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Exclusive: christian actor kirk cameron to start 14-city christian story hour tour.

Elizabeth Troutman / @ElizTroutman / February 07, 2023

Christian actor Kirk Cameron will start his 15-library story hour tour on Thursday. (Photo: Zach Bell/Brave Books)

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Kirk Cameron will go on a 15-library Christian story hour tour starting in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday to “take back the hearts and minds of children in the country,” the Christian actor told The Daily Signal .  

Cameron will read his children’s book on the fruits of the Spirit, “As You Grow,” published by Brave Books, in 14 cities, from Nashville and Houston to Washington, D.C., and Seattle. Christian governors, representatives, senators, and celebrities will join Cameron at his story hours, including Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, “Duck Dynasty” star Missy Robertson, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas.  

Country singer Coffey Anderson will sing “Mr. Red White and Blue” alongside Cameron in Savannah on Thursday.  

“Whoever tells the children the stories earns the ability to control the future,” Cameron told The Daily Signal. “If we want a wholesome and healthy future for our children, we must begin educating them when they’re young, rather than letting others indoctrinate them when they’re young, leading to the kinds of things that we’re finding ourselves shocked to see in places we never thought we’d see them, like kindergarten classrooms and public library story times.” 

Brave Books has partnered with a legal counsel team to sue any library that rejects Cameron’s story hour request on the basis that it violates the “Growing Pains” star’s First Amendment rights, Zach Bell, Brave Books chief of staff, told The Daily Signal. More than 50 public libraries denied or ignored Brave Books’ requests for an “As You Grow” story hour  with Cameron  on his tour last year. Many of the libraries opened their doors to Drag Queen Story Hours while rejecting the Christian messages of Cameron.  

“There are many good teachers, many good libraries and librarians out there,” Cameron said, “but it is mystifying when libraries say yes to men performing perverted acts in front of children in fishnet stockings, but say no to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

Thousands of parents and grandparents support Cameron’s Brave Books readings at the libraries, far outnumbering protesters, Cameron said. Brave Books receives many story hour requests from concerned Americans. One tour location is yet to be announced so the tour can visit the cities with the largest outcries for a Christian story hour.  

“There are many libraries in America who are begging us to come and share our books, many parents who are crying out, saying, ‘Yes, this is what we want. We don’t want this woke garbage. It leads to brokenness and bondage and leads to misery. What we want is what our country was built on, which was the Bible and faith and family and love for country,’” Cameron said.

The tour is leading up to a future Brave Books announcement.  

“There’s going to be something at the end of this tour that will allow every American … to join in on this fight,” Bell said.  

Pop singer Sam Smith’s Grammy performance on Sunday demonstrates the crumbling moral fiber of America, Cameron said.  

“This is why parents are so upset,” he explained. “This is why the outcry for help is so loud, and that’s why I’m starting this book tour. This is why I’m going on the road, because if we don’t turn the tide quickly, it will soon become the ‘Sam Smith Show’ in your children’s classrooms.”  

Cameron wants children who read “As You Grow” and other Brave Books to learn that ideas have consequences. Ideas like critical race theory and socialism destroy faith and liberty, according to Cameron.  

“Bad ideas need to be exposed and thrown away or they will lead to bad consequences, and the good ideas are obvious,” Cameron said. “They’re the same ideas that our country was built on—it’s faith, it’s family, it’s liberty.” 

“We need a new generation of heroes to rise up,” he added. “And those heroes will be built by parents who raised their children with faith and moral integrity. That’s what the books are about. That’s what I’m trying to not only impart to the kids but inspire the parents to not take a passive role in this, but to get off the defense, get on the offense, and win, win, win the battle for their children’s future.” 

The fight against the wokeness that corrupts the medical industry, music, education, and Big Tech starts at home, Cameron said. 

“If we want to save America, it doesn’t start in Hollywood,” Cameron said. “It begins at your house and my house with our children. And that’s why I’m going on this tour.” 

Cameron said he is inspired to see “pastor story hours” prevailing over Drag Queen Story Hours.  

“Pastors are recognizing the needs of the hour and not keeping their faith and good message locked in the four walls of the church,” Cameron said. “They’re going to the public library, and they’re inviting their community to come hear stories about describe, describe things like God’s design for gender and sexuality.” 

“The ones who are receiving pushback are doing what I did,” he added. “They’re grabbing a hold of their copy of the Constitution and they’re educating themselves in their community on something called free speech. And they’re turning these denials into revivals in their neighborhoods.” 

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Kirk Cameron plans national library tour to promote family values and freedom

After successfully promoting his new children’s book at previously unwelcoming public libraries, actor and writer Kirk Cameron is planning a national library tour.

Cameron’s new book, As You…

Cameron’s new book, As You Grow , tells the story of a seed that grows through “trials and triumphs” into a mature oak tree.

The story highlights virtues such as love, joy and gentleness while developing an overarching theme of freedom. The book is part of the “Freedom Island Saga” from Brave Books, a series devoted to teaching children the value of freedom and its defense.

Despite the innocuous contents of the new book, many libraries initially rejected or ignored the publisher’s request to host a story hour related to the book, Cameron told Fox News Digital . But the events that did take place brought huge crowds.

After Indianapolis Public Library’s rejection, for example, Cameron says the story hour event attracted around 2,500 attendees. The library estimated around 750 people would attend.  

“There were thousands of people. We have so many comments and testimonials from people who were actually at the events who counted the people there – and some who were saying that there were more than 2,500 people, that it was more like 3,000 or more,” Cameron said.   

Scarsdale Public Library in New York reluctantly rented space to Cameron while making multiple public statements to distance itself from the event. It wouldn’t allow him to host a third event even after the first and second were well attended.  

Scarsdale has since scrubbed any mention of the event from its Facebook page .  

