Podcasts about religiously

New religious data in the United States was released recently, and Ryan Burge joins the show with Sam to discuss the details. In 2024, Gen Z showed relatively strong religious attendance compared to other generations. Twenty-four percent of Gen Z reported attending religious services weekly—two percentage points higher than both Millennials and Gen X. While 53% of Gen Z attend less than once a year, that's actually the lowest percentage of infrequent attenders among all the generations analyzed. The post The Burge Report: Is Gen Z More Religiously Engaged than Their Parents? appeared first on Church Answers.

Title: Defending the Gospel to the Religious Text: Acts 26:1-11 FCF: We often struggle convincing religious people they need the gospel. Prop: Because religiously engaged people with prideful or worldly hearts will attack the gospel, we must be ready to provide a defense for the hope we have in us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 26. In a moment we'll begin reading from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week Luke gave us a glimpse into a conversation between Festus and Herod Agrippa the Second. This conversation reveals to us not only that selfishly motivated politicians are not a new development of our time, but also that Festus is quite perplexed about how to handle an innocent man appealing to Caesar. Essentially Festus is caught playing favors and now he has to report to the Emperor a valid reason that Paul is present in his court. However, he hopes that Herod Agrippa can help him. Herod is highly favored of Emperor Nero and his father before him. If Herod Agrippa says that the only reason Paul is there is because he appealed prematurely – then Festus may not look completely inept. So, the stage is set for this deposition. It is not a trial or even a hearing. It is simply a fact finding endeavor so Festus can fill out his paperwork properly. How will it begin? Will Paul endure questions? If so, who will ask? Let's find out. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most High God, You are unlike all others. Yet You have condescended to reveal Yourself to us, most fully in Your Son Jesus. You have sent Your Spirit among us to reveal truth and illuminate our hearts through the inspired texts of Your scriptures. Father… I pray that You might send Your Spirit among us today and prevent us from being religious scholars and zealots only, without also becoming Your children. Adopt us through Christ and enable us to repent and believe on Him. Then train us to defend the gospel to those who are merely religiously educated and zealous. We beg You to be with and prepare Your people for the warfare we engage in every day. Do this today we ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: Let us get right to the text this morning. I.) Religiously educated people with worldly pursuits are unable to believe the gospel, so we must provide a defense for the hope we have in us. (1-3) a. [Slide 2] 1 - Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul, stretching out his hand, began to make his defense: i. Festus gave his opening remarks and addressed King Herod Agrippa the Second as the primary audience member of this deposition. ii. He also clearly laid out what the purpose of this deposition was. He needed something to include in the paperwork being sent up to the Emperor that requires Paul's presence in his court. iii. At the moment Festus has nothing to write. iv. It makes sense then that Festus would cede the floor to King Agrippa. v. Agrippa does not ask any questions, but informs Paul that he can go forward and give his defense. vi. So as is custom at this time, Paul stretches out his hand to signify to the listeners that he is about to speak. vii. And although Luke describes this as a defense, and although Paul will address the charges against him indirectly, we should understand that his speech here is not a defense of himself, but is primarily a defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how belief on Jesus is the next step in true Judaism. viii. So much so, that if you reject Jesus, then you cease to be a true Jew. ix. Paul will go to great lengths here to not only defend the gospel, but to defend also a Pharisaical view of Judaism that must evolve into Christianity if it is to remain true to the prophesies and promises that God has given to the Israelite people. b. [Slide 3] 2 - “Concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I regard myself blessed, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; 3 - especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; i. Paul begins his defense addressing the judge, as is customary in a trial. ii. But Paul is not fawning over or buttering Agrippa up at all. Instead, he consistently gives praise to God throughout his entire defense for what God has done, even to deliver him to this point at this very moment. iii. Paul considers himself blessed. 1. This word blessed is the same word that Jesus used in the sermon on the mount when He spoke of the B-attitudes. 2. The word means highly favored or fortunate. 3. In a secular or pagan context, such a word might be used to indicate that someone is favored of the gods or was granted a divine wind on the open sea when no wind was present. 4. Scripture writers often use this word to speak of God's grace applied to someone. iv. Paul's view then, is that he is graced of God. Why? v. Because he has a chance to defend himself against the accusations of the Jews before Agrippa. And especially since Agrippa is well aware of, an expert in, the customs and theological disputes among the Jews. vi. With Festus, Paul had a judge who really was ignorant of the finer theological details on which the trial revolved. That is why Festus wanted to move the trial to Jerusalem and that is why Paul insisted on not going to Jerusalem – Festus sought clarity and Paul knew well the dangers that he faced in that city (if he got there alive). vii. Paul believes he is favored of God to sit before a man who is the secular head of the Jewish Religion. He is well aware of the intricacies of Jewish law and the disputes between the Pharisees, the Sadducees and even the Nazarean sect. viii. Now Agrippa being of the ruling class, an aristocrat, and not only Hellenized but Romanized as well – his sympathies would probably favor the Sadducean view of Judaism. But – if pressed, Agrippa would probably not publicly affiliate himself with any faction or party. He was Jewish but it was a faith of convenience. He was, primarily, a statesman. A politician. ix. What does Agrippa need to do with what Paul is going to say? c. [Slide 4] therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. i. Paul begs, implores, pleads with Agrippa to listen. ii. Not merely hear his words, not merely hear his defense, but to intently pay attention to all that he says and to do so with forbearance and patience. iii. Paul is asking Agrippa to listen, not merely as a judge, but as a man who needs to hear the message that he is about to be given. d. [Slide 5] 4 - So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; i. Paul now transitions to speak about himself. ii. As is customary to do in a defense speech, the accused typically will go back in their life to demonstrate a record of right living. iii. This illustrates that it would be out of character for them to be guilty of whatever the accusers are claiming. iv. Paul establishes, firmly, his Jewish and even his NON-Hellenized Jewish background. v. We spoke of this several months ago now – but there was a pecking order within Judaism. Judean Jews were seen as serious Jews. Jews who lived in Judea, who worshipped at Jerusalem, and who generally adhered as closely as they could to the law – many of them even learning ancient Hebrew instead of just speaking Aramaic. vi. Though he was born in Cilicia and is a Roman citizen, from an early age he moved to Jerusalem and therefore spent his whole young life being brought up among his own people and associating and fellowshipping with Judean Jews. vii. Paul establishes himself as a long time Judean Jew, well aware of the customs and teachings of the Jews. viii. Such claim could only be made by an elite few. ix. He continues. e. [Slide 6] 5 - since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. i. Not only was this how his young life was characterized, but his own accusers could verify that it was so. They knew well where he came from and who he was. ii. If they are willing to say so, and not too cowardly to admit it, they have known about him for a long time and know the prominence of Paul. iii. Not only was he a Judean Jew practically since birth, but he was also raised in the strictest sect of Judaism, keeping rigidly the entire Mosaic law, while adopting a more progressive view of the scriptures, to include all the Old Testament both the law and the Prophets as God's Word. iv. The Pharisee party was the party of the people and included not just the wealthy and nobility but even less prominent lineages. v. They believed in miracles and adopted a stricter interpretation of the scriptures concluding that if God has not said it is permissible, then we must refrain. vi. As we saw earlier, he was trained at the feet of Gamaliel a highly respected Rabbi. vii. He knows his stuff and had a reputation for being the REAL DEAL with his faith. viii. And it is because of this theological background that he is on trial. f. [Slide 7] 6 - And now I am standing here being tried for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7 - the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. i. The hope that Paul speaks of here is most certainly the gospel of Jesus Christ. ii. But the core concept of that teaching is the belief that God would resurrect the righteous and the unrighteous dead. iii. Indeed, Paul calls this the hope of the twelve tribes, who earnestly serve God night and day. iv. Well, the twelve tribes have been scattered to the winds. v. So, what is Paul speaking of? vi. He is certainly speaking of the restoration and fulfillment of promises to, largely, dead people. Promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, and David. vii. Those who have died but still have a hope that one day the Lord will resurrect them and fulfill His eternal promises to them. viii. The Sadducees would not accept such a teaching, and it is primarily the Sadducees that accused Paul before these Roman courts. ix. The irony should not be lost on us. Paul is on trial today because believes in the hope of the promise of all of Israel… and yet is still being accused… by Jews. x. This is what springboards Paul into his question he poses to all those who listen… g. [Slide 8] 8 - Why is it considered unbelievable among all of you if God does raise the dead? i. This question seems to come out of nowhere. But it is actually the foundational question that will drive the rest of this speech. ii. Paul says elsewhere that the resurrection is foolishness to the Jews and a stumbling block to the Gentiles. Not today, but soon we will see both of these reactions to Paul's defense. This is the tipping point of the gospel. What do you do with a crucified and risen Savior? iii. Paul has already established that he has been a Judean Jew under the strict sect of the Pharisees since his youth. He has always believed in the resurrection of the dead and eventual renewal of the kingdom of Israel. iv. But now he asks this question. v. Why is it considered unbelievable among all of you if God does raise the dead? vi. There are a couple ways to take this question by Paul. vii. The first way and the most obvious way is to express disbelief or frustration on Paul's part that the resurrection of the dead, by God Himself, is such an untenable idea. 1. If God is who He has claimed to be, and who the Jews have been earnestly worshipping Him to be, resurrecting the dead is completely plausible. 2. It isn't like He is unable to do it. 3. So, if there are scriptures to indicate such is true – as Jesus demonstrated even from the Pentateuch where God addresses dead patriarchs in the present tense and not the past – then our worldly pursuits and materialistic leanings should not suspend our belief on the matter. 4. We must admit that God can do this. 5. Paul speaking to Agrippa and the Gentiles both of which would wrestle with this idea of the dead being able to be resurrected. viii. Another way we could take this question is that Paul is not expressing frustration but is asking his audience to search themselves. This is not an accusatory question but a diagnostic one. 1. Why is it that they consider it unbelievable that God could, would, and does raise the dead? 2. What is truly preventing them from believing that this could be? ix. I think both ways are possible for this question to be asked and both of them fit with where Paul goes next. x. But let's pause first and review what we've seen so far. h. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: So, if Paul is giving a defense of the gospel, who exactly is he defending it to and what exactly are their arguments? Paul lumps the gentiles, Agrippa, and the Sadducees into one group in these first 8 verses. In short, they are the resurrection deniers. They are religiously educated people who have been captivated by worldly pursuits. And what I mean by worldly pursuits is not just sinful practices, but even the pursuit of this life, this existence, this earthly kingdom rather than some future, eternal, and spiritually perfect kingdom that is to come. In a way, Paul defends the Pharisaical understanding of the Scriptures as the primary avenue to understand and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, he shows that the Pharisaical way of understanding the Old Testament is the only way any Jew can remain a Jew… namely by receiving their Messiah, the God-Man Jesus of Nazareth. Because as it stands, Gentiles who think the resurrection of the dead is foolish, Jews who are religiously educated but purely secular, and even Jews that are religiously practicing but selectively applying the scriptures to only this earthly existence – all of these are unable to receive the gospel message. Therefore, Paul offers a defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in order to do that, he must defend the resurrection to the religiously educated but worldly focused people. We too must provide a defense of the hope we have in us, and one of the audiences of that defense will be those from other faiths, those who call themselves Christians but are purely secular, or those who call themselves Christians, go to church, but have rejected essential doctrines of our faith. We must be ready to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ to these revelation deniers. Transition: [Slide 10(blank)] But is this the only kind of people that we must be prepared to defend the gospel to? Are there others? II.) Religiously zealous people without humility are unable to believe the gospel, so we must provide a defense for the hope we have in us. (9-11) a. [Slide 11] 9 - So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. i. The opening two words, “so then” could be taken emphatically. ii. Meaning that Paul is not merely moving the timeline along of his story, but is saying something to the effect of – “in fact, of course, or indeed” iii. He is expressing that he also demonstrated disbelief. Not necessarily in the possibility of the resurrection of the dead. And not in the truth of the resurrection of the dead – but specifically in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. iv. In fact, he was WORSE than Agrippa, or Festus, or the Sadducees, because he believed in the resurrection of the dead for the righteous and the unrighteous but could not believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. v. Indeed, he opposed Christ in the most aggressive way that he could. b. [Slide 12] 10 - And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. i. Paul recounts how he, with the authority of the chief priests, many of whom were no doubt still alive and possibly even still well known, did take prisoner many of the saints – meaning those who professed faith in Jesus as the Messiah. ii. He even cast his vote to put Christians to death. iii. “cast his vote” is a euphemism saying cast his pebble. iv. In the Sanhedrin they would cast pebbles into the center to count votes for a guilty verdict. v. This could indicate to us that Paul was on the Sanhedrin council, but it doesn't necessarily mean that. The expression could simply mean he approved of it in an unofficial capacity. vi. And if he is talking about Stephen's trial – if we remember – they didn't really cast a vote. They just got so angry at him that they rushed him out the door and stoned him to death. vii. But regardless of what Paul means – his heart was in full agreement with thinking that those who follow Jesus deserved to die. viii. But for what? c. [Slide 13] 11 - And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. i. Paul tried to force every single one he found to blaspheme. What he means by this, is to deny Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. ii. Paul agreed that these Christians should be killed because he thought they were heretics. iii. Even though he believed in the resurrection… he didn't believe in Jesus' resurrection. iv. And Paul not only heartily approved of stamping out this faith in Jerusalem, but he even pursued them to foreign cities. v. He kept pursuing them. He wouldn't let them flee. vi. His aim was total annihilation of this faith. vii. Paul reveals that although the Pharisee party was closest to receiving this gospel, if they continue to oppose Jesus of Nazareth – then they also cannot receive the gospel. They cannot continue to be truly Jewish. viii. So let's review this point from Paul's early religious zealousness. d. