Today we talk with the host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He begins by mentioning that about two weeks ago on June 29, that it is significant in church history as the day that Paul was beheaded outside the city of Rome. It is now known as the day of the Christian Martyr. We also talk about China. Pastor Ezra Jin was RELEASED FROM PRISON last week and allowed to come to the US. His case was raised by President Trump when he was in Beijing in May, and his release was phrased in some quarters as a �gift� from China to celebrate the US 250th anniversary. We thank the Lord for his release, but there is also a lot of bad news about what Christians in China are facing. There are still eight leaders from Jin�s Zion Church that are in prison, facing charges of �fraud� and �Illegal business practices.� They are being held on financial charges rather than religious ones. It allows the Chinese government to deny persecution, and it is very difficult for the church leaders to defend themselves. This has become the go-to strategy for communist officials against church leaders in recent years. India has an update in their policies. It will change the way it enforces the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which governs all money coming into the country to support non-profit organizations�including churches and Christian ministries. The government has now openly said that no money will be allowed to come in for �conversion� activities. Our guest shares the story of the widow of a pastor from Turkmenistan. Her husband was imprisoned there for his gospel work, and we listed him on www.PrisonerAlert.com. His widow shared that a custodian at the prison told her husband that he had many, many letters from around the world�and he was greatly encouraged even though he never actually got to see or read the letters. He also ended up being released more than two years before his sentence was up; the letters and the international attention may have played a role in that early release. Participants: Todd Nettleton, Dan Elmendorf

Today, we celebrate the 250th year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of these United States. Far from perfect, we have lots of repenting to do and continued renewal and reformation. In this discussion we talk with the author of the article "The Head of Government: Jesus Christ." To orient us, he points out that "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities�all things were created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16

Our Declaration stood within the inheritance of positions that came before it, like the Mayflower Compact (In the Name of God), and the 1643 Solemn League and Covenant (before our eyes the glory of God, and the advancement of the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.� ).

The colonies appealed to �the Laws of Nature and of Nature�s God.� They declared that men are �endowed by their Creator [not by legislatures, bureaucracies, or a majority of the people] with certain unalienable Rights,� and that governments existed �to secure these rights.� Our author writes: The early state constitutions display the same inheritance. Pennsylvania declared that men have �a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God.� Delaware required officeholders to profess faith �in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost.� Massachusetts acknowledged �the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe� and declared public worship of the �SUPREME BEING, the great creator and preserver of the universe� to be the right and duty of men in society. And even today, state constitutions like Texas� begin: �Humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God, the people of the State of Texas, do ordain and establish this Constitution.� Join us today for a calm and interesting discussion. Participants: Bill Peacock, Dan Elmendorf

Join us today on our virtual front porch for a Summer Chat! This past Sunday the 21st was the first day of summer, and its a great time to have a sit down, relax and just have a good old fashioned chat. One of the concerns that Dan has concerns the invasion of Islam into our country. The mayor New York City is a disaster. He is not only an Islamic follower, but he loves radical socialism. People and businesses see the handwriting on the wall and are leaving what used to be one of the greatest cities in the world. Things are getting out of hand. Muslims in the public square, interrupting normal life with their "prayers." We talk about this a little bit. A follow-on discussion deals with Europe. Our guest feels that Europe will never be the same now that Islam has taken over. You get the feeling that there is no going back. King Charles III is pretty much a pawn to the Islamists. When Easter 2026 rolled around, he said nothing about the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet formally, he is supposed to be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. We cover the issue of open borders. You cannot have open borders and a welfare state at the same time. Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf

You've heard of the United States Declaration of Independence. But have you heard of the Virginia Declaration of Rights? On June 12, 1776, Virginia�s Fifth Revolutionary Convention unanimously passed the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Notice it precedes our National Declaration of Independence By a mere several weeks. "The Virginia Declaration was remarkably influential. In addition to directly informing bills of rights framed in numerous states (including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina), it would go on to influence the creation and adoption of the national Bill of Rights. Perhaps most importantly, the Declaration�s opening lines��all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights �; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety��informed the key language of equality and unalienable rights in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. This would become a defining expression of an American political creed." Today we talk with the author of a paper that explores this important Virginian document. https://lawliberty.org/the-virginia-declaration-of-rights-at-250/

Participants: Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, Dan Elmendorf

The spiritual kingdom of Christ is exercised sovereignly in the hearts of his elect (where He alone is lord of the conscience), and the temporal kingdom of Christ made manifest in the outward life of God's people in the visible church and in the commonwealth. This is the normal Reformed "two kingdom" view. Whereas there is a more radical or modern extreme view that has come out of Westminster West Seminary in Escondido.

