2017 Episode 6

Show open from the Pathway Studios

The show opens with its standard greeting: live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper. No content begins yet; it is a short cold open.

Jesus Christ Superstar remakes and touring productions

The hosts riff on revamped versions of Jesus Christ Superstar, which one host says always get 'cheesed up.' They recall the original Jesus, Ted Neely, and the Deep Purple vocalist who sang 'Smoke on the Water,' and joke about a touring production where Jesus wore khakis and a white t-shirt and the full orchestra was replaced by a synthesizer and a snare drum.

The Shack: book, movie, and theological controversy

• Is it okay to read or watch The Shack?
• Is the author of The Shack a believer? Was it published by a Christian publisher?

A long discussion of The Shack prompted by its film release. One host, who listened to it on audiobook while new in the faith, says it made him think and drove him back to his Bible without replacing his theology. The hosts debate the central concern: whether the book creates an inaccurate image of God (including its personification of God the Father as an African American woman), whether it implies universalism or a lack of divine justice, and whether Christian fiction like Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti carries the same risk. The consensus line is that neither The Shack nor the hosts' own show should be anyone's source of doctrine: 'run it through scripture first.' Includes a Ghostbusters 'Gozer the Gozerian' aside and the observation that no movie — Noah included — is biblically accurate.

Noah's rock giants and Jonah as Aquaman

Comedy bit about the Noah film's rock giants ('there are no statues in the backyard') and the hosts' insistence on believing the genuinely outrageous biblical claims: Jonah swallowed by a real fish, the flood, the resurrection. They riff on whether beluga whales followed the ark ('God didn't destroy our domain'), whether Jonah could have been nibbled by two fish, and recast Jonah as Aquaman riding sharks — a running joke they keep returning to all episode.

Pew feelings-thermometer: Americans warm to every group except evangelicals

A host reads a Christianity Today story on Pew's feelings-thermometer survey of more than 4,200 adults (2014 to 2016): Jews up 4, Catholics up 4, mainline Protestants up 4, Buddhists up 7, Hindus up 8, Mormons up 6, atheists up 9, Muslims up 8 — and evangelical Christians flat at 61. The hosts joke about the odd 'degrees' framing, note evangelical popularity is largely evangelicals rating themselves, and riff on people who call themselves 'free-thinking Buddhist' without reading anything.

Singing hymns at the capitol: witness, winning, and who the real enemy is

A host is embarrassed by a friend's Facebook live videos of Christians singing hymns at the state capitol during pro-life legislative battles, even though he agrees with the legislation. The hosts work through whether celebrating a political victory in worship alienates the very people they want to win: how you win matters as much as what you win. They land on two rules: keep right notions of victory and of enemy — the enemy is the deceiver convincing people life works without God, never the people on the other side; gloating takes the victory seat away from Christ. Also discussed: whether evangelicals' middling ratings partly reflect lack of exposure (only 61% of Americans say they know one) and the 'evangelical' label itself.

Evangelicals, atheists, and the angry visitor who ate the donuts

• Am I an evangelical?

More survey detail: evangelicals are the highest-rated group among Republicans and the second-lowest among Democrats; evangelicals and atheists are the only two traditions with 'chilly feelings' toward each other, and most Western atheism is really a rejection of Christianity. One host tells how a militant atheist came to his church after his tolerance-sermon ad, sat angry through it, snuck out, then tried to pick a fight on Facebook — and got invited to a real conversation instead. The hosts joke that the visitor ate the church's donuts anyway, and share stories of their own fever hallucinations (pointillism visions, an unfixable radio-studio microphone, punching a shower curtain).

The Mandela effect: did Sinbad star in a movie called Shazam?

• Did a Sinbad movie called Shazam actually exist?

A host reads a Relevant Magazine piece about internet users who vividly remember a 1990s Sinbad movie called Shazam that never existed — no records, no VHS, and Sinbad himself denies it — with theories ranging from social contagion of memory to the Mandela effect to a New Statesman investigation. The hosts list Sinbad's actual credits (Jingle All the Way, Good Burger, First Kid, Coneheads) and joke that one host's memory of it must be real because he never socializes. Note: the transcript says 'Mike did not fall to this social contagion' and credits 'Mike' with offering up the false 'Shazam' option — audio-named, per guide.

What to do with Boova: can you love someone without liking them?

• Can you love someone the way Jesus calls you to without liking them?

The debut of a new advice segment named for Boova (speaker-2 in the transcript; other hosts address him as 'Boova' on air). He brings a real disagreement with his girlfriend in Madagascar: she holds you cannot love someone biblically without liking them; he holds you can. The hosts side with him: 'like' is minute-by-minute (do I want to be in this room right now), love is the long haul (would I stand in front of the gun for you). They cite Jesus sending away crowds he had just healed, John wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans, 'Get behind me, Satan' to Peter, and 1 Corinthians 13 love that keeps no record of wrongs — noting practically that love doesn't mean forgetting who burglarized you. The episode ends the segment teasing Boova's 'What to do with Boova' name.

Dear LFTP: a new mom choosing daycare

• I am a new mom returning to work. How do I choose the right daycare, and what should I ask?

A reader reads a Dear LFTP letter from a new mom returning to work who has no idea how to select a daycare. The hosts' blunt advice: stay home if you possibly can — after daycare, taxes, commuting and costs it is often a wash, and you will never regret the years; get personal recommendations from people who care about your kids, not Yelp; check the facility is licensed and watch how caregivers interact with the children. One host tells the story of picking his daughter Grace up from an in-home daycare where she had been crying by the stairs for weeks, the moment his family decided one parent would stay home. The Secular answer (the show's worldly-wisdom persona, read by the reader) adds: check for complaints with the state's department of social services and search babycenter.com. The hosts close with sympathy for single moms who do not have the choice.

Dear LFTP: trusting a new partner after betrayal

• How do I move past my trust issues and give a new relationship a fair chance?

A second Dear LFTP letter: after years of untrustworthy family, friends, and ex-boyfriends, a woman fears she will destroy a promising new relationship. Advice: be radically honest with him about your past and your triggers so he can fight for the relationship; and check yourself with other people you trust, since a history of poor choices may mean poor judgment — one host calls this 'Boova's communication platform.' The Secular answer: give the relationship time, don't jump to conclusions or accusations, and watch whether what he says matches what he does. The hosts joke through the bit with Burger King/McDonald's lies and 'Machete Jim' daycare.

Sign-off: contact, upcoming guests, benediction

Sign-off: listeners can write to info at live from the path dot org, and (as a joke) send complaints to Chris Roloff at the Food Network. The hosts tease upcoming guests through March and close with their benediction: 'be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends,' styling this episode 'live from the shack.'