Wretched Radio begins in three, two, one. If it brings her to the same point that it brings you, it doesn't matter whether she called it God along the way or not. That understanding works for you, and so therefore it is absolutely right for you. All beliefs have become only relatively true, and of course to the world, religion is just some personalized experience, not a divine revelation, and the Church is catching the disease. It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Thank you, Quakers. And I'm not talking about your oatmeal. This is Wretched Radio. Although that raises, it doesn't beg. It raises a question. Would you like to know one of my rules, Friel? No. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. If I'm reading an article and somebody misuses raises versus begs, and I'm not talking about Alistair, I'm done. I'm done. If you're supposed to be an expert on something, you are trying to persuade me through your article about whatever the subject matter is, and you say that begs the question, when in reality it merely raises the question. I'm outta here. But I digress from oatmeal. By the way, who owns Quaker oatmeal these days? I'll bet it's not the Quakers. I think they keep that iconic picture on the box of oatmeal so that you feel like, oh, somewhere where there isn't a lot of freeways and high-rises, there's a group of friends, Quakers, they're just making the oatmeal and putting it in that round cylinder. Round cylinder, I think that's redundant, but that begs the question. No, sorry, sorry, don't, don't, don't turn off the radio, please don't turn off the radio. Are they actually making them, Jimmy? Can you tell if they, if the Quakers are making oatmeal anymore or is it, did they just sell the whole shebang? Yeah, they sold it and you wouldn't be able to guess who owns it. The Biden family. Well, close. Well, they got to make those millions somehow. Pepsi. Pepsi. Pepsi. Does Quaker Oats, what's the difference between regular oatmeal and steel-cut oatmeal? Actually, I know the answer to that question. The former, kind of gloppy. The second, delicious. I like chewing oatmeal. Who knew that that was something that you could... What's steel-cut oatmeal? Maybe it's the way it's manufactured. We'll have to send a letter to Pepsi and ask them how the Quakers do that exactly. Don't know if you're aware of this. The Quakers apparently consider housing people who are in the nation illegally in their churches, in their homes, they considered a core religious tenant. Then so it is the Society of Friends, a.k.a. Quakers, have sued the Trump administration over a directive on immigration, saying it infringes on their religious liberty. A lot of people are apoplectic about what's going on with the border, not the least of which would be Christianity today. Cindy Lauper called as she saw that they have their true colors on full frontal display. Christianity Today, quote, in the first week of his second term, President Trump plunged communities into fear, upended life for thousands of refugees, and moved to stop charities from helping immigrants already in the US. And they touted nothing that was remotely conservative or biblical. It just sounded entirely liberal. But that raises a question. Should our church act as sanctuary buildings for people who are here illegally that the government would say, it's time for you to go home? The friends would say, oh, that's our right to do that. And I think that that plunges us headlong into Romans 13. What do we do as the church when the government says you can't or you can do something? And the answer to that, as a rule, it is found in Romans 13, which in my estimation, don't panic at this, but in my estimation, Romans 13, one through seven is ironclad. Was just having a conversation with Dr. Erwin Lutzer. He and I are kind of exchanging volleys on this particular subject about Romans 13, one through seven. Good Christians disagree on this subject. It was the debated text. for the Revolutionary War in America. Nevertheless... Romans 13, one through seven, in my opinion, it doesn't offer any exceptions. Did I say in that text? Because in that text, I don't think that there are exceptions that are offered. I don't think that the text points toward this is Paul's effort to define the perfect government. And if they're acting like this, then we submit. If they don't, we revolt. I just don't see that anywhere in the text. Having said that, That doesn't mean that there aren't other biblical considerations. We must remember the analogy of Scripture, that Scripture interprets Scripture. You don't read a Bible verse on a massive subject like obedience to government and say, done, that's it. There's no exceptions to the rule because the reality is we do see exceptions. We don't see them explained, but in the Old Testament, we see Rahab the prostitute, we see the Egyptian midwives. In the New Testament, what do we see when it comes to submission to the government? In Acts chapter two, yeah, two, four, and five, We see Peter and John, they are engaging with the religious authorities because they are preaching the gospel and they're getting arrested for it. And they're being told shut down. And their response