in Westchester County, New York, was brimming past capacity on Friday, Dec. 30 forcing Cameron to give two readings in the allotted hour for the program.
Families lined up at Scarsdale Public Library in Westchester County, New York, to hear Kirk Cameron read his book “As You Grow.” (Courtesy of Zach Bell)
“We’re here because we love God, we love our families, our children, we love our country, and we love Scarsdale Public Library,” Cameron told the audience.
“We’re so grateful that we get to be here and read this story.”
The book tells the tale of an acorn that grows into a mighty oak tree and then dispenses wisdom to the animals that live within the shelter of its branches.
One passage of the book reads, “As you grow strong, grow in gentleness.”
Afterward, they sang a rendition of “God Bless America” at the suggestion of a grandfather in attendance.
They then went to the library to request more time to read to the families who missed out. “They told us no,” Brave Books spokesman Zac Bell said.
Cameron aims to battle woke ideologies in public libraries like Scarsdale’s that promote drag queen story hours for toddlers as young as 18-months.
“God gave your children to you and not to the government,” Cameron told the audience, generating applause.
Cameron was received by an even larger crowd on Thursday, Dec. 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where an estimated 2,500 people attended—the largest gathering in the library’s 137-year history.
There were about “1,000 moms, dads, and kids INSIDE the library” and another “1,000 waiting OUTSIDE” to show their support, Cameron wrote on a message on Facebook. The library reading room holds only 170 people.
“We were blown away by Indianapolis and the room was absolutely filled here,” Cameron told Fox News. “We could not be happier with the reception.”
Not all libraries allowed the book to be heard, however.
Over 50 of the libraries Brave Books contacted either rejected or did not respond to the request.
“It seems sort of silly, right?” Cameron said. “There are no skeletons in the closet here.
“This is about helping kids grow in wisdom through the seasons of their life and learn how to be kind and loving and strong and gentle and compassionate toward others.
“I don’t know why anybody would push back on a message like that.”
After Cameron wrote an open letter to the libraries and cited the First Amendment right to free speech, two libraries, in Scarsdale and Indianapolis, acquiesced.
“I came here because of [Cameron’s] values,” Marie Wayne, of Hawthorne, New York, said at the Scarsdale event. “We thought we were going to get in and out like that. We were very surprised to see this many people.”
The two readings are just the beginning, Cameron said. He’s taking suggestions for what library they should visit next.
“A ‘brushfire’ of faith, family, and freedom was ignited,” he told Banderas of their momentum. “And it’s moving across the country uncontained.”
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Michael Wing is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada, where he was born and educated in the arts. He writes mainly on culture, human interest, and trending news.
