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In this introductory episode to their new series on the Parables of Jesus, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore the profound theological significance of Christ's parables. Far from being mere teaching tools to simplify complex ideas, parables serve a dual purpose in God's redemptive plan: revealing spiritual truth to those with "ears to hear" while concealing these same truths from those without spiritual illumination. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how parables function as divine teaching devices that embody core Reformed doctrines like election and illumination. As the hosts prepare to journey through all the parables in the Gospels, they invite listeners to consider the blessing of being granted spiritual understanding and the privilege of receiving the "secrets of the kingdom" through Christ's distinctive teaching method. Key Takeaways Parables are more than illustrations—they are comparisons that reveal kingdom truths to those with spiritual ears to hear while concealing truth from those without spiritual illumination. Jesus intentionally taught in parables not to simplify his teaching but partly to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those who hear but do not understand, confirming the spiritual condition of his hearers. The ability to understand parables is itself evidence of God's sovereign grace and election, as Jesus states in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." Parables vary in form and function—some are clearly allegorical while others make a single point, requiring each to be approached on its own terms. Proper interpretation requires context—understanding both the original audience and the question or situation that prompted Jesus to use a particular parable. Parables function like Nathan's confrontation of David—they draw hearers in through narrative before revealing uncomfortable truths about themselves. Studying parables requires spiritual humility—recognizing that our understanding comes not from intellectual capacity but from the Spirit's illumination. Understanding Parables as Revelation, Not Just Illustration The hosts emphasize that parables are fundamentally different from mere illustrations or fables. While modern readers often assume Jesus used parables to simplify complex spiritual truths, the opposite is frequently true. As Tony explains, "A parable fundamentally is a comparison between two things... The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside." This distinction is crucial because it changes how we approach interpretation. Rather than breaking down each element as an allegorical component, we should first understand what reality Jesus is comparing the parable to. The parables function as a form of divine revelation—showing us kingdom realities through narrative comparison, but only those with spiritual insight can truly grasp their meaning. This is why Jesus quotes Isaiah and explains that he speaks in parables partly because "seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). The Doctrine of Election Embedded in Parabolic Teaching Perhaps the most profound insight from this episode is how the very form of Jesus' teaching—not just its content—embodies the doctrine of election. Jesse notes that "every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election," because they reveal spiritual truth to some while concealing it from others. This isn't arbitrary but reflects spiritual realities. The hosts connect this to Jesus' words in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." This blessing comes not from intellectual capacity or moral superiority but from God's sovereign grace. Tony describes this as "the blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." The parables thus become a "microcosm" of Reformed doctrines like election, regeneration, and illumination. When believers understand Jesus' parables, they're experiencing the practical outworking of these doctrines in real time. Memorable Quotes "The parables are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit." - Tony Arsenal "Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him... And so this is like, I love the way that he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense." - Jesse Schwamb "But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. There's a blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." - Tony Arsenal About the Hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb are the regular hosts of The Reformed Brotherhood podcast, where they explore Reformed theology and its application to Christian living. With a conversational style that balances depth and accessibility, they seek to make complex theological concepts understandable without sacrificing nuance or biblical fidelity. Transcript [00:00:45] Introduction and New Series Announcement [00:00:45] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 460 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. New series Time, new series. Time for the next seven years that, that's probably correct. It's gonna be a long one. New beginnings are so great, aren't they? And it is. [00:01:10] Jesse Schwamb: We've been hopefully this, well, it's definitely gonna live up to all the hype that we've been presenting about this. It's gonna be good. Everybody's gonna love it. And like I said, it's a topic we haven't done before. It's certainly not in this format. [00:01:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, just, um, as a side note, if you are a listener, which you must be, if you're hearing this, uh, this is a great time to introduce someone to the podcast. [00:01:33] Tony Arsenal: True. Uh, one, because this series is gonna be lit as the kids say, and, uh, it's a new series, so you don't have to have any background. You don't have to have any previous knowledge of the show or of who these two weird guys are to jump in and we're gonna. [00:01:53] Tony Arsenal: Talk about the Bible, which is amazing and awesome. And who doesn't love to talk about the Bible. [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's correct. That's what makes these so good. That's how I know, and I could say confidently that this is gonna be all the hype and more. All right, so before we get to affirmations and denials, all the good ProGo, that's part and parcel of our normal episode content. [00:02:12] Jesse Schwamb: Do you want to tell everybody what we're gonna be talking about? [00:02:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I'm excited. [00:02:17] Introducing the Parables Series [00:02:17] Tony Arsenal: So we are gonna work our way through, and this is why I say it's gonna take seven years. We are gonna work our way through all of the parables. Parables, [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: the [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: gospels and just so, um, the Gospel of John doesn't feel left out. [00:02:30] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna talk through some of the I am statements and some of that stuff when we get to John. 'cause John doesn't have a lot of parables. Uh, so we're gonna spend time in the synoptic gospels. We're gonna just walk through the parables one by one. We're taking an episode, sometimes maybe two, sometimes 10, depending on how long the parable is and how deep we get into it. [00:02:47] Tony Arsenal: We're just gonna work our way through. We're gonna take our time. We're gonna enjoy it. So again, this is a great time to start. It's kinda the ground floor on this and you thing. This could really be its own podcast all by itself, right? Uh, so invite a friend, invite some whole bunch of friends. Start a Sunday school class listening to this. [00:03:04] Tony Arsenal: No, don't do that. But people have done that before. But, uh, grab your bibles, get a decent commentary to help prep for the next episode, and, uh, let's, let's do it. I'm super excited. [00:03:14] Jesse Schwamb: When I say para, you say Abel Para, is that how it works? Para? Yeah. I don't know. You can't really divide it. Pairable. If you jam it together, yes. [00:03:24] Jesse Schwamb: You get some of that. You can say, when I say pair, you say Abel p [00:03:27] Tony Arsenal: Abel. [00:03:31] Jesse Schwamb: And you can expect a lot more of that in this series. But before we get into all this good juicy stuff about parables, and by the way, this is like an introductory episode, that doesn't mean that you can just skip it, doesn't mean it's not gonna be good. We gotta set some things up. We wanna talk about parables general generally, but before we have that good general conversation, let's get into our own tradition, which is either affirming with something or denying against something. [00:03:54] Affirmations and Denials [00:03:54] Jesse Schwamb: And so, Tony, what do you got for all of us? [00:03:58] Tony Arsenal: Mine is kind of a, an ecclesial, ecclesiastical denial. Mm-hmm. Um, this is sort of niche, but I feel like our audience may have heard about it. And there's this dust up that I, I noticed online, uh, really just this last week. Um, it's kind of a specific thing. There is a church, uh, I'm not sure where the church is. [00:04:18] Tony Arsenal: It's a PCA church, I believe it's called Mosaic. The pastor of the church, the teaching elder, one of the teaching elders just announced that he was, uh, leaving his ministry to, uh, join the Roman Catholic Church, which, yes, there's its own denial built into that. We are good old Protestant reformed folks, and I personally would, would stick with the original Westminster on the, the Pope being antichrist. [00:04:45] Tony Arsenal: But, um, that's not the denial. The denial is that in this particular church. For some unknown reason. Uh, the pastor who has now since a announced that he was leaving to, uh, to convert to Roman Catholicism, continued to preach the sermon and then administered the Lord's supper, even though he in the eyes, I think of most. [00:05:08] Tony Arsenal: Reformed folk and certainly historically in the eyes of the reformed position was basically apostate, uh, right in front of the congregation's eyes. Now, I don't know that I would necessarily put it that strongly. I think there are plenty of genuine born again Christians who find themselves in, in the Roman Catholic, uh, church. [00:05:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, but to allow someone who is one resigning the ministry right in front of your eyes. Um, and then resigning to basically leave for another tradition that, that the PCA would not recognize, would not share ecclesiastical, uh, credentials with or accept their ordination or any of those things. Um, to then just allow him to admit, you know, to administer the Lord's Supper, I think is just a drastic miscarriage of, uh, ecclesiastical justice. [00:05:54] Tony Arsenal: I dunno if that's the right word. So I'm just denying this like. It shows that on a couple things like this, this. Church this session, who obviously knew this was coming. Um, this session does either, does not take seriously the differences between Roman Catholic theology and Protestant theology, particularly reformed theology, or they don't take seriously the, the gravity of the Lord's supper and who should and shouldn't be administering it. [00:06:22] Tony Arsenal: They can't take both of those things seriously and have a fully or biblical position on it. So there's a good opportunity for us to think through our ecclesiology, to think through our sacrament and how this applies. It just really doesn't sit well and it's not sitting well with a lot of people online, obviously. [00:06:37] Tony Arsenal: Um, and I'm sure there'll be all sorts of, like letters of concern sent to presbytery and, and all that stuff, and, and it'll all shake out in the wash eventually, but just, it just wasn't good. Just doesn't sit right. [00:06:48] Jesse Schwamb: You know, it strikes me of all the denominations. I'm not saying this pejoratively. I just think it is kind of interesting and funny to me that the Presbyterians love a letter writing campaign. [00:06:56] Jesse Schwamb: Like that's kind of the jam, the love, a good letter writing campaign. [00:07:00] Tony Arsenal: It's true, although it's, it's actually functional in Presbyterianism because That's right. That's how you voice your concern. It's not a, not a, a rage letter into the void. It actually goes somewhere and gets recorded and has to be addressed at presbytery if you have standing. [00:07:17] Tony Arsenal: So there's, there's a good reason to do that, and I'm sure that that will be done. I'm sure there are many. Probably ministers in the PCA who are aware of this, who are either actually considering filing charges or um, or writing such letters of complaints. And there's all sorts of mechanisms in the PCA to, to adjudicate and resolve and to investigate these kinds of things. [00:07:37] Jesse Schwamb: And I'd like to, if you're, if you're a true Presbyterian and, and in this instance, I'm not making light of this instance, but this instance are others, you. Feel compelled by a strong conviction to write such a letter that really you should do it with a quill, an ink. Like that's the ultimate way. I think handwritten with like a nice fountain pen. [00:07:54] Jesse Schwamb: There's not, yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like that's, that is a weighty letter right there. Like it's cut to Paul being like, I write this postscript in my own hand with these big letters. Yeah, it's like, you know, some original Presbyterian letter writing right there. [00:08:07] Tony Arsenal: And then you gotta seal it with wax with your signe ring. [00:08:10] Tony Arsenal: So, and send it by a carrier, by a messenger series of me messengers. [00:08:14] Jesse Schwamb: Think if you receive any letter in the mail, handwritten to you. Like for real, somebody painstakingly going through in script like spencerian script, you know, if you're using English characters writing up and then sealing that bad boy with wax, you're gonna be like, this is important. [00:08:30] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, this, even if it's just like, Hey, what's up? Yeah, you're gonna be like, look at this incredible, weighty document I've received. [00:08:36] Tony Arsenal: It's true. It's very true. I love it. Well, that's all I have to say about that to channel a little Forrest Gump there. Uh, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight? [00:08:44] Jesse Schwamb: I'm also going to deny against, so this denial is like classic. [00:08:49] Jesse Schwamb: It's routine, but I got a different spin on it this time, so I'm denying against. The full corruption of sin, how it appears everywhere, how even unbelievers speak of it, almost unwittingly, but very commonly with great acceptance. And the particularity of this denial comes in the form of allergies, which you and I are talking about a lot of times. [00:09:09] Jesse Schwamb: But I was just thinking about this week because I had to do some allergy testing, which is a, a super fun experience. But it just got me think again, like very plainly about what allergies are. And how an allergy occurs when your immune system, like the part of your body responsible for protecting your body that God has made when your immune system mistakes like a non-harmful substance like pollen or a food or some kind of animal dander for a threat, and then reacts by producing these antibodies like primarily the immunoglobulin E. [00:09:36] Jesse Schwamb: So here's what strikes me as so funny about this in a, in a way that we must laugh. Because of our, our parents, our first parents who made a horrible decision and we like them, would make the same decision every day and twice in the Lord's day. And that is that this seems like, of course, such a clear sign of the corruption of sin impounded in our created order because it seems a really distasteful and suboptimal for human beings to have this kind of response to pollen. [00:10:03] Jesse Schwamb: When they were intended to work and care in a garden. So obviously I think we can say, Hey, like the fact that allergies exist and that it's your body making a mistake. [00:10:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:10:13] Jesse Schwamb: It's like the ultimate, like cellular level of the ubiquity of sin. And so as I was speaking with my doctor and going through the, the testing, it's just so funny how like we all talk about this. [00:10:25] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, yeah, it's, it's a really over-indexed reaction. It doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the world is supposed to be, but nobody's saying how is the world supposed to be? Do you know what I mean? Like, but we just take it for granted that that kind of inflammation that comes from like your dog or like these particles in the air of plants, just trying to do a plant stew and reproduce and pollinate that, that could cause like really dramatic and debilitating. [00:10:49] Jesse Schwamb: Responses is just exceptional to me, and I think it's exceptional and exceptional to all of us because at some deep level we recognize that, as Paul says, like the earth, the entire world is groaning. It's groaning for that eschatological release and redemption that can only come from Christ. And our runny noses in our hay fever all prove that to some degree. [00:11:09] Jesse Schwamb: So denying against allergies, but denying against as well that ubiquity of corruption and sin in our world. [00:11:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I just have this image in my head of Adam and Eve, you know, they're expelled outta the garden and they, they're working the ground. And then Adam sneezes. Yes. And Eve is like, did your head just explode? [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: And he's like, I don't know. That would've been a, probably a pretty terrifying experience actually. [00:11:33] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's that's true. So imagine like you and I have talked about this before, because you have young children, adorable. Young children, and we've talked about like the first of everything, like when you're a child, you get sick for the first time, or you get the flu or you vomit for the first time. [00:11:45] Jesse Schwamb: Like you have no idea what's going on in your body, but imagine that. But being an adult. [00:11:49] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, where you can process what's going on, but don't have a framework for it. [00:11:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly. So like [00:11:54] Tony Arsenal: that's like, that's like my worst nightmare I think. [00:11:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's like, to your point, 'cause there, there are a lot of experiences you have as an adults, even health wise that are still super strange and weird. [00:12:01] Jesse Schwamb: But [00:12:02] Tony Arsenal: yeah, [00:12:02] Jesse Schwamb: you have some rubric for them, but that's kind of exactly what I was thinking. What if this toiling over your labor is partly because it's horrible now because you have itchy, watery eyes or you get hives. Yeah. And before you were like, I could just lay in the grass and be totally fine. And now I can't even walk by ragweed without getting a headache or having some kind of weird fatigue. [00:12:23] Jesse Schwamb: Like I have to believe that that was, that part of this transition was all of these things. Like, now your body's gonna overreact to stuff where I, I, God put us in a place where that wouldn't be the case at all. [00:12:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Sometimes I think about like the first. Time that Adam was like sore or like hurt himself. [00:12:42] Tony Arsenal: True. Like the, just the, just the terror and fear that must have come with it. And sin is serious stuff. Like it's serious effects and sad, sad, sad stuff. But yeah, allergies are the worst. I, uh, I suffered really badly with, uh, seasonal allergies. When I was a a kid I had to do allergy shots and everything and it's makes no sense. [00:13:03] Tony Arsenal: There's no rhyme or reason to it, and your allergies change. So like you could be going your whole life, being able to eat strawberries and then all of a sudden you can't. Right? And it's, and you don't know until it happens. So [00:13:14] Jesse Schwamb: what's up with that? [00:13:15] Tony Arsenal: No good. [00:13:16] Jesse Schwamb: What's up with that? So again, imagine that little experience is a microcosmic example of what happens to Adam and Eve. [00:13:24] Jesse Schwamb: You know, like all these things change. Like you're, you're right. Suddenly your body isn't the same. It's not just because you're growing older, but because guess what? Sins everywhere. And guess what, where sin is, even in the midst of who you are as physically constructed and the environment in which you live, all, all totally change. [00:13:40] Jesse Schwamb: So that, that's enough of my rants on allergies. I know the, I know the loved ones out there hear me. It's also remarkable to me that almost everybody has an allergy of some kind. It's very, it's very rare if you don't have any allergies whatsoever. And probably those times when you think you're sick and you don't have allergies could be that you actually have them. [00:13:57] Jesse Schwamb: So it's just wild. Wild. [00:14:02] Tony Arsenal: Agreed. Agreed. [00:14:03] Theological Discussion on Parables [00:14:03] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, without further ado, I'm not, I, maybe we should have further ado, but let's get into it. Let's talk about some parable stuff. [00:14:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, let's do it again. When I say pair, you say able pair. [00:14:17] Tony Arsenal: Able. [00:14:20] Jesse Schwamb: When I say [00:14:21] Tony Arsenal: para you say bowl. [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: That's what I was trying to go with before. [00:14:26] Jesse Schwamb: It's a little bit more, yeah, but you gotta like cross over like we both gotta say like that middle syllable kind of. Otherwise it's, it sounds like I'm just saying bowl. And [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: yeah, there's no good way to chant that. Yeah, we're work. This is why Jesse and I are not cheerleaders. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: We're, we're work shopping everybody. [00:14:40] Jesse Schwamb: But I agree with you. Enough of us talking about affirmations, the denials in this case, the double double denial. Let's talk about parables. So the beauty of this whole series is there's gonna be so much great stuff to talk about, and I think this is a decent topic for us to cover because. Really, if you think about it, the parables of Jesus have captivated people for the entirety of the scriptures. [00:15:06] Jesse Schwamb: As long, as long as they were recorded and have been read and processed and studied together. And, uh, you know, there's stuff I'm sure that we will just gloss over. We don't need to get into in terms of like, is it pure allegory? Is it always allegory? Is it, there's lots of interpretation here. I think this is gonna be our way of processing together and moving through some of these and speaking them out and trying to learn principally. [00:15:28] Jesse Schwamb: Predominantly what they're teaching us. But I say all that because characters like the prodigal son, like Good Samaritan, Pharisees, and tax collector, those actually have become well known even outside the church. [00:15:40] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:15:40] Jesse Schwamb: then sometimes inside the church there's over familiarity with all of these, and that leads to its own kind of misunderstanding. [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: So, and I think as well. I'm hoping that myself, you and our listeners will be able to hear them in a new way, and maybe if we can try to do this without again, being parabolic, is that we can kind of recreate some of the trauma. In these stories. 'cause Jesus is, is pressing upon very certain things and there's certainly a lot of trauma that his original audiences would've taken away from what he was saying here. [00:16:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Even just starting with what is a parable and why is Jesus telling them? So I presume that's actually the best place for us to begin is what's the deal with the parables and why is this? Is this Jesus preferred way of teaching about the kingdom of God. [00:16:30] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think, you know, it bears saying too that like not all the parables are alike. [00:16:35] Tony Arsenal: Like true. We can't, this is why I'm excited about this series. You know, it's always good to talk through the bible and, and or to talk through systematic theology, but what really excites me is when we do a series like this, kind of like the Scott's Confession series, like it gives us a reason. To think through a lot of different disciplines and flex like exercise and stretch and flex a lot of different kinds of intellectual muscles. [00:17:00] Tony Arsenal: So there's gonna be some exegetical work we have to do. There's gonna be some hermeneutical work we're gonna have to do, probably have to do some historical work about how the parables have been interpreted in different ways. Yes, and and I think, so, I think it's important to say like, not every parable is exactly the same. [00:17:14] Tony Arsenal: And this is where I think like when you read, sometimes you read books about the, the parables of Christ. Like you, you'll hear one guy say. Well, a parable is not an allegory. Then you'll hear another guy say like, well, parables might have allegorical elements to it. Right. Now if one guy say like, well, a parable has one main point, and you'll have another guy say like, well, no, actually, like parables can have multiple points and multiple shades of meaning. [00:17:37] Tony Arsenal: And I think the answer to why you have this variance in the commentaries is 'cause sometimes the parables are alleg. [00:17:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And [00:17:44] Tony Arsenal: sometimes they're not allegorical. Sometimes they have one main point. Sometimes there's multiple points. So I think it's important for us to just acknowledge like we're gonna have to come to each parable, um, on its own and on its own terms. [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: But there are some general principles that I think we can talk about what parables are. So parables in general are. Figurative stories or figurative accounts that are used to illustrate, I think primarily used to illustrate a single main point. And there may be some subpoints, but they, they're generally intended to, uh, to illustrate something by way of a, of a narrative, a fictional narrative that, uh, helps the reader. [00:18:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, or the hearer is just, it's also important that these were primarily heard, these are heard parables, so there are even times where the phrasing of the language is important in the parable. Um, they're helping the, the hearer to understand spiritual truth. And this is where I think it's it's key, is that this is not just. [00:18:48] Tony Arsenal: When we're talking about the parables of Christ, right? There's people tell parables, there's all sorts of different teachers that have used parables. Um, I, I do parables on the show from time to time where I'll tell like a little made up story about a, you know, a situation. I'll say like, pretend, you know, let's imagine you have this guy and he's doing this thing that's a form of a parable when I'm using. [00:19:08] Tony Arsenal: I'm not, it's not like a makeup made up story. It's not asaps fables. We're not talking about like talking foxes and hens and stuff, but it's illustrating a point. But the parables of Christ are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit. [00:19:29] Tony Arsenal: And I just wanna read this. Uh, this is just God's providence, um, in action. I, um, I've fallen behind on my reading in The Daily Dad, which is a Ryan Holiday book. This was the reading that came up today, even though it's not the correct reading for the day. Uh, it's, it's for September 2nd. We're recording this on September, uh, sixth. [00:19:48] Tony Arsenal: Uh, and the title is, this is How You Teach Them. And the first line says, if the Bible has any indication, Jesus rarely seemed to come out and say what he meant. He preferred instead to employ parables and stories and little anecdotes that make you think. He tells stories of the servants and the talents. [00:20:03] Tony Arsenal: He tells stories of the prodigal son and the Good Samaritan. Turns out it's pretty effective to get a point across and make it stick. What what we're gonna learn. Actually that Jesus tells these stories in parables, in part to teach those who have spiritual ears to hear, but in part to mask the truth That's right. [00:20:24] Tony Arsenal: From those who don't have spiritual ears to hear, oh, online [00:20:26] Jesse Schwamb: holiday. [00:20:27] Tony Arsenal: So it's not as simple as like Jesus, using illustration to help make something complicated, clearer, right? Yes. But also, no. So I'm super excited to kind of get into this stuff and talk through it and to, to really dig into the parables themselves. [00:20:42] Tony Arsenal: It's just gonna be a really good exercise at sort of sitting at the feet of our master in his really, his preferred mode of teaching. Um, you know, other than the sermon on the Mount. There's not a lot of like long form, straightforward, didactic teaching like that most of Christ's teaching as recorded in the gospels, comes in the form of these parables in one way or another. [00:21:03] Tony Arsenal: Right. And that's pretty exciting to me. [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And there's so many more parables I think, than we often understand there to be, or at least then that we see in like the headings are Bible, which of course have been put there by our own construction. So anytime you get that. Nice short, metaphorical narrative is really Jesus speaking in a kind of parable form, and I think you're right on. [00:21:25] Jesse Schwamb: For me, it's always highlighting some kind of aspect of the kingdom of God. And I'd say there is generally a hierarchy. There doesn't have to be like a single point, like you said. There could be other points around that. But if you get into this place where like everything has some kind of allegory representation, then the parable seems to die of the death of like a million paper cuts, right? [00:21:40] Jesse Schwamb: Because you're trying to figure out all the things and if you have to represent something, everything he says with some kind of. Heavy spiritual principle gets kind of weird very quickly. But in each of these, as you said, what's common in my understanding is it's presenting like a series of events involving like a small number of characters. [00:21:57] Jesse Schwamb: It is bite-sized and sometimes those are people or plants or even like inanimate objects. So like the, yeah, like you said, the breadth and scope of how Jesus uses the metaphor is brilliant teaching, and it's even more brilliant when you get to that level, like you're saying, where it's meant both to illuminate. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: To obfuscate. That is like, to me, the parable is a manifestation of election because it's clear that Jesus is using this. Those who have the ears to hear are the ones whom the Holy Spirit has unstopped, has opened the eyes, has illuminated the hearts and the mind to such a degree that can receive these, and that now these words are resonant. [00:22:32] Jesse Schwamb: So like what a blessing that we can understand them, that God has essentially. Use this parabolic teaching in such a way to bring forward his concept of election in the minds and the hearts of those who are his children. And it's kind of a way, this is kind of like the secret Christian handshake. It's the speakeasy of salvation. [00:22:52] Jesse Schwamb: It's, it's coming into the fold because God has invited you in and given you. The knowledge and ability of which to really understand these things. And so most of these little characters seemed realistic and resonant in Jesus' world, and that's why sometimes we do need a little bit of studying and understanding the proper context for all those things. [00:23:12] Jesse Schwamb: I would say as well, like at least one element in those parables is a push. It's in, it's kind of taking it and hyping it up. It's pushing the boundaries of what's plausible, and so you'll find that all of this is made again to illuminate some principle of the kingdom of God. And we should probably go to the thing that you intimated, because when you read that quote from, from Ryan Holiday, I was like, yes, my man. [00:23:34] Jesse Schwamb: Like he's on the right track. Right? There's something about what he's saying that is partially correct, but like you said, a lot of times people mistake the fact that, well, Jesus. Is using this language and these metaphors, these similes, he speaks in parables because they were the best way to get like these uneducated people to understand him. [00:23:57] Jesse Schwamb: Right? But it's actually the exact opposite. And we know this because of perhaps the most famous dialogue and expression and explanation of parables, which comes to us in Matthew 13, 10 through 17, where Jesus explains to his disciples exactly why he uses this mode of teaching. And what he says is. This is why I speak to them of parables because seeing they do not see and hearing, they do not hear they nor do they understand. [00:24:24] Jesse Schwamb: So, so that's perplexing. We should probably camp there for just a second and talk about that. Right, and, and like really unpack like, what is Jesus after here? Then if, like, before we get into like, what do all these things mean, it's almost like saying. We need to understand why they're even set before us and why these in some ways are like a kind of a small stumbling block to others, but then this great stone of appreciation and one to stand on for for others. [00:24:47] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think you know, before we, before we cover that, which I think is a good next spot. A parable is not just an illustration. Like I think that's where a lot of people go a little bit sideways, is they think that this is effectively, like it's a fable. It's like a made up story primarily to like illustrate a point right. [00:25:09] Tony Arsenal: Or an allegory where you know, you're taking individual components and they represent something else. A parable fundamentally is a, is a, a comparison between two things, right? The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside, and so the idea is like you're, you're taking. The reality that you're trying to articulate and you're setting up this parable next to it and you're comparing them to it. [00:25:33] Tony Arsenal: And so I like to use the word simile, like that's why Christ says like the kingdom of God is like this. Yes. It's not like I'm gonna explain the kingdom of God to you by using this made up story. Right on. It's I'm gonna compare the kingdom of God to this thing or this story that I'm having, and so we should be. [00:25:49] Tony Arsenal: Rather than trying to like find the principles of the parable, we should be looking at it and going, how does this parable reflect? Or how is this a, um, how is this an explanation? Not in the, like, I, I'm struggling to even explain this here. It's not that the cer, the parable is just illustrating a principle. [00:26:10] Tony Arsenal: It's that the kingdom of God is one thing and the parable reveals that same one thing by way of comparison. Yes. So like. Uh, we'll get into the specifics, obviously, but when the, when the, um, lawyer says, who is my neighbor? Well, it's not just like, well, let's look at the Good Samaritan. And the Good Samaritan represents this, and the Levite represents this, and the priest represents this. [00:26:32] Tony Arsenal: It's a good neighbor, is this thing. It's this story. Compared to whatever you have in your mind of what a good neighbor is. And we're gonna bounce those things up against each other, and that's gonna somehow show us what the, what the reality is. And that's why I think to get back to where we were, that's why I think sometimes the parables actually obscure the truth. [00:26:53] Tony Arsenal: Because if we're not comparing the parable to the reality of something, then we're gonna get the parable wrong. So if we think that, um, the Good Samaritan. Is a parable about social justice and we're, we're looking at it to try to understand how do we treat, you know, the, the poor people in Africa who don't have food or the war torn refugees, you know, coming out of Ukraine. [00:27:19] Tony Arsenal: If we're looking at it primarily as like, I need to learn to be a good neighbor to those who are destitute. Uh, we're not comparing it against what Jesus was comparing it against, right? So, so we have to understand, we have to start in a lot of cases with the question that the parable is a response to, which oftentimes the parable is a response to a question or it's a, it's a principle that's being, um, compare it against if we get that first step wrong, uh, or if we start with our own presuppositions, which is why. [00:27:50] Tony Arsenal: Partially why I think Christ is saying like, the only those who have ears to hear. Like if you don't have a spiritual presupposition, I, I mean that, that might not be the right word, but like if you're not starting from the place of spiritual illumination, not in the weird gnostic sense, but in the, the. [00:28:07] Tony Arsenal: Genuinely Christian illumination of the Holy Spirit and inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. If you're not starting from that perspective, you almost can't get the parables right. So that's why we see like the opponents of Christ in the Bible, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, constantly. They're constantly confused and they're getting it wrong. [00:28:26] Tony Arsenal: And, and even sometimes the disciples, they have to go and ask sometimes too, what is this parable? Wow, that's right. What is, what does this mean? So it's never as simple as, as what's directly on the surface, but it's also not usually as complicated as we would make it be if we were trying to over-interpret the parable, which I think is another risk. [00:28:44] Jesse Schwamb: That's the genius, isn't it? Is that I I like what you're saying. It's that spiritual predisposition that allows us to receive the word and, and when we receive that word, it is a simple word. It's not as if like, we have to elevate ourselves in place of this high learning or education or philosophizing, and that's the beauty of it. [00:29:03] Jesse Schwamb: So it is, again, God's setting apart for himself A, a people a teaching. So. But I think this is, it is a little bit perplexing at first, like that statement from Jesus because it's a bit like somebody coming to you, like your place of work or anywhere else in your family life and asking you explicitly for instruction and, and then you saying something like, listen, I, I'm gonna show you, but you're not gonna be able to see it. [00:29:22] Jesse Schwamb: And you're gonna, I'm gonna tell you, but you're not gonna be able to hear it, and I'm gonna explain it to you, but you're not gonna be able to understand. And you're like, okay. So yeah, what's the point of you talking to me then? So it's clear, like you said that Jesus. Is teaching that the secrets, and that's really, really what these are. [00:29:37] The Secrets of the Kingdom of God [00:29:37] Jesse Schwamb: It's brilliant and beautiful that Jesus would, that the, the son of God and God himself would tell us the secrets of his kingdom. But that again, first of all by saying it's a secret, means it's, it's for somebody to guard and to hold knowledge closely and that it is protected. So he says, teaching like the secrets of the kingdom of God are unknowable through mere human reasoning and intuition. [00:29:56] Jesse Schwamb: Interestingly here though, Jesus is also saying that. He's, it's not like he's saying no one can ever understand the parables, right, or that he intends to hide their truth from all people. [00:30:07] Understanding Parables and God's Sovereign Grace [00:30:07] Jesse Schwamb: Instead, he just explains that in order to highlight God's sovereign grace, God in his mercy has enlightened some to whom it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. [00:30:17] Jesse Schwamb: That's verse 11. So. All of us as his children who have been illuminated can understand the truth of God's kingdom. That is wild and and that is amazing. So that this knowledge goes out and just like we talk about the scripture going out and never returning void, here's a prime example of that very thing that there is a condemnation and not being able to understand. [00:30:37] Jesse Schwamb: That condemnation comes not because you're not intelligent enough, but because as you said, you do not have that predisposition. You do not have that changed heart into the ability to understand these things. [00:30:47] Doctrine of Election and Spiritual Insight [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: This is what leads me here to say like every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election. [00:30:53] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, because all people are outside the kingdom until they enter the Lord's teaching. How do we enter the Lord's teaching by being given ears to hear. How are we understanding that? We have been given ears to hear when these parables speak to us in the spiritual reality as well as in just like you said, like this general kind of like in the way that I presume Ryan Holiday means it. [00:31:12] Jesse Schwamb: The, this is like, he might be exemplifying the fact that these stories. Are a really great form of the ability to communicate complex information or to make you think. [00:31:21] The Power and Purpose of Parables [00:31:21] Jesse Schwamb: So when Jesus says something like The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, wow, we, you and I will probably spend like two episodes just unpacking that, or we could spend a lot more, that's beautiful that that's how his teaching takes place. [00:31:34] Jesse Schwamb: But of course it's, it's so much. More than that, that those in whom the teaching is effective on a salvation somehow understand it, and their understanding of it becomes first because Christ is implanted within them. Salvation. [00:31:46] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:48] Parables as More Than Simple Teaching Tools [00:31:48] Tony Arsenal: I think people, and this is what I think like Ryan Holiday's statement reflects, is people think of the parables as a simple teaching tool to break down a complicated subject. [00:32:00] Tony Arsenal: Yes. And so, like if I was trying to explain podcasting to a, like a five-year-old, I would say something like, well, you know. You know how your teacher teaches you during class while a podcast is like if your teacher lived on the internet and you could access your teacher anytime. Like, that might be a weird explanation, but like that's taking a very complicated thing about recording and and RSS feeds and you know, all of these different elements that go into what podcasting is and breaking it down to a simple sub that is not what a parable is. [00:32:30] Tony Arsenal: Right? Right. A parable is not. Just breaking a simple subject down and illustrating it by way of like a, a clever comparison. Um, you know, it's not like someone trying to explain the doctrine of, of the Trinity by using clever analogies or something like that. Even if that were reasonable and impossible. [00:32:50] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's not like that a parable. I like what you're saying about it being kind of like a mini doctrine of election. It's also a mini doctrine of the Bible. Yes. Right. It, it's right on. [00:33:00] The Doctrine of Illumination [00:33:00] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's the doctrine of revelation. In. Preached form in the Ministry of Christ, right? As Christians, we have this text and we affirm that at the same time, uh, what can be known of it and what is necessary for salvation can be known. [00:33:19] Tony Arsenal: By ordinary means like Bart Iman, an avowed atheist who I, I think like all atheists, whether they recognize it or not, hates God. He can read the Bible and understand that what it means is that if you trust Jesus, you'll be saved. You don't need special spiritual insight to understand that that is what the Bible teaches, where the special spiritual. [00:33:42] Tony Arsenal: Insight might not be the right word, but the special spiritual appropriation is that the spirit enables you to receive that unto your salvation. Right? To put your trust in. The reality of that, and we call that doctrine, the doctrine of illumination. And so in, in the sense of parables in Christ's ministry, and this is, this is if you, you know, like what do I always say is just read a little bit more, um, the portion Jesse read it leads way into this prophecy or in this comment, Christ. [00:34:10] Tony Arsenal: Saying he teaches in parable in order to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. Basically that like those who are, uh, ate and are apart from God and are resistant to God, these parables there are there in order to confirm that they are. And then it says in verse 16, and this is, this is. [00:34:27] The Blessing of Spiritual Understanding [00:34:27] Tony Arsenal: It always seems like the series that we do ends up with like a theme verse, and this is probably the one verse 16 here, Matthew 1316 says, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. [00:34:40] Tony Arsenal: And so like there's a blessing. In our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and re receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation. That is the doctrine of of election. It's also the doctrine of regeneration, the doctrine of sanctification, the doctrine. [00:35:03] Tony Arsenal: I mean, there's all of these different classic reformed doctrines that the parables really are these mic this microcosm of that. Almost like applied in the Ministry of Christ. Right. Which I, I, you know, I've, I've never really thought of it in depth in that way before, but it's absolutely true and it's super exciting to be able to sort of embark on this, uh, on this series journey with, with this group. [00:35:28] Tony Arsenal: I think it's gonna be so good to just dig into these and really, really hear the gospel preached to ourselves through these parables. That's what I'm looking forward to. [00:35:38] Jesse Schwamb: And we're used to being very. Close with the idea that like the message contains the doctrine, the message contains the power. Here we're saying, I think it's both. [00:35:47] Jesse Schwamb: And the mode of that message also contains, the doctrine also contains the power. And I like where you're going with this because I think what we should be reminding ourselves. Is what a blessing it is to have this kind of information conferred to us. [00:36:01] The Role of Parables in Revealing and Concealing Truth [00:36:01] Jesse Schwamb: That again, God has taken, what is the secrets that is his to disclose and his to keep and his to hold, and he's made it available to his children. [00:36:08] Jesse Schwamb: And part of that is for, as you said, like the strengthening of our own faith. It's also for condemnation. So notice that. The hiding of the kingdom through parables is not a consequence of the teaching itself. Again, this goes back to like the mode being as equally important here as the message itself that Christ's teaching is not too difficult to comprehend as an intellectual matter. [00:36:27] Jesse Schwamb: The thing is, like even today, many unbelievers read the gospels and they technically understand what Jesus means in his teaching, especially these parables. The problem is. I would say like moral hardness. It's that lack of spiritual predilection or predisposition. They know what Jesus teaches, but they do not believe. [00:36:47] Jesse Schwamb: And so the challenge before us is as all scripture reading, that we would go before the Holy Spirit and say, holy Spirit, help me to believe. Help me to understand what to believe. And it so doing, do the work of God, which is to believe in him and to believe in His son Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished. [00:37:02] Jesse Schwamb: So the parables are not like creating. Fresh unbelief and sinners instead, like they're confirming the opposition that's already present and apart from Grace, unregenerate perversely use our Lord's teaching to increase their resistance. That's how it's set up. That's how it works. That's why to be on the inside, as it were, not again, because like we've done the right handshake or met all the right standards, but because of the blood of Christ means that the disciples, the first disciples and all the disciples who will follow after them on the other hand. [00:37:33] The Complexity and Nuances of Parables [00:37:33] Jesse Schwamb: We've been granted these eyes to see, and ears to hear Jesus. And then we've been given the secrets of the kingdom. I mean, that's literally what we've been given. And God's mercy has been extended to the disciples who like many in the crowds, once ignorantly and stubbornly rejected God and us just like them as well in both accounts. [00:37:49] Jesse Schwamb: So this is, I think we need to settle on that. You're right, throughout this series, what a blessing. It's not meant to be a great labor or an effort for the child of God. Instead, it's meant to be a way of exploring these fe. Fantastic truths of who God is and what he's done in such a way that draw us in. [00:38:07] Jesse Schwamb: So that whether we're analyzing again, like the the lost coin or the lost sheep, or. Any number of these amazing parables, you'll notice that they draw us in because they don't give us answers in the explicit sense that we're used to. Like didactically instead. Yeah. They cause us to consider, as you've already said, Tony, like what does it mean to be lost? [00:38:26] Jesse Schwamb: What does it mean that the father comes running for this prodigal son? What does it mean that the older brother has a beef with the whole situation? What does it mean when Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed? How much do we know about mustard seeds? And why would he say that? Again, this is a kind of interesting teaching, but that illumination in the midst of it being, I don't wanna say ambiguous, but open-ended to a degree means that the Holy Spirit must come in and give us that kind of grand knowledge. [00:38:55] Jesse Schwamb: But more than that, believe upon what Jesus is saying. I think that's the critical thing, is somebody will say, well, aren't the teaching simple and therefore easy to understand. In a sense, yes. Like factually yes, but in a much greater sense. Absolutely not. And that's why I think it's so beautiful that he quotes Isaiah there because in that original context, you the, you know, you have God delivering a message through Isaiah. [00:39:17] Jesse Schwamb: Uh. The people are very clear. Like, we just don't believe you're a prophet of God. And like what you're saying is ridiculous, right? And we just don't wanna hear you. This is very different than that. This is, Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him, not necessarily hear, but all, all who are hear Him, I guess rather, but not necessarily all who are listening with those spiritual ears. [00:39:33] Jesse Schwamb: And so this is like, I love the way that he, he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here. Because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense. [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, I'm going to be speaking to you in code and half of you have the key for all the code because the Holy Spirit is your cipher and half of you don't. And you're gonna, you're gonna listen to the same thing, but you will hear very different things. [00:40:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, the other thing I think is, is interesting to ponder on this, um. [00:40:12] The Importance of Context in Interpreting Parables [00:40:12] Tony Arsenal: God always accommodates his revelation to his people. And the parables are, are, are like the. Accommodated accommodation. Yeah. Like God accommodates himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. And in some ways this is, this is, um, the human ministry of Christ is him accommodating himself to those. [00:40:38] Tony Arsenal: What I mean is in the human ministry of the Son, the parables are a way of the son accommodating himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. So there, there are instances. Where the parable is said, and it is, uh, it's seems to be more or less understood by everybody. Nobody asks the question about like, what does this mean? [00:40:57] Tony Arsenal: Right? And then there are instances where the parable is said, and even the apostles are, or the disciples are like, what does this parable mean? And then there's some interesting ones where like. Christ's enemies understand the parable and, and can understand that the parable is told against them. About them. [00:41:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So there, there's all these different nuances to why Christ used these parables, how simple they were, how complicated they were. Yes. And again, I think that underscores what I said at the top of the show here. It's like you can't treat every parable exactly the same. And that's where you run into trouble. [00:41:28] Tony Arsenal: Like if you're, if you're coming at them, like they're all just simple allegory. Again, like some of them have allegorical elements. I think it's fair to look at the, the prodigal son or the, the prodigal father, however you want to title that. And remember, the titles are not, generally, the titles are not, um, baked into the text itself. [00:41:46] Tony Arsenal: I think it's fair to come to that and look at and go, okay, well, who's the father in this? Who's the son? You know, what does it mean that the older son is this? Is, is there relevance to the fact that there's a party and that the, you know, the older, older, uh, son is not a part of it? There's, there's some legitimacy to that. [00:42:02] Tony Arsenal: And when we look at Christ's own explanation of some of his parables, he uses those kinds, right? The, the good seed is this, the, the seed that fell on the, the side of the road is this, right? The seed that got choked out by the, the, um, thorns is this, but then there are others where it doesn't make sense to pull it apart, element by element. [00:42:21] Tony Arsenal: Mm-hmm. Um, and, and the other thing is there are some things that we're gonna look at that are, um. We're gonna treat as parables that the text doesn't call a parable. And then there are some that you might even look at that sometimes the text calls a parable that we might not even think of as a normal parable, right? [00:42:38] Tony Arsenal: So there's lots of elements. This is gonna be really fun to just dig stuff in and, and sort of pick it, like pull it apart and look at its component parts and constituent parts. Um, so I really do mean it if you, if you're the kind of person who has never picked up a Bible commentary. This would be a good time to, to start because these can get difficult. [00:42:59] Tony Arsenal: They can get complicated. You want to have a trusted guide, and Jesse and I are gonna do our, our work and our research on this. Um, but you want someone who's more of a trusted guide than us. This is gonna be the one time that I might actually say Calvin's commentaries are not the most helpful. And the reason for that is not because Calvin's not clear on this stuff. [00:43:17] Tony Arsenal: Calvin Calvin's commentaries on the gospel is, is a harmony of the gospels, right? So sometimes it's tricky when you're reading it to try to find like a specific, uh, passage in Matthew because you're, you, everything's interwoven. So something like Matthew Henry, um, or something like, um, Matthew Poole. Uh, might be helpful if you're willing to spend a little bit of money. [00:43:38] Tony Arsenal: The ESV expository commentary that I've referenced before is a good option. Um, but try to find something that's approachable and usable that is reasonable for you to work through the commentary alongside of us, because you are gonna want to spend time reading these on your own, and you're gonna want to, like I said, you're gonna want to have a trust guide with you. [00:43:55] Tony Arsenal: Even just a good study bible, something like. The Reformation Study Bible or something along those lines would help you work your way through these parables, and I think it's valuable to do that. [00:44:06] Jesse Schwamb: Something you just said sparked this idea in me that the power, or one of the powers maybe of good fiction is that it grabs your attention. [00:44:15] The Impact of Parables on Listeners [00:44:15] Jesse Schwamb: It like brings you into the plot maybe even more than just what I said before about it being resonant, that it actually pulls you into the storyline and it makes you think that it's about other people until it's too late. Yeah. And Jesus has a way of doing this that really only maybe the parable can allow. [00:44:30] Jesse Schwamb: So like in other words, by the time you realize. A parable is like metaphorical, or even in a limited case, it's allegorical form you've already identified with one or more of the characters and you're caught in the trap. So what comes to my mind there is like the one Old Testament narrative, virtually identical, informed to those Jesus told is Nathan's parable of the You lamb. [00:44:52] Jesse Schwamb: So that's in like second Samuel 12, and I was just looking this up as you were, as you were speaking. So in this potentially life and death move for the prophet Nathan confronts King David. Over his adultery with, or depending on how you see it, rape of Bathsheba, and then his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah, by sending him to the front lines of battle. [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: So he's killed. And so in this parable that Nathan tells Uriah is like the poor man. Bathsheba is like the Yu a and the rich man obviously represents David. If you, you know what I'm talking about, go back and look at second Samuel 12. And so what's interesting is once David is hooked into that story, he cannot deny that his behavior was unjust as that of the rich man in the story who takes this UAM for himself and he, which he openly. [00:45:38] Jesse Schwamb: Then David openly condemns of course, like the amazing climax of this. And as the reader who has. Of course, like omniscient knowledge in the story, you know, the plot of things, right? You're, you're already crying out, like you're throwing something, you know, across the room saying like, how can you not see this about you? [00:45:53] Jesse Schwamb: And of course the climax comes in when Nathan points the finger at David and declares, you are the man. And that's kind of what. The parables due to us. Yes. They're not always like the same in accusatory toward us, but they do call us out. This is where, again, when we talk about like the scripture reading us, the parable is particularly good at that because sometimes we tend to identify, you know, again, with like one of the particular characters whom we probably shouldn't identify with, or like you said, the parable, the sower. [00:46:22] Jesse Schwamb: Isn't the Christian always quick to be like, I am the virtual grounds? Yeah. You still have to ask like, you know, there is not like a Paul washer way of doing this, but there is like a way of saying like, checking yourself before you wreck yourself there. And so when Jesus's parables have lost some of that shock value in today's world, we maybe need to contemporize them a little bit. [00:46:43] Jesse Schwamb: I, and I think we'll talk about that as we go through it. We're not rewriting them for any reason that that would be completely inappropriate. Think about this though. Like the Jew robbed and left for dead. And you know the story of the Grace Samaritan may need to become like the white evangelical man who is helped by like the black Muslim woman after the senior pastor and the worship leader from the local reformed church passed by like that. [00:47:05] Jesse Schwamb: That might be the frame, which we should put it to try to understand it whenever we face a hostile audience that this indirect rhetoric of compelling stories may help at least some people hear God's world more favorably, and I think that's why you get both like a soft. And a sharp edge with these stories. [00:47:20] Jesse Schwamb: But it's the ability to, to kind of come in on the sneak attack. It's to make you feel welcomed in and to identify with somebody. And then sometimes to find that you're identifying entirely with a character whom Jesus is gonna say, listen, don't be this way, or This is what the kingdom of God is, is not like this. [00:47:35] Jesse Schwamb: Or again, to give you shock value, not for the sake of telling like a good tale that somehow has a twist where it's like everybody was actually. All Dead at the end. Another movie, by the way, I have not seen, but I just know that that's like, I'll never see that movie because, can we say it that the spoiler is, is out on that, right? [00:47:54] Tony Arsenal: Are we, what are we talking about? What movie are we talking about? [00:47:56] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I don't, I don't wanna say it. I didn't [00:47:57] Tony Arsenal: even get it from your description. Oh. [00:47:59] Jesse Schwamb: Like that, that movie where like, he was dead the whole time. [00:48:02] Tony Arsenal: Oh, this, that, that, that movie came out like 30 years ago, Jesse. Oh, seriously? [00:48:06] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. All right. [00:48:06] Tony Arsenal: So Six Sense. [00:48:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. That movie came out a long time ago. [00:48:10] Jesse Schwamb: So it's not like the parables are the sixth sense, and it's like, let me get you like a really cool twist. Right. Or like hook at the end. I, and I think in part it is to disarm you and to draw you in in such a way that we might honestly consider what's happening there. [00:48:22] Jesse Schwamb: And that's how it reads us. [00:48:24] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think that's a good point. And, and. It bears saying there are all sorts of parables all throughout the Bible. It's not just Jesus that teaches these, and they do have this similar effect that they, they draw you in. Um, oftentimes you identify it preliminarily, you identify with the wrong person, and it's not until you. [00:48:45] Tony Arsenal: Or you don't identify with anyone when you should. Right. Right. And it's not until the sort of punchline or I think that account with Nathan is so spot on because it's the same kind of thing. David did not have ears to hear. [00:48:58] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Until he had That's good point. Ears [00:49:00] Tony Arsenal: to hear. [00:49:00] Jesse Schwamb: Good point. [00:49:01] Tony Arsenal: And he heard the point of the parable. [00:49:03] Tony Arsenal: He understood the point of the parable and he didn't understand that the parable was about him, right? It's like the ultimate, I don't know why you're clapping David, I'm talking about you moment. Um, I'm just have this picture of Paul washer in like a biblical era robe. Um, so I think that's a enough progam to the series. [00:49:20] Preparing for the Series on Parables [00:49:20] Tony Arsenal: We're super excited we're, we'll cover some of these principles again, because again, different parables have to be interpreted different ways, and some of these principles apply to one and don't to others, and so we'll, we'll tease that out when we get there next week. We're gonna just jump right in. [00:49:34] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna get started with, I think, um, I actually think, you know, in the, the providence of, of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and then obviously the providence of God in Christ's ministry, the, the parable that kind of like frames all of the other parables,

