The month of June has been hijacked by the anti Christian culture
>> Jeff Chamblee: The month of June has been hijacked by the anti Christian culture to show their pride in something God calls an abomination. When you support afr, you help us continue to stand for godly values and provide the resources for you to stay in the know about the enemy's tactics. To say thank you for your gift this month we'll give you the booklet Inside the LGBTQ push of the 1990s. To help strengthen your convictions, just go to afr.netoffers afr.net offers welcome to today's Issues, offering a Christian response to the issues of the day. Here's your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, good morning, everybody, and welcome to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Today is Thursday, June 5th, 2025. I'm Tim Wildmon with Eds, and I hear Fred Jackson's here. Good morning, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: It's close. Ed.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, Ed.
>> Fred Jackson: Pretty close. Pretty close. Good to be.
>> Tim Wildmon: Good morning. Good morning, Chris Woodward.
>> Christopher Woodward: Good morning.
>> Tim Wildmon: And in Kansas City is our good friend Ray Pritchard. Good morning, Ray.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, Tim. How you doing this morning?
>> Tim Wildmon: Doing. Doing good. Summertime, is here, isn't it?
>> Fred Jackson: Tis.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah. You riding that bike this afternoon?
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, I'm thinking about it. We had a lot of rain, but it, the rain is gone. This, you know, I hadn't been so busy, but I think it's time to get on my bicycle again, you know.
>> Tim Wildmon: Now you used to do that religiously, right?
>> Tim Wildmon: I mean, yes, yes, I years, yes, I did. And then the, the tumult of the last couple of years and some health challenges and stuff. You know what I'm trying to do now, Tim? I'm trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. And I've got my Peloton app and I got my Fitbit and I got my Weight Watchers right there with you. I'm on about like a, only about a three week string of 10,000 steps a day.
>> Fred Jackson: Wow, good for you.
>> Tim Wildmon: What do you get out and walk, walk down the street and back or something?
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, yeah. And I, well, with my dog, I get Sadie and if I don't get her, she comes to get me. You have like this morning, she was waiting for me. She was waiting, laying on the rug when I came out of the bathroom because it meant, come on, dad, it's time to go for a walk.
>> Tim Wildmon: So that's funny how dogs have that intuition of sure of, what's going to happen next or want to anticipate or. Yeah, so, that's Great.
>> Tim Wildmon: She was not going to leave me alone until I took her on the walk. You know, she was just going to come and get. We went out and did about 4,000 steps this morning and,
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, they only got six more to go. Got 6,000 more to go today.
>> Tim Wildmon: Got about 6,000 more.
>> Christopher Woodward: I'm right there. I'm actually right there with you. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So you know what I'm talking about, Chris. Yeah, yeah.
>> Christopher Woodward: I. The medical professional I see for my healthy you recommends that I get up and walk more.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, my little dog I got, as a. I've mentioned before, I got 11 pound Maltese named Champ. And he, he, we named him that because, you know, small dog. We wanted to have a big name. Right. So, at night, about Alison, I, you know, we, go out. We usually go on our patio. But anyway, at night he knows it's time for his treat.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: He has a little. Give him a little treat. It's good for his dental, right?
>> Christopher Woodward: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: But it must be scrumptious because he like, he like, we, call him a crackhead because he like, he goes in the house and he starts flipping her on the carpet, looking at me. And he'll give me about, I don't know, a minute, maybe two to do what I need to do, if I need to change clothes or whatever like that. But, then he looks at me and he, he starts barking.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: yep. He didn't bark for much, but that treat is like, if you don't give me that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Come on, dad. Come on.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. If you don't give me that in the next two minutes, I don't know.
>> Fred Jackson: I might bite you.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm gonna freak out. But, anyway, it's just funny to watch how dogs react to different situations and how they anticipate. It's almost like they, they're non verbal humans, you know what I'm saying? in many ways.
>> Tim Wildmon: Do you ever, do you ever with your dog think she understands her he? He? They know what we're saying.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's a he. And he knows he's a male.
>> Tim Wildmon: He knows. He's very clear. He's very clear.
There's no gender confusion with my dog, Marlene says
Confusion.
>> Tim Wildmon: There's no gender confusion with my dog. Go ahead though. What were you gonna ask?
>> Tim Wildmon: Sometimes Marlene and I will be sitting there talking and we'll look at Sadie and she's reacting as if she understands every word we're saying.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Phenomenal.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. I don't know, they're. There's some truth to that. I mean, I don't know how to explain it, but, dog owners who had dogs for, had one dog or, you know, the same dog for a number of years, they understand it just, they just have this. I don't know what it is. $0.06 bonding. I don't know what, what you would call it. I don't think it's a spiritual gift in the Bible. But, it's a, it's a gift. It's a gift. It's a gift.
Supreme Court makes it easier to sue over reverse discrimination
all right, Chris, what's happening this morning?
>> Christopher Woodward: Tis the season for landmark Supreme Court rulings. I got big ones right here because.
