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Look to Crosstalk each Friday when you want to get caught up on news items where they're presented and discussed from a Christian perspective. Here are some highlights from this week's program: --Israel faces a political stalemate following Tuesday's national elections, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition falling short of a parliamentary majority despite his party emerging as the nation's largest political faction. --Israel's Central Election Committee chair has ordered the Shin Bet security agency to investigate allegations that foreign interests, potentially including Qatar and Turkey, funneled money into Israel to influence Tuesday's parliamentary elections, triggering a political confrontation over the legitimacy of the vote. --Communist revolutionaries, socialist activists and pro-Palestinian agitators from a network of 106 organizations are preparing to stage a carefully choreographed spectacle of global unrest today at ports from Oakland, California, all the way to India, as they protest Israel and capitalist barbarism. --The IDF announced Sunday it had killed two terrorists in associated airstrikes in the Gaza Strip last week, accusing them of transferring millions of shekels from Iran and Turkey to Hamas' military wing throughout the war. --The Israeli Knesset approved the second and third readings of a bill to prosecute the perpetrators of the October 7th massacre. --Iran issued a desperate call for unity among Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani authorities despite its proxy attack on Saudi Arabia. --Iran is preparing to disrupt the U.S. mid-term elections after attempting to interfere in Israel's vote.

Michael Germi is a former Muslim born in Iran into a Shia Muslim family. In this setting he learned to practice Islam praying 5 times a day toward Mecca. He fasted during Ramadan. He practiced self-mutilation for the cause of Allah. He migrated to Australia in 2006 and in 2009 placed his trust in Jesus Christ. He later moved to the U.S. where he is a missionary with Baptist World Mission and now proclaims the Gospel to Islamic nations by satellite TV, satellite radio and internet radio. He's written several Farsi Christian books and desires to plant churches around the world where Persians are scattered. Islam is dominating the educational system with libraries and schools celebrating Muslim Heritage Month or Muslim history month. Field trips have been taken to mosques. Students have had to learn the pillars of Islam and give the Islamic confession of faith. Islam is also advancing in politics with local governments and state governments issuing proclamations recognizing Islam. So don't miss this broadcast as Michael describes the "how" and the "why" questions as they pertain to the growth of Muslims/Islam worldwide, the ultimate goal of Islam and its feelings about democracy, and what Sharia is about. Michael leaves listeners on a positive note as you'll hear him explain where your ultimate hope lies. Listeners contributed to the broadcast as well. More Information: besharat.tv/english

Some call the Bible just a book of fairy tales, some call it a bronze age book that cannot be trusted. Some claim that it's a book filled with contradictions, historical inaccuracies and that it conflicts with modern scientific thought. But the Bible says in Psalm 119:160, "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." And Jesus said, as is recorded in Matthew 5:18, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." So is it possible to make a compelling case that Christian belief is based in evidential reality and is far from being a blind or naïve leap of faith? The answer to that is yes! Why do people question or even attack the Bible? Does "apologetics" mean Christians are apologizing for the Bible or their faith? What does it mean that the Bible is inspired by God? Is it inerrant, sufficient and complete? What are six of the most compelling lines of evidence related to the Bible? These and other related questions are answered by Todd Hampson. Todd is an author, speaker, illustrator, animation producer, and co-host of the Prophecy Pros podcast. Todd's award-winning animation company, Timbuktoons, has produced content for many well-known ministry organizations. Todd has a burden to reach the next generation with the Gospel through the convincing proofs of Bible prophecy and apologetics--the very things that led to his salvation as a teenager. He is author of the newly released, "The Apologetics Guide to Trusting the Bible."

The clock is ticking and the calendar pages are turning as we approach the November 3rd election, one week from today. What's on the ballot? It's socialism vs. capitalism. Abortion vs life. Many genders vs. male & female. Anti-Israel or pro-Israel. Secure borders or open borders. The abolition of police or law enforcement. The advancement of Islam or the advancement of Christian values. Indeed, faith is on the ballot. You must realize that those who are victorious in this election will vote on issues like these one way or the other. The control of the U.S. House and Senate weighs in the balance. But it's not only Washington DC, it's your state offices, your state legislatures, your courts, your sheriffs, your referendum questions and the list goes on. There will be decisions made that will impact and shape your schools, your courts, your communities. Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter." We must recognize both the wonderful privilege we have and with that comes an important duty, a stewardship before God. That's why the guest on this edition of Crosstalk is urging Christians to get off the sideline. That guest was Debbie Wuthnow. Debbie is president of iVoterGuide, a division of American Family Association Action. She was named president in 2018. They provide information on many thousands of candidates in thousands of races nationwide. What can we learn from the 2020 mid-term election? Will this election bring momentum to the 2028 presidential election? How extensive is the information presented by ivoterguide? Get the answers on this edition of Crosstalk!