But the Scarsdale and Indianapolis libraries have widely and proudly publicized controversial “drag queen story hours” on their websites and other channels, which parents – and taxpayers – may take exception to

“When you send men in women’s lingerie and clown makeup and wigs to read sexualized stories to [young children], it seems that’s the line where moms and dads and grandparents are saying, ‘No more.’” Cameron said.  

The flood of support from parents and concerned citizens at these events persuaded Cameron to embark on a national tour.  

“There are a lot of libraries in America – around 9,000 of them – and we’re going to the ones that seem to be the most in need,” Cameron said. “We’ve been flooded with emails and comments on social media with people pleading with us to come to their libraries.”  

Cameron says this contradicted many libraries’ claims that their patrons weren’t interested in the book.  

“So now I’m going to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta,” Cameron said, and any other place “where people are crying out for someone to push back and stand up and bring the kinds of values that made this country free and led to its blessings.”  

Cameron’s next story hour is slated for Jan. 14 in Los Angeles.  

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Kirk Cameron Expands Story Hour Tour to ‘Take Back the Hearts and Minds of Our Children’

Posted by Zachary Mettler | Jan 17, 2023 | Culture

Kirk Cameron is “hitting the road” to take more of his Brave Books Story Hour events across the country, after previously being denied spots at numerous public libraries.

So far, Cameron has done three wildly successful Story Hour events at libraries in Indiana, Ohio and New York, featuring his new book As You Grow , which is “a faith-based book about the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23 .”

Cameron hosted his most recent event at the Placentia Library in Placentia, California on Saturday, January 14. Video posted by the book’s publisher, Brave Books, showed long lines and high turnout for the event.

Nobody can stand in the way of God fearing, loving fathers and mothers!  Despite the downpour of rain, these BRAVE patriots came out to support @KirkCameron 's LIVE book reading! Thank you, Placentia! We will be back soon, California! pic.twitter.com/ugO410Tmve — BRAVE BOOKS (@BraveBooksUS) January 15, 2023

Cameron told the Washington Examiner that he is using the Story Hour to help parents “be part of a movement that pushes back against the storm of wokeism that appears to be sweeping the nation and sucking their children into its vortex.

The Brave Books Story Hour events are a counter to Drag Queen Story Hours where drag queens read books to children at public libraries, schools and bookstores.

According to the Drag Story Hour website (which the Daily Citizen will not link to), these story hours capture “the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.”

“In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves!” the website states. It also notes that Drag Story Hour has worked with corporate partners, including PBS, HBO, Facebook, Google, Hulu, Microsoft, Intuit, Disney and Spotify, among others.

According to a map released by Brave Books, upcoming Story Hours include events at the following locations:

• Central Kansas Christian Academy in Great Bend, Kansas on January 20, 2023.
• Williams Public Library in Williams, Arizona on January 25, 2023, from 10 AM to 11 AM.
• South Regional Library in The Woodlands, Texas on January 26, 2023, at 10 AM.
• McBride Memorial Library in Berwick, Pennsylvania on February 7, 2023 at 1:30 PM.
• Hollywood Branch Library in Hollywood, Florida on February 25, 2023 from 2 PM to 3 PM.
• Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia on March 22, 2023, all day.

In addition, Cameron has shared that he will be bringing Story Hour to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta. More events could be added in the future.

Originally, when Cameron and Brave Books tried to host Story Hour events at libraries nationwide, they were turned down (or not replied to) by all 50 they had contacted. Yet, all 50 of these libraries had featured Drag Queen Story Hours.

One library – Rochambeau Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island, responded to Brave Books, saying, “We will pass. We are a very queer-friendly library. Our messaging does not align.”

A San Diego public library also declined, replying, “I don’t think that’s something that we would do. Because of how diverse our community is, I don’t know how many people you would get.”

But apparently, even in “diverse” communities like Placentia, California, parents are ready and willing to take their children to these faith-friendly events.

Cameron recently told Fox News that he believes parents have been “‘crying out for someone to push back’ against today’s woke culture.”

“There are many people who are so busy raising their families, going to work — they love this country and they see the values in the country deteriorating and the politics getting corrupted,” Cameron said.

The opposing Story Hour events – one teaching kids about the fruits of the Spirit, and one teaching young children about alternative sexual lifestyles – clearly shows the moral rift that has occurred in our culture. The use of public libraries are emblematic of that.

Libraries are supposed to feature collections of materials, books and other media that are intended to inform, inspire and instill wisdom in its visitors.

What does it say about the state of American society that many are willing to use these institutions of knowledge to teach children about drag queens?

Cameron added the following in his statement to Fox News:

“And I’ve wondered, Well, where is the line when people will finally say, ‘Enough. No more’? And it seems like that line is drawn very clearly at the hearts and minds of their children, especially the little ones … I’m going to lead the charge with story hour.”

As You Grow  is available at  Brave Books .

To see the times and locations for upcoming Brave Books Story Hour events,  click here .

Related articles:

Kirk Cameron’s ‘Story Hour’ Reading Draws Record Breaking Turnout at Indianapolis Library, Publisher Says

Kirk Cameron Declares ‘Win’ Over Public Libraries That Tried to Censor His Faith-Based Book

Kirk Cameron Has a New Children’s Book Out – And No Public Library Will Let Him Read It

About The Author

Zachary Mettler

Zachary Mettler works as a staff writer and communications liaison for the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Mettler earned his Bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In addition to the Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in the Daily Wire, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Townhall, the Daily Signal, the Christian Post, Charisma News and other outlets.

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About skytree, our mission.

SkyTree Book Fairs is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to nurturing childhood innocence through book fairs that allow children's imaginations to soar while being rooted in truth.

