2016 Episode 11

Show open and The Passion broadcast review

The show opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston. Two of the hosts compare notes on the live Passion musical broadcast from New Orleans — its modernized staging, prerecorded street segments, live band, and technical ambition. They critique the acting and casting, including a “crucify him” crowd scene and a singing Pontius Pilate, and weigh whether the production can still point viewers toward Jesus.

Ben-Hur remake and a Wikipedia synopsis

Talk turns to a coming Ben-Hur remake, which prompts one host to read the original film’s Wikipedia plot synopsis aloud. The panel riffs on the chariot race, leprosy in Roman prisons, and their surprise that Jesus’ trial and crucifixion appear in the story.

Morgan Freeman’s religion series and universal prayer

A host flags Morgan Freeman’s new National Geographic series touring world religions, including an episode on prayer. The hosts argue that prayer is near-universal — from world religions to AA meetings to “good vibes” culture — so dismissing it means dismissing the lived experience of most of humanity.

Hard question: the greatest false idol of modern Christianity

• What is the greatest false idol of modern Christianity?

A host brings a Relevant Magazine article asking for the greatest false idol of modern Christianity and polls the panel: family, the megachurch, salvation. He then reads the article’s answer at length — fear has become the false idol, leaving Christians defending a small, powerless God — and its call to trust instead.

I Am Second and reframing the gospel pitch

• How should Christians talk about Jesus with unbelievers — lead with sin or with love?

Responding to the article, the hosts discuss I Am Second testimony videos: nobody they watched came to Jesus by being scolded about sin; people came through encountering love, significance, and freedom. One floats a searchable testimony-website idea, another notes his church is already collecting such stories, and they agree the church must reframe how it presents the gospel.

Revelation: judgment as a call to repentance

A host connects the fear theme to the group’s Revelation study: the martyrs under the altar cry for vengeance, yet God’s trumpet judgments are calls to repentance, not mere payback. He argues that reacting to a broken world with fear instead of love is why Christians are bad evangelists.

The restaurant server and unlearning fear

A host tells a personal story: where he once would have mocked a transgender restaurant server to his family, he now simply saw a person who needs Jesus — and his family didn’t know what to do with the change. Another host adds that vanishingly few people are looking for a confrontation, so the fear is mostly misplaced.

The third car: a perspective-taking study

A host cites a study on bilingual households: small children who navigate two languages were far better at seeing another person’s perspective in a hidden-toy experiment. He applies it to Christian parenting — unbelievers “don’t see the third car,” so judgment without perspective-taking misses the point.

Worry, tomorrow, and the Dave Ramsey riff

From “don’t worry about tomorrow,” the hosts riff that Dave Ramsey’s long-term-investment classes amount to worrying about tomorrow, half-joking a biblical case against financial planning. The banter detours into the show’s bad reputation in Christian music circles and unanswered calls to Lecrae.

Bible quiz: who did it

The panel — hosts plus the in-studio “Guestman” — takes an online Old Testament “who and what / who did it” quiz: ten multiple-choice questions from Abraham’s half-sister to Amnon and Tamar. They score 9 out of 10, missing only the Abimelech question, and note the quiz’s 108,000 prior takers averaged 74.

Dear LFTP: circumcision, anger, and parents

• How can I overcome anger at my parents over infant circumcision and build a better relationship with them?

Dear LFTP: a college man writes that he resents his parents for his infant circumcision — compounded by an undisclosed childhood sexual assault — and asks how to rebuild the relationship. The hosts are blunt: let the circumcision anger go, and get counseling for the real trauma. They also read the “Secular” advice-column answer, which prescribes doctors and a therapist.

Dear LFTP: the neighbor boys

• How should we handle neighbor boys who trespass in our yard and try our door lock?

Dear LFTP: a childless couple is losing patience with unsupervised neighbor boys who dig in their yard, beg for candy, and tried their keypad door lock. The hosts say that’s simply what little boys do and urge sympathy over control — illustrated by a long story about learning patience with a rambunctious much-younger brother — then read the “Secular” answer about notifying the parents.

Dear LFTP: contacting the adopted girl’s grandparents

• Would it be wrong to contact our former foster daughter and her grandparents now that they are back in town?

Dear LFTP: a couple who lost an adoption battle asks whether it’s wrong to contact the girl and her grandparents now that they’re back in town. The hosts say just ask directly and don’t be sneaky; they reject the “Secular” answer’s suggestion of a cautious letter as evasive.

Sign-off: don’t be afraid

The hosts close by recapping the night’s themes: study the Old Testament, stop operating from fear, and learn to see people the way God sees them. They give the contact email and sign off with the show’s closing line.