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: After asking the question of the gentiles and Agrippa, why is it so unbelievable that God can raise the dead – Paul immediately back pedals and confesses that he too struggled to believe the same about Christ. In this Paul depicts for us someone who is religiously devout and zealous but lacks humility to receive truth or be shown they are still in need. They lack the fundamental aspect of the truth of the gospel in that men need a Savior and cannot live a holy enough life by themselves to be counted righteous and worthy of God's Kingdom. Indeed, the pride and self-sufficiency of Paul's Judaism had reached such heights that though he himself believed in a future resurrection where all God's people would be raised to inhabit a new and eternal Kingdom, he could not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the firstborn of the resurrected dead, the Savior of His people. He could not believe it so aggressively that he imprisoned, killed, and pursued those who did and tried to force them to reject their own Messiah. In the pursuit of being the best Jew he could, Paul killed, imprisoned, and tried to damn those who had found the way, the truth, and the life – the only way to the Father. Such people cannot believe the gospel. Paul's defense here, is against his former self. We too must defend the gospel against those who are religiously zealous but lack humility. We must give a defense of the gospel to the legalist, who earnestly believes he contributes something to his salvation, and in so doing find themselves unable to believe the gospel. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today to inform our belief and guide our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 15] God has blessed Paul to be in the position he is in before Agrippa and this great crowd of prominent gentile people. What an opportunity it is for Paul to make much of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he doesn't squander it. Rather than setting out to defend himself, Paul makes a defense for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And his audience is anything but a friendly one. He makes a Jewish case for the Messiahship of Jesus in front of the secular head of the Jewish faith and a bunch of pagans. That is going to be a tough crowd. But that is why the gospel must be… defended. These two groups of people Paul addresses today are some of the most difficult groups we would ever share the gospel with in our lifetime. They are both religious people, but two specific kinds. First, are the deniers of God's Word. Either they have cultic, pagan, or false religious beliefs, or they are Christians in name without practice, or they are Christians who have rejected essential and core doctrines of the faith. This group of religiously educated people who are pursuing worldly goals are actually unable to believe the truth of the gospel. The second group Paul references, is actually his former self. It is those who are religiously devout and zealous but who lack humility to see their desperate need for a Savior. Their religion, even their Christianity is a cooperative effort between God and a man to save himself from sin. And men like this will go to great lengths to silence any who might suggest that salvation is not of works at all… but purely and completely of God. These folks too cannot believe the gospel. And so, we must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have – even to these kinds of religious people. But what does that look like practically? 1.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that religious people, as long as they are sincere, are bound for heaven. a. One of the great lies of our day is that we are somehow all on the same faith journey or faith mountain. And no matter which path you take or which side of the mountain you are on, the path and the mountain both lead to God. b. We are all God's children and why wouldn't He want to save all of us. c. Meaning of course that it doesn't actually matter which religion you follow or creed you hold to as long as you are sincere, a good person, and try your best. d. This teaching is called, syncretism. e. Many secularists have believed and taught this but influential leaders in broader Christendom have said similar things including the late Pope Francis. f. However, syncretism is abundantly false on both a logical and theological basis. i. Islam claims that Jesus was not crucified, did not rise again, was not God, and is not the greatest prophet, priest, or King. Islam also claims there is one god and once you die you are subject to Allah's judgment. ii. Hinduism and Paganism claims that there are several gods and once you die you come back as something else depending on how well you lived. iii. Christianity claims that Jesus is God the Son, with a united but distinct human and divine nature. Christianity says there is one God in three distinct persons and once you die you face His judgment. And the only way to be acceptable to the Father is through Jesus His Son. iv. So how can all of these be on the same mountain? It is logically false. The only way it cannot be false is if each of these religions are equally untrue in their doctrine. v. And if all of them have essential doctrines that are not true that means that syncretism is, in itself, a new religion altogether. g. The scriptures teach, here and in many other places, that those who sincerely follow other gods and/or put their hope in anything but Christ alone, will be rejected and suffer the wrath of the only true God, Yahweh. h. The gentiles seated there, Herod Agrippa, The Sadducees and the Pharisees all are held accountable to the exact same standard. What will you do with Jesus of Nazareth? That is the only question that matters. i. There is exactly one way to the Father and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. j. Therefore, we must deny that sincere people who trust in anything except Christ and Him crucified and risen again – can somehow still enter the Kingdom of God. 2.) [Slide 17] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm religious people of various stripes often mount the greatest assaults upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. a. In the gospels, the greatest opponent to Jesus continued to be the Pharisees. b. As we've seen in the book of Acts, the Pharisees had a lot of things right. c. As Paul rightly says, in order to go to the next phase of Judaism it required you to see the Old Testament scriptures the same way that the Pharisees did. d. That is why in the book of Acts, we have seen that the greatest enemy of the church was the Sadducees. Because their form of Judaism made it impossible for anyone who firmly held to it to receive Jesus as the Messiah. e. From the scriptures and down through the history of the church we can affirm that some of the greatest opponents of the truth of God has always been those who are religiously devout. f. Israel was opposed by nations serving other gods. Christ was opposed by conservative Jews. The church was opposed by liberal Jews. Then the church was opposed by pagans. Then the church was opposed by the state church of Rome. g. And some of the greatest opposition formed against the gospel of Jesus Christ, comes from those who are abundantly close to the truth with minor modifications. h. Think about how close to the truth the Pharisees were? Paul believed that God would one day resurrect all of Israel and bring about the eternal kingdom of David. But when confronted with the Son of David, who had died and now lived – he could not and would not believe it. i. Jehovah's witnesses, Mormons, and those who hold rigidly to official Roman Catholic dogma, are so close to the truth of the gospel – but have a history of adamantly opposing it. j. We also see liberal Christianity today rising up to oppose the gospel too. k. Churches who have affirmed female pastorate, have affirmed and accepted LGBTQIA+ lifestyles, these same churches have rejected the inspiration and authority of the bible and have even called into question the believability of the resurrection of Christ. l. All of those whom I've just described would call themselves Christians – but would oppose the orthodox definition of the gospel. 3.) [Slide 18] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us to those who are religiously educated and zealous. a. We need not defend the gospel to someone who is asking to hear it, who is steeped in sin and desiring a Savior. We simply need to give it to them… b. But to those who are religiously educated and zealous for their false faith, we must be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in us. c. To those who deny the Word of God and those who deny that God accomplishes ALL of their salvation, to these religious people we must defend the gospel. d. Now the defense does not need to result in convincing the person opposing us. e. Just a spoiler here – Paul doesn't convince anyone in his defense of the gospel here. Not one single person. f. The results are not what we are responsible for. Instead, we are to stand for truth and rebut error. Whether the person sees it or not is not our role. We leave that to God and His Spirit. g. As Paul asked – we too must ask – why is it considered unbelievable that our entire salvation rests in the finished work of Christ? Why is it considered unbelievable that Jesus is God and Man? Why is it considered unbelievable that our works do not contribute at all to our salvation? Why is it considered unbelievable that the Scriptures are breathed out by God and are infallible and authoritative? Why is it considered unbelievable that God would design man immutably to be either male or female and to enter into a relationship with someone of the opposite gender that begins their sexual experiences and continues in marital and sexual fidelity until death? h. My friends… our questions have answers and they are found in the Word of God. i. When we challenge them with “why is it considered unbelievable” eventually they must come to the conclusion that they hate what God has said. There is something in them, preventing them from receiving all that God has revealed. j. We must defend the gospel in this way. Let us be ready to make a defense, which means we must know why we believe what we believe. k. But this sounds so aggressive and confrontational! I am not looking forward to this… 4.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm we are blessed of God to defend the gospel before those who are religiously educated and zealous. a. Paul said that he was graced by God to defend the gospel to Agrippa. b. We too should recognize and affirm that defending the gospel, the hope we have in us, is not a drudgery and it is not a chore. c. It is certainly aggressive and confrontational. We are, after all, in a war. A war of ideologies and a war for truth. d. War is confrontational by nature. e. But God has blessed us indeed if He has selected us to defend the gospel to the religiously educated and zealous. f. And furthermore, He will sustain us as we do so. 5.) [Slide 20] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The gospel of Jesus Christ is not opposed to religious education or zealousness but both understanding and passion come as a result of salvation and not as a means to it. a. The gospel as presented in the scriptures, has a logical and predictable outworking in all those who genuinely receive it. b. Mankind, in their wickedness, often try to turn the order of this on its head. c. Just like Satan in the garden tempted Eve with acquiring knowledge of good and evil to be like God – on her own timing and in her own strength – so too we try to put the spiritual cart before the spiritual horse all too often. d. Religiously educated people pride themselves in knowing a wide variety of beliefs, yet their knowledge in each is relatively shallow and must deny much of what each religion teaches. Religiously zealous people pride themselves in knowing a belief deeply and this leads to self-sufficiency and dependence on their own performance of ritual and practice. e. But the most religiously educated and zealous people, when they come to Christ have effectively hit the reset button on their understanding and passion. f. This is exactly what happened to Paul. He was religiously educated and zealous… but when he came to Christ he spent the next 3 years in Damascus and Arabia relearning everything through the filter of Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of God. g. One does not study Christianity and begin to practice it in order to somehow arrive at God saving them from sin. h. Now it isn't wrong to come and learn from sound biblical teachers what the bible says and what it means. This is a good thing. i. It isn't wrong to teach our children the Lord's precepts and grow them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. j. But until God moves upon them and gives the gifts of repentance and faith – their learning hasn't really yet begun. k. True, deep, intimate understanding and zealous passion for God does not really begin until you are given a new heart. l. Out of that new heart, repentance, faith, and growth can finally begin. m. So if you are here trying to learn your way to Christ. If you think if you can just know enough about the Lord to be pleasing in His sight… I beg you friend. n. Instead of pursuing Him in this way. Won't you begin with repentance and faith? Won't you reject and turn from your sin and place all your hope in what Christ has done? o. It is only those who are able to do this… who become the true learners and pursuers of Him. [Slide 21 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer Menno Simons O, Lord, Father, how very broad, easy, and pleasing to the flesh is the entrance into a miserable, carnal church. But how wonderfully narrow, O Lord, is your way— the gate which leads into your poor and holy church (Matthew 7:13). The way is so narrow that its gateposts strip off the gold and possessions, the flesh and blood, and all the lusts and inclinations of those who desire and sincerely seek to enter at this narrow gate. And so, by your grace, we come to rest and remain forever in your holy church. In Jesus name we pray this, Amen. Benediction: And now may He grace you with his presence, So that the weak might say, l am strong, And the poor will say, 'I am rich', And the feeble will say, 'I am upheld' Until we meet again, go in peace.

