Podcasts about Oppression

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

The biggest stories on the internet from July 30th, 2026.Please consider buying us a coffee or subscribing to a membership to help keep Centennial World's weekly podcasts going! Every single dollar goes back into this business

Today's HeadlinesHow should Christians respond to persecution? Global ministry weighs in.Hope survives tightening Taliban restrictions in AfghanistanWorld Day Against Trafficking: why literacy is a powerful weapon

Summer 2026 continues to indulge our vices with lots of smoking propaganda and lesbian robots.

Mike Dedrick of the Daniel Ellsberg Chapter of Veterans for Peace hosts Mark Ginsberg, professor and authority on Cuba. They discuss the dire situation today, and how we got there, and the possible next mistakes this administration (and others) can and will make. However, first we highlight the 1000 mile march happening right now through the south to highlight this government's oppression and to register voters. We speak to two of the marchers.

Historical accuracy, the good and the bad, is critical for understanding who we are collectively and how we've grown or not as a civilization. Join us as Alaskans who work to correct historical mistakes speak out on current attempts to silence uncomfortable truths.

Al Sharpton and Ben Crump flew into Mississippi, hijacked 18-year-old Nolan Wells' funeral, and launched a shakedown targeting the state of Mississippi — and Jason Whitlock is calling it exactly what it is. This is the Jesse Jackson playbook, documented in Kenneth Timmerman's 2002 book "Shakedown," now being run by carpetbaggers who never knew Nolan Wells a single day in his life. Sharpton compared Wells to Emmett Till, Ben Crump is manufacturing a racial crisis, and Tyler Perry is already writing checks. The goal? A government contract for Sharpton's National Action Network. Jason Whitlock exposes the Mississippi looting, confronts a false prophet hiding behind a collar, and delivers the biblical reckoning Rev. Al Sharpton deserves.  ➢ Show Outline 00:00 - Mississippi Burning to Mississippi Looting 01:13 The Jesse Jackson Playbook 02:57 Sharpton and Crump's Upgraded Formula 04:49 The Death of Nolan Wells 05:57 The Emmett Till Comparison 06:58 Sharpton's Actions from a Biblical Perspective 10:18 Tyler Perry and the Broader Narrative 10:49 Why Mississippi Is the Target 12:25 The Wells Family Deserves Answers 14:13 The Narrative of Systemic Racism 17:27 Oppression, Culture, and Biblical Values 18:23 The Civil Rights Industry and Narrative Control 21:24 Will Sharpton and Crump Apologize? 22:48 The Bounty for Lies 26:02 The Deception of the Civil Rights Movement 29:41 Infantilism in the Black Community ➢ Follow Our GUESTS https://www.youtube.com/@ChadOJackson ➢ Subscribe to Jason's other channel https://www.youtube.com/JasonWhitlock?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockHarmony?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockBYOG?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockClips?sub_confirmation=1 ➢ Connect with Jason on Social Media: https://x.com/JasonWhitlock https://www.instagram.com/realjasonwhitlock/ https://www.facebook.com/jasonwhitlock ➢ Send Jason an Email FearlessBlazeShow@gmail.com ➢ Support The Blaze Visit https://TheBlaze.com. Explore the all-new ad-free experience and see for yourself how we're standing up against suppression and prioritizing independent journalism. Support Conservative Voices! Subscribe to BlazeTV at https://www.fearlessmission.com and get $20 off your yearly subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your relationship struggles aren’t just personal—but shaped by the systems you live in? Akilah Riley Richardson returns to explore how systemic trauma quietly shapes our relationships, nervous systems, and sense of self. Drawing from her work with marginalized couples, she introduces the concept of relational privilege and explains why healing cannot be separated from the social systems we live in. Together, Akilah and Sue challenge traditional Western therapy models, discuss the importance of “responsible externalizing,” and explore how therapists can create space for grief, imagination, and genuine connection instead of trying to fix what cannot simply be solved. “The experiences of marginalized people are often devalued even by helping professionals, and this text is my dedication to carving a space where we, as practitioners, can ensure that we are of service in a way that is rooted in the realities of our people. It is also a reflection of my obligation to marginalized couples and individuals. My sincere wish for them all is that they are never harmed in therapy but instead uplifted. ” – Akilah Riley-Richardson Time Stamps for The Hidden Weight of Systemic Trauma: How Oppression Shapes Our Relationships with Akilah Riley-Richardson (306) 02:05 The systemic trauma faced by marginalized couples 04:12 Barriers for global south therapists and voices 08:00 Fear, threat, and navigating space as a marginalized person 09:57 Relational privilege and systemic influence 12:03 The role of colonial Christianity in systemic trauma 17:50 The danger of model dogmatism in therapy 20:06 Neurobiological threat and systemic trauma 22:02 Practicing responsible externalizing in therapy 26:07 The grief of systemic trauma and loss 28:04 The limitations of evidence-based models 29:58 The need for imagination and community in healing 31:47 The concept of lostness and liminality in trauma 34:06 The danger of attachment to models and frameworks 35:59 Differentiating systemic from relational reality 38:10 Yoruba and indigenous healing traditions 41:59 The influence of colonialism and imperialism on therapy 43:53 Acknowledge systemic trauma in therapist self-awareness 49:57 Habits of survival and internalized oppression 51:52 The impact of systemic trauma on body and mind About our Guest – Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP is a dedicated therapist, educator, and researcher with several years of experience. As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and STAIR Method Certified clinician, Akilah specializes in relational healing, focusing on the needs of couples and individuals, both in the Caribbean and internationally.Her expertise extends to supporting sexual and racial minorities, ensuring that her practice is inclusive and culturally sensitive. Akilah's commitment to education and advocacy has led her to consult for esteemed organizations, including NASTAD, I-TECH, CARPHA, and CVC, where she has made significant contributions to healthcare training and community support. She has presented her work at various prestigious forums, such as the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, Academy of Therapy Wisdom, Harvard Medical School, Chicago School of Psychology and the Black Mental Health Symposium. From 2012 to 2025, she served as a Social Work Educator at the University of the Southern Caribbean, mentoring future leaders in the field. Currently, she serves as a Research Supervisor and Examiner at the University of the West Indies Global Campus. As the founder of the Relational Healing Institute and the creator of the P.R.I.D.E. model, Akilah is passionate about advancing relational therapies. Her book, “Marginalized Couples in Therapy” reflects this passion. Resources for The Hidden Weight of Systemic Trauma: How Oppression Shapes Our Relationships with Akilah Riley-Richardson (306) Marginalized Couples in Therapy: Interventions for Healing from Systemic Trauma – Akilah’s new book, use this link for 20% off. Get your copy today! Akilah’s website  – Resources, opportunities and additional information Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!   Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others. Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s! Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.       You are invited!  Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!  Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

