News Roundup: Hegseth's War, Washer, Driscoll, Chan, Talarico, & More

Last year at the Shepard's conference, I was to see him for a few minutes out to his house.

And I went there and I was praying, Lord, what should I do? He's getting close to glory.

And I did something that men do not often do to men like him, but should do all the time.

I walked in and I said, Dr. MacArthur, is it well with your soul? Are you reading the word?

Talk to me about your prayer life. How is your communion with Christ?

Welcome to the conversations that matter, podcast. I'm your host, John Harris. Hopefully everyone can hear me.

We are crafting the bold Christian vision for America here. Let me know how everything sounds while we get started.

This is an unannounced live stream. I decided to do it because of circumstances in my own day.

Actually, I was supposed to be doing an interview right now with someone and it didn't work out and I thought, well, I got a little bit of time.

I'll do a live stream because there's been a lot of news stories over the last week that we need to talk about.

And I think it'll be a blessing for you. I got some good news, I think, to share with you at the end of this podcast.

I'm trying to do that more. Share the good news. I think people need to be remembered. God's still at work. There's still good things happening.

Sometimes it's in your neck of the woods. Sometimes it's bigger than that.

And if we just focus on the negative and especially if we make positive things into negative things, then we're really going to be gloomy people.

I don't think we need to be that. We've inherited some great things. We're going to hopefully pass down some great things.

We are still here and God put us here for such a time as this. And so we're going to do the best we can with what we have.

That's the message for today. And of course it is the beginning of spring.

I don't know where you're listening from, but where I am. It is a balmy 70 degrees today. It's going to get down again to the 30s, I think, tomorrow.

But for now, we're enjoying it. Hopefully I'll be able to go out later with my family and enjoy it because we have just been cooped up for a week.

We have, we have been in some of the worst sickness I've experienced in the last few years.

And I'm very optimistic when I'm sick as far as like thinking I'm going to get better soon.

So I go down and I think I'll be better tomorrow. And I'm not better. And then I'm like, well, I'll be better the next day.

This was like at least a five day thing for me. And I really lost a week. I really could not focus. I could interact it on social media a bit. It's about all I could do.

I couldn't think past that. I was supposed to do a men's lunch at my church message. And I was going to do this whole thing on Genesis 12 and 15 and 17 and all the reiterations of the Abrahamic covenant and what the Abrahamic covenant means.

I'm still going to do it. I'm even debating whether I want to do it this Sunday in some kind of a special session just because I think it needs to happen. I think it's good for the church.

Not just for this platform, but just for the church in general for my church for every church. It's being talked about so much. But I couldn't do it because I was so sick. And it's my own fault. It's my own fault.

I think what it was was I was in Mexico City. I think I told everyone the podcast. I went to Mexico City with my wife for a few days.

We we just needed a break. And that was the place we decided to go. And it was great. Right. We saw the pyramids. We saw Mexico City itself. And a lot of it's just such a big place. You never run out of things to do there.

In fact, I was I was thinking when I was leaving, I got to come back here. There's so much. Well, in the airport, we had smoothies.

And of course, the food is there is cheap. The drinks are cheap. It's like one of the least expensive places that I could go already had air miles to play paper the ticket. So it's just great situation in every way.

There was great. Of course, the altitude is not great, but you get used to it. And then they always tell you don't drink the water.

Didn't think maybe there would be water in the smoothie. Yeah. So monosoum is revenge for a week. And then my yeah, the whole family just got it. And I'm back now.

I released from the archive, my conversation with Sierra Wiley on AI because I just couldn't do anything. And I know some of you thought, well, you're better now. No, that was recorded before I was on the bed or on the couch when you were watching that. But now I am fine. So thank you for those who knew about this and prayed for me.

We're kind of getting far away from the clip. So I should probably just say, let's let's talk about that and give you a preview of other things we're going to talk about the clip you heard at the beginning was Paul washer at the Shepherd's conference.

While I was sick, the Shepherd's conference was going on last week. And I know some of you were probably there. My dad was actually there.

And I actually haven't debrief with him. So I don't know from his perspective what happened. But from my general understanding, there isn't a lot to talk about in terms of controversial things. Now that's probably a good thing to be quite honest with you.

I think people just need normal preaching on normal things. What does the Bible say? How does it apply?

I saw the full panel that Phil Johnson did. In fact, I recorded it with John Piper, Mark Devar, Lincoln Duncan, who else was on that panel.

I thought there was another person. I'm trying to remember now, but it was a full panel on John MacArthur's legacy. And I was expecting, hey, if there's going to be any kind of problems, it's going to be there. It's going to be on that panel. That's where the controversy is going to be.

And there really wasn't any controversy. The whole thing opened up with John MacArthur, where I should say with Phil Johnson, saying some of you want me to pick up where we left off in 2019.

And it really only those who were there in 2019 or knew about the controversy would have even known what he was talking about, which was the disagreements that John MacArthur and Phil Johnson had with Duncan and Mueller and Devar.

They mentioned Mueller about social justice. John MacArthur said, greatest threat he had ever seen to the Gospels in his ministry. And they signed the Dallas statement. Those guys didn't.

And so there was some controversy leading up to it. Why are these guys coming back to Shepherd's conference? They haven't been there. Why are they back? And this was something that Phil Johnson has said, John MacArthur wanted. I think he was a gracious man.

I think very forgiving and I don't know how else to put it really just very.

I think understanding and willing to give the benefit of the doubt to people, even people sometimes who did not deserve it, perhaps.

And so this was something Phil Johnson didn't choose. This was something John MacArthur before he died and wanted to see happen.

A little bit like Charlie Kirk, right, inviting people that some people didn't like coming to Turning Point, USA, like Tucker Carlson, right?

He was like, well, he said this before he died. He's going to come to our next event. He was scheduled and Charlie Kirk wanted him there.

John MacArthur wanted them there. So that they were there. But they were only on that panel.

Pipers, the only one I think that did a session outside the panel. And it was really just reminiscing and it felt, I don't know, a bit bittersweet. I listened to it and I just thought, wow.

