This week on The Biggest Story, we’re witnessing a rare moment of calm in the Middle East following a sudden and sweeping turn of events—President Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and now a ceasefire has settled over the region. But that ceasefire comes with clashing declarations of victory: Israel claims it removed an existential threat, Iran insists it remains unshaken, and the U.S. defends the success of its mission. Christians must remember the biblical call to value true strength, discern truth through evidence, and humbly reserve judgment when facts are unclear. And as always, we must not forget that peace in this world will never be final until Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, returns to establish it forever.

This week, the biggest story is the conflict erupting between Israel and Iran. After years of tension, Israel launched a decisive strike—Operation Rising Lion—targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities and eliminating key military leaders. The world now waits in anxious uncertainty as missiles fly and nations posture. The Bible tells us that righteousness must sometimes confront wickedness, not out of a desire for war, but out of a commitment to peace through strength. Just as God did not leave the conflict between Himself and sinful humanity unresolved, but met it in the power of His Son’s cross, so we are reminded that hope, courage, and clarity come not from avoiding conflict, but from facing it with the truth.

At this year’s Southern Baptist Convention, we witnessed the beauty and the burden of being a convictional people. On the one hand, we celebrated missionary commissioning to unreached nations, record church planting, and the strength of our seminaries. On the other hand, we faced hard debates about the ERLC and female pastors' role that exposed real fractures in our fellowship. Forty percent called to abolish the ERLC, and once again, we failed to reach the supermajority needed for constitutional clarity on pastoral qualifications. These are not peripheral issues—they strike at the heart of who we are. The future of our cooperation depends on convictional clarity, not cultural compromise. Now more than ever, we need Bible-believing Southern Baptists to stay in the room, stay engaged, and speak with courage.

This week, we witnessed a heartbreaking act of hatred in Boulder, Colorado, where a peaceful gathering of Jewish men and women assembled to pray and advocate for Israeli hostages was violently attacked. This wicked assault reminds us of the deep depravity that surfaces when sinful people reject the holy authority of God, abandon the blessing of good and just law, and allow human wrath to replace divine justice. Yet even in the face of such evil, we are called to remember the goodness of God’s law, the grace found in his gospel, and the hope that Christ alone offers to a world torn apart by hatred.

Heath Lambert analyzes the biggest story of the week: revelations about former President Biden's health decline and the systematic coverup by his inner circle. Discover what this scandal reveals about our culture's relationship with truth and why only Christ can restore our commitment to reality.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction and this week's biggest story

0:50 Context: Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis and timing of the announcement

1:39 Jake Tapper's book exposing the health coverup scandal

2:17 Five parties responsible for the Biden health coverup

4:15 Two crucial lessons about lying we must understand

5:16 How lies separate reporting from reality

6:02 The deeper cultural problem: millions willingly deceived

6:44 Why only Jesus Christ can fix our truth crisis

KEY POINTS:

- Former President Biden announced a serious prostate cancer diagnosis just before damaging book revelations

- Jake Tapper's "Original Sin" exposes a systematic coverup of Biden's cognitive decline during his presidency

- Five responsible parties in the coverup:

Two fundamental lessons about lying:

1. Lies separate the reporting of reality from reality itself

2. People lie when dishonesty serves their selfish interests better than truth

The real crisis isn't just political lies but a culture willing to embrace obvious deceptions

A civilization that rejects obvious reality is on the brink of destruction

Only Jesus Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life," can restore our commitment to truth

Join Heath Lambert every Friday for Christian analysis of the week's biggest news story.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

John 1:14 - Jesus "came from the Father, full of grace and truth"

John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

On April 21, 2025, Pope Francis died at age 88, ending a 12-year papacy marked by liberal reforms and a reluctance to defend traditional Catholic teachings. Just over two weeks later, on May 8, Cardinal Robert Prevost—an American and close ally of Francis—was elected as his successor, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. His election was historic: the first American pope, and a continuation of Francis’s legacy. While the papacy is not a biblical office, its global influence matters deeply. Protestants reject the theological foundations of the papacy but recognize the importance of shared moral convictions. If Pope Leo continues Francis's doctrinal drift, it will signal a deepening moral crisis with global consequences.