Observing Shabbat is one of the most important markers of religious Jewish identity and defining rhythms for religious communal Jewish life. It's one of the 10 commandments, alongside not murdering people. When the Talmud gives an example of the ultimate religious transgression, it doesn't say eating a BLT—the example is public desecration of the sabbath. So last Friday, when the Israeli Rabbinate announced that synagogues would be closed for Shabbat, and that Jews shouldn't gather in prayer and community to honour the day, it was a big deal. They also reiterated a set of instructions that would typically be completely anathema to religious communities outside of wartime: leave radios and phones on silent, so you can hear sirens outside; and keep your phone on, in case ill or elderly relatives have an emergency. Since October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked on Simchat Torah, observant Jews have begun striking a new balance between their religious commitments and the exigencies of the moment. On one hand, religious law seems too narrow and constricting for modernity—a survey held last year by the Jerusalem Post found a significant increase among Orthodox Jews using their cellphones on Shabbat, which is a trend growing among the Diaspora, too—but on the other hand, religious law can also show surprising flexibility and adaptability, even softening rules about public transit and airline travel on Shabbat. On this week's episode of Not in Heaven, rabbis Avi Finegold and Matthew Leibl describe how they've viewed this progression over the last two years, and what it means for the future of Jewish observance. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl Production team: Zachary Judah Kauffman (editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Not in Heaven (Not sure how? Click here)