SkyTree Book Fairs was created by a concerned group of parents who worked with Kirk Cameron throughout his public library story hour tour and were inspired by his actions.

They recognized the need for a reliable and safe option for book distribution in schools. Those parents knew they were facing direct competition with companies like Scholastic but endured to overcome the monopoly on children's book publishing and distribution

Their collective vision led to the creation of SkyTree Book Fairs.

A Letter from the President of SkyTree Book Fairs

Riley Lee 11/08/2023

Dear Friends and Supporters,

On behalf of SkyTree Book Fairs and our board of directors, I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation for the incredible support our organization has already received.

When we embarked on this journey to establish SkyTree Book Fairs, our mission was, and still is, clear - to offer wholesome, age-appropriate children's books through school book fairs across the nation. We desire to engage students in adventures that allow their love for reading to explode!

Thanks to the hard work of our amazing team and partners, we have made significant strides in realizing our vision. Just days after announcing SkyTree Book Fairs, we received an overwhelming amount of support. This has enabled us to launch our mission to hundreds of schools across the country in just a few days. More schools and communities can now choose to participate in literary enrichment that aligns with their missions and values.

We have curated a selection of books that not only nurture young minds but also inspire a lifelong love of reading that’s rooted in truth. We strive to provide parents and educators with the assurance that the books we offer are of the highest quality and align with our shared values.

In the coming year, we have exciting plans to further expand our outreach, introducing new initiatives and reaching even more schools and families. Your support will continue to play a pivotal role in making these dreams a reality. We look forward to cultivating many partnerships as we embark on this journey.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has supported the launch of SkyTree Book Fairs and our mission. Together, we can make a positive difference in the world of education and literature while instilling truth in the hearts of future generations.

With deepest gratitude and warm regards,

Riley Lee President of SkyTree Book Fairs

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Story Time and Book Signing with Kirk Cameron

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Bring the whole family for story time with Kirk Cameron on Saturday, May 13, at 1 and 2 p.m. The renowned actor and father of six will read his children’s book about the fruit of the Spirit. Tickets to story time are $22.99, plus tax, (with up to two accompanying adults and two accompanying children per paid ticket) and include a signed copy of As You Grow .

Please call 704-401-3200 or email [email protected] with any questions.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• 1:00 p.m. – Welcome / Introduction
• 1:05 p.m. – 1st Book Reading
• 2:00 p.m. – Welcome / Introduction
• 2:05 p.m. – 2nd Book Reading
• 3:00 p.m. – Book Signing in the Billy Graham Library lobby (The book signing is free to attend . Reservations are not required for the book signing. Limit of two signed books per guest – one must be As You Grow. Books will be available for purchase in Ruth’s Attic bookstore, or you may bring your own.)

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BRAVE Books partnered with Kirk Cameron to write As You Grow , a Christian children's book that teaches kids how to grow in wisdom through the fruit of the spirit. 

In every BRAVE Book, we partner with people of moral integrity, like Kirk Cameron, to teach complex Christian and Conservative values.  In Kirk Cameron's book As You Grow , watch Sky Tree start from a seed, and how it grows into a massive tree through the trials and triumphs along the way. As you track the gentle giant's growth, read the words of wisdom that guided this tree, and learn about love, joy, and gentleness with your family through the BRAVE challenge at the end of the book.

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'Parents Are Incredibly Grateful for This': Kirk Cameron's Book Tour Rolls Through Northern VA

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Actor, director, and author Kirk Cameron captivated a crowd at Gum Spring Library in Stone Ridge, Virginia on Saturday as part of his cross-country Brave Books Tour. 

About 700 people lined up eagerly, stretching around bookshelves and out the door, to hear Cameron read his latest Christian children's book, Pride Comes Before the Fall . The book serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and the importance of humility. 

Cameron told CBN News, "Parents are incredibly grateful and thankful for this." 

Kirk Cameron reads his new children's book  Pride Comes Before the Fall  to children and parents Saturday at the Gum Springs Library in Stone Ridge, Va. (Photo credit: Kate Foelsch)

The event was one of several stops on Cameron's tour. Launched last year in response to the recent surge of Drag Queen Story Hour events at public libraries nationwide, he personally shared his pro-God, pro-family, and pro-America message with families and children. The release of the book coincides with LGBTQ Pride Month. Unlike some of his previous book readings, no protesters showed up at Saturday's event. 

The actor shared his perspective, saying, "Perception is not always reality. The media often portrays a narrative that new progressive values are embraced by everyone. However, my travels across the country and conversations with ordinary people reveal their desire for the values they grew up with, which will lead our nation back to God and secure blessings for our children's future." 

The line of parents and their children waiting to participate in Kirk Cameron's Brave Books Tour Saturday stretched outside the library and down one part of the sidewalk. (Photo credit: Kate Foelsch)

Securing library spaces has presented challenges during the tour at times, with dozens of public libraries reportedly turning Cameron away. However, Saturday's event saw no protesters opposing his message. But a sign that read, "Our LGBTQ students are under attack. Teach banned books," along with a copy of the book My Shadow Pink " were posted outside another meeting room across the hall.  

Cameron later responded to the display in a tweet. 

I took this photo across the hall from me at Louden County Public Library story hour yesterday. Their claim is the opposite of what they are doing. Claim: Teach Truth Book : My Shadow is Pink I hope everyone sees the hypocrisy. Even giving latitude for poetic license-… pic.twitter.com/ErwLeMlpZb — Kirk Cameron (@KirkCameron) June 12, 2023

Loudoun County, where the event took place, has been at the center of the national debate over transgender policies in recent years. As CBN News has reported, the county has made headlines over everything from raucous school board meetings, the firing (and subsequent reinstatement) of a teacher for refusing to use a student's preferred pronouns and a reported incident of sexual assault in a school bathroom involving a boy allegedly wearing a dress. 

