October 12, 2015 Podcast

Show open from the Pathway studios

A host (speaker-2; addressed later in the episode as Ben) opens the show from the Pathway studios in Johnston Proper, riffing on where listeners might be tuning in from and riffing with speaker-1 (addressed on-air as Boova) about sitting at the computer in one's underpants.

Failed end-of-the-world prediction and its aftermath

• How should Christians respond to repeated end-of-the-world predictions?

The hosts discuss a group (eBible Fellowship) that had predicted the world would end October 7, reading their post-failure statement about a 'strong likelihood' of judgment and its link to Harold Camping's May 21, 2011 prediction. They discuss the recycled form-letter style of failed-prediction apologies and why reasonable people mostly ignore the claims now.

Charisma in leaders: could you start a cult to set people straight?

• Is it wrong to start a cult on a false end-times premise in order to gather gullible people and then set them straight?

A host (speaker-2) poses the question of whether it would be wrong to start a cult on a false end-times premise in order to gather gullible people and then set them straight; the hosts conclude it would be futile and turn on the charisma of leaders, with speaker-1 (addressed on-air as Boova) describing how he keeps himself accountable and another host describing Jesus grounding himself in Deuteronomy at the temptation.

What a healthy conversation about end-times scripture sounds like

• What does a healthy conversation about apocalyptic or end-times scripture look like?

The hosts discuss how to talk about apocalyptic literature and end-times passages in a healthy way: not obsessing over dates, but being anchored in God's faithfulness and sovereignty so that the timing of upheaval is not the point.

Mom's viral response to seventh-grade Islam homework

• Is teaching Islam in a seventh-grade world-history class something parents should be concerned about?

The hosts discuss a news story about a California mother (named in the story as Tara Kelly; ASR variants 'Kali'/'Scally' appear) who refused her son's world-history assignment on the five pillars of Islam, listed Bible verses on the worksheet, and went viral. The hosts conclude the assignment itself is reasonable and the reaction looks like an overreaction, possibly driven by disproportionate curriculum emphasis.

Diabetes billboard: nutrition, education, or personal choice?

• Are diabetes and poor nutrition an education problem or a personal-choice problem?

A host (speaker-2) describes a billboard claiming one in three first-graders will have diabetes and asking presidential candidates to act, and the hosts debate whether diabetes and poor nutrition are education problems or personal-choice problems. Speaker-1 explains type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes; the hosts conclude food access and education create a knowledge gap for the most vulnerable, while habits for most people come down to personal choices at home.

14 habits of highly miserable people, part 1

The hosts walk through an article listing habits of miserable people: fearing economic loss, sustained boredom, consuming mindless reality TV, giving yourself a negative identity, picking fights, and attributing bad intentions. Along the way they discuss how identity gets absorbed from circumstances, one host's story of picking fights with his brother to justify being upset, and treating offenders with curiosity instead of assuming the worst.

Mid-show sponsor break on the radio feed

The hosts sign off the Truth Network radio feed, read a sponsorship spot for Bob Eisenhower (transcript spelling; canonical name Bob Eisenlauer) with phone number, email, and website, and welcome the podcast audience back for the rest of the show.

Habit #6: is everything we do inherently selfish?

• Is everything we do inherently selfish, or can good deeds be genuinely altruistic?

Returning to the miserable-habits list, the hosts debate whether doing everything only for personal gain is a misery habit — speaker-2 quizzes speaker-1 (addressed on-air as Boova), who play-acts offering to help Ben move while admitting he'd feel good about it. The conclusion: benefiting from helping someone does not make the act selfish; motive is what matters.

New believer asks: how do I answer a Christian who says the Bible is just stories?

• How should a new believer answer a Christian who says the Bible is just stories and not literally true?

A host (speaker-1, addressed on-air as Boova) relays a question from a new believer he knows who was confronted at a party by a self-described Christian claiming the Bible is a book of stories that cannot be literally true (Jonah and the fish, etc.), then reveals the new believer is himself. The hosts advise pointing to a bigger picture of God, asking why the stories could not be real, and noting that Jesus himself treated the Old Testament as true.

Dear LFTP: offered water while everyone else got wine

• Why was I only offered water while everyone else at the party got wine, and what should I do about it?

The Dear LFTP segment reads a letter from a woman invited to a gathering who was offered only water while every other woman got wine, then discovered she was given a show-up time 30 minutes later than everyone else. The hosts advise that the right moment to ask about the wine was at the party, that outside the moment it is a missed connection and should be let go — plus the 'secular answer' suggesting she ask the hostess directly.

Dear LFTP: when should grown kids in their twenties pay their own extras?

• At what point should grown children in their twenties pay for their own extras (phone, gas, movies, gym)?

The Dear LFTP segment reads a letter from a woman ('odd woman out') asking at what point grown children in their twenties should pay for their own cell phone, gas, movies, and gym memberships, with her husband happy to keep paying. The hosts land on: gifts are fine when children are not entitled, entitlement means pull back, and retirement-savings damage is the real red line.

Sign-off

The hosts close the show, thanking sponsor Bob Eisner (transcript spelling; canonical name Bob Eisenlauer), giving the show's contact email and Twitter handle, and signing off with the 'be faithful... God will handle the ends' catchphrase.