Phyllis-Foster-and-Josh-Kimbrell

The stately room at the Poinsett Club in downtown Greenville filled quickly with a group of about 25 from the Upstate Republican Women’s Club. Phyllis Foster greeted everyone with a bright smile and her natural Southern charm.  She quickly moves the meeting to order and gives the room the latest updates to activities and interests. When she called for information from the members, Ruth Templeton gave a detailed account of her son, Larry Templeton, a US Army Officer who was injured in a rocket attack in Afghanistan; it focused the thoughts, emotions and feelings in the room sharply. Chaplain Shari Chavers’ invocation earlier led the group in a request for Larry and his recovery. Ruth praised the Army and Government for doing everything it could and being very supportive of not only Larry, but his wife and his parents, just a reminder of how ‘close to home’ a war can be.

Donna Gottschall introduced the keynote speaker Josh Kimbrell, and he immediately captured the room’s attention.  From his website, http://joshkimbrell

.com/, Josh was born and raised in the Upstate of South Carolina, which makes the fight for this state’s cultural values close to his heart. As such, he’s been involved in public policy since his freshman year in college.

Josh is an honors graduate of North Greenville University, where he studied economics and English as an undergraduate student. During those years at North Greenville, he began learning how to break down the barrier of the secular-sacred split, and approach public policy, and all of life, from a Christian Worldview. During his junior year of college, he began a radio show called “The Hard Truth” on the campus radio station. A regular guest on his program was Dr. Tony Beam.

As a result, Josh became a regular guest host on Dr. Beam’s hit upstate radio show “Christian Worldview Today” on Christian Talk 660 / 92.9FM. This led to Josh’s founding of the CEO Round Table of South Carolina, a faith-based foundation committed to uniting economic and social conservatives in South Carolina.

A natural by-product of these efforts to unite economic and social conservatives in the Palmetto State was to do a radio show on these topics. As such, “Spiritual Cents” was launched on Christian Talk 660 / 92.9FM in January, 2011 and then on September 6 of that same year, Josh’s hour-long afternoon show, “Common Sense,” went on the air.

Kimbrell led the audience through the foibles of the government’s actions in 2009 by attempting to tax certain clubs in Georgia to augment sex-trafficking victim’s compensation fund, while wondering aloud, “How did this work?”  Josh went on to say that “He was not in the habit of quoting other party members, but John F. Kennedy said ‘that Rights are from the hand of God.’” He believes that “Jesus is the foundation, and that we must take back the narrative and take over the conversation.” He related his experience with the debates recently for the Presidential Candidates and he has seen the narrative changed from issues to other focus points. We must become the offense, write the right rules and become cultural change agents.”

Josh used the Eagle, our country’s symbol as an illustration, that it has two wings and that they must be balanced. He also flatly stated that he “does not want to answer his 8 month old son’s question in the future of, ‘Dad, why didn’t people stand-up and stop this?’”

Dave Wilson, Common Sense Executive Producer, joined him in speaking about getting involved. “Decisions are made by those who show up. We need you in Columbia.” Dave went on to outline the direction of future efforts by himself and Kimbrell. They are formally launching a new foundation, the Future Freedom Foundation which is found at  http://www.

futurefreedomfoundation.com/. He also encouraged people to visit Josh’s website and to listen on 92.9 FM in the Upstate to Josh’s program “Common Sense” weekday afternoons at 5:00 PM.

The next Upstate Republican Women’s meeting will be 19 March. All are encouraged to attend and are welcome.

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