Wretched Radio begins in 3... 2... 1... Every once in a while, we've got to **** the religious people. There are 720 churches in Charlotte. I'm sure we can find one where you can stuff your face. Shut up. Quit pointing out the problem. Men will be proud, arrogant, abusive. You watch some of today's rock star pastors, and you will see every characteristic Paul listed played out in vivid detail on the church stage. It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Love it! Love it, love it, love it! This is Wretched Radio. Don't you just love it when you're reading your Bible? You do read your Bible, don't you? And you start to notice, wow, this thing sure is coherent. It sure makes a lot of sense. It flows so brilliantly. It must be supernatural. And so it is in the book of 1 Peter. It would appear Persecution is knock-knock-knockin' on the American church's door. How do I know? Well, for instance, Sweet Cakes by Melissa. This is a bakery in the northeast, west, northwest. Washington. I'm always confused. I shouldn't. I should know better. I've been there. It's lovely. I should know this, that in the northwest, in Washington, Oregon, there's a bakery called Sweet Cakes by Melissa. Or at least there used to be a bakery called Sweet Cakes by Melissa. But because she said, I'm sorry to two lesbians who wanted to get married, I can't bake that cake. They received so many threats. They received so many assaults that they shut down the business. And just to put a little frosting on that cake, the government now is suing them for $135,000 because they would not tolerate two lesbians who wanted to get married and thus bake a cake for them. Not tolerate, participate. You don't think persecution Well I know that and not only that it's not just participate and it's oh and by the way we made your cake free because we think you're the bomb diggity that's the progression that's what they're seeking that is why the train watch which is long been out of the station has built up a head of steam and it's not going to stop until it arrives at its destination which is affirmation and pray but alas They will still have the cars following the engine that are filled with their guilt and shame. And it won't go away. And they will have arrived at the same destination that Bruce Jenner is headed toward. He believes that by becoming a woman he will feel better. He won't feel any shame. He will be able to be himself. He'll be free to be me. And he's going to be surprised that he still has guilt and shame. Because God made him a certain way, and now he's acting another way, and that will never go away, no matter how much Diane Sawyer praises him for his bravery. And the same issue is going on with Sweetcakes by Melissa. They're not going to stop with a fine of $135,000. That's not the end game. It is praise and affirmation, and Sweetcakes by Melissa is paying the price. We had a booming business. It was good. When we opened the shop up, we thought it was going to be something to provide for the family income. Some of my favorite memories, and this probably sounds really silly, but when my daughter would be helping out, we'd get into frosting fights. I actually had, like, the thought of my kids, you know, kind of taking over and being able to pass something like that onto them. Girl and her mom showed up. Like any other time, I asked what the bride and groom's names were, and she informed me at that point that it was two brides. I was very apologetic, did not want to hurt her feelings. I said, I'm sorry, we don't do cakes for same-sex weddings. That was the last I had seen or heard from anybody in the situation for about two weeks when I received a complaint with the Department of Justice in the mail. I was not even aware at the time that Oregon had anything on the statute. They would have prohibited me from turning down the order. After this happened, we had a lot of protests going on down right over on the street. After the issues with the referrals, the lack of wedding business, because of that, we did make the choice to close the shop on September 1st, 2013. The state has brought charges, multiple charges against Aaron and Melissa Klein, and the complainants have stated that they have damages, emotional, mental, and physical damages that would add up to $150,000. There was no doctor, there was no psychologist, no expert testimony at all. The damages that they're claiming were absolutely not caused by us. People also don't understand that it's the hardest decision to make because you don't want to hurt people. And that's not what our intention was at all. And I just wish more people could understand that about us. It wasn't them as a couple. We served them in the past. And it had to do with their event. We just couldn't, that particular event, couldn't partake in. He had to take a job being garbage. He's a garbage guy. Garbage guy. Garbage guy. And, you know, from what we were making from the shop compared to now, it's like our income is... About half. The government's not just going after Aaron and Melissa's business assets. It's going after them individually. We're talking about a person's paycheck. We have the state saying, you know, my kids, they're going to be punished for the choice I made. We're just trying to live our faith, and we're trying to live how we feel God wants us to live. And, you know, we're not out there trying to offend somebody or make somebody feel bad or hurt their feelings. But, you know, we have to make choices for ourselves. I don't think we should be able to force anybody to go against their beliefs in this country. I think that we all can live, you know, peaceably together without having to force our will on somebody else. And that's what this situation has really turned into. Can somebody force somebody else to do something against their will? And the state of Oregon has said, yes, you