VCY America

Mike Gendron is founder and director of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry. Mike was a devout Roman Catholic for over 3 decades and was taught to rely upon the authority of the church above all else. Mike searched the Scriptures and was amazed to find that what he read in Scripture contradicted the teaching and tradition of the church he had been a part of for so long. He trusted Jesus as his Savior and now the Bible has become his sole authority in all matters of faith. Mike is the author of the books, Preparing for Eternity and Contending for the Gospel and has produced numerous videos with warnings concerning false teachings vs. the truth of the Scriptures. There are numerous concerns regarding Pope Francis. Some have pointed to his ecumenical stance. We've seen his coming together with Islam, his praise of Buddhism and promotion of liberation theology. There's his softening of the stance on homosexuality or the relaxing of rules that previously barred men with deep seeded homosexual tendencies from entering the priesthood. Then in December, Pope Francis (who has accused Israel of genocide) prayed before what was called a 'politicized' Palestinian nativity scene as the baby Jesus wasn't wrapped in swaddling clothes, but instead was wearing a keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Roman Catholicism has a long history of veering from Scripture. There's their false view of Matthew 16:18 from which they derive their origin. There's purgatory, infant baptism for regeneration, transubstantiation, the selling of indulgences, the sinlessness of Mary and so much more. However, now it seems that the Pope is in some ways moving away from church tradition as well.

Today we brought back a feature that we first conducted in 2017 after President Trump was inaugurated for his first term. We did it again early in the Biden presidency. This feature is called "Dear Mr. President" where listeners are encouraged to call in and share what they would say to the President of the United States if they could speak to him for 30-45 seconds. A copy of this program is being sent to the White House. We are now 2 weeks into the second Trump presidency and matters are moving at lightning speed. Jim began the program by giving an overview of what has transpired so far and then opened phone lines for the remainder.

News from around the world, viewed from a Christian perspective. It's Crosstalk's News Round-Up and Comment broadcast. Here's a sample of what Jim shared with listeners: --In a post on social media early Thursday, President Trump criticized the control tower workers and the crew of the Black Hawk military helicopter involved in the deadly mid-air collision of the helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 over the Potomac River Wednesday evening. --President Trump ties Biden's DEI initiative to lower standards at the Federal Aviation Administration. --Jim provided audio from Pete Hegseth, Trump's secretary of defense, as he commented on why positions such as being an air traffic controller should be merit-based. --A preliminary FAA report indicated that staffing at the air traffic control tower was not normal at the time of the jet/helicopter collision. --The internal FAA report says the controller who was handling helicopters in the vicinity on Wednesday evening was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways. A supervisor combined those duties sometime before 9:30pm and allowed one controller to leave according to a person briefed on the staffing who was not authorized to speak publicly. --President Trump named a new acting administrator of the FAA and signed a memorandum that called for an "immediate assessment of aviation safety," in the wake of the tragic plane crash near Washington, D.C. --Another plane heading to Reagan National Airport almost crashed into a helicopter the night before (Tuesday evening). --A Massachusetts man was arrested and charged Monday with trying to kill Trump administration officials.

This program featured Chris Katulka, live from Israel. Chris is assistant director of North American Ministries at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and host of The Friends of Israel Today radio program. He is a Bible teacher, writer for Israel My Glory magazine and is author of the book, Israel Always. The release of Israeli hostages has been a step by step process that's set to take place over several weeks. Previously, seven had been released and now more have been set free. According to Chris, we could see up to seven released this week as well. He also indicated that a few of those released today were Thai workers who come to Israel to work on the farms to help with the elderly. As everyone can see, Hamas releases few Israelis while Israel has continued to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This shows how Israel values life while Hamas values death. Has the U.S. been funding the Palestinian Authority? What was the mood like in Israel for Holocaust Memorial Day? How would King David be ruling the people at a time like this? What does the new Trump presidency mean to Israel? You'll hear responses to these and other discussion points on this edition of Crosstalk. More Information To obtain a free, one-year subscription to Israel My Glory magazine, call 1-800-257-7843.

