May 4, 2015 Podcast

Opening: agenda, Pants's birthday, band plug

A host opens the show from the Pathway Studios in Johnston, gives a birthday shout-out to Pants, and runs down the evening's agenda: walking through a Relevant Magazine article on five Christian cliches that may not be true, plus a Dear LFTP advice segment compared against secular advice. The host also plugs an interview with the band To Be A Man, their single 'Homeless in Hawaii,' and their upcoming appearance at Bash on the Farm in Ford City, Iowa.

Cliche 1: are all sins the same?

• Are all sins the same, or are some sins worse than others?

The hosts take up the article's first cliche, 'all sins are the same,' and all vote disagree. They argue that while all sin separates from God, Scripture assigns different penalties and consequences: murder versus gossip, and Old Testament sacrifices scaled to the offense (a dove versus a ram). One host recounts an awkward moment subbing in the children's area where a well-meaning adult told the kids all sin is the same, and he let it go for lack of time. The article quotes Romans on the wages of sin versus the gift of God.

Cliche 2: forgive and forget

• Is 'forgive and forget' a true biblical principle?

On 'forgive and forget,' a host illustrates with a long story about a stairwell at work smelling exactly like his great-grandma's trailer in Missouri, arguing you cannot obliterate memories. They read from Lewis B. Smedes's book 'Forgive and Forget' that the test of forgiving is healing the lingering pain, not forgetting the past. The consensus: choose not to take revenge and stop holding the wrong against the person, but do not pretend it never happened or trust untrustworthy people again; one host prefers the substitution 'forgive and get over it.'

Cliche 3: God wants holiness, not happiness

• Is God interested in making us happy, or in making us holy?

The hosts react to 'God isn't interested in making you happy, He's interested in making you holy' — one host calls it one of his favorite phrases. They agree holiness and happiness are not mutually exclusive: happiness defined by God is a consequence of pursuing holiness, citing the Beatitudes, Psalms on joy in God's presence, Augustine on restless hearts, the Westminster Shorter Catechism on glorifying and enjoying God, and Aquinas on union with God. They note the phrase works in its usual context — choosing against an unholy action that promises worldly happiness — but fails as a standalone truism.

Cliche 4: suffering brings you closer to God

• Will you be closer to God during times of suffering?

The hosts push back on 'during times of suffering, you'll be closer to God': suffering tends to strip away other dependencies and can give perspective, but only if a person consciously turns to God. They contrast Paul's thorn in the flesh with Job's experience of longing for God without finding him, and warn against saying this to grieving unbelievers — citing a funeral example of a grandmother telling a grieving mother it would bring her closer to God. They also dispute the article's claim that Jesus felt forsaken on the cross, arguing he was quoting and singing Psalm 22 as a song of victory and prophecy, with 'it is finished' as a military victory cry.

Debate: does God withdraw?

• If God feels distant, guess who moved?

Prompted by the article's line that sometimes God withdraws for mysterious reasons, one host asks why the others agreed, and a long discussion follows. Using Job, a parenting analogy, the Israelites in the desert, the burning bush, Paul's Damascus road experience followed by ordinary years, and Richard Foster's 'dark night of the soul,' the hosts land on a shared view: God does not abandon people, but believers go through winter seasons without the warm feelings of closeness, which is a normal cycle of spiritual growth, not evidence of sin. One host attributes the phrase 'sheep in, sheep out' for ordinary life between God's dramatic interventions to Mike, who is named on-air.

Bumper-sticker theology and the Sermon on the Mount

Wrapping the cliches, the hosts agree most of the sayings are fine in context but useless — even 'dumb' — as bumper stickers or T-shirts, then riff comedically on whether Jesus's Sermon on the Mount sound bites count as the same thing. The bit builds into an extended joke about a lazy would-be follower refusing to climb the mountain, asking Jesus to do a 'real quick version' on a rock or record Cliff's Notes for him.

Secular vs Solomon intro and Avengers review

The host introduces 'Secular versus Solomon,' the game where players guess whether a wisdom saying is a secular proverb (naming its country of origin) or biblical wisdom (naming the book). While the quizmaster locates his list, one host is put on the spot and gives a no-spoilers review of Avengers 2, calling it awesome as a standalone film and recommending it.

Secular vs Solomon game rounds

The hosts play through the game rounds: proverbs on trusting a son from a known family (secular, Morocco), wisdom crying out in the streets (Solomon, Proverbs 8 — correctly chaptered by a player), 'good friend, don't forget all I've taught you' (Solomon, Proverbs 3), 'the only real equality is in the cemetery' (secular, Germany), 'arriving and leaving, hoping and remembering' (secular, Haiti), 'don't lose your grip on love and loyalty' (Solomon, Proverbs 3), 'a monkey never thinks her baby is ugly' (secular, Haiti), 'evil people are restless unless they're making trouble' (Solomon, Proverbs 4:16-17), and 'a new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows all the corners' (secular, Ireland). Mid-game the players realize the quotes are rendered in The Message, sparking a running joke about translation loyalty (ESV vs NIV vs The Message), plus comedy bits on Sheba as modern Yemen, the Netherlands/Netherlands mix-up, and neti pots.

Ad banter, Israel trip, and FM sign-off

After the game the hosts banter about a 'single and Christian' ad next to their YouTube video, joke that their audience demographics are predominantly the wives of male listeners, and discuss a $2,500-$2,600 all-inclusive Israel trip with a GoFundMe joke and nonprofit-status banter. They then sign off the 99.3 FM Truth Network broadcast, directing radio listeners to the website and podcast.

Dear LFTP: daughters moving in with boyfriends

• Are we wrong to refuse to attend our daughters' open-house party after they moved in with their boyfriends?

A listener asks whether they are wrong to skip their daughters' open-house party after both daughters moved in with their boyfriends. The hosts compare it to the gay-wedding question. Opinions split: some would go to preserve the relationship while being clear about disagreement; one host argues moving in together is an unwise risk but not in itself a sin, so there is little ground to refuse. They debate where the biblical line sits — intercourse versus acting as husband and wife outside marriage — and conclude the finer distinctions matter less than whether the daughters care about God's heart on the matter. The secular answer ('nothing to be gained by skipping, but something to lose') reaches the same conclusion as the go-side hosts for entirely different reasons, which the hosts find interesting rather than disqualifying.

Dear LFTP: unwanted theater season tickets

• How do I get out of going to the theater with my husband's family without hurting anyone's feelings?

A listener asks how to get out of theater outings her husband's grandmother keeps buying without hurting feelings. The hosts advise honesty framed around the genuine schedule conflict rather than disliking the people or the theater, suggesting she compare calendars ahead of time or send other family members; one host shares he faces the same thing with his mother-in-law's season tickets. The secular answer is blunter — just say she prefers not to be included — which the hosts soften into going once as a loving gesture while declining the rest.

Dear LFTP: afraid of rejection in dating

• I like a girl but don't know if she likes me; how do I pursue a relationship without getting rejected?

A young listener who went to a school dance with a girl asks how to pursue a relationship without getting rejected. The hosts reassure him she said yes to a public date, advise getting to know her through shared interests rather than leading with a relationship pitch, and one host cautions that going to a dance together does not necessarily mean romantic interest. The secular answer ('nothing ventured, nothing gained... she probably already likes you') is read, followed by a comedy riff on arranged marriage, dowries of goats and a '67 Chevy, and a debate over whether arranged-marriage cultures' lower divorce rates count as success.

Closing sign-off

The host closes the podcast with thanks to the listeners.