You know, John MacArthur influenced so many people did so many things and lives were transformed. The Bible was explained.

And to think of where those guys went, they deviated from it. Okay, they really did. And we we tracked it on this podcast. They deviated from that.

They showed themselves to be unfortunately foolish and maybe at best cowardly. If they agreed that social justice was this great threat, but didn't want to do anything about it and preferred to instead forward the narrative.

And I didn't like the fact that they were there, to be honest, I'm with a lot of people, I think that felt that way. But going back turning the clock back before 2019.

And thinking about just where things were before that, the other battles that have been fought and how these guys were in the trenches and how John MacArthur was kind of there with them. And there was this band of brothers thing. And it really just gave you a lot of perspective.

I was just thinking, man, it didn't have to go this way. All the fracturing over the last six, seven years, man, it just didn't have to happen. But it did. And it's just a sad thing. And the fracturing seems to be continuing. But the Lord knows the Lord saw it before it was going to happen. And I thought for historical purposes and for reminiscing, it was a fine panel.

And that's really all I have to say about that Paul Washer, though, was also preaching at the conference. And he was one of the main speakers, as far as I understand it.

And he had the clip that I played at the beginning of this particular podcast. He had something to say about the month leading up to John MacArthur's eventual death and what his questions to John MacArthur were.

And this got some controversy online. No compromise radio. My Gabe and Druff, who has been on this podcast before was the one that I saw first to raise the alarm about this.

Here is his particular post on this topic. He says, give Christians the gospel on their deathbeds, not law because Paul Washer is asking John MacArthur of all people, right.

How's your walk with the Lord? You ready? Do you know him? How's your fellowship? How's your prayer life? These kinds of things.

And I thought about that. And there's this big controversy. In fact, some people saying that the critique of this is just proof that we've lost masculine Christianity, that it's just weaklings who can't handle law.

I don't think that's what's going on here. I don't think that's the case. And I think a lot of the people who are saying that are probably reading deep from certain Puritans and in the way that they would approach death, which is not a universal way to approach this.

Now, it'd be great if there were biblical examples. I couldn't think of any of someone dying. And then the pastor or the spiritual, the prophet, someone with guidance comes in to comfort them as they're dying to give them a last message.

We do have other examples in scripture, though, right, of David dying or Joseph dying. And they are the ones usually talking as they're dying. They're telling those who are going to remain to trust the Lord, usually, to follow his law, that kind of thing, right. But it's a different scenario, obviously.

You do have examples of Jesus comforting Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus dies. But that's a different situation. He's not dying. He's already died. And Jesus is comforting them about the fact that the resurrection is going to happen. And that, and of course, he's eventually he's about to raise Lazarus from the dead. So that's not really the same scenario here.

Here's where I come down on all this, right. It is not wrong to bring up law to someone who's dying. It's not wrong to ask them whether or not they're following the law of God.

It depends how you do it. But I think as a general principle, it's not necessarily forbidden. But you're going to do that with people who you suspect need the law to prick their hearts. Remember, what does the law do? What's the purpose of the law?

The law reveals our sinful nature. It shows we can't follow God's law or that we're not following God's law and that we deserve a punishment for that. And of course, Christ is the one who's taken the punishment. That's the gospel message. What Christ has done.

So there are scenarios where someone, in fact, I was in one recently, is dying. And I don't know that they're saved. And in that kind of a scenario, or I know they're not saved.

They have given no fruit or evidence of being a Christian. And in that environment, using a law, I think is not just something that can be done. It should be done.

But when it comes to Christians, people who have a track record of faithfulness and fruit and they love the Lord and they have exuded this, I do think it is unusual. I'll be honest. I do think it can be a very unusual thing to do that.

Because in your final moments, you are going to be entering the presence of the Lord soon. And the focus should be on the comfort that comes because dying scary, the comfort that comes with being in Christ.

And works don't generally provide a lot of comfort.

I don't know people have used scriptures like examine yourselves. See if you're in the faith. Well, the second, in second Corinthians, the church is dealing with judisers.

And he's not saying look at your works either. It's examine yourselves is examine what you're trusting in.

Who are you trusting in for this thing that's about to happen to you? You're about to go from this life to the next life.

Let me remind you about Jesus. Who are you trusting in? Is it Jesus?

Yes, you could say that's kind of law-ish. Who are you trusting? And you should be trusting in Jesus. But I would submit to you, that's more, it's more gospel when you are making the focus about Christ.

And trying to turn someone's attention to what Christ has done. He's prepared mansions for you. He's going to take care of you. You don't have to worry about what's coming because of Christ.

And if there's hesitation, if the person doesn't know Christ, then I think, yeah, you give them the gospel, but you maybe start with the law.

If you look, you are a sinner, you don't deserve that, but God is so good, right?

This is a just basic pastoral thing. And I think growing up in a pastor's household and seeing scenarios like this play out, that's my general instinct is to just knee jerk, go to that, go to, are you prepared for death?

For a Christian, what is Christ done? And some people pointed out that this was not even a deathbed thing. John MacArthur had months to go.

So he's still lucid. And of course, he's not on the throes of death yet, but it looks like it soon. Phil Johnson, wait in, Phil Johnson said MacArthur didn't have a problem with Paul Washer asking this.

You know, that's not something that I want to get all been out of shape about, but I will just point out, because this was a controversy and I did post on Twitter or X that I was going to talk about it.

I do think as a matter of general practice, focusing on Christ on the gospel when someone is heading towards death is the wise approach. That's what brings comfort.

And if someone doesn't know Christ, if someone isn't really trusting in him, then those kinds of things are going to reveal themselves in those moments.

But going in hot with the law and trying to convict someone on their deathbed that I'll just put it this way doesn't really bring comfort.

The works of the law don't bring comfort that you are worthy of God or anything like that, right? They bring conviction that you need Christ. And it's the Christ part that I think a pastor should be conveying to a parishioner or anyone is a Christian who's dying now.

