Religious institutions are increasingly threatened with lawsuits, smear cam­paigns, hostile media coverage, adversarial legislation, aggressive government administrative action, and more. Our friends at the Religious Freedom Institute will share strategies to help churches, Christians schools and ministries to remain faithful to their core convictions, identity, and mission.

Every Bible-believing Christian has the same duty to share the gospel. We even believe that it should be a high priority in our lives. So, why do so many of us (myself included) put the task of “sharing the gospel” on the back-burner? I tackle this question in part 1 of an extended teaching series focusing on various aspects of evangelism. This will be a major focus on the podcast in 2024. I want to help you share your faith more effectively and consistently.

Should Christians support the existence of Jewish temples or Islamic mosques? What about the rise of displays by the Satanic Temple? How do we make sense of religious freedom in a pluralistic society? Guest: Dr. Mark David Hall, professor of political science at Regent University

The big story over the Christmas break was the announcement from the Vatican about "blessing same sex couples." Some traditionalists have hailed this as pastorally helpful and clarifying, while others call it confusing and potentially troubling. Meanwhile the mainstream news reported the Roman Catholic Church as moving toward gay affirming.

I've asked my friend, Anthony Costello, back on the show to help us sort through the confusion and share his perspective as a thoughtful former Catholic about why Protestants ought to care about these developments.

Research and Sources:

- "Fiducia Supplicans"; https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html

- Fr. Raymond de Souza, National Catholic Register article from 1/04/2024 "Fiducia Supplicans 2.0"; https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/fiducia-supplicans-2-0

- Archbishop Joseph Naumann (Archbishop of Kansas City) "The Leaven" article from 1/12/2024; https://theleaven.org/fiducia-supplicans-does-not-change-perennial-church-teaching/

- Cardinal Sarah (former Prefect for the Congregation on Divine Worship, Archbishop of Guinea), quoted in the "Catholic Herald" from 1/9/2024; https://catholicherald.co.uk/cardinal-sarah-gives-in-depth-interview-on-fiducia-supplicans/

- Michael Sean Winters (liberal Catholic) "How big a deal is the new Vatican document on Same-Sex Blessings" in "The National Catholic Reporter"; https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-voices/how-big-deal-new-vatican-document-same-sex-blessings

- Anthony S. Layne, "Fiducia Supplicans, Infallibility, and a Reflection of Faith" in "The Catholic Stand" 1/15/2024; https://catholicstand.com/fiducia-supplicans-infallibility-reflection-faith/

Ian Paul on "Why No One wants the Prayers of Love and Faith" in the Church of England: https://www.psephizo.com/sexuality-2/why-no-one-wants-the-prayers-of-love-and-faith/

Ed Echeverria's 2019 2nd edition book on Pope Francis: https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Francis-Legacy-Vatican-II/dp/1943901112/

"Community Schools" are continuing to expand in 2024. However, we want to empower parents to know how to decode this movement. Parents deserve to know exactly what these are about. Guest: Kelly Ske

A couple weeks ago, I shared an IG slide sequence from the Raising Apologists account about Taylor Swift not being a role model for Christian girls. I was not prepared for the responses. The string had over 150 comments! Who knew that TS is a high interest topic among Christian mothers?! (Not me!)

I’ve asked my friend Amy Davison (from Mama Bear Apologetics) to come on so we could talk the tricky question: Is Taylor Swift a witch and is she promoting witchcraft? You won't want to miss this!

Research cited in the interview: https://pro.morningconsult.com/instant-intel/taylor-swift-fandom-demographic

Receipts:

1. She’s been laying the “witch aesthetic” since 2017 as seen in her music video "Ready For It": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIft-t-MQuE

-Burn all the witches written on the wall min 3:13

-Intro where she’s wearing the cloak and doing the empowered walk is the same in the witch scene of the willow music video and is said to be an Easter egg. https://ew.com/music/easter-eggs-taylor-swift-willow-music-video/

2. Where Taylor shares that she believes in karma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnbCSboujF4

3. "I did something bad": Snakes and flames 2018 American Music Award

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3QfCeclslM

-This is where she says “They’re burning witches even if you aren’t one and they’re doing it for fun,”

-The is the video where it looks like it takes place in hell

4. "Look what you made me do": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tmd-ClpJxA

- 2017 Loads of snakes in what looks like a Gothic church on a throne

5. Vlad Savchuk video evaluation the symbolism with Taylor Swift videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDmzNDrj2NI

-This is also were it’s mentioned about her faith confession tied to political stance is referenced

6. Chants to be said at TS concerts from “Summon the Demons” to “Take me to Church," https://www.elitedaily.com/lifestyle/taylor-swift-fan-chants-eras-tour

7. Video explaining symbolism behind TS and Ice Spice “Karma” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seqPf05HKfE

- Link to the actual “Karma” music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzOvgu3GPwY

-Also holds the scene were she’s dressed as satan/a demon

8. TS comment about training her fans to hunt for Easter eggs (symbolism) and how she uses numerology and forces it to work for it when it doesn’t happen organically. https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-numerology-swifties-obsession-1850729453

9. TS Christmas song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdX8LafiV3o

10. Moonlit Witch release tweet: https://www.reddit.com/r/TaylorSwift/comments/kdz9yv/taylor_releases_moonlit_witch_version_of_willow/

Lonely Witch release tweet: https://www.reddit.com/r/TaylorSwift/comments/kdftqy/taylor_releases_lonely_witch_remix_of_willow/

Dancing Witch release tweet: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/759541-taylor-swift-releases-two-more-remixes-of-her-latest-single-willow-following-dancing-witch

-These have been referenced by some social media accounts as proof she’s dabbling in witchcraft

-She’s romancing and promoting an aesthetic of witchcraft

11. TS encourages voting and gets 35k new voters: https://www.npr.org/2023/09/22/1201183160/taylor-swift-instagram-voter-registration

12. TS promotes LGBTQ+ to her fans: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-pride-month-eras-tour-chicago-1234746863/

13. TS bases Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for their joke: https://www.businessinsider.com/tina-fey-subtly-slammed-taylor-swift-2014-1

14. TS performing in cage build like a giant snake: https://hellogiggles.com/taylor-swift-reputation-tour-review/

The on-going war in Israel has raised several questions for us. What involvement should Christians have with war? Is there a biblical case for Christians to participate in the military, given that it could mean bombing innocent civilians? After all, didn’t Jesus command us to love our enemies and “turn the other cheek”? We asked Dr. Eric Patterson, the President of the Religious Freedom Institute, to share about his research related to a Christian perspective on war and peace, and everything in between.

I asked my friend, Pastor Jeremy Bannister, to come one and talk about how to set spiritual priorities in your family. We also tackle the tricky topic of extra curricular activities, and overcoming teenage apathy.

LIVE SEASON 6 kickoff! We talked to our friend, Katy Faust, about practical strategies for raising conservative kids in the midst of "woke" ideology, even if they attend public school.

In this special New Year's livestream, I shared some thoughts about ways I've changed since 2020, as well as what I see on the horizon for 2024. This is more of an informal commentary than a Bible teaching.