Part 1 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult whose membership is twice the size of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. As of December 2024, the official membership of the LDS Church stands at 17.5 million. By far, the largest proportion of this amount – nearly 7 million (40%) is located in the founding country of the United States of America, with some 2.2 million living in the State of Utah. Excluding the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-largest Christian cult in the world with a global presence in more than 160 countries. It has 80,000 active missionaries on every mission field of the planet. It boasts more than 200 Temples worldwide, with a further 60 currently under construction and 114 more announced for future building. According to the independent research group, The Widow's Mite, the Mormon Church received an estimated $8 billion in tithes and offerings in 2024. It is estimated that over the course of the same year, its wealth increased by $28 billion, with a significant portion of this growth coming from investments. This took the total assets in 2024 to an estimated $293 billion, making the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one of the richest religious organisations in the world. In this introductory teaching part, we begin to examine the core teachings and practices of Mormonism. What you shall discover will shock you.   

This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.Part I (00:14 – 05:52)Conservatives are Restrained by Reality: The Importance of Ontology to the Conservative VisionRestrained by Reality: The Central Truth of the Conservative Vision by NatCon 5 (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)Part II (05:52 – 16:57)Senator Kaine Doesn't Understand Human Rights: The Massive Issues with Sen. Kaine's Argument That Rights Come from the GovernmentYes, Sen. Kaine, our rights come from the Creator: The Democratic senator from Virginia openly denies America's founding vision by WORLD Opinions (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)Part III (16:57 – 23:23)An LGBTQ Blessing During Jubilee by the Roman Catholic Church? Pope Leo Offers Blessing to LGBTQ CatholicsL.G.B.T.Q. Catholics Have Jubilee With Pope's Blessing, if Not His Presence by The New York Times (Elisabetta Povoledo)Part IV (23:23 – 26:43)Compassion Without Truth Will Not Lead To Faithfulness – Faithful Christian Compassion Will Always Balance Compassion with the Truth of God's WordSign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning.Follow Dr. Mohler:X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here.

