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. Today's Issues is the name of this program and it's Thursday, June 26, 2025. Joining, me in studio today for his excellent commentary, I'm sure Ed Battagliano. Good morning, Ed.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Hey, good morning, Tim. This is my, 1000th program here on Today's Issues.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, kidding. Who told you that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Just, made it up.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, it's good though, doesn't it?
>> Tim Wildmon: Fake news.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, it was fake news. I have no idea how many.
>> Tim Wildmon: How you doing, Chris?
>> Chris Woodward: Good morning, Ray Pritchard.
>> Tim Wildmon: How are you doing, brother Ray?
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, rocking and rolling here in Kansas City. How you doing, Tim?
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm doing great and, appreciate, everybody making time to be on the program today.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, I don't know what else you had going home, but. Hey, Ray, I was, I was curious. you've been to Kansas City now, what, three years, four years?
>> Tim Wildmon: About eight years coming on already.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: what's your favorite barbecue place in.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, that's easy. Okay, Tim, come to Kansas City. We place called Slaps.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Kansas City.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, Let me, let me. Okay. Okay, here it is. You know, they're fancy barbecue places. Put down a lot of money. Yeah, we got those, right?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: In fact, we got a place called Joe's. Not so fancy, but it's in a fort. Former gas station. It's the number six barbecue place in all of America. If you go a few miles to the west to a different part of town, we'll just leave it that way. Okay. To a part of town that you might not otherwise go to, necessarily. You go down a street and there on the street is Slaps Barbecue. And it's old fashioned, it's old school. You get burnt ins, Ed. You get burnt ins, you get ribs, you get Coleslaw. You get baked beans and they serve the white bread to me. That's one of the proofs of old school barbecue.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We can wipe your hands.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I want some white bread on the bottom of my barbecue. When you can get that, it slaps.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Now why is it a part of the town you wouldn't ordinarily go to?
>> Tim Wildmon: Actually, it's more. And that's really, it's not a bad part of town. It's more sort of industrial part of town. Right. And yet people come into this industrial part of Kansas City and there's always a line going out the door to get into slack.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But it's a dine in place.
>> Tim Wildmon: they've a dine in, they've got in nice area right now. And you got carry out and you got a lot of tables outside.
Ed Battagliano talks about his burnt end sandwich
>> Tim Wildmon: So now you said burnt, ends.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that term. You got to tell me what that means.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You don't know what burn ends means?
>> Tim Wildmon: I just explained it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You, you explain it right?
>> Tim Wildmon: You don't. Wait, hold on, hold on just a minute, Ray.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to guess. And it's, it's the end, it's the ends of the the, the big. I don't know if it's called brisket or what.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, is, that, is he onto something there?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he's on something, right? It's what it sounds like. It's, it's the ends of the meat that usually pretty crispy on the outside and some people love it and some people, well, they, they don't want the crispy stuff, but they cut it off. It's crispy on the outside and it is juicy. So you can get yourself a big plate of burnt ends and, and it's.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Got all the, all the spices and stuff.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah, you get a burn in sandwich too. I'm getting hungry.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm getting. Man, I'm all for that. I think a burnt end sandwich. Yes, absolutely. so, and then you could.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Just be like in my house and every meal you have has got a burn end of something.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right. But a boom, boom.
>> Chris Woodward: Joining us now over the phone is Ed's wife.
>> Tim Wildmon: Actually a very good burn in Battagliano.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Very good, cook.
>> Chris Woodward: You know, Ray and I had it, had a conversation, back in March, my wife and I were blessed with an opportunity to go to Branson and we ate at a barbecue place in Branson. That was very good. And it was unique for me in that I've had, you know, barbecue a lot over the years. but I asked for baked beans as my side, and they gave me what appeared to be like a. I guess a local spin on baked beans. It was like bean medley done as, like, baked beans. I had never in my life had.
>> Tim Wildmon: Butter bean medley, beans and navy beans. Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: I had never had it that way before. I thought. I thought it was good because they were slathered in barbecue sauce.
>> Tim Wildmon: Bean Medley is actually a Christian, rapper.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Have you all not heard him?
>> Ed Vitagliano: No.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, man, he can go.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's good.
>> Tim Wildmon: Live and concert medley on stage tonight. Bean medley.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Medley.
>> Tim Wildmon: Bean medley.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's all right.
>> Chris Woodward: He opened for the Carpenters in 1972. I teared up.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
You got about five places in America that have claim to fame on barbecue
All right. We're not going to tip off brother Alex McFarland, who's going to be on with us at the bottom of the hour, except to say we're gonna get him to comment on North Carolina.
>> Chris Woodward: Oh, yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, this is good.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, you got. You got about five places in America that have their claim to fame on barbecue, right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Texas. Be one of them.
>> Tim Wildmon: Texas brisket.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Memphis.
