Acid, Stupidity and Russia

Live show open from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper

A host opens the show live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper with the show's tagline. The open is brief before the hosts move into cold banter.

El Paso travel bit and the drive-in adult theater

Cold-open comedy banter: a host attempts a Spanish translation, recounts working across the street from a drive-in in El Paso, Texas, and riffs on how long the adult theater has been there. Another host joins in briefly.

Pokemon GO comedy bit from El Paso

A host admits to playing Pokemon GO while working away from home in El Paso, Texas, and the hosts joke about catching Pokemon, spinning discs for gifts, and finding touch points with youth-group kids. One host says he knows nothing about the game.

Mount Ebal curse tablet: earliest Yahweh-name Hebrew text

The news docket opens with the Mount Ebal curse tablet, described as the earliest proto-alphabetic Hebrew text recovered, a small folded lead tablet mentioning the personal name of Yahweh, associated with the mountain of the curse in Deuteronomy 27. A host reads a report about the find and its dating. Discussion turns to whether it supports a conservative dating of the Old Testament, with young-earth and old-earth creationist positions weighed, and the trustworthiness of carbon dating after cataclysmic events. A comedy exchange about the tablet's text repeatedly reading 'cursed, cursed, Yahweh' closes the arc. A brief acid-attack news tease in the docket intro is set aside for later.

Acid attack on Muslim converts in Uganda and real versus comfortable persecution

The hosts read the full news story: family members in eastern Uganda who converted to Christianity after a pastor shared the gospel were beaten with sticks and sprayed with acid, and their home was later burned. Discussion follows on the starkness of real persecution compared to American church comfort, where one host confesses he is not worried about being sprayed with acid but is concerned about the power of words in a feelings-first culture. One host recounts a churchgoer who worried his church's teaching might have driven someone to despair, and contrasts it with Muslims' willingness to use force. A digression on 1990s rock lyrics whining precedes a reflection on the weight teachers carry, a 1994 visit to a house church in China, and a call for listeners to pray for the persecuted.

AME church retirement fund lawsuit

The hosts cover a proposed class-action lawsuit against the African Methodist Episcopal Church alleging that about 70 percent, nearly 100 million dollars, was lost from its retirement plan through foolish and risky investments by Jerome Harris. They ridicule the investments, development land in Florida, a loan to an Illinois solar panel installer, and a nonexistent capital venture, and debate whether churches do themselves a disservice by farming out specialized roles like finance ministry to whoever happens to be around.

Critiquing Tony Evans's prophecy sermon on Russia, oil, and Israel

• Why would all of them have a problem with Israel?
• Where does predictive prophecy preaching miss the target the most?

The hosts read and critique a report of pastor Tony Evans walking his congregation through a prophetic calendar based on Matthew 24:3, predicting conflict between Russia and Middle Eastern nations over oil. They push back on equating the modern nation-state of Israel with biblical Israel, citing Paul's redefinition of Israel as all who follow Jesus, and argue Revelation had to mean something to its original audience in Asia Minor rather than forecasting wars over oil. One host asks where the approach misses the target most, prompting discussion of Israel-as-people versus Israel-as-place and the rapture's trajectory. The arc closes with a mockery of the 'rumors of wars' coverage strategy.

Complaint line promo and the Bob Eisenlauer banana bar story

A host promotes the show's complaint line, then tells a story about running into Bob Eisenlauer at a coffee shop, where Eisenlauer bought the host a banana bar after talking about it. The complaint line's namesake is established on air.

Dear LFTP: the hoarder-status grandmother who babysits

• Am I unreasonable for wanting my mother to babysit at her own home rather than mine?

A host reads a listener letter from a parent of two elementary-aged children whose mother babysits for free but whose home is borderline hoarder status, imposes a 9PM cutoff, and seems offended when the family hires other sitters. The hosts find the complaint mystifying, advise hiring other sitters for long date nights and letting grandma keep her own rules, and note the letter writer seems unclear about why he wants to change the arrangement. The Secular answer calls the attitude entitled, prompting a 'stay in your lane' rebuke from the hosts.

Dear LFTP: partner keeps going to band practice during COVID

• What do I do about my partner's COVID-risky band practice?

A host reads a listener letter from a woman whose partner Josh, a musician, keeps practicing with his band despite two fragile family members who would die if they got COVID-19. The hosts reframe the problem as a disagreement about the underlying premise rather than a betrayal: if the couple agreed to lock down at all costs, his practice is a trust violation, but if they never actually agreed, they have to agree first. One host notes they are boyfriend and girlfriend living together, and the advice is either to find common ground or to not live together until the threat passes. The Secular answer suggests ending the relationship.

Dear LFTP: is a fiance who hates pets a red flag?

• Should my fiance's hatred of pets be a red flag worth reconsidering our engagement?

A host reads a listener letter from an engaged woman, an animal lover with two cats, whose fiance absolutely loathes pets, and asks whether it is a red flag worth reconsidering the engagement. The hosts push back on the framing, arguing that not loving pets the way she does is not a character flaw and that every marriage involves differences like this, illustrated by an analogy about decorations. One host suspects the letter writer is overrepresenting her case. The Secular answer says it could be a red flag, which the hosts disagree with.

Outro and benediction

A host closes the show, promotes feedback through the complaint line, thanks listeners, and delivers the standard benediction: be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends.