What in the World? Podcast

For those of you who watched the RNC last week, what an amazing event! Less than one week after an assassination attempt on his life, President Trump declared from the stage that it is only by the grace of the Almighty God that he is standing before us now. The change in his demeanor as a result of the Lord’s miraculous protection was evident to those watching.

Many speakers at the convention and pillars of the Republican Party share our faith in Jesus Christ and understand that only the Lord can heal our land, as prescribed in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

But not all.

As we approach July 4 — the day when we celebrate our freedom in America — let’s take some time to recognize what makes this country unique. Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals line up to enter the United States (legally) in search of the American dream.

Why do we not see masses looking to emigrate to countries such as Mexico, Germany, Peru, Switzerland, or even Australia? Why do they want to come HERE?

Make no mistake: The United States is far from perfect. The “Land of the Free” is facing unprecedented challenges that threaten our way of life: surging gas prices, rapidly rising inflation, the humanitarian crisis at our southern border, escalating crime and lawlessness in our cities, and the undermining of our culture by those who hate America.

As America deals with the fall-out from this administration’s illegal immigration crisis, I wanted to take a moment to recognize and celebrate legal immigrants — those who came for the promise of America through the proper channels and have assimilated into our culture. They were not born here, and yet they consider themselves Americans.

The civics test below is given to applicants wishing to become naturalized citizens. Hear the answers to the first 47 questions.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources/study-for-the-test

The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.

As the United States deals with the fall-out from this administration’s illegal immigration crisis, I wanted to take a moment to recognize and celebrate legal immigrants — those who came for the promise of America through the proper channels and have assimilated into our culture. They were not born here, and yet they consider themselves Americans.

The civics test below is given to applicants wishing to become naturalized citizens.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources/study-for-the-test

June has always been my favorite month of the year. When I was younger, June represented the first month of freedom as the school year ended. It’s swimming pool and picnic season. In Western Pennsylvania, where we live, the temperatures are most moderate in June.

Lately, however, June—hailed by some as “Pride Month”—has become a month-long reminder of the depths of depravity our culture has fallen to.

LINKS:

Target Pride Month partner boasts about satanism: 'Satan Respects Pronouns' | Washington Examiner

'Erasing women': Adidas women's swimsuit model has chest hair and bulge; pride-themed clothing line launched to 'honor the LGBTQIA+ community' - TheBlaze

Anheuser Stock Loses $27B Over Dylan Mulvaney | Newsmax.com

target stock - Search (bing.com)

'Huge success': LA Dodgers protest rally dwarfs support for blasphemous 'Pride Night' - LifeSite (lifesitenews.com)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+14%3A12-17&version=NLT

http://www.itunescharts.net/us/charts/songs/2023/06/18

In America, we’ve become so accustomed to hearing about how pastors can’t talk about politics from the pulpit that we seldom stop to question why. We would expect this level of censorship from authoritarian governments such as Cuba, China, and Venezuela, but the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects everyone’s ability to speak freely.

It's true. Neither the Constitution nor the Bible restrict political discussions in houses of worship, so why does the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?

It shouldn’t shock you that the reason pastors can’t endorse or even discuss political campaigns originated with a jaded politician. In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson proposed an amendment to the tax code (a.k.a., The Johnson Amendment)  that greatly restricted the free speech of pastors and churches.

Although there is a shroud of secrecy around how Congress was able to push through this legislation without any discussion about how this would affect churches, his motives are less obscure.

Senator Johnson of Texas, the future president of the United States, forced the amendment out of his anger that two local non-profits had voiced support for his primary opponent.

There you have it. “The IRS rule that strips tax exemption from churches engaged in electioneering was born of Lyndon Johnson’s Texas politics, not the U.S. Constitution . . .” according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

As we enter 2024, I want to take the opportunity to assess the moment in time in which we find ourselves. To summarize in a sentence, “Welcome to the new era of deception.”

Our current predicament reminded me of the iconic scene from The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends were cowering in front of the great and powerful Wizard of Oz until that fateful moment when Dorothy’s dog, Toto, exposes the Wizard as a fraud.

How does he respond? The fake wizard says, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

Or, in other words, don’t look at what’s right in front of your eyes. Ignore civilizations for the last millennia where men and women had distinct physical characteristics and only women could have babies. Of course, you can change the laws of nature. After all, it is 2024…

Earlier this week, I read an article about how a trans-identifying boy won the Girls’ Irish Dancing Competition in order to head to the Worlds in the U14 division.

Parents expressed their outrage on having to explain to their 13-year-old daughters how a boy with physical advantages is allowed to take the prestigious title from them after they’ve worked so hard for it.

The boy’s name was omitted from the article since he was a minor; however, the author noted that the child previously placed 11th place in the Boys’ World Championships earlier this year.

Today we’re going to explore an email from a mom challenging her son’s choice to alter his identity. As implicated in the account above, parents have a profound impact on how a child views himself. A thirteen-year-old boy could not register for the girls' division without parental involvement. In the same way, college students still depend on those they trust the most to speak the truth with love and compassion.

Although this letter is hypothetical, the situation is not. Many parents are struggling with how to confront their young adults on this critical issue.

NOTES:

https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/12/07/exclusive-parents-speak-out-after-boy-wins-girls-irish-dancing-regional-championships/

https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/emergencies-infant-feeding/health-equity.html

This week in What in the World? we are taking a different approach to one cultural issue we’ve been discussing lately. Below is a letter from a brokenhearted father pleading with his 15-year-old daughter to reconsider her decision to become transgendered.

Although the conversation is hypothetical, the situation is not. Every day parents, pastors, and concerned friends and family members are having to address the painful reality of young men and women—sometimes mere children—making a life-altering decision with limited information.

Here’s the challenge: How can we share the truth with love, compassion, and grace? My hope is that the letter below will provide some clarity on the challenges lying ahead for transitioning teens and how we can communicate this out of care for the individual. Please feel free to share this with anyone who is, or could be, struggling with this difficult issue.

Yes, it’s true. The Electric Vehicle Industry is slowly self-destructing because consumer demand for these products is plummeting. General Motors quietly announced on October 18 that it is delaying production of all-electric trucks at Orion Assembly in suburban Detroit until late 2025.

In response to the spiraling sales of EVs, the Ram brand is providing a groundbreaking solution: The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger will come complete with a 3.6-liter V6 gas-powered engine linked to a generator that can recharge the battery while the truck is moving. Read more here.

Imagine that. Adding a gas-powered generator to recharge the truck’s battery. These people must think we’re stupid.

LINKS:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/17/gm-to-delay-ev-truck-production-at-michigan-plant.html

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/electric-vehicle-sales-growth-slowing-stellantis-ram-brand-104679539

The World's Largest Oil Reserves by Country - WorldAtlas