May 13, 2013 Podcast

Show open and announcements

• Is it necessary that every man who loves Jesus study theology?
• What do you know now that you wish you had known five years ago in your walk with Christ?

The hosts open from the Pathway Studios and run through the week's agenda: finishing the last three of the 50 atheist proofs from godisimaginary.com (God leads 47-0), a Dear LFTP segment, the 'is theology necessary' hard question, and the 'five years ago' reflection question. They announce the Life From The Path spring hymn-sing event on June 7 at the Simpson Barn in Johnston with Jeff Arendale's house band, free and open to a live studio audience.

Proof #47: irreducible complexity and the intelligent creator

• Did the complexity of life arise spontaneously, or did it require a creator?

Ben (speaker-0, named in the audio) reads proof #47 from godisimaginary.com, which claims the 'who created the creator' regress proves God is imaginary. The hosts rebut it: the site holds the 'creator' option to a standard it does not apply to its own 'nature created it' option, i.e. nature is allowed to simply exist while God is not. Discussion spins into evolution's agency problem (the giraffe's long neck), dinosaur-color claims on children's programs, and fossil-feather skepticism. The hosts call the proof weak and award it 'to the Lord'.

Proof #48 teaser and broadcast housekeeping

The hosts tease next week's proof #48, which compares prayer to a lucky horseshoe and defines superstition, and note they have heard this argument from the site before. Housekeeping follows: the show airs Mondays 10-11pm at livefromthepath.org and Saturdays at 7pm on 99.3 KTIA; clips from last week's Silversyde musical performance are on the site and YouTube; and the hosts discuss how Facebook page followers can get all notifications or use interest lists.

Hard question: should every man who loves Jesus study theology?

• Is it necessary that every man who loves Jesus study theology?

Ben (speaker-0) poses the hard question: is it necessary that every man who loves Jesus study theology? The room splits on the definition: one side argues theology is just the questions that arise from reading Scripture, so a genuine believer cannot avoid it; others push back that if theology means reading fifty authors' takes, maybe not. Nathaniel (speaker-3) reads a prepared written definition of theology and gets teased for it. The consensus lands on 'study your Bible' over mastering technical labels like trichotomism.

What do you wish you had known five years ago in your walk with Christ?

• What do you know now that you wish you had known five years ago in your walk with Christ?

The hosts take turns answering the reflection question, including the alternate form of what they wish they had been doing. Boova (speaker-4) gives the longest answer: he wishes he had practiced daily Bible reading and prayer aimed at seeking God's heart rather than just being able to say he read it, recalling he had read Matthew ten times without going further. Another host affirms the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Scripture as access to the living God. Dan (speaker-2) wishes he had given himself permission to teach verse-by-verse on Sunday mornings instead of packaging series. Nathaniel (speaker-3) wishes he had told his 15-year-old self to drop the anger and pride. Mike (speaker-1) blanks and cannot form an answer. The bit is punctuated by the 'would you ever kick your dog' gag.

Dear LFTP: grandfather demands the Greek groom change his last name

• Should a grandfather be able to force a Greek groom to change his last name by withholding wedding money?

Mike (speaker-1, the Ben-verified Dear LFTP reader) reads a letter from a therapist: the bride's grandfather insists the Greek groom's long, unpronounceable last name must be changed after the wedding, gave the couple ten days to decide, and implied he will not help pay for the wedding if they refuse. The hosts first mock the therapist for writing to a show instead of handling it, then debate the grandfather: one suggests honoring him while refusing to disrespect the husband's heritage ('I leave my family and cleave to my new husband'), others suspect he dislikes the groom and picked the name as a battle, and the room invents the joke surname 'Hoopty Hooptopolis' for the unnamed groom.

Secular's answer: Ellis Island name changes

The Secular persona's written answer is read: it describes the grandfather as a controlling man using money to manipulate, explains that a century ago immigrants Americanized names at Ellis Island to escape discrimination (or had names mangled by officials, with a Sioux City Ginsburg/Landsburg anecdote), calls the blackmail shameful, and advises ignoring him. The hosts react with mock agreement that the grandfather may be 'the only sane one' if the groom's name really is something like Hoopty Hooptopolis, and joke about grandparents calling people whatever they want.

Dear LFTP: how to tell 82-year-old Ethel she cannot come to graduation

• How do we kindly tell 82-year-old Ethel she cannot come to the graduation trip?

Mike (speaker-1) reads a letter about an 82-year-old mother-in-law, 'Ethel', who is frail, has not left town in thirty years, and is hypercritical; the couple wants to attend their daughter's far-away college graduation without her. The hosts reject Secular's gentle script about stressful graduations as patronizing ('old people aren't stupid'), advise being direct since she will be critical regardless, and land on taking her anyway if she is healthy enough: 'that's grandma,' forgive her, don't take it personally. The bit ends with the joke of renting her a limo via 'Jim John's back alley taxi service' driven by 'Hoopty Hooptopotamus'.

Dear LFTP: six-year-old wants a dog

• Should a busy household get a dog for a six-year-old who asks for one daily?

Mike (speaker-1) reads a letter from a father with no interest in pets whose six-year-old daughter asks for a dog daily; both parents work long hours and the house sits empty. The hosts come down firmly against the dog: a six-year-old cannot sustain the responsibility, an empty house is a bad home for a dog, and the father should spend the time on his kid instead of buying her love. Alternatives floated include a cat, a hamster or guinea pig, or waiting until she is older. Secular's answer agrees, noting even a thirty-year-old pet owner does not clean cages.

KTIA radio sign-off

The hosts sign off the 99.3 KTIA radio broadcast portion, direct radio listeners to the live Monday stream at livefromthepath.org, and invite complaints to info@livefromthepath.org with the joke that the host does not even like the show himself.

Dear LFTP: 75-year-old wants his gold caps removed to pay for his funeral

• Should a 75-year-old have his gold caps removed after death so his wife can sell them to pay for the funeral?

Mike (speaker-1) reads a letter from a 75-year-old who wants the undertaker to remove his six gold caps after he dies so his wife can sell them to pay for the funeral. The hosts enthusiastically approve ('Do it'), then riff: selling teeth as rhino tusk in Vietnam's market for ground-rhino-horn remedies, a 'fingernail maraca' collection, and Nathaniel's true story of finding toenails in his dorm desk drawer, ending with a debate over the least disgusting way to clip toenails.