>> Tim Wildmon: Memphis. Memphis.
>> Ed Vitagliano: what about Memphis?
>> Tim Wildmon: You got. That's, pork. You got, North Carolina. They have their own flavor, right?
>> Tim Wildmon: That's exactly right. That's right.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's three.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And then Missouri.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I, know that Kansas City. Kansas City is four. You got Texas. You got North Carolina. You got Memphis. you got. Now, J.J. jasper will tell you, he hails from Kentucky. Owensboro.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Kentucky. And they have their own way to do barbecue.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Talking about burgoo like every other show.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Burgoo. Yeah. I don't know. Burg is not barbecue, though.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's not literally barbecue. I don't even know what category. Burger.
>> Tim Wildmon: Burgoo's, burger. He calls it burger and mutton or something like that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Anyway, those four places are maybe somewhere else. I'm forgetting right now, but those four places, Memphis, Kansas, City, North Carolina, Texas. And J.J. jasper would put,
>> Ed Vitagliano: What about New Orleans?
>> Tim Wildmon: New Orleans, they're not known for barbecue.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Mostly gumbo and.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, gumbo and gator. Things of that nature.
>> Chris Woodward: When we start a cooking show on radio.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. I don't know how we got off on this.
>> Tim Wildmon: I agree already.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't know.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so Alex McFarland will be with us at the bottom of the hour. What's, your first story there?
Supreme Court allows states to redirect Medicaid dollars away from Planned Parenthood
>> Chris Woodward: Well, I want to bring everybody's attention to a Supreme Court decision. This, six to three opinion, the U.S. supreme Court is now allowing states like South Carolina to redirect taxpayer dollars away from abortion facilities like Planned Parenthood. This is a case known as Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. And it involves something South Carolina sought out to do several years ago. That being redirect Medicaid funding, state and federal dollars away from places like Planned Parenthood. The concern being that Planned Parenthood turns around and uses those public tax dollars for things like abortion and gender transitions. People are not aware of this, but in addition to offering abortion services, Planned Parenthood has become a leader in providing minors, even minors with gender transition, drugs, hormones, things like that. And so South Carolina several years ago said, you know what? There are other better places to use taxpayer dollars. So Planned Parenthood, you're no longer going to get Medicaid funding from us because you're doing controversial things that taxpayers object to. And the Supreme Court today said, we are going to allow states like South Carolina to redirect taxpayer dollars away from you. Planned Parenthood. Again, it was a six to three, decision. Judge Gorsuch wrote the opinion and, liberal Justices Katanji Brown, Jackson, Sotomayor and Kagan dissented.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, and this is not just Planned Parenthood though, right? So all abortion providers, basically.
>> Chris Woodward: Yes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: It just had Planned Parenthood in the.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, listen, the vast majority of Americans, if you. Not. Not. This is not a legal question. This is a public opinion question. The last. The vast majority of Americans would be and are opposed to using tax dollars to pay for abortions. M. Okay. Even people who might say they're pro choice or whatever up to a certain time would, would agree, that you shouldn't use public funds to pay for a private decision, that is, that, kills an unborn baby.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: So. So this is a good decision by the Supreme Court. I think, South Carolina is probably one of the most pro life states in America anyway. but this is a, this is a good decision by the Supreme Court. I'm going to ask a question. I think I know the answer to it. Did you say Medicaid?
>> Chris Woodward: Medicaid.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, Medicaid. Is it. Is this tax dollars? Federal tax dollars that are divvied out to the states?
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah. Medicaid is a, venture that involves state and federal tax dollars, and it basically covers the things that Medicare does not. That was the purpose for the creation of Medicaid. So these are our tax dollars from South Carolinians, that are going up to Washington and coming back to help pay for Medicaid.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. All right. Well, that's a great decision by the United States Supreme Court. And let me remind folks, had not President Trump beaten Hillary Clinton, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: In a positive way today because you go all the way back to 2016. And President Trump, made a promise to appoint judges who are pro life to the federal, bench. And he did that with, as we're seeing now, and I would say, pro Constitution. Right, okay. Pro Constitution. but anyway, so these three justices, I know they haven't been universally applauded on every decision by conservatives. Right. But, but, but, but they, but the 6:3 decision, is a good one where you can't use, if states want to say you can't use federal, tax dollars to pay for abortion, they can do that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, it's a great decision in terms of the pro life position. It's also a victory for federalism, the idea that not every decision should be made by the Congress. And then especially contentious issues. South Carolina ought to have the right to fund or defund as they see fit. Virginia, same way. Illinois, the same way. Oregon, the same way. Good victory for federalism, which, I mean, the federalism principle goes all the way back to the very beginning, 1787. I think the Roberts court has made, several decisions in the last couple of years upholding this principle. I think that's great.