Cameron's return to Loudoun comes just two weeks after his guest speaking engagement at Cornerstone Chapel in neighboring Leesburg. 

Gary Hamrick, Cornerstone Chapel's senior pastor,  who led Saturday's prayer is biblically opposed to the LGBTQ lifestyle. He said we need to have compassion for those truly trapped in it, and has been urging Christians to stand up against societal pressures. 

Last Sunday, Hamrick addressed the issue with a sermon titled A Biblical Response to the 'Transing' of America .

"The church has been silent for too long, allowing these cultural and social issues to go unaddressed. As a result, our culture has taken over, and many Christians today are simply accepting the direction the world is heading. We must be the salt and light in our world. We must stand up against the darkness," said Hamrick during an interview Saturday. 

Cameron also made headlines this week through a video posted on Twitter, where he criticized Bud Light beer for betraying its audience and providing marketing advice in a controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The video encouraged Americans to invest their time, energy, and resources in supporting individuals who contribute to building the country they desire for their children's future. 

Big mistake. You forgot to read the room. This one’s on me, Bud. @budlight Wake up the woke! Tag the companies you miss the most. @thenorthface @Ford @Nike pic.twitter.com/QYiV6f0MKZ — Kirk Cameron (@KirkCameron) June 7, 2023

Meanwhile, Brave Books is planning public library events across the country on Aug. 5. They are calling on supporters to organize these events, where they can "pray, sing, and read BRAVE Books and other virtuous books," and fill public libraries with friends, family, pastors, and teachers to guide the nation back to God. 

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Kirk Cameron set to release second children’s book Pride Comes Before the Fall during Pride Month

A ctor, film producer, and author Kirk Cameron is set to release his second children’s book about pride, titled Pride Comes Before the Fall.

The book is scheduled to be released on June 1, coinciding with LGBT Pride Month. It became available for pre-order on Thursday.

LIBERALS BLAME REPUBLICANS, NOT BIDEN FOR THEIR PURSUIT OF DEBT CEILING ‘PLAN B’

“It’s a story of a tiger named Valor and his partner named Kevin. They need to learn the lesson of humility,” Cameron said, giving a preview of it to the group of children and parents gathered at his latest story hour in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The book follows the Growing Pains star’s first book, As You Grow , which looks at the journey of a tree’s growth.

Cameron previously told the Washington Examiner that As You Grow depicts "biblical wisdom through the seasons of life to children and the value of growing the fruit of the spirit, like love, joy, kindness, patience, gentleness, self-control.”

Both of Cameron’s books are published by Brave Books, the conservative children’s publishing company.

In coordination with Brave Books, Cameron set out on a nationwide story hour tour to help parents push back against “the storm of wokeism that appears to be sweeping the nation.”

“If we want to see our culture changed , we need to create the culture,” Cameron told the Washington Examiner . “Good people with moral integrity have to create the culture, and that is what we are doing at these events.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

His tour began in Indianapolis and has included stops in New York, Savannah, Georgia, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Cameron’s most recent story-time stop was at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cameron’s next stop will be at the Seattle Public Library on May 27. It will be his 12th stop on the nationwide tour.

Tags: Family Issues , Children , Parenting , Books , LGBT , News

Original Author: Heather Hamilton

Original Location: Kirk Cameron set to release second children’s book Pride Comes Before the Fall during Pride Month

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Kirk Cameron and Sean Spicer’s dubious quest to ‘win back Story Hour’

The actor and former trump staffer came to washington to spread their values — and promote their books. few seemed to care..

Behold. Kirk Cameron and Brave Books, a conservative publisher of children’s stories, have teamed up “to win back Story Hour and stand up for truth and Biblical values.”

The evangelical actor, best known for his appearance on “Growing Pains” in a previous century, has been traveling around the country promoting his new Brave picture book, “ As You Grow .”

Cameron markets his Freedom Island Tour as a wholesome alternative to the Drag Queen Story Hours promoted by woke Marxist librarians. Christian patriots, supposedly imperiled and opposed by a godless state, are encouraged to attend not merely to hear children’s books but to demonstrate their allegiance.

Montgomery police to patrol drag story hours after Proud Boys protest

The Brave Books website says, “ It take courage to stand up for truth .” It take grammar, too, but God works in mysterious ways.

Wednesday morning, the Freedom Island Tour came to the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library in D.C. to vanquish the arrayed forces of evil. But the forces of evil never arrayed. Instead of angry protesters, Cameron and his fellow Brave authors confronted a mostly empty sidewalk. Misinformation purveyor Jack Posobiec, author of “ The Island of Free Ice Cream ,” spoke ominously of the recent “Christian massacre” at a Nashville elementary school. “If we back down,” he warned, “they win.”

At least seven uniformed police officers and several members of a private security team wandered back and forth. Apparently, this is what winning looks like.

Inside the library’s large meeting room, there were more adults than children. The publisher’s staff scurried around trying to divine where everybody might be. It was perplexing: Five hundred people had reportedly attended an earlier stop in Fayetteville, Ark. “Is it spring break?” someone asked.

By 10:30 — starting time — nine children had arrived. One little girl was singing “Jingle Bells.” At least the War on Christmas wasn’t winning.

Brave Books is a brand fueled by a classic right-wing cocktail of aggrievement and triumphalism. Its picture books, populated by talking, well-dressed animals, are a mix of morality tales, Ayn Rand fever dreams and Trump talking points. Cameron’s “As You Grow,” a story about caring for others, is the blandest of the bunch. Posobiec’s book warns children against the specious promises of lupine communists. Chaya Raichik, the Libs of TikTok star , was on hand to read “ No More Secrets: The Candy Cavern ,” her woolly parable about groomers in school.