>> Tim Wildmon: They announced this morning.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes. just before we came on the show here. And we have Posted this on afn.net I've shared the link to this on our Today's Issues Facebook page. We'll begin with this one. A unanimous Supreme Court made it easier today to bring lawsuits over so called reverse discrimination, siding with an Ohio woman who claims that she did not get a job and was then demoted because she is straight. The Justice's ruling today affects lawsuits in about half the states and the District of Columbia, where until now courts had set a higher bar when members of a majority group, including those who are white and heterosexual, sue for discrimination under federal law. Here's the juicy part of this story, Tim. Mr. President, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a, Biden nominee, wrote for the Supreme Court that federal civil rights law draws no distinction between members of a majority and a minority group.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow. It was just a. Was what was the, ruling?
>> Christopher Woodward: Unanimous.
>> Fred Jackson: Unanimous.
>> Christopher Woodward: Unanimous.
>> Fred Jackson: This is shocking, quite frankly.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Shocking that you have the decision written by Kentucky Brown Jackson, who is of the far, far left segment.
>> Tim Wildmon: KBJ is what I call her.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. Of the Supreme Court. But it's amazing what she wrote by establishing. This is her part, of her writing. By establishing the same protections for every individ without regard to that individual's membership in a minority or majority group. Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on, majority group plaintiffs alone. This, this is amazing. This involves Marlene Ames. She worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services for more than 20 years. She contended she was passed over for a promotion and then demoted because she is heterosexual. Both the jobs she sought and the one she had held was given to LGBTQ people. So this is a big, big decision today.
>> Tim Wildmon: And nine. Oh, yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: And nine.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh.
>> Christopher Woodward: The odds of that happening are pretty slim.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Christopher Woodward: On any case.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. So, so, so, if you're a employee and you feel like, or you can prove that you were discriminated against because of your,
>> Fred Jackson: I guess you're a heterosexual. You're part of a majority group.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. And they say, and you like this woman here. Well, that will make these corporations and employers think twice.
>> Fred Jackson: Absolutely.
>> Tim Wildmon: About DEI hires.
>> Fred Jackson: Exactly.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know what I'm saying? If they. If they know they can. If, they know they pass somebody over because they are heterosexual or because they are, white or they are male or female or whatever the case may be, you know, they're gonna. They're gonna. They're gonna think twice about their hiring practice.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, this should put the nail in the coffin for affirmative action programs.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. Yes. This should do it for any kind.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Christopher Woodward: And that was Asian students that went to the Supreme Court last year and got a ruling that struck down affirmative action in, college.
>> Tim Wildmon: What do you think about all this, Ray?
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, it's huge. And the points already been made in. In today's sharply divided ideological world in which we all live, and the Supreme Court's part of that, how often do you get a 9o decision on such a hot button issue as this? And to think that, Say your name again. You called her kbj.
>> Fred Jackson: Say the, Katanji Brown Jackson.
>> Tim Wildmon: She's the newest member of the Supreme Court.
>> Tim Wildmon: To think they gave it to her and she wrote it and it. And you didn't even have, evidently, caveats from, you know, Justice Thomas or anybody else. This is a huge win. Or religious liberty.
>> Tim Wildmon: And who did she work for?
>> Fred Jackson: She worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services for more than 20 years.
>> Tim Wildmon: And she claimed what now? Exactly.
>> Fred Jackson: She claimed she didn't get jobs and that, she was demoted because she was a heterosexual. Because. And. And the jobs were given to lgbt.
>> Christopher Woodward: Her supervisors were members of the lgbt.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, well, that wouldn't surprise me.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Christopher Woodward: That was an ADF case, which ADF they're batting about, I don't know.
>> Tim Wildmon: Alliance Defending Freedom.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah. Alliance Defending Freedom has a very good track record, at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court sided with Catholic Charities in a case over unemployment taxes
>> Tim Wildmon: Next story. Chris.
>> Christopher Woodward: another law firm that has a really good track record at the U.S. supreme Court is the Beckett law Firm. And I say that today because they notched another win when the Supreme Court sided with Catholic Charities in a religious rights case over unemployment taxes. Again, in a story you can find on our website, afn.net, the unanimous ruling comes in a case filed by the Catholic Charities Bureau, which says the state of Wisconsin violated the First Amendment's religious freedom guarantee when it required the organization to pay the tax while exempting other faith groups. I've got some audio here from Shannon Bream. Nine to zero again, another nine to zero.
>> Tim Wildmon: They're just singing Kumbaya down there at the Supreme Court, aren't they?
>> Christopher Woodward: Well, as, as of today, there are still some rulings. And I'll get to that in a moment after the sound bite, to help provide a little more context than I just did for the Catholic Charities case I'm talking about here.
Supreme Court rules Catholic charity does not have to pay Wisconsin unemployment taxes
Let's play, Fox News legal contributor Shannon Bream. Clip 12.