can. Just because I own a business shouldn't mean that I can't have a religious belief and be able to practice my religion in my workplace. And I think that everybody should be able to do that. You'd like to think that, but that's not the way that this is going. Sweetcakes by Melissa is a case in point. And that leads us to First Peter. The entire book is dedicated toward persecution. How now do we live when things like this happen? How do we react? Well, I think we need to figure out what's going on, and 1 Peter does exactly that. And it shocks us. 1 Peter, you need to remember what is going on in the first century. We're taking a look at Sweet Cakes by Melissa, and we go, wow, that seems pretty rough. Oh, that's very true. That is pretty rough. But we need to remember that what was going on in the first century church when it came to persecution? The first great persecutor was Nero and that commences about AD 67 and punishments for Christians are bizarre. They were sewed in the skins of animals and then fed to hungry dogs. They were drenched in wax and then lit as torches to light parties. The next persecution following Nero came from Domitian, and Domitian used the rack to literally separate their body parts. They were seared. They were burned. They were boiled. They were scourged. They were stoned. They were hanged. They were lacerated with hot irons. They were literally impaled on the horns of bulls. The fourth persecution, if we jump ahead a little bit, around 162 A.D., beheadings start to appear. The eighth persecution out of, let's say, the ten in the first 300 years, we see 300 Christians in one group thrown alive into a burning lime kiln to be incinerated. Suddenly, $135,000 paid to the government of Oregon. Doesn't seem so bad, does it? Now, I don't bring that up to suggest that what that lovely couple is going through is not a hardship. That was not my point. My point is, in the context of 1 Peter, that's what's going on. That's the type of persecution that they are experiencing. They are getting shellacked by the world, by the government itself. And so now, understanding that, we open up 1 Peter chapter 1, and we hear three major themes in the first chapter. You, sinful wretch, have been saved by something precious, the blood of Jesus Christ. Number two, you have an inheritance prepared for you. You're going to heaven. Number three, until you get there, be holy. Why? so that you can remain here on this earth, people are going to see your godly response to persecution, and they're going to get saved. That is why persecution happens. And that is why when Peter writes this letter, it's not at all what I would have written down. You know why? Because my eyes are down here, horizontally. Ooh, the trouble. Ooh, the persecution. Ooh, the difficulty. Ooh, the strain. Ooh, the stress. Ooh, the finances. Ooh, this is, I don't like any of this. Peter says put your eyes upward remember that Jesus descended from heaven he took on human flesh he lived a perfect life he died a torturous death he was persecuted on your behalf that God does not have to persecute you and he has gone to prepare a place for you now stay here be holy so that others get saved 1st Peter chapter 2 continues therefore having learned all of that, laying aside all malice. Now remember, who's there? People from Calgon, we have a gift for you. Okay, come on in. It's persecutors, that's what's going on. People are being persecuted in front of them. And Peter says, because you've been saved, because you've got a place to go, and because this is about saving people, aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted the Lord is gracious." Stop sinning. Be a holy people, because this is about other people seeing you and getting saved. And if you're struggling with that, get yourself onto the milk of the word. It's going to help you. verse four coming to him as a living stone rejected indeed by men there's a help you're being rejected don't be shocked they rejected the perfect one he was chosen by god you are chosen by god and precious you also as living stones are being built up spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And that's why the Scriptures say, a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Why? Because the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. That helps. They stumble, being disobedient to the Word, to which they were also appointed. They should be obeying the Word. They're not going to do it. And the stone is a stumbling block to them, and that stone is going to, in the future, crush them. What's really happening with persecution? They're rejecting Jesus. They're hating Jesus when they're hating on you. They should be submitting to the Word, but instead the Word that you preach and proclaim is a stumbling block. Now why should they be persecuting you? Not because you're an uptight jerk for the 21st century, but instead because you're proclaiming the Word. Because God wants to save those people who are persecuting you. Verse 9, you're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." There you have it. Summary right there. You act like this, so that they will praise him and know his goodness too. You were once not a people, now you're the people of God. Who didn't have mercy, now you have mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain therefore from fleshly lusts. having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." What's persecution about? It is about you growing in holiness, remembering your salvation, remembering your inheritance, being plugged into the Word of God, so that when it happens, they see your amazing response and say, I got to know. Give me the reason for the hope that lies within you. I got to know. And they get saved. And they get spared from the wrath that is to come. Now, it gets even more fascinating. Verses 13 through 17, submit yourselves to the ordinances of man, for the Lord's sake. Submit to the king, for this is the will of God, that by doing good, you silence these foolish men. So they persecute you, you submit. Now, if they tell you to sin, that's a different issue. We know that, Acts 2 and 4. Or Acts chapter 4, we know that. But if they're being a lousy government, submit. Why? trying to save the government. God wants to save Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Verse 18. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good ones, but also to the harsh. Why? When you do good, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you are called. God also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps. Should you act if you've got a crummy boss? Submit. Why? Because God wants to save your crummy boss. Why? Because he loves them. And you say, I don't know that I can do this. How am I supposed to love people who are unlovable? How am I supposed to want people who are really bad sinners to be saved? Hmm. Let's see if Peter helps. Jesus Christ is our example, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. He was reviled, but he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who bore our sins in his body on the tree. that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness, because by his stripes we are healed. We were like sheep gone astray, but now we have returned to the shepherd and overseer of our souls. You find it difficult to love the unlovable? Remember that Jesus loved you, unlovable one. How do you endure persecution? Look at Jesus, who endured persecution for you, and then turn your eyes toward those who persecute you, and love them with the same eyes with which Jesus loved you. That is why persecution is happening, and those are our marching orders. Are you being obedient, Christian? This is Wretched Radio. Right now is your opportunity to get a signed copy of Todd's book, Jesus Unmasked. And because Todd actually hand-signed these, you guessed it, supplies are limited. So whether you buy one copy, one of the bundles that contain Jesus Unmasked, or one of the two new special bundles, you receive a signed copy of Jesus Unmasked. Yes, your Wretched or Wretcheder Club discounts do apply, but supplies are limited. Get all the details right now at wretchedradio.com. And thank you for helping us share the amazing gospel. Beloved, what you put on makes all the difference. Wrap yourself in meekness. Colossians 3.12 says that meekness is something we're to put on, we're to get dressed in it. And the accessories? A heart of compassion, kindness, humility, patience, After warning Timothy of the many evils that have the love of money as their root, Paul said to him, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. It's not something you're to pray for. It's already there. When's the last time you came before God in meekness and asked God, what do you want me to do? It's the opposite of what the world would recommend. Assert yourself. Promote who you are. That's what the world says. But how will I win, you ask? By bending your knee, beloved, and saying, Lord, what pleases you pleases me. This is Kay Arthur with precepts from God's Word. Right now is your opportunity to get a signed copy of Todd's book, Jesus Unmasked. And because Todd actually hand-signed these, you guessed it, supplies are limited. So whether you buy one copy, one of the bundles that contain Jesus Unmasked, or one of the two new special bundles, you receive a signed copy of Jesus Unmasked. Yes, your Wretched or Wretcheder Club discounts do apply, but supplies are limited. Get all the details right now at wretchedradio.com. And thank you for helping us share the amazing gospel. Did Adam and Eve refill the earth? This is Ken Ham, heading up the ministry that's building a full-size Noah's Ark. All this week, we've been looking at problems with the gap theory. This idea puts a supposed gap of millions of years between the first two verses of Genesis. Many people use Genesis 128 as evidence that the earth was destroyed and recreated. In the King James Version of the Bible, this verse says that Adam and Eve were to replenish the earth. Now today, the word replenish implies refilling. Some people claim that Adam and Eve had to refill the earth after the people without souls who lived before them were supposedly destroyed. But when the King James Version was translated in 1611, the word replenish simply meant to fill, just like the original Hebrew word does. Replenish has changed meanings. Want to know more about creation according to Genesis and about the ark we're building? Visit our website of AnswersInGenesis.org AnswersInGenesis.org You hear him mentioned all the time on Christian radio and television, but how much do you know about the Holy Spirit? If your understanding of the third member of the Trinitarian Godhead is a little sketchy, you'll love Drive-By Pneumatology. Almost 40 short lectures by Phil Johnson, Tim Challies, Trevin Wax, Milton Vincent, and Todd Friel. Drive-By Pneumatology, available at wretchedradio.com. Remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Important dates in Christian history. 1611. The authorized, or King James, translation of the Bible in the English language is published. Fifty-four scholars worked for four years on the project. The King James Version became the Bible of choice in the English-speaking world for over 400 years. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. You might want to be looking to the East. This could be the end. This is Wretched Radio. Remember... I am looking to the east. Go ahead. Once in a while, a blind drawer can find a squirrel twice a day. Katie Couric, NBC, reporting on something that, well, I'm grateful for. I wish more people would talk about this, and I wish more people would talk about this rightly, and that is, today, the Dare we call it anniversary celebration of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. You may recall, think Turkey. That's the neighborhood that we're describing here. And some people say that this is merely political. Well, let's be accurate. To say that it was apolitical would not be accurate either. To say that this was not about land, that it wasn't potentially about power, that would not be right either. But for people to suggest that it was areligious is absolutely ridiculous. And so it is, 100 years after a couple hundred, it was the Kristallnacht for the Armenians, when the Muslims decided that they were going to have a bit of a cleansing and drive out the Armenian Christians. About 240, 250 of their great thinkers, they were beaten, and they were abused, and they were killed. And that began... the armenian genocide totaling somewhere between one million and one point five million people katie correct decided to do a report on this and i would say that overall she she got it right now i get you if you know anything about the armenian genocide you're gonna go well that was just kind of shaded i grant you that there are a couple of areas where it's like well you could have gone a little deeper you could have been a little bit clear about that I hear that. But overall, I would say, not bad, Katie. Not bad. Pope Francis recently called it the first genocide of the 20th century. The Kardashians have traveled thousands of miles to bring attention to it, and Amal Clooney has taken it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. I'm talking about the Armenian Genocide. It's often called the Hidden Holocaust or the Forgotten Genocide. But this year, as Armenians mark 100 years since the atrocities committed against them, they're doing all they can to make sure you know about it. To understand what happened and why, you have to go back, way back, 3,000 years ago, when this part of the world was still called Eurasia. The Armenian people living there had created an independent kingdom, and they were the first nation to make Christianity the official religion. But during the 15th century, the predominantly Muslim Ottoman Empire absorbed Armenia. Now, that would be one of those, absorbed Armenia. You mean, took it over, yeah. The Ottomans considered the Armenians second-class citizens, but they weren't able to peacefully coexist for the most part and developed a vibrant cultural identity. But at the dawn of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire started to crumble as some territories pulled away and established their own nations. Pulled away. Little sanitizing, but again, she's pretty much hitting the points here. In 1908, a movement known as the Young Turks seized power. Rod Stewart took over? I knew he was old, but I had no idea. ...wanted to Turkify the region and give it a unified national identity. They viewed non-Turks, particularly Christians, as a big threat and feared that as World War I was brewing, Armenia might join forces with Russia, which... Yeah, this is a subtext. We can't deny that. Remember, we had some side issues going on. Russia, mainly Orthodox. They thought that the Armenian Christians would side with them. Looks like we could be going to war. We're not on their side. Yes, those issues are there. But the big one, does she get to that? He's mostly Christian at the time. So on April 24th, 1915, the Young Turks began to arrest and execute Armenian intellectuals and community leaders. For the next several years, Armenians were starved, raped, murdered, and deported from their homeland. In total, an estimated 2.5 million of them were massacred. Turkey has always claimed there was no systematic attempt to destroy a people, that there was no genocide. He's saying there was no genocide. We're a perfect nation. We're Turkey. But photographs taken by a German lieutenant provided evidence which paved the way for Armenia to eventually establish a new homeland in the region. More than 20 nations recognize what happened to the Armenians as genocide, but not the United States, partially because it would massively tick off Turkey, an important ally in the region. Armenians were encouraged when then-Senator Barack Obama called it a genocide on the campaign trail. There was a genocide that did take place against the Armenian people. But he hasn't uttered the word since. Four members of Congress have called for the federal government to finally and officially declare it a genocide. So that we can end the denial once and for all. And leaders in Europe have urged Turkey to come to terms with its past. But a century later, Armenians still wait for the world to fully acknowledge the darkest chapter in their history. And as they commemorate this anniversary, at least you can say, now I get it. Now we know. And now a lot of people know. So I say salute to Katie Couric, who even brought in some of the political issues that are involved. It's fascinating to watch leadership when men, like our president, don't want to state what is obvious because they want to make sure that a, at best, at best, and I'm being generous, a tentative ally like Turkey, at best, You see a man who's lacking conviction. You see a man who doesn't have vision. You see a man who doesn't, I think, have moral clarity and speaking truthfully and just, okay, look, that's the history. See the pictures? They don't lie. Oh, that more in the media would be like, Katie Couric. I can't believe that I just said that. Speaking the truth. Speaking of the media, Dan Phillips at Pyromaniacs wrote an article. Helpful. Let's pretend and imagine an even-handed media. That's right. Apparently, I don't know, he maybe got hit in the head really hard. Something happened to Dan. He decided to ponder what would it be like if we had a media that actually kind of went after the truth This is what he wrote. We know that the