Participants: Pastor Bill Shishko, Dan Elmendorf

God created marriage - one man, one woman, and its for your lifetime. Our guest today starts off our discussion by advising "don't ever use the D word. Don't let that into your discussion." Couple struggle. It happens all the time. There may be times for a biblical divorce but it should be rare. With marriage often comes children and eventually grandchildren. As we air this today, it is Dan and Deb's wedding anniversary. Our granddaughter Katie has joined Dan in the studio. She just wanted to overserve and didn't participate, except to say hi! We cover the situation of homosexuality - our guest has done a lot of work in this area. In many cases he has discovered that the father was not really present. Our guest says that the father needs to be actively involved. If a young lady has the affection of her father, generally she will not go after other boys in a sexual way. We discuss the advantage of getting married early. The timing of marriage is important. If a couple of going to get married and they have attraction for each other, its better that they get married. The Apostle spoke to this when he mentioned that a "burning" takes place and its better to be married. Our guest got married early and even without much money. God richly blessed him and his wife. God protected over the long haul and provided their needs. Our guest talks about the seeds and roots of bitterness that come into a marriage. Participants: Pastor Al Baker, Dan Elmendorf

This week, Our friend Dr. Peter Hammond is in these United States on a ministry tour. He shares that he visited the Kennedy Space Center to witness the launch of a SpaceX rocket. The launch was perfect and the return of the booster rocket to the launchpad with pinpoint accuracy was quite interesting. Peter has some observations about the effectiveness and lower cost of private enterprise, as well as its overall success. Its also faster to deploy. Peter comments on the freedom that he sees in our state of Florida. Encouraging words. As we talked with Peter, he was at in Georgia, on a farm. He had limited access to the internet, but we got through! Participants: Dr. Peter Hammond, Dan Elmendorf

Have you experienced going through a pastoral search for your church? If so, you know it can be a long process. Each church has its own process, but basic to the search is finding the right match in terms of the future pastor's character, what he believes, his preaching, interest in pastoring the people, etc. The list is long and certainly varies with the congregation. Typically there is a pastoral search committee or pulpit committee that is setup. This group of people are trusted with all information that comes in from the applicants. They are able to keep confidences. It is essential that they do a good job of vetting the candidate. Today we talk with a seasoned pastor about this important subject. He gives us some insights and encouragement. Participants: Rev. Dr. Al Baker, Dan Elmendorf

There is an reality show called "Home Town." A couple specialize in revitalizing historic properties in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Its always interesting to see turn of the century homes take on new life for the new owner. A recurring theme we've noticed is that most families desire a front porch. This seems to be a staple for southern families. So, with that in the back of our minds, we record an episode of A Plain Answer on the virtual front porch today, with our dear friend Pastor John Vance. He's got an iced tea and Dan has a coffee. We begin our discussion with no script, and no idea even, of what we are going to talk about. As Pastor Vance joins us, he's just completed voting earlier this morning, in a primary in West Virginia. He reminds us that we don't need to have a perfect society to participate in the civil realm, and in voting, for example. The discussion naturally drifts to the invasion of Islam into our land. We are seeing an increase in violence and unwelcome demonstrations by this movement that bottom line, is an apocalyptic terrorist organization. Islam is basically a death cult. The word "Islam" does not mean peace as George W. Bush told us. Rather it means submission. Islam has a mandate and we who are not Muslims, must submit to their law. We are reminded that the name of their law is "Sharia." There are two basic parties in Islam - that is, Sunni and Shia. Of the world's total Islamic population of 2 billion Muslims, about 13% of them are Shia. Twelver Shia, is the largest branch. The Shia try to create conditions for the Mahdi to return. The Mahdi is a messianic figure in Islamic belief. He is comparable to the Christian concept of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We then talk about some Christian books of interest for those who want to understand the intellectual roots of Christianity. Several authors are mentioned besides the Bible, which is primary. These are C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity), John Stott (Christian Basics), and J.I. Packer (Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God). Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf

If you're like most of us, you find that its hard to keep up with all the demands. Some of you are homeschoolers and the demands are great. Especially for the moms. Many of the Christian families are also larger. That implies more work for the parents, and again, especially the moms. This weekend is also Mother's Day - and so its appropriate even more so, that we consider this topic. We are talking with a seasoned pastor who has ministered to many families over the decades. We are encouraged to take time for ourselves. Its not selfish to do so. Jesus would at times tell his disciples to come aside and rest for a while. This applies to us! We are also reminded of the Christian Sabbath day of Sunday. That is a prime day to come aside, worship as a family and then spend the whole day in relaxing and enjoying fellowship. This can be very healing. Participants: Pastor Bill Shishko, Dan Elmendorf