is, sorry, no can do. Why? What do we do with that? Well, when we see a number of exceptions and when we see a pattern in those exceptions, we then come up with a principle. As a rule, we submit to the government unless they command us to do something God forbids or forbid us from doing something that God commands. And that can be a lot, but I do believe that the Bible offers another category of exceptions when it comes to submission to government, and that is realms of jurisdictional authority. And this is going to bring us back to our friends, a.k.a. Quakers. There are realms that God himself has put in place for an orderly society. One realm is the government, families. The second realm, third realm, and you can put these in whatever order you want, would be the church realm. If you want to do it by scope, it would be government first, church second, family third. In other words, the government has a broader authority. I don't think it's as deep. than the church does. It has however many people are in that local assembly, but it's a deeper authority because it's a spiritual authority. The family, that is the smallest numerically, but it absolutely has the most power for the one in authority, which would be mom and dad. God defines those realms for us and tells us to operate within your lines. Now, we've talked about this before on Wretched Radio, that can get a little bit tricky. I mean, can, that was kind of an understatement. We've had a lot of Christian debates on this subject. And it gets tricky because we immediately recognize, well, we don't have a problem with the government telling the church to do certain things, like handicap parking spaces. handicap access, exits, that you've got to have so many parking spaces per number of people who attend. And we go, okay, that's fine. And why do we do that? It's because the government isn't impinging on the spiritual authority of the church. Now, if the government said, you need to have a parking space underneath the pulpit, and you need to talk about the importance of parking, at least sort of in the middle of your own parking lines, which is a sermon I believe a lot of people in Atlanta would need to hear. Some of us don't like our doors getting dinged. Could you park in the middle of your two lines, please? Some of us, we even have to go so far as to walk a lot so we can be the curb huggers so we can get the end spot. Nevertheless, what... I'm sorry, I just distracted myself. Sunday morning, Mrs. Friel was feeling kind of queasy, so she was going to come a little bit later. So I go off to church and I get there early enough, I get next to the curb. My car is safe, I think. Mrs. Friel then comes later. We finished church. Well, okay, we finished church and then talking for an hour or so. And I go out to the parking lot and she parked right next to my car. I mean, like right next, that's like a thing in our family. And I was, whoever that person is, look at them parking next to my car like that and giving me door dings, honey. But I digress. If the government tells you to preach a sermon on how to park in Atlanta, the church would have to say, sorry, Can't do that. And we can't obey you when God is the one who regulates what happens in this assembly. And that is how, I think, we sort through Romans 13 and the exceptions, as opposed to trying to find exceptions in Romans 13. The Quakers, they believe that it is within their, it is a core tenement in their religious beliefs that they must harbor illegal immigrants. Now, they do that, I'm sure, with some degree of discernment because they can't take care of all of them. But in this instance, when the government now is saying, if you're here illegally, you have to go home, the Quakers are saying, no can do, government. You're getting involved in our realm of jurisdictional authority. And so I think this is an excellent opportunity for us to exercise our theological gray matter to figure out, should the Quakers, as a, we'll call it a Christian denomination-ish, are they in the right? Can they disobey the government to house illegal immigrants and no doubt, feed them steel-cut oatmeal? We will try to answer that question next on Wretched Radio. 25 years, that's a quarter century of standing firm for biblical truth. This is Wretched Radio. Through every cultural shift, every challenge, every opportunity to proclaim God's truth, you've been with us. And for that, you're grateful. What started as wretched radio has grown into something remarkable. Today, as part of Fortis Institute, we're reaching more believers than ever before. Our daily podcasts and radio shows, video content and biblical resources continue to strengthen local churches and equip the saints just as we've done for 25 years. But none of this would be possible without faithful partners like you. You've helped us reach millions with the unchanging truth of God's Word. As we celebrate this milestone, we're reminded that our mission remains the same, serving the King of Kings by strengthening His Church. Join us at fortisinstitute.org as we continue this journey together for 25 more years of faithful service. Until tomorrow, go serve your King. the life issue, we cannot disengage from the battle. And there is a way that you can win a life and rescue a soldier who's about to be executed through abortion, preborn.org slash wretched. Ultrasounds still save lives. These pregnancy centers that progressives would love to shut down or arrest people for praying in front of abortuaries, they're still doing excellent work and babies are still being rescued. This is a tangible way to save a life. An ultrasound is $28. 