How do we pursue justice when it costs us something? Ben Phebus will help us examine the path of wisdom that calls us to choose what is right over what is convenient, what is honest over what is effective, and what honors God over what benefits ourselves. True wisdom leads us to protect the vulnerable, live with integrity, and reflect the heart of Christ, who used His power to bring mercy and justice to a broken world.

Today's HeadlinesThreats from Yemen's Houthis, and a glimpse of the local ChurchTaliban doubles down on Sharia law, but oppression is opening hearts to JesusPolitical divisions in America hinder evangelism

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Clay goes off in this powerful rant after a listener calls him an "inconsiderate prick" and accuses him of being insensitive to "Black oppression." In his signature no-holds-barred style, Clay pushes back hard: **"Black oppression is the most self-inflicted oppression that anyone could ever suffer through."** He breaks down the double standards exposed in the Nolan Wells case — no-snitch culture in Black-on-Black crime versus the immediate demands for total transparency and "investigations" when the narrative fits. Clay plays the viral clip of what he calls the "dumbest Black woman's reaction" to the Nolan Wells tragedy, calling out vibes and feelings over facts, evidence, and actual investigations. He explains why he takes these issues personally — referencing his family's businesses that thrived by serving the Black community for years — and how accusations of racism against Trump supporters destroyed friendships over nothing. This is raw, unfiltered accountability talk on self-inflicted problems, Democrat double standards, and why “four hundred years” of blame doesn't hold up when real progress has been made since the Civil Rights era. If you want straight talk instead of sugar-coated excuses, this segment delivers. **The Clay Edwards Show** – Fighting cancel culture and speaking the truth no one else will.

In this ScreenFish 1on1 Interview, director Clement Virgo discusses STEAL AWAY, exploring the film's dreamlike blend of fairy tale and reality. He reflects on the blurred boundaries between these worlds and the choices behind leaving certain power structures and histories just beyond explanation. Clement also examines the relationship between oppression and suppression, and how the bond between Fanny and Cécile shapes their understanding of identity, asking whether who we become is something we are born with or something we absorb from others.STEAL AWAY is in theatres on Friday, July 17th, 2026. ⁨@ElevationPics⁩ #stealaway #clementvirgo #film #movie #directors #canadianfilm #canadian #filmtok #fantasy #historicalfairytale