These last few chapters of Judges can be understood as a commentary on what has happened to the people.  We see this refrain, over and over throughout the book, the people did what was right in their own eyes.  We see in these two chapters how the people are seeking to bend their faith and their religion to their own desires. They are doing things like asking God to bless an idol!  And having a Levite priest lead people in worship, all in the name of God!  The people have lost their way to the point that they are corrupting their religion to their desires, instead of having their religion hold them accountable.  We need to be very careful when there is no one in our lives who will hold us accountable. That is what has happened here. Shameless plug: here's a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.You can read today's passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2017-18&version=NRSVUEClick here if you'd like to join our GroupMe and receive this each morning at 7:00 a.m. CST. - https://groupme.com/join_group/107837407/vtYqtb6CYou can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In this episode Ronald Davis shares his powerful story of overcoming abuse and finding healing through prayer. Ronald discusses his tumultuous first marriage, the deep impact of his relationship with God, and how intense prayer and faith led him to forgiveness and restoration. Diana and Ronald also explore the challenges men face in abusive relationships and the often inadequate support from religious communities. Ronald introduces his book, 'Thy Kingdom Come,' which delves into the transformative power of prayer and its role in personal and spiritual growth. 00:00 Sponsor Message: 7 5 3 Academy 00:48 Introduction to the Podcast 01:22 Diana's New Camera and Podcast Updates 02:26 Introducing Today's Guest: Ronald Davis 06:43 Ronald Davis' Background and Journey 08:04 Ronald's Early Life and Spiritual Awakening 10:59 Understanding Prayer and Its Importance 12:40 Ronald's First Marriage and Struggles 17:02 Healing and Restoration Through Prayer 21:12 Challenges Faced by Male Abuse Survivors 25:27 The Church's Role in Addressing Abuse 27:54 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser   Thy Kingdom Come: The Purpose and Power of Prayer thykingdomcomebook.com   Bio:  Ronald Davis has been preaching the Gospel since his teenage years, driven by a deep passion for spreading the message of the Kingdom of God. With decades of ministry experience, he is known for his dynamic teaching and unwavering commitment to advancing God's Kingdom on earth. As the founder of Kingdom Truth Global, Apostle Davis equips believers worldwide with biblical truths, empowering them to live out their faith and walk in their God-given purpose. His life's mission is to see lives transformed by the power of the Kingdom and to raise up leaders who will impact the world for Christ.  Website: https://dswministries.org Email: diana@dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/   Ronald Davis Part One [00:00:00] Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, Diana Winkler. She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hi everyone. How are you today? I'm glad that you're here with me for those that are watching on YouTube. I have a new camera today. Um, My old one, kind of, bit the dust and just got a new one. So hope I'm looking good for you guys. It's definitely high definition for sure. You could see my face very [00:01:00] clearly, probably too clearly. I could see my flaws, imperfections, whatnot. But hey, I'm an authentic person. There's no filters on here. I. Yes, this is my skin. I've not done any work to it. No Botox, nothing like that. It's just me. I don't use AI for very much at all for the podcast. I I just started using it for maybe summarizing show notes, but that's pretty much it. But anyway, that's what's new here on the show. I do have a great guest for you today. Those of you that have been listening for a long time on the podcast, we've had Shayna Rattler back on episode six. Yeah, that was second season, talking about what is a God shift. Well, she contacted [00:02:00] me and said her husband has written a new book about prayer and that she asked if I would have him on the podcast. So me and Shana had such a great time that I was happy to have her husband Ronald Davis on the show. He is a survivor of abuse from, looks like his first wife. I. His journey in prayer helped him to heal and prepare him for what God had next for him. So we're gonna be talking about his upbringing and his ministry. Of course, his story of abuse and how prayer played a big part in his recovery, and that's something that we all need more of is prayer. Such a touchy topic for a survivor to talk. We're a survivor because we were going through this [00:03:00] transition of going through all this abuse and coming out of it, and. Abuse always affects our relationship with God, especially our communication with God. Many of us are on the couch or we're not really sure about where do I stand on the subject of my faith? And that's okay. That's what the podcast is for, is we talk about these topics and we wrestle together for the answers. What does the Bible say about prayer? How does God feel about us? He wants to communicate with us and fellowship with us, and yes, we are asking for things with prayer, but we're also sometimes just sitting and listening and it's hard after you've been through an abusive. Relationship or you're still in one, it's hard to hear God's voice in the midst [00:04:00] of the noise around you. So we're gonna definitely talk that out today. So, Ronald's book is called Thy Kingdom Come, the Purpose and Power of Prayer, and you can purchase that on Amazon. I am gonna include the link in the show notes, of course. So I'll read what the book's about here. In this book, Ronald Davis takes you on a transformative journey into the heart of God's kingdom and the undeniable role of prayer in unlocking its power. This book is more than just a guide. It is a called a Deeper Intimacy with God, a rediscovery of identity, and an invitation to experience the fullness of his purpose for your life. Through insightful revelation and biblical reference, you'll explore the different dimensions of prayer and how to communicate with God effectively. Learn the key stages [00:05:00] of personal and spiritual transformation that align you with God's will. Understand the foundational connection between knowing your identity in Christ and walking in kingdom power. Discover the life-changing impact of intimacy with God on every area of your life. Whether you're a new believer or a seasoned leader, thy kingdom come, will empower you to deepen your relationship with God and live out his kingdom purpose in every aspect of your life. Embrace the power of prayer. Embrace the purpose of the kingdom. Let your life be a reflection of his glory. All right, sounds pretty good. so enjoy my conversation with Ronald Davis, I'm so excited to welcome Ronald Davis on the show. Thank you for coming on [00:06:00] today. Oh, you're, you're welcome. I definitely an honor to be here. I appreciate you having me. So I was saying to the audience before you came on that. You are Shayna Rattler Davis's husband. So when she reached out, it was very exciting that you wrote a book about prayer and that you'd like to come on the show. So any friend of Shayna is a friend of mine. So you said you were only married for five months? So far? Yes. Alright. How did you guys meet? Well, believe it or not a mutual mentor of ours he reached out to me one day and he said he said he wanted to introduce me to someone. He said, he thought about her about a year or so ago before he called me. He said, when he thought of her, he thought of me, but he knew at that time that I wasn't. By the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He just knew it wasn't time yet. So after a year or so, and what's funny is during that year I was in a deep [00:07:00] consecration and fasting before the Lord and seeking God. So after the year of that is when he called me and, he felt like it was now that time to make that introduction. And once we met it, we've just been inseparable ever since. Oh, that sounds fun. Now I'd like to get into a little bit about your history, your ministry how you were raised. Were you raised in a Christian home? I was. I was raised in a Christian home. But I was also raised in a very low income area. So it was two different worlds I was exposed to. My mom kept us in church, I got home to a father that was strung out on crack cocaine. And I had older brothers and siblings that were also contributors of drugs. So I was like, I lived in a house in an environment of, drugs and fighting and, just being exposed to gangs and that lifestyle, that street lifestyle, that, the hood lifestyle where people would refer to it as but my [00:08:00] mom put us in church, so we knew all the Bible stories, we used to receive prophecies as children. I remember receiving a prophecy that I was gonna be a preacher, my mom would threw it at my face at times. But when I was acting a fool and I wanted to do my own thing, but now look, I'm now writing books and glorifying Jesus many years later. But yeah, so that's kind of short version of my my household coming up. When did you meet the Lord? So I became serious about my relationship with God when I was about 16 years old, so from the time of, I'd say about 12, my mom stopped making us go to church, and I got more involved in like, as a young person in streets, sinning , using drugs, trying to sell drugs, trying to, adapt this lifestyle that I was, that was around me. I was, I was never a good fit for it, though, I'll be honest. I'd do wrong and feel bad, it just wasn't a good fit for me. I always knew my whole life that I was different. I remember having the gun put to my face and and I was about 14, 15 years old. And if there was ever a time ever heard [00:09:00] the first time I ever heard the voice of God, it was that day I could hear as clear as day, you can't die. I got work for you to do. Mm. And I wasn't even saved at the time, but that moment stuck with me to, to this very day. So I knew the hand of God was on my life, maybe 'cause of the upbringing in church. But I always knew God's hand was on my life, but I just thought it would be later in life that I would serve the Lord. But at 16, I went to a revival. Well, just before I turned 16, I went to the revival and I seen people being healed. I seen children giving their lives to Christ, and the message was powerful, and the man of God was amazing. And I wanted to be a part of what the Lord was doing. So, I, did antar call and I gave my life to Christ. And my life changed. People in my, my neighborhood saw me change. My school seen me change, so I went to being this bad kid in school to being the kid who was preaching in the hallways, telling people about Jesus. So it was a wonderful experience. I mean, and it's been a journey like everyone else, after we get saved, even that's sometimes when the story really begins, [00:10:00] right. Yeah. I love hearing people's stories of how they came to Christ. They're all different in yours is, exception. When you came to Christ when was the first time you actually understood the concept of prayer? I mean, talking to God, was that a natural thing for you or a foreign concept? Well, we've always taught, prayer in, in, in the church, but they didn't teach prayer like I know prayer now. They taught us we should pray. Mm-hmm. But they didn't really model prayer. I didn't know the way of consistent prayer. I didn't know the way of long prayer. So I would say my little daily prayers and as a young believer, just a level of zeal and hunger that we have for God. So we spend a lot more time, praying, even not praying as much as I do now, but I, what I thought prayer was, I did it to the best of my ability, but more so for me, I was given to the word of the Lord, like my first few years of salvation. I would read the [00:11:00] Bible for hours. That was my way of communing with God. This, studying the scriptures. So, by the time I was 18 years old, I was reading Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge. I was like, I was going deep in theology and breaking down the, historical background of the text. So before I was even 20, you would think I had went to seminary and I never did. I just was so deep in the word. So that was the journey that God took me first. He, it's almost like he wanted me to get that word foundation. And then, my journey into prayer as far as the place of prayer that I'm in now is, was relatively later in life. So from that point, I have that book, that systematic theology book. It's wonderful. Had I had that through Bible college. So, definitely got a lot of meat in that book. I still have it on my shelf. I do know that you were married before to your first wife. Tell us as much as you're comfortable [00:12:00] with what happened there? How did you meet her and what was the relationship like with her? Absolutely. So, that's a long story. I would give you the short version of it, oh yeah. Whatever you wanna do. I met my wife, in the church community, so we known each other from church. We served each other, we served each other in ministry. We took a liking to each other. I was really strong in the word, strong in theology. She had a strong prophetic gift and it seemed like we were just a good fit, the things that I would be studying, she would know by intuition. Like she just know by prophetically. And I said very gifted. And then, I was very rich in the word, but I wouldn't consider myself like as prophetic as I am now, and so, make a long story short, when we kind of took a liking to each other and we decided to get married, that's when the journey really began where I realized that you can have extremely gifted [00:13:00] people. But hurt people, hurt people. That's not just a cliche. It is actually true when the people have deeply rooted issues. It's hard for them to be loved, and it's hard for them to love. So, we had went through a season, when I first, I remember the first encounter where we got into an argument, a disagreement. And before you know it, somebody's throwing a blow. I mean, got punched in my face and I was in shock because this, this woman of God, this person I've just married, who I was so excited about, I think so highly of, lost control. So, and when the things ,first stuff like this start happening, obviously you're in shock, but then because we're Christians, we try to be forgiving as much as possible. Now we're in this marriage, we don't believe in divorce. So you figure, okay, I'm gonna love her through her pain, and many people think this, I'm gonna love them through it, but in all actuality, it's like, if two people get some serious help. You can't love them through it. It just sets the stage for [00:14:00] continuous abuse later. ' you know what? You may not want it, but if you tolerate it over time, what happens is now you'll begin to see yourself unconsciously as one that's worthy of such behavior. You know what I'm saying? Because what tells me that you feel like it's okay is because you stay. And I'll come back to that point later. But anyway, make a long story short, there was physical abuse, there was emotional abuse, there was psychological spiritual abuse. There was a lot of different things going on. And I'm not by any means trying to paint the picture that I was perfect in this marriage. 'cause I wasn't. Right. Right. I was developing, I wasn't as secure. In my prayer life as I am now. So I was doing a lot mm-hmm. Religiously, I was doing a lot trying to figure it out. I was doing a lot in the name of trying to love a person through it. I went through seven years of a marriage and I can't remember nine months of, 90 [00:15:00] days of consecutive peace. Yeah. I understand that. It was hard. Every, me too, it was just so hard. And as much as you prayed, as much as you tried to get through it, it's like it was always something, something just was never, it was never good enough. So after that, after everything we went through and the different financial hardship, that was the only source of income. There's a lot. I don't gimme the short version of the story, but there was a lot that I suffered. There was a lot that she suffered. There was a lot that we went through together trying to make it work and it got to the point which eventually we separated due to financial hardship. And in that separation. She blocked. I was blocked. I couldn't see my daughter. Blocked me on that, all the emails. And one thing I noticed about certain people with abusive personalities is they like to cut off all ties of communication. It's one of the ways that they inflict harm, whether they're doing it intentionally or not. It's that narcissistic personality is one of the ways that inflicts arm, they now feel like you're gonna suffer. [00:16:00] I'm gonna withdraw my presence from you. And it makes you feel less valued because not you feel like you were the one done wrong, and then they're treating you as if you were the one that treated them the way you felt like you've been treated. You know what I'm saying? Right, exactly. So in that, during that time of separation with no communication, I was able to find myself, I was able to see like, what is it about me that made it okay? Because even if it was, if this was gonna ever work, it wasn't gonna work like this. It wasn't gonna work. Yeah. So after all of that. Not having access to my daughter coming out of that relationship, coming out of that marriage. I was broken. I didn't really want to do ministry anymore 'cause we was doing ministry together. I didn't wanna do ministry more, I still wanted, God, I just didn't want ministry. So I was like, God, I needed to go through this process of healing. So I stopped, going live on Facebook. I stopped ministering, and I just began to shut down and just start working. And I went away for away from my, where I was [00:17:00] staying, went back home, felt like I needed to restore relationships, strengthened relationships back home that would, that would have been strained because of my relationship in this other marriage. So during that time, somebody invited me to preach one of my friends, and they didn't realize that's where my healing process started. Because it's like once I, wow. Once I started preaching and I saw God use me even in my brokenness. It's like I realized that, okay, like I still, this is what I'm here for. And I began to seek God in worship, began to see God in prayer, but still not at the level that I needed to. And there was many times on this period of time, I really felt like I hated her. I felt like, and then it was times where I couldn't see my daughter, so I felt that was really making me feel like a hater. And after all of that, when I went on a deep consecration, after some time had passed, we ain't talking a while, but artist society, you know what, I'm [00:18:00] not gonna date. I filed for divorce. We ended up separated with divorce. She signed, and I still, it was a gap in time when I actually first started seeing my daughter, but I really began to seek God and has left that whole situation in his hands. I began to cry to the Lord. I mean, I would fast and I would pray. I would pray from 10 to 3:00 AM in the morning. I sometimes I would pray 5, 6, 7 hours straight, just praying and seeking God, laying before him. And it was during that period of time that God really began to deal with me. He began to heal me. Like I would spend hours cry. I didn't know you could cry. That many got tears. And it wasn't all tears of sadness. It was tears of restoration. It was tears. It was tears of joy. It was like a cleansing, it was deep, and God was reminding me that I am his child. He is reminding me of who I am in spite of what I've been through. And I think the biggest challenge sometimes is to not identify yourself with your pain. Not identify yourself with a disappointment. [00:19:00] Because how another person treats you doesn't mean that's who you are. That just means how they treated you. So, but in that process of seeking God, God begins to restore me. And in that process of restoration, I was able to truly, to forgive from my heart. Because what God did is he took me back to the time that she was a child and begin to show me what it felt like to be an abandoned child. What it felt like to be an abused child, what it felt like to go through different foster care systems and nobody coming to your rescue. So he began to show me, he says, don't take it personal. She's hurting. And at that given moment, I cried with a deep cry and I began to like really just forgive. And it was that journey of forgiveness in complete, in, in wholeness that God was taking me through. That was preparing me for what was coming. So I won't let you jump in 'cause I don't want to talk too much. If you have any questions. Anything like that. No, I think you're saying your story very [00:20:00] eloquently hitting a lot of points that I can relate to. And I think, I mentioned to you that we have male listeners on the podcast that are survivors, that are listening is as well as the women. And they're just starting to get exposure that men do suffer from abuse also. Mm-hmm. How did you feel as a man going through abuse? You touched a little bit in general, but as a man did you get any kind of pushback from your community, your friends, your church about, oh, well, men don't get abused. You're the man of the house. You're supposed to be in charge, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. What was that like? Well, the, the thing about most abusive relationships is you're in isolation. Yes, you're in isolation to protect your own image and also because you also want to protect the image of the person you trying to keep. Especially when you're in [00:21:00] ministry, you don't want people to see her in the light of her flaws. You try to keep people seeing her in the light of her, her gifts and her, her calling, right? So in a lot of times what happens when you're a part of an abusive relationship of any kind, there's an isolation. There's a pulling away from those who love you. You're not telling everybody your situation, even if they seen some of it from a distance. They don't know if it's continuing or not, because you're not sharing that information. And most men, we don't like to talk, we don't like to tell people what we're going through. We kind of go through it ourselves. Meanwhile, we're feeling broken. We're feeling devalued. We're feeling disrespected. We're feeling unworthy, and no matter how anointed we are, no matter how handsome we are, when you go through something like that, it makes you feel like less. And the man you feel, you feel like your manhood has been taken from you, and you, what happens is when you're dealing with a certain personality, if you're not careful, you will lose your voice. And one of the [00:22:00] last things that you can ever do and still re expect respect from a woman, for a man, is to lose your voice. Because if you lose your voice, you no longer lead . So, and to keep the peace sometime, we'll keep silent. So I did get a whole lot, I mean, some family members who knew what I got went through. I mean, my best friend, he was like, bro, I don't even know why he went back type thing. Like he was like, he was on this, I should have ended it a long time ago. Like he was, he had a different perspective on it all together, but other than that, but there wasn't much from that perspective as far as a lot of pushback from the community or, or, negative talk because a lot of people didn't know the extent of what I was going through to after, even to this day, a lot of people still don't know the extent. They just know my marriage didn't work, yeah. I was in full-time ministry with my ex who was my main abuser. And the same thing, I put on the mask. I'm in [00:23:00] ministry, I have to have it all together. I need to protect my reputation. Even, the church's reputation and. I didn't like the way I was treated. The church denomination I was in, devalued women and their their contributions and it was, submit. And that's the only role you have is to do what you're told. And when I wanted to get out, the church told me I couldn't. That is why I stayed and put up with it because the church said, well, you're gonna get excommunicated, you're gonna lose your ministry. You're gonna lose your friends and you're gonna have to start all over again. And that's exactly what happened. But I left because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm like, I don't care anymore. I'm, I'm getting out. Yeah. There's only so much you can stomach and then you wake up one day, it's like, I, can't live like this anymore. And God. I know [00:24:00] you're up there. I haven't been praying for a few years now because I don't think you're listening and but I'm getting out and taking the consequences of whatever happens if they shun me or kick me out for being divorced, so be it. I'll find another ministry. Well, I was like you, I didn't wanna go back into ministry either. My ministry now is very different than church planting that I was doing before. But yeah. So I can relate to a lot of the things that you were saying. Some some parallel there. I think the church has done a disservice. For the most part, the religious community has done a disservice when it comes to matters like this. And believe it or not, we protect the abuser more than we protect the person that's being abused. And this whole idea of, just work it out, work it out, work it out, and they're not understanding the full weight of what's going on. Like when [00:25:00] people have that, and I believe in deliverance, but I truly believe one of the hardest spirits to get rid of is that narcissistic, abusive personality that grows out a orphan spirit. Because that spirit oftentimes is the people are so far gone that even though they're conscious of what they're doing to you, they don't actually see themselves as being a bad person. Right. You're making me lose control. You're pushing me to this point. Mm-hmm. And, and a of times they're very intellectual, they're very gifted. They're, and people, they're likable, to the average person. So people are like, yeah, you just gotta work it out. I mean, every marriage have tough problems. No, I am being abused. I am being manipulated. I am being controlled. God did not create us to be controlled. This is why we always end up feeling some level of depression or a level of unsettling in our belly. Anytime you're under control, because it's not, you're not wired to function that [00:26:00] way, and it's just a matter of time that our, that dominion in us just ride and say, I can't take no more. I gotta get, because I know that, oh, God did not design me to be in control. Unfortunately, we have the enemy sometimes arranged marriages. Mm-hmm. I destinies and then he used religion to keep you in it. You can't get your divorce. You can't. So he'll use scriptures to kind of keep you in something that he's the author of. Because God is not the author of abuse. God is not the author of confusion. God is not the author of disrespect. If my husband is not good and perfect for me, he didn't come from God. I gotta have that. I have to know the word and be confident enough in the word to know that every good and perfect gift comes from above. I don't care how gifted, I don't care how anointed they appear. I don't care how intellectual they may be. If they're abusing me, they're manipulating me, controlling me. That was not from God. Yes, exactly. [00:27:00] Something I give myself, I'm not gonna say God gave me this person. well folks, this is a great place to stop our conversation. I know you want to hear more on prayer and how actually to commune better with God. So be sure to be with us next time on The Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. I wish you a great week. God bless you, and we'll see you next time. Bye for now. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.  