Court rules Mexican government cannot sue US Gun manufacturers over violence attributed to cartels
>> Ed Vitagliano: Also, just a side note, I'm just looking now because there are several other Supreme Court rulings. Are you guys going to be talking about the gun maker lawsuit?
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah, we're going to start following that after I get off the show.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay, so this is just a blurb here. Mexico's lawsuit against US Gun makers. The court ruled that the Mexican government cannot sue US Gun manufacturers over violence attributed to drug cartels. And so I'm not sure what the details are of the ruling, but that's, that's a good thing.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Mexico tried to sue, or did sue. Try to sue the United States, the gun makers. Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: Blaming them for gun violence in Mexico.
>> Ed Vitagliano: City because of guns that the gun makers make. And then the cartels by illegally take them over the border into Mexico and the cartels use those guns to kill Mexican citizens. So Mexico tried to sue these gun.
>> Tim Wildmon: Makers and the knife makers, too.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: Well, the Fed. The Supreme Court said, you can't do this.
>> Tim Wildmon: You can't. Yeah.
>> Chris Woodward: It's a silly argument.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. All right, you're listening to today's issues on afr Tim, Ed, Chris and Ray, next story.
The word nuclear is a serious problem for Southerners
Chris.
>> Chris Woodward: Well, the Trump administration continues to speak out against, media reports involving a so called leak report, showing that Saturday's B2 bombings of those Iranian nuclear facilities did not do the damage that Trump says.
>> Ed Vitagliano: What kind of facilities?
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know why. This is a, the word nuclear is a serious. Is a serious problem for Southerners and I hear it all over. It doesn't matter whether you're.
>> Chris Woodward: I'm team nuclear. I just stumbled.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's from Oklahoma to Florida. It's a problem and I don't know what to do about it.
>> Chris Woodward: There's one you a nuclear, but for some reason people put two, so.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, Ed, I'm sorry. I'm sure. Ray say the word nuclear. Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Did he get it?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, he got a nuclear. Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm gonna do it phonetically. So I would try, I'll try my best.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's not nuclear.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, when I say it, I can look at it 100 times, but that's what comes out.
>> Ed Vitagliano: George W. Bush was the same way.
>> Tim Wildmon: It just, I don't know what is where tongues work or something. Must be all the barbecue. I don't know what it is. So tell me how to say the word nuclear. All right, hold on. Nuke. Nuke. I'm gonna say N u K eat. I got nukes. Nuke.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Nuke. Clear.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, like clear, like clear.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Nuclear.
>> Tim Wildmon: Nuclear.
>> Chris Woodward: Nuclear.
>> Tim Wildmon: Did I get it?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Nuclear. You need a little bit?
>> Tim Wildmon: Hold on, let me do the nuke. nuke.
>> Tim Wildmon: I have three syllables.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Nuke, nuke. CLE cl.
>> Chris Woodward: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: How about this? Nuclear.
>> Ed Vitagliano: There you go.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, it always helps me to write it out phonetically.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm so proud of you.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm proud of myself.
>> Chris Woodward: Go get my cowbell and ring it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think, I think, Ray has the right. Remember, it has to be three syllables. Nuclear.
>> Tim Wildmon: We can do that in the South. Oh, yeah, we can definitely get a one word. A one syllable word. Make it three.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We can add syllables.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasts mainstream media over Syria strikes
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so back to the, Back to the story. What now?
>> Chris Woodward: The Trump administration continues to hammer media for doing a story on this saying the leaker should be in jail. It's. It's not true. Fake news, all these kinds of things. And this morning I'm gonna air one clip. We could go on and on because I had others. but I'm gonna do just one clip here of Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hammering, the mainstream media for its coverage of all this stuff.
>> Steve Hilton: Clip One, you cheer against Trump so hard, it's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad. You have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective. Maybe the way the Trump administration has represented him isn't true. So let's take half truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it. Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind, over whether or not our brave pilots were successful. How many stories have been written about how hard it is to, I don't know, fly a plane for 36 hours? Has MSNBC done that story? Has Fox? Have we done the story? How hard that is? Have we done it two or three times so that American people understand how about how difficult it is to shoot a drone from an F15 or 16 or F22 or F35, or what it's like to man a Patriot battery, or how hard it is to refuel midair, giving the American people an understanding of how complex and sophisticated this mission really was.
>> Tim Wildmon: Sounds like he's ready to cite a Bible verse. That's a sermon right there. But I understand his frustration. And he's chastising, a lot of the liberal media. They do. A lot of them have, what's called Trump derangement syndrome. I don't know how. Why. I guess it's just human nature when you. When you can't stand somebody so bad, you can't even give. Give them credit for.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: For. For, I, don't know, using a fork and knife. Right. Or something. it's just. And that's the way the media has become. And with Trump now, I will say this, Trump can dish it out, too.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: So. So Trump dishes, and people love that. A lot of people love that you fake media. And then he goes on the attack. And I understand why, you know, why he's done that over the years. It's been very effective. But when you do that and you get personal with reporters, for example, like he does the. What's the woman's name from cnn? Young woman. Who's the reporter who did the interview with him?