>> Speaker F: This Catholic charity and its sub entities that are about religious work. They were told by the Wisconsin state officials, first of all, that they couldn't get this tax break to other people, other organizations. And then they lost at the Wisconsin Supreme Court. So that lands at the Supreme Court. And unanimously, the court has decided in favor of those Catholic Charities. They should also be able to access that tax benefit. The court says it's fundamental to our constitutional order that the government is neutral when it comes to religious entities. They go on to say this. They say there may be some hard calls to make in policing that rule, but this is not one of them. They say in this case, when the government decides to distinguishes among religions based on theological differences, it imposes a preference that must satisfy the highest judicial scrutiny. And they said that wasn't done in this case. So essentially the case goes back down. But it's a win for these Catholic charity groups. And remember just days ago, a frustrating loss for a group of Catholic schools that were trying to get into the charter system that ended in a 4, 4 tie. That decision because Justice Barrett recused and they've lost at the lower level, meaning they lost the case. So a win for some of those Catholic groups today.
>> Christopher Woodward: Now, I bring this up from time to time on the show.
>> Tim Wildmon: Excuse me, interrupt me Just, just to be clear, because I m mean the, the, the basic. What hap. What, what's the three senates. What happened here that made them go to court?
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah, the Catholic Charities. The Supreme Court said that a Catholic charity does not have to pay Wisconsin unemployment taxes while other people, were required to pay into things.
>> Fred Jackson: What happened here is the state of Wisconsin went after this particular group, this particular Catholic group, is in the, helping people with disabilities. All right, they take a lot of public funding. This was the argument from Wisconsin. They take a lot of public funding and they also hire people who aren't Catholics or have no religion at all. So the state of Wisconsin was arguing you're more like a totally non Religious entity. M. Therefore you should have to pay taxes. Now here's the other thing that Wisconsin argued, and this is a financial argument. They're afraid now, the state of Wisconsin, that if, let's say you have a Catholic hospital, or a Baptist hospital, that they will argue we don't have to pay unemployment taxes because we have certain religious beliefs. And of course, if you start getting into big employers like that, they don't have to pay unemployment insurance. The state is arguing that makes it very tough on us in our unemployment insurance program. But the Supreme Court in the United States said today your arguments, don't wash here.
>> Christopher Woodward: Wisconsin, I think for people that might think, well, this is Catholic, I'm Baptist or Methodist, this doesn't impact me. Anything that involves a religious entity at the Supreme Court, winning is a victory for you and your place of worship.
>> Christopher Woodward: That's why, that's why it matters.
>> Tim Wildmon: Look, if it benefits the Catholics, it's going to benefit the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, the Baptists and all the rest of us. And in some ways there is government money involved here. Right. I mean, this was part of the state of Wisconsin's argument. You know, they receive government money and so that muddies the water a little bit with. So in my judgment, this 9, 0 ruling is even more remarkable than the other one. What a day. What a day for a conservative constitutionalist at the Supreme Court.
>> Fred Jackson: And there's more.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes, there's another.
>> Fred Jackson: Wait, wait, there's another Supreme Court decision, if you order.
United States Supreme Court blocks $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers
>> Tim Wildmon: Today.
>> Fred Jackson: The state of Mexico had, launched a lawsuit against firearm manufacturers in this country saying that they were to blame for gun violence. The United States Supreme Court this morning blocked a $10 billion lawsuit Mexico filed against top, firearm manufacturers here in the US and so that was a win for firearms manufacturers in this case.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. So Mexico was.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes, they came here to sue our gun makers, for gun violence in Mexico.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's not going to work.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, that's with the problem we have with illegal drugs, coming across the Mexican border. That's like the pot calling the kettle black.
>> Fred Jackson: That's for sure.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Good night.
>> Fred Jackson: Another unanimous decision. Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: They must have had a party or something.
>> Tim Wildmon: I think this is in the book of Revelation.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's a sign of something.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes. And thus the Supreme Court will have three unanimous decisions.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Announced on one day.
>> Fred Jackson: One day.
>> Tim Wildmon: Then the end is near.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah. Yeah. Now, one big Supreme Court case that we are still watching for. And this will no doubt have an impact on every state, in these United States of America. The U.S. supreme Court has still not decided U.S. v. Score Medi. That is the argument, brought by the Biden administration over Tennessee's ban on the gender manipulation of minors. 10. Tennessee is among the many states that says we don't want kids, under the age of 18 getting surgeries and cross ex hormones and things like that. So we're going to ban it. and the Biden administration took Tennessee to court over that. We'll see how these Supreme Court rules at some point later this month. If I had to guess, it'll be on a Friday.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm going to say they're going to go with state of Tennessee on that one. And state. And states have the right to regulate, what do you call them?
>> Christopher Woodward: we say the gender manipulation of minors in the.
>> Fred Jackson: Some call it gender mutilation, where you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Give, where you give minors, hormones, to change their testosterone or their estrogen, I guess, or you would do manipulation, surgeries on genitals and things of that nature. I mean this sounds gross, but this is what we're talking about is going on with some of these transgendered, the transgendered movement and what the Tennessee did. And I guess a lot of other states, Mississippi, some red states have said no, you can't do that to minors.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: In this just like, you know, there's, there are a lot of things that you can't. Minors can't access tobacco, alcohol, I mean they can't buy legally. I'm talking about things that can't. You can't drive till you're 16, can't get a tattoo. So there are many things that so I would imagine Supreme Court, Even if it's 5, 4, 6, 3, you're gonna go with the state of Tennessee. But what you're saying, we're waiting for that, that could come down that decision any day.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah, it will definitely be this month. most Supreme Court terms, in with June decisions, and then by July they all take.
