Shofar, Shogood

Show open and docket

• Does the church have an image problem, and are the article's six fixes good?

The show opens live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston proper with banter about streaming on every possible device, tea drinking, and a town-name riff on Johnston. A host runs through the episode docket: Christianity Today hot takes, Dear LFTP letters, and a Carey Nieuwhof article on the church's image problem that a host addressed as Dan is not a fan of. A guest named John is introduced as in studio, and the host invites him to share anything from his past that feels relevant.

Missionaries buy a luxury cruise ship

• Should a missionary group buy a luxury cruise ship for ministry?

The first Christianity Today hot take: a missionary group (Operation Mobilization's partner GB Ships) acquired the former luxury cruise ship Genting World and will rename it Doulos Hope, a floating book ministry. The hosts debate the optics versus the utility — a cheap hull for ministry versus a luxury vessel — with jokes about needing demons-free planes and treating ministry like a vacation. Ratings are given in the episode's 'shofar' system: one shofar is weak, two is strong, and a host addressed as Boova lands on 'one Jafar' out of distrust of the aid language.

More global headlines with shofar ratings

More quick-hit headlines, each rated in shofars: a Uyghur ethnic translator detained by China for months then released for no reason and helped out by a Canadian surveillance expert, a McKinsey analyst, an American Christian family, and China Aid founder Bob Fu (two shofars); a record 1,300 baptisms at cross raisings in Australia significant to First Nation Christians (two shofars); Compassion International and 17 Ghanaian churches planting 4,000 trees against climate change, which the hosts push back on — 'you're bringing trees to all the nations,' not the gospel, and gospel work needs no tree-planting pretext (zero shofars); a 72-year-old Norwegian man demanding a church dim its illuminated cross because it may 'tear open old wounds' tied to corporal punishment in church schools from 1955 to 1990, which the hosts reject as a 35-year-old 'you problem' that still needs healing rather than a veto (two shofars for keeping the cross); and an evangelical church in Rome hosting an Andy Warhol prints exhibit as community engagement (double shofars).

Worship songs that have carried them

• What worship songs or podcasts have helped you in hard seasons?

A listener's request — struggling with Bible reading, asking for worship songs or podcasts that helped — turns into a round of songs that matter to the room: an Elevation Worship song 'Do It Again' that encouraged a host in hard seasons; Pat Barrett's 'Build My Life,' sung brokenly on porches and by lakes until it became an incense-like offering of worth to God; Kingdom Culture Worship's 'Abide,' which a host first hated for its nine-minute repetition until the words 'I hope this song goes on forever' and a weeping worship moment changed his faith; a Sidewalk Prophets song about coming to the table that hit guest John hard with the picture of God seeing value in construction workers and truck drivers like himself; and the steady standby 'Yahweh' by Red Collective with its simple chorus 'you reign above it all,' used to recenter when burdens beat the host up. A host reflects that when people sing together they are automatically on key — humanity was made to chorus, a Holy Spirit thing. The Bob Eisenlauer complaint/worship line ((515) 517-0085) is plugged for listener song suggestions; podcasts are tabled for next week.

Church image problem, point one: politics

• Does the church have an image problem, and are the article's six fixes good?
• Should Christians and churches stay out of partisan politics to witness better?

The Carey Nieuwhof article walkthrough begins: 'The church has an image problem — six ways to fix it.' The hosts agree the premise — the scandals, abuse, and self-righteousness driving people out have little to do with COVID. Point one: don't wade into partisan politics. A host argues Jesus prescribed the Father's kingdom outside any governmental body and the American church's fantasy of a Christian-aligned government making the world better is simply wrong; change comes through the Holy Spirit in people's hearts, not the political arena. A host addressed as Dan adds that Jesus is above politics and the church's obligation is to teach kingdom morality however it falls politically. The hosts note the image problem is really a God problem — people don't believe in God, so they won't like what the Bible says. A Chosen season 3 anecdote illustrates how biblically illiterate even interested viewers are. The conversation lands on Donald Trump: some in the church treat him like the Messiah, others like the Antichrist for his record with women; a host says he is neither, and he would vote for him a third time only because he comes closest on some issues.

Politics continued: known for Scripture, not issues

The politics thread continues: a host says he wants to be known for his view of Scripture rather than firing out of the gate on issues, and to point people to the Creator so the Bible illuminates them. A host addressed as Dan quotes Isaiah's 'woe is me, a man of unclean lips' — God didn't have to scream at Isaiah; proximity to God dropped him to his knees, because closeness to God changes people, which is not the hosts' job. Guest John says humans can't change another human's heart and he is more hopeful someone comes to heaven than votes alongside him, then raises the difficulty for pastors: preaching truth still gets heard politically whether intended or not, and a pastor is responsible for how people take the message. A story about an 'alternative lifestyle' family whose kid attends the church's youth group lands the point: connect them with God and let God handle the rest.

Image problem points: own your failures, drop the Christianese, check the hate

The article walkthrough continues. 'People screw up': own it fast, apologize, make amends — and the hosts warn against the flip side, weaponizing others' failures and covering things up to protect dollars, budgets, and headcounts, which perverts the church's role. 'A lot of Christians end up speaking Christianese': fellowship, tribulation, 'the fall' — insider jargon that baffles outsiders and kills credibility, illustrated by a video of Christians making non-Christian friends guess terms like 'original sin.' The hate point: when hate becomes a Christian's primary trait something is off; a host says 'you love them too much to skip it,' using the image of stopping a loved one from eating nails — people may read love as hate, and the follower of Jesus is privileged to know the difference, with the standing closer 'don't be a jerk.'

'Don't go it alone' is a campaign pitch

The article's final point, 'don't go it alone,' turns out to be a pitch for the He Gets Us campaign — 'the biggest Jesus campaign ever' with millions of YouTube views. The hosts push back on the art of church growth as a time-tested plan: God wrote 66 books and doesn't need a consultant with a tablet, skinny jeans, and a national ad buy to create another service.

Dear LFTP: living with the boyfriend's dad

• Should the letter writer leave her boyfriend's house given his father's behavior?

A Dear LFTP letter: the writer lives with her boyfriend and his father, who is rude, racist, and self-centered — spending money on himself, then complaining he is broke, with every conversation turning into an argument. The verdict is unanimous: leave. The boyfriend won't set boundaries, the childhood home isn't worth it, and she should be grateful she hasn't married into the family and can escape with no entanglements. The Secular answer: stop buying things for the house, pay down debt, save for a deposit, and move on — the sooner the better.

Dear LFTP: eighth-grader with no friends

• How can a parent help an eighth-grader who has no friends at school?

A Dear LFTP letter: the writer's daughter is in eighth grade at a small private school with no friends, and the parents' promise that high school will be easier isn't landing. The hosts' advice: there is no magic button for making a child's friends; the parent's job is to make sure she isn't the one causing the trouble, keep showing up, pray for a friend, and don't force it — real connection comes naturally for most kids. The Secular answer agrees, noting cliques solidify by seventh grade, and the hosts mock the persona's age ('I was included when I moved to a new school in seventh grade back in 1910') and its $8 'how to be popular' booklet. The episode closes mid-sentence as a host turns to ask Mike a question.