January 19, 2015 Podcast

Show open and tonight's rundown

Ben (speaker-1) opens the show from the Pathway Studios in Johnston and runs through the night's lineup: Dear Life From The Path advice, the Pope's remarks on birth control in the Philippines, the boy who recanted his heaven-visitation story, Mike's question about why we read the Psalms, Secular vs Solomon, and five mistakes that destroy a church's effectiveness.

Sponsor reads and the escape-artist dog

Sponsor reads for Bob Eisenlauer's realty team (eisenhowerteam.com) and Westfield Veterinary Hospital. Mike (speaker-0) then tells the story of his neighbor's six-year-old golden retriever, an escape artist that breaks out of kennels, opens round doorknobs with its paws, and crawls through the cat door — which Ben ties back to the vet sponsor.

Why do we even read the Psalms?

• Why do we even read the Psalms?

Mike (speaker-0) asks why we read the Psalms: coming off Job, he is confused whether he is supposed to agree with David's complaints, since Job was rebuked for making the same arguments. The hosts respond that the Psalms are poetry and song rather than doctrine — an honest portrayal of fallible men interacting with God, including a man God called after his own heart acting the fool — and advise reading one psalm at a time instead of in bulk.

Something I could do without: false outrage

Ben's recurring bit: this week he could do without false outrage — Christians acting shocked when people who do not love God act like it. He cites a Grist article ('why I'll never have kids and why you shouldn't either') and finds the outraged reaction uncalled-for, since the author's stance is reasonable from her worldview. The hosts agree Christian media too often builds popularity on bashing nonbelievers rather than recognizing the workers are few.

Listener Pete and the Boova photos

The hosts note that Pete, the show's self-described only fan, tweets about each episode, so his silence tells them when he has not listened. Mike adds that Pete has been posting photos of Boova on Twitter, reporting that Boova is a heavy cuddler.

The boy who claimed he visited heaven recants

• What about Lazarus? (Ben's wife's counter to his 'die once, then heaven' argument)

The hosts discuss the popular book about a boy who claimed to visit heaven and has now recanted, saying he made the story up for attention; the publisher is pulling it. They debate how much of people's faith gets invested in extra-biblical experiences, riff on the movie Ghost's unbiblical heaven, share Ben's wife's 'what about Lazarus?' counter to his die-once-then-heaven argument, and improvise a comedic false 'Gospel of Lazarus' ('Chapter one, in which I stinketh').

What Christian publishers and radio owe the audience

The recanted book prompts a discussion of responsibility in Christian publishing and radio: the publisher pressured the boy not to recant, and the hosts wonder what conscience it takes to publish what you do not believe. Ben recalls a prayer-over-the-air host from their old Saturday-night radio slot whose show he found awful, and notes the tension between gatekeeping content and keeping an audience.

Secular vs Solomon game

Ben (speaker-1) hosts the proverb-origin game with Mike, Dan Hudson, Boova, and Dave Herrick: he reads a proverb and each player guesses biblical (Solomon) or secular plus a country of origin. Rounds include Proverbs 15:6, a secular French proverb about the hostess and the wine, 'a wise man changes his mind' (secular Spanish), Proverbs 15:27, Proverbs 16:32, 'the devil tempts idle men' (secular), Proverbs 17:16, Proverbs 16:17, a secular Ethiopian cat-and-monastery proverb, and a secular Hopi sparrow-and-hawk proverb. Mike earns the nickname '40 to 40'; Boova is the only player to cite chapters, usually wrong.

Beards: trust and naming

• Can you blame your beard for your hygiene, as if you don't control it?
• What would you name your beard?

A comedy bit on whether bearded men are trustworthy — Ben (speaker-1) trusts a man committed to a long beard because 'he's either homeless or trustworthy.' The hosts debate whether you can blame your beard for smelling, then name each other's beards: Oscar, Billy, Franklin (Ben's), Duncan and Atticus (Boova's red beard), and Pierce (Herrick's refined beard).

Dear LFTP: sister's boyfriend is a convicted sex offender

• My sister's new live-in boyfriend is a convicted sex offender — what should I do?

Mike (speaker-0) reads a listener letter: the family Googled the sister's new live-in boyfriend and found he is a convicted sex offender; nobody has told the sister, and the writer has a small child. The hosts advise finding out what the offense actually was, having an open and honest conversation with the sister and the boyfriend, and putting the child's safety ahead of social awkwardness. They also read the 'Secular's advice' worldly counterpoint.

Dear LFTP: sister is seeing a married man

• My sister is seeing a married man and is pregnant — how do I deal with it and not lose my sister?

Mike (speaker-0) reads a second letter: the writer's sister has been seeing a married man for two years, is now pregnant, and refuses to see the situation clearly. Dave's blunt advice is 'get over it' — you cannot live her life for her. Ben expands: as Christ-followers you will be surrounded by people making destructive decisions, and you must love them without letting their choices consume you; community helps carry the burden.

Mid-show break

Ben (speaker-1) thanks the sponsors again — Westfield Veterinary Hospital and Bob Eisenlauer — gives the website lifefromthepath.org and email info@lifefromthepath.org, and notes the show airs on the Truth Network 99.3 before the podcast-only second half resumes.

Five mistakes that destroy a church's effectiveness

Ben (speaker-1) reads through an article listing five mistakes: promoting community service that postures superiority, duplicating efforts instead of joining what others already do, viewing people as projects (transactional vs relational), seeking the welfare of the church over the city, and ignoring training and networking. Discussion includes Mike's failed 'ninja service projects' youth idea, Dave's donor-vs-investor analogy for giving, and a story about a church guest who stole TVs from the children's area — the price of helping people.

Solutions: mercy, real solutions, relationships

Ben (speaker-1) reads the article's five solutions: teach biblical mercy ('we help because we are no different'), create real solutions, develop people through relationships, seek the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:11 — God telling the exiles to settle in Babylon), and seek training via groups like For The City Network. Dave contextualizes Paul's 'all things to all men' (1 Corinthians 9:22). Ben closes: the root issue is posturing versus actually following Christ.

Outro and March buffet

The hosts wrap up, invite listener complaints and suggestions at info@lifefromthepath.org, and plan a listener buffet meetup for sometime in March.