July 16 2012

Show open: the 'Man Fist' bit and tonight's lineup

The episode opens with the produced 'Live from the Pathway studios in Johnston proper' intro. A host jokes about renaming himself 'Man Fist' and tries to get the other hosts to call him that. They preview the night's topics: the Christian band P.O.D.'s use of the F-word in a new song, and week 10 of the godisimaginary.com '50 proofs' series.

Topic premises: the P.O.D. controversy and the 50-proofs series

A host lays out the F-bomb premise: a Facebook discussion among a band friendly to the show about P.O.D. — Christian men in a non-Christian genre — releasing a song containing the F-word, which upset the Christian community. The hosts also frame the godisimaginary.com series: an author posted '50 proofs that God is imaginary' and they are working through it weekly, now on week 10.

Cold-open stories: prayer, an ABS light, and a radio coincidence

A host describes feeling distant from Jesus lately and praying about it on the drive in; moments later his car's ABS warning light comes on, which he half-jokingly reads as a message to slow down before settling on a legitimate brake problem. Another host tells of his toddler's iPod dying mid-song, then her crying until the radio landed exactly on the requested tune. They treat both as stories worth thinking about rather than settled signs.

Manifest concert recap from Friday's broadcast

The hosts recap their Friday remote broadcast from the Manifest show at Indianola Community Church, calling it a good concert in full arena style and mentioning Saved on Sunday and Double J. One host notes Manifest is a white Canadian Christian rapper and that Double J's frontman J sported a new look.

The F-bomb debate: P.O.D. and the 'Christian band' label

• Should a Christian artist use the F-word in a song to honestly depict a non-believer's frustration with the church?

The hosts restate the premise — they have not heard the song, only read lyrics posted online — and debate what the band intended. One host frames it as an artistic rendering of a non-believer's disgust at Christians whose actions betray their message. The conversation widens to the 'Christian band' label itself: hosts argue nobody says 'I'm a Christian plumber,' and that the label segments the audience and carries expectations about behavior.

The P.O.D. lyrics read aloud: 'who the f*** is he?'

A host reads the lyric in question: a non-believer asking, 'Are you the one that's come to set me free... they say you are the cursed man, the one who hangs from this tree... but tell me, who the f*** is he?' The hosts agree the line is plausibly how such a person would actually ask it, which is why the song's defenders call it an honest artistic portrayal.

Is it sin? Scripture, euphemisms, and cultural relativity

The hosts work through the theology of language: Ephesians 4 against obscene talk, 1 Peter's call to be holy and set apart, and the childhood scolding over euphemisms like 'geez.' One host argues Jesus reached tax collectors and drunkards without becoming one, while another counters that the culture's definition of obscenity is relative — Isaiah's 'filthy rags' and Ezekiel's excrement passages were deliberately graphic for their purpose. A host adds a Firestone plant anecdote: on the factory floor the F-word is filler, but a pastor saying it would scandalize people because of who he represents.

Where they land: grace for the heart, not dying on a hill

The hosts converge: using profanity to bridge the culture gap is a poor decision — the ends don't justify the means, and God doesn't work outside his own standards — but it may still be an adequate artistic reflection of how some people see God, and only the writer's heart settles whether it's sin. They warn against dying on the hill over one word, note the real damage of intra-Christian infighting versus energy spent on actual non-believers, and conclude: hold fellow believers accountable to biblical standards, not your own, and love non-believers without judging them.

Tangent: nudity in religious art and sculpture

Asked whether the nude Statue of David offends him, a host jokes about Michelangelo sculpting the model's anatomy, then the conversation drifts to centuries of nude religious art — haloed, naked angels and a David found 'a little silly' — and a childhood memory of staring at the anatomical detail on the tricycle-riding statue at Merle Hay Mall. They touch on Timothy's circumcision and first-century openness before moving on.

godisimaginary.com proof #10: 'Watch the Offering Plate'

• If God is real and answers prayer, why does the church pass the offering plate instead of praying for the money it needs?

The hosts read proof #10 aloud: if God is real and promises in Mark 11:24 that whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, why do ministers pass the offering plate and beg money from mortals instead of praying for it? The proof adds that the Bible supposedly commands a 10% starting tithe, and its addendum claims that if God answers ministers' prayers by sending givers, then the givers are puppets — which one host finds hilarious.

Rebuttal: God owns it all, so giving is a heart response

The hosts rebut: the proof's whole premise is wrong — God doesn't need money, currency is a human system God doesn't trade in, and giving is a reflection of the heart rather than a payment. They reject the 'puppet' addendum, note some churches do wrongly guilt people into giving, and offer practical tithing counsel for new believers: start with 1%, cut back elsewhere, let it grow over time. They close the segment deciding they should genuinely pray for the site's author.

Dear LFTP: donated charity items kept by the organizer's family

• Are we wrong to be upset that items we donated to a charity giveaway are being kept for the organizer's family?

A listener named Abby writes that she and her wife have been donating items to a friend's charitable giveaway operation, but have now noticed donated goods appearing in the friend's home and on her family members. She asks whether they are wrong to feel their generosity was abused. The hosts answer: it isn't sticky — if you say you're collecting for others, you give it to others; at minimum don't be seen wearing the donations, because it reads as skimming the good stuff and kills future giving. One host adds a food-pantry anecdote about never taking even a snack for himself.

Close: Spirit Midwest festival and next week

The hosts close out, noting the Spirit Midwest music festival is a few short weeks away and that they will be back next week at the normal time.