In this video, Christian Barrett compares how the Roman Catholic Church canonizes saints with how the Bible defines sainthood. He looks at Pope Leo XIV's recent canonization of two new saints (Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati), explores what that means, and asks how someone officially becomes a saint in Catholicism. He also dives into the more important question: what does Scripture teach about sainthood, righteousness, and who truly belongs to God?Support Emet Ministries, so we can continue to provide content and resources to help disciples become disciplers: https://veritas-ministry-415223.churchcenter.com/givingMake sure to subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmetMinistryFor more resources, visit emetministry.org Follow us: on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/emetministries/profilecard/?igsh=Z2c5NnA1dTJhN20y on Spotify:⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-four-fold-disciple/id1505547928on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-four-fold-disciple/id1505547928my reading list:⁠ https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/74696644-christian-barrett

Unpacking the Cyclical Horrors of The Amityville HorrorIn this episode of 'Horror Joy,' hosts Jeff and Brian Onishi delve into the 1979 classic film 'The Amityville Horror.' The discussion explores the recurring themes of cycles in our lives and how they manifest in horror, touching on historical and contemporary issues.They analyze the unsettling story of George and Kathy Lutz, who move into a seemingly perfect house only to face demonic possession and the horrors of past violence.The conversation critiques toxic masculinity, the failures of institutions like the Roman Catholic Church, and the broader implications of isolation and community in suburban life.The episode also brings in related historical and cultural contexts, including the Satanic panic and the significance of VHS technology in disseminating horror. Despite the film's clumsiness, the hosts find joy in practical effects, character performances, and the deeper reflections horror offers on society's enduring challenges.Horror movies at home: supernatural horror, delivery systems and 1980s satanic Panic by Drew BeardEchoes of Evil: Haunted Houses and Lingering Terrors in The Amityville Horror and The Conjuring by Julia SeltnerajchThe Red Scare: Marxism, Menstruation, and Stuart Rosenberg's The Amityville Horror by Larrie Dudenhoeffer

St Maxim was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1888. At this time all Orthodox Churches had been captured and subjected to the "Unia," by which, though keeping the Orthodox liturgical rites, they were united to the Roman Catholic Church. Many of the Carpatho-Russian people were ignorant of the change and what it meant; others were unhappy with it but, in their subject condition, saw no alternative. Maxim's farmer parents, at great personal sacrifice, obtained an education for him that enabled him to study for the priesthood at the Basilian seminary in Krakow. Here he discerned the un-Orthodox nature of the "Greek Catholic" training there and traveled to Russia, where he became a novice at the Great Lavra of Pochaev and met Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who encouraged him in his quest for Orthodoxy. (Archbishop Anthony, after the Russian Revolution, became the first Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad). He entered seminary in Russia in 1905 and was ordained to the Priesthood in 1911.Metropolitan Anthony, knowing the hardships and persecutions that awaited any Orthodox priest in Austro-Hungary, offered to find Maxim a parish in Russia. But Maxim was already aware of the hunger for Orthodoxy among many of the Carpatho-Russian people; several people from his village had travelled to America and while there had attended Orthodox Churches and confessed to Orthodox priests. They begged him to return to his country and establish an Orthodox parish there.   When he returned to his native village of Zhdynia, the polish authorities, seeing him in the riassa, beard and uncut hair of an Orthodox priest, mocked him, saying "Look, Saint Nicholas has come to the Carpathians!" But the people of nearby Hrab sent a delegation asking him to set up an Orthodox parish in their village. This he did, setting up a house-church in the residence that the people gave him. Almost immediately, he and his people began to be harassed and persecuted, first at the instigation of "Greek Catholic" priests, then of the government. His rectory/church was closed, and he and several of his parishioners were repeatedly jailed, sometimes on trumped-up charges of sedition. (The Carpatho-Russian people were always suspected of pro-Russian political sympathies by the Austrian and Polish authorities).   Despite these persecutions, through Fr Maxim's labors a wave of desire for Orthodoxy spread through the region, with many Carpatho-Russians openly identifying themselves as Orthodox. The government issued orders to regional mayors to forbid those who had identified themselves as Orthodox to gather and, in 1913, appointed a special commissioner whose task was to force the people to return to Catholicism.   In 1914, war broke out between Russia and Austro-Hungary. Despite lack of any evidence that Fr Maxim had engaged in pro-Russian political activity — he once said "My only politics is the Gospel" — he was arrested and executed on September 6 by the Papal calendar, August 24 by the Church Calendar. He was denied any form of Church burial, and his father buried him with his own hands.   Following the First World War, Orthodoxy became legal in the new Polish Republic, and a monument was placed over Fr Maxim's grave in his home town of Zhdynia. In 1994, the Orthodox Church of Poland officially glorified St Maxim.

In today's program, Tom launches a two-part series with guest, Greg Durel. Here's TBC Executive Director, Tom McMahon.Tom: Thanks, Gary. Our topic is Roman Catholicism, and, in particular, this is a follow up to the visit of the present head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. My guest to talk about this is Greg Durel. He is pastor of Heritage Bible Church of Gretna, Louisiana, and he has a weekday radio ministry that's devoted to educating Catholics in biblical doctrine.Greg is no theoretical or academic reviewer of the faith taught by the Catholic Church. Like me, he grew up as a Roman Catholic, so he knows Catholicism experientially as well as from his study of the Catholic Church tradition and its dogmas. Greg, welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7.Greg: Always great to be here, Tom.

This past week evil was shown while children and adults were participating in the Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church at the Annunciation Day School.This sermon offers words on "Why" and "How" and even addresses "Where God is" during horrific events like this take place.Please keep in your prayers those students who are still in the hospital, including a Greek Orthodox 14yr old student named Sophia, who was struck with a bullet to her head.  Please pray that our Lord continue to be with those suffering, their families, doctors, surgeons, nurses and school staff.  May the souls whose lives were tragically taken be eternal!

Friday, 5 September 2025   And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! Matthew 12:49   “And having extended His hand to His disciples, He said, ‘You behold! My mother and My brothers'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus rhetorically questioned who His mother and His brothers are. Having so questioned, He immediately provides the response, “And having extended His hand to His disciples.”   One can see Matthew, along with the others, observing His actions and probably feeling overwhelmed by the coming words. Noting that He extended His hand provides a warm and graphic gesture described by eyewitness testimony. Upon extending His hand, “He said, ‘You behold! My mother and My brothers.'”   The words do not exclude Mary and His brothers. They simply make a point that trying to pin down a family relationship based on blood or genealogy as an exceptional excuse to either a right-standing with the Lord or some type of added holiness based on near kinship is an invalid proposition.   Rather, those who are considered nearest of all to the Redeemer are those who will be described in the next verse. When thinking this through, one can see that the cult of Mary, which has so grotesquely permeated the Roman Catholic Church, is completely excluded by Jesus' words in this verse. It is an aberrant teaching that completely misdirects people from what God intends for us to focus on.   Life application: The church has gone through much misdirection, many redirections, and constant ups and downs since its inception. There have always been groups, sects, cults, and aberrant offshoots that claim to be the true way in relation to what Christ offers. For example, the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the true church. Baptism in it supposedly leads to a right relationship with God.   Jehovah's Witnesses claim that they alone are following the proper path that was restored after eons of apostasy. The same is true with Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, the Church of Christ, and on and on and on (and on). So many supposedly lay claim to the truth as if they alone possess what the Savior offers freely to the whole world.   An example of this, and one that both started with the early church and that has also arisen in modern times, is refuted by Jesus' words in this and the surrounding verses. It is the cult of the Judaizer, which today is most prominently known as Hebrew Roots.   Everything Jewish is exalted. Being Jewish implies a special connection to the Messiah. People who fit this condition are exalted, not because they have any special qualifications, abilities, or biblical understanding, but simply because they are Jewish.   So much is this the case that some teachers claim to be of Jewish descent even though they don't have any genealogical ties to the Jewish people. However, they know that by making the claim, people will follow their teachings, cling to them as if they have a special connection to the Messiah, and fawn over them as if they were rock stars.   People in Israel hear about how profitable it is to be a Christian teacher or singer and work feverishly to establish themselves as sound, responsible, Messiah-loving servants. Unfortunately, innumerable people are duped by such people because they have failed to know Scripture.   They get sucked into law observance in various degrees and spend their lives trying to measure up to impossible standards set by theological quacks when the avenue to salvation has already been paved by Jesus. It is through faith in Him and what He has done that leads the lost soul back to God. Nothing else will do.   If someone has Jewish blood, speaks Hebrew, or was born in Israel, Jesus would say, “So what!” if their teaching is unsound. He expects us to follow Scripture because Scripture reveals Him to us. Don't waste your time following such people. Read your Bible and follow Jesus!   Lord God, help us to think properly about our standing with You. The gospels have been recorded to show us that Jesus is the Messiah, that He fulfilled the prophecies that speak of His coming, and that He fulfilled the law that stood against the people. In His fulfillment of it, restoration through what He has done is available. May we remember this and cling to JESUS! Amen.  

Tuesday, 2 September 2025   While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Matthew 12:46   “And He yet speaking to the crowds, you behold, His mother and His brothers had stood without seeking to speak to Him” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus finished His words about the unclean spirit returning to the home it had previously left. Matthew next records, “And He yet speaking to the crowds, you behold, His mother and His brothers.”   Though the words seem to lack any really pertinent information other than the surface meaning, they are important both to the surrounding narrative and to Christian theology. As for the surrounding context, that will be seen as the next verses unfold. However, the fact that Jesus' brothers are mentioned flies in the face of the Roman Catholic heresies or false teachings surrounding Mary.   Though not heretical, the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is a complete distraction and a direct attack on the concept of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Instead, those in the Roman Catholic Church spend much of their time fixing their eyes on Mary.   The word used here, adelphos, signifies a brother. It can be taken figuratively as a brother in the faith, which is the way it is commonly used in the epistles. In fact, it is used in that manner by Jesus in verse 12:49.   The word is derived from the connecting particle a and delphus, the womb. Thus, it is a sharer of the same womb. The word applies to a brother of the same father and mother, or only of the same father or same mother. As such, Roman Catholics insist that Jesus alone was born of Mary and the others were born to Joseph by a wife before Mary.   This is found in an apocryphal gospel, not in the Bible. However, the Roman Catholic church is famous for going to such texts when it is convenient to obtain theology that supports their aberrant teachings. In the case of this account, by mentioning Mary along with Jesus' brothers, the implication is that they are her sons.   In Mark 6:3, it mentions sisters as well. Of all of these, Jesus was accounted as the Son of Joseph in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 for the purposes of lineage. If Joseph had previous sons, it would remove Jesus from the firstborn status to him.   It is true that there are provisions in the law for raising children of deceased relatives. These and other considerations mean anything is possible concerning Mary. But the obvious and clear understanding to be obtained from reading the accounts in the canonized gospels is that these other sons noted here are from Mary. With this as the intended understanding of the passage, it says they “had stood without seeking to speak to Him.”   Mary and Jesus' brothers had come and stood outside the area where He was and waited to speak to Him. The pluperfect verb gives the sense that they were there while Jesus was speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees, and when He finished His words to them, He was notified of their having come.   Life application: A few points to be considered concerning Mary need to be addressed. Whether Mary was a perpetual virgin or not cannot be determined from the canonized gospels. Nothing is said of it, and therefore, it is not a doctrine that is acceptable to be taught in the church.   As noted above, a reading of the surrounding narrative concerning Mary without any bias or presupposition would immediately alert the reader to consider that these brothers of Jesus were sons of Mary. Unless there was a valid reason to assume otherwise, there would never be a hint that further investigation was necessary.   The terminology in Matthew 1:25, which says that Joseph did not know Mary (meaning he did not have sexual relations with her) until she brought forth Jesus, implies that he did, in fact, know her afterwards. Likewise, in that same verse, Jesus is called her Firstborn. It is true that a firstborn can mean a first and only, but the Greek monogenēs, only begotten, would have made more sense if she were to have no more children.   Such logical deductions tell us that the Roman Catholic Church has a set agenda in distracting people from the prescription found in Hebrews 12:2, where believers are to fix their eyes on Jesus. The willful manipulation of what is clearly implied in the case of Mary having other children tells us this.   For whatever reason, the cult of Mary was introduced, and it has blossomed into an entire subsect of Roman Catholicism. It is highlighted numerous times throughout the year by the main church as well.   Rather than being distracted by such teachings, the clear intent of Scripture is that we should focus our minds, hearts, and attention on Jesus. To do anything else is to fall short of what is expected by God, who gave us Scripture to guide us in our understanding of theology.   Glorious God, give us the desire to focus on the contents of Your word. It is the word that tells us of Your coming in the Person of Jesus to restore us to Yourself. May we not be distracted by that which is false and unprofitable.. Amen.  

In the summer of 1809, General Sir Arthur Wellesley led a small British army into Spain. While the war raged on, Napoleon was also picking a political fight with a powerful enemy: the Roman Catholic Church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top headlines for Wednesday, August 27, 2025In this episode, we start with the urgent investigation ordered by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir following reports of an Israeli strike that tragically killed 20 people at Nasser Hospital. We then move on to domestic news, Trump's bold plan to criminally prosecute flag burners, a move in direct opposition to a landmark Supreme Court decision. We discuss the claims made by Richard Brandon Coleman, ex-son-in-law of Bishop T.D. Jakes, alleging sexual abuse by the megachurch leader. Finally, we end on a transformative note with Michael Iskander, the acclaimed actor known for his portrayal of King David, who has taken a spiritual leap by joining the Roman Catholic Church. 00:11 IDF chief orders immediate probe into Israeli strike on hospital01:08 Trump announces plan to prosecute people who burn the U.S. flag02:02 Mayor defiant after anti-Israel protesters halt pride parade02:51 TD Jakes' ex-son-in-law claims megachurch founder abused him03:43 DC faith leaders demand ICE stop using church parking lots04:41 1,500-year-old cathedral, baptistery unearthed in France05:57 'House of David' actor announces conversion to CatholicismSubscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsIDF chief orders immediate probe into Israeli strike on hospital | WorldTrump announces plan to prosecute people who burn the U.S. flag | PoliticsMayor defiant after anti-Israel protesters halt pride parade | WorldTD Jakes' ex-son-in-law claims megachurch founder abused him | U.S.DC faith leaders demand ICE stop using church parking lots | Politics1,500-year-old cathedral, baptistery unearthed in France | World'House of David' actor announces conversion to Catholicism | Entertainment

The sermon meticulously defends the biblical foundation of the canon, asserting its divine origin and rejecting claims that the Roman Catholic Church arbitrarily determined its contents. It emphasizes that the canon is a divinely inspired and authoritative standard for faith and practice, rejecting humanist interpretations and highlighting the importance of presuppositional apologetics. Drawing from historical confessions and scriptural passages, the sermon underscores that the Bible's authority stems from God's revelation, not human tradition, and that recognizing this truth is essential for understanding and applying God's word to all aspects of life.

In today's program, Tom concludes a two-part series with guest Greg Durel. Here's TBC executive director Tom McMahon.Tom: Thanks, Gary. Our topic – this is part two – our topic has been Roman Catholicism, and in particular, the pope at this airing is visiting the United States, so we want to address that. In order to do that, I have Greg Durel, a good friend of mine, who's the pastor of Heritage Bible Church in Gretna, Louisiana, and he has a weekday radio ministry that is devoted to educating Catholics in biblical doctrine. As I mentioned last week, like myself, Greg grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, so he knows Catholicism experientially as well as his study of the Catholic Church tradition and its dogmas. So Greg, welcome back to Search the Scriptures 24/7.Greg: Well, thanks for having me, Tom!

In this episode, we discuss the Jubilee of Youth, a Roman Catholic event held in Rome, Italy, from July 29 to August 3, 2025, which attracted nearly 1 million youth from around the world. Much of what has been shared on social media by the Catholic Church is attractive to young evangelicals who are led to believe they can find the answer to their disillusions with faith and church in the Roman Catholic Church. But what is the real message of the Jubilee of Youth? Join us as we respond to this question.Episode resource:https://vaticanfiles.org/en/2025/08/vf245-jubilee-of-youth/Support the show

Friday, 15 August 2025   But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28   “And if in God's Spirit I, I eject the demons, then it preceded upon you, the ‘God's kingdom'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus trapped the Pharisees with a question concerning the casting out of demons by their sons, meaning their disciples. With that complete, He now states a proposition to be accepted or rejected by the hearer, beginning with an emphatic statement, “And if in God's Spirit I, I eject the demons.”   Jesus has just clearly demonstrated that He cannot be ejecting demons by Beelzebul, something the Pharisees would have to grant based on His logic. Understanding that it is not by Beelzebul, then it must be from another source. In fact, it can only be from one source. And so He says, “then it preceded upon you, the ‘God's kingdom.'”   Here is a new word, phthanó (ff-than-oh), to precede, as in arriving ahead of time. Because of this, it is an arrival “before something which indicates priority in importance or sequence” (HELPS Word Studies).   The use of this word by Jesus indicates that He had already been on the scene, performing healings and miracles while preaching the gospel, but the people didn't realize that He was who He, in fact, turned out to be. One might paraphrase the thought, “Jesus walked among us, and before we knew it, He had revealed Himself to be the Messiah.”   The sense of the word can be seen from Paul's description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 –   “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede (phthanó) those who are asleep.”   Jesus cast out demons. He was accused of having derived His authority from Beelzebub. He demonstrated that such could not be the case. Therefore, what He had accomplished was evidence that what He did was from God, and thus God's kingdom had already come upon them.   As usual, the spiritual leaders of Israel missed the boat in understanding the significance of the events around them. Today, two thousand years later, they sit in synagogues and miss the fact that God's kingdom has come, rejecting Jesus, and thus rejecting their only hope of salvation.   Life application: It is common in evangelical Christian circles for people to give Jews a pass on not accepting Jesus, as if they are ok without Him. This comes in varying degrees. The most extreme case of this heresy is that of dual covenantalism, something preached by John Hagee. It is also the set doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Even if it is not openly taught, it is in their doctrinal writings.   Others may not openly understand or accept this doctrine, but they still hold to it in their thinking, trying to rationalize away why Jews are ok with God because they are “God's people,” even while understanding that Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., are condemned without Jesus.   This attitude stems from a failure to understand who “God's people” are at a given time. Hosea prophesied of a time when His people would no longer be His people, but those who were not His people would be His people. Paul explains this in Romans 9-11.   While the Jews are out of God's favor, they are “God's people” only in anticipation of restoration. However, they are not His people for salvation. Rather, that belongs to those -Jews and Gentiles – who have received Jesus. They are a part of the church.   That day will end at the rapture, and a simple question clears up the heretical notion that the Jews today are “God's people.” Will the Jews who don't believe in Jesus be taken at the rapture? The answer is obvious, “No.” Rather, they as a collective group will go through the tribulation. This proves that they are not now “God's people” except in anticipation of restoration.   The Christian community would do far better by evangelizing Jews than by proclaiming that they are God's people, thus bolstering the idea in their minds (meaning the Jews) that they think Christians believe they are right with God. Without Jesus, there is no salvation. Remember the basic equation –   In proper theology, one plus one will always equal two.   “‘I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.' 39 They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.'” John 8:37-41   Being a descendant (physically descended from) Abraham does not mean one is a child of Abraham from a spiritual perspective. Rather –   “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.' 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” Galatians 3:5-9   Glorious God, help to get our thinking right in relation to what You are doing in redemptive history. Too many reject Israel because of their misdeeds, as if they no longer have the promises of the prophets. But too many fail to acknowledge that without Jesus, the Jews stand condemned. Help us to have clarity of thought, and to pray for and evangelize to this beloved, set-aside group of people. Amen.

Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Benanti to discuss what Pope Leo XIV's statements on AI, the publications under Pope Francis, and the ethics of AI from a theological perspective.Paolo Benanti is an author, academic, and priest. He teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University and was an advisor to Pope Francis on artificial intelligence and technology ethics.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris wrote about what Pope Leo XIV and the Church have been saying about AI.In June, Pope Leo sent a message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence.Under Pope Francis, the Church published a note on AI called Antiqua et nova. Here is a short breakdown of its content.Support the show

Join us as Pastor Frank discusses the Roman Catholic Church and compares it to Protestantism.

For decades, eagle-eyed prophecy aficionados have scoured the headlines and the Scriptures hoping to find clues as to where we're at on God's prophetic timeline and how much longer we'll have to wait before the glorious return of our Master, Yeshua. But does the Bible really predict Apache helicopters, Patriot missiles, the Chernobyl disaster, and nuclear weapons? In this, the first of a multi-part series on the end times, this podcast episode features a discussion with D. Thomas Lancaster, author of the forthcoming End of Days Torah Club study track. Jacob and Daniel explore some of the apocalyptic imagery in the Bible to find out what's really going on behind the veil.

Monday, 11 August 2025   Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24   “And the Pharisees, having heard, they said, ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons'” (CG).   In the previous verse, the people, although not committed to the proposition, somewhat suspected that Jesus may be the Son of David. Having stated this, the usual suspects now chime in. Matthew records, “And the Pharisees, having heard.”   Having seen their track record thus far, it can already be surmised that these men were indignant at the very thought of Jesus being the anticipated Messiah. Therefore, “they said, ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.'”   There is no article before “prince” or “ruler” (NKJV). Thus, the statement speaks of a title more than a position. One can see the emphatic retort to the people's questioning –   23 ‘Not any, this, He is the Son of David?' 24 ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.'   In order to draw the people's speculation away from Jesus possibly being the Son of David, they go to the most extreme resolution possible. Not only is He not the Son of David, but He also isn't even just a charlatan. Rather, He has power, but that power is surely derived from he who is prince of the demons!   They couldn't deny that the miracles were real. The evidence was there before them. But they would never come to acknowledge that what Jesus did was of God. Therefore, the certain explanation that they clung to was that Jesus' power was demonic.   Because of their words, Jesus will carefully explain why their reasoning is faulty and why they are in serious trouble before God because of their accusation.   Life application: On 24 June 2025, Adam Sheafe was arrested for crucifying an Arizona pastor several months earlier. Sheafe intended to kill fourteen more pastors, all because they believe in Jesus. The news service said –   “The suspect described his plan as ‘Operation First Commandment' and claimed that the Bible's New Testament teachings about Jesus Christ go against the biblical commandment that says, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.' Sheafe stated, ‘His commandments have been annulled by this character called Jesus, a human being who I believe is the son of Satan'” (American Military News).   Sheafe is obviously theologically confused. But what would lead someone to take such a stand? The answer is because he was told something about Scripture that was incorrect and, instead of doing the research, he trusted what he was told.   The people of Israel were presented with the obvious truth that Jesus was capable of healing the deaf and blind, and yet they questioned whether He was the Messiah or not. To rob them of any faith that may have sprouted in their hearts, the Pharisees quickly intervened and assured them that Jesus was healing by the power of Beelzebul.   It is one thing to listen to authority figures, and it is another to do so without checking what they say. Israel was presented with their Messiah. They rejected Him as a nation, and it caused them to, once again, fall under the curses of the Law of Moses. They had agreed to the law, they were to live by it, and they were to accept what it taught.   As Jesus noted in John 5, Moses wrote about Him. In Luke 24:27, it says, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Israel rejected this. They continue to do so today.   Unfortunately, because of the teachings of modern-day Judaizers and Hebrew Roots adherents, this attitude has spread around the world. Like the Roman Catholic Church, their doctrine denies the all-sufficiency of Christ's work, mandating individual works as a part of the salvation process.   Law has been the problem since the first days of man on earth. It remains a problem to this day. It is what puts a wall between God and man. What is needed is God's grace. We cannot find life without it, and we cannot find healing and restoration apart from it.   May we remember this lesson. Jesus came to demonstrate to Israel that He was their Messiah. As a part of this demonstration, He gave His life up in fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Why would we ever want to go back to that? May we go forward in God's grace, living for Him and honoring Him by honoring the full, finished, final, and forever work of Jesus Christ our Lord.   Lord God, thank You for the all-sufficient nature of Christ's work. Through what He has done, we are fully reconciled to You. Thank You for Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

In today's program, Tom launches a two-part series with guest, Greg Durel. Here's TBC executive director, Tom McMahon.Tom: Thanks, Gary. Today our topic is Roman Catholicism, and in particular the present head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. Now our guest to discuss the subject with me is Greg Durel. He's pastor of Heritage Bible Church in Gretna, Louisiana, and he has a weekday radio ministry that is devoted to educating Catholics in biblical doctrine. And, like myself, Greg grew up in the Catholic Church, so he knows Catholicism experientially as well as from his study of Catholic Church tradition and its dogmas.Greg, welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7.Greg: Well, Tom, thanks for having me.

Was it bishops first, or priests?Who came first: the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, or Evangelicals?Where is there still unity?Support this show!! : https://www.bibspeak.com/#donateGrab your free gift: the top 10 most misunderstood Biblical verses: https://info.bibspeak.com/10-verses-clarifiedJoin the newsletter (I only send 2 emails a week): https://www.bibspeak.com/#newsletterShop Dwell L'abel 15% off using the discount code BIBSPEAK15 https://go.dwell-label.com/bibspeakDownload Logos Bible Software for your own personal study: http://logos.com/biblicallyspeakingSign up for Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaig...Use Manychat to automate a quick DM! It's great for sending links fast.https://manychat.partnerlinks.io/nd14879vojabStan.Store—way better than Linktree! It lets me share links, grow my email list, and host all my podcast stuff in one place.https://join.stan.store/biblicallyspeakingSupport this show!! : https://www.bibspeak.com/#donate John D. Woodbridge, PhD (born 1941) is an American church historian, professor, editor, and composer. He is Research Professor of Church History and Christian Thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.He joined the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the department of church history in 1970 and became full professor in 1974. He was Visiting Professor of History at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois from 1989–1995. From 1997 to 1999 he served as a senior editor at Christianity Today. Among the books which he has either authored or edited, four have won a Gold Medallion Book Award.[2] He appeared on The John Ankerberg Show in the 1980s. He is a member of the American Catholic Historical Association and the American Society of Church History.[3] In 2017, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Theology from Colorado Christian University.He has been a participant in Evangelicals and Catholics Together discussions for the last thirty years. He is presently writing a book on the history of American Evangelicalism.He did not become a believing Christian until his mid-twenties as a graduate student at the University of Toulouse in France. Recommended reading from Dr. Woodbridge:

William Tyndale's English translation of the New Testament created a firestorm that threatened the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, Michael Reeves depicts the people and events that set the stage for the English Reformation. Request The English Reformation and the Puritans, Michael Reeves' teaching series on DVD, with your donation of any amount. You'll also get lifetime digital access to all 12 video messages and the study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4237/donate   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the digital teaching series and study guide for The English Reformation and the Puritans with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   Michael Reeves is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in the United Kingdom.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

All roads do, indeed, lead to Rome!  On this episode, special guest, Joseph Atwill, independent scholar and author, will present his controversial thesis that the Roman Flavian emperors invented Christianity as a tool of political propaganda ... but that's just for starters!   Joseph's best-selling book, Caesar's Messiah, established him as one of the world's most penetrating independent scholars, rocking the field of Biblical studies and changing our modern understanding of Jesus and the Gospels forever.  Joseph uncovered what has been kept hidden from the public for millennia:  Christianity began as a highly complex psychological warfare campaign during the First Jewish-Roman War, an ambitious literature project began by the Caesars that was later honed into a potent tool of statecraft, used to this day by the oligarchy for mass pacification. Atwill has also authored  Shakespeare's Secret Messiah  about he 'Bard's' hidden war on the the Roman Catholic Church, encoded in ‘puzzle passages' in the plays, and the key to the true identity of ‘Shakespeare'. Show links: http://www.caesarsmessiah.com/ Get tickets to the Homesteaders Jamboree in Concord, NC! Use code Winner50 to get $50 off your ticket.  https://homesteadersunited.com/ Learn The True Nature Of Dis-Ease & How Our Bodies Actually Work: https://alfavedic.com/themyth/ Join Our Private Community And Join In The Discussion: https://alfavedic.com/join-us/ Follow our new YT channel: / @offgridelegance Start healing yourself and loved ones with ozone! https://alfavedic.com/ozone Get our favorite blue blocker glasses! https://alfavedic.com/raoptics Learn how to express your law and uphold your rights as one of mankind. https://alfavedic.com/lawformankind Alfa Vedic is an off-grid agriculture & health co-op focused on developing products, media & educational platforms for the betterment of our world. By using advanced scientific methods, cutting-edge technologies and tools derived from the knowledge of the world's greatest minds, the AV community aims to be a model for the future we all want to see. Our comprehensive line of health products and nutrition is available on our website. Most products are hand mixed and formulated right on our off grid farm including our Immortality Teas which we grow on site. Find them all at https://alfavedic.com​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Follow Alfa Vedic: https://linktr.ee/alfavedic Follow Mike Winner: https://linktr.ee/djmikewinner

The Roman Catholic Church claims it's the original church.They say Peter was the first pope.They claim tradition is truth.But what if I told you... Rome didn't start the church — they hijacked it?In this episode of the Word of Mouth Podcast, I expose how the same empire that crucified Jesus eventually claimed to represent Him. I walk through the brutal persecution of the Apostles, the rise of Constantine, the invention of Catholic traditions, and how the real Apostolic Church never died — it just kept preaching Jesus.Im talking:

God And Allah the Same? The One Fact Everyone Misses in the Debate The question of whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God has set the Internet on fire, with the Roman Catholic Church arguing "Yes" based on philosophical reasoning. But is this claim accurate? In this Come Let Us Reason Podcast, Lenny Esposito tackles the debate, dissecting the arguments and highlighting a critical flaw that undermines the "same God" position. Esposito argues that the differences in how each faith describes God are irreconcilable, offering a definitive case against shared worship. This episode provides a clear, engaging analysis that challenges conventional thinking and invites listeners to explore the theological divide. Tune in for a compelling discussion that reshapes the conversation.

Everyone loves a good story.  And I think everyone would love it if the news was actually filled with good news.  The word Gospel means just that, good news.  And within the Gospel account of Jesus, there are many unbelievable stories and accounts in and out of the Bible that are just downright good stories.  Today on the Missing Chapter, I'll bring you one of those stories.  Let's talk about one of the most well-known events in all of human history, and how an unknown soldier has his name interwoven into the fabric of the Roman Catholic Church.  Is this soldier's story part of the evidence and historical account of Jesus's crucifixion, or is this soldier's life just a legend that has merged its way into the truth of that Good Friday.  Well, let's tease this out today with some facts, some conversation, and of course, coffee.  Welcome to the Missing Chapter, everyone, let's get started.Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Missing Chapter Podcast website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information, previous episodes, and professional development opportunities!