>> Chris Woodward: Caitlin Collins.
>> Tim Wildmon: Her. Yeah. See? And now she's sort of dishing back at him. So it becomes a little bit, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, it becomes a little bit, I would say, unnecessarily personal, but that's the way it is. And. But what He's. What, Pete Hackseth is calling out he Secretary of Defense. Right. Is the, the fact that these folks, many of them hate Trump so much because of his politics and his, antagonism towards them that they are, they have. Their objectivity no, longer exists, so that they can't even credit him or his administration for a successful, military operation. Go ahead.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, first of all, the, the achievement of those pilots is unbelievable. Pete Higgseth has a great point.
>> Tim Wildmon: What did he say?
>> Tim Wildmon: 32 hours, 36. 36 hours from. Okay. Taking off in Missouri, flying across the world, refueling several times along the way. Going into the middle of a war zone. Right, right. Dropping. Dropping those bunker buster bombs. Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And hit through an air shaft.
>> Tim Wildmon: Through an air shaft. Thank you. Through an air.
>> Tim Wildmon: Smart bombs.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: And, and clearing the area, long trip back, refueling on the way back. And we didn't lose a pilot, we didn't lose a plane. Our guys got it. And I guess guys and gals, who, whoever was flying the planes, they made it over there, they made it back. They're heroes. They deserve the greatest, the greatest amount of praise. They completely fulfilled the mission.
Some people will dishonor the military to score points against Donald Trump
Now it's another whole thing to talk about. What's the extent of the damage? And that's a fair debate to have, right? I mean, that's fair. It is. Mr. Trump's point is absolutely right. Same point you're making, that there are people who hate him so much they will dishonor these pilots and dishonor the military in order to score points against Donald Trump. That's disgraceful.
International Atomic Energy Agency chairman says centrifuges destroyed after US strikes
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, and, I mentioned this in our story meeting this morning, so I'll just let our listeners know. And while it's true, none of us are going to be granted permission from Iran to go over there and inspect, but this is, what the International Atomic Energy Agency, this is their chairman, Rafael Grassi.
>> Tim Wildmon: Rafael.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Rafael, yeah, yeah, that's.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I, knew him a few years ago.
>> Ed Vitagliano: How does he say you knew the whole Grassy family?
>> Tim Wildmon: Our past crossed. But it was, it was at a conference, just.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: But anyway, go ahead.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You and Raphael down by the schoolyard.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, yeah. Wait, Raphael, who did what now?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Rafael Grassi. He's the chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency. And so what they. What Grassy told Radio France. International. International now, I guess he said that the centrifuges at Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site, he said, quote, are no longer operational after the US Strikes. In the interview I'm reading now from, this is an article posted on X in the interview Grassy told IAEA officials. he said, the officials know. They know the installations like the back of our hand and can deduce fairly precise conclusions by looking at satellite images. He added, given the power of these devices and the technical characteristics of a centrifuge, we already know that these centrifuges are no longer operational because they are fairly precise machines and even vibrations from the bombs can completely destroy them. They don't even have to be hit, a direct hit. So, to me it seems that, that when President Trump says no, they, they were, obliterated. That, that's probably the truth.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, so the Pentagon, who. Pete Hexith is Secretary of Defense. So he's in. He's over. He's a, he's a cabinet position over the Pentagon. But the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Dan Kane, Raising cane. Think Trump called him raising cane, which is also a chicken place, right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: It is, I think so.
>> Tim Wildmon: Anyway, he said that, that the United States has been monitoring basically and making plans for, an attack if needed, if need be. And that's what happened on Iran's, what's called Fordo Nuclear facility. Did I get it right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Perfect.
>> Tim Wildmon: Did I nail it or what?
>> Tim Wildmon: Good. You nailed it.
>> Tim Wildmon: And they have been doing this since. They being our, defense, folks have been doing this since 2009.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They preparing for you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, preparing for this. So, anyway, that's, that's the situation there. And good for Pete Hexith. I think one of the reasons Pete Hexith was hired was for his ability to do what he just did right there. Wax eloquent and, and he's a excellent speaker and communicator, obviously.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And he knows his stuff.
>> Tim Wildmon: And he knows his stuff, obviously, from his time at Fox News on his weekend show and his appearances on, you know, Fox News down through the years.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And his time in the military.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes, but I'm talking about his ability to communicate articulate.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: is, is. He doesn't. He's excellent. He's excellent on TV and in the media is what I'm saying is. So, that's one of the reasons President Trump picked him. All right, we're going to take a break right here. A timeout.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We're go get some chicken from raising canes over 800.
>> Chris Woodward: Over 800 locations in the U.S. oh, is that right?