We'd love to see comments on this if you have any, but this is more of a pastoral thing than anything else. And I thought, you know, it's a good conversation to have. These are normal pastoral things that aren't talked about, maybe as much as they need to be in online places.

It's all politics. And let's take a break from just politics. There's a lot of other way more important things out there like the fact that we're going to go to an eternal place, whether it's heaven or hell.

If you're in Christ at seven, and no matter what the politics are here, that is going to happen at some point to you. You can't stop.

So are you ready for that point? And if you're in Christ, if you're a Christian, you have a great comfort ahead of you. All right, figured I'd share that. Am I already, am I being accused of this? I don't know. Design build says anti-nominism. If I understood what happened, Pastor John would accept the question willingly.

Yeah, that's what Phil Johnson seems to indicate. I don't know that it's anti-nominism is that not every critique of a use of the law is anti law.

The law is good if it's used lawfully, right? So there are places to use the law and there are places not to use the law.

Do you use a law to convict someone who is a Christian of their sin? Well, if they're unrepentant, I suppose you can use the law.

But the law is, the law does not bring comfort in which is really the central point that I'm trying to make.

Basic Forge says, I hope you get better. There have been a lot of sick people embossed in this winter also.

I'm sure there are. This winter has been terrible. This has been such a cold winter.

Adam says hello from Bozeman, Montana. How's Bozeman doing? I don't know what it's like over there. I just get chilly thinking of Bozeman though. It just feels cold.

All right, well, we are going to keep, I was going to say clean because I saw bright up, bright of the leash says currently cleaning up around the CNC router right now. So, okay, there's, I don't, I'm not going to ask what other people are doing, but whatever you're doing, I hope this is a blessing to you as we go through the news of the day.

And I give you a fresh perspective, hopefully, from a Christian point of view on an American point of view, how to view some of these things that are being discussed or should be discussed.

So where do we want to go next is the question, I suppose there's so many things. Let's start here, we're going to start with some international news, conservative Anglicans pull back from electing rival to Archbishop of Caterbury.

Conservative Anglicans meeting in Nigeria's capital, according to the BBC, have pulled back on plans to elect a rival, primus interperace, the Latin term meaning first among equals, which describes the Archbishop of Caterbury's position.

electing another person with the same title would have been seen by many as an open challenge to the leadership of the female Archbishop in England.

Instead the group is going to, and they're known as gaff con. I don't know if there's a say what that stands for gaff con. I think it will, I don't see where here.

But this is a rival or a splinter groups from the Church of England. So as it is leaving behind old structures and old titles and is now unveiling a new leadership council, headed by Rwanda's Archbishop, Lawrence Banda, reporters, crecreated with some puzzlement, reacted, I should say, to news of the appointment as they were announced on Tuesday with some suggesting it's still amounted to an active defiance.

Alright, so the splintering continues, unfortunately, and this was just a bridge too far for gaff con. They did not want to go along with the Church of England on having a female Archbishop and they are in Africa. They are the more conservative wing of the Church of England. It's just, it's sad to see this happen, but this is playing out currently.

A life way, let's bring it to the United States here, life way, which is the Southern Baptists, bookstore, I guess, now online bookstore, they develop curriculum, they do studies, they do a whole bunch of things, but they're under the Southern Baptist Convention, they have an event coming up an event that I would likely, probably not be a fit for. I don't know, could I register, could I go, because it is the Ridgecress, it's at the Ridgecress Cop Conference Center, which is in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

But it is the annual Black Church Leadership and Family Conference. So it's a leadership development conference, a spiritual retreat, any family vacation in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, but it is for Black Church Leadership.

The Southern Baptist have for years been trying to core to minorities into their midst to keep the denomination from being an old white people's denomination.

This is something Al Molar actually said back in 2010, 2011, this is great commission resurgence stuff. We got to make sure that our denomination survives too old, too white.

And so you saw a lot of these diversity initiatives, here's life way, doing a Black Church Leadership and Family Conference.

And of course, people pointing out, well, what if there was a white leadership family conference, what would you, would that be acceptable? Would you allow that?

And I think the obvious answer is probably not. The only difference I can think of is this. I think the Black Church is sort of known as an entity, the historically Black Church, meaning Black Christians have a history that goes back to a slave experience,

where they had their own denominations and their own style of worship and theology and everything.

Of course, this is heavily influenced by mostly Southern Christians, but this is something that is unique to them. And this is one of the terms that is used to describe that whole project.

Because it does have some markers that make it similar, whether it's in the Methodists or Piscopalian there, they have a very similar kind of way of approaching church.

Whereas white people broadly don't have this descendants of Europeans, you could say there are some things that link them together, but they're a little more specific.

So larger numbers and so Southern Baptists are going to kind of do their own thing, whereas Lutherans or Methodists or these other groups are going to do their own thing.

And if they are majority descendants of Europeans, they don't think of themselves as part of a quote-unquote white church. So there's a cultural factor there, but I do think the point still holds, especially for the Southern Baptist.

Why are you still trying to cater in these ways? Why not just do a family conference? And if people who are from the quote-unquote black church want to come, you can send invitations to them. And they can be part of it. Why give them a particular place within your group?

Why can't they do their own family retreat, right? But life way is, I think, probably just catering. They want to do something specifically for this particular group.

And it smells like the social justice stuff from years ago, and I think for good reason.

So to think that the social justice stuff is just ended, I don't think that's necessarily the case. I still think it's moving on. I think it's there. In fact, I'm going to, maybe now would be a good time to show you.

Southern Baptist Convention still has a problem with female pastors. I'll play for you this one. This is Burnett Avenue Baptist Church. And here's what's going on there.

That Avenue Baptist Church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

To describe them as a woke church would likely be a compliment since they have emphasized multiple times from their own church's Facebook page, the importance of being woke.

Their senior pastor, Corey Shaw, was endorsed by the pro LGBT committee for fairness and individual rights when he ran for Jefferson County Public School Board in 2018.

In 2020, he called the Southern Baptist Convention a patriarchal white supremacist institution.