>> Tim Wildmon: Don't you Ray, don't you have to be like, I know you don't have ear piercings, but, don't you, don't you have to be like a, 18 years old to get your ears pierced without. I'm talking about without parental consent. Y' all know this.
>> Tim Wildmon: You're asking wrong person. You're asking.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I don't know.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, do you know the answer to this question?
>> Fred Jackson: But I do know there was a time when a school couldn't even get. Give a kid an aspirin yeah. Without the parents approval, you can't book.
>> Christopher Woodward: A, you can't not book a doctor's appointment, by yourself under the age of 18.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, I should know this. I'm probably wrong on that, but, ear piercings used to be, I thought you had to have parental consent if you were a minor, but maybe, maybe I'm wrong about that.
>> Christopher Woodward: I have. I think I may have an answer to your question. According to Google's AI.
>> Tim Wildmon: What does Google say?
>> Christopher Woodward: I, say, Chris, in most jurisdictions, minors can have their ears pierced without parental consent if they were 14 years of age or older. However, some states may have different requirements or restrictions. That may be what you're thinking.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Christopher Woodward: Generally, if you were under 18, you will need parental consent for piercings other than earlobe piercings.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so. So there is some regulation. I'm saying 11 year old can't walk into a place and get an ear piercing or there without, parental consent. Okay. All right. You're listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio Network. Tim, Fred, Chris and Ray, next story.
President Trump has announced travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries
>> Christopher Woodward: Well, we want to mention something from President Trump himself. Again, a story on our website. the President has announced the travel travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries. I'm looking at our website here. The ban takes effect Monday, a cushion that may avoid the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. some of the countries we're banning travel to and from include Afghanistan, Myanmar, or Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran.
>> Tim Wildmon: I got a vacation plan there.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah, me too. Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. We do have some audio, from the President himself. It's about a 20 second clip here, explaining why we need something like this. Clip 1.
>> Fred Jackson: The strength of the restrictions we're applying depends on the severity of the threat posed. And likewise, new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world. But we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm. And nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, I got mixed feelings on this.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because banning countries, maybe that's the only way you can do it. I do not question what President Trump's motivation is right there. So I don't want that, you know, but, how many countries did he ban?
>> Christopher Woodward: We're on 19 right now, which is more than his previous to and from.
>> Fred Jackson: The 12 countries that have basically total restrictions. The President's argument is that these are countries, which don't vet anybody. So, you know, when somebody wants to come to this country, if it's travel, visa, whatever the case may be, the United States government has the right to say to that country, all right, does this person have a criminal record? Has this person been involved in things that we would not want in this country? These are countries that basically, do not have a setup that, according to the president, they sound like third world countries, for the most part, is efficient. Now, there are the other seven countries that Chris was talking about to make up the 19, like Cuba, Sierra Leone. there are going to be restrictions in place. Apparently they have some degree of vetting, but the President's not comfortable totally with those.
>> Tim Wildmon: I got you.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah. And he did tie the new ban, in more context here, he tied the new band to Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, but that guy was Egypt.
>> Christopher Woodward: That's true.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're going to ban Egyptians.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes. Well, we may, you know. No, we might.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're not.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, no.
>> Christopher Woodward: But here's the thing, though. Remember, he did something similar to this in his first four years, and it was wrongfully worded as a Muslim ban, even though countries on the list included Venezuela, which is not majority Muslim. They may have some Muslims, but it's not overwhelmingly Muslim. Like say Libya, Venezuela is on the list again. Republic of Congo, Equatorial guinea, as we talked about. So these are not all Muslim countries. Even though I guarantee you somebody on the View today or some other woke lefty is going to say as much.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, right. Any thoughts on this?
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, this is a two way ban, right? So that going and coming. So somebody, if. So somebody wants to take a vacation to Equatorial Guinea.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: They're going to have to go down the road to some other Africa country. I share your skepticism or your uncertainty about banning travel from entire countries, but terrorism is such a big business these days.
>> Tim Wildmon: yeah, but why don't you ban Egyptians? Okay, look, if this guy was from.
>> Tim Wildmon: Egypt, if this will force Eritrea, say Equatorial guinea and Burma to suddenly do what they should have been doing, which is to vet the people they let out of the country, that'll be a step in the right direction.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yep. I didn't even know. You know what? I've looked at the globe a thousand times. There's a country called Equity. What?
>> Christopher Woodward: Equatorial Guinea.
>> Tim Wildmon: Guinea. Ecuador. Guinea.
>> Tim Wildmon: Spell it, Chris. If you can spell it, you get half a day vacation, eq. No, no, no, no. You're looking right, you're looking right at Google. I didn't know I had to. I had to qualify. Okay. All right. Spell it for me, Chris, and you get two hours for lunch.
>> Christopher Woodward: E, Q, U, A, T, O, R, I, A, L, space, capital G, little U, I, N, E, A.