In a culture where terms like spiritual warfare, demonic oppression, and spiritual bondage are often tossed around online without biblical clarity, Christian parents can be left feeling confused, fearful, or unsure of how to respond when a daughter begins to struggle. In this thoughtful conversation, Rachael Culpepper and Melissa Bearden offer a grounded, grace-filled framework for recognizing signs that a girl may need compassionate spiritual support alongside professional mental health care.  Rather than fueling sensationalism or fear, this episode explores what Scripture teaches about spiritual bondage and the importance of approaching every situation with wisdom, discernment, and Christlike compassion. Together, Rachael and Melissa discuss the difference between cultural confusion and genuine spiritual concerns, the dangers of shame surrounding mental health, and practical signs that may indicate it's time to seek help from trusted pastors, Christian counselors, or mental health professionals.  You'll also hear a powerful Raising Godly Girls Minute from AHG Founder & Executive Director Emeritus Patti Garibay, reminding families that shame never comes from the Lord. Through the story of Mary Magdalene, parents are encouraged to pursue healing, prayer, and hope, knowing that Jesus offers peace to weary minds and hearts.  Whether you're walking through a difficult season with your daughter or simply want to be equipped for future conversations, this episode will encourage you to lead with  Biblical truth, compassionate discernment, and confidence that God desires restoration and healing for every family.    Three Things to Consider:  Spiritual discernment begins with biblical truth, not fear or sensationalized conversations on social media.  Mental health challenges and spiritual struggles both deserve compassion, wisdom, and the support of trusted Christian professionals.  If your daughter is fixating on lies that oppose God's truth, reacting with hostility toward the Gospel, or experiencing breaks from reality, don't carry the burden alone—reach out to your church, community, and qualified counselors for help.    Scriptures Referenced:  Romans 12:1–2  Luke 8:1–3 (Mary Magdalene)    Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools.     Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.  

Ep. 203 — Escaping Oppression: North Korean Defector Yeonmi Park originally aired on September 9th, 2021. Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, suffered unimaginable horror on her journey to freedom. Desperate from starvation and oppression, she managed to escape to China, but had been sold. Several years later, she escaped through the Gobi Desert into Mongolia and then finally to freedom in South Korea. Once at university in America, she recognized the same propaganda tactics of North Korea. She has an incredible story and we’re honored to bring it to you. Donate to PragerU today: https://www.prageru.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

ஆஷூரா கொடுங்கோன்மையும் ஈமானிய உறுதியும் மவ்லவி ரஹ்மத்துல்லாஹ் ஃபிர்தவ்ஸி | Rahmatullah Firdousi 12-06-2026, Jumma

On this Fourth of July, Americans are divided on the stars and stripes, the word "patriotism," and the idea of national pride.In light of our national crisis at the 250 marker, Seth shares an article by Dr. Kristin Du Mez and the words of the late civil rights icon Frederick Douglass.VIDEO: "What do the Slave is the Fourth of July"NBC article about the flag.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Were you taught that a Christian cannot be oppressed by a demon? Or that if you leave the demons alone, they will leave you alone? How is that working for you? If this is true, then why do so many Christians continue to struggle with ongoing issues? Many people have tried not to be angry, not to look at pornography, not to feel rejected, or tried not to overeat but just keep failing over and over again. Often, you can “manage” your behavior and not give in to it, but if the pressure is there it's being energized by something! My friend, “managing” is better than giving in to it, but it isn't freedom. If you have tried and failed to quit doing something repeatedly consider that the demonic oppression maybe involved! What me? To learn more about the ministry of Restoring the Foundations International, please visit www.restoringthefoundations.org.

Moon and Sun! Caves of Qud returns for our summer music episode, as I grabbed some time with the composer Craig Hamilton! Since Qud is a dramaturgical triad, we couldn't NOT do a third episode talking with the creative mind behind the creative sounds of the game. We're talking Digital Audio Workstations, sci-fi literature, flamethrowers, traditional roguelikes, and so much more! The torsion of an external crank drags a rosin-slathered wheel against a metal cable, whose protestations emerge from the wooden case in a low, melodic groan. Part 1 of our Qud Qoverage focusing on the story and soundtrack can be found here Part 2 focusing on the gameplay and mechanics of Qud can be found here Other topics discussed: https://www.craigoryhamilton.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247760/Caves_of_Qud_Soundtrack/ https://stumpyfrog.com/sfr24a-caves-of-qud-3lp/ https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-caves-of-qud-finale http://www.decklinsdemise.com/mordor.htm https://store.steampowered.com/app/224500/Gnomoria/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_Ratio_Regum_(video_game) Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:00 - Intro Premable 2:17 - Interview Start! 3:14 - Craig's Musical Origins: Uncle's Yamaha Keyboard & Early Life 6:22 - Mixtapes, High School Bands & College Hardcore Synth Work 10:10 - Childhood Dream: Astronaut, Video Game Maker or Musician 11:50 - Childhood Gaming: Diablo 1, XCOM & Cinematic Music Influences 17:38 - Film Score Influences: Arrival, Blade Runner & Disney Jungle Book 19:00 - How Craig Got Hired: Dropsy Tracks & Caves of Qud Audition 24:24 - Composition Process: Flavour Text Prompts & Dev Collaboration 26:43 - “Onward”: Multiple Versions, Melancholy Quality & New Keyboard 33:53 - Diegetic Sound Design: Golgotha Flamethrower & Theme Park Composition 38:45 - Craig's Favorite Track: “Arrival” & Interstellar Inspiration 44:46 - “Bey Lah Heritage II”: Western Aesthetic, Harmonicas & Hindren Influence 47:36 - “Attack on Grit Gate”: Desperate Blown-Out Battle Sound Design 52:34 - Favorite Game Soundtracks: FF7, Nuclear Throne, Katamari Damacy 1:05:31 - Craig's 40 Hours of Qud: Exploration Style & Mutant Builds 1:10:47 - The Caves Music: Danger, Oppression & Caving YouTube Inspiration 1:15:14 - Cozy Art Lulling Players Into a False Sense of Security 1:18:36 - Gnome Moria, Ultima Ratio Regum & Procedural Generation Discussion 1:25:21 - Show Wind Down Next episode: BALL x PIT Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - 3rd Spore Phase Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Of Chrome, and How (Sultan's Song)

