2016 Episode 35

Show open

The show opens from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper with the standard live-start. Hosts greet the listeners and settle in.

Dressing for the season / body-heat banter

Opening banter about the change of seasons and what to wear: one host never gets cold (windows open at -50 wind chill), another radiates heat and is always cold — the theory being a poorly insulated body passes heat on, which is why holding his kids heats them up.

Preview: Boova's Pope style

Preview of the Pope-style segment: the advice will be that worrying about your missional field away from where you are can mean missing the missional field where you are.

Teaser: Crossway reverses the permanent-ESV decision

The hosts claim joking credit for influencing Crossway: after criticism over making the ESV Bible text permanent, Crossway reversed the decision — which the hosts frame as 'a fluid heresy problem' and note they were unsatisfied with Crossway's explanation.

LifeWay survey of American theological views, part 1

The hosts walk through a LifeWay Research study of Americans' theological views: Bible authority (50%), God as author of Scripture (58%), bodily resurrection (64%), God's perfection (65%), answered prayer (66%), God accepting all religions' worship (64%), universal reunion with loved ones (60%) vs Christ-alone salvation (54%), works contributing to heaven (52%). They note contradictions, plus a side bit where Boova (speaker-0, addressed by name on-air) admits believing in UFOs.

The marshmallow confession: grace and godly sorrow

Ben (speaker-1, addressed by name on-air) tells the story of his oldest daughter confessing over three nights that she had been lying about stolen marshmallows — a wave of honesty that became a lived lesson in grace: earthly consequences plus full forgiveness, and why godly sorrow matters more than fear of punishment.

LifeWay survey, part 2: sin, hell, Jesus, Trinity, Holy Spirit

Survey walkthrough continues: hell as eternal judgment (40%), smallest sin deserving damnation (19%), God fair to show wrath (57%), most people good by nature (65%), sex outside marriage and abortion as sin (49% each), Jesus as the first and greatest created being (52%) vs one God in three persons (69%), the Holy Spirit as a force not a person (56%). The hosts conclude American Christians are confused at a base level.

Crossway reads its reversal statement; scripture memorization

The hosts read Crossway president Lane Dennis's announcement reversing the permanent-text decision and discuss it: consistency for its own sake is silly, fidelity to Scripture requires openness to textual discoveries and language change. Tangent on scripture memorization — kaleidoscope of translations vs knowing principles and context — and a caution about yanking wedding verses out of context (Song of Songs).

Pope-style intro: camping on the Pope's lawn

Comedy lead-in to the Pope-style segment: the hosts joke that listeners are camping on 'the pope's' lawn waiting for life advice, like the real Pope addressing the masses from the basilica.

Boova's Pope style: the mission field where you are

Boova (speaker-0, addressed by name on-air) delivers the Pope-style advice from his own experience starting college: if God has not called you overseas, stop straining for the exotic and serve the unreached people already around you — coworkers, neighbors, classmates. The others agree: our idea of 'big' for God is worldly; one person meeting Jesus through you is big.

Dear LFTP: Betty Jo and the vow-renewal cash grab

• Is requesting cash gifts on an invitation a new trend, or just bad manners?
• How should I handle future office interactions with Betty Jo?

Boova reads a listener letter: coworker Betty Jo sent a poorly photocopied vow-renewal invitation reading 'Cash gifts are cheerfully accepted' and later demanded the knitter's custom Angora sweater project as a gift. The hosts role-play a firm refusal, read the secular answer (stop hiding, maintain polite distance), and mock vow-renewals as gift grabs when the crock pot breaks.

Dear LFTP: the boyfriend who drunk-texts his ex-wife

• Is my boyfriend still in love with his ex-wife, or does he really love me?

Letter from a woman living with her boyfriend of 11 months: he stays in contact with his ex-wife, drunk-texts 'I love you' to her, and hasn't introduced his grown daughter. The hosts say alcohol tears down the walls and tells how he really feels — get out. The secular answer: address the drinking problem and why you haven't met the daughter.

Brainstorm: what do you call adult 'boyfriends and girlfriends'?

Offshoot bit: 'boyfriend and girlfriend' sounds childish for fifty-somethings; the hosts riff on replacements — man friend, woman friend, romantic partner, significant other, silver foxes, she-dater/he-dater, and finally coin 'hebo' and 'shebo', which they'll poll on Twitter/Facebook (email info@livefromthepath).

Dear LFTP: Jake's sister Michelle

• Should I apologize for something I did not do to make amends with Jake's sister?

Letter: boyfriend Jake's sister Michelle (26) openly dislikes the writer, lies about her, excludes her from events; the family shrugs 'that's just the way she is.' The hosts say Michelle is a schmuck you deal with, it shouldn't end the relationship, and Jake should stand up for his girlfriend. The secular answer is harsher — cut your losses — which the hosts reject as a jump.

Repeated letter blooper: sister Dawn

• My sister Dawn is engaged to a controlling man I detest — how do I handle it? (repeat of a previously answered letter; recognized on-air, not answered this episode)

Boova starts reading a letter about sister Dawn engaged to a detested controlling man — then the hosts recognize it as last week's letter: 'a first on Live From The Path — we had one job.' They bail, plug the hebo/shebo poll, and move to the quiz.

Prayer quiz: ten questions

• What time was considered the hour of prayer in the temple? (quiz question: the ninth hour, Acts 3:1)

The hosts take a 10-question online Bible quiz on prayer: the hour of prayer in the temple (answered sixth hour), Romans 10:1, James 5:13 (afflicted/merry), James 5:16 (confess faults), Saul at Stephen's stoning, Cornelius the devout centurion, the lame man at the Beautiful gate, Paul's prayer for Corinth, 1 Thessalonians ('pray without ceasing'), James 5:15.

Quiz scoring and Paul's 'be like me'

Answers graded: 7/10 — the hour of prayer is the ninth hour (Acts 3:1), not sixth; Paul's prayer for Corinth is 'that ye may become perfect' (2 Cor 13), not boldness; James 5:15's prayer of faith saves the sick (cited verbatim). Average score among ~18k takers since 2004 is 60%, so the hosts beat average. Prompted by 2 Cor 13, a reflection on Paul's 'be like me' — modern Christians fear setting a personal example as pride, but Paul relentlessly points people to his own imitation of Christ.

Show close

Sign-off: thanks for hanging out, email comments to info at livefromthepath dot org, back next week; the tagline 'be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends.'