August 27 2012

Show open and twin childhood stories

The show opens live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. A host (who identifies himself in the audio as Ben's twin brother) tells childhood stories: their father splitting one can of Diet Pepsi between the two boys, their mother giving each twin one five-pound weight from a set for his 10th birthday, and the brothers' opposite strong arms making arm wrestling impossible. Banter about drinking from cups, cans, and bottles leads into the first show bumper.

Tonight's lineup

The hosts preview the episode: week 15 of their ongoing rebuttal of godisimaginary.com's '50 proofs' (this week: Jesus' resurrection), a review of the new American Bible Challenge game show, a congressman's skinny-dipping incident in the Sea of Galilee, and a segment on so-called 'Bible bullies.' A joke line about being sexy 'because God does what he wants' sets the irreverent tone.

The Sea of Galilee skinny-dipping story

The hosts lay out the news story they will debate: U.S. congressmen on a trip to Israel eat dinner beside the Sea of Galilee; waiters convince them it is customary to swim there; most wade in clothed, but one congressman strips completely and swims. The hosts note the public outrage and pose the question for later: is swimming (let alone nude) in the Sea of Galilee sacrilegious?

Bible bullies

Mike (named in the audio as the host who 'has had it about up to here') vents about 'Bible bullies': people who respond to a Facebook prayer request not with a simple 'I'm praying' but with verses that imply the asker has lost faith — illustrated by someone replying 'Philippians 7, 8' to a post about a sick family member. The hosts debate intent versus tone (verses of hope versus verses of rebuke), swap Facebook habits (typing and abandoning replies, Dan's story about nearly posting a jab about his daughter's boyfriend), joke about 'Jabs for Idiots' zinger books and Zig Ziglar, and land that correction-style verses can wound people who only asked for prayer.

American Bible Challenge review

The hosts review GSN's new Bible-trivia game show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy: rudimentary multiple-choice questions 'your average first grader' could answer, overlong contestant introductions, an hour runtime that should be thirty minutes, and a genuinely difficult 'women of the Bible' speed round at the end. They praise that all winnings go to the contestants' chosen charities. Side bits include a host who forgets a church acquaintance's name (guessing 'Steve'; the man is Greg) and the live chat joking that one host has 'a lady's voice.'

Is skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee sacrilegious?

• Is skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee sacrilegious?

The hosts debate the hard question: one argues the category of 'sacrilegious' itself is man-made — something is sin or it isn't — and that the congressman's real problem was foolishness, not location (Jesus was in a boat there; it is moving, recycled water). A host recounts early-church history from a 'Doctrine of Baptism' class: second- and third-century believers baptized nude in living, moving waters, often after a year of cleaning up their lives. They riff on Peter walking on water, Peter jumping naked from the boat in John 21, and a comedy routine about sleeping in jeans so you are ready if the house catches fire.

Show promo break

Mid-show announcements: the show airs live Monday nights 10-11 p.m. Central at liveinthepath.org, full shows on YouTube, clips including musical guest performances, and the podcast feed. Ben (addressed by name) is asked how many podcast subscribers there are and answers: more than three, fewer than two thousand.

God Is Imaginary, proof 15: the resurrection

• Why did Jesus stop appearing after the resurrection, and why doesn't he appear to everyone today?

A host reads the week's godisimaginary.com 'proof' in full. The site's argument: the resurrection is the defining proof of Jesus' divinity, proved only by his appearances to people (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, with the Apostles' Creed as summary). It asks why Jesus stopped appearing and doesn't appear to everyone today — claiming the Bible's prayer promises (Matthew 7:7, John 14:4, Matthew 18) mean a prayer to materialize should work, and since it never does, Paul's account must be false, Jesus was merely human, and God is imaginary.

Hosts respond: evidence, free will, and faith in the unseen

• Why doesn't God simply appear to everyone so that belief requires no faith?

The hosts push back: the site's author demands 'evidence without source' and makes himself the center of the universe — if Jesus did not appear to him personally, it could not have happened — while ignoring the four Gospel accounts and the historical evidence for the resurrection. They wrestle with the deeper question (why doesn't Jesus appear to everyone?) and answer that forced belief is not love: God created humans with free will so faith is honest, not coerced. They invoke Thomas in John 20 ('Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'), the Pharisees demanding signs, and the rich man and Lazarus: people who reject the spoken word would not be convinced by a risen man either. They close the proof with a dare: 'you should examine Jesus' resurrection.'

A host's prayer: 'I don't want to know anymore, I want to feel more'

A host shares a humbling prayer from the drive to the studio: while rehearsing a biblically sound gospel pitch, he realized he did not believe a word coming out of his mouth — he was 'too worded up' and could 'smell the religion' coming off himself. He confesses he is on the path to becoming the very 'Bible bully' he criticized earlier: a judgmental jerk throwing Philippians quotes at sick people. He resolves to double his prayer time and seek more relationship with God and less Bible-study performance.

Dear LFTP: the cheap boyfriend

• Is my boyfriend's refusal to ever pay a moral failing, and should I stay with him?

A listener's letter: she has dated Larry for over a year; he is in and out of work and never pays — looking away when the check arrives or insisting on Dutch treat — while she works two full-time jobs. She asks if she is out of line expecting a man to treat a woman. The hosts say Larry is a jerk ('a man harlot, and not a good one') and she is not compatible with him; she should leave. They read the 'Secular's Advice' column reply, which agrees he is cheap but calls the always-treat expectation outdated — prompting jokes that she is paying for 'services rendered.'

Dear LFTP: wallet photos of a deceased girlfriend

• What is the right thing to do with photos of my deceased high school girlfriend — keep them or throw them away?

A listener found an old wallet holding photos of his high-school girlfriend, a close platonic friend until her untimely death years ago. Tossing them feels disrespectful, but he does not need to keep them, and his wife does not care either way — so what is the protocol? The hosts roast his indecisiveness, reject mailing the photos to her parents as awkward, and advise filing them away or digitizing them. Secular's Advice suggests offering them to her family, or boxing them up for his children to deal with after he is gone — which the hosts mock as outsourcing the decision to the next generation.

Dear LFTP: 'You used to be fun'

• How should I respond when my husband keeps saying 'you used to be fun'?

A listener ('Mrs. Jagger'), married 10 years with two kids, asks how to answer her husband's repeated dig 'you used to be fun' now that parenting and full-time careers replaced their partying band days. The hosts work both angles: if she has shut down to fun, she should stay open and they should start dating again; but the deeper take is on the husband — a man who pines for his band days instead of taking his role as husband and father is avoiding responsibility, 'wanting the ability to feel important without taking the responsibility.' Verdict: he needs to grow up, she needs to lighten up, and they should find age-appropriate fun together (bowling). A comedy detour looks up the word 'covert' on freedictionary.com.

Dear LFTP: the stolen gift-card idea

• Was it rude of my sister to copy my gift-card idea for our mom?

A listener's sister asked what she was getting their mom for her birthday, liked the e-reader gift-card idea, and mailed Mom the same gift card two days later — claiming it is no big deal. The hosts split: one side says it is flat-out rude and low-rent (she mailed it before confessing); the other says it is only a gift card, Mom gets double, and wanting credit for the idea is the real vanity ('if you want a gift that's appreciated, a gift card's not the way to go'). Running gags about terrible gift-giving and the For Dummies series close the segment.

Outro

Closing announcements: live Monday nights 10-11 at liveinthepath.org, the YouTube channel for clips, full shows online, and a final push to subscribe to the free podcast ('no gift card from two arguing siblings needed').