80% of the time, mom chooses life. Want to engage in the battle? This ain't about politics. This is about saving those who are staggering to the slaughter. Period. Preborn.org slash wretched. Preborn.org slash wretched. Hey, thanks for listening to Wretched Radio today. You know that moment when you're scrolling through your newsfeed on social media and everything just feels upside down? Yeah, that's the culture we're living in right now, but you know what gets me excited? At Fortis Institute, we're not just watching on the sidelines. We've assembled a team of incredible voices who are diving deep into God's word every single day. I'm talking about Dr. John Krotz helping you integrate theology into real life, or Dr. Adam Tyson who is speaking truth into young men's hearts, or Pastor Brad Bigney transforming marriages from surviving to thriving. But here's the thing, while we're standing strong, that's what Fortis means by the way, we need gospel partners who'll stand with us. People who will look at the culture and say, you know what? The church needs more than just encouragement. It needs equipping. We're not starting something new at Fortis. We're strengthening something vital. And so if you're ready to join us in this mission, if you're ready to help us equip believers with truth that transforms, then head over to FortisInstitute.org right now to find out how to become an ongoing monthly gospel partner. Wretched, amazing grace, amazing gospel. Books of the Bible. The book of Daniel is about one man who submits to God above all else, and God's faithfulness to his people in all circumstances. Daniel's prophetic visions teach us that God raises up and tears down kingdoms. All earthly kingdoms will pass away, but God will establish an everlasting kingdom. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Freehand. Hang, hang. This is Wretched Radio. You probably thought I was getting a word. No, it's the post nasal drip. It's that season in Atlanta. Well, it is that season. Actually, every day is that season in Atlanta. If you just go out of your house and talk to somebody. How you doing with allergies? It can be July, it can be January, makes no, nevermind, somebody is sneezing. And might I suggest that we Christians need to lead the way when it comes to cold integrity, flu integrity. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a Christian standing within like two feet of my face. Sorry, don't worry about it, I'm not contagious. Well, I don't know that and neither do you. If you're still hacking and sniffling and blowing your nose, you could be contagious, Christians. I think we could start a new ministry. What's that? Well, for this cause, Christian Cold Integrity. Okay. There's a ministry pretty much for everything, isn't there? Well, this year, Ministries Fortis Institute would like to do a shout out for a new podcast that is coming your way, A New Fellow At. That's right, A New Fellow At. Well, I mean, I, I just don't, I don't, I don't think that, that, that the, the feminist movement has gotten far enough yet to tell us how it used to be actor, male, actress, female. Now everybody's an actor. So as a fellow, just doesn't matter what your gender is. It's just, we, fellow, fellowette, which is it, Jimmy? Are we fellows and fellowettes or are we all just fellows? I think we're going to go with fellowettes. No, no, she's going to be a fellowette. That's right. The dudes will be fellows. OK. Can I still use the word dude? I think so. Or is that just politically incorrect? And speaking of the feminist movement, that's actually what our first episode's about. Oh, is that right? Yeah. I might not start with a bang. Libby Glawson is going to be doing a brand new podcast as a member of Fortis Institute. Super excited. It's called The Better Way. Not a better way, as if there are other good ways. The better way. How to be a biblical woman in the 21st century. And so Libby Glawson's podcast, it debuts this Friday, 2-7-25. Please download, I'm telling you, the podcasts here are just rocking the casbah. Greg Gifford's podcast, Greg Gifford was just tackling AI this week because there's no AI psychiatrists or whatever they call themselves. You go online or you talk to your phone and they give you counsel. So Greg tried it. He said, I got a problem, AI counselor, can you help me with it? And basically the answer was, well, you just do what you think is best for you, because you're the center of the universe. Not helpful at all. That's Greg's podcast, Brad Bigney, Adam Tyson, John Kratz, his connecting theology to heart, magnificent. And now Libby Glossin, who, by the way, is going to be doing a webinar. Is that next week, Jimmy? I should know these details. I believe so. Yes. All right. Next week. So we're going to just throwing her right into the fire. She's