May 27, 2013 Podcast

Show open and tonight's agenda

A host opens the show from the Pathway Studios in Johnston, teases the lineup: proof #49 of the 50 proofs from godisimaginary.com, Dear LFTP advice letters, and a new segment called the five-minute heavy on the Boy Scouts news. The hosts also riff on Bible-reading buddies.

Introducing the five-minute heavy; the Pope can't stay out of trouble

A host explains the new five-minute heavy segment (heavy topics capped at five minutes so nobody grandstands), does an impression of a long-winded co-host, and the hosts joke that the Pope says something controversial every week because he speaks constantly on the record. The discussion broadens to grace for public Christian figures who mispeak.

KTIA plug, the Christian business directory, and Christians as tightwads

The hosts plug the upcoming Christian business directory (their KTIA ad page), joke about being the most handsome of the local Christian radio guys, then segue into a discussion of Christians as cheap tippers and hagglers. They land on tipping generously, paying workers fair wages rather than haggling 'for Jesus', and a tangent on the Sabbath in Leviticus.

Reading proof #49: look at who speaks for God

• If God is real, why doesn't he silence the lunatics who speak in his name?

A host reads proof #49 from godisimaginary.com verbatim from the site: since God is silent, his only spokespeople are people, and many of them are lunatics (citing clips like Westboro's 'thank God for dead soldiers' and a 'holy spirit enema' video). The proof concludes that a real God would silence these embarrassments, so God is imaginary.

Answering proof #49: false teachers don't disprove God

The hosts answer the proof: God protected his Word through men but does not control how people use it; poor Christians don't make Christ wrong. They critique piecemeal end-times prophecy as lazy apologetics, riff on the 'holy spirit enema' video, and argue every believer is personally responsible to read Scripture and recognize false prophets rather than outsourcing discernment to teachers.

Attenders vs. disciples: feed yourself and serve

Spun off from the proof discussion, the hosts confront consumer Christianity: churchgoers who complain about not being served, stay in seeker mode for years, and never disciple others. One co-host gives a personal testimony of attending for a decade behind a 'church mask' until he was called out and chose to get plugged in. They press church leaders to provide real discipleship avenues, not just flashy events.

Proof #49 wrap-up and proof #50 teaser

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

The hosts close out proof #49 by conceding the site author's premise — God permits bad spokespeople — but frame it as patience: God didn't scrap creation at the Fall, and that same patience lets people repent. They then read the opening of proof #50, 'ask Jesus to appear,' which asks why Jesus stopped appearing after the resurrection accounts, and defer the answer to next week.

Five-minute heavy: Boy Scouts membership policy change

• Should parents pull their kids out of the Boy Scouts after the membership policy change?

The hosts run the first five-minute heavy on the Boy Scouts of America's vote to admit openly gay youth while keeping the ban on gay leaders. Going around the table, one co-host would keep his kids in (parenting is the parent's job, not the organization's), Dan Hudson would pull his out on principle, and another would keep younger kids in since they're all confused anyway. The takeaway: you can't hide kids from sin; equip them with truth instead. A chat question extends the debate a minute longer.

Dear LFTP: 15-year-old torn between a summer job and visiting Meemaw

• How do I tell my aging grandmother I won't visit this summer without hurting her feelings?

A 15-year-old girl writes that her aging grandmother (Meemaw) may be dying soon, but she needs a summer job and doesn't know how to tell her grandmother she won't visit without hurting her feelings. The hosts say Meemaw will understand: get the job, live your life, and still visit — you'll miss her the same either way. The secular answer agrees and adds she should ask her parents what's really going on with her grandmother's health.

Dear LFTP: the recycled birthday card

• Am I taking the recycled birthday card too seriously?

A hairdresser writes that a client gave her a birthday card with sticky notes covering the previous recipient's name and signature — the client admitted she was reusing the card and told her to pass it on too. The hosts find it hilarious rather than insulting, say the sticky notes were lazy, and advise enjoying the card; the secular answer calls the client thoughtless but well-meaning.

Dear LFTP: should I report a crime confessed in group therapy?

• What is my ethical responsibility when I hear a crime confessed in group therapy?

A listener attending Narcotics Anonymous heard a man confess to dropping a cinder block on a boy's head at age 12 and asks whether to tell the police. The hosts say: talk to the man first and tell him to make it right, and as a non-leader participant with no confidentiality oath, don't hesitate to report it yourself. The secular answer says it may be too old to accomplish anything and suggests talking to the group leader.

KTIA radio sign-off; show continues online

The host signs off the 99.3 KTIA Saturday broadcast and tells the radio audience goodnight while the internet stream continues with more Dear LFTP letters.

Dear LFTP: dating advice for the 21-year-old nursing student

• How do I let a guy know I'm interested in dating?

A 21-year-old nursing student who missed years of social development to illness asks how to let a guy know she's interested. The hosts advise praying first, then being honest and direct — flirting is unnecessary when getting to know someone over time. The conversation detours through marathon runners' bathroom habits (per a Google autocomplete claim), a 'dig your style / boogaloo to the truck stop' dating formula, and a mock attempt to flirt with permission from a spouse.

Secular's dating answer and the lying/eye-contact riff

The secular answer advises the nursing student to be her outgoing friendly self and make eye contact, which the hosts reject: good liars stare you in the face, and eye contact at the DMV doesn't equal interest. The discussion turns to how good-looking friendly people get misread as flirting, leaving the hosts defensive and awkward — one says attractive people shouldn't approach him at all.

Dear LFTP: coworker takes shared research materials into the restroom

• Is taking shared workplace materials into the bathroom gross and inappropriate?

A listener asks whether she's crazy for being grossed out that a coworker takes shared company research books into the restroom multiple times a day for up to half an hour. The hosts mostly agree it's gross and unsanitary, note the coworker is probably just wasting time, and role-play confronting him. The secular answer says to take it to HR or the boss — advice the hosts find unhelpful.

Outro, toaster waffles, and the Tim Timmons send-off

The hosts close with a love of toaster waffles with peanut butter, thank the internet audience for the bonus material after the KTIA broadcast, plug livefromthepath.org and the YouTube channel (including a Silversyde interview), and sign off with the Tim Timmons send-off tag.