September 7, 2015 Podcast

Show open: meme pronunciation bit and the Kim Davis framing question

After the produced intro, Ben (speaker-0, self-identified in the audio) and the co-hosts open with a comedy bit about pronouncing 'meme' wrong, then Ben frames the show's driving question: the Kentucky clerk who went to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses, and what the everyday Christian man should do, think, and say in response. A co-host jokes that Ben's recurring irritations need a bimonthly segment called benisirritated.com.

Article read: Larry Bates end-times gold scam

Ben reads and riffs on a Christian Post article about Larry Bates and his sons being indicted in Memphis on wire fraud charges for allegedly bilking 300 believers out of $18 million selling gold and silver through end-times fear of 'mystery Babylon'. The hosts mock the scam's mechanics, the credibility lent by appearances on televangelists' shows, and the question of what gold would even accomplish at the end of the world.

False teachers, shallow Revelation reading, and the doorknob picture

The hosts warn against making investment and life decisions off a shallow reading of Revelation: the less informed people are, the more ignorance can be weaponized against them, and almost every New Testament letter warns about false teachers. The segment includes a comedy bit about the classic church picture of Christ standing outside a door with no doorknob on His side — 'the doorknob's on your side' — which they clarify is about the church, from Revelation, not a personal-salvation invitation.

Sponsor block and show housekeeping

Ben reads the sponsor ad for realtor Bob Eisenlauer (transcript renders it 'Bob Eisenhower', canonicalized per Ben-verified spelling) at the eisenhowerteam.com domain, which spins into a long comedy riff about garage-sale pricing, overpriced used shirts, and 'Eisenhower bullion' as claw-machine currency. He plugs past clips and full episodes at livefromthepath.org, solicits new advertisers via info@livefromthepath.org, and pivots back to the Kim Davis question.

Kim Davis part 1: what does the average man do Tuesday morning

• What should the average Christian man do, think, and say in response to the Kim Davis situation?

The hosts take up the framed question directly: what should the average Christian man do, think, and say tomorrow morning about the Kentucky clerk jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses? Positions aired: a host says he'd quit rather than participate, another says you can't avoid participating in others' sin in any job, and a third argues no earthly law dictates what God calls marriage — the clerk is in a position to love people, not to be kept from doing God's work. Discussion of whether calling out sin without the gospel is wasted breath.

Resign rather than refuse: conscience and the price of discipleship

• Should the clerk have resigned rather than refused to issue the marriage licenses?

A host addressed by name in the audio as Dan is asked whether he has the right approach, and says he'd resign before signing licenses he believes violate his conscience, noting following Christ comes with a price. Others agree she'd have been better off resigning; there's discussion of the hypocrisy of selective outrage, of whether 'only God can judge me' is a valid stance (no — believers are called to call out sin, but coupled with the gospel), and of Daniel protesting on his own behalf rather than on everyone's.

After the break: American justice, contempt of court, and elected office

Back from the break: a host (addressed by name in the audio as Mike) says he would have issued the licenses anyway, finding participation-in-sin concerns moot since every job touches sin. The hosts argue the jailing was American justice working on contempt of court, not persecution; that as an elected official she answers to voters and the legislature through impeachment; and that Supreme Court rulings stand until changed through the system. Ben says the episode 'didn't move the needle' and jokes that someone is counting his uses of the catchphrase.

8AM Tuesday morning: disciple-making over rallies

Returning to the framing question, the hosts conclude the average Christian's Tuesday morning should be spent making disciples, not attending rallies: disciples of Jesus don't get same-sex-married and don't need the protests, so the church's passion belongs in evangelism and relationships. One host cites the Bible's account of the man who took up a spear against an army over God's lentil field as the model of holy ground worth a stand. Mike's on-air line 'disciples of Jesus don't attend rallies' is repeated and declared a tweet.

Do I know Jesus well enough to introduce Him?

• How do I talk to people about Jesus, and do I know Jesus well enough?

Ben (speaker-0, self-identified) turns personal: preparing to talk about Jesus in a hospital visit, he realizes he knows stories about Jesus but wonders whether he knows Jesus Himself well enough to introduce someone the way he'd introduce a friend like Boova (named in the audio) — not functionally, to save them, but because he genuinely wants people to meet Him. The hosts riff on king-and-kingdom metaphors: a bakery the king visits daily, and the Tangled lantern scene as a community celebrating a good king they love to serve. Someone notes the show overuses tactics when the root problem is intimacy with Christ.

Closing: getting the good news right, a book anecdote, and signoff

• Are we understanding the good news correctly?

The hosts close on how to frame the gospel: if the first line of your 'good news' is that the hearer is in terrible shape, it doesn't sound like good news — people already know bad news, and the good news should lead. Ben shares a book anecdote about a philosopher-psychologist who, when asked about the main issues with his belief structure, answered simply 'it was wrong,' as a model of embracing correction. He invites listeners to write in about understanding the good news, promises a future buffet night, and signs off with 'live from the pack.'