In this brand new episode of the award winning Steamboat Comedy Podcast, Steamboat Springs Comedians Kyle Ruff and Matt Newland discuss what America is all about before the upcoming 250th Independence Day anniversary! Topics also include Kyle's travels, solving the homeless problem, and Mexican Batman

Queer liberation is incompatible with capitalism, because queer oppression inscribed in capitalist production and reproduction. In this episode, we explain why, and how socialism can create the context for queer liberation and sexual liberation for all. Learn More: Queer Oppression is Etched in the Heart of CapitalismFor a Pride Against Capitalism, Imperialism, and the Far RightWhither Queer Liberation?The Supreme Court Is Endangering Far More than Trans Athletes — We Must Fight BackSupport this podcast on Patreon Follow us on social media! We're on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as @left_voice and Facebook as @leftvoice. Follow us on Bluesky at leftvoice.bsky.social. 

Nous sommes en l'an 40 de notre ère, dans la province chinoise de l'Annam (située au centre de l'actuel Vietnam). Deux sœurs, issues d'une famille de militaires, vont mener, conte le gouverneur de la province, une guerre sans merci. Une guerre pour échapper au joug chinois qui se fait de plus en plus pressant. Elles vont former une véritable armée. Une armée composée essentiellement de femmes. Elles vont résister pendant près de deux ans. Mais leurs adversaires seront les plus forts et les sœurs Trung finiront par se donner la mort pour ne pas tomber aux mains de l'ennemi. Élevées au rang d'héroïnes nationales au Vietnam , elles sont absentes de l'histoire officielle chinoise. Les sœurs Trung n'ont pas été les seules femmes à sortir du rôle très confiné qui leur était réservé dans la Chine impériale. Rebelles, guerrières, coupeuses de têtes, femmes volantes, héroïnes vengeresses, dans la réalité et la fiction : qui sont ces femmes ? Avec nous : Françoise Lauwaert, anthropologue et sinologue, professeure à l'Université libre de Bruxelles. Merci pour votre écoute Un Jour dans l'Histoire, c'est également en direct tous les jours de la semaine de 13h15 à 14h30 sur www.rtbf.be/lapremiere Retrouvez tous les épisodes d'Un Jour dans l'Histoire sur notre plateforme Auvio.be :https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/5936 Intéressés par l'histoire ? Vous pourriez également aimer nos autres podcasts : L'Histoire Continue: https://audmns.com/kSbpELwL'heure H : https://audmns.com/YagLLiKEt sa version à écouter en famille : La Mini Heure H https://audmns.com/YagLLiKAinsi que nos séries historiques :Chili, le Pays de mes Histoires : https://audmns.com/XHbnevhD-Day : https://audmns.com/JWRdPYIJoséphine Baker : https://audmns.com/wCfhoEwLa folle histoire de l'aviation : https://audmns.com/xAWjyWCLes Jeux Olympiques, l'étonnant miroir de notre Histoire : https://audmns.com/ZEIihzZMarguerite, la Voix d'une Résistante : https://audmns.com/zFDehnENapoléon, le crépuscule de l'Aigle : https://audmns.com/DcdnIUnUn Jour dans le Sport : https://audmns.com/xXlkHMHSous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppvN'oubliez pas de vous y abonner pour ne rien manquer.Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Thank you for listening. We pray the podcast is a blessing to you. Please visit our website www.columbianabaptist.com.

Thank you for listening. We pray the podcast is a blessing to you. Please visit our website www.columbianabaptist.com.

