To Kneel or to Drag

Show open

Produced intro voiceover tail followed by the live show start: the hosts welcome listeners from the Pathway Studios in Johnston.

Opening framing: the shepherd and the sheep

• What is the posturing of the shepherd to the sheep when it comes to the sheep's motivation?

A host frames the night's core question: what is the posturing of the shepherd to the sheep when it comes to the sheep's motivation — are people dumb animals to be dragged, or self-directed agents to be coaxed? He recalls touching on it with past guests Robbie and Aaron from Discover Hope 5:17. Another host jokes he will become a Calvinist on this one for the peace of it, riffing on Kim Jong Un and the anthem.

How do we have the right conversation?

• How do Christians have the right conversation about weighty, heated topics?

A host frames a second thread: when it comes to situations like football players kneeling during the anthem, how do Christians have a healthy, productive conversation? He observes people mostly talk past each other, choosing the two or three points that make them look right while ignoring the other side's context.

News: North Korea's 'declaration of war' claim

The hosts discuss a KCCI story: the White House dismissing North Korea's claim that the US declared war after presidential remarks about Kim Jong Un. A host recounts a journalist's long article on the North Korean worldview — the Korean War remembered as American aggression, the Qaddafi lesson about trusting America — arguing people act from their own boxes of information and history, which feeds the anthem-protest conversation too.

What do we want from a president?

The hosts debate expectations of the presidency: honesty versus gravitas, swearing in public, the sense of control in a leader's voice, and the irritation of flowery political speech. They land on respecting reasoned, controlled truth, and lament that news arrives filtered seven times over so no one can tell who is telling the truth — breeding mistrust.

Anthem protests: slow to speak, quick to listen

The hosts lay out principles for discussing the kneeling protests: be slow to speak and reasoned (James), do not let yourself be played like a violin by outrage merchants, and try to discern what protesters actually intend rather than litigating the method. They note Kaepernick spent time with police and military working through the issues, and that both sides blow the First Amendment angle out of proportion.

Blindness, the forks analogy, and winning versus solving

A host shares that his daughter, on track to become a dentist, is always assumed to be aiming for hygienist — sexism as a people problem, not just an American one. Another host offers the forks analogy: how many times does his dad have to throw forks at him before he can say his dad throws forks? They distinguish ignorance and blindness from active hatred, and ask whether the goal is winning arguments or solving problems.

Doomsday prophecies and date-setting

• Could failed doomsday prophecies lead people to reject Jesus Christ?
• Should Christians publicly oppose or warn against date-setting doomsday teachers?

Reacting to a Christian Post article on failed doomsday prophecies, the hosts debate whether date-setters deserve public opposition or are best ignored. They offer a gracious critique of bad exegesis behind end-times predictions: Revelation 12 star alignments, refusing to let Matthew's temple passages be about the temple, and the parallel of first-century Jews stretching Messianic prophecies to get the Messiah they wanted. They mock the book '99 Reasons Why You Will Not Know When the End of the World Is' for missing the one reason that matters.

Shepherding: can you help someone who does not want help?

The night's core question returns. One host says he has had loving experiences coming alongside the willing and been nearly destroyed trying to drag the unwilling; another lives by only discipling those who want to be discipled. They converge on relentless presence and seed-throwing — the parable of the sower, keep texting and calling — without dragging anyone, citing Ananias and Saul and the shake-the-dust-off principle. A strip-club ministry aside tests the boundary.

Contact info and plugs

The hosts give the show email and social handles, note they rarely check Twitter, push for YouTube subscriptions near a thousand, and plug the Facebook page.

Dear LFTP: the dating-site letter

• Does my son have a right to know a woman's sexual history, and what is a tactful way to ask?

A host reads a Dear LFTP letter from a mother whose 40-year-old son (never married, father of a 17-year-old) joined an online dating site; a woman mentioned past partners and the mother wonders if her son has a right to know her sexual history. The hosts tease the mother for writing in on his behalf, read the 'Secular' answer aloud, and advise: go on the date, get to know her first, and ask directly by date two if it truly matters — while noting the question itself can imply she is promiscuous.

Outro: music recommendations

Closing music recommendations: Tim Timmons' new kids' album 'Who I Am' with the song 'Surrender,' and folk artist Josh Garrels.