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. The vast majority of the Zionists in the world are Christian. Israel’s closest allies are majority-Christian or officially Christian countries, and the world’s largest Christian denominations have many of their holiest sites in Israel. At the same time, there’s no adviser for Christian Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office, no minister tasked with outreach. On today's Friday Focus, we discuss three recent difficult incidents with the Christian world, which official Israel was diplomatically unprepared for. Berman discusses the need for a point person, an office or even a ministry in the Prime Minister's Office who will be tasked with liaising with the Christian world -- just like what is found in the governments of our Muslim neighbors. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. For more on this topic: Causing strategic, moral harm, Netanyahu lets others dictate Israel’s ties with Christians Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: Attacks on Christians in Israel are national stain IMAGE: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, censes during Sunday morning mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City on July 20, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keen observers questioned why Pop Benedict XVI really "stepped down" from his post prematurely to make room for the current Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) in 20113. While Pope Benedict was maligned by the mainstream media Pope Francis was heralded by the same MSM members as an Obama-like rockstar, bringing in a Globalist/Socialist agenda into the Roman Catholic Church. While the truth behind the scenes indicates Francis was installed through manipulation by the Obama/Biden administration while the three re-promoted known pedophile Cardinal Theodore McCarrick to international prominence. Together, they worked hard to advance the Globalist Agenda. Hollywood, however, dutifully attempted to Whitewash the controversial Pope Francis installment as a friendly and amicable transition through the Obama-led Netflix service's movie "The Two Popes."Mike McCormick, author of THE CASE TO IMPEACH AND IMPRISOIN JOE BIDEN, and Biden's former stenographer, got to see some of what really happened up close. Mike joins Dr. Jerome Corsi on The Truth Central to talk about it.Visit Mike McCormick's substack here: https://mmccormick.substack.com/p/the-deep-state-hollywood-evil-behindVisit The Corsi Nation website: https://www.corsination.comIf you like what we are doing, please support our Sponsors:MyVitalC https://www.thetruthcentral.com/myvitalc-ess60-in-organic-olive-oil/Swiss America: https://www.swissamerica.com/offer/CorsiRMP.phpGet Dr. Corsi's new book, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis: Forensic Analysis of the JFK Autopsy X-Rays Proves Two Headshots from the Right Front and One from the Rear, here: https://www.amazon.com/Assassination-President-John-Kennedy-Headshots/dp/B0CXLN1PX1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20W8UDU55IGJJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ymVX8y9V--_ztRoswluApKEN-WlqxoqrowcQP34CE3HdXRudvQJnTLmYKMMfv0gMYwaTTk_Ne3ssid8YroEAFg.e8i1TLonh9QRzDTIJSmDqJHrmMTVKBhCL7iTARroSzQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=jerome+r.+corsi+%2B+jfk&qid=1710126183&sprefix=%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-1Join Dr. Jerome Corsi on Substack: https://jeromecorsiphd.substack.com/Visit The Truth Central website: https://www.thetruthcentral.comGet your FREE copy of Dr. Corsi's new book with Swiss America CEO Dean Heskin, How the Coming Global Crash Will Create a Historic Gold Rush by calling: 800-519-6268Follow Dr. Jerome Corsi on X: @corsijerome1Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/corsi-nation--5810661/support.

The hot weather couldn't keep Ashley and Zac away from the mics, so they're back with a summer “best of” series, featuring some of the most interesting and engaging interviews from the past few years. In this episode, Professor Kenneth Bartlett, a renowned Renaissance historian and author from the University of Toronto, explores the enduring legacy and allure of the eternal city of Rome for Catholics. Why did Peter go to Rome? Is he actually buried under St. Peter's Basilica? And why has Rome remained the center of the Roman Catholic Church for 2,000 years? What's on tap? Brunello di Montalcino (of course!) You can follow us on ⁠X⁠ and on ⁠Instagram:⁠ @jesuiticalshow You can find us on Facebook at ⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/jesuitical Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at ⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A @Christadelphians Video: # SummaryThe presentation discusses the significance of the Reformation, highlighting its historical context and impact on modern Christianity. It covers key figures like Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, and William Tyndale, focusing on their challenges to the Catholic Church's authority and the role of the printing press in spreading Reformation ideas. The presentation also critiques the doctrines of the Catholic Church, particularly the selling of indulgences, and emphasises the importance of scripture as the ultimate authority in Christianity.# Highlights-

It's Tuesday, July 15th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Sudanese Christians in the crosshairs Sudanese Christian churches are being systematically destroyed by military forces.   According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a persecution watchdog, the Rapid Support Forces bombed the Sudanese Episcopal Church, the African Inland Church, and the Roman Catholic Church in Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur State just last month. And the Sudan Armed Forces destroyed a Pentecostal church complex in Khartoum last week. Persecuted Chinese church perseveres Chinese Pastor Wang Yi's church has continued moving ahead despite their pastor's arrest and 9-year-prison sentence.   According to China Aid director, Bob Fu, they have planted two additional churches,  Praise God that the Chinese House Church movement is growing. That's not the only thing growing.  So is the homeschooling movement, reports World Magazine in an article entitled, “Hard choices ahead for homeschoolers in China.” Kentucky church shooter killed 2 women, wounded policeman The suspect in a church shooting in Lexington, Kentucky, has been identified as 47-year-old Guy House. An aspiring rapper, House shot a police officer and killed two women at Richmond Road Baptist Church, before he was shot down by police officers. The wounded police officer is recovering. Two other church members were also wounded in the shooting, reports The-Independent.com. Revelation 13:10 leaves us this promise: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Pro-perversion and pro-abortion European group targets Christians The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights has issued a report attacking the Christian faith.  It was funded by George Soros and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report cites the enemy, by listing Christian people and organizations who represent traditional Christian values. Paul Coleman, Director of Alliance Defending Freedom International,  called the report “a thinly veiled attempt to silence ideological opponents under the guise of academic research,” reports Hungary Today. Bitcoin doubled in value in one year The value of one Bitcoin has topped $120,000, reports NBC News. That's almost exactly double what it was just a year ago, and twelve times the value of five years ago.   Gold is up 40% over a year ago, and silver is up 28%. Ground beef hit $6.67 a pound on a national basis last week. That's a 3-fold increase from where it was in 2010 at $2.20 a pound. And the size of the national herd of cows has dropped to 86.7 million head. That's the lowest level since 1951. Russia using 3,450 drones against Ukraine per month Russia has stepped up its drone attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of the year, now averaging 3,450 drones per month. That's up from about 1,000 drones per month in 2024.   A total of 136 drones were counted Sunday night over Ukraine. President Donald Trump announced yesterday, the United States would be providing more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, for shooting down Russian missiles. Judge blocks defunding of Planned Parenthood in new law A federal district judge has arbitrarily blocked the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.   Judge Indira Talwani's order purports to force the Trump administration to defy a federal law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President. Supreme Court gives Trump green light to dismantle Dept of Education Yesterday, the US Supreme Court issued a decision allowing for the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, reports NBC News.   In a 6-3 vote, the high court allows for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to fire 1,400 employees — amounting to about half of the department workforce. Trump's 2026 budget funds 2,179 employees compared to 4,099 working during the 2024 fiscal year. More young adults lean Republican Young people are moving Republican. A new Yale Youth Poll finds 18 to 21-year-olds leaning Republican by 12 points, while the older group of 22 to 29-year-olds still favor Democrats by 6.4 points.  Trump reflects on assassination attempt anniversary Yesterday, President Donald Trump reminisced on how his life was saved from the assassin's bullet a year ago in this exchange with a reporter. REPORTER: “On this one year anniversary of Butler, what was going through your mind this morning when you woke up. I know that you're praising God you're alive, but a lot of people want to know how you've taken this day on this one year anniversary.” TRUMP: “God was protecting me, maybe because God wanted to see our country do better, or do really well, make America great again. But God was protecting me, Brian, I'll tell you. I have a job to do, so I don't like to think about it much. It's a little bit of a dangerous profession, being President.” Proverbs 19:21 reminds us of God's sovereign hand over all of our doings: “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” What are the most and least rewarding college disciplines? What's the best bang for the college enrollment buck? A recent study found that for best starting pay and employment numbers, Civil engineering, Construction Services, Aerospace Engineering, and Nursing are the best majors. By contrast, Anthropology, Sociology, and Fine Arts are the worst for starting pay. Pastor John MacArthur died And finally, this just in. Pastor John MacArthur has passed on to glory, reports The Christian Post. Recognized worldwide, as a definitive leader among conservative Evangelicals and reformed Christianity, Pastor John led Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California for 56 years. Remarkably, he authored nearly 400 book titles. He preached the authority of Scripture and was defiant in the face of ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns. The MacArthur Study Bible sold two million copies, and his commentary series sold another one million copies. Master's Seminary, over which John MacArthur presided, enrolls 700 men, and his sermons are still heard over 1,000 radio stations across America through the Grace to You ministry. Listen as he eloquently explains the spiritual significance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. MacARTHUR: “Second Corinthians 5:21 – ‘He made Him who knew no sin, sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.'  Let me unpack those 15 Greek words. He, God, made Jesus sin. What do you mean He made Jesus sin? Only in one sense. He treated him as if He had committed every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe, though, in fact, he committed none of them. “Hanging on the cross, He was holy, harmless, undefiled. Hanging on the cross, he was a spotless lamb. He was never, for a split second, a sinner. He is holy God on the cross, but God is treating him -- I'll put it more practically -- as if He lived my life. God punished Jesus for my sin, turns right around and treats me as if I lived His life. “That's the great doctrine of substitution. And on that doctrine turned the whole reformation of the church. That is the heart of the Gospel. “And what you get is complete forgiveness, covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When He looks at the cross, He sees you. When He looks at you, He sees Christ.” On the Grace to You ministry's X account, they posted, "Our hearts are heavy, yet rejoicing, as we share the news that our beloved pastor and teacher John MacArthur has entered into the presence of the Savior. This evening, his faith became sight." Pastor John is survived by his wife, Patricia Smith MacArthur; children Matt, Mark, Marcy, and Melinda; 15 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. He was 86 years old at his death.  And we may add, Pastor John MacArthur was a big encouragement to the Generations Ministry and our publications ministry over the last few years. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, July 15th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Dagmar Braun Celeste was born in Nazi-occupied Austria, she authored her own Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies, which led her to collaborative human rights work with both Rosalyn Carter and Mother Theresa.  Dagmar eventually made her home in Ohio, and fed her passion for politics as the state's First Lady. In 2002, she was secretly ordained as a Catholic priest on the Danube River with six other women. The ordination led to her excommunication by the Roman Catholic Church.  During this episode of the Crisis Cast, Lissa & Thom get to the heart of why she accepted the call to ordination -- even when she knew it would not be accepted by the Church.  What happened to the bishop who ordained Ms. Celeste? What kind of advice did Mother Theresa share? What did the Carters grieve most following Jimmy's loss to Ronald Reagan?  There are a lot of questions with surprising answers during this visit in our chat room. This episode was originally released in November of 2023 -- featuring the Crisis Cast hero William Kamkwamba. His story is best told in the film The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 385The Saint of the day is Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and CompanionsSaint Augustine Zhao Rong’s and Companions’ Stories Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly. The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Not long after his baptism, Augustine was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815. Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000. Reflection The People's Republic of China and the Roman Catholic Church each have well over a billion members, but there are only about 12 million Catholics in China. The reasons for that are better explained by historical conflicts than by a wholesale rejection of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Chinese-born martyrs honored by today’s feast were regarded by their persecutors as dangerous because they were considered allies of enemy, Catholic countries. The martyrs born outside China often tried to distance themselves from European political struggles relating to China, but their persecutors saw them as Westerners and therefore, by definition, anti-Chinese. The Good News of Jesus Christ is intended to benefit all peoples; today's martyrs knew that. May 21st-century Christians live in such a way that Chinese women and men will be attracted to hear that Good News and embrace it. Enjoy this list of popular patron saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

In this episode, we are joined by Reformanda Initiative fellow Robbie Bellis, who walks us through this delicate and essential question using Galatians 1 as a case study. Can Galatians 1 and Paul's anathemas be applied to the Roman Catholic Church and its gospel?Support the show

In the grand tapestry of Christian history, few figures shine as brightly as Saints Peter and Paul. Celebrated together on June 29, their shared feast day honors not only their individual missions but also their collective impact on the foundation and expansion of the Roman Catholic Church. As saints, they serve as powerful examples of faith, transformation, and unwavering dedication to Christ.Saint Peter, the humble fisherman, was chosen by Jesus to be the “rock” upon which the Church would be built (Matthew 16:18). Despite moments of weakness—most famously denying Christ three times—Peter's story is one of redemption and leadership. He was the first pope, a shepherd guiding the early Christian community through persecution and uncertainty. His martyrdom in Rome, crucified upside down, marked the ultimate testimony of his love for Christ and his flock. Peter's life reminds the Church that sanctity is not about perfection, but about trust, courage, and surrender to God's will.Saint Paul, once a fierce persecutor of Christians, experienced a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. From that moment, his life was entirely dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles. His letters form a significant part of the New Testament and continue to inspire and instruct the faithful. Paul's fearless missionary journeys, theological insights, and final martyrdom in Rome reveal a heart consumed by the love of Christ and the urgency of evangelization. His life demonstrates that grace can transform even the most hardened hearts into instruments of divine mercy.For the Roman Catholic Church, their legacy is not merely historical—it is living. They are the cornerstones of a Church that is both grounded in apostolic tradition and sent forth in missionary zeal. Their witness challenges every generation to hold fast to the truth and to share it boldly, even at great cost. As saints, Peter and Paul continue to lead the faithful—not from the pulpit or the sword, but from the eternal throne of grace, where they intercede for a Church still walking the path they helped lay.In remembering them, the Church remembers its mission, its roots, and its call to holiness. Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian's homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

Jared Klim is the creator and host of the Korner Booth Pod. Jared is an avid believer of the Roman Catholic Church and a lover of his Philadelphia Eagles. If you love a rambler and a great conversation; this is the show for you Subscribe to The Korner Booth Podcast: https://youtube.com/@kornerboothpod?si=_fx_uovY8lVu8BnW This podcast is supported by Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Media Like, Follow and Subscribe to the Show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Subscribe to our page for new Episodes of Time to BS Podcast, Seahawks Sessions, and BS Sessions New episodes of Time to BS released on Tuesdays New episodes of Seahawks Sessions released on Saturdays Social Pages: Twitter/X: @stanielsmooth, @TimetoBSPodcast, @BellyUpSports, & @BellyUpMedia Instagram: @stanielsmooth, @TimetoBSPodcast, @BellyUpSports, & @BellyUpMedia Threads: @stanielsmooth & @timetobspodcast TikTok: @stanielsmooth Get top tier watches with La-Touraine today: Dive, Tachymeter & Sport Watches | La Touraine Collection Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TimetoBSPodcast?utm_source=linktree_admin_share Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Lord's Supper or Communion has been one of the most historically debated practices in all of Christianity. For Baptists, this ordinance is a solemn, symbolic remembrance of Christ's death and a testimony of His promised return. But in contrast, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is not merely symbolic—it is the literal body and blood of Christ through the miracle of transubstantiation. These two views are not simply liturgical preferences; they reflect deep theological convictions about grace, salvation, the nature of the Church, and the role of religious ritual.In this episode, we'll explore why traditional Baptists reject the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist. Whether you're a student of theology or just curious about the differences between Baptists and Catholic views, today's discussion will help clarify what's at stake in how the Church remembers the cross.For this conversation we have invited Jim Alter, pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Sidney, Ohio. Jim is co-founder and editor of the Ancient Baptist Press. Jim is also the founder, curator and lecturer for a traveling exhibition called “Purified Seven Times” which is devoted to educating people about the history of the English Bible. Jim is also co-author of the book “Why Baptist? The Significance of Baptist Principles in an Ecumenical Age.”Notes to reference for this episodeVisit https://www.lfbi.org/learnmore

On today's mailbag episode, Johnnette Williams dives into your questions from the Listener Caller Line, email, and text messages. This weeks variety of topics include surrogacy, our relationship with Mary, and the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Have a question for Johnnette? Call the Listener Caller Line at 205-795-5773 and leave your message!