The biggest story of this week is the death of Pope Francis, a man who led the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years and left behind a legacy marked more by silence than doctrinal change. As Protestants, we do not share Catholic theology, but we recognize the weight of this moment for our Catholic friends and mourn with them in their grief, as Scripture calls us to in Romans 12:15. Yet we must also heed the sobering lesson from Hebrews 2:1—that spiritual drift begins not with bold defiance, but with quiet compromise. Pope Francis’s refusal to clearly defend biblical morality, especially on issues of marriage and sexuality, should concern us all. In a time when the world desperately needs moral clarity, the church must speak with conviction.

It’s Friday, April 11, 2025, and the biggest story of the week is The Trump Tariff Turmoil. President Donald Trump has followed through on his promise to impose new tariffs on imported goods, aiming to correct long-standing trade imbalances that hurt American producers. While some countries have been granted a pause to negotiate, China has not—and tensions are rising. Predictably, media reactions have focused on political outrage and economic fear, but that misses the deeper issue.

For decades, America has accepted unfair trade practices in exchange for cheap goods, weakening our production and piling up debt. President Trump sees government action as necessary to fix this. Whether you agree or not, he’s doing what he said he would do. The bigger question is whether we, as a nation, will keep chasing quick political wins or choose to endure short-term pain for long-term good. The Bible calls us to do what is right, even when it’s hard.

Pastor Heath Lambert explains the reason for this show that examines current events through a biblical lens. Rather than diving into specific headlines this week, he addresses the foundational question: Why should Christians engage with news and current events at all?

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Introduction to the show's purpose

0:42 - The controversy of Christian engagement with news

1:58 - Three biblical reasons Christians should engage the headlines

2:15 - Reason #1: Evangelism requires cultural engagement (Acts 17:23)

3:32 - Reason #2: Jesus used current events to teach spiritual truth (Luke 13:4-5)

4:30 - Reason #3: We will inevitably think about the news—the question is how

This thoughtful introduction addresses the tension many Christians feel between avoiding worldly controversies and fulfilling their calling to engage culture. Pastor Lambert acknowledges that this approach will sometimes create disagreement, but argues that three biblical principles make this engagement necessary:

- Evangelistic Purpose - Following Paul's example at the Areopagus, Christians must understand their culture to effectively communicate the gospel to their neighbors

- Discipleship Growth - Jesus himself referenced "headline news" (like the tower of Siloam tragedy) to help people understand spiritual realities and their need for God

- Inevitable Engagement - Since we will think about and discuss current events anyway, 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls us to "take every thought captive to obey Christ"—including our thoughts about the news

Join this weekly examination of the biggest stories through a distinctly Christian worldview, designed to help believers navigate our complex world with biblical wisdom rather than partisan talking points.

Scripture references: Acts 17:23, Luke 13:4-5, 2 Corinthians 10:5

How can Christians navigate the intense polarization surrounding Donald Trump? This commentary offers a thoughtful framework for evaluating political figures while maintaining biblical faithfulness.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Introduction to the divisive nature of Trump discussions

0:44 - The reality of Trump inspiring deliberate conflict

1:45 - Moving beyond headlines to examine Christian conflict

2:24 - The problem with all-or-nothing evaluations of Trump

3:07 - Introducing the "Political Pyramid" framework

3:25 - Foundation level: Commitment to Jesus Christ

4:15 - Second level: Commitment to conservatism

5:07 - Third level: Republicanism as a political organization

5:48 - Top level: Individual candidates (including Trump)

6:21 - Why Christianity remains non-negotiable while political figures are most negotiable

7:47 - Conclusion and looking ahead

This analysis explores how Christians can maintain both grace and truth when discussing polarizing political figures. Rather than adopting simplistic "all good" or "all bad" positions about President Trump, believers are encouraged to evaluate his actions against a hierarchy of commitments:

1. Christ First - Our primary loyalty belongs to Jesus alone, not to any political movement or figure (Galatians 2:20)

2. Conservative Principles - Individual liberty, limited government, and traditional institutions form the next layer of commitment

3. Party Affiliation - While imperfect, the Republican platform aligns more closely with the above commitments than alternatives

4. Individual Candidates - Including Trump, whose actions should be evaluated based on consistency with more foundational principles

By maintaining this principled hierarchy, Christians can praise actions that align with deeper commitments while criticizing those that don't—avoiding the trap of prejudicial thinking that characterizes much of today's political discourse.