going to be doing her debuting her podcast this Friday on feminism. Why not? And then she's going to be doing a webinar with Martha Peace specifically the challenging issues that women face, godly women that are living with men who aren't so much. They aren't maybe as loving and kind and that every conversation tends to turn into a calamity and it becomes contentious and You feel like you're living in a war zone? Well, there's going to be a webinar that helps deal with those issues with our new fellow at Libby Glossen and Martha Peace. Details on that next week. Thrilled to pieces. I think that means we have nine fellows now at Fortis Institute. Yes, I think. Look at the two guys on the radio do math. We know so much. We both got a panicked look on our face. Uh, well, we had, well, Todd was here. You did seven. That would be eight. So now with Libby, that's nine. Sort of how I felt on Sunday morning. Jimmy, I had a complete brain synapse. preaching through three parables. Told you we're preaching through three parables because they go together. Right. I just couldn't separate them. And by the way, I'm not the only one to bite off that much text. I remember a number of years ago being at Michael Youssef's church, Church of the Apostles, Al Mohler was preaching. And he preached through a narrative section. Well, the book of Acts is a narrative. He went through a whole chapter because it was the whole story. And to break up the story would have been rather unsatisfying in my estimation because it's a whole presentation on a subject. Well, the three parables in Matthew 21 going into 22, 1 through 14, same thing. It's three parables on the same subject. You're done, Jewish nation. You are finished being God's chosen people. Now we know there's a plan for Israel in the future, but Jesus made three devastating divine proclamations. Your time is up. And Jesus was basically proclaiming what he had revealed with a physical withering of a fig tree. Just a few verses earlier, Jesus withered the fig tree. Why? Because the fig tree is Israel and the fig tree wasn't producing fruit. And so Jesus was doing an object lesson for the disciples. Israel is done because they are not being fruitful. And then he makes those proclamations through the parable of two sons, the land owner and the wedding guests, Ooh, baby, he was scorching them. I honestly, okay, this is how bad the illustrations are by comparison. Think about Jesus' declarations like this. Let's imagine for a second that the University of Georgia was God's ordained football team. They are the ones that are supposed to be the best football team. But looking at their record after 1,500 years, God says, nope, you're done, UGA. Bulldogs, your time of being my football team has ended. I'm going to the Tennessee Volunteers. That probably offended pretty much everybody in the South. The point is, that's what Jesus was doing. You're done. And I couldn't separate them, but wow, did I ever have some brain synapses in describing the parable of the two sons, because the first son was told to go in the field, and he said no. Naughty boy. Second one said, sure, Pop, I'll go, but he didn't. Which one was worse? Which one was worse? The second one was worse. Why? Because he lied and was disobedient. The first one was just disobedient, but then he repented and he went to work the fields. Jesus was telling the Pharisees, you're the second son. Boom. Slap. And I had that sin. I couldn't keep the two sons straight. The two boys, was I getting my wires crossed? But thankfully, watch this, Jimmy. I had some oatmeal this morning and my brain is functioning better. And I took some of your wild mushroom gummies, wild mushrooms, whatever those things are. The Quakers, not only did they make oatmeal, at least they used to before they sold it to Pepsi, no doubt for a fortune. They're, they're, they're protesting the Trump administration saying churches cannot be safe harbors for illegal immigrants. and if ice comes knocking, you better open the door or we're coming in. Should a church do that? Now, this I think can be a little bit tricky. I think that if a church actually believes, Quaker or otherwise, that that's the biblical thing to do and they're sinning if they don't do that, Well, Romans 13 says, okay, disobey the government, but you better be ready to pay for it. You better be ready to go off to jail. But that still doesn't answer the question. Is that the right thing for a church to do? And my answer is, I don't think so. And I do that somewhat haltingly because in the current context, When you try to have a biblical application of borders, you can sound kind of like a jerk. And I don't want to sound that way. I don't want to sound unsympathetic to people who are just trying to make a better life, that are working hard, they're obeying the laws. Nevertheless, if a church just changed the crime, if a church said, hey, we have to be safe harbor for people who have 74 speeding tickets and endanger people's lives all the time. We're a safe harbor for drunk drivers. We're a safe harbor for people who sell illegal drugs. And that list is getting shorter by the day. Nevertheless, you'd go, whoa, whoa, whoa, church, you can't be doing that. That's