March 11, 2013 Podcast

Show open and tonight's lineup

The hosts open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston and run down a packed show: the History Channel Bible miniseries debate, the Harlem Shake, Proof 38 on Christians and divorce, and a Twitter question of the day. They note they were off last week and received no listener outrage about it. Sean Covington is in studio. They announce upcoming spring concert broadcasts, including a show with Building 429 at Urlen Church of Christ that they have written permission to broadcast live.

Is the History Channel Bible miniseries dangerous?

• Is the History Channel Bible miniseries dangerous?

The hosts discuss the five-part History Channel Bible miniseries and the online Christian backlash calling it dangerous. The host addressed as Hudson argues it is a Hollywood production made to make money, respectful rather than mocking, and that no one expects a few hours of TV to be exhaustive. Another host argues the lens is the key issue: the Bible is a story about God, while the miniseries tells it from a people lens — not heretical, just a different lens, like a children's Bible. They caution believers to filter what they watch through Scripture but encourage Christians to calm down and spend energy making disciples instead of criticizing. One host admits he didn't know the Samson story well until the show prompted him to look it up.

The Harlem Shake: accept, reject, or redeem?

• Is it a sin to be uncreative?
• Should churches and youth groups participate in the Harlem Shake given the song's message?

The hosts discuss the Harlem Shake viral video trend. One host explains the format — one person dancing while everyone else sits bored, then the beat drops and the whole room erupts. Concerns raised: the underlying song is not an overly positive message and has insinuations, and there is a lack of creativity in just jumping on the next big thing. They ask whether it is a sin to be uncreative, and whether church youth groups should participate without checking where the song came from. One host quotes Ephesians 5:3 about not even having a hint of sexual immorality, and another jokes he is fine with hints of theft. The consensus lands on accept/reject/redeem: don't just chase culture blindly, but don't manufacture outrage either — calm down and make disciples instead. Includes a Steve Taylor quote about being cautious and a joke that King Solomon did the Harlem Shake.

Proof 38 read: Christian divorce rates

• Why do Christian divorce rates match the general population, and does that prove God is imaginary?

A host reads Proof 38 from an on-air list of proofs that God is imaginary. The proof argues: Christian weddings invoke God as witness, the Bible forbids divorce (citing Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:19, Leviticus 20) and pronounces 'what God has joined together, let no man put asunder,' so the Christian divorce rate should be zero — yet statistics show Christians divorce at the same rate as everyone else, implying God is imaginary.

Proof 38 discussion: does the divorce rate prove God is imaginary?

The hosts respond to Proof 38. The main rebuttals: the statistic lumps in everyone who self-identifies as Christian on a survey, not people in Christ-centered marriages; divorce reflects on people, not on God's reality. One host adds that man separates what God has joined — God is not breaking the marriages. A host who performs weddings says a marriage cannot work without Christ at the center of it. The conclusion they reach: the proof doesn't show God is imaginary, only that many Christians have a 'cheap savior but not a lord.' A comedic tangent has a host playing the role of a Christian wedding officiant who will marry anyone, including absurd hypotheticals about murder in the basement with cheese whiz and Dasani.

Proof 39 preview: realize that Jesus was a jerk

The hosts preview Proof 39, titled 'realize that Jesus was a jerk,' but decide to defer it to a future show, teasing that listeners can read the rest of the proofs themselves and compare with how the show has handled past topics. One host jokes about the basement from the previous segment.

Question of the day from Ryan Paul Buck

• What has changed in your life because of the strength that Jesus gives?

The hosts introduce a Twitter question from Ryan Paul Buck, described as a friend of the show who has been on it: 'What has changed in your life because of the strength that Jesus gives?' They open it to the whole program.

Testimonies: what changed because of the strength Jesus gives

Each in-studio participant answers Ryan Paul Buck's question. The host addressed as John Buba says accepting Christ made him willing to talk about God without fear, including on Facebook after years of being afraid. The host addressed as Hudson says he became a Christ follower around fourth grade and the strength of Christ protected him through years of peer pressure, shaping his marriage and family. Sean Covington shares that sitting next to his father as he died at age 27 shook his faith hard, and that a friend's words breathed strength into him; years later, as a small-time farmer and stay-at-home dad, Christ's strength lets him be okay not knowing his future. The remaining host says Christ gives him strength to make moral decisions — staying out of the gray areas — and that the strength of Jesus is most visible when faith is sustained in valleys where life doesn't look like it should. The segment ends with a joke about the Footprints poem being in 'Psalm 151.'

Dear LFTP: I don't like me

• I don't like myself and I'm sick of being told to just be myself — what should I do?

The show reads a Dear LFTP letter from a self-conscious listener: 'I have a problem. Basically, I don't like me.' The writer is sick of the advice to 'just be myself' because he doesn't like himself, and feels his friends are all beautiful, witty, or kind while he is none of those. The hosts respond: find worth in the fact that Christ died for you — you were worth dying for in His eyes, and the prerequisite wasn't beauty or wealth. Sean Covington adds the first step is getting into a community of believers, citing Chip Ingram's teaching on Romans 12 and the body of Christ — you need people to show you your worth. Another host warns against self-loathing as self-obsession: stop being your own worst enemy and think about helping others. They roast some shallow advice (comb your hair, be a good listener, keep lesser-talented company, Spanx, comparing Tom Hanks vs. Ben Affleck) before landing on identity as a son of the King. The KTIA radio audience is dismissed mid-segment.

Dear LFTP: the wife texting 'Brett'

• A young family friend texts my wife daily and it bothers me — should she stop texting him?

The second Dear LFTP letter comes from a man in his mid-forties with four daughters: a boy who dated one of them became a family friend, but now 'Brett' texts the wife daily, which bothers the husband, and the wife refuses to stop. The hosts debate whether the wife should stop texting even though the husband may be overreacting. One host suggests a man-to-man talk with Brett. They act out a roleplay: one host as the husband ('Regina?'), another cast as the wife, with the young man dubbed 'Buck Junior.' The consensus: if it's causing real distress day after day, love means giving up a harmless thing rather than winning the argument — though if the husband's jealousy is genuinely irrational and controlling, he needs another way to deal with it.

To what extent do you submit to a spouse's irrationality?

• To what extent should you submit to a spouse's irrationality?

Following the Brett letter, the hosts broaden the question: to what extent should you submit to a spouse's irrationality? One host argues that if something genuinely hurts your spouse day after day, you give it up out of love even if their reaction is irrational — but that doesn't extend to truly unreasonable demands like never going out with anyone. Another hosts counters with the 'Mrs. Buva' hypothetical: if a wife watches a Patrick Swayze movie (Roadhouse) every Friday and it irrationally upsets her husband, should she stop? They land on: to an extent, yes — the person causing the hurt should be willing to yield — but both people have to come to the table willing to admit fault, possibly with a mediator. The show closes with station sign-off.