It's Thursday, May 1st, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Police attacked Christians in India The All India Christian Council called out officials in Odisha State, India last week for violence against Christians. The council found that police assaulted tribal Christians, attacking women, children, and priests back in March.  International Christian Concern reported a particularly disturbing event. “A 62-year-old woman who had buried her husband just hours earlier was also allegedly beaten up, along with her 17-year-old daughter, while they were in mourning.” The council noted that officials did not take any formal action against the violent police personnel. Proverbs 11:20-21 says, “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are His delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.” 47 percent of Germans are religiously unaffiliated A new study found that people who identify with no religion outnumbered Protestants and Catholics in Germany for the first time last year. These religiously unaffiliated make up a shocking 47 percent of the country's population. Catholics represent 24 percent of the population, and Protestants represent 21 percent. Together, Catholics and Protestants lost over one million members last year in Germany. Meanwhile, the number of Muslims in the country increased by 80,000 last year. Supreme Court could allow publicly-funded religious charter school In the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case that could lead to the nation's first publicly-funded religious charter school. Oklahoma's charter school board approved funding for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. However, the state's attorney general is challenging the decision. Conservative justices on the high court appeared supportive of the religious charter school. Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters told CBN News what the case is all about. WALTERS: “It's about the freedom to express your religious beliefs without being penalized by the government. And it's about school choice and making sure that parents actually have that power over their kids' education. Avinger, Texas is 74th Sanctuary City for the Unborn Avinger, Texas is the 74th city in the country to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. The city council passed the measure in a 3-1 vote on Monday. Avinger resident and former State Representative David Simpson said, “Avinger is blessed to join cities and counties across Texas who are going as far as they can to address the tragedy of abortion, specifically abortion trafficking and the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs.” U.S. economy shrank in first quarter The U.S. economy shrank during the first quarter of this year. The Gross Domestic Product fell 0.3 percent compared to last year. This was the biggest decline since 2022. Economic growth slowed as businesses tried to stock up on imports ahead of President Donald Trump's tariffs. And federal government spending was down 5.1 percent this year. Membership drops again among Southern Baptists Membership declined in the Southern Baptist Convention for the 18th consecutive year in 2024. The U.S. denomination grew from about seven million members in the 1950s to a peak of over 16 million in the mid-2000s. Since then, it has declined to 12.7 million members last year. However, the Southern Baptist Convention baptized 250,000 people last year, a 10 percent jump from 2023.  Kevin Ezell, the president of the North American Mission Board said, “We celebrate every baptism and every new life in Christ. It's encouraging to see these numbers continue to move upward.” Capitol Hill's Bible Reading Marathon And finally, Christians gathered on Capitol Hill to read the entire Bible aloud. The Bible Reading Marathon started Saturday and finished yesterday.  For 90 continuous hours, Christians read from Genesis to Revelation in Washington, D.C. Keith Davidson led the event. He told The Christian Post, “Our goal is to bring attention back to our legislators, of course, and to get the attention back on the word of God. And then for [legislators] to remember that's where our nation's foundation is at, and also, for people who are reading, to let them publicly express their faith.” In an interview on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, Mike Herbster, Director of Southland Christian Ministries, talked about the power of reading the Bible aloud in the capital of Louisiana, like they did on Capitol Hill. HERBSTER: “We know that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. [Hebrews 4:12] We know that obviously, as the word of God goes forth, the Bible says it will not return void. [Isaiah 55:11] So, even in the public declaration of it out loud to our state, even though not everybody will hear all of it, we know that some will hear some of it.” Deuteronomy 31:10-11 says, “And Moses commanded them, saying: ‘At the end of every seven years … when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God … you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, May 1st, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

It's Wednesday, April 30th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Nigerian Muslims killed 7 Christians Boko Haram terrorists attacked a Christian community in northeast Nigeria on Monday. The Muslim militants killed seven Christians, injured many more, and destroyed homes and church buildings.  One local believer told Morning Star News, “Kwaple village in Chibok Local Government Area is under attack from Boko Haram terrorists. Please pray for God's intervention.” Indeed, pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria. The African country is ranked seventh on the Open Doors' World Watch List of nations where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.  In John 15:20, Jesus said, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” Only 62% of Americans support free speech Pew Research released a new survey on free expression around the world. Across 35 countries, a majority of adults in most of those countries believe that freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom on the internet are very important.  However, adults are much less likely to say they actually observe complete freedom of expression in their country.  Sadly, in the United States, support for free speech has declined from 71% in 2019 to 62% today.  European power outage crippled Spain, Portugal, and France A massive power outage hit Europe on Monday, affecting Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. The unprecedented failure grounded flights, froze trains, and disrupted cell service. Thankfully, much of the grid was restored yesterday. Experts ruled out sabotage and cyberattacks as the cause. However, Spain's electric operator Red Eléctrica  did identify two incidents of power generation loss that were likely from solar power plants, reports Reuters.  California's economy grew by 6% California's gross domestic product reached $4.1 trillion last year. That put the Golden State ahead of Japan, making it the world's fourth-largest economy behind Germany, China, and the U.S. as a whole. In addition, California's economy grew by 6% last year, faster than the other top four economies. Tennessee doctors and nurses not forced to do abortions Last Thursday, Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed the Medical Ethics Defense Act into law. The law protects medical professionals from participating in practices that violate their conscience like abortion. Erica Perdomo, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, testified before the Tennessee legislature. PERDOMO: “There are doctors who practice medicine, consistent with a pro-life worldview, in which an abortion is never medically necessary.” Her colleague, Greg Chafuen, praised the legislation. He said, “Patients are best served by health care professionals who are free to act consistent with their oath to ‘do no harm.' … Tennessee's Medical Ethics Defense Act ensures that health care professionals are not forced to participate in procedures that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs.” IBM defends free speech IBM recently changed its advertising policies to back down from censorship in favor of free speech.  Alliance Defending Freedom is leading a coalition that brought about the changes at IBM and other major companies like PepsiCo, Mastercard, and Johnson & Johnson.  Jeremy Tedesco with Alliance Defending Freedom said, “We hope every company follows IBM's example and recommits to doing its part to protect freedom of speech and thought in our nation and throughout the world.” IBM investing $150 billion in America Speaking of IBM, the tech company announced Monday that it plans to invest $150 billion in the U.S. over the next five years. This includes $30 billion for research and development of mainframe quantum computers.  IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna spoke to Fox Business about the investment.  KRISHNA: “We are extremely focused on leveraging American ingenuity and American innovation. “When I think about artificial intelligence, quantum computing, mainframe computers, this Research and Development investment, coupled with all of the associated manufacturing, is going to allow the United States to be at the front of all those three technologies.” Religiously unaffiliated in U.S. at 22% now And finally, Gallup released a new survey on religious preferences in the United States. Protestant identification was 45% last year, down from 57% in 2000. Catholic identification is 21%, down from 25%. And identification with no religion at all is 22%, up from 8% over the same time period.  Although the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans surged from 2000 to 2017, their growth has plateaued in recent years. Hebrews 10:23-24 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, April 30th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Hassan Khan joins Natalie on the show to talk about growing up as a queer person in a Muslim household. Natalie and Hassan will share experiences of growing up in a time where homophobia was more insidious in schools and homes, even when it was subtle. They will speak on how their families shaped their experiences and viewpoints on things like queer culture and how they still found ways to learn about the queer community. Other topics will include emeigrating to the United States, how religion plays a role in how you identify yourself, how religion and family structure play a role in how you view yourself as an artist, and more.Support the ShowMake sure you have subscribed to us on Patreon! Every tier has a 7-day free trial and it is the only place to find our free blog posts, Tolerator Check-In episodes, and The Misogyny Meltdown. Follow us at @menivetoleratedpod on Instagram! All ways to support the show can be found at https://linktr.ee/menivetoleratedpod. Join the newsletter so you never miss any update we have on Team Tolerator!Find HassanInstagram