>> Ed Vitagliano: You look it up?
>> Chris Woodward: I looked it up, yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, we're going to be, back with, Dr. Alex McFarland in just a couple of minutes. You're listening to the radio program Today's issues on the American Family Radio.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And maybe we go to slaps after that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Sam.
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. Thanks for listening to afr. I'm Tim with Ed and Chris and Ray, and we hope you're having a nice day out there. And we, want to welcome Dr. Alex McFarland to our program now co host of Exploring the Word, heard each afternoon here, each weekday afternoon on American Family Radio, co hosted with brother Burt Harper.
Tim Ferriss: We just wrapped up camp number three in Georgia
Good morning, Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: Good morning, everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: You in the middle of your, summer camp tour?
>> Alex McFarland: We are. We just wrapped up camp number three.
>> Tim Wildmon: And how many you got?
>> Alex McFarland: we got seven total.
>> Tim Wildmon: So where were you? Where were you this week?
>> Alex McFarland: We were in Temple, Georgia. And that's a camp. We've done about eight or nine years and I think Temple is about as hot as Phoenix, Arizona, but we love it down there and the great kids had a lot of. Tim, I'm going to text you some really great pictures of kids, making decisions for Christ. But listen to this. There was, a young man named Isaac, an African American, 18 year old. Just graduated high school. And I've got a picture. He's a lot taller than me. He's going to Hardin M. Simmons University to study business. And I was so flattered. Isaac, this wonderful, godly, just, great young man, he came up to me and he was like, just really kind of giddy. He said, I'm so honored to meet you. I'm so honored to meet you. He said, I've listened to you and Bert since I was 12 years old, riding in the backseat of my mom's car. She keeps it on afr. And he said, you just. It was very humbling, Tim. He said, you have no idea how honored I am to meet you. And he was just like meeting, you know, a rock star. And I said, listen, man, I'm just a safe sinner. But I was thinking about this. Here is a young man. He said he's been listening to, exploring the Word since he was 12. And, Tim, I just give God the glory.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow.
>> Alex McFarland: Kids are getting saved.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Alex McFarland: Kids are getting discipled.
>> Tim Wildmon: So how tall was he?
>> Alex McFarland: I'm going to say he. I'm looking at this picture of he and I. I'm, If I stand up straight, I might be five, eight maybe. So I'm going to say this kid is like six or six. One or two.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Well, he, That's a great testimony. We've heard that, you know, when your kids, you're subjected to whatever your parents are listening to on the radio.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right, right.
>> Tim Wildmon: We all know that. And to have him, his mom is obviously a fine Christian lady. having him listen to American Family Radio and more importantly, the gospel message in its various forms here on AFR and have that impact him in such a profound way. And that we played a part in that is. Is just wonderful. Let me ask you.
>> Alex McFarland: I just texted you a picture.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: And it's also a picture of, some.
>> Tim Wildmon: Let me, Let me see.
>> Ed Vitagliano: By the way, it's not just you're subjected to radio. This is why. This is the only reason why I watched Lawrence Welk growing up is because I was subjected to what my parents were watching. So it goes both ways.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, give me a large. Well, kid, what do you say? What was that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: A one and a two and a three.
>> Alex McFarland: You know, I read he was a Christian.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Is that right? Yeah, sure didn't come through with his music, Bubbles.
>> Tim Wildmon: It sure did.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm just kidding. I, got your text. It was hard. It was harmless entertainment.
>> Tim Wildmon: You send a text to me?
>> Alex McFarland: I did, I did. Let me See, make sure. Yeah, maybe it'll come through. Of course. I'm in a studio. Oh, it's. It's like going slowly.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, it's one of those. Okay, we have to come back in 20 minutes and check. See if it's gone through yet or not.
North Carolina is known for its barbecue sauce called Texas Pete
All right. So, Alex, I was going to get. We want to jump into some, some topics here with you, but I wanted to ask you, because I asked Ray at the top of the program, Ray Rays with us from Kansas City. They have their own, barbecue in Kansas City that they like to brag about. So does North Carolina. What's. What's your best, What are they. What's the best thing they do in court? North Carolina, they're known for with barbecue.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, what we call barbecue is smoked pork shoulder.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: And it's chopped up now, down east, near the coast, they kind of season it with vinegar, and that's okay. Up here in the Piedmont, near Greensboro, Pleasant Garden, Lexington, it's more of a sauce that's got, like, some, pepper we've got. And I'm going to get a big amen from a lot of people in America. There is a sauce called Texas Pete.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: It's a hot sauce that we just think is the best. And, but north.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Texas Pete made in North Carolina.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, it's made in Winston.
>> Tim Wildmon: You can't believe anything anymore.
>> Chris Woodward: New York City.
>> Tim Wildmon: So Texas Pete made in North Carolina is. Use that every day on. Don't you. Or what? No, no, I use Louisiana.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I use Louisiana hot sauce on my eggs.