>> Fred Jackson: All right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Is that right?
>> Fred Jackson: Two hours for lunch.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well done.
>> Christopher Woodward: I'll be here. I'll be here working.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, you're almost rapping right there.
>> Christopher Woodward: You know, back in the day. Yeah, I grew up.
We will return with Dr. Alex McFarland next week
>> Tim Wildmon: What day was that? Back in the day?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, we know it wasn't, ah, rainy days and Mondays, whatever that means.
>> Tim Wildmon: that's an inside joke. You'd have to be listening to this show for a while to get that one. Carpenters. All right, we will return with, Dr. Alex McFarland, as our guest coming up. Stay with us.
Today marks three years since Roe v. Wade was overturned
>> Ed Vitagliano: This June 24th marks three years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. But here's what you may not know. Abortion numbers have surged to a 10 year high. The battleground has shifted from the courtroom to our homes. Today, over 60% of abortions happen through the abortion pill. Taken in silence, often alone, PreBorn Network clinics are standing in the gap, meeting women in their most desperate hour. And here's what they're Young mothers, terrified and misled, are delivering their babies, tiny, perfectly formed, onto bathroom floors. These precious babies, once called just tissue, now lie lifeless. 11% of these women who take the abortion pill will suffer serious health complications. Countless others carry emotional scars for a lifetime. When you give to preborn, you're not just saving a baby, you're saving a mother, too. You're giving her hope, financial support and the truth. PreBorn has already rescued over 350,000 babies. But there are so many more who need our help. Your tax deductible gift makes this mission possible. To donate now, dial £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250, baby. Or go to preborn.com afr that's preborn.com afr.
>> Jeff Chamblee: This is today's issues. Email your comments to commentsfr.net Past broadcasts of today's Issues are available for listening and viewing in the archive@afr.net now back to more of today's issues.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, welcome back everybody, to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. Tim, Fred, Chris and Ray, we thank you for listening to AFR. And joining us right now is Dr. Alex McFarland, host of. Co host of, Exploring the Word, heard weekdays at 3:00 Central Time, actually, 3,05 Central Time on American Family Radio. Each weekday afternoon, very popular program here on AFR exploring the word. Good morning, Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: Good morning, everybody.
If you get this text where they ask you to pay a toll, it's a scam
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, totally off subject, if you guys got this text where they ask you to pay a toll.
>> Fred Jackson: Oh yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: Oh yes, I got that like three days ago.
>> Tim Wildmon: They don't ask you to pay a toll. They tell you you didn't pay a toll and you better pay it.
>> Christopher Woodward: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. Contact us with your.
>> Tim Wildmon: You better click on this, and pay your toll.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Or you're going to get in trouble.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so everybody's getting this.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah. It's a scam.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Christopher Woodward: We ran a story from Fox.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's a scam.
>> Christopher Woodward: Scam.
>> Tim Wildmon: What now you tell me.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah, yeah. And we aired it.
>> Fred Jackson: you know, I had a trip to Florida back a couple of months ago. Here's what was interesting. I got home about, four days later, I got one of those. So they did know I was in Florida? Yeah, they, they, whoever they are. so they were able to track, I'm not sure what it would be whether you know, I was used a debit card or credit card, whatever the case may be. But they, they did know I was in Florida and they sent that email.
>> Tim Wildmon: M. That's kind of creepy.
>> Fred Jackson: Creepy, yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: But yeah, ah, Steve Jordan, who'll be in a little while, told me, that he has a, he got one from Colorado and he used to live in Colorado.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. So motor vehicle.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Records. Maybe.
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know. Anyway, you get one of these, Ray, yet?
>> Tim Wildmon: I get them all the time. And just like. Oh yeah. and just like you said, we were up in Chicago at a board meeting. Right. And there's some tollways you take to get there and back. Somehow they, whoever they are, they knew that we had been Chicago and sent me that scam text down in Florida and then came back and they, they somehow knew we'd been to Florida and we got that scam text. That is kind of scary.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. It's not that you don't get a, that getting scam emails or tolls, that's just the way of life in the world today. But I mean the fact that they would know you were in Florida or you were right. Whoever that could say whoever they are.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: And attach that to your phone number and then send you an email saying yep, all right. Or a text.
>> Alex McFarland: Anyway, yeah, I'm, I'm always renting rental cars, you know, traveling as I do. And so I got this one, two, three days ago about toll and I was like, I don't.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, you hadn't heard you hadn't heard of that, though? You didn't know it was a scam at first?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, I was cautious because I looked and, I got this text on my cell phone, but it. It had come from some long gobbledygook email, and I thought, okay, this does not look legit.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, right. All right. Alex, I had,
>> Christopher Woodward: We.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, we never know when we have you on what we're going to talk about. Exactly. Because it doesn't matter. Alex, is. Is they. He's all knowing. I'm, just kidding.