Just because someone claims to be a “Christian” does not automatically make your home spiritually safe. When deliverance is not well understood, it creates confusion, blind spots, and hidden hindrances. Many seek deliverance, but true freedom requires more than casting out spirits. When inner healing is neglected, deliverance becomes incomplete — leaving the person spiritually vulnerable. We must understand the spiritual realm at hand because unhealed trauma, open doors, and unresolved battles create access points the enemy is eager to exploit. In this episode, we unpack how a Christian's unaddressed warfare can bring spiritual residue into your space, shifting the atmosphere and affecting the entire household and family dynamic! Blessings-  Melia's Services -> https://meliadiana.com/our-services Melia's Books ->https://meliadiana.com/books Melia's Courses -> https://meliadiana.com/vertical-relationship-academy Prophetic Gatekeeper Manuscript Specialist -> https://meliadiana.com/prophetic-gatekeeper-manuscript-specialist   Chapters: 00:00:00 - Private Deliverance & Inner Healing 00:01:30 - The Dangers of Public Deliverance 00:03:00 - Identifying Personal Weaknesses 00:04:15 - The Crucial Role of Inner Healing 00:05:45 - Protecting Your Children's Futures 00:07:00 - Services Offered: Counseling & Mentorship 00:08:30 - The Intertwined Nature of Deliverance & Healing 00:10:00 - Guarding Your Heart & Mind 00:11:30 - Your Role in Spiritual Warfare 00:13:00 - Turning to God for Relationship 00:14:30 - The Importance of Personal "Homework" 00:16:00 - The Healer and Preventing Torment 00:17:30 - Personal Journey & Revelations of Warfare in Home 00:19:00 - Oppression vs. Possession in Christians 00:20:30 - Past Encounters & Open Doors 00:22:00 - The Need for Discernment in Churches 00:23:30 - Blessings    

This Sunday, Pastor Sam Gibson concluded our FREED series with a teaching on freedom from spiritual oppression. Teaching from Colossians 1 and 2, he argued that how we understand spiritual warfare depends on how we understand the Gospel. The Gospel is not only the message that our sins can be forgiven. It is also the announcement that Jesus is King. The powers of darkness have been defeated, His kingdom has arrived, and believers now live under His authority. In the teaching, Pastor Sam offered practical guidance for navigating spiritual opposition. One of the enemy's great aims is to steal our song—our wonder, our confidence, our worship. Yet throughout Scripture, God's people continue singing in prisons, in exile, and in suffering. Their songs are acts of remembrance, resistance, and hope, and we can live with that same posture today.

Every heartache, frustration, disappointment, and failure can become an instrument in God's hands—not to crush you, but to draw you nearer. In today's episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef challenges you to ask a powerful question in the middle of oppression: How can I turn this situation into an opportunity for God? Here are several faith-strengthening responses to trouble: Remember God is with you. You are never facing life alone. When His voice feels quiet, choose patience—be still, wait, and trust before you make your next move. Keep a positive mindset. This isn't denial. It's deliberate focus—choosing to keep your eyes on Christ and believing God is fulfilling His purpose even through pain. Look for God's hand in the storm. Trials can be evidence of His nearness—His loving presence surrounding you, grieving when you're mistreated, and moving on your behalf. Do not lose heart. God will supply the strength, wisdom, courage, and comfort you need to take the next faithful step—especially when life feels impossible. If you're facing pressure right now, this devotional will help you trade despair for perspective and move forward with confidence that God is actively at work—for your good and His glory. Prayer: God, it's difficult for me to understand why I am going through the struggles that I am, but I know that You can use them to draw me closer to You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “[W]e also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon series Freedom from Fear: LISTEN NOW The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Neil McClendon, Lead PastorGrand Parkway Baptist ChurchInterruptions, Authority & The Unforgivable SinMatthew 9:32-341. Jesus was interruptible, v. 32“As they were going away...” v. 32“And as Jesus passed on from there...” v. 27“While he was saying these things to them...”v. 18“Then the disciples of John came to him...” v. 14“As Jesus passed on from there...” v. 9“And getting into the boat he crossed over...” v. 1Think of it like this...experiences ≠ LifeLife = experiences2. Sometimes the spiritual manifests itself in the physical, v. 32Revelation 12:7-12Four things to appropriate over your families...a)the salvation of Godb) the power of Godc)the kingdom of Godd) the authority of ChristTwo things you use to conquer the enemy...a)the blood of the Lambb) the word of your testimonyWhat is the difference between oppression and possession?Oppression- this is external pressure, demonic forces seek to oppress usexternally. The person has full control of their faculties. Paul's thorn in the flesh isa great example.Possession- this is internal control. A person loses control of themselves. Peopleopen the door to this through occult involvement, witchcraft, astrology, unresolvedtrauma, habitual sin, unforgiveness and unresolved anger are all examples ofopen doors.Ephesians 4:26-27Can a Christian be possessed?I Corinthians 6:19-20-Ephesians 4:30I John 4:43. There is an unforgivable sin, v. 34Matthew 12:22-32Mental worship...1. Are you interruptible? How do you most often respond?2. Do you think your experiences will produce the Life you were created for?3. Are your experiences more your ideas or God's?4. Is your faith corporate or personal?5. How often do you think about the three dimensions of life: physical, emotionaland spiritual?6. Is there anything that you think you won't be forgiven for and on what basis doyou believe that?Be sure to follow us:InstagramFacebookYoutube

Pride night in San Francisco is interrupted by some Giants pitchers who don't believe in compelled/forced speech. They make a strong case, without saying a word. And Wiggins America is things you should keep to yourself.