Yet the church still remains in the denomination, according to the SBC website. And they disregard the Baptist faith and message when it forbids him in pastors.

I'm in standing in place of Rev.

Instead, Burnett Avenue Baptist Church has female reverence on staff and regularly allows females to teach adult Bible studies to males, as well as preach on Sunday morning.

I thank God for him for this opportunity to be behind the sacred desk.

I am your professor.

Mrs. Well, not Mrs. Miss Dr. Professors Sabrina Champong for today and this class is called Bible Study Adults 101.

The Bible says no female pastors, the Baptist faith and message says no female pastors, but Burnett Avenue Baptist Church says no.

Bethany Church in Ellicott City, Maryland is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Bethany Church employs Reverend Dr. Sherry McKay as their pastor of worship and arts, despite the Southern Baptist Convention stands against female pastors.

I'm Sherry McKay. I'm the associate pastor of music and worship arts at Bethany Church in Ellicott City.

And I want to invite you this Sunday to our Mother's Day service.

These are going to be preaching from the book of Ruth.

Reverend McKay got her master's at southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and her doctor of ministry at Nazarene Theological Seminary, where she wrote her dissertation, Multicultural Worship Arts Ministry, transitioning from monocultural worship to a multiethnic worshiping community.

In it, she argues against the colorblind mindset, tokenism and cultural appropriation.

There's a true multicultural worship in light of new challenges for white leadership at Bethany Church because of racial tensions from police shootings, redlining and racism.

Reverend McKay preaches during Sunday morning services at Bethany Church.

Looking at injustice, racism and discrimination can be overwhelming. It can be hard work. It can consume us with feelings of guilt.

We're starting a new sermon series called Hope in Family Matters.

Her pastor, Kip Smith, supports Reverend McKay by arguing in his book a fresh look at women in ministry that the traditional, complimentary and view of the role of women in the church is wrong.

Scripture teaches no women pastors. The Baptist faith and message teaches no women pastors. But Bethany Church says no.

Okay, there you have it. Two churches, Burnett Avenue Baptist Church and Bethany Church, both with female pastors and both in affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention.

And both, let's just say holding to woke ideologies at the churches and they're still there, right?

So there's a lot of churches like this. I think a lot more than people realize and it seems to be given a pass within the Southern Baptist Convention, unlike things like quote unquote racism or quote unquote abuse, which the credentials committee is authorized at a higher level, at a greater level to deal with.

This is something that the Southern Baptist for some reason don't want the credentials committee to have the same latitude with. Why is that?

Why is it that this gets treated differently? When this is in clear violation of the Baptist faith and message, it's not really even a question.

I will note this too, and I want to say this publicly, it is in transition, but Antioch Baptist Church in Virginia was a church I also highlighted last Saturday and the pastor, Pastor, well, the reverend, the person with that title from the church did leave a comment saying, hey, they're not Southern Baptists.

They're part of a different group. And I looked them up on the Southern Baptist Convention website, they are listed and the other group, they are not listed. And so I just asked, did this happen like really recently.

It wasn't obviously the Southern Baptist kicking that church out. It sounds like that church must have just left. If they're not on the website, or I should say they're they're not, yeah, on their new whatever their new affiliation is they're not on their their website.

And it's it's just sort of another re another testament to the fact that the Southern Baptist Convention is not the one policing these things because they were kicked out the Southern Baptist would remove them.

But instead, no, they're still listed on the directory. People can go find them. They can think they're going to a solid Southern Baptist church and surprise surprise female pastor. So this is a problem, even among the churches that are no longer in the Southern Baptist Convention.

We even joined something else Southern Baptist still have them on their role sometimes. So anyway, that's going on. I want to switch gears a little bit and we will since leave the Southern Baptist here.

We'll talk about Iran just a little bit. And I want to just actually express appreciation here. I don't know if this will be taken well by everyone, but I think it's 100% true. So I'm going to say it.

I'm grateful that Pete Hegseth does seem to have somewhat of an understanding of Islam and specifically the 12th in mom ideology that the Shiites of Iran believe in the revolutionary guard ideology.

And the reason I think that's a good thing is in years past. I mean, one of the frustrations I think many of us had with George W. Bush was there just seem to be like this misunderstanding of what Islam was like, oh, you just plant democracy there. That'll just work.

They'll a freedom like us, the people, but you know, the regime, it just hates freedom. That's why it hates us. It was this simplistic stuff. Bush saying, you know, Islam is just a religion of peace that you don't understand.

This is so different right now to see Pete Hegseth saying, look, let me explain Islam to you. We're specifically the Islam of Iran. Okay, I should be specific. We're fighting religious fanatics.

That's just not something that would have been done because it was politically incorrect. But now in this current administration, you can say this. He said, we're fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious army get in.

But from my perspective, obviously, I'm a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean in their faith rely on God. There's no atheists and foxholes. Your mortality is right in front of you.

Can you imagine a any official actually not just Pete Hegseth's office, not just the Secretary of War, but any office in the government under Bush or Obama or Biden saying anything like that.

I do want to express appreciation, whether you agree or disagree with the current strikes in Iran, I think someone that actually has a little bit of an understanding of who the enemy is is important because religion really does matter, not everything is driven by economic concerns.

That's actually a liberal tendency to think that it drives a lot of the free Palestine stuff that these are just really just freedom loving people who want a better life and it's economic. And if they were just given economic aid more, they'd be great or something. And it's like, no, there's actually religious zealots out there who prefer to kill their enemies and fulfill the duties of their religion as they see it.

And then they do to even live themselves like that is possible. That's an option guys that's we have to consider that not everyone thinks like a typical Western Christian secularist anyone living in a Western country like there's different places with different people under different mindsets.

And so I think it's it's good to at least point that out that that's a it's good to have a Christian in that position who understands the religious component of these things.

And I know I'm switching gears here kind of quickly, but one of the things that I think is particularly unhealthy right now March 5th is came out is a sort of speaks to the morale of the country.