Twenty-five minutes later, Brave founder Trent Talbot announced they would delay another five or six minutes “because there’s a lot of people trying to find a place to park.” Sure. One woman had a cap that said “PRAY.” It seemed like the only remaining option.

As we waited, Brave Books’ creative director led the children in a game of Simon Says. A little girl suggested they should twirl, but he told her that boys don’t twirl ; they spin . They do, indeed.

When story time finally started, there were about 17 kids in the room, surrounded by a larger number of adults. Cameron speculated that many people didn’t show up because they were afraid. “But you’re brave,” he told the group, though it wasn’t clear what they’d endured except delay.

More articles and reviews by Ron Charles

Holding a replica of the National Monument to the Forefathers at Plymouth, Mass., Cameron delivered a brief homily about America as a once and future theocracy.

Sean Spicer, one of President Donald Trump’s press secretaries, came on last to talk about his new picture book, “ The Parrots Go Bananas .” It’s a story about the dangers of fake news. Clearly, Brave Books is seeking out experts.

As I stood there watching Spicer trying his darnedest to generate some enthusiasm, I imagined he was looking out at that handful of children and thinking, “This is the largest audience to ever witness a story hour — period — both in person and around the globe.”

This article was excerpted from our free Book Club newsletter. To subscribe, visit wapo.st/booknewsletter .

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Kirk cameron visits savannah for book tour.

Actor and author kicking off a 15-city tour nationwide

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A popular actor turned author brings his Christian book tour to Savannah.

Kirk Cameron kicked off his 15-city Christian story hour on Thursday at the Bull Street Public Library.

During his tour, Cameron will be joined by various celebrities as he reads his children’s book, “As You Grow.”

“There is an outcry across the nation from parents and grandparents who are wanting to push back and save our freedom island," said Cameron. "That’s what America is, it’s an island of freedom in a broken woke world, and they want values that they can teach their children that leads to their blessing and to their protection.”

Cameron was joined on Thursday’s tour stop by country singer Coffey Anderson.

Kirk Cameron Tour

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Kirk Cameron is promoting his new children’s book by protesting against other children’s books — and CRT and drag queens and librarians

Analysis Rick Pidcock  |  January 4, 2023

Actor Kirk Cameron of “Left Behind” fame is cashing in on evangelical fears of LGBTQ people as he wages a war with “woke libraries” in a publicity stunt for his new children’s book.

“It’s terrifying to me,” Cameron said regarding children’s books that depict LGBTQ families as normal. “It’s actually just a slippery slope.”

“These are tactics of war,” he told  CBN News . “These are tactics that are a pretense of tolerance, which is really just a transitional step toward totalitarianism.”

“These are tactics that are a pretense of tolerance, which is really just a transitional step toward totalitarianism.”

Cameron first gained national attention on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” in the mid-1980s. More recently, he’s devoted himself to conservative evangelical causes, including starring in a series of the “Left Behind” movies and in another evangelistic movie called “Fireproof.” He is an outspoken advocate of conservative evangelical causes, including support for Donald Trump and denial of the risk of coronavirus.

His latest conspiratorial terror is in response to Drag Queen Story Hour , which began in 2015 as a way to provide awareness of stories that include LGBTQ families alongside the many books that portray heteronormative families.

Kirk Cameron

As it happens, Cameron had his own children’s book, As You Grow , coming out Dec. 1, just days before his public protests against LGBTQ-inclusive books and librarians.

What better way to drum up sales for your children’s book than by creating a national controversy during the month of your book launch?

While claiming, “I’m not trying to make headlines,” Cameron spent December creating a buzz for his new book and going on Fox News to stir up anger against librarians. His marketing campaign led to a  public reading  of his children’s book on Dec. 29 at the Indianapolis Public Library, with many other events planned.

A book ‘about biblical wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit’

“I’ve partnered with Brave Books to write this about biblical wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control,” Cameron explained in an  interview  with Julie Banderas on the Fox News program  America’s Newsroom .

He told CBN News, “I think drag queens would love my book if they just took the time to read it.”

“I think drag queens would love my book if they just took the time to read it.”

But according to Cameron and Fox News, librarians responded to his message about love and kindness by starting a war.

“You would never imagine that you would be in the battle of your life because you wrote a children’s book,” Banderas said.

A war on the ‘woke ideologies’ of CRT and ‘the transgender agenda’

During their Fox News interview, Banderas mentioned that Cameron’s agency sent a letter to libraries across the country with the invitation: “We would love to schedule a story hour for Mr. Cameron’s book where we read As You Grow and speak to families about following the wisdom of the Bible, as well as discussing the harmful effects of woke ideologies, specifically CRT and the transgender agenda.”

Cameron told Banderas: “These libraries said they were not interested and that their communities were not interested. And it wasn’t until I published a public letter asking them to reconsider and then mentioning the fact that we have constitutional rights — in fact, I have my copy of the Constitution right here — that I will assert in court, that they reversed course.”

But what did he think was going to happen when this marketing team included such inflammatory rhetoric?

The librarians respond

According to the Scarsdale Public Library in New York, “There was no ‘reversal.’”

In their first of two  official statements , library administrators explain they received a message via their website Dec. 2 from Cameron’s publisher requesting for them to host Cameron for a story hour. “As with any request to present a library-sponsored program, we sent a link to our online application for presenting a library program,” they said. “The publisher did not submit an application.”

“Thank you for thinking of us, but we are not interested in this program.”

When they received the email from Cameron’s Amplifi Agency about wanting to warn the kids about the supposedly harmful effects of “CRT and the transgender agenda,” the library replied, “Thank you for thinking of us, but we are not interested in this program.”

After Cameron threatened legal action, Library Director Elizabeth Bermel responded by email saying they could request a room rental, while including links to the room rental meeting policy and reservation form.