>> Alex McFarland: Oh, I like that, too.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, Texas.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I like that tiger sauce I use on different types of meats and rice.
>> Alex McFarland: Ironically, Texas Pete is not from Texas.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's. I did not know that. Yeah, but it's got a Texas cowboy on the bottle.
>> Tim Wildmon: Listen, thank you for a long time, but I don't think we should right now.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: I was preaching in Chicago, Illinois, and on Wednesday night, this is a couple years ago, is right before COVID but they said to honor Alex, we're going to have barbecue on Wednesday night, the final night of this worldview, conference I was doing. So we had a big thing before the service, and they gave me what I would call a sloppy joe, like hamburger bun with, you know, and it was great. And I said, hey, this is awesome. when are we going to get the barbecue? And he said, that's it. And I said, really? He said, that's barbecue, isn't it? And I said, well, this Is awesome. I'm loving it. But, this is not really barbecue. And I know, of course in Texas, which I love, there's brisket.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, brisket, yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: I'm a carnivore, man. I've had great meat all over America. But we North Carolinians, we like to think that, chopped smoked pork chops, shoulder. Makes the best barbecue.
>> Tim Wildmon: I got you.
How many more Worldview training camps do you have planned
All right, well, by, the way, how many more you said you got? Seven more. four more camps. These are Worldview, training camps for. For teenagers. basically, it's what you. Right, yes. Okay, so how many do you. So, do you have any space available at your last. 4.
>> Alex McFarland: Do you know? Actually, the only one where we have any space is Elgin, Illinois. We're going to be at Judson University. We've rented space there. The website is equipretreat.org. there's a waiting list. We've already done Iowa and Montana and Georgia. We've got South Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, and I'm at another camp that I do in Colorado next week. So the only one, if you go on equipretreat.org, elgin, Illinois, we have some space, and that's largely for college students.
>> Tim Wildmon: Where is Elgin?
>> Alex McFarland: kind of near Chicago.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, that's exactly right. That's right. It's. It's on the edge of metropolitan Chicago. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah.
Alex Rank: What drives Iranian hatred of Jews? Tim Ferriss: Impossible question
>> Tim Wildmon: All right. Well, Alex, I wanted you to. We never know what we're going to talk to you about. Know that. Anybody on this, on this panel here know what Tim's going to bring up? I have no idea. So I'm going to ask you a question. You may or may not. I know you know some of the biblical history of what I'm about to ask you, but, you know, the Iran, Israel, war conflict, ah, has been in the news. We all know about that. can you explain to me, what. What is the. There is no, reasonable explanation as normally relates to conflict or war in this situation that I can figure out. And I've asked get about this and he's commented on it, that is Israel. and Israel is obviously a Jewish country. They're 1500 miles or so, 12 to 1500 miles from Iran. There's no. There's no historical war over land. these two. These two peoples don't have anything really to fight about. there's no natural resources that are at stake here. the neighbors of Israel are Arab. the Iranians are Persian. now they are Muslim, but They're not the same kind of Muslims that are in the Arab world. So what is it that drives these, Ayatollah. This is not representative, I don't think, of the average Iranian person, although they've been brainwashed by propaganda against Israel and the Jews in America. But still, what is it that drives the hate for the Jews by these, that is. It was Khomeini. What's his proper name? I mean.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Khomeini. Khomeini.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ayatollah Khomeini, the supreme Islamic leader of Iran and basically the dictator. What drives this constant. He's like, he. He gets up every morning going, how can I hate Israel more today? when, What, what, what, what foments that?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, I mean, there has always been, just a deeply seated anti Semitism in Islam.
>> Tim Wildmon: all of Islam. You're saying Oshia and Sunni.
>> Alex McFarland: Okay, yes. And this is well documented, although it's not covered very much in the politically correct woke press of our times. But, Islam has been just heinously, full of Jew hatred for centuries. And, to understand the present moment, I mean, it all comes back to Ishmael versus Isaac, really. Abraham and Sarah had a child with Hagar, the Egyptian servant girl, Ishmael. And I want to be clear. Look, God loves all people. anyone who turns to Jesus can be saved. And certainly we pray for the salvation of all Arabic peoples, Muslim or whomever, we want them to be saved. But Isaac, through Abraham and Sarah, was the child of promise. And, and I just think it's fascinating that, you know, what's playing out in our world today. the children of Ishmael hating and resenting the children of Isaac. And like you say, there are no natural resources at stake, necessarily.
>> Tim Wildmon: There's no land. They're not fighting over land yet like Ukraine and Russia are.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, I don't get it. I mean, I do and I don't.