And this is how black people are okay how discouraged how upset they are any this is from the pure research center any 25 country survey Americans especially likely to view bad sorry likely to view fellow citizens as morally bad 53% of US adults say Americans have bad morals and ethics so the majority of the country according to this thinks that the country is bad.

Now you can look at this in a few ways you can say well maybe maybe there's like room for you know the law as you apologize or talk about earlier maybe like that's the guys are centers you need Christ maybe this is an opening so that's the optimistic way to look at this but there's also another way to look at this when you look at all these other countries.

And you see that they are I mean look at Canada forget it Canada thinks they're great 92% thinks they're somewhat good or very good what a difference the US is the least likely of all the country survey to think of themselves as good and their fellow citizens is morally good.

That's not really normal okay that's not something that's you see a lot of the times in history 39% of US adults say homosexuality is morally wrong let's go far more than then take this position in Germany or Sweden.

So maybe that is part of it the US is among the countries whose inhabitants are most likely to condemn extramarital affair so maybe there's a residual Christianity here that's awakening.

At the same time I'm like is that really healthy for us to think of ourselves collectively is really bad like the only way that I can see it being healthy is if it leads to repentance and revival if it's just we're terrible then.

And we're you know really don't plan to do anything about it we're just bad there's there's no about face then it just means that we're going to have less of a optimistic view of ourselves and we won't have the moral credibility to do really anything.

Let's see what else this says across the 25 countries 77% of adults say that married people having an affairs morally and so it's going into some of these moral issues gambling divorce so it gets into some of the granular detail here which we're not really going to get into but I think it's important to I think it's important to just highlight that this is the case.

There are people who just think America is bad is doing bad things and why that is is that a combination of different factors is that the woke left thinking America's terrible combined with people on the right who are realizing how far we fall and I don't know it is a development to keep your eye on though and we do need moral legitimacy to act as a country we don't have that we have no confidence we will go into a tailspin we will fracture all over the place.

At the same time though we simultaneously right we need to understand the evil that we have normalized and repent and turn from it so in recognize God has been merciful to us right so those two things are not contradictory realizing we need to be a force for good in the world and moral legitimacy and also realizing that we also have done very bad things abortion being the top of the list those two things can live side by side.

I don't know what this poll means exactly maybe it means both those things but there is a it means and this is maybe the main point I want to make it means that there is a lot of moral questioning and moral openness and I think a willingness to re examine morality and and that might present an opportunity so let's let's keep an eye on that.

Another maybe this is part of the narrative that we just read but an article just came out first things magazine from our arena who I believe is Catholic the case for Christian nationalism and there's George Washington praying and people are pointing out online like I never thought I'd see first things published something like this and he starts out he says look Gen Z Americans are extremely or very proud of their country see this there's all this information going to all these directions and it's like which one is true.

There's little doubt that relentless indoctrination and anti-American ideologies in the school in the media contributes to their lukewarm patriotism.

But there's another cause they're not stupid the country shows signs of disease okay so this is right along the lines what we were just talking about each year shocking number of people die of drug overdoses marriage rates of decline so all the maladies pornography all of that and says look maybe we need some kind of a Christian nationalism.

And he says let's get to sort of the the crux of it here want to get to his conclusion.

He says Christians can reject nationalism and it's not a gospel imperative nationalism was warranted by prudent discernment of the political and cultural needs the moment I and others endorse nationalism though Christians agree with me about the pressing needs for national restoration though so he's talking about a national restoration.

And he said to those frightened by talk of Christian nationals and it's very unlikely to become the beating heart of the American right I foresee a future which nationals will act strong as a Christian I'll participate in the movement and I hope Christians will.

So he's hoping for some kind of a Christian not not theocracy but Christian status quo to return I will submit to you that does not easily return you need leaders.

And you need a population willing to authenticate those leaders you need those two things to come together which means you also need conversions and discipleship all of these things work together to create to restore a Christian culture that's been lost.

It doesn't happen out of a vacuum it can't just be top down force I don't believe I know there's those who disagree with me on this but I do think there has to be some legitimacy even Israel's kings that were good couldn't eliminate all the high places because of the population.

You do need the king you do need the population both these things work like hand in glove the and the king can certainly send an example and can certainly set moral parameters to create an environment that helps the church in the sense of the church is not persecuted and the morality of the church and the morality of God in the Bible are reinforced by the laws of the land I think that is a good thing that is a right thing.

And the moral charge is given to the magistrate comes directly from God himself so I think this is something to to think about but I don't think it has to have a title Christian nationals which is just being normal it's just going back to our roots it's just trying to be Christian act like a Christian why don't we have morality again you know the morality that we've always seem to have had until two seconds ago.

That's really all it is and there needs to be a recognition if we're really so bad if people think we're bad if Gen Z they're not patriotic if they don't they think that we don't have legitimacy anymore then nature of course a vacuum they're going to find a moral standard from somewhere they're going to look for a mythology that reinforces that moral standard and it may come from pagan mythology it may come from who knows where but we would like it to be a restoration to the Christian past that we once enjoyed.

And it was never perfect but it was true and it was a goal and it's not utopian that's the maybe the thing that hampers it in a way in the minds of some it's hard to compete with an idea that doesn't actually exist in the real world of some kind of a perfection that is that might even cater to your sin Christianity doesn't cater to your sin so we need real conversions.

But to see that there are intellectuals seriously talking about this on the right and saying I you know maybe this is the direction we need to go I would say that is a sign to be somewhat encouraged.

Now speaking of Christian nationals and the PCA some of you know is doing a report on this and it looks like it's going to be critical it hasn't come out but William Wolf points out that Jay Green a history professor at Covenant College and a ruling auditor at St Elmo Presbyterian Church.

Was appointed by Kevin D Young I pointed this out before by the way this isn't new to serve on the PCA study committee on Christian nationals and but green is a self admitted political progressive.

He wrote in 2023 no one then would have described me as politically conservative my the theological takes let's see what does he say I consider myself broadly progressive when it came to politics.