In the library’s statement, they clarify, “The event is not a library-sponsored program, but rather a meeting room rental that cannot be rejected based on political or religious content under the First Amendment.”

Eventually, after creating all the drama, Cameron’s publisher filled out the necessary information and was given a room to do Cameron’s reading. But Cameron still complained to Fox News that they weren’t mentioned on the website calendar, even though the calendar mentioned a “play dough play date.”

From this, Banderas of Fox News concluded the controversy is bringing attention to “suppression” of “Christians that really want a storybook hour” and “don’t want to go and listen to drag queens read to their 18-month-olds.”

Public libraries providing meeting spaces for hate groups

What role should a public library have in such a debate?

According to the  American Library Association : “A publicly funded library is not obligated to provide meeting room space to the public, but if it chooses to do so, it cannot discriminate or deny access based upon the viewpoint of speakers or the content of their speech. This encompasses religious, political and hate speech. If a library allows charities, nonprofits and sports organizations to discuss their activities in library meeting rooms, then the library cannot exclude religious, social, civic, partisan political or hate groups from discussing their activities in the same facilities.”

Libraries tend to shy away from hosting people who run public campaigns about their plan to put others down.

Because libraries are led by people who want to foster community around quiet learning, they tend to shy away from hosting people who run public campaigns about their plan to put others down. Marti Minor, who writes for the Georgia Public Library service, said: “The idea of inviting those whose purpose is to demean others on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability or any other similar grounds into the meeting rooms of our public libraries is understandably repugnant to librarians who strive to make the institution a place that is open and welcoming to all.”

Here, the library enters a larger debate about what constitutes “hate” speech. While conservative Christians believe their views against same-sex relationships and marriage are biblical mandates, others see such discriminatory language as hateful.

Minor notes the FBI defines hate groups as those whose “primary purpose is to promote animosity, hostility and malice against persons belonging to a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or ethnicity/national origin which differs from that of the members of the organization.”

It seems reasonable to assume that because Cameron’s group explicitly stated their purpose is to discuss “the harmful effects of woke ideologies, specifically CRT and the transgender agenda” with kids, that they would be demeaning Black and transgender communities and thereby qualify as a hate group.

But unfortunately for the libraries who wish to avoid Cameron’s political propaganda, the case is not so cut and dried.

“Regardless of the language settled on by ALA in its meeting rooms interpretation, any decision to deny access to ‘hate groups’ or to prohibit ‘hate speech’ must be made with the knowledge that a court challenge is likely,” Minor wrote. “And without strong indicators that the group in question will delve into criminal activity, a public library will have difficulty in defending such a challenge.”

Cameron’s ‘miraculous’ events

“What a miraculous morning in INDY!!” Cameron celebrated on his  Facebook page . “Our library reading room held only 170 people. Over 1,000 moms, dads and kids were waiting for us INSIDE the library and ANOTHER 1,000 waited OUTSIDE to stay and support even though they knew they couldn’t come in!!!”

Kirk Cameron at the Indianapolis Public Library

Then Cameron complained, “Sadly, this beautiful library has a large auditorium that seats more people, but leadership never offered it to us or even told us about it!”

Brave Books, the publisher of Cameron’s book,  added , “This is a message to every library in the United States: In 137 years of the Indianapolis Public Library’s history, NEVER ONCE have they had over 2,500 people show up to a single event. UNTIL TODAY.”

But the Indianapolis Public Library countered both Cameron and Brave Books,  tweeting : “We are being inaccurately portrayed in news/social after a room rental yesterday. Our estimated door count during the event is around 750, not 2,500. We’ve had larger events. We turn 150 years old in 2023. And our auditorium, which our guests chose not to rent, holds 300, not 2,000.”

However many showed up, the room Cameron rented was full of children as Cameron began telling the kids about Freedom Island, the fictional land where much of the Brave Books storylines are located. Cameron read a story about Sky Tree, a tree that began as an acorn in the ground and grew to a large tree that was home to many animals. Sky Tree grew to point up to Jesus in the sky.

But then when Cameron turned one page, kids began to yell, “A war!” On this page, a pack of wolves show up to burn down Sky Tree. Then all the animals have to rebuild Sky Tree.

After reading the book, Cameron asked for questions from the parents. One man said, “Praise God for your stance and what you’re doing.”

Cameron responded, “This is hopefully going to turn into pictures and videos that are going to go out over social media and the news and everywhere else. I think you guys are going to inspire an entire movement.”

“By the way, is there anyone here, after reading this book, that thinks any of this might be offensive or controversial? Is there anything dangerous about this book?” he asked.

“You’re making the news,” Cameron encouraged them. “It’s in the headlines everywhere. You can just go home and share your videos on your social media platforms, let everybody know what you were here for today, what you thought of it.”

As he talked about the government stealing property from its citizens and corrupting the morals of children, Cameron quoted Samuel Adams, saying: “‘It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.’ This afternoon, we are setting brushfires of faith, family and freedom here in Scarsdale, N.Y., yesterday in Indianapolis, and it’s happening all across the country.”

The books of Rushington on Freedom Island

Even though the event primarily was about promoting Cameron’s book, he invited those in attendance to purchase additional books by Brave Books. “If you like this book, we have lots and lots of more books about the fox and about the capybara, and about the owl, and about all the characters here on Freedom Island.”

What are those books? And what are the connections within the Freedom Island universe to Cameron’s war against librarians and LGBTQ people?

In one book, titled  The Island of Free Ice Cream , children are told about Ashur the Fox, whose inventions give him “the biggest booth in the market.” But the wolves, presumably the same wolves that burn down Sky Tree, say, “You poor little animals. … Your market isn’t fair. You all work so hard, but Ashur has the biggest booth. We come from Utopia Island, which is so amazing that we don’t even need a market. Everyone gets the most delicious ice cream you’ve ever tasted for free. If you put us in charge, we’ll make Rushington an even happier place to be.”

