Newsmakers

On today’s "Newsmakers" we share audio from this week's TV episode: a baker’s victory, a father challenges a public school, and how a coach changed the country through prayer.

Is part of America's massive mental health malaise actually rooted in a spiritual crisis? That's what Dr. George Barna, co-founder and director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, is arguing, noting that some people seeking medication and counseling are actually "treating the wrong problem."

"We're in a situation where the best estimates [are] that we have are that about one out of every four adults [with] some kind of diagnosable mental illness," Barna told CBN News. "There's a wide range. But when we look at it more deeply, we find that those numbers are higher the younger a person is." He continued, "So, as you dig into it to try to figure out things like anxiety, depression, fears, suicidal thoughts, OCD tendencies, addictions, when we look at all of those, what we find is that, often, what may be happening is that it's not that they have some kind of chemical imbalance or physical issue that's causing that what appears to be a mental illness; what's causing it may be their belief structure, their worldview."

Barna, who has frequently researched and spoken about the importance of developing a biblical worldview, said addressing this deficiency and fixing core beliefs would help to potentially alleviate some of the anxiety, stress, and depression that is raging. While some people need prescribed pills, counseling, or even hospitalization, he said there are some who are merely misdiagnosing the core problems.

"I think often what happens is, because counselors across the country — a majority of them don't really consider spirituality and faith as part of a person's mental health — what they do is they just go to what they know, which is, 'We can't figure it out, so let's prescribe pills,' or 'Let's just keep talking about it,' or 'Let's send you to a hospital' — whatever it may be," Barna said. "And a lot of times that's really not the best solution." Exploring data from his American Worldview Inventory report, the researcher explained some of the correlations he found between lack of faith, age, and increased mental struggles. The majority of people (56%) in Generation Z, which includes individuals in their teens and early 20s, struggle with mental health issues, with Barna noting just 1% of these people have a biblical worldview. Watch him explain.

Singer Danny Gokey wants to be seen as a "truth and love teller," encouraging fellow believers to be as "wise as serpents and gentle as doves." It's a powerful and important quest in a divided and chaotic culture — one in which biblical truth is sometimes treated with disdain. Regardless, Gokey believes there's a responsibility to speak about what's right, true, and good. "We should never get away from speaking the truth," Gokey recently told CBN News. "Truth sets people free."

Ultimately, he said some people will try to skirt what's biblical, real, and true — but humanity can't escape the facts and realities surrounding God's will. "We can sit there and protest gravity," Gokey said. "We can make laws against gravity. You can cancel people over saying gravity is real, or that fire is hot. But, the thing is ... it is what it is, and we're not doing any favors playing around and mincing words to make people happy." He added, "We need to have the truth that sets people free. So, I do want to speak truth, but I want to do [it] in love, and I just don't want to hit people on the head with it."

Gokey is carrying these ideals over to his latest music. His new album, "Sound of Heaven," seeks to point people toward hope and Christ, with eclectic songs helping listeners dive deeper into the eternal. "I always pray before I go into an album, because God is the greatest songwriter of all time," Gokey said. "And, I'm like, 'Lord, give me some inspiration,' because I believe when we get to Heaven, we're going to see that the sounds of Heaven are so diverse."

The singer said this variety of sound is captured on the new album, which was released on July 26. 

Actor Eric Close loves a good redemption story. That's why he signed on to star in "Average Joe," a film about Joe Kennedy, the high school football coach who won a major Supreme Court victory in his years-long battle to pray following games on the 50-yard line. "I love second-chance stories," Close told CBN News. The "Nashville" star, who portrays Kennedy, said the movie tells the former coach's story of persisting, never giving up, and "ultimately finding faith." Close said perseverance is a key fixture of Kennedy's story, as the coach faced a plethora of adversity in his life before finding Christianity.

"I admired his conviction — the willingness to fight for his convictions and for what he felt was right," Close said. "Regardless of the negative fallout that would come his way, the threats, the loss of work." Before his June 2022 Supreme Court victory, Kennedy spent seven years in a volleying legal battle with the Bremerton School District in Washington state, which ultimately led to the 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District in June 2022 — a decision that upheld his right to pray after games, and found the government should not punish private religious acts like prayer.

Close said portraying Kennedy in "Average Joe" drives home the reality that it's "important to do the right thing as often as you can." Before finding Jesus, Kennedy faced a difficult childhood and was filled with anger. At one point, he was an atheist who saw his relationships fall apart; but discovering Jesus changed everything. "One of the aspects ... that I loved about this film is that every person matters — everybody matters," he said. "God loves; His love is so far and wide and reaches to everybody." And that love — and faith — can inspire people to take a stand and do the right thing, even when it's difficult or seems insurmountable, Close said.

"Through faith, nothing is impossible; you can overcome these challenges," he said. "You never know when that moment might happen when we're called to step up and stand for something and make a difference." Ultimately, Close said he wants to see how Kennedy was brought through many events in his life before he was prepared for his prayer battle. "He had to get there through lots of different battles and fights in his life that gave him that strength and that fortitude," the actor said. "I think the catalyst that took him over the edge and really allowed him to step out there and risk it all for this — for something he firmly believed in — was his faith and trusting that no matter what, God had his back."

Max Lucado has covered a lot of ground over the years as a pastor, author, and Gospel communicator. Most recently, he released a book about the biblical end times titled, "What Happens Next? A Traveler's Guide Through the End of this Age." It's a subject Lucado felt compelled to tackle. He said the "condition of the world" and the things happening in Israel, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, and other locations compelled him to action.

