June 23, 2014 Podcast

Opening and tonight's lineup preview

A stitched produced opening ('Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper', a 'Life of the Path' jingle, then a rough non-live show start). The primary host previews the night: a plug for the band Unseen Patrol (met over the weekend; cut audio to be posted online), the Hobby Lobby 'Christian business' news item, the hard question about talking to a believer who has quit church, the Dear LFTP advice segment, and Dan's What's Trending stories (a 'party girl' funeral, a Trump sign in Chicago, a girl kicked out of a KFC).

Hard question: talking to a believer who has quit church

• How do you talk to someone who says they are a believer but does not go to church anymore?

The host addressed on-air as Bubba (Boova) poses the episode's hard question: how do you talk to someone who says they believe in God and Jesus but thinks the church is irrelevant and old-fashioned? The hosts answer as a group: one argues belief without submission is belief in an 'idea of god,' not God as Lord, and that the church was God's idea; another distinguishes the church as the bride of Christ from the church as an event or organization; others note that hurt, bad experiences, or a preference for produced 'show' church can drive people away, and that smaller community formats still count as church. The discussion closes with comic church stories (falling asleep and waking oneself up with a bodily function during a service, a 'Mike Foose' seating warning, a snoring anecdote).

What's Trending: KFC kicks out a girl over facial injuries

• What should the parents of a disfigured child asked to leave a restaurant do: sue, accept it, or retaliate?

The host addressed on-air as Dan runs the What's Trending segment with three news items. The first: a KFC employee asked a three-year-old named Victoria, whose face was badly injured in a pit bull attack, to leave because her injuries disturbed other patrons; KFC apologized and gave the family $30,000 for medical bills. The hosts weigh three options: A) sue everyone, B) accept it as a poorly trained employee and teach a painful life lesson, C) assault the employee. They land mostly on B (don't sue a minimum-wage employee; leave with dignity) with comic threats about confronting the complaining patron.

What's Trending: Trump Tower sign and recognition for church giving

• How much recognition should a Christian expect when giving to a church?

Second trending story: Donald Trump put a 20-foot-letter sign on Trump Tower in Chicago, angering the mayor and residents over ego and the skyline. The hosts pivot the question: when a Christian gives to a church, how much recognition should they expect? Options: A) none, B) plaques are fine if they raise money, C) publish a top-10 givers tally. They are unanimously against plaques and memorials inside churches ('keep the tombstones in the cemetery'), arguing giving should come from obedience or generosity, and that a church's building campaign should not prod people with offers.

What's Trending: the 'party girl' funeral and eternity

• How should a Christian respond to our culture's spiritually generic view of eternity?

Third trending story: a 53-year-old New Orleans woman remembered as 'party girl' had a final beer at her funeral, staged with sunglasses, a cigarette, a disco ball, and dancing instead of a religious service. Question: how should a Christian respond to the culture's spiritually generic view of eternity? Options: A) agree she is enjoying her new home, B) say nothing and cause no waves, C) say there is a heaven and hell. The hosts lean B: answer honestly if asked ('if they accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ, yes'), but funerals are an 'ears to hear' moment. One host paraphrases the story of Lazarus and the rich man and tells of preaching a funeral where attendees walked out.

Gospel at funerals or weddings, plus wedding sex-joke tangent

• Would it be more appropriate to have the gospel at a funeral or at a wedding?

A follow-up question: is the gospel more appropriate at a funeral or a wedding, the two events where pastors get called out? One host argues funerals are an odd fit for 'life more abundantly' unless theology has become fire insurance, while others say preaching the gospel is what a hired pastor is for ('don't hire a pastor' if you don't want one). The conversation drifts into comic territory about preachers making sex jokes at Christian weddings, riffing on an article about the practice, before the segment wraps.

Is Hobby Lobby a 'Christian business'?

The host addressed on-air as Mike reads and summarizes an article titled 'stop calling Hobby Lobby a Christian business': president Steve Green claims the chain runs on Christian principles and the company fought the Obamacare contraception mandate at the Supreme Court, yet its products are largely made in China, whose labor conditions the article calls unjust. The hosts reject the article's guilt-by-association argument as lazy and unvalidated (no evidence any given trinket is a sweatshop product), but agree with a different conclusion: 'Christian' as an adjective on a business is just marketing — 'anything with the word Christian on it that isn't a person is marketing,' quoting the band Unseen Patrol. A company has no soul; what matters is that the means be faithful, while not every cause can be fought at once.

The 'I'm Southern Baptist and I love a man' article

A host reads an article titled 'I'm Southern Baptist, and I love a man,' in which a Southern Baptist pastor argues the church has wrongly conceded deep brotherly affection between men to the gay community out of fear of cultural misinterpretation, and cites Peter's call to sincere brotherly love. The hosts dismiss the article as a non-issue: it is a vocabulary problem, not a closeness problem, and they say the piece is a cheesy, manipulative attempt to reach the gay community. The segment devolves into a comic running bit about whether carrying another man's cafeteria tray or complimenting men carries an unavoidable cultural connotation.

Sponsors: Bob Eisler and Westfield Veterinary Hospital

The show thanks its sponsors: Bob Eisler of the Eisler team (eislerteam.com), a realtor for buying or selling a home, and Westfield Veterinary Hospital in Johnson (westfieldvethospital.com), where listeners can book pet appointments online. The show then goes to a station break.

Dear LFTP: how do I avoid becoming a trophy husband?

• How do I avoid becoming a trophy husband?

Back from break, the show moves to Dear LFTP. A host reads a letter from a widower in his early seventies, in great shape, financially well off, recently dating and worried about becoming a 'trophy husband.' The hosts joke that it is impossible to avoid ('every woman of that age will want you'; 'don't get married'), then read the Secular answer: 'That should be easy. Don't reveal your financial status, and don't propose to anybody. Done.'

Dear LFTP: dumped by Hank after his mother's diagnosis

• After Hank kicked me out when his mother was diagnosed as terminally ill, should I stay away or try to get him to talk this through?

A host reads a letter from a woman who dated Hank for five years and lived with him for four; he is a loner, self-centered, and not communicative. When Hank learned his mother was terminally ill, he told her to pack and move out with five minutes' notice. The hosts advise her not to use the moment to talk through the relationship — be there for him if she can, but expect nothing and consider letting the relationship go, since 'when he's actually acting like himself, he's kind of a pain to deal with.' The Secular answer: whether she stays depends on her tolerance for pain; he gave her 'one giant kick in the fanny' and is 'very self centered.'

Dear LFTP: Cindy took her cake home

• Am I being petty for wanting to confront Cindy about taking her cake home before dessert?

A host reads a letter about a potluck friend group: Cindy usually contributes a bag of chips, but for the writer's birthday she brought her specialty, a blueberry crumble cake — then left before dessert was served and took the cake home with her for other company. The hosts call it baffling, backhanded behavior and say confronting her is fair but unlikely to change her ('don't count on Cindy to change'). The Secular answer: 'What she did took the cake, and I'm not talking about pastry.'

Outro

The show closes: listeners can send topics or complaints to info@lifeinthepath.org, check lifeinthepath.org for past episodes and videos, and look for the Unseen Patrol clips and a big concert at Zeke's on July 15.