not what the government says. And I would agree with that. I don't think that you're sinning by not breaking the law in this instance, nor do I think that you are disobeying something that is commanded of you. And I think in this instance, the church needs to say, OK, government, If that's what you say, but then that doesn't mean that they should just throw in the towel. They should do the right thing. Hey, come to come to our church because we're going to help you get the correct paperwork so that you can be here legally. And if you can't, we submit to the government. You'll have to leave and we'll even help you try to come back the right way. But in the meantime, we simply can't break the law. This is Wretched Radio. God has given the Church many gifts for the building up of the body. One gift is teaching, the spiritual ability to explain and apply God's Word. A teacher studies to gain knowledge of the Bible, is equipped with wisdom to understand it, and is gifted with the ability to explain it to others so they can grow in God's truth and apply it to their daily life. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. So I think I got distracted with the text from Sunday sermon at Alpharetta Bible Church because, oh man, what a text, what a text. How many times have we heard the three parables in Matthew 21 and 22? Somebody can go into those parables and you can come up with all kinds of things you can talk about. But to miss the point of what Jesus was saying, it was a full frontal assault on the religious system of Israel. I can't help it. Jimmy, it was such a smackdown. It would be as if Jesus walked into the Capitol, into the halls of Congress, with the House and the Senate, the President, Vice President, everybody there, and said, America, you're done being a superpower. I am removing your lampstand. I'm taking it to, and I don't know what nation you can think of, I'm taking it to a nation that Americans would esteem as being disgusting. Because that's how the Jews felt about the Gentiles. Wait a second, you're telling us that we're no longer the chosen people? You're choosing them? Oh, man, Scylla. And so I forgot, I forgot, because I got distracted with that, to make my prophecy. Here it is. I don't think that J.D. Vance is going to stay Roman Catholic. There you go, there's my prophecy with absolutely no biblical authority. If you recall with J.D. Vance, he began as, he grew up in pseudo sort of kind of Christian home with grandmother. I didn't watch the movie because it was rated R and there were probably language more than anything. Why do you have to do that? Why do you have to add those words to somehow make them grittier? To make it more like real... Well, you know what? Actually, you know what? I think I just answered my own question without lion's mane. I think they do need to drop those words in because I think that's the way people talk a lot. We tried to watch this football thing. That's the name of it, a football thing. It was following some football players behind the scenes. I watched the one with Kirk Cousins, kept my eye on Kirk. He was such a breath of fresh air. He was just really godly. And I just found myself going, I like that dude. Because it felt like I was talking to somebody from church. And the other players, just the F-bombs all over the place. And it just dawned on me this moment, that's the way the rest of society talks. Maybe not quite as much because they're not in a locker room, but overall, I just think that people's mouths are just, they need to have them washed out with soap, is what I'm thinking. And I'm thinking, JD Vance, probably not going to be Catholic for much longer. because he started out in a home that had some sort of Christian influence and a lot of potty words. And then he became sort of evangelical, and now he's Roman Catholic. Well, according to this headline, J.D. Vance reignites GOP's feud with the Catholic Church over immigration. He's making accusations about the Catholic Church making money on taking care of illegal immigrants. Well, the Catholic Church ain't all that happy about it, but J.D. Vance is sticking to his guns. And I think maybe possibly it's another sign of a man who just isn't settled yet. When you see a guy bopping all over the place, get ready, he ain't landed. And this maybe has some actual implications for you and your church. When you meet somebody, it's like, hey, I was in this movement, I was in that denomination, and I used to be in that. Then I found a church like yours, and we're grateful for that. But we also need to recognize this might not be their final destination. I think of Hank Hanegraaff. When the news broke that Hank Hanegraaff was Eastern Orthodox, people were like, boing, what? Bible? Answer, man. I guess it should be tradition, answer man. Now people were so shocked at that. And we, all we did was use, this was pre AI. We just used the Googler machine and then discovered that he was, he's been Lutheran. He's been Baptist. I think that he was maybe Catholic at one charismatic at another point. And he just hasn't settled. So I wouldn't even be surprised if Hank Hanegraaff doesn't make another shift. It's good to see some constancy. It's good that somebody