Since the November 5th election and the subsequent January 20th inauguration, a major shakeup has occurred. This shakeup is not only happening domestically, but around the world. We've seen the early results as multiple leaders from around the world traveled to Mar-a-Lago between the election and the inauguration, sensing not only a new day for America, but also for the world. While the inauguration was taking place, leaders were also gathering in Davos, Switzerland, for a meeting of the World Economic Forum. 3 days after the inauguration, President Trump spoke at the event. Jim aired the president's full address, along with questions from two of those who were on hand: Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America and Ana Botin, Executive Chairman of Santander Group. Before getting to that, Jim aired audio from the World Economic Forum from one year ago. It's at this meeting that they discussed the impact of elections happening that year. For them, 2024 was the year they felt they had to watch as they talked about election risk and that depending upon who's elected, they'll have to rely on Congress and the courts. On the final day of last year's forum, a panel met to discuss the global economic outlook where Trump's return was viewed with concern. At that time there was concern by leaders about having to 'Trump proof' their economies should he win the election. There's more to take in, including breaking news, as Jim reported that President Trump announced he would sign an executive order for the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 criminal illegal aliens.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church where he served as the senior pastor for 36 years. He is the speaker on the Running to Win radio broadcast and an award-winning author. Some of his titles include We Will Not Be Silenced, The Eclipse of God, When a Nation Forgets God, and The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent. He's with us today discussing his book One Minute After You Die, a title with more than 700,000 copies in print. As we start the New Year, many of us look for new beginnings, new opportunities, and new resolutions. We think of vibrancy and all that we want to get accomplished during the year. Very few enter a new year thinking about death. Yet, death comes to all. It is critically important that we understand that death is not the end. As our guest today has written, "For some, death is the beginning of unending bliss. For others, it will be unending despair. Either you will be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or you will be catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. One minute after you die, you will either be elated or terrified. And it will be too late to reroute your travel plans. Your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable." What can we expect one minute after we die? As we begin this New Year of 2025, it is critical for each of us to consider our own eternal destiny and to be a witness to others who also must come to this realization.

Jim began by quoting 1 Peter 5:8 which says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."Jim began this way because as he also pointed out, our culture today is inundated with films, books, toys, games and other items designed to lure and attract people into the occult. Children and teens are constantly exposed to these efforts and worsening the situation are social media phone apps and popular online programs/games featuring occult themes.This program is a warning from Marcia Montenegro. Before becoming a Christian, Marcia was involved for many years in Eastern spiritual beliefs (Hindu and Buddhist), New Age, and occult practices. She was a certified, professional astrologer who taught Astrology for several years. She served as chairperson of the Astrology Board of Examiners and president of the Astrological Society in Atlanta. She came to Christ and is now engaged in her full-time ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age. She's spoken around the country and writes on New Age and occult topics published in magazines, journals and books. She is co-author of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret and is author of the book discussed on this broadcast, Spellbound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today's Kids.Marcia began by defining the occult as a set of practices that involve either an attempt to contact an invisible/supernatural being or an attempt to use or manipulate some kind of supernatural source. It can also involve reading or finding hidden or secret meaning into things.

The Feast of Trumpets is prophetic of the gathering of the children of Israel, followed by Yom Kippur / The Day of Atonement. God will bring together His people and establish them in the land at last. The Feast of Tabernacles - God tabernacles with His chosen people - the 1,000 year reign of Christ!

There was more from the never ending news cycle; news that's important to be seen from a Christian perspective. Sitting in for Jim Schneider, Dalton Windsor had much to present. Here's a sample of stories that were aired:--President Trump started his day in North Carolina to survey the situation surrounding those who suffered last year due to Hurricane Helene. He will head to Los Angeles and then Nevada. --Trump said on Truth Social that Governor Newsom refused to sign the Water Restoration Declaration that was put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snow melt from the north to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.--California Democrats blocked a Republican amendment to add 1 billion dollars in wildfire prevention funding to the state's 2.5 billion dollar wildfire recovery bill during a simple procedural vote.--President Trump spoke to the World Economic Forum in Davos where he gave an America first presentation.--A news poll says 77% of Canadians want an immediate election to deal with Trump's tariff threat. --President Trump signed pardons for imprisoned pro-life Christians.--President Trump announced a purge of over 1,000 Biden appointees. --Former National Security Advisor John Bolton as well as Dr. Fauci have had their security details removed.