Can you be good without God? That’s Carmen’s opening conversational salvo.

She shared that earlier this mont, the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, moved to legally recognize polyamorous “families.” The linking of that decision to the economic stats Carmen offered might confuse you unless you know the connection between wealth and what people think about God – or don’t think about God when it comes to governing morality. Bottom line: the wealthier people are, the less they reportedly think they need God to be moral.

A Pew Research Center study released this week called the Global God Divide  surveyed 38,426 people in 34 countries last year. Overall, only 45 percent agreed that “belief in God is necessary in order to be moral and have good values.” And the higher a country’s GDP per capita, the less likely its people are to tie belief in God to morality.  That confirms what Cal Thomas shared in our conversation a couple of days ago about a nation’s decadence, theology, morality and ultimate expiration.

Carmen then shared about The Hallmark’s channel announcement that they are going to make LGBTQ themed movies. Carmen reminds us that “a hallmark is a stamp certifying the purity of a precious metal.  Hallmark is the gold standard – it is the purity measure.” She concludes, “If Hallmark is the hallmark of purity in our nation, God help us.”

Carmen’s conversation partners in this episode are Focus on the Family’s Adam Holtz who shares a number of headlines from PluggeIn.com and the dynamic Christian music duo, Seth and Nirva Ready. It’s an honest conversation with an interracial Christian couple you’ll want to hear.

 

 

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What’s your most embarrassing moment? Would anyone, other than you, remember it? That all depends on just how public it was and just how high profile the media (or social media) coverage. The illustration here is Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing out the first pitch in the much anticipated delayed opening day of MLB’s 2020 truncated season. Carmen offers up Jesus’ redemption of some people’s most embarrassing moments as encouragement for us to each/all live redemptively.

Imagine how the woman caught in adultery felt when her most embarrassing moment resulted in redemption? How can you be an ambassador of that King and that Kingdom today?

Carmen talks with Matthew Hawkins about the genocide of the Uighur people by communist China and the One America Movement of which Matt is a part. Then she talks with Chris Martin from LifeWay Social about a range of social media topics.

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Carmen leads off with:

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. – Psalm 118:24

On this date in 1904, the ice cream cone – a rolled cornucopia of crust designed to hold 2 scoops of ice cream – was first available. 

On this date in 1967 some of the bloodiest riots in American history started in Detroit.  But that was 1967…

On July 23, 1996, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team wins its first-ever team gold at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The 1996 U.S. women’s team, nicknamed the “Mag 7″ or “magnificent seven,” was made up of seven immensely talented teenaged girls: Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug. Four days later, a 40 lb pipe bomb would explode at Centennial Park and the Olympic experience would be forever changed. 

A lot can happen in a day…some of those things we can predict, anticipate, plan for – others we cannot. Today is a COVID19 “might have been” or “supposed to be” day for many people. 

There are no summer Olympics. There are no blockbuster summer movie premiers. There are no state fairs.  So, what is there celebrate? 

Well, here’s one happy distraction: today, today, is Major League Baseball’s Opening Day — delayed for 119 days — brings ballparks without fans, cardboard cutouts for spectators and personal rosin bags for pitchers, and a way for you to cheer – albeit online.  Tomorrow we’ll talk about how this goes…

Carmen’s talks in this episode with Peter Kapsner about a range of issues including ice cream and conspiracy theories and with Walter Strickland II about Kingdom diversity and the new book, For God So Loved the World: a blueprint for Kingdom diversity, which he co-edited.

You can find the article Peter and Carmen discussed here: Coronavirus, Conspiracy Theories and the Ninth Commandment – David French

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Carmen leads off with information from a new poll revealing that a stunning 62 percent overall say the political climate prevents them from saying what they believe. Conservatives far more than liberals (77 percent to 42 percent).  And, it turns out, liberals are far more likely to support firing someone simply due to their political donations. What does that say to about this particular cultural moment in America? And, as a Christian, commissioned by Christ to speak the truth in love and show forth the light of the Gospel in the darkness of our day, how do you get over your fear to give voice to your convictions? 

Carmen’s conversation partners in this episode are Ben Johnson and Tim Mahoney.

You can find the topics they discussed here:

Blog.acton.org HongKong and the Declaration of Independence

Blog.acton.org 6 quotes from the Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights

Patternsofevidence.com

 

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Carmen talks with Bill English from BibleandBusiness.com about the rising tide of bankruptcies and what’s ahead in several sectors of the economy.

Some of the stats they discuss are sobering:

The US Chamber of Commerce indicates 43% of all small businesses could close permanently in the next six months. According to Yelp, 15,000 restaurants have already closed permanently and the NRA (National Restaurant Association) reports food and beverage sales at restaurants are off $94 billion from March to May. Wall Street Journal reports “Many restaurant owners tapped the federal Paycheck Protection Program and negotiated breaks with their landlords. Now, some who got PPP loans say that money has been spent. And many landlords who offered rent deferments of a few months now want to be paid in August, said Alden Parker, co-chair of Fisher & Phillips’s National Hospitality Practice Group. They discuss the impact on all this on America’s farmers before turning their attention to the 25 million Americans who are set to lose the $600/week bump in federal unemployment benefits at the end of July. 

Then Carmen talks with syndicated columnist and author Cal Thomas about America’s Expiration Date.