All of the New Testament writers either knew Jesus or knew somebody who did
I do want to ask you. I was reading, this morning about Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
>> Tim Wildmon: M. the. The four authors of the gospels, what we call the Gospels. Now, the gospel is a word that's interchangeable. The gospel means the good news. Right. It means good news. Right. The good news of Jesus Christ in a broad sense. But the gospel, as we refer to as the four. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. and two of those writers were actually apostles and two others. The other two were not. I got that right.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. Yeah. Matthew and John were apostles. That they knew Jesus. They saw the risen Jesus. so.
>> Tim Wildmon: Firsthand account.
>> Alex McFarland: Exactly. Eyewitness.
>> Tim Wildmon: Matthew and John. Then what about, Mark and Luke?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, Mark and Luke were apostolic, for sure. Mark, knew Peter and Peter knew Jesus. Luke knew Paul, and Paul saw the risen Jesus. And by the way, an apostle was one who either knew Jesus and. Or saw the risen Jesus. So that's, you know, scholars will talk about the apostolic witness. And all of the New Testament writers either knew Jesus or knew somebody who did know Jesus.
>> Tim Wildmon: You want to say anything, Fred?
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah. I think I've just been reading through, Luke in particular, and now I'm into Acts, which Luke also wrote. You know, he gave up a. Some people a very promising medical career.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: And, some of the background that I was reading, that God chose him, perhaps chose Luke because being a doctor, he had to be very detailed to write down symptoms when a patient would come, et cetera, et cetera. And so when you read Luke and you read the Acts, he's very detailed. But he gave up that career because we know he traveled with Paul. He went through what Paul went through. so just a fascinating guy, Luke. Yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: And, you know, Luke and Acts are so detail heavy. they do. And by the way, let me just say this about the Bible. Just as the incarnation of Christ, Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, but not fallen man. just as the incarnate son of God our Savior was both human and divine. The Bible is somewhat like that. The word of God, it is divine. It is the very, very word of God. And yet God sent his word, the written revelation through human penment. Roughly 40 authors working about 1500 years. The old Testament is Genesis through Malachi, the New Testament, Matthew through Revelation. And in regards to Luke and Acts, yes, it is the very word of God. And yet the humanness of the writers comes through. And many have said, you know, Luke and Acts are very detail heavy places, circumstances. And that would be what you would expect from a physician as Luke was a man of science, detail, detail, detail. And that's why, you know, many a skeptic has been converted by reading the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts because they are just so historically, just meticulously detailed.
>> Fred Jackson: We got two great Bible scholars here, Ray and Alex. I think Luke starts off. Sorry m. Tim. We'll include Tim.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, no, I wasn't slightly offended. I had to call. I had to clear m. My throat. I was not looking for that kind of.
>> Fred Jackson: We'll get Dr. Accolade, but I appreciate it for that. OK. Luke starts off in Acts 2. He says, oh, Theophilus. Who was Theophilus?
>> Alex McFarland: Because they're writing Theophilus was a person that Luke was trying to, basically convert.
>> Fred Jackson: Okay, so that he's real. some people have said he's kind of a made up figure, but there was a real Theophilus. That's what you believe, Alex?
>> Alex McFarland: Yes, Theophilus was a Roman official that Luke was trying to convert. and he's also mentioned in Luke 1:3. you know, I've always believed that he was a real historical person that Physician Luke was trying to persuade of the Gospel.
>> Tim Wildmon: Fred, you think he was an imaginary friend or something?
>> Fred Jackson: No, no. Some commentaries broaden it out. You know, it's just a name that he used for the, general audience. So I was just curious.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, right. Go ahead.
Tim Ferriss: Synoptic Gospels tell same story but from different perspectives
>> Tim Wildmon: Alex, I want to ask you a question about the four Gospels because there are some people who will say they come to the Bible. They're not skeptics in that sense, but they don't understand when we talk about the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel of John coming, you know, somewhat later, can you say a word to us about what was the emphasis of Matthew? What was he trying to get to? The emphasis of Mark, the emphasis of Luke and the emphasis of the Gospel of John. They tell the same story but from different perspectives.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. And by the way, the word synoptic means seeing together. And a lot of people, you know, have kind of said Matthew, Mark and Luke, they're kind of this one narrative. And John. Well, here are the emphases. Matthew is definitely to a Jewish audience. Matthew kind of maximizes on the Jewishness of Jesus. Jesus, fulfills all of the criteria for being the Messiah of Israel, the lineage of David. Mark really focuses on Jesus, the son of God, who suffered and in great power miraculously proved his deity and rose from the dead. Luke really gives, Jesus as kind of the savior of the world as he is. And by the way, this is, you know, GK Chesterton was a great scholar, wrote a book a hundred years ago called Orthodoxy. And he says Jesus really, is all things to all people. he is the King of kings, the Lord of Lords, but he's also the one touched with the feeling of our infirmities, who understands the downtrodden and the poor. And so Luke kind of does that, that, Jesus is the savior of the world. John. And I love the gospel of John. 21 chapters, folks. If you're wondering is this really real, pray in your heart, say, dear God, if you're real, show me. And then read the Gospel of John. there was a famed apologist, he was a great friend of mine, Norman Geisler. He's in heaven. Passed away in 2019. Geisler. He had what he called the Skeptics Challenge. He said, if you're a skeptic, read the Gospel of John three times and you will get saved. Say, God, if you're real, please show me. And then read the Gospel of John three times. And Norm said, he told me, he said he had had many a skeptic and agnostic. Say, by reading it one to two times, I'm convinced. So the Gospel of John highlights Jesus divinity, his eternality. One last thing. I'll throw it back to you, Tim. Sorry to go on a roll here.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's all right.