has been in something for a long period of time. So my prediction, J.D. Vance, might not be Roman Catholic forever. We'll see if my prophecy comes true. And my apologies, Jimmy, for again bringing up the Bible, because I was all excited about the parables. That's okay, Jimmy, because of you, I'll just... Stifle it. Hey, as long as we brought up the Roman Catholic Church, have you seen the movie Conclave? It's on the Netflix machine, I think. It's Amazon Prime Netflix. It's called Conclave. It has Joseph Fiennes, Faines, Fines, Fines. He's a fine actor, Joseph, and he's a bishop in this movie that basically takes place in the Vatican. And I remember seeing a preview for it and going, oh, cool, some adult fair, something mature that shouldn't have a bunch of F-bombs dropping all over the Vatican. Well, hopefully. But then I, we went to, we were going to watch it. And at the time I think it was, you have to rent it or buy it. And being as, let's just generously say frugal as we are, it was like, nah, but we did watch the trailer. Sorry, watch the trailer and it just looks so snoozy. But now I'm actually, now that it's free, it should be free, I think, the Netflix machine, I might go see it because there was a review written in the Christian Post. It started a little bit of a scuttle on the internet, but hey, doesn't everything these days, it's talking about Oscar season and Conclave. And the headline I thought was a little misleading, Conclave This Movie Messes Up Christian Doctrine. Well, of course it does because it's Roman Catholic. That aside, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence is the character played by Ralph, the fine actor, who himself is experiencing a crisis of faith. He gives a sermon to the assembled cardinals. Here's what he said. Now, as I read this, let your brain run all over your Bible. Let your brain think epistles. There, I'll limit it to a degree. What does the Bible say about this homily delivered by an actor? Quote, in the course of a long life, in the service of our mother, the church, let me tell you that there is one sin I've come to fear above all others. Jimmy, you wanna guess what that sin is? According to the actor Bishop? Certainty. The sin of certainty. Quote, certainty is the great enemy of unity. No, false teaching is the great enemy of unity. Truth is the friend. Certainty is the friend of unity. Otherwise you just, you have division. What we need to learn how to do as Christians, of course, is recognize through theological triage, there are certain things we can just disagree. For instance, I think Erwin Lutzer and I are disagreeing on Romans 13, one through seven. And I don't hate him. I just, I respect that guy to pieces. Wow. What a, what a warrior. He's 85 years old. He said, sorry, I didn't get back to you straight away. I had to preach five times yesterday. What? What? You're 80? Energizer Bunny, the guy, and we have a difference of opinion, and he doesn't get agitated with me, doesn't mock, and that's okay. Now, if it were an essential, different issue. Unity requires truth. It requires certainty. Otherwise, you don't have unity at all. You've got a complete mess. Back to the sermon. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. Is that true? Name that verse. How's about, let's just start with Romans 1, 17, Galatians 3, 11, Hebrews 10, 38, the righteous shall live by doubt. Wait, what translation is it? No, shall live by faith. That faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. Look, you can be confused about something. You can even experience a doubt about this or that, but that is not where the Christian should settle. That is not the goal of the Christian life. The goal is absolute certainty. Rock-solid convictions. I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that I will see Him. I know. The hope that the Christian has isn't based on finger-crossing. It is based on, that's my hope, that's my certainty, that is my surety, which is another descriptor for Jesus Christ. battle your doubts, battle your confusion, and close your brain and settle on biblical convictions. Because without convictions, just the opposite of what Bishop Fiennes just preached. This is Wretched Radio. ever feel like you're watching the culture shift beneath your feet? You're not alone, and you're not without allies either. At Fortis Institute, we've assembled a powerhouse team of biblical voices to help you navigate these challenging times. From Tim Challies to Brad Bickney to Adam Tyson and Greg Gifford, our fellows deliver daily content that transforms confusion into clarity. Whether you're tackling marriage challenges, parenting questions, or personal growth, Fortis Institute is ready with biblically grounded wisdom. We're not just offering commentary, we're providing a comprehensive toolkit for living boldly in an increasingly complex world. Through our daily podcasts and video content and live events, we're equipping believers to stand firm without wavering. And if you want to be part of something bigger, join the Fortis community today. Visit fortisinstitute.org and discover why thousands are turning to Fortis Institute as their trusted source for biblical wisdom. Because when the world seems to be turning upside down, we remain steadfast. It's Fortis Institute, where we're standing firm and standing together. Perhaps you've been wondering, is there a Christian university that isn't woke? Or that hasn't compromised on important biblical doctrines like, you know, the age of the earth? There is. It's the Masters University in Southern California. Beautiful campus, all of the athletics and activities that you've come to expect from universities. But it's more than that. The academic programs are most excellent preparing students for the future. The Washington Post just said number six for preparing students for the real world. All that plus The Masters University isn't woke, and it is thoroughly biblical. Would you like to learn more? I encourage you to visit the Masters University at masters.edu slash wretched, masters.edu slash wretched. Life doesn't come with calm storms. Sooner or later, the storm hits, and the world says the answer is boundaries. Build fences, keep people out, protect yourself, but the Bible never tells you to construct walls. Instead, it teaches you to anchor yourself to truth, to wisdom, to the unshakable foundation of God's Word. That's where the Better Way with Libby Glossen comes in. Intelligent talk radio for women, like no other podcast out there. Always thoughtful, and no self-help gimmicks, no fluffy cliches. Just practical biblical wisdom that cuts through the noise and makes a real impact in your life. If you're tired of the feel-good messages that don't hold up when the storm comes, it's time for something different. It's time for The Better Way with Libby Glossen. Real truth. Real wisdom. Like no other. Because in a world full of compromise, there is indeed a better way. Mexico. There are many words to help us understand the nature of the Bible. Words like plenary verbal inspiration. God inspired every word of Scripture, guiding the human authors as they wrote without violating each man's personality and writing style. In the Bible, we have the very Word of God. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Anybody know what's up with Chris Cuomo? No, I'm serious. This is Wretched Radio. Don't know if you've seen Chris Cuomo lately. I think he's on News Nation. It is a cable network. where he sits at a desk and he hosts a show the way that he used to when he was at CNN. Chris Cuomo seems to be a different man. And there was another, the other night when I was flipping through, uh, Trey Gowdy? Trey Gowdy. Does that sound right, Jimmy? He was, I think he was at NBC a long time ago, kind of a network news guy. And he was, he was delivering a homily. He was comparing Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump. I could tell the dude leaned liberal, but he was trying sort of to be fair and balanced. And the only reason that I watched him, is it Trey Gowdy? Do I have that name right? I don't think that he's on News Nation anymore. I think he's done, or he's going to be done soon. Chris Cuomo is on right before him. And I can't recall what it was that captured my attention about Chris Cuomo. He had somebody on and it's like, OK, I want to see this. And I was kind of confused, to be honest. Because the Chris Cuomo that I recall was the guy who was so combative and argumentative, and I'm just giving you a sample of what I saw. I didn't see that guy anymore. And then, yesterday, I was looking at an interview that he did 10 minutes long with the father of the young man who was piloting the airplane that collided with the helicopter. And the reason that I watched it, it wasn't for the sake of Chris Cuomo, it's because the headline captured my attention. He's right with Jesus Christ. My son has had his sins forgiven. And so I wanted to watch the interview. And first of all, I was struck by the dad. It was magnificent. And the family, your heart just broke because he just, you can know that your loved one is with Jesus Christ. And we grieve with hope, but we grieve nonetheless. And I was also struck that Chris Cuomo wasn't being a jerk. He seems to be, do you have any, what happened to Chris Cuomo, Jimmy? Because I'm telling, so I mentioned it to Mrs. Friel. I told her the very same thing that I just shared with you, and she's like, yeah, he does seem to be different. I don't know if it's a religious epiphany. I don't know if he just got beat around so badly because of how he behaved during the whole COVID shebang. But that guy just, he just seems to be a little bit different. Did you find something? He's on News Nation now, right? Yeah. Is that correct? Yeah. Okay. So why is he not the old Chris Cuomo? At least that's my perspective on it. That's my observation of a few clips of his. Are you able to use the AI machine to say that Chris Cuomo has decided to become nice? Yeah, I'll do that. You can do that. Yeah. But salute to the father who shared a testimony. It's interesting, Chris Cuomo did say something, and I think the only reason I was alerted to it, even though I don't think that it was a horrible thought, but it caught my attention because of Tim Challies. Tim Challies, you recall, he lost his son, who was at Boyce College, going to be a pastor, out with his sister, out with his fiance, and he literally dropped dead. 21, 22, just, ooh. And I remember Tim saying something that was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's big, that is hard, but that is so right. He said, I wanted to avoid the temptation of finding something good in order to get God off the hook. Well, my son died, but I heard that somebody got saved because of it, so I'm comforted. And he rejected that to say, no, I'm comforted because my God always does that which is just and right and good and loving and best. That's our consolation. So Chris Cuomo, after the interview, was talking about how these types of interviews can be so challenging because of just the sensitivity of the subject matter. And you've got a hurting human being in front of you. And he said, but I want to give them the chance so that they can have their child's legacy, their loved one's legacy, kind of expanded or people can understand better, to know them better. And the implication was so that the tragedy wasn't as tragic. And I get that. I mean, I wouldn't want to become a purist about this, but that isn't the comfort of the Christian. It's not that, oh, I lost my loved one, and 100,000 people, however many people listen to Chris Cuomo, they heard that his sins were forgiven by Jesus. Okay, I feel good about it now. No, our comfort is that God only does that which is best, always, and not just for you, for everyone who is in Christ. Everything he does is for good, everything he does. including when we lose a loved one. Jimmy, you find out about Chris Cuomo? Yeah, so it's not anything... Earth-shattering. Earth-shattering, yeah. In November of last year, he described his departure from CNN as the most embarrassing period of his life, and he emphasized the importance of moving forward, stating, living in the past is poisonous, so he engaged in therapy and meditation to address his mental health. Ah, excellent. Well, he did say, it was kind of funny, he said, He said it almost combatively, but that when we hear about a tragedy like what we saw in Washington, the response, no matter what side you, it shouldn't be, Hey, like these people in the hay and that, and this was what was wrong. And this person was running the, that and Joe, and whatever he said, we kind of lost our humanity. And I thought you're kind of, kind of, You're kind of, you're kind of right, Chris. I heard a lot. Another testimony that was given in the last several days, the mother of Lake and Riley, the young lady, you know the details. Here's mom. Our family will forever be grateful for the prayers of the people across our nation and for helping to get this legislation into law. We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Lincoln. And he hasn't. He's a man of his word. We trust that he will fight for the American people. Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because without His sacrifices, Lakin's story would have ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us. But because of Him, we can continue living, knowing that we will see Lakin again. There's no amount of change that will ever bring back our precious Lakin. Our hope moving forward is that her life saves lives. We're so thankful for her passion for helping others and her legacy for doing good in the name of Jesus Christ will carry on. Thank you. And she can be grateful for that. She can be grateful for that. But there are some people who lose loved ones and that sort of fruit doesn't appear to be born. So how do you find comfort if a legacy through works or legislation doesn't happen for the person that you adored? that the Lord took home, what's your comfort? And the answer is, Jesus is your comfort. He's ultimately, secondarily, tertiary, He's the one that should be our comfort. that he doesn't get the news of a tragedy, whether it's a plane disaster, forest fires, tsunamis, everything that he does is custom-made. When we see these calamities, we have a tendency to think, God's doing something big here. Well, he is always doing big things, but they're still individual things. because he doesn't overlook people who might get caught in the blaze or the water wall hitting. He's not like, well, I wanted to get like 17 people with that flooding. I was gonna judge them, but there's like eight Christians in there, but, I really want to get those bad guys, so I guess the eight Christians will be collateral. You're not collateral. You're never collateral. You are never a rescue mission for an oversight that God made when it comes to your situation. Whatever the tragedy, whatever the calamity, whatever the loss, it doesn't mean that we have to click our heels because of a disaster, but we can find genuine comfort in knowing this is best. Hard, painful, this is absolutely, positively best. best. That is our comfort. And the only way we can come to that conclusion is by studying two doctrines. Number one, sovereignty. Number two, and I hasten to it, the love of God, the goodness of God, the kindness of God, the generosity of God, the benevolence of God, the mercy of God. All of that We need to remember when you and I experience a loss, and in that, and in that, ultimately, that's where we find our comfort. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.