Even though Ashur warns the animals, the book says that “the animals, drooling and dreaming of free ice cream, decided to vote.” Then they launch Ashur out into the ocean.

When the animals realize that the wolves will not provide free ice cream, the wolves say, “If you want your city back, you’ll have to fight for it.” Then in an image reminiscent of the January 6 insurrection attempt, a war breaks out, “Bam! Wow! Pow! Zing! Wam! Boing!”

“At last, Rushington was free,” the book says. And then the animals punish the wolves for lying by catapulting them out into the ocean. The book concludes by saying, “Together, he and his friends set out to defend Freedom Island from lying wolves and other evil creatures.”

In another book, titled  Elephants Are Not Birds , an elephant is pulling a cart but wants to sing. So a vulture named Culture comes along and tells him he should identify as a bird instead, saying “It’s only your feelings that show what is real.” So the vulture named Culture gives him a strap-on beak and wings. But when the elephant tries to eat seeds, build a nest, and fly, he finds himself falling to the ground and realizing he’s an elephant.

“You don’t have to have a political science degree to recognize the political metaphors at play here.”

You don’t have to have a political science degree to recognize the political metaphors at play here. The books are glorifying wealthy owners of corporations, while labeling anyone who talks about a fair market as wolves, categorizing poor people who rely on a social safety net and who have been taken advantage of by the wealthy as drooling animals that want free ice cream, and by promoting political revolution through violence and giving the Democrats the death sentence by drowning. They are mocking intersex and transgender people as being elephants who think they are birds.

And now they’re threatening libraries with legal action, while claiming to be persecuted, if they aren’t allowed to use the library facilities to enlist children in their war.

Christian nationalism’s war for the Bible

Cameron asks, “Story hours are for children. So why would a library committed to diversity and inclusion exclude me from reading my book?”

Perhaps it’s because librarians are smart and recognize the silly marketing schemes Cameron is playing in order to sell books by demeaning people while pretending to be talking about kindness and love.

Playing Trump’s card about promoting your book while also mentioning the Bible,  Cameron says  our forefathers warned us about what is important.

“Chief among those are faith in God and in his word, and morality,” Cameron claims. “George Washington said those are the two indispensable supports of the country. Our chief justices of our Supreme Court said that these are the paramount things. Noah Webster, who gave us Websters Dictionary, was also the father of American education, said the most important thing you could ever teach your children are the virtues of Christianity because it’s the only foundation upon which a free republic like ours can stand.”

This is a blatant embrace of Christian nationalism. It’s not that Cameron thinks Christians should be allowed to practice their faith freely, but that the Bible and “the virtues of Christianity” are “the only foundation” for our country.

Who is the totalitarian? Everything Cameron claims progressives are doing, he explicitly admits he wants to do. His fear mongering is projection.

The fruit of the spirit is Western civilization?

Cameron’s conspiracy is that progressives will “first ban Christians and people who say things that they don’t like.” Then when progressives realize Christians get their ideas from the Bible, he claims that they will say, “Well, now we need to get the Bible out.” So Cameron concludes, “Ultimately, that’s the kingpin of Western civilization — the Bible is the book that Western civilization was built upon.”

“The Bible is the book that Western civilization was built upon.”

Then he co-opts the gospel. “These progressive agendas are actually not taking us forward. They’re taking us backward. They’d be more appropriately titled ‘regressive’ ideas. We’re regressing back to paganism prior to the gospel coming and creating Western civilization.”

The Bible is the book Western civilization was built on? The gospel created Western civilization?

Cameron claims his message is simply about the fruit of the Spirit being kindness and love. But when you listen to his interviews, it becomes clear he believes the fruit of the Spirit is Western civilization as defined by glorifying the wealthy, demonizing the Democrats, belittling the poor as simply wanting free handouts, and promoting the very war language that led to the January 6 insurrection attempt.

Cameron wants Christians who fight by buying his books

Ironically, one of Cameron’s biggest frustrations isn’t with “woke libraries” or progressives, but with Christians. He laments, “Many Christians get told ‘No, you can’t do that, we don’t like you, we don’t like your values, and so they tuck their tail between their legs, they go home and cry in their Chick-fil-A soup and wait for the rapture.”

Instead of crying and waiting, “What we need to be doing is using the tools, the biblically based tools that we have in our Constitution, in the Bill of Rights and push back on this kind of tyranny,” Cameron advises. “We need to get back to the word of God and we need to be teaching these children at our kitchen table, not sending them to libraries where male dancers in womens’ clothing twerk for children hoping to get them to donate money in their brassieres.”

“Who is the one parading around asking for money here?”

Yet now who is the one parading around asking for money here? Cameron’s ultimate plan is to get people to buy his books.

“Grab your favorite children’s story book. It could be my book. It could be any book that you want,” he pitches. “Go get your favorite Sunday school story book, call the library that had the drag queen story hour, and say, ‘I’d like to read my book in one of your time slots.’”

In Cameron’s interview on Fox News, Banderas concluded: “I mean faith, family freedom. Gee, that’s so offensive. The whole woke ideology is just out of control. And I’m glad you’re fighting against it.”

No. What’s offensive here is not only that Cameron thinks he can use public libraries to glorify wealthy corporations while belittling the poor and LGBTQ people in the name of the fruit of the Spirit, but that he thinks he can insult our intelligence by drumming up a national controversy without us realizing it’s his strategy for a book launch.

Using the tactics of a book launch under the pretense of the fruit of the Spirit is just a transitional step toward the totalitarianism desired by Christian nationalists.