Send us Fan MailLight Attracts Light: Good Energy Changing the WorldIn a world often consumed by division, fear, anger, and negativity, Light Attracts Light is a podcast dedicated to the power of Love, Wisdom, Compassion, and Positive Energy. Each episode explores how one person's Light can inspire another, creating A Ripple Effect that transforms families, communities, and ultimately the World.Hosted by Jacqueline Jimoh GROW, Founder and President of Greatness Reached over Oppression through Wisdom (GROW), this podcast dives into stories of resilience, the  fundaments of personal GROWth through Faith, Healing, Forgiveness, and the Triumph of Good over evil. Through thoughtful, insightful, bright  and heartfelt reflections, listeners are encouraged to become a Light in their own communities and discover the strength that comes from choosing Love over hate, Hope over despair, and Wisdom over oppressionThe message is simple: when We shine our Light, others shine theirs Good energy is contagious, Kindness is contagious; Love is contagious.Join us as we explore how ordinary people can create extraordinary change and prove that even the smallest light can illuminate the darkest roomLove and Blessings always GROW

Feeling overwhelmed by rising violence and uncertainty? In this deeply personal episode, Latonya McDonald—a leading spiritual and psychological life coach—unpacks the hard truths about femicide, mental health, and trauma facing Black women and our communities.Gain practical insights on building strong support systems, reclaiming joy, and holding ourselves and others accountable when culture and safety are at risk.Latonya shares actionable guidance for collective healing and resilience, including emotional regulation, purpose discovery, and advocacy for women's safety.**Chapters:**  00:00:00 - Welcome & Today's Focus  00:01:16 - Economic Stress & Abuse Patterns  00:03:39 - Practicing Realistic Resilience  00:07:15 - Building Meaningful Support Systems  00:08:23 - Femicide Crisis & Self-Protection  00:12:03 - Oppression, Emotional Displacement, Breaking Cycles  00:15:31 - Finding Purpose Amidst Chaos  00:18:22 - Art, Accountability & Community  00:22:19 - Joy, Creativity, and Self-Care  00:28:22 - Healthy Masculinity and Prevention  00:31:20 - Prioritizing Real Supportive Friendships  00:34:22 - Facing Challenges Together & Resourcesmental health, Black women, support systems, trauma recovery, femicide awareness, accountability, generational healing, emotional regulation**Don't face trauma alone. If you need help, call the national crisis hotline: 988.****Subscribe** for more empowering insights, and visit liveandbegreat.com for free consultations, and guided support calls.