And I haven't voted for Republican since the 90s so this is one of the guys they have on their Christian nationals and study committee very likely they will not have the same outlook as our arena has on this particular subject.

New data from from this Jewish magazine J feet new data reveals that young black liberals are among the most anti-Semitic people in the US I had to laugh a little bit when I saw this and I could have I think told you this let me see if I can make this reader.

Someone should someone was telling me I don't use this browser usually except for the show but there is a way to make this immersive let's see immersive reader there we go so you don't have to see the advertisements alright black liberals.

With self identified liberals age 18 to 30 between 2020 23 they did a study it suggested anti-Semitic tropes are becoming increasingly pervasive among minority youth who otherwise align with progressive politics according to the findings black liberals in this age group are the most likely to agree with at least one of the three common anti-Semitic statements the dual loyalty trope the belief that Jews have too much power or the support for boycotting Jewish owned businesses all 42% of black liberals have.

Opinions let's see 26% of Latinos and 15% of white to his well the studies three year period tracking alright so.

This is kind of hysterical to be and I knew this was true I knew this was true just from my own interactions my observations but the idea that like anti Jewish or anti Israel those are two different things but they often converge.

That these are you like very right wing things that you know the rights just gotten so much more right wing and that's really what's happened to make it so much more.

Anti Jewish I've always been skeptical of this and one of the reasons is because of my familiarity with the left and knowing like well I'm a hearing so many the same things that I heard when I was in college coming out of the mouths of progressives and you know sure enough it's.

The largest group of is young black liberals that believe in according from this Jewish magazines perspective that and the studies perspective who put out the study let's see.

The Jewish people so this is like a completely in house I guess Jewish kind of like hey we're concerned about this let's figure out who it is oh black liberals they're the highest concentration highest as a percentage.

So figured I saw that figured I pointed out just because I'm sick of the not sick of it but like I see the comments every once in a while I get the inbox stuff from people like you know John like what happened to you you change you're not going down the very very anti Jewish frankly some of it obsessive level narrative stuff and I'm like no no I just believe what I've always believed about this kind of thing and.

It is I really think this is primarily left driven so that's all I was going to say I was going to bring it up and you can haters can leave the comments as they see fit marked risk goals Trinity church acquires 15.5 million building for expansion.

I only bring this up for one reason and one reason alone marked risk goal illustrate something to me he's he has a mega church now again what happened I mean this is never supposed to happen marked risk goal was supposed to just go away he was distressed he had anger problems he ran acts 29 into a ditch we were never supposed to hear from him again and here he is.

Maybe bigger than he was before in some ways because he's attached himself to right leaning political thinkers.

And I think the lesson in this is not a lesson that we should like actually the lesson is the internet as a tool lets you go around all the institutions and there's blessings to that but there's also curses and the curses is you don't have standards anymore.

Not that the institutions were living up to their standards but you know in theory they were supposed to and they used to and now they don't and now.

They're so discredited no one really cares who they just they're looking for narratives to listen to what what do I want to hear someone's character competence past track record who cares about that right this is why James fish back has any traction and Florida whatsoever you shouldn't really have any.

Based on just just alone his financial problems and the stealing and the lying from the previous firm he works for but he will have traction because of a narrative it's everything's the narrative.

I've noticed this increasingly lying to protect the narrative is perfectly fine lines totally fine everything just comes down to the narrative and yeah narratives are important meta narratives are more important but narratives are only important if they're true.

And if they're not true if you got a lie to support the narrative if you have to embellish you have to act like a con artist I'm not saying marked with a con artist but.

It allows the environment allows for that you never truly canceled now as long as you have that tool available to you if you can find an audience that likes your message likes the narrative likes what you tell them and there's a lot of people that like a lot of messages then.

You can become canceled proof doesn't matter if you've had an affair doesn't matter what you've done and that's something now we have to be extra discerning about we can't just assume because someone has a big church or a big organization.

That they're necessarily they've been dead it that they they went up the ladders and they were checked out and the standards were applied to them there may not have been any standards.

I think what Mark Driscoll has done is is frankly it's something that could not have been done even 10 years ago but it's being done now it's being done in this environment and I think there's more reasons for it than just what I mentioned it's not just the platform it's also just the the vacuum that's been created by discredited leaders and institutions and people are going to follow someone you have to have a leader.

Even if it's someone who's not particularly qualified right I mean that you could look at our political leaders even the ones that we end up voting for because they're better than the alternative.

The need of the hour is men of virtue it still is and they're incubated on the local level there's no way of getting around that I wrote a essay on localism earlier this week I would encourage you to check out it's kind of like like long it's a it's like my magnum opus on the case for Christian localism is what it's called i'm sure if you google that it'll come up on my sub stack.

And I know out of the institute is going to run on Friday or Saturday this is this is the issue right now this is the need of our time.

Showing proving character because you know what's going to happen the more we pump unqualified people into positions of authority the more you're going to find failure after failure and people who are competent who do care about standards are there they will find people who are like that like Nate it's just going to happen organically I'm just telling you this is the way.

It's going to work out you are going to have the AI slop kind of machine a wing of things and then you're going to have the people who are more serious and the serious people will eventually they will end up putting them getting themselves into positions of actual control.

And yes, the mechanisms of democracy can be used in a mass way by people just trafficking in slop who have no standards, but I think the people who actually care about virtue and standards are wiser and they are going to eventually come out on top in this whole thing but we're in like a massive disruption and massive technology in increasing just this it's a unique environment and we have to be extra discerning in this particular environment.

All right opinion from David French I know you wanted to hear about David French you all of David French right well he thinks James Tallerico is simply great let me let me show you before I get into this piece let me just show you a piece from James or a interview that I saw a clip from of James Tallerico that's not family or friends.

I love and just say this because it's on my mind the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capital to advocate for their humanity they shouldn't have to but it was an inspiration to watch.

So inspiring those those trans kids you know they're they're they're like to humanize no one knows their humans they think they're I guess animals at a zoo.