Jason Woolford is the President and Executive Director of Mission Cry. When we compare the United States to the rest of the world, we are a land of plenty. We have plenty of food. People from other countries marvel when they walk in our grocery stores and see all the varieties and brands of each food and full shelves. Compared to the rest of the world, we have plenty of fresh water. There are many who have little or very dirty water. We have much technology and quick access to it. We have Christian broadcasting available over the air and by way of apps. We have many churches scattered all over the state and around the country. And we have the Scriptures; not just a single copy that a whole church or region has to share, but we have multiple copies in our home where each person usually has more than one Bible. But there are many around the world who long to have their own copy of the Scriptures, but due to either lack of resources or lack of supply, they do not. However YOU can change that.

From Israel to China, from Trump to Talarico, here's a sample of stories from the first quarter hour of this week's News Round-Up & Comment: --5 Israeli's were wounded, including 2 in critical condition, after two terrorists opened fire at a checkpoint at Judea Junction. That's near the Palestinian controlled city of Hebron. --16 people were killed and homes were destroyed after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit China's Tibet region last evening. --A ruptured chemical tank in Ohio billowed a white plume into the air for hours Wednesday, forcing hundreds of residents out of their homes due to fears of toxic release and the possibility of another explosion. --First Lady Melania Trump has successfully negotiated a temporary cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine to allow humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations in the Russian occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky. --Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed, in principle, to resume U.S. mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine next month. --Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he is open to freezing the front lines of the war with Russia in an effort to bring the long running conflict to an end. --Federal prosecutors are planning to use DNA evidence to try and prove that Representative Ilhan Omar committed immigration fraud as part of the sprawling investigation into the congresswoman. --The federal search warrant against Ilhad Omar lists her under a different name which indicates that the Justice Department believes she's present in the U.S. under a false identity. --A winery co-owned by Omar's husband was shut down amid the fraud claims according to House Oversight Committee Chairman

As easy as we have it in the United States there are Christians all over the world that are suffering for their faith. Many families are hurting today because of a loved one that's been apprehended and incarcerated, some even killed. As a whole, Christian persecution around the globe is on the increase. It's been reported that roughly 1 in 7 Christians worldwide are facing persecution. That number is hard to fathom. These are brothers and sisters in Christ whom we will one day meet in heaven. "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." — Hebrews 13:3 There's a special day coming up that's being emphasized when churches everywhere pray for the persecuted church. It's called the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Joining Jim to tell listeners about it during the first half of this broadcast was Todd Nettleton. Todd is vice president for message for Voice of the Martyrs-USA and host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He serves as a voice for persecuted Christians, inspiring Christians with the faithfulness of Christ's followers in over 70 nations where they face persecution for wearing His name. During more than 25 years serving at VOM, Todd has traveled the world and conducted face-to-face interviews with hundreds of Christians who've endured persecution in more than 30 nations He is the author of When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians. During the second half of this program you'll hear a word from Bill Whatcott that he recorded yesterday afternoon from the Tacoma ICE Detention Facility (see Crosstalk for 10/21).

We are exactly two weeks from Election Day. Early voting is underway in many states yet every day leading up to the elections we are hearing news reports and broadcast stories referring to the polls. "The polls say…," "polling indicates…," "if the election were held today the polls show…," "the latest polls show…," "today's presidential approval rating is…" and the list goes on and on. Are you aware that polls are given in such a way to influence voters? Are you aware that polls are often given to discourage donors from giving? With the legacy media being in the driver's seat to so many of these poll-related stories, are they attempting to correct past mistakes or are they part of an effort to discourage conservatives? Joining Jim to discuss the weaponization of polls was Craig DeRoche. Craig is president and CEO of Family Policy Alliance and former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. He is a frequent speaker and author on faith, culture, public policy, and civic engagement. Callers helped wrap up the program with their thoughts and questions on this important subject. More Information: familypolicyalliance.com

With Election Day just two weeks away, we must be fully cognizant that life vs death, pro-life vs. pro-abortion is on the ballot. Those we elect to office and the ideals they hold will determine what type of policies advance, one to protect life, another to take life. Furthermore, a number of states have a referendum question on the ballot, a constitutional amendment which some states are seeking to enshrine abortion in their state constitution. Jim quoted from an article from LifeNews.com dated October 14, 2026. The article states, "House Democrats' health care working group handed House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries an 84-page playbook to run if they seize control in November. It maps out what they plan to do in their first 100 hours if they take back control of Congress. At the top of their list? Abortion. In their own words, they want to 'Reestablish a federal right to abortion care and end restrictions that prevent people covered through federal health programs from receiving abortion coverage.' In other words, abortion-on-demand nationwide, and you pay for it." In other words, some will literally be voting whether or not to add life or abortion to their state constitution. On this edition of Crosstalk you also hear about the recent report from the FDA that they will not complete their abortion pill safety review until March of 2027.