I sat down with the brilliant, wildly observant Emily Sundberg — writer, internet culture critic, and honestly one of the most tapped-in people I know. She currently has the most popular Substacks in business and culture - and the only one I read RELIGIOUSLY. We talk about everything from her start in journalism, to writing daily, navigating work, creating a network and much more. She's sharp, she's thoughtful, she's funny and honestly, I'm very proud of her. Whether you're a 20-something trying to figure it out, or a 30-something trying to un-figure it all out — this one's for you. Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(We had an issue with the audio from 08:00-11:00)The 9 Reasons: 00:00 - Intro08:13 - Philosophically16:11 - Scientifically22:32 - Ethically28:35 - Existentially30:59 - Historically40:24 - Culturally43:06 - Religiously 46:42 - Experientially 48:00 - Pragmatically

(We had an issue with the audio from 08:00-11:00)The 9 Reasons: 00:00 - Intro08:13 - Philosophically16:11 - Scientifically22:32 - Ethically28:35 - Existentially30:59 - Historically40:24 - Culturally43:06 - Religiously 46:42 - Experientially 48:00 - Pragmatically

Terry Mattingly of Rational Sheep Rational Sheep Pop Goes Religion: Faith in Popular Culture GetReligion.org The post Media Coverage of Religiously Exclusive Communities – Terry Mattingly, 4/2/25 (0913) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Episode Notes It's time yet again for one of those ever popular "Preacher Features"! This week, you'll be introduced to the confident and capable Randall Rearden, who serves as senior pastor of Finchville Baptist Church in Shelby County (just outside of Louisville). Randall has an abundance of ministry experience to his credit, which includes service as a youth pastor, and various forms of mission work. Grab a seat as he sheds light on each of the aforementioned aspects of his resume, and explains his inspiration for seminary enrollment upon completion of a Broadcasting degree from Western Kentucky University. He also extends words of wisdom for all of our future ministers. Listening to and learning from this man of many ventures and talents is beyond worth while! And, simply hit the following link to learn even more about Finchville Baptist Church: https://finchvillebaptist.com/. Find out more at https://blabbin-in-the-bluegrassblabbi.pinecast.co

Connecting the Holocaust and Our Nightmare Phantom Nation 26FEB2025 - PODCAST

What's the opposite of morally grey? Religiously rainbow? That's what Finn is. Oh and another thing, men like him don't exist. We couldn't get enough of this book. TW: Gaslighting

Sponsors: The Clergy Confessions Podcast (www.clergyconfessions.com); Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity (www.gardner-webb.edu); Baptist Seminary of Kentucky (www.bsk.edu); Baylor's Garland School of Social Work; The Community Transformation Center at Palm Beach Atlantic University (www.pbactc.org); The Center for Congregational Health (https://healthychurch.org); and The Baptist House of Studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary (https://www.upsem.edu/). Join the listener community at https://www.classy.org/campaign/podcast-listener-support/c251116. Music from HookSounds.com.

Iran's Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Part I: Introduction This episode delves into the rich tapestry of Iran's religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, tracing its ‎roots from the ancient Persian empires to the transformative events of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. ‎Iran's historical role as a crossroads of civilizations has shaped a multi-ethnic society, with Persian as the ‎national language alongside numerous minority languages and dialects. Religiously, while Shiism ‎dominates, smaller communities of Sunni Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahā'īs ‎contribute to the nation's pluralistic identity.‎ We explore how efforts at centralization during the Pahlavi era—through language policies, land ‎reforms, and modernization—sought to homogenize this diversity, often with limited success. The ‎Islamic Revolution then ushered in a Shiite theocracy, profoundly impacting Iran's sociopolitical fabric. ‎Recognized religious minorities, such as Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews, face varying degrees of ‎inclusion and restrictions, influenced by constitutional provisions and state strategies.‎ From Reza Shah's modernization policies to Khomeini's establishment of a dual governance system, ‎the episode examines the tension between Iran's vibrant diversity and the state's attempts to impose ‎ideological unity.‎ Keywords ‎#IranDiversity #ReligiousPluralism #IslamicRevolution #PersianHeritage #EthnicMinorities #Jews ‎‎#Iranianjews #Rezashah #Khomeini #Iran‎

Co-hosts Beth Stovell and Jon Stovell speak with Pete Enns about his research and writing, including his new book, Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming (or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God) (HarperOne, 2023). Dr. Peter Enns (PhD, Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, St. Davids, PA. He has taught courses at several other institutions including Harvard University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Enns is a frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias, and is the author of several books, including, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It (HarperOne), The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously (with Marc Brettler and Daniel Harrington, Oxford University Press), Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and The Problem of the Old Testament (Baker), and The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins (Baker).  

Series: N/AService: Radio Program / PodcastType: Radio Program / PodcastSpeaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

Bio: Rhonda Moret is the Founder and CEO of Elevated Diversity, recognized for her leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and health equity. She has spent over a decade helping organizations develop equitable practices to benefit both workplaces and communities. A first-generation college graduate, Rhonda started her career at a multicultural ad agency, later becoming a communications strategist for major brands like Universal and Nike Golf. Often the only woman and person of color in her roles, she faced significant challenges. These experiences led her to establish Elevated Diversity in 2017, aiming to help organizations implement sustainable DEI strategies. The company's innovative approach has attracted clients such as Berkeley Symphony, Boston Beer, and Homeland Security.Links:Website: www.elevateddiversity.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondamoret/Quote: “So much of who we are today and how we present ourselves to the world is based on all of these situations and occurrences that we have lived through.”Episode Highlights:In this episode, Rhonda discusses the impact of racial makeup and background on one's perspective, drawing from her personal experiences and insightful reflections on childhood experiences. She delves into the significance of diversity in personal and professional contexts, shedding light on formative incidents from her own childhood and the value of reinforcing respect in various settings.Childhood Experiences: Rhonda grew up in a tight community of Creole families. As an adolescent, Rhonda and her family moved to a different state, which brought it to her attention that she was different from other children. Not only was she different visually, but her perspective and point of view were different from the other children.Influential Groups:Rhonda's family did not have a lot of money growing up, and Rhonda realized that if she wanted to move beyond that social class, she needed to develop a strong work ethic. She was never satisfied and was always looking for the next thing to work on. Religiously, Rhonda grew up Catholic, which gave her some sense of identity.Cultural Influences: Over the years, Rhonda has gravitated towards helping and supporting women find opportunities, especially where there are pay disparities. Helping women has opened Rhonda to new experiences, and she has learned things about herself that she didn't know before.Temperaments and Personality: Curiosity has always been a part of Rhonda's life. She remembers growing up and, together with her brother, spending hours reading encyclopaedias that their parents had bought for them. All the effort was in pursuit of curing their curiosity. Rhonda was born in the '60s, and she was brought up in a traditional way; they were not allowed to speak out of turn. Today, Rhonda has become outspoken, and sometimes she has to rein herself in when responding in certain situations and conversations.Cultural Epiphanies: Growing up, Rhonda attended Catholic schools where respect for those in authority was mandatory. For instance, if a nun walked into their class, they would all stand up and greet her. When she moved to a public school, she realized that kind of respect wasn't there, which was disheartening for her.Soapbox Moment: Rhonda's organization helps other organizations create a workplace where people feel they belong. If you are looking to create a workplace culture where respect is valued or want to solve issues around it, Rhonda invites you to check out their website.Support the show

There are roughly 5.4 billion people represented in nations today that support traditional marriage.  There are 1.4 billion people represented in nations today that oppose traditional marriage.  If there was a world war between west and east, who would win?  Whose side is God on? One thing is for sure. Nations cannot destroy marriage and the family and hope to have a civilization a hundred years from now. This program includes: 1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Supreme Court rejected a religious liberty/COVID case, Religiously unaffiliated Americans on the rise, 69% of adults have little trust in mass media) 2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