But they came to just advocate for the fact that we're human and James Taller Tallerico is now the Christian example of what it means to be in politics and I was talking to someone who shall remain nameless earlier this week who I am I'll just say related to.

So someone in my family who leans love and they really were saying how great James Tallerico is like that's that's a example of a truly good Christian and politics well David French seems to agree with that and this is someone that I'm like yeah they're hard laugh of course you know I'm like oh David French.

David French agrees he says that he's asked about James Tallerico a lot he's listening to his sermons and he just thinks that he carries himself well.

Tallerico he says is one of the few openly Christian politicians in the United States who acts like a Christian so he's one of the guys that what you just heard apparently that's acting like a Christian just denying that he made the male and female very Christian thing to do apparently.

And you know who's not Christian mega Trump Trump not Christian at all Trump now I will admit despite Trump's moral issues because of the alternatives Christians tend to vote for him but to act like James Tallerico is just he's in this.

This position of acting like a Christian and Trump just oh I mean Trump doesn't wear it on his sleeve like James does okay Trump Trump Trump is can barely get through a presser where they're asking about his favorite Bible verse Trump is you could say culturally kind of Christian but it ends there.

And James Tallerico is going into this with I'm a Christian I'm a Presbyterian minister and I am here to just be this kind of gentle carrying good bedside manner just wonderful person who love sunshine and roses and puppies and I think there is something about his approach that is refreshing for people that are bitter.

Or finding it hard to take all the rage that's everywhere they want someone to just speak calmly.

At the same time you know this guy is you know wolf and sheep's clothing I said this to this morning to some folks to look this guy he believes terrible things if you think that trans children thinking of themselves as the gender they are not and engaging in that fantasy reinforcing that fantasy and trying to get legal protections for this.

The legal protections for that fantasy is a morally good thing then you are so far out of step I mean better if a millstone I mean that this is the danger of it is like the ideology is packaged in such a way that it seems so loving and gentle because of the way that he's communicating when it's anything but that it's cruel.

This guy actually had a shot of getting into the senate and so we'll see what happens with that but that is that is the current issue right now in the state of Texas as the republicans face a runoff in their own election to see who's going to face off with james halorico.

Francis Chan talk about him he publicly apologize for passing dorses dorses of mike bickle and fallen ministry leaders I thought this was actually really good.

The New York Times bestselling author Francis Chan has issued an apology in the statement he said that he has been convicted in recent days a biblical passage is warning that people will give an account for every careless word California based past your studies face criticism for responding slowly or not responding publicly when controversies emerge.

He said he's received repeat a request to address leaders he wants endorsed and he said look people fall each time it feels like a kick in the stomach and he says for the state clarity please know that I of course do not endorse you like mike bickle who have been caught in an unrepentant immorality look better late than never and Francis Chan's got issues but I will say I'm glad that at least there's some kind of a standard here that he's trying to hold up.

It's not often you see the standard it's always like you know well your side did this in political motives I really appreciate this.

And last but not least some news here in Lima Peru thousands except Christ Franklin Graham event according to decision magazine 90,000 attended a March 7th or 8th event nearly 10,000 came forward during an invitation now you know I'm always skeptical of these things because I don't know is this legitimate conversions.

I think Franklin Graham is pretty well good I think he's actually better than his father at least towards the end is father communicating the gospel I don't care for the mass crusade thing but I will say that if the gospel was preached and and that many people are coming out and that many people came forward there's always room for hope and so I'm really i'm just happy that there's guys like Franklin Graham that are still out there still preach in the gospel that's the normal stuff we need to be doing.

Alright well let's take some comments cries of outrage questions whatever you have and we will see what we can do I would like to ask Pete why Islam is still a religion allowed to be practiced in the department of war.

Well I don't you know I don't speak for him but I would assume that legally speaking there's not really much of a way to challenge that even though he's privileging Christianity a whole bunch in that department to start to exercise certain religions I think the way he was I think able to strip chaplains who were was a pagan or atheist I forget which it was of their chaplaincy was by categorizing it as that's not a religion.

So he's working within the rules that I've been established I think you got to change the rules in order to strip chaplains who are Muslim of their chaplain status or something like that.

I think look the Islamization of America is a big problem I'm an hour and a half north in New York City and I see the photos all the time on social media what's happening down there and it's just sad to me they feel bolstered they feel like they've got their guide in the mayoral position.

And it's it's it's not good so cosmic treason joy fulcum I just tuned in please elaborate on your washer comment this must be someone else in the chat so I'm not familiar.

Let's see what else we got design build to Tolerico is for itching ears who agrees with postmodern liberals he's at account of the arguments if leaders are willing yeah absolutely he's it's it's over it.

It's microwaved and you know reheated up just progressivism that's all it is.

Let's see what else.

I'm hope I'm wrong so Steven Smith but the Republican conservative Roman Catholics have the most political influence and infrastructure in the generic American right especially in the college campus ground game.

You might be right I don't know so depends even gelicles do have some influence but they're not in the intellectual circles as much think tanks.

And I don't even think in the upper echelon of politics they are represented in places like turning point USA one of the reasons I think I'd like to see turning point continue and get better.

There are guys within it working or even gelicle that I know doing good work but yes Roman Catholics and a lot of the Jewish stuff is a bit overblown on this point too I think that Roman Catholics actually have quite a bit more influence in on the right in the conservative intellectual circles.

Jewish people do too but it's very odd that even gelicles who supply the backbone the base a lot of the votes they are not represented hardly in these circles and that needs to change you know and I almost tweeted this the other day I didn't but it was something effective look.

You know a lot of Jewish families and this goes for many Catholic families to they will tell their kids when they're young but you you you have certain career fields available to you where I live in New York for Italians and Irish oftentimes it's like police officer or firemen right these civic things but civic leadership is kind of that's a big thing for Catholics I don't see that as much with even gelicles it's like the focus is either ministry focus if you're going to be a leader or you're going to.