>> Alex McFarland: In 1984, Yasser Arafat, of the PLO was asked, you know, regarding, Palestinian relations with Israel, you know, what do you want? Because the UN was pressuring Israel to give up land for peace, which has never brought peace. And Yasser Arafat very candidly in 1984, said, what do we want? We want Israel driven into the sea. And I really think Mark Twain was right. And this was way before the restoration of Israel as a nation. May 14, 1948. But Mark Twain said, if there's anything that makes me believe in God and the supernatural, Mark Twain was not A Christian. But he said, if there's anything that would lead me to believe in God and the supernatural, it would be the Jewish people. Not only their preservation, but this inexplicable irrational animosity exhibited around the world. Even Mark Twain recognized. Here's this tiny little, you know, 1% of the human population, tiny little bit of land, and there's this inexplicable hatred of the Jews.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, yeah. Let me ask Rank, is there any, Alex. Excuse me, Finra. You want to finish that, I thought.
>> Alex McFarland: Or no, no.
Ray: Is there animosity between Persians and Jews in the Bible
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. I want to ask you, Ray, in the Bible, is there any, historical, animus between the people who now live in Iran, what we call Iran, which wasn't called that in the Bible, the Persian people and the Jewish people in Israel?
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, if you go back to the Book of Daniel, ah, you see the story of. Of Daniel, starting as a young man and living through the Babylonian era and then into the Medo Persian era. How God blessed him, how God promoted this Jewish man who had been taken captive as a boy, and he ends up as head of the Magi, which is like the whole group of the king's advisors. It's unbelievably important place. It's obvious Nebuchadnezzar, came to greatly respect, Daniel. So if you ask me, should there be friendship between the Jews and the Persians? Historically there should be, but it's exactly what Alex has said. There is an animosity, inside certain people toward the Jews, a hatred toward them. And you see it in what the Attila Khomeini is saying. What, these radical clerics, they don't just want to win. They want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. You can't blame Israel for standing up and defending themselves against people who wish they were dead.
>> Tim Wildmon: Just one other dynamic at work here which makes this harder to comprehend. really, that is Iran's just, Iran. Ayatollah, Khomeini's hatred for Israel. Like he's just, obsessed with it day and night. Death to Israel. Death to the America. Little Satan, big Satan. But the, Iranians are, as I say this I told the Khomeini is the, leader of the supreme leader of the. The Shia.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Of, Muslims in, Which is a. A different altogether. A different, religion. I don't know if all together is the right word, but a different religion than the Sunni. They consider each other cults, basically consider.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Each other like heretics.
>> Tim Wildmon: Heretics.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They're Both Muslim groups, but it has to do with, how the leadership unfolded after Muhammad died and who had the right to continue Islam. I can't remember all the details to that, but one branch went this way and the other branch went another way.
>> Tim Wildmon: But that's another thing. So you got the Shia leader, of the Shia Islamic, financially supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, who are Sunni. and so they're different just because their hatred for Israel. To fund their hatred for Israel. Ed, would you real quickly go over. Real quickly.
House of Islam says once a land is submitted to Islam, it belongs forever
you, mentioned yesterday or the day before, something called the House of Islam.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Which may explain some of this.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So I think if I get this, the pronunciation right, the, Arabic is dar al Islam and dar al Harb, spelled H A, R, B. And those terms mean the House of Islam and the House of War. So the House of Islam is a term that refers to, any territory, any nation, any people, group that has, submitted to Islam. And the House of War is everything outside of that.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, this is a teaching inside Islam.
>> Ed Vitagliano: This is a teaching inside Islam. Okay, so, all these Muslims, for example, moving to Great Britain or to France, they are moving to the House of War, where Islam is struggling to subjugate, spiritually speaking, those lands. Now, what the. This idea of the House of Islam also states is that once a land and a people have submitted to Islam, it belongs to Islam forever. And even if, like in the case of Israel, a parcel of land escapes the grasp of Islam, it still belongs to Islam. And that's why the nation of Israel, for those who truly believe Islamic teaching, the House of Israel, the, nation of Israel, and has to be obliterated because it is an affront to Allah. That's what they believe for infidels to have recaptured land that belongs to Islam. So that's why when we talk about, well, why can't there be peace between Israel and Iran or Israel and Hamas, there can't be. Because to be a faithful Muslim and you have to take that land back, and if Israel's in control of it, Israel has to cease to exist. And any country like America that supports Israel's claim to that land, that's why you have, Ayatollah Khomeini saying, death to the little Satan Israel, and then death to the great Satan America, who's trying to work with and protect the infidel.
>> Tim Wildmon: So. So, Alex, this. This really comes down, what we're seeing happening in the world. It's really spiritual.
>> Alex McFarland: It really is.