"[There is] this sense that the world feels super fragile right now ... like we're one press of a red button away from annihilation," he said. "There's just ... this angst in the world. So, those two things kind of came together, and I began to take seriously more teaching and study on this topic." While the topic of the end times can sometimes spark anxiety and worry, Lucado also addressed why these subjects should usher in peace. "It has been used to scare people or manipulate people," Lucado said. "It should not. Jesus, when he wanted to encourage His followers on the night before His crucifixion, He spoke about end times."

He continued, "[Jesus] said, 'Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. [In] my Father's house are many mansions.' He went on to tell them that He would come and get them, and so He used the promise of His return as a way to lift them out of anxiety and sadness."

Lucado said Jesus' return is a "key fixture of Scripture" and that it's mentioned more than 300 times in the Bible and in nearly every book of the New Testament. "It's a dominating, primary theme of Scripture, that Christ will return," Lucado said. "And it should give us hope. In these days, it feels so dark; it feels so desperate. The promise of the return of Christ, in which the world that's upside down now will be turned right side up — for some people, it's the only hope they have."

The preacher said his desire is to follow the Apostle Paul's advice to help others fix their minds on "things above, not things of the Earth." It's the promise of Heaven, he said, that should become the focus. Listen to him discuss this, prophecies about Israel, and more.

On today’s "Newsmakers": a pastor’s victory, a Christian school canceled, and an actor’s prayer. This is part of our Friday series offering audio of our weekly TV show! Tune in Monday for new interviews here on the "Newsmakers" podcast.

Actress and producer Roma Downey has built a long career in Hollywood, creating TV and film content that inspires and entertains.

The “Touched By An Angel” star has also carried her uplifting, family-friendly messages into literary works, including a new children’s book, “A Message in the Moon.”

Downey said her touching new book is deeply personal, with the concept predicated upon her childhood.

“This story for this book has sat in my heart for a really long time,” she recently told CBN Digital. “My mother died when I was just a little girl; I was only 10.”

As a result of such a monumental loss due to an unexpected heart attack, Downey said she became quite close to her father, whom she described as a “great dad.” The struggles that came along with her mother’s death, though, were profound.

“To say that we were heartbroken would be an understatement, because we didn’t even have the preparation of illness, which I know can be traumatic and painful for a child to see their parents suffer and go through a long illness,” she said. “But … there was no warning, and so it was as if somebody just turned the lights out in our lives.”

Downey continued, “If I was making a movie of my own life, my childhood would be in full technicolor, and then, when my mother died, it’s as if the movie then went into black and white.” Listen to her story.

Christian baker Jack Phillips has been locked in a long legal battle over his refusal to make cakes for a same-sex wedding and a gender transition. But after more than a decade of court battles, Phillips recently won a major victory at the Colorado Supreme Court.

Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, joins his attorney John Bursch, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, to tell CBN News about this battle, why he's stood by his Christian faith, and what he wants people to understand about his reasoning. Hear him explain.

A California dad is taking legal action after claiming his children's school district won't allow him to opt his kids out of lessons that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. "Carlos and Jenny Encinas’ children attended an elementary school in Encinitas, California, where their 11-year-old’s teacher read a book and required activities that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs," reads a description from First Liberty, a religious freedom law firm. "After reading the book, the Encinas’ son was forced to watch a video version with a five-year-old as part of a 'mentoring' program."

Carlos Encinas told CBN News his battle with La Costa Heights Elementary School in the Encinitas Union School District began when his son came home and started sharing about his day. "He said, 'It was just really weird dad,'" Encinas said. "I said, 'Well, what do you mean weird?" That's when his son shared that he was "forced" to take part in a read-along surrounding the book "My Shadow is Pink" as part of a mentoring program. "Our ... elementary school, they pair the 5th graders with the kindergartners and they spend about an hour a week together doing different things," Encinas said. "Usually, it's out on the playground or reading books that the 5-year-old kindergartners choose, and it's a great program."

After Encinas started to look up "My Shadow is Pink," he said he was immediately concerned, especially considering the purported nature of the buddy program — one in which he said "they're helping to disseminate a very controversial, complex topic to a smaller younger brother [or] younger sister." "I quickly realized that this book was centered around gender ideology," he said. "And I was pretty upset about it, and he was already upset about it." The family reportedly reached out to the teacher and the school to discuss the matter. At first, Encinas claims he was told the activity didn't have to do with gender ideology. Here's what happened next.

Duane Chapman, more commonly known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, is known for chasing down criminals. But he's also on a mission to help people connect with the Gospel. Chapman, author of the new book "Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope, and Redemption," told CBN News he was brought up in a Christian home by a praying mom. "I knew more than most people did, right from wrong, miracles of God — I knew all that," he said, noting, though, that he got a bit off track at one point. "I went to prison in the 70s."

Chapman and three accomplices reportedly broke into a man's home on a search for marijuana. One of his accomplices shot and killed the man during a struggle. Chapman was sentenced to five years and served 18 months. After his jail time experience, Chapman was released and righted his wrongs, becoming a bounty hunter and launching on his path to a career that inevitably landed him with the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," which aired new episodes from 2003 to 2012. Chapman, who has certainly had a plethora of success, has also had his share of heartbreak.

His wife, Beth, who joined him on his TV adventure died in 2019 after a cancer battle. He's since remarried and he's been on a journey of strengthening his faith alongside new wife, Francie. "I know God is absolutely real," Chapman said. "I know that God told me years ago ... 'I'm going to show you miracles beyond [anything] that you could imagine, think, or want.'" He continued, "My faith has grown ever since Beth passed away about five years ago and I met Francie."

Chapman said he and his wife walk "hand-in-hand" in faith. The two also evangelize and speak to audiences together, sharing their Christian beliefs. As for Chapman's new book, Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope, and Redemption," he's hoping to see the text reach hearts and minds. Hear him discuss the book, his experiences seeing real-life demonic evil, and more.