Danielle Pull Quotes “I just love the competition of it and seeing how far people can push their bodies and how far they can go. And I love team sports. I didn't used to like soccer, but I've been watching World Cup games with Luis, who's my partner. Since Mexico played the United States, we watched that game in Ciudad Juárez in Mexico together. And that's one of the last times the U.S. won. We were down there, and I remember cheering and looking around, and Luis was like, ‘Don't cheer. You're going to get us in trouble.'” “I started getting out of my skin this morning listening to stories about the international teams arriving in Mexico and being met with mariachis and food and dancing and celebration, and then hearing about teams arriving here and being locked in rooms, strip searched, cavity searched, and the best Somali referee being sent back. He can't referee here, which is freaking insane. FIFA has its own problems, but this is the contradiction: we're supposed to be hosting the world, and yet we're treating the world like it's dangerous.”   Jenny Pull Quotes “I have a love-hate relationship with soccer because I had three older brothers and they all played soccer very seriously. Two of them went to state, one of them was first team all-state for Colorado. Every weekend was a soccer tournament. By the time I was old enough for my parents to ask if I wanted to play, I was like, ‘No, I hate soccer. I'm going to do dance.' I still like that choice. I prefer dancing more than soccer, but soccer is the one sport where I actually know what's going on and know the rules. Anything else, I just dissociate and have no idea what's happening. I do like the snacks that often come with watching sports, though.” “I saw the story about the referee not being allowed in, and it made me think about the question of hospitality. We are hosting the world, and yet as a nation, as a government, we are acting as though we hate the world. It's such a weird time. I honestly would not blame countries if they said, ‘No, we're not actually going to go at all.'” Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a rut, focusing on what's broken in your life rather than what's going right? This episode of the podcast explores the importance of gratitude in a world that often emphasizes what's lacking. The speaker delves into the concept of behavioral spirituality, discussing how our thoughts and behaviors can either lead to freedom or oppression. In this conversation, the speaker shares a powerful story from the Bible about ten lepers who were healed, but only one returned to express gratitude. This story highlights the difficulty many people face in practicing gratitude, even when they've experienced positive changes in their lives. The speaker also discusses the science behind gratitude, revealing its numerous benefits, including increased happiness, better relationships, and improved physical health. The conversation also touches on the idea that our culture often focuses on what's broken, rather than what's working well. This can lead to a mindset of cynicism and negativity, making it challenging to cultivate gratitude. The speaker shares personal anecdotes and practical tips for incorporating gratitude into daily life, such as journaling, prayer, and reflecting on the good things that happen each day. As you listen to this episode, you'll be encouraged to reframe your perspective and focus on the good things in your life. The speaker invites you to ask yourself, "What's the best possible choice for me to make today?" and to consider the benefits of practicing gratitude in your daily life. Join the conversation and discover how gratitude can lead to freedom and a more positive outlook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready for Shofar-Blowing, Jesus praising, Power-Packed Wednesday Morning session with Stacy Whited?! If not, then get your mind right because we are LIVE at 11:11AM CST.TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.theflyoverapp.com Follow and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFlyoverConservativesShowTO WATCH ALL OF THE PROPHETIC REPORTS - https://flyoverconservatives.com/resources-2/prophetic-words/For Printable Versions of the Declarations - text DECREES to 40509(Message and data rates may apply. Terms/privacy: 40509-info.com)WATCH Ginger Ziegler:RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/GingerZieglerMinistries?e9s=src_v1_cmdWEBSITE: https://gingerziegler.com/

Philemon 15-20 (ESV)Isack and Edwin discuss the central request Paul makes of Philemon.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=25752The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 teaches that wisdom is not God giving us paint-by-numbers answers for every decision, but shaping us into people who can navigate life's complexities with godly judgment. Solomon shows that wisdom helps us deal with power, timing, authority, and the consequences of our choices. Rather than turning us into robots, biblical wisdom provides guardrails that help us make faithful decisions in situations where there is no simple chapter-and-verse answer. Solomon also confronts the realities of injustice, mystery, and tension. Wicked people often seem to prosper while good people suffer, yet wisdom calls us to fear God and trust that His justice will come in His perfect time. Life is filled with unanswered questions and unsatisfying answers, requiring us to walk by faith rather than sight. The wise person learns to hold both sorrow and joy together, lamenting the brokenness of the world while still enjoying God's gifts, knowing that faithfulness means trusting God even when life does not make sense.

Buc-ee's—the roadside travel phenomenon—seems to cater to the extremes in our society. Either customers love shopping at the place or it is yet another symbol of capitalist oppression.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/buc-ees-free-market-triumph-or-simply-capitalist-oppression

Why have moral philosophers largely ignored colonialism? In Moral Philosophy and De-Colonialism: The Irrationality of Oppression (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026), Shyam Ranganathan tells the story of moral philosophy and colonialism and reveals the benefits of drawing from a colonized tradition to a create a rigorous logic-based ethics. This is a timely exploration of the the ways in which Western colonialism has structured moral theorizing to insulate itself from criticism. In his account of the domination of the European tradition and the suppression of questions of its colonialism, Ranganathan covers the evolution of metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics in ancient European, Chinese, and Indian traditions of philosophy. We see the presence of white supremacy in the writings of J.S. Mill, Marx and Engels, and the importance placed on autonomy and sovereignty in Hobbes and Kant. The European influence of interpretation on our peer review of historical philosophy is evident throughout. Using South Asia as an example Ranganathan examines how colonizers are able to erase moral philosophical history and redefine cultures as religions, judged in terms of their conformity to, or deviation from, the Western tradition, which is treated as secular. His acknowledgment of Yoga as a basic ethical theory introduces us to thinking that recognizes persons as a diverse group, traversing sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, and species. Through this analysis of colonized traditions and ethics, Ranganathan is able to de-colonize moral philosophy by looking outside the colonizing tradition. If we want sophisticated and inclusive ways of thinking about how to live we must turn towards indigenous thought. Shyam Ranganathan is a member of the Department of Philosophy and York Center for Asian Research at York University, Toronto, Canada, and founder of the Yoga Philosophy Institute. Dr. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Indian mythology and seasoned online educator. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at his own virtual School of Indian Wisdom where he delivers original courses applying Indian wisdom teachings to modern life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Buc-ee's—the roadside travel phenomenon—seems to cater to the extremes in our society. Either customers love shopping at the place or it is yet another symbol of capitalist oppression.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/buc-ees-free-market-triumph-or-simply-capitalist-oppression