On today's mailbag episode, Johnnette Williams dives into your questions from the Listener Caller Line, email, and text messages. This weeks variety of topics include surrogacy, our relationship with Mary, and the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

The familiar phrase "playing devil's advocate" actually originated from a real Catholic Church position where an official was tasked with arguing against candidates for sainthood to ensure only the truly worthy were canonized.ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.IN THIS EPISODE: In an effort to test one of his theories on social behavior, psychologist Muzafer Sherif released twenty-two 12-year-old boys into a sparsely supervised wilderness camp — and then covertly provoked them to fight each other. (The Robbers Cave Experiment) *** Witch hunts and trials. They didn't end in Salem – they live on even today in Papua New Guinea. (Papua New Guinea Witchcraft) *** A man in Japan sees small, childlike ashen white aliens. (Childlike Aliens) *** How can a holy book such as the Christian bible bring bad luck? One paranormal museum in West Virginia has the answer with an infamous display of the 666 Bible. (The 666 Bible) *** The people of Hannibal, Missouri in the late 1800s would remain appalled that one of their most prominent residents could be murdered without retribution. Even a $10,000 reward couldn't bring justice. (The Stillwell Murder) *** A father takes his son to the ruins of an old, burned down building – and the boy sees something his father doesn't. (The Old Factory Visit) *** “The Devil's Advocate” – it's a phrase that can be traced to the Roman Catholic Church that long had an actual official office for a person who was employed to be exactly that – an advocate for the devil. And he still works for the church even today. (The Devil's Advocate) *** It's one of the most-enigmatic unsolved cases of the 21st Century. A family of three goes missing in 2009, and despite an abundance of evidence, law enforcement is no closer to solving this mystery today. In fact, it could even be said that the more clues that are uncovered only result in additional questions. (What Happened To The Jamison Family?)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS…(Sorry, but this information has been lost over time.)SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The Robbers Cave Experiment” by Taig Spearman: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4v5259xu“Papua New Guinea Witchcraft” by Caleb Strom: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckvym9b“The Devil's Advocate” by Ellen Lloyd: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8uyaes“Childlike Aliens": https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/22ujw2jt“The 666 Bible” by Theresa HPIR: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/32wdwakp“The Stillwell Murder” by Robert Wilhelm: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9bnkr4“The Old Factory Visit” by Mike: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3zxf3vje“What Happened To The Jamison Family?” by Stu Wahlin for Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/stuwahlin=====(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: November 12, 2018EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/DevilsAdvocate

This week, Jake and Bob are joined by Teresa Pitt Green, co-founder of Spirit Fire, a ministry dedicated to “facilitating healing dialogue among those wounded by abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.” Teresa shares her own story of healing from abuse, the challenges she experienced, and what she learned along the way. She also shares practical advice to help priests approach conversations with survivors, common mistakes to avoid, and insights into the complexity of what it's like to heal from abuse. Ultimately, it is Jesus who heals, and He can use whatever we have to offer to bring about restoration in the Church and her members.  If you are experiencing or have experienced abuse of any kind, we encourage you to reach out to Teresa or check out her resources on Spirit Fire's website.   Key Points: Navigating conversations with survivors of abuse requires sensitivity and receptivity For many survivors of clergy abuse, there is little distinction between priests and abusers  Healing from abuse is an ongoing journey, it isn't something someone can just “get over” If someone approaches you about abuse, be careful to listen and not judge their experiences Even if we make a mistake in our approach to a conversation, God can still work through that moment. He is the one who is ultimately doing the healing work The journey of healing is complex and nonlinear   Resources: Spirit Fire's Website   Connect with Restore the Glory:  Instagram: @restoretheglorypodcast  Twitter: @RestoreGloryPod Facebook: Restore the Glory Podcast   Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow in holiness by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar dive into the topic of eternal security, offering an overview of how different traditions interpret the idea of being saved. They discuss how the Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation begins with baptism and must be maintained through participation in the sacraments. The Armenian view leans toward a conditional salvation. The guys touch on an antinomian view which claims once saved, always saved. This interpretation disconnects salvation from the transforming power of the gospel. In contrast, the reformed position teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God.If someone is genuinely saved, they will not turn back. Once the distinction between true and false conversions becomes clear, the parables take on new meaning. Those who fall away were never truly saved. Matthew 7 reinforces this, pointing out that some who thought they knew the Lord never actually belonged to Him—He never knew them. Christ saves to the very end, and the perseverance of the saints is a comfort that reminds us we are kept for Jesus, His treasured possession. If we could lose our salvation, we would, but we are not strong enough to fall out of God's grip.Christians need to base their beliefs on scripture, not feelings. John 10 reminds us that no one can snatch God's children out of His hand. Many believers are stuck in spiritual immaturity because they live in fear. The answer is to look to the cross and what the Lord has done. Even churches with good doctrine sometimes default to spiritual moralism. The gospel must be preached clearly and consistently so that believers can find confidence in the security of their salvation.For the believer who is struggling, eternal security is not an excuse for laziness but a safety net. It frees you to live in gratitude, knowing that your salvation is not based on performance. Ray explains that God gives a new heart and new desires—He causes His people to walk in obedience. The guys discuss how even when we sin, Jesus is our advocate. A true believer grieves over sin and desires to obey. We belong to God and we always will. Philippians 1 says that God will complete the work He began. Salvation is His from beginning to end.When people walk away from the faith, they were never truly part of it. A healthy tree naturally produces fruit—it doesn't have to strain. Hebrews 6 is not about true believers falling away, but about those who tasted truth and still turned away. If you hate your sin and long for righteousness, you are in the process of sanctification. He who calls you is faithful—He will hold you.Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

After the Conclave at the Vatican met for two days, the white smoke came from the stack, signifying that a Pope had been chosen or "Habemus Papam," meaning "We have the Pope." Cardinal Robert Prevost (Leo XIV) became the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Curiously, followers of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light distributed flyers through Vatican City and declared their leader, Abdullah Hashem, Nuevo Papa—the New Pope. Some Christians are calling him the Antichrist; however, could it be yet another psychological operation to create more conflict between the Abrahamic religions?. Furthermore, times of economic uncertainty and world turmoil only fuel the rise of destructive cults. Tonight on Ground Zero (7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com), Clyde Lewis talks with Paul Begley about HABEMUS PAPAM OBSCURA. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #Antichrist #HabemusPapam #AbdullahHashem

Historic Election of an American Pope: Cardinal Robert Francis Privos of Chicago has been elected as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, marking the first time an American has ascended to the papacy. The hosts discuss the significance of this event for both the Catholic Church and the United States. Criticism of Bernie Sanders and Private Jet Use: Bernie Sanders is criticized for using private jets during his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, which the hosts see as hypocritical given his stance on climate change and wealth inequality. John Kerry is also mentioned for similar behavior. Joe Biden's Media Appearances and Statements: Joe Biden's recent media appearances are discussed, including his explanations for the Democratic loss in the 2024 election and his defense against claims of cognitive decline. The hosts critique Biden's statements and performance. Planned Parenthood Controversy: An undercover investigation by Live Action reveals that Planned Parenthood clinics in multiple states are prescribing cross-sex hormones to minors with minimal oversight. The hosts express strong disapproval and discuss the potential consequences and the need for congressional action. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and the Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. Thanks for Listening #seanhannity #hannity #marklevin #levin #charliekirk #megynkelly #tucker #tuckercarlson #glennbeck #benshapiro #shapiro #trump #sexton #bucksexton#rushlimbaugh #limbaugh #whitehouse #senate #congress #thehouse #democrats#republicans #conservative #senator #congressman #congressmen #congresswoman #capitol #president #vicepresident #POTUS #presidentoftheunitedstatesofamerica#SCOTUS #Supremecourt #DonaldTrump #PresidentDonaldTrump #DT #TedCruz #Benferguson #Verdict #justicecorrupted #UnwokeHowtoDefeatCulturalMarxisminAmericaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a new pope, and he's from Chicago! On the second day of the papal conclave Thursday, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. He's the first American citizen to hold the position, but he also spent two decades serving in Peru, before the late Pope Francis chose him for an influential post at the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV now has a very, very big job leading the world's 1.36 billion Catholics amid major tensions within the church, between those aligned with Francis' efforts to make the church more inclusive and those who think those efforts have undermined Catholic tradition. Christopher White, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and author of the forthcoming book 'Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,' tells us more about the new pope's selection and what we can expect from his papacy.And in headlines: President Donald Trump unveiled his first big new trade deal with… the United Kingdom, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced plans for a much-needed update to the nation's air traffic control system, and former President Joe Biden defended his time in office during an interview with The View.Show Notes:Check out Christopher's work –www.ncronline.org/authors/christopher-whiteSubscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It’s a busy month for college graduations. USA Today’s Rachel Barber joins to discuss what graduates are looking for in the job market and how they’re feeling about it. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected pope yesterday, becoming the first American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Joshua McElwee, Vatican correspondent for Reuters, discusses the new Pope Leo XIV’s biography and positions. A decades-old Soviet-era spacecraft is set to crash-land on Earth any day now. ABC News has more. Eric Roston, sustainability editor for Bloomberg News, talks about the potential environmental impacts of decommissioned satellites that burn up in the atmosphere. Plus, why the head of FEMA was fired, major U.S. cities are sinking, and a mom and her son who plan to graduate together. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- Father Robert A. Sirico—Catholic Priest & Founder of the Acton Institute—joins The Rich Zeoli Show LIVE from Rome, Italy and provides on-site analysis of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's election to become the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. Father Sirico's initial assessment of Pope Leo XIV: “this is a man that respects tradition.” Father Sirico is author of the books, “The Economics of the Parables” and “Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy.” 4:30pm- During a House hearing on transgender athletes, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) offered one testifying expert the opportunity to play a game called: “Trump or Trans.” PLUS, is anyone going to read Hilaria Baldwin's new book? Nope. Probably not even her husband, Alec Baldwin. 4:50pm- On Thursday, Joe and Jill Biden did their first joint interview since leaving the White House—and it went about as well as you would expect. At one point during the conversation, former President Biden bizarrely suggested he could have defeated President Trump a second time despite polling that suggests he would have performed electorally even worse than Kamala Harris.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (05/08/2025): 3:05pm- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the next head of the Roman Catholic Church—selecting the name Pope Leo XIV. A Chicago native and graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, he is the first American to become pope. According to reports, he has been critical of “transgender ideology” because “it seeks to create genders that don't exist.” 3:20pm- While speaking with the press, President Donald Trump said it was a “great honor” to have a pope from the United States of America and that Pope Leo XIV has already requested a meeting. 3:30pm- On Thursday, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. Under the agreement, the UK has agreed to increase market access for $5 billion in American exports—specifically: ethanol, beef, fruits, vegetables, animal feed, shellfish, textiles, chemicals, and machinery. The Trump Administration's 10% tariff on UK imports will remain in place—though, UK tariffs on U.S. imports will fall from 5.1% to 1.8%, according to Trump. 3:40pm- While speaking with the press, President Trump hinted that more trade agreements will soon be announced and noted that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be meeting with Chinese trade officials this weekend. The U.S. currently has a 145% reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods. 4:05pm- Father Robert A. Sirico—Catholic Priest & Founder of the Acton Institute—joins The Rich Zeoli Show LIVE from Rome, Italy and provides on-site analysis of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's election to become the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. Father Sirico's initial assessment of Pope Leo XIV: “this is a man that respects tradition.” Father Sirico is author of the books, “The Economics of the Parables” and “Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy.” 4:30pm- During a House hearing on transgender athletes, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) offered one testifying expert the opportunity to play a game called: “Trump or Trans.” PLUS, is anyone going to read Hilaria Baldwin's new book? Nope. Probably not even her husband, Alec Baldwin. 4:50pm- On Thursday, Joe and Jill Biden did their first joint interview since leaving the White House—and it went about as well as you would expect. At one point during the conversation, former President Biden bizarrely suggested he could have defeated President Trump a second time despite polling that suggests he would have performed electorally even worse than Kamala Harris. 5:05pm- Dr. EJ Antoni—Research Fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to break down today's major trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. And what can we expect to come out of this weekend's trade meeting between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese trade officials? 5:20pm- On Thursday, Joe and Jill Biden did their first joint interview since leaving the White House—and it went about as well as you would expect. At one point during the conversation, former President Biden bizarrely suggested he could have defeated President Trump a second time despite polling that suggests he would have performed electorally even worse than Kamala Harris. 5:40pm- In light of Pope Leo XIV, should Villanova change their team mascot? The Villanova Popes? 6:05pm- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the next head of the Roman Catholic Church—selecting the name Pope Leo XIV. A Chicago native and graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, he is the first American to become pope. According to reports, he has been critical of “transgender ideology” because “it seeks to create genders that don't exist.” 6:15pm- While speaking with the press, President Donald Trump said it was a “great honor” to have a pope from the United States of America and that Pope Leo XIV has already requested a mee ...