>> Alex McFarland: But of any New Testament writer, John the apostle got to look the farthest backward into eternity past and read John 1. John also got to look the farthest forward into eternity future by virtue of the Book of Revelation. But those four Gospel, Jesus is king of the Jews. Mark, Jesus is the suffering servant. Luke, Jesus is the Savior for whosoever will. And John, Jesus is the divine son of God. And those four biographies of Christ, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they're like four biographies that show God's great plan of salvation, God's great savior and God's Personal redeemer for all who will put their trust in him.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
Alex: Two people accepted Christ on live radio last Thursday
Alex, I know that you and Bert, each afternoon, you know, you go through the Bible on exploring the Word. You guys have had the opportunity to lead people to salvation in Christ on the radio. Live on the radio. Right.
>> Alex McFarland: A week ago today, last Thursday on live radio, two different people, one a, man, one woman, two different callers, each accepted Christ on live radio. And in the 15 years of exploring the Word, which was Tim Wildman's idea, by the way, kudos. But we've had lots and lots of people come to Christ or come back to Christ on live radio.
>> Christopher Woodward: Is it a week ago today, you said, yes, sir. I'll post the podcast on our page.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, great.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Alex McFarland: And we're in Romans 11 today, by the way.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep. You mentioned Romans. I just read a story yesterday praying for people who have. Who are seekers. reading a story about the actor Tim Allen. Yeah, he is reading through the Bible right now, and he's in the book of Romans.
>> Alex McFarland: Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: He's reading that right now.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, excellent.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Is he doing a commentary or something? How do you know this?
>> Fred Jackson: He's just. No, this was a story, I think, on Christian Post.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, okay.
>> Fred Jackson: And he's just. If you watched Last Man Standing like he would have.
>> Tim Wildmon: You're talking about the show that, Tim Allen does Home Improvement.
>> Fred Jackson: He used to do Home Improvement.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's how he got his popularity.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. Now he's done Last Man Standing, and I think he's on to something else.
>> Tim Wildmon: The Toy Story series.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes. Movies, very well known. But he's read through the Old Testament according to this story, and now he's in the book of Romans. So be praying for Tim Allen.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, absolutely.
>> Fred Jackson: You know, that, you know, but, you know, when he was doing Last Man Standing, he had Phil Robertson on a number of times, and there were scenes where they would stop and say grace before their meals. And so he's. There's something going on in Tim Allen's life right now.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yeah, he's been interested in faith and other things, over the years. I say that because years ago he wrote a book called I'm, Not Really Here, which involves some comedy, but also perspectives from people of other religions. So do. Yeah, as Fred mentioned, do be praying for him because he's apparently interested. Interested in it.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So Romans 11 this afternoon at 3:05 Central Time, right here on American Family Radio. Join Alex and Bert for the program exploring the word real, real quick.
You had 24 teenagers pray to accept Christ this week at your camp
Your summer camps for youth, are they going on Now?
>> Alex McFarland: Oh yeah, we just, in fact just late, late last night Angie picked me up at the airport. I got in from Montana, our first of seven camps and all those people out there heard about it through American Family Radio. Tim, we had. That I know of. We had 24 teenagers pray to accept Christ this week. and confidentially, let me say some real dramatic salvations among these teenagers. And then there were over 100 that had come back from last year that already were Christians learning biblical worldview. Just very excited about Jesus.
>> Tim Wildmon: Are your other camps, is there still some openings or are they sold out?
>> Alex McFarland: there's a waiting list on some. Virginia, We've got room. We're going to be the first week of August in the Richmond, Virginia area. A wonderful camp up there that we rented. The website is equipretreat.org of course a week from today I'll be arriving in Tupelo for the Activate summit. And hey, praise God. I'm twice at the COVID this summer. Both are already sold out. But Hey guys, I gotta say this real quick. Pray for Tim Allen. Joe Rogan is being witnessed to by a wonderful Canadian apologist named Wes Huff. hey, my friend Charlie Kirk has a very, very close friendship with a brilliant Jewish man named Ben Shapiro. I interviewed Ben Shapiro many years ago on Dr. Dobson's show. But here's the thing. okay. My friend Bob Smithauser@pluggedin.com interviewed Sylvester Stallone and Bob Smithauser called me up so excited he said, I met Stallone in a Denver hotel and first thing out of Stallone's mouth said I've been born again.
>> Fred Jackson: Wow.
>> Alex McFarland: And look, God is no respecter of persons, but when persons of influence and affluence get saved, God uses that. And you know, call me naive, but man, I pray for these. I pray for Barack Obama to give his life to Jesus. You know, and we need Elon Musk and, and Jeff Bezos and those folks, they need the Lord too.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Amen. All right, thanks Alex. Take care Lessons.