Why have moral philosophers largely ignored colonialism? In Moral Philosophy and De-Colonialism: The Irrationality of Oppression (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026), Shyam Ranganathan tells the story of moral philosophy and colonialism and reveals the benefits of drawing from a colonized tradition to a create a rigorous logic-based ethics. This is a timely exploration of the the ways in which Western colonialism has structured moral theorizing to insulate itself from criticism. In his account of the domination of the European tradition and the suppression of questions of its colonialism, Ranganathan covers the evolution of metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics in ancient European, Chinese, and Indian traditions of philosophy. We see the presence of white supremacy in the writings of J.S. Mill, Marx and Engels, and the importance placed on autonomy and sovereignty in Hobbes and Kant. The European influence of interpretation on our peer review of historical philosophy is evident throughout. Using South Asia as an example Ranganathan examines how colonizers are able to erase moral philosophical history and redefine cultures as religions, judged in terms of their conformity to, or deviation from, the Western tradition, which is treated as secular. His acknowledgment of Yoga as a basic ethical theory introduces us to thinking that recognizes persons as a diverse group, traversing sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, and species. Through this analysis of colonized traditions and ethics, Ranganathan is able to de-colonize moral philosophy by looking outside the colonizing tradition. If we want sophisticated and inclusive ways of thinking about how to live we must turn towards indigenous thought. Shyam Ranganathan is a member of the Department of Philosophy and York Center for Asian Research at York University, Toronto, Canada, and founder of the Yoga Philosophy Institute. Dr. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Indian mythology and seasoned online educator. He teaches at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at his own virtual School of Indian Wisdom where he delivers original courses applying Indian wisdom teachings to modern life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:12 - exposes the emptiness of trusting in government, money, possessions, or achievement to give lasting meaning. Solomon shows that wealth and success often increase anxiety rather than peace, and a life spent chasing more can still leave the soul unsatisfied. Even under God's sovereignty, human choices still matter, and people remain responsible for how they live and what they pursue. Instead of building life around endless striving, Solomon points toward a quieter rhythm of flourishing: enjoy meals with others, work faithfully, accept your limits, and practice gratitude. True joy is found not in prestige or accumulation, but in receiving everyday life as a gift from God, marked by contentment, meaningful work, shared community, and thankfulness toward the Giver of every good thing.

What if you mental health struggles were something more than what the DSM identifies? What if there was a spiritual aspect keeping you from walking in freedom?Dr. Natalie Atwell has spent over 20 years as a licensed therapist, and she'll be the first to tell you she ignored that question for most of her career. Then the cases got darker, standard treatments stopped working, and a deep dive into Dr. Michael Heiser's divine council worldview changed how she reads both her Bible and her intake forms.There's a quiet crisis happening inside Christian counseling offices. Clients are arriving with presentations - dissociation, compulsive sexual behavior, debilitating anxiety, sleep paralysis - that don't resolve the way they should. The DSM has no category for what some of these people are experiencing. And the therapists treating them are quietly asking a question they're not sure they're allowed to ask: Is something spiritual going on here?Dr. Atwell says yes, and she's built a clinical framework to navigate it. Drawing on the Deuteronomy 32 worldview and Dr. Michael Heiser's understanding of the three rebellions of Genesis 3, 6, and 11, she maps categories of mental health suffering back to specific entry points of spiritual darkness. It's a careful, clinically-informed attempt to take Ephesians 6:12 seriously in a treatment room.The demand in the broader body of Christ is real. Pastors are referring people to therapists because they don't have a framework. Therapists are getting stuck because they don't have the theology. Dr. Atwell's work, including her assessment tool that asks about Ouija boards, occult involvement, and even alien abduction experiences, is an attempt to build a bridge between those two worlds. Not to replace either one, but to help clinicians ask better questions.0:00 – Introduction1:25 – Dr. Natalie Atwell3:58 – Satanic Ritual Abuse7:01 – Counselor's Awakening9:35 – Darkness Uptick Explained17:01 – Divine Council Worldview25:21 – Oppression vs. Possession29:07 – Three Categories Framework37:31 – Deliverance Treatment Model40:06 – Other Influences Assessment47:58 – Client Case Study54:36 – Mental Warrior ConsultingABOUT THE GUEST:

Life can present us with some pretty difficult realities, especially if we had some disadvantages to begin with. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the biblical principles that can help turn our situation around and empower us to offer hope to others.

Life can present us with some pretty difficult realities, especially if we had some disadvantages to begin with. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the biblical principles that can help turn our situation around and empower us to offer hope to others.

Oppression isn't always obvious, but it can take many forms. Dr. Tony Evans explains how God brings freedom regardless of what's holding you back.

Oppression isn't always obvious, but it can take many forms. Dr. Tony Evans explains how God brings freedom regardless of what's holding you back.