Be like feeding your families the most important thing as a job I remember someone telling me this years ago at Grace Community Church in California John Carthage Church remember someone telling me that this is someone honestly why I don't mind telling who this was Jesse Johnson I don't mind telling he was on staff at the time I asked him I was like look I'm thinking a law he's like look there's no difference between being a lawyer or a janitor it's just it's literally just a way to pay the bills so you can do ministry.

And I'm like I mean I think it's important to get involved in politics law he's like well you know unless you're doing William Wilberforce stuff and freeing slaves it's not.

And stuck with me I remember it like clear day because I was a young aspiring political person I didn't know what to do am I going to go to pastoral work politics are most important but that mentality definitely exists and I don't know if Jesse Johnson still feels that way but.

That mentality still is it exists in evangelical circles it's a pietism of sorts and Roman Catholics don't really have it and and Jewish people right depending on the group you're in but if you are in like like even the who are the ones that took her which just went after the because I know because I bid in so many of their houses because they're in all over Sullivan County.

Why am I blanking on the name now.

The they're their acidic but the particular brand of acidic Judaism I don't know why it's escaping me anyway they will often basically tell their kids look you know you're you're going to be a doctor you're going to be a lawyer or businessman right these are your options they expect.

Influence they expect high standards they expect their children to achieve whereas Christians do this thing something if they if they do get involved in political maneuvering it's like seven mountain mandate stuff it's like well we got to start or these organizations that are

parachurch that are going to take over all these institutions of cultures like that's not how power works guys just not how it works power works when you tell your kids at a young age you know we're

going to try to help you achieve influence do your best with the talents you have don't just scoot through life because we want we want you to do well we want you to be a good steward right that's the kind of thing that will ensure you get in the door in these powerful institutions you got to have people who are qualified.

And you can't tell me even with DEI and all that that you still can't go to Ivy Leagues or these whatever school and make good grades and impress people and excel you can okay I'm sick of the like we can't just until someone passive we know let's be passive someone's got to go in there and just change the whole upset the apple cart and we or else we're just all gatecapped no you're not all gatecapped you can do a lot of good with what you have and you don't get there by complaining either.

Yes the debt could be stacked against you in some ways but you figure out ways to overcome that's what a man does man doesn't men don't mind about it men figure out a way around it they and this is I think unfortunately what many evangelical Christians need to learn you know and there's no shame in being a carpenter in fact we need good carpenter there's no shame in being a plumber or any of these things but we do need to start producing more college professors doctors lawyers

all of those fields need to be filled if they're not filled someone will fill them that's just how it works I don't know what to tell it's the way it is all right let's see what other comments do we have basic forge says close

friend of mine was done a couple years ago he was anxious that he did not do enough to please God I try to encourage him that he needed to rely on Jesus and God's grace to save him 100% that's what you do design

bill says maybe ask this with on church demographics if you became a posture of an aging small church what would you do that's a good question because there's plenty of examples of that I think part of the problem sometimes is if you have an aging church and the people are just sort of set in their ways they're not maybe always is open to younger people who are coming in and to be open means you got to talk to them even if it's awkward you got to invite them over to your house you got to include

them you have to build a relationship with them some young people are also not as interested in it or they're not going to initiate that that even if they need it and so yeah there might be people who walk in there young and say well you've got old people

here I'm looking for friends or I'm looking for a date or I'm looking for something that the church doesn't provide and you can't provide what you don't have right so you have to look at what you have and within the limitations of what you have I think craft a message that appeals

now I want to qualify this because I do not believe in contextualization like Tim Keller does where we're going to kind of soft pedal hell and the Trinity and sin to an audience that is offended by those things I think you just preach the full council of God straight up but I do think that when people are starting out in life there are going to be certain things from the council of God that are more necessary for instance when someone's dying they are going to which we talked about the church

and then they talked about in this podcast they need a lot of comfort when someone is just starting out in life they need a lot of encouragement for the road ahead and wisdom on how to navigate it when you're done with your life you still need those things but there's a more of an emphasis on okay I'm getting ready to like I'm going to meet my makers and your life is not you're not you're retired you're not on the work force you're not encountering the same challenges and you need to be able to preach to them and you're not

people who are walking in from a job who have been encountering the world all week. They're

not just at home reading, aren't haily bred. They are encountering some serious threats and

you need to be there for them too. So I think make sure that you're not overly focused on one

demographic. Preach to all the demographics. That's really all I'm saying. Craft a message

to preach to all the demographics. And then it's an in time investment. It means that you form

relationships with young people as they're coming in. I mean, you can't substitute for sharing

meals. It's just not going to happen. You have to be able to they have they have to see that

there's something spiritually beneficial for them in your congregation. And there is because you have

if you have older people you have wisdom, you have the scripture and you have the liturgy.

You have those three things already. So those are beneficial to young people whether they see it or

not. And then of course you need the Lord of the harvest. So pray about it. That's my only advice

really. I don't I don't have a special trick. I don't think it means doing a DEI thing. I don't

but I think it does mean that you are aware of who's coming in and you do try to meet the spiritual

needs of those people. Okay. There's a lot of comments coming in. I can't get to all

of them. I'm going to try to focus on the questions specifically if I can. And I'm not seeing a

lot of questions. I'm seeing a lot of comments, but not a lot of questions. So we'll probably end

up ending the podcast. I will say this. I do have some stuff coming out soon that will hopefully

be helpful for you. I am going to do something on the Abrahamic covenant because I'm frustrated

with just the slap I'm seeing online so much about it. We'll talk about historically with

early church fathers and others have said about this and how it applies today. And no, you don't

have to be a supporter of the military industrial complex and the modern state of Israel to believe

that there is a future in gathering that is going to happen. So we're going to talk about that on

the podcast a little bit. Other things that I got. Well, we're going to talk about localism. I'm

going to hold podcasts on that soon. I think that's a very important topic that's all too often

neglected. Michael Foster has been doing some good work on that by the way as well. And you

can look forward to more exposure to the Southern Baptist Convention. Pray for me. I'm making

travel arrangements for some projects that we have on this podcast that you'll know more about

soon. And I hope that you all are having a wonderful week. God bless more coming by now.