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Planned Parenthood’s New York affiliate formally admitted the organization’s racist roots. Karen Seltzer, the chair of the New York affiliate’s board said, “The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color.” So, the logical next step is to stop aborting black babies, right? Wrong. Carmen’s lead off commentary reminds us that we must each learn to articulate the truth of God’s goodness manifest in every person, equally and all created in His image. We also need to learn to articulate what it means to be prolife for every life and all of life.  

Carmen talks in this episode with pastor Daryl Crouch about his latest blog at CrossTied.org and with Hunter Baker about a range of topics including so-called white fragility. (If you listen and wonder how to spell supercessionism, well, there you have it. You are welcome.)

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Carmen comments on data showing more babies are being carried to full term during the US Coronavirus shutdown. The speculation as to why opens the door to conversations about the first 1000 days of a child’s life – beginning the day they are conceived.

Carmen talks in this episode with Dr. Bret Nicks from the Christian Medical and Dental Association about promising vaccines and the value proposition of returning to school; and NewLife’s Steve Arterburn about 7 Ways to Choose Healing.

 

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Carmen leads off with a commentary on statements made by the former Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Joe Biden, at a Emgage Million Muslim voter summit. Mindful that both candidates will be pandering for votes among relatively small niche voter groups and will say things they would not say before a national audience, it is notable that Biden said, ““One of the things that I think is important: I wish, I wish we taught more in our schools about the Islamic faith,” Biden said. “What people don’t realize is … we all come from the same root here, in terms of our fundamental basic beliefs.”

Carmen unpacks that statement and offers some texture for conversation.

She points out that although Muslims Americans comprise a very small percentage of voters nationwide (about 1%)- there are 150,000 registered voters in Michigan who identify as Muslim. In 2016 Michigan was decided by less than 10,000 votes. The math is obvious. 

What Carmen says makes Biden’s statement particularly curious is the public aversion his party has to God. Carmen said, “the Democratic party has made its allegiance to godless government quite clear.” She points to efforts by Democratic lawmakers to

* remove the national motto, “In God We Trust,” for America’s currency,

* remove “One Nation under God” from the pledge of allegiance,

* voting God out of their official party platform in 2012 – only to put God back in after national backlash.

Carmen said, “the Democratic party, of whom Biden is the presumptive nominee for President, has a God problem and everyone knows it.”

She then helps us know how to lift up the conversations about the need for cultural literacy – including the tenets, practices, history and worldview of people of faith.

According to Pew’s Religious Landscape study, the people of the world identity as:

* 31.2% Christian in the U.S. 70%

* 24.1% Islamist

* 16% None/irreligious/a-theistic

* 15.1% Hindu

* 6.9% Buddhist

* 5.7% folk/animist/spiritualist/pagan/witch

0.2% Jewish

In the U.S. those numbers are quite different. Those surveyed in the U.S. identify as:

* 70% Christian

* 23% None/irreligous/a-theistic

* 2% Jewish

* 1.5% folk/animist/spiritualist/pagan/witch

* 1% Islamist

* <1% Hindu

* <1% Buddhist

As the 2020 U.S. election is likely to be decided by small margins in a handful of swing states, political promises made to religious minorities matters.

Carmen talks with Nick Pitts about headlines including Mark Cuban, the NBA and China’s human rights’ abuses as well as the Portland Wall of Moms.

In the second half, Carmen’s guest is pastor Glen Berteau. He shares about his experience of death – and newness of life. His book is Why Am I Not Healed? (when God promised)

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Carmen talks with Dr. Linda Mintle about the difference between cravings and hunger – and what to do about emotional eating.

http://drlindamintle.com/2020/07/07/is-it-a-craving-or-hunger/

Then, Carmen talks with David Aikman about China, Russia, Iran and Turkey.

* The dangerous alliance of Putin and Xi

* China’s equally dangerous alliance with Iran

* related: Iran executed a US/Israeli agent Iran claims spied on Qassem Soleimani

* related: Iranian nuclear facility crippled by mysterious attack – blames Israel

* The mess in Turkey

* And one really fun good news story! 

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The apostle Paul writes in the opening verses of Ephesians 4:

I … urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

What does it mean to lead such a life today? One such example is the late Congressman John Lewis.

John Lewis was the son of Alabama sharecroppers and he was only 23 years old in 1963 when he addressed the more than 250,000 people gathered on the National Mall for the March on Washington. That speech is now iconic. In it, Lewis said, “We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. How long can we be patient? We want our freedom, and we want it now. We do not want to go to jail. But we will go to jail if this is the price we must pay for love, brotherhood, and true peace.”

Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders and he was arrested 40 times from 1960 to 1966 protesting for racial justice.  His skull was fractured by police when he marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.  Lewis later said, “We were determined not to let any act of violence keep us from our goal. We knew our lives could be threatened, but we had made up our minds not to turn back.” 

John Lewis served in Congress since 1987 and on Friday, at the age of 80, he died of pancreatic cancer. Congress will not be the same without him. His life was lived with gravitas. His life was worthy of the calling to which he had been called.

In a statement former president George W. Bush said, “John answered brutal violence with courageous hope. And throughout his career as a civil rights leader and public servant, he worked to make our country a more perfect union.” I agree. 

John Lewis’ well lived life forces us to each ask: “Am I walking worthy today of the calling to which I have been called?”

I talk today with Dr. Zach Jenkins about all things COVID 19 and then with Tom Atema from Heart for Lebanon about the desperate situation in a country once regarded as the Riveria of the Middle East.

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