Alex McFarland offers Equip Retreat Camps in Virginia
Thanks everybody, that's Dr. Alex McFarland joining us.
>> Fred Jackson: great.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, if you live in, in Virginia, take advantage of that camp. Those. He said he's got a few slots open, right?
>> Fred Jackson: Huh?
>> Tim Wildmon: He didn't say when the dates were, but.
>> Fred Jackson: Yep.
>> Tim Wildmon: Check it out. What was the website? Do you remember the website?
>> Christopher Woodward: he gave Equip Retreat. I'll post the link.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. All right. I know today's issues. Facebook.
>> Christopher Woodward: Correct? It is. Well, you can also go to alexmcfarland.com and get the same information. Equip. Retreat Camps is the name of the. The, camps.
Chris: Fred and Ray may have more memories than I do
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, next story. Chris?
>> Christopher Woodward: Well, I just noticed this, and you were, just a few years ago talking to me. Yes, but I think, you were just a few years old when this occurred. But I, think it's, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: Older. Go ahead.
>> Christopher Woodward: Fred and Ray. Fred and Ray may have more memories.
>> Tim Wildmon: They're the old dogs in the room.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm midlife.
On this day in 1967, Israel staged a preemptive air assault
>> Christopher Woodward: So, on this day in history, in 1967, it was the start of the Six Day War, Israel, amid rising tensions with Egypt, Syria and Jordan, staged a preemptive air assault and soundly defeated those Arab countries, taking the old city of Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip before a ceasefire. I'm reading from Britannica. You may have some memories of that. what do you recall from that era?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, it's more of what I've read about it. And, Ray, please chime in here.
>> Tim Wildmon: We didn't have worldwide news exactly like we have today. Everything is spread instantaneously with video and cameras and everything.
>> Christopher Woodward: you had a guy that said, that's the way it is.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, I grew up with two TV channels. All right, so like you said, we didn't have this, but 67. When you read the wars that have occurred since Israel became a nation again in 1948, there have been at least three major challenges to that tiny nation. And 67 is just one of those. And each time, if you have an honest reading of those cases, it is miraculous, and I don't use that word, lightly. It is miraculous that Israel won those wars. They were heavily, heavily outmanned each time. But the brilliance that God has given Israeli generals and Israeli military people, it can only be explained that God's hand, God's favor is with the Jewish people. Ray.
>> Tim Wildmon: you know, I was. Got to do the math here. 15 years old, and as Tim said, we had no social media, the Internet, the personal computer. All that was, well, decades away.
>> Tim Wildmon: In the newspaper and the evening news. Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: That's exactly right. And that was abc, NBC, cbs. There was no cnn. There's no Fox News back then. And you didn't have, We're so used to people broadcasting right from the front lines. So with all that said, what I remember is that Israel desperate trouble in 1967 and got some help from the United States. Remember that? We sent, we sent it immediately. the Israelis acted quickly, counterattacked against overwhelming force. And what I do remember is at the, you know, that battle, that Six Day War was fought on several fronts, Tim, and one part of it was that the Israeli forces moved through the Sinai Desert, moved to the Suez Canal. Okay. And there for a short time held Egyptian territory as a part of that war. What I do remember seeing the famous AD that Israel put in the New York Times visit Israel and see the pyramids. And you know, just after a while they of course gave it back and there was the Sinai Agreement and all of that. But Fred's point is the real point here, that that's a war Israel could easily have lost with. Certainly, American help mattered a lot. But there's no question it was the providential hand of God preserving the Jewish people in a moment of grave crisis.
>> Tim Wildmon: So that was 1967. Today that, that, that started.
>> Christopher Woodward: Yes. On this day in history. Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. If I remember correctly, what it was, was, Israel was surrounded. Is surrounded and was at the time by, Arab countries.
>> Christopher Woodward: Syria,
>> Tim Wildmon: Jordan and Egypt. And Israel, you know, their intelligence, their, their, their information gathering in terms of their spies and so forth. They knew they were about to be attacked from all three of these countries. So they preemptively attacked those three countries and they were able to, as you say, miraculously, against overwhelming odds, win that Six Day War. And also they captured, Jerusalem. not just Jerusalem was split at the time they captured Jerusalem, which included the Temple Mount. Now the Temple Mount remains, a mosque. the mosque, the Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount. Correct me if I'm wrong, Ray, on.
>> Tim Wildmon: Any of this, but no, exactly right. In the Israeli forces, they took it over and then almost immediately gave it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Back so as not to inflame the situation any further.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah, yeah. Jordan actually controls the Temple Mountain.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, that, so for now. And the Temple Mount is right by the, right by the, Western Wall, which you can see there. If you go to Israel. We're going to go Israel in March. You can join us for that trip if you want to go into the Holy Land, in March. All right, if you want information on that, go to wildmangroup.com w I l d m o n group.com cost itinerary. Everything is, is posted there. We'll be back in five minutes with Steve Paisley. Jordal, stay with us. M the views and opinions expressed in.
>> Speaker F: This broadcast may not necessarily reflect those.
>> Tim Wildmon: Of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