>> Tim Wildmon: People wouldn't. People who aren't Christians and don't study the Bible and I'm not putting people down, but they wouldn't, they wouldn't understand this kind of language or understand when I say this is spiritual, what that actually means. Go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, well, you know, just goings on since 1948, and especially in 1967 the Six Day War where Israel they were attacked and they tripled their land holdings. I mean I think this is such proof that the Bible is the word of God. And the Bible writes history in advance. And Ed is absolutely right. I mean the fact that land once held by Muslims, was taken back and is now back in the hands of Israel, I mean that's like a vendetta that the Muslim world wants to settle. But you know, Psalm 105, 8, 11 says that the covenant God made with Abraham is forever to give to him the land of Canaan and your inheritance. And by the way, that was Psalm 105 is written 1000 B.C. muhammad wasn't born until 571 and Islam started around like 610. So you know, we're talking 1500 plus years before Islam even existed. God was reiterating that the land is given to Abraham and his descendants forever. Forever.
>> Tim Wildmon: So you're listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio Network. Ray, anything you want to add or say about that?
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, Alex said it beautifully that God has made a promise to the Jewish people and even today they are in unbelief. But I would just say read Romans 11 if you doubt that God has a future for the Jewish people. I don't see how you can get around what Romans 11 says. If God took them out because of unbelief, he can put them back in the place of blessing anytime he wants. So on a practical note, about our Jewish friends, neighbors, co workers and so on, we ought to love them, we ought to build relationships with them and we ought to pray fervently for them to come to Jesus Christ that God would open their eyes and embrace Christ as savior and Lord as their God sent Messiah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Chris, do you want to say anything?
>> Chris Woodward: I do have a question. so we also know from Old Testament scripture that God is not a man, that he should lie. Okay. And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus is the word. Does that mean, do those verses God is not a man that he should lie. And the other that I mentioned, does that mean that what God said in Genesis still holds today?
>> Alex McFarland: Oh absolutely, absolutely. God's word. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, Heaven and earth will pass away. My words will never pass away. And John 10:35, great verse. Jesus said, the scripture cannot be broken. So yes, what God has said in his written revelation, that's the Bible, is true for all times.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, another thing we need to remember you mentioned to pray for, somebody or pray for Israel, pray for the Jewish people, is that I was listening to a Jewish gentleman the other day. He was an American. And this was about after the, the two Jewish people were killed in Washington D.C. they were sat. They were assassinated. Remember that? When was that? Two, three weeks ago.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's maybe a month by now.
>> Tim Wildmon: And basically they were targeted because they were Jews and they were coming out of a Jewish museum. Weren't they workers for the embassy there or something like that? Seemed like they were.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And they were. They were a couple. Yeah, I think they were.
>> Tim Wildmon: Anyway, they were having an engagement announcement.
>> Alex McFarland: The word is that they were believers.
>> Tim Wildmon: Is that right?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. Dr. Michael Rydelnik of Cornerstone University. I had him on the Hamilton corner. He was at Moody 30 years, great scholar. And the beautiful thing, I mean it's very tragic. The May 21, they were assassinated, but they were two young engaged couple, Jewish believers in Jesus Messiah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: but this person that I saw being interviewed, I, think he was a former professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. and. But I can't think of his. You. I can't think of his name right now. But basically people, in the baseball world would recognize his name. But he was being interviewed. He said, we Jews, even in America, not to mention Israel, are just exhausted with, with the, with the anti Semitism and the hatred like being demonstrated on the college campuses, for example. So, he said, Kevan Eucalyptus, Kevan Euclid. And he said, we feel like we're hunted. I thought, wow, that's a. Awful place to be, especially living in America, you know what I'm saying? The land of the free, home of the brave.
Alex: This is further proof that spiritual darkness has deepened in America
And you're supposed to have the melting pot and be everybody living in peace as best we can. and yet he said, as Jewish people, we feel like we're being hunted. and so anyway, I just thought that's a. We didn't need to pray for. We pray for the Jews come to know Christ because that's the ultimate goal, but also pray for them as they're scared.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, and to me it's further proof is that nobody really needs proof if you've been paying attention to what's happened in our nation over the last 50 years. But this, this, hunting of Jews in America is further proof that spiritual darkness, has deepened in our country. And the church needs to be salt and light during this time, because anytime you have that kind of open hostility towards the Jews or Christians, but in this case, we're talking about the Jews, you know, that the devil is afoot and Christians need to be praying for America, praying for, God to push back on this darkness. But that's clear. What's happening, is that spiritual darkness is, has deepened and grown in America.
>> Tim Wildmon: Alex, thanks so much for being on with us, and we look forward to some other good. I did get your text, by the way, and you're right. I think the young man's, would be able to dunk on you. No problem.
>> Alex McFarland: That is true.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, no problem.
>> Alex McFarland: Blessings, everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: I see. Alex. We'll be back with Steve Paisley Jordan in five minutes. my thanks to Chris.
>> Chris Woodward: Thank you.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, we'll be back in five minutes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of.
>> Tim Wildmon: The American Family association or American Family Radio.