Rick Pidcock

Rick Pidcock  is a 2004 graduate of Bob Jones University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible. He’s a freelance writer based in South Carolina and a former Clemons Fellow with BNG. He recently completed a Master of Arts degree in worship from Northern Seminary. He is a stay-at-home father of five children and produces music under the artist name Provoke Wonder. Follow his blog at  www.rickpidcock.com .

Related articles:

‘Fireproof’ actor Kirk Cameron shares testimony at Baptist college

Drag queens reading books to children are not the problem | Opinion by Susan Shaw

How a student’s fashion design project upset the created order at Bob Jones University  | Analysis by Rick Pidcock

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Even in March Madness, the playing field remains uneven for women

Analysis Rick Pidcock

Women and girls suffer disproportionately from religious freedom violations, experts warn

News Jeff Brumley

The UN security council is a sham

Opinion Wendell Griffen

What should we make of the curious case of Wendell Berry and a University of Kentucky painting?

Analysis Rodney Kennedy

Netanyahu’s got to go but so do other obstacles to Mideast peace

Opinion Erich Bridges

Are we really doing this again?

Opinion Susan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

Wait, make that five candidates for SBC president

The Cross as moral example

Opinion Robert P. Sellers

I won’t buy his ‘truth’ or his Bible

Opinion Michael P. L. Friday

Ministry jobs and more

News Barbara Francis

Florida high court gives hope to both sides in abortion debate

Netanyahu has turned Israel into an evil empire

Opinion Mark Wingfield

The Easter season brings memories joyous and painful of growing up in Palestine

Opinion Raouf J. Halaby

Palestinians join Jesus in crying, ‘I thirst,’ Lutheran pastor says in Good Friday sermon

DeSantis’s war on woke suffers legal losses and backlash

Life lessons from being a single person at church

Opinion Eli Withers

Twelve things the SBC should do now to address clergy sex abuse

Opinion Christa Brown, David Clohessy, Dave Pittman and Chellee Taylor

As UAW president, Shawn Fain believes Jesus would have been a unionist

News Maina Mwaura

Four Cuban Baptist groups find common ground in medical ministry

Baltimore bridge collapse highlights dangerous work immigrants do in America

Pence will speak at luncheon during SBC annual meeting

Arkansas pastor resigns after months of dissension over mishandling child sexual abuse cases

News David Bumgardner

Murder of Baptist pastor in Myanmar brings new attention to the ‘under-reported war’

It’s Holy Week, and Trump is comparing himself to Jesus once again

Here’s some good news on the health of America’s clergy

Watch your language and your beliefs, sex abuser survivors tell the church

Franklin Graham plans Easter Sunday broadcast from Jerusalem

Candace Owens out at Daily Wire over antisemitism

Open Doors report documents dangers women and men face for Christian faith in 50 countries

Terrorism, money and the threat to world peace

News Anthony Akaeze

Duck Dynasty is gone, but the Robertson family legacy continues

Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation policies are quietly erasing Christian culture and presence this holy season

Opinion Mae Elise Cannon and Ben Norquist

Two things can be true at the same time

Wrestling with the reality of sexual abuse in the Easter story in Surviving God

Opinion Mallory Challis

The last word is hope

Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde 

Opinion Greg Garrett, Senior Columnist

Weeping with Daughter Zion

Opinion Alan Bean

Trump the blasphemer: During Holy Week, Trump compares himself to Jesus and hawks a white Christian nationalist Bible

Opinion Robert P. Jones

At the Cross: What I see

Opinion David Gushee, Senior Columnist

I thought I didn’t have any more time in my Holy Week schedule, and then I learned about the Trump-endorsed Bible

Opinion Justin Cox

This is how unhinged Focus on the Family has become

One year after the Club Q mass shooting, none of us are the same

Opinion Eleanor Skelton

Al Mohler takes his ‘Ask Anything’ tour to Cobb County

Opinion Maina Mwaura

The strange world of Catholic ‘integralism’ — and Christian nationalism

Exclude from home page BNG staff

Pope shows off rosary of slain Ukrainian soldier, denounces ‘madness of war’

The Bible’s Development Is a Messy Story, but It Can Bolster Our Faith

Jewish group launches holocaust survivor speakers bureau to fight increasing antisemitism worldwide.

For the Maya, solar eclipses were a sign of heavenly clashes − and their astronomers kept sophisticated records to predict them

Indian American lawmakers urge DOJ to address ‘alarming’ rise of Hindu temple vandalism

Faith deconstruction can be a search for answers or a search for exits.

New York inmates say a prison lockdown for the eclipse violates religious freedom: Lawsuit

T.d. jakes mentioned briefly in suit against music mogul sean ‘diddy’ combs.

A new book traces the influence of racism and imperialism on white Christian feminism

GOP Senate Candidates Are Racing To Rewrite Past Abortion Positions. Democrats Are Counting On Voters To See Through It.

Hispanic Evangelicals – A Growing Force?

‘Midland Christian 5’ Say Wrongful Arrests Devastated Their Lives And Careers

Polygamous sect leader pleads guilty in scheme to orchestrate sexual acts involving children, nothing lasts, and yet no one who’s loved really dies, lgbtq-inclusive church in cuba welcomes all in a country that once sent gay people to labor camps, african spiritualities are attracting black americans as a source of pride and identity, fox news host spouts anti-trans god-replacement theory on easter, died: sandra crouch, gospel artist who broke with church to get ordained.

Al Gore, hundreds of mourners hail ‘supreme mensch’ Joe Lieberman at pioneering Jewish politician’s funeral

Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow

Martin scorsese will dive into the journey to sainthood with an 8-part fox nation docuseries.

Baptists Represented Well at the Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable

First Muslim appeals court nominee in doubt

Eating the alban bun at easter a tradition that dates back centuries.