It's Wednesday, October 16th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Britain burdens parents with tax on private school tuition The U.K. Labor government will require private schools to charge a value-added tax on school fees starting next year. Christian schools are challenging the measure with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. The group warned “the policy will force Christian schools to close and deny Christian parents the right to give their children a Christian rather than a secular education.” Nearly 400,000 students attend independent faith schools in England, most of which are Christian. Andrea Williams with the Christian Legal Centre said, “It is unfair, and we argue, it is a breach of their human right to impose a value-added tax on such schools. [The] Labour [Party] must row back on this policy urgently. If they don't, we will have no choice but to pursue every legal avenue in the pursuit of justice and protection of independent Christian schools in this country.” United Kingdom getting its first Chick-fil-A Speaking of the United Kingdom, the nation will be getting its first Chick-fil-A locations according to an announcement from the restaurant last month. Known for its chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A is the third-largest fast-food restaurant chain in the U.S. It has over 3,000 locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. The U.K. locations will be the first outside North America. Chick-fil-A plans on investing $100 million in the U.K. over the next 10 years, continuing its model of locally-owned and operated restaurants. Supreme Court rejected a religious liberty/COVID case Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a religious liberty case brought by a church. Grace Bible Fellowship had successfully challenged Colorado's COVID-19 restrictions on churches in 2020. The church continued its case though, saying that state health laws could be used against churches in the future. Despite the case coming to an end, a U.S. District judge noted, “That these statutes have been used in the recent past to adopt public-health orders that likely discriminated against religious activity is troubling.” Poll says Trump has lead over Harris in battleground states A new Harvard Center for American Political Studies/Harris poll found former President Donald Trump has a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground states. Trump leads Harris 48% to 46% overall in swing states. Trump also leads among early voters in those states. However, Kamala holds a slight lead nationally. Both candidates are focusing on the swing states ahead of the presidential election next month.   69% of adults have little trust in mass media Gallup released a survey on how much Americans trust political and civic institutions. Sixty-nine percent of U.S. adults have little to no confidence in the mass media, up from 49% in 2000. That makes it the least trusted institution. The second least trusted institution is the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. However, Americans were much more likely to have confidence in local and state leaders. Psalm 146:3, 5, says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. … Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” Religiously unaffiliated Americans on the rise The American Bible Society released the latest chapter of the State of the Bible USA 2024 report, entitled “Nones – N-O-N-E-S -- and Nominals”.  The study found 26% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated -- up from 22% in 2020. The irreligious scored lower on the Human Flourishing Index than the average American, especially in the Meaning and Purpose category. Not surprisingly, practicing Christians scored higher than any other group on the Human Flourishing Index. Anniversary of martyrdoms of two English reformers And finally, today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of two English Reformers. Their names were Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. Both were bishops in the Church of England. Ridley was born in 1502, becoming a great scholar and renouncing Roman Catholic doctrine. Latimer was born earlier in 1485. He became a great Reformation preacher, also rejecting Catholic traditions. His preaching brought Protestant teachings effectively to the middle and lower classes. However, a Catholic queen came to power in England in 1553. She was known as “Bloody Mary” for her deadly persecution of Protestants. After her ascension to power, Latimer and Ridley were tried for their beliefs and burned at the stake on October 16, 1555. As they faced death together, Latimer told his friend, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” In Romans 8:36-37, the Apostle Paul wrote, “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, October 16th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

There are roughly 5.4 billion people represented in nations today that support traditional marriage.  There are 1.4 billion people represented in nations today that oppose traditional marriage.  If there was a world war between west and east, who would win?  Whose side is God on? One thing is for sure. Nations cannot destroy marriage and the family and hope to have a civilization a hundred years from now.This program includes:1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Supreme Court rejected a religious liberty/COVID case, Religiously unaffiliated Americans on the rise, 69% of adults have little trust in mass media)2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

A Christian man is called to be Devout. This doesn't mean becoming a pastor or priest, but it does mean specific things for your daily behavior and habits. In this equipping episode, Jim Ramos teaches you about becoming Devout like Jesus, and what the Bible says about the devotion displayed by the godly man, pulling from Titus and 1 Timothy. The Dialed In man of God is Devout. He does certain things RELIGIOUSLY. If that's not you yet, this episode will help. In this series, recorded in South Africa on a safari, Jim Ramos introduces you to the 20 qualities of a man of God pulled from Titus and 1 Timothy, as laid out in his new book, ‘Dialed In: Reaching Your Full Capacity as a Man of God' releasing September 3, 2024 with David C Cook publishing. Each episode will walk you through one quality. You can order your copy of the book on Amazon at  or learn more at .  [Honor God through your fitness. Use code 'ARENA30' for 6 weeks free access to the MTNTOUGH fitness app.]  

I meditate every day. I write letters to Jim every night. I do something outside every day. Religiously. Plus taking care of my back. But I haven't been taking the best care of myself this year. Even with all of my routines! On today's episode of The Be Ruthless Show, I discuss really listening to yourself and your body. Tuning out the noise. And being true to you! And remember that you can reach out anytime - with questions, feedback, to work with me, for referrals and resources, and just for support and connection: sam@samantharuth.com Join the Griefhab Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/griefhab7/ Join Team Ruthless for multiple support groups EVERY week, PLUS EVERY holiday: https://samantharuth.com/team-ruthless Pre Order Faces of Grief - a collection of stories about ALL kinds of loss:https://buy.stripe.com/9AQ9BL1d882G5Mc3d0 Apply to be an author in one of the next Faces of Grief books:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffR1tthu2O23kKPxWdrffd1dl9mWFIXfBo8fv_2KAqlnTP4A/viewform?usp=send_form Learn more about Healing Together Through the Holidays, this December 2nd - 8th (National Grief Awareness Week)https://samantharuth.com/healing-together-through-holidays Learn more about becoming a certified Coach!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_PeMqSOd7FwOqpS2b6jO_zbqw1ksVNiMU0p69sFlvY9jIhQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&usp=mail_form_link

Dr. Peter Enns (PhD, Harvard University)  is a frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias, and is the author of several books, including, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It (HarperOne), The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously (with Marc Brettler and Daniel Harrington, Oxford University Press), Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and The Problem of the Old Testament (Baker), and The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins (Baker).   Purchase Pete's books here: Amazon Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/ To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org  Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians Instagram: @RedLetterXians Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne Intro song by Common Hymnal: https://commonhymnal.com/ 

Franklin shares his journey in real estate, starting with his first deal in 2008 and evolving into a strategy that relies heavily on consistent and persistent marketing. He emphasizes the importance of "marketing religiously," which means sending out marketing continuously, even when results aren't immediate. Franklin discusses his preference for direct mail over other methods like cold calling, and he explains why consistency and patience are key to his long-term success in real estate. KEY TALKING POINTS:0:00 - Introduction1:33 - Franklin's First Property He Bought2:09 - What Made Him Decide to Start In Real Estate3:17 - Why He Transitioned to Off-Market Deals4:35 - His Main Marketing Method5:24 - Why Franklin Says Marketing Is Like A Religion8:29 - Why He Chose Direct Mail For Marketing9:27 - A Home Run Deal He Did Last Year11:41 - Closing Thoughts & How To Get In Touch With Franklin LINKS:Instagram: Franklin Rominehttps://www.instagram.com/franklinromine/ Website: Romine Grouphttps://www.rominegroupre.com/ Instagram: David Leckohttps://www.instagram.com/dlecko Website: DealMachinehttps://www.dealmachine.com/pod Instagram: Ryan Haywoodhttps://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments Website: Heritage Home Investmentshttps://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/

Text us your thoughts on this episode!In this thought-provoking episode of the Call Her Daring Podcast with host Kelley Daring, we delve into the controversial world of Tradwives. We examine the tradwife lifestyle through three critical lenses: the performance aspect of tradwives running social media as businesses, the influence of fundamentalist Christianity—particularly Mormonism—on their narratives, and the constraints on women's choice and agency within this lifestyle.Explore how the tradwife phenomenon is often marketed as a performative act for profit, with social media accounts doubling as business ventures. Discover the impact of conservative Christian values on the tradwife movement, and the implications of these values on the portrayal and reality of tradwife life. This episode also challenges listeners to consider the broader systems of oppression that shape these choices and the responsibility of tradwives in representing their lifestyles accurately.Tune in for an eye-opening discussion on the intersection of performance, religion, and autonomy in the tradwife movement.For more information, show notes and behind the scenes, check out callherdaring.com.

On this weeks episode The Gas Boys talk about the Mr. Beast drama, try to figure out how that Australian breakdancer made it so far, and relearn some US history.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_O0Lqwxpxk6m9N3QDLcS2QInstagram: @gasboyspodcast

There's been a surge of religiously unaffiliated (or "nones") returning to religion. Why did they leave in the first place and what's bringing them back? Dr. Jacobs explores in today's episode. Check out Becoming Truly Human here: https://t.ly/DJX12Find Dr. Jacobs social media, writing, & website here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/thenathanjacobspodcast

Dr. Jacobs dives into the religiously unaffiliated (or "nones"). Who are they and what do they believe? Find Dr. Jacobs social media, writing, & website here: https://linktr.ee/thenathanjacobspodcast

Stéphanie Rousselle, founder of Gospel Spice Ministries, grew up staunchly atheist. "Religiously atheist", she jokes. In her native France, the general attitude toward religion is one of condescending contempt. Much of Europe is post-modern, therefore much of society is "post-God". As a teenager, Stéphanie spent time as a foreign exchange student with a family in the United States. This family just so happened to be Christian. Over the course of her year with them, Stéphanie experienced a peaceful, intentional love. She saw faith in practice, not just in philosophical theory. As the seed of faith was watered and planted in her, she describes the discomfort of coming into agreement with the Gospel. Stéphanie believes God confronted her with the reality of Christ's resurrection to appeal to her intellectual integrity. Unable to deny the facts, she took a bold step of faith to believe! Even though she adopted a this belief system, she struggled to actually put her faith in the claim that God is a perfect and trustworthy Master. Adopting an ideological belief is one thing, but to lean the full weight of your life on a God you cannot see, touch or feel is another. The Holy Spirit invited Stéphanie to embark on a soul-journey to truly experience His presence, transcribing head-knowledge to heart-knowledge.  Today, she is a wife, mom, podcaster, Bible teacher, and lover of Jesus. Our Father woos all of us to His heart is such creative, unique ways. Connect with Stéphanie's ministry here. SUPPORT His Heartbeat through Crown of Beauty Internationalhttps://www.crownofbeautyinternational.com/donateCONNECT with His Heartbeat and Crown of Beauty InternationalWebsite// Facebook//InstagramEmail: crownofbeautyinternational@gmail.comConnect with Sue Corl's Instagram//Facebook// WebsitePurchase Sue's Transformational Bible Studies and Devotionals on Amazon!Sue Corl's best-selling books: Crown of Beauty Bible Study, Broken But UndefeatedCrown of Beauty International: EMPOWERING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD WITH GOD'S TRUTH!Crown of Beauty International: EMPOWERING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD WITH GOD'S TRUTH!

Today Im breaking down the big mistakes we make in thinking that stretching and mobility are the same.Here's your next steps:click here to book your movement analysisClick here to book your single 1:1 sessionWork With Me 1:1:https://mailchi.mp/chloepufftraining/privatecoachingGet strong:https://mailchi.mp/chloepufftraining/offers Connect with me on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chloepuff Instagram: @chloepufftraining & @musclesmotherhoodmotivation Tik Tok: @chloepuff_training WWW.CHLOEPUFFTRAINING.COM

Sunday morning message, May 26, 2024.

