Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Rev. Ben Johnson discusses Black Lives Matter on ‘The Lars Larson Show’
Rev. Ben Johnson discusses Black Lives Matter on ‘The Lars Larson Show’
Jan 7, 2026 4:20 PM

Why would a movement dedicated to black advancement want to dismantle the family, when fatherlessness is associated with every social malady from poverty and crime to delinquency and low self-esteem? Is the racially tinged socialism promoted by Black Lives patible with the U.S. Constitution? And why does BLM demand that America pay reparations to nations where terrorists have attacked U.S. soldiers or civilians?

I had the privilege of discussing these issues and more on Tuesday, August 11, on “The Lars Larson Show.” The nationally syndicated talk radio host graciously called my Acton Powerblog article “one of the best reviews” of Black Lives Matter’s political agenda.

Other topics during the segment included the exploitation of tragedy for political gain, flawed measures of disparate impact, and why BLM’s policies would “strangle the one form of government that has created the most inherently equal, equitable society in human history: the United States of America and our Constitution.”

Larson’s radio program originates from Portland, Oregon – a city with a history as the epicenter of left-wing riots long predating the current outbreak of Black Lives Matter/Antifa violence. This interlocking history of radical violence is perhaps best exemplified by the arrest earlier this week of Demetria Hester at a riot at which “[c]ommercial grade fireworks and a mortar were used against Portland Police Bureau officers.” In May 2017, Hester had been harassed by Jeremy Joseph Christian, a white supremacist Bernie Sanders supporter who went on to murder two men on a Portland train. (This June, a judge sentenced Christian to two consecutive life sentences.)

“Portlanders need to send a strong message that enough is enough. This is not forwarding the goals that are going to lead to better es for people of color,” said Portland Chief of Police Chuck Lovell.

That’s doubly true of an organization dedicated to channeling justifiable anger into promoting a collectivist system of resentment and government-sponsored plunder.

You can listen to Larson and I discuss why people of faith should not support the Black Lives Matter political manifesto below, or listen on the SoundCloud page.

TheLarsLarsonShow · Ben Johnson – If anything, BLM’s “demands” are more expansive and government-expanding

riot in Portland, Oregon, on August 9. bgrocker / . Editorial use only.)

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Thomistic Institute Aquinas 101
The Thomistic Institute has a new video series introducing the work of St. Thomas Aquinas called Aquinas 101. The videos are well done, concise, and clear, and if you are looking for an introduction to St. Thomas, this is a good place to start. I started showing it to my older children, and they liked it. The videos begin with an introduction to Aquinas and address some of his key ideas. People often feel daunted by the idea of reading...
Chile in flames
It’s been a good week for the left throughout Latin America. In Columbia, center-left and left-wing parties did well in regional election. Argentina also took a left-turn with a left-wing Peronist easily winning the presidency, and bringing the former president Cristina Kirchner back to office as Vice-President. In Bolivia, long-serving left-populist president Evo Morales looks as if he is going to get away with stealing an election. Events in Chile are also a cause for concern. What started as a...
Some reading for Reformation Day
Here is a by no means exhaustive prehensive but simply occasional set of links to some reading from yours truly that might be of interest to readers of the PowerBlog this Reformation Day… Essays: “The further reformation of all of life,” Acton Commentary, October 31, 2017. “The Secularization of Vocation,” Public Discourse, October 30, 2017. “The Church’s Social Witness and the Further Work of the Reformation,” Journal of Christian Legal Thought 5, no. 2 (Fall 2015): 11-16. “Doing much good...
What Elizabeth Warren could learn from Emmanuel Macron
A cartoon published just after the fall of the Berlin Wall showed two travelers moving in different directions, one personifying former Eastern Bloc nations and the other the NATO allies: The two met as the former Warsaw Pact countries rushed away from socialism and the West hurried toward it. Soon, those characters could symbolize France and the United States. Indeed, today, our two nations could be represented by two specific people: Emmanuel Macron and Elizabeth Warren. James C. Capretta of...
Updated: 5 reasons the Chicago teachers’ strike is immoral
The Chicago Public School system’s 361,314 registered students are starting their tenth day at home this morning, as their teachers union strikes for its fourteenth cumulative day. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have publicly supported the 32,000 teachers and school staff (represented by the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU, respectively) on the picket line – but there are five reasons people of faith should not join them. Why are Chicago public school teachers striking? CPS teachers are striking for higher...
Acton Line podcast: The conversion of Kanye West; What Wilhelm Röpke has to say about our digital age
In just the first week of the release of Kanye West’s new explicitly Christian record “Jesus is King,” it’s outsold his previous album “Ye,” projected to sell 225-275k copies. In addition ments regarding his conversion to Christianity, he’s dominated cultural conversation with increasingly conservative opinions, addressing everything from the importance munities, to local churches and even in a recent interview, condemning abortion. Andrew T. Walker from es on to the show to break down reactions to Kanye’s conversion, new artistic...
Persecution in North Korea: Learning from Pastor Han’s faithful witness
Struggling under the weight munism, North Korea is increasingly known as a land of poverty and hardship, ranked last among nations when es to economic freedom and religious liberty. What’s less discussed, however, is the importance of each of those features, taken together. Economic and religious life are closely connected, making the preservation of both absolutely essential if society is to flourish. In a new short film from Voice of the Martyrs, we get a small glimpse of this reality...
Commemorating two genocides: Armenian and Communist
Halloween may be fast upon us, but October 29 and 30 have marked the memorations of the year. In the last two days, the world has belatedly remembered the genocide of Armenian Christians and the brutal repression of all dissidents by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Last night, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 296, a bill “recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.” (Only...
Video: Rev. Sirico at Acton’s 29th anniversary dinner
The Acton Institute celebrated its 29th anniversary on October 15th at the JW Marriott hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Last week, we featured Andrew Klavan’s excellent keynote address here on the blog; this week, we’re pleased to share the remarks of Acton President and co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico, who shared the story of how he moved from being a leftist activist to being a strong supporter of the market economy and the free and virtuous society. ...
Benjamin Franklin’s advice on the Chicago schools strike
Their last remaining dispute in the Chicago schools strike could be resolved if both sides understood a basic economic concept taught by one of the nation’s Founding Fathers. Although the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union announced a tentative agreement Wednesday evening, the Second City’s 300,000-plus students still began their eleventh day outside the classroom Thursday, because the CTU added a new demand Wednesday night. They want the city to pay union members for every day they went...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved