Putting God on Trial

Show open: the smoking jacket of God

The show opens live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston. A host riffs on the pre-show 'top 10 reasons you should be embarrassed to be an American Christian' bit, comparing the way Christians wear the full armor of God to a leisure suit -- 'a smoking jacket of God? Classy.' -- before turning to the night's lineup.

Boova's world religions class: putting God on trial

• Is the Old Testament God just a murderous bully?

Boova -- introduced by another host as 'Boopa,' who 'has a story' -- tells how his college world religions class watched a video of Jewish men in a Holocaust concentration camp convening to put God on trial, indicting him as a murderous bully from the Old Testament stories. Boova says he could not stay silent: he told the class they were 'completely wrong' because they only had half the story, then preached Jesus -- the Messiah, the perfect lamb -- as the other half, from covenant failure to redemption, leaving the room dumbfounded. The hosts affirm him: Christians have to have these conversations instead of ceding them to mass media.

Media, world religions classes, and the annual skeptic special

• How should Christians respond to skeptical media coverage of Jesus?

The hosts discuss CNN-style annual 'Jesus wasn't real' specials and how mass media shapes what people believe about Christianity. They agree you cannot trust media portrayals of any religion -- intro classes give a five-second flavor at best, and 'popular Christian' talking heads are suspect ('if any part of your title is popular Christian something, that guy is not representative likely of the Bible'). They riff on how the faithful dead finally got it right and pitch a cartoon about a demon and a Christian arguing over who gets the point when a believer dies.

The anointed cake

• Can prayer over an object (like a cake) carry spiritual power?

A host -- addressed by another as Ben during the segment -- reads a Christian Post piece about Dr. Lance Wallnau, who claims an 'anointed cake' baked by former prostitutes freed a gay bartender from homosexuality after he ate it and had a 'weird experience.' The hosts mock the sensational framing ('if you could do these like Twinkies, they'd be everywhere'; 'wall now, straight later') and the presumption of declaring 'that's the presence of the Lord' over a weird feeling, then land somewhere sincere: they do not pray over things expectantly enough, and the real lesson is to love on people, serve them, and pray over what you give them.

What is fervent prayer?

• What is fervent prayer?

Convicted by the cake story, the hosts ask what fervent prayer actually is -- one offers the Greek sense of 'to boil,' hot and burning; another says it is 'I cannot do this without you,' praying the way you breathe, without ceasing. They share Jim Caviezel's workout analogy for prayer, a host's practice of inviting Jesus along on ordinary errands ('Jesus, will you ride home with me today?'), and a missionary in Taiwan, Devin Hitzgiles, who prays over literally everything -- a rebuke to their own lukewarm, checkbox prayer lives. A host mentions Dan by name while confessing the crew's prayerlessness.

Prayer Bible quiz: 7 out of 10

The hosts take a 10-question Bible quiz on prayer: Abimelech and Abraham, Isaac praying for Rebekah, Eli mistaking Hannah for drunk, Elisha's servant seeing the fiery army, the Shunammite woman, Elisha and the Arameans, Hezekiah's healing, Job praying for his friends, Gabriel answering Daniel, Jonah in the fish. They score 7/10 against a 69% all-time average -- 'one above' -- and conclude the episode's thesis: they know their Bible trivia but do not know God's expectations on prayer, or know them and do not do them. A host addresses another as Mike when deferring to his call on a question.

Dear LFTP: the unpaid babysitter

• Should the stay-at-home mom charge her friend for babysitting when her fiance objects?

A stay-at-home mom of three writes that another mom asked her to watch her three-year-old while she works and offered to pay; she declined out of friendship, and her fiance is furious. The hosts side with her -- a three-year-old barely eats anything -- but note the real issue is the couple's values: the fiance supports the family while she stays home, and they need to be on the same page. They read the 'Secular says' answer: the favor decision is hers, not his.

Dear LFTP: the nightstand surprise

• Should a parent confront their adult son about a sex toy found while pet-sitting?

A letter writer who pet-sits for their son's cats asks whether to say something to the son after finding an anatomically correct sex toy on the bed stand, worried it signals conception trouble with the daughter-in-law. The hosts' advice: say nothing -- 'if they were ashamed of it, it would not be on the bedstand' -- married people get privacy, and it is none of his business. They read the 'Secular says' answer (keep advice to yourself unless asked), then a host calls time before the speculation goes further. A host addresses another as Dan during the segment.

Sign-off: prayer moves mountains

The closing exhortation: prayer 'moves mountains because God moves mountains,' and God engaging with the world can still do powerful things because he does what he wants to do. The hosts urge prayer for the darkness in the world and sign off with 'be faithful means God will handle the ends.'