“But religious diversity on its own is not religious pluralism; that requires a bit more: Individuals have the legal rights and de facto freedoms to worship, believe, practice, and join in community with others according to their conscience. Individuals are also able to abstain from these activities. In the U.S., these rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment; Individuals and communities protect their own and others' rights and freedoms to worship, believe, practice, and join in community with others, or not, according to their conscience; Individuals and communities protect each others' safety to worship; and Communities engage with each other, acknowledging areas of deep and irreconcilable difference, but focused on areas of common ground. And finally, since religious pluralism does not happen without sustained and diverse religious communities: Diverse religious communities themselves thrive, meaning leadership is good, community institutions are sustainable, community ties remain strong, and congregants know the basic theological content of their own traditions. What is religious pluralism NOT? Religious pluralism is not: The simple fact of religious diversity in a society A synchronistic mix of religious beliefs that pares down theological ideas to the lowest common denominator Religious belief being prioritized over non-belief.” -Aspen Institute. “Who Are Secular Voters? Religiously unaffiliated (“nonreligious”) Americans are the largest and fastest growing religious demographic in the country. While the nonreligious are a diverse group who span the political spectrum, these Americans are united on key political issues. According to the 2015 Pew Religious Landscape Survey, the nonreligious overwhelmingly support legal access to abortion (73%) and same-sex marriage (78%) compared to evangelicals who oppose those same policies by smaller margins (63% and 64%, respectively). Similarly, a 2016 Public Religion Research Institute poll found that 71% of the nonreligious oppose religiously-based service refusals compared to only 56% of evangelicals who support that same policy. Despite recent trends, secular voters continue to be severely underrepresented in government. According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, while the nonreligious comprise nearly one-quarter of all Americans, they comprise only just 0.2% of the 115th Congress. That means there are 100 times as many religiously unaffiliated Americans as there are religiously unaffiliated Members of Congress. We are determined to change that by mobilizing a voting bloc united by shared secular values and investing in strategic programs that empower secular values voters to be active, influential players in the electoral process.” -Secular Coalition of America. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

The Dads change things up this week and preview the 2024 ACM Awards with our picks and predictions. We cover lots of ground from Jelly Roll to Megan Moroney, weigh in on the Stagecoach livestream, and share some of our hot takes and/or rants on some of the biggest names in mainstream country music. Mentioned in This Episode:  Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey Home Dad Chat The National At-Home Dad Network  Morgan Wallen's set missing from the Stagecoach live stream: https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2024/04/29/rep-for-morgan-wallen-reveals-the-reason-his-stagecoach-performance-wasnt-livestreamed/⁠ ACM Award Criteria Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman at the Grammy's Morgan Wallen throws chair from bar rooftop Our "near-viral" Hay Bale Reel Show Notes: 7:06 Dad Life Sound Check - Mick and his daughter enjoyed watching Stagecoach's live stream together and enjoyed Chris Barnes and Bailey Zimmerman. Dave talks about "Father's Son" by Stephen Wilson Jr. and the crush his boys have on Megan Moroney. 13:43 The Farm Boy Update - Mick planted his garden and is updating his landscaping in preparation for the high school graduation party. 15:50 The HARDY Report - HARDY was all over the place at the recent Stagecoach music festival and Dave shares the highlights or to Dave's disappointment the lowlights.  20:08 - The Dads give their takes on the upcoming ACM Awards by breaking down the nominees for Best Female Artist, Song of the Year, Best Male Artist, and Single of the Year. Dave and Mick provide some commentary on who they think will and SHOULD win.    Sources: Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠“Dark Country Rock” by Moodmode⁠⁠⁠⁠ HARDY Report Theme Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠“Frantic” by Lemon Music Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠ Farm Boy Update Theme Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠“The Wheels on the Bus Rockabilly Style (instrumental)” by Mike Cole⁠ "God Took His Time on You" by Casey Barnes "Religiously" by Bailey Zimmerman "Father's Son" by Stephen Wilson Jr. "God's Country" by Blake Shelton "Gin & Juice" by HARDY "Gin & Juice" by Snoop Dogg "The Devil I Know" by Ashley McBryde "I'm Not Pretty" by Megan Moroney "Heart Like a Truck" by Lainey Wilson "I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)" by Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves "Fast Car" by Luke Combs "The Painter" by Cody Johnson "Next Thing You Know" by Jordan Davis "Joe" by Luke Combs "White Horse" by Chris Stapleton "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen "Save Me (with Lainey Wilson)" by Jelly Roll "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman "Need a Favor" by Jelly Roll "You Proof" by Morgan Wallen There is a lot of music mentioned in this episode. You can find a sampling of it on our Spotify playlist. Previous episodes can be found at https://countrymusicdads.com/. Our social media accounts are @countrymusicdads on Instagram and Facebook. Send us feedback via countrymusicdads@gmail.com and last but not least, thank you for listening and please share with your fellow country music fans and give us a 5 star review on your favorite podcast platform. 

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Today's part 2 of our premiere weekend for Samantha Hanna's new documentary A Will And A Way! On this episode we sit down at the K Diamond K Guest Ranch and rant about religion, film festivals and how wonderful Sam's new doc truly is! It's quite remarkable where our conversations lead but for some reason, they all make sense... at least for us! Producer and friend Steve Eaton joins us on this rambunctious chat and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! And remember, Think Hard Cuz You're Thinking Anyway!

Immunizations are a marvel of modern medicine. One little shot and you suddenly leave the world's most dangerous diseases weak and ineffective! Diseases that used to take countless lives are now virtually unheard of. But what if you could be immunized against a good thing, like faith?

In our new series called, Can't Believe, we're looking at some of the most common barriers that hold people back from saving faith. And the first one might surprise you: religion. Most of us think of religion as a good thing.

World Awakenings episode #153 features a guest who after growing up in a religiously abusive home, was then able to rebuild her self-confidence and go on to be a successful entrepreneur. This is the story of Cassandra DeAnn, who then experienced a spontaneous awakening and a journey of transformation and self-discovery, and now follows her heart's desires to inspire and uplift others. She is a certified Human Design reader, certified Galactic Astrologer, Akashic Records Soul Reader, and Gene Keys Guide. Cassandra helps guide others to break away from societal programming and reconnect with their true essence. She shares her story in hopes of empowering others to live unapologetically as who they are designed to be. Make to to get your copy of Karl Gruber's book, "True Spirituality & the Law of Attraction: A Beautiful symbiotic Relationship" by clicking this link! To find out more about Cassandra DeAnn, and about her podcast called, "Things I Talk About", and her soon-to-be-published book, "Unavoidable & Totally Basic Shadows" go to her website - https://www.cassandradeann.com/

To help us better understand our Christian brethren, and how to build alliances between people of faith and those who are perfectly good without a god, we invited into the studio someone whose name is mentioned frequently on the podcast, usually preceded by the phrase “devout Christian”: David's wife Kaitlyn Waterson.Where do this couple, an atheist and “devout Christian” find common ground? Religiously polar opposites, where do their politics intersect? What do those kitchen table conversations sound like and are there lessons to be learned there?In the final Unreasonable Coffee before the launch of Season Two on March 15, Christina pivots from election guru to marriage counselor, in this fascinating conversation with David and Kaitlyn.Thanks for listening! Now follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. And please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/podcastunreasonable. It's a small price to pay to help keep America from becoming a theocracy, dontchya think?

It's Thursday, February 1st, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Muslims killed 10 Christians, burned 200 homes in Mozambique The Islamic State took responsibility for multiple attacks on Christians last month in Mozambique. The attacks occurred over the course of two weeks, killing 10 Christians and burning 200 homes. People have faced Islamic insurgency in the southern African country for years. Conflict has displaced over one million residents and killed around 2,000 civilians. While Islamic State attacks are decreasing in frequency, Christians still face targeted violence. Mozambique is ranked 39th on the Open Doors' World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Germany cracks down on pro-lifers Germany's Federal Family Minister announced a new draft bill to crack down on pro-life expression near abortion mills. The bill would create censorship zones around mills. The U.K. adopted a similar measure last year. Dr. Felix Böllmann with Alliance Defending Freedom International said, “Peaceful gatherings, prayer and offers of help should never be banned. The plans of the German government are alarming—not only do they put blanket restrictions on fundamental freedoms, but also they weaken civil society's engagement for the protection of the right to life.” French House greenlights abortion Meanwhile, in France, the country's lower house of parliament voted in favor of making abortion a constitutional right on Tuesday. The bill now moves to the country's Senate. Psalm 94:20-21 speaks to the leaders of France and Germany alike. It asks, “Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with [the Lord]? They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.” California's $200,000 settlement with church In the United States, the state of California reached a $200,000 settlement with a church and preschool in a religious liberty case last month. Church of Compassion and Dayspring Christian Learning Center were serving low-income families. State officials suspended them from a food care program over their biblical beliefs about human sexuality.  Jeremiah Galus with Alliance Defending Freedom said, “In the name of combatting discrimination, government officials excluded the church and preschool from serving the El Cajon community based solely on their religious beliefs and exercise. . . . now Church of Compassion can continue its vital outreach to needy children and families.”  Utah bans transgender bathrooms Utah became the latest state to ban transgender bathrooms. Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill on Tuesday. The measure requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government buildings in accordance with their biological sex. At least 10 other states have passed similar bills, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. 760,000 new businesses in 2023 The review site Yelp reports a record number of new business openings last year. Over 760,000 new businesses started in 2023, up 20% from 2022. Business openings for home services were up 32%, and openings for hotels and travel were up 28%.  Yelp noted, “For the first time ever, every U.S. state, including Washington, D.C., experienced an increase in new business openings, when compared to both 2022's record numbers and pre-pandemic levels (2019).” Religiously unaffiliated in America A new report from Pew Research evaluated religiously unaffiliated U.S. adults.  About 28% of Americans are “nones,” calling themselves atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular.” That's up from 16% in 2007.  Most “nones” believe in a higher power but do not attend religious services. They also believe religion does some harm but may also do some good.  Only 17% of religious “nones” are atheists; 20% are agnostic; and the vast majority are “nothing in particular” at 63%.  Speaker Johnson: We desire to walk in God's ways And finally, leaders from around the world met in Washington, D.C. yesterday for the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. The event took place at the Museum of the Bible.  Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council co-founded the prayer event, which aims to “pray prayers of serious repentance for (1) personal sins, (2) sin in the church and (3) America's sins, followed by praying for the Nations.” Republican House speaker Mike Johnson spoke at the event.  JOHNSON: “I pray, and you'll hear my colleagues come up here in turn will be praying, to the Lord. And that's what is on our hearts, that that the Lord would give us all discerning hearts, to govern, to distinguish between right and wrong, to walk in His ways and to obey His statutes and commands.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, February 1st in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

New research from the Pew Research Center on religion in America is out. Michael offers this Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com today: Is the growth of the religiously unaffiliated good or bad for society? Listen to his thoughts and then vote!

Romans 14 and 15