media is going to ask every Republican presidential candidate deep and probing, vital issue of the day questions like, should gays be stoned? Would you go to a gay wedding if you were invited? Would you go to a gay wedding if it were your son or daughter? Is being gay a choice? And by the way, was it Josh Elsom? Yeah, let me see if I've got that for you. Marco Rubio just stated that being gay is not a choice, and it's made a lot of Christians upset. Okay, you can debate that if you want to, but there should be nothing about that statement that causes you to think that God is somehow responsible for somebody's sin. When we look at people who are born, don't we see people who are born all kinds of ways? And that we would not impugn God and His character and His integrity when we see those issues? So why do we struggle with the idea that maybe some people are born with same-sex attractions? It doesn't compromise any theology. It doesn't turn God into a menial, and it doesn't make that suddenly God is endorsing homosexuality. So don't let ... if you want to disagree with that, okay. But I think the more precise language is, regardless of how somebody got there, the choice is whether or not they're going to act on it. That's the point that we should be focusing on as Christians. So Dan Phillips writes, what questions could they ask of the Democratic candidates. Let's visit La La Land with Dan Phillips, shall we? Imagine these questions at the Democratic, if anybody decides to run against Hillary, and I'm telling you, I'm sticking with my feeling, nothing more than a feeling, she's gonna defeat herself, I'm just telling you. People are gonna go, you know, I've heard a lot about her, and I've seen her here or there, Her hairstyles sure improve when she's running for president, but I didn't know she was so boring. That's what I think is going to be her undoing. That's just this political moment brought to you by nobody. So here are the news reporters asking Democratic candidates the following. Should people act on every sexual impulse they have? If someone has a homosexual impulse, does he have a choice as to whether or not to act on it? Should adult children whose hearts move them to marry one or both of their parents be legally allowed to? Why or why not? Are you okay with that? How about adult siblings whose hearts move them to marry one or more of their siblings? Is that okay? I mean, it's love. Is being homosexual like being black or Asian? How is it different, if at all? Christians believe that Jesus can free people from being enslaved to destructive sexual impulses. Are they wrong? I love that one, because you know, to call someone wrong these days, that's a tall order. Jesus said, are Christians for 2,000 years who have believed that it's a sin, are they wrong? Is every brilliant intellect who has ever stated, like Thomas Jefferson, who stated that homosexuality is wrong. Like Martin Luther King, who stated that homosexuality is wrong. Were they wrong? Just curious. Jesus said that it was wrong to act out some sexual impulses. Was he wrong? If your son or daughter married a Christian who believed that homosexuality is a sin, would you attend the wedding? I love that, Dan! Follow-up. Should bakers be required by law to cater such a wedding? Do you think Christians who believe in the Bible should be allowed to hold public office? Those are great questions. Would love to hear those answered. Let's get some pressing on. By the way, I saw, this is just staggering. I don't know which news channel I was watching. I'm sorry, I mean, I was watching Fox News. I didn't want you to think I was a backslider. I was watching some news channel, and a woman said to Hillary Clinton, with all of the money that was given to the Clinton Foundation, Did any of that money that was given influence any policy decision, any efforts that you made in any sort of negotiations with any nations to curry favor for anybody? And here was her answer. It was something like this. well here we are in political season again and these questions you know i say just bring them on because if people don't have anything better to do and they don't want to focus on just helping people which is what i want to do i want to be the champion of middle america people who who have been left behind by the extremely wealthy people like myself then okay then they can just do that next question please so You didn't really answer the... That would be a follow-up question that would maybe be worth... Well, don't expect any time for these questions to be asked, let alone answered, but I'd like to have them answered now because this to me goes to the issue of incrementalism. This is chop-chop, chop-chop, chop-chop, chop-chop. Okay, wait a second. Let's ask some endgame questions. Do you think Christians who believe in the Bible, who believe that homosexuality is a sin, Dare we say an abomination unto God? Can they hold public office? You see, that's what's going on, by the way, in Atlanta right now. The fire chief was fired because in a book, privately published, not on company time, not with government money. He quoted Bible verses that said homosexuality is a sin. Mayor Kasim Reed said, you just aren't qualified to work here anymore. You've got to be fired because there's no way that you can manage people if you hold those antiquated views. So now he is suing Atlanta. Mayor Kasim Reed showing he can be as snarky as our president. Well, bring it on, but I'll tell you, a lot of things are going to be exposed about him. Nice threat. We'll see how that lawsuit goes because that is potentially where this is going. Incrementalism on Wretched Radio. Yes, we think it's funny. You may simply find it something a little lighter that isn't crude, coarse, or sexual. We call it Wretched Shtick. It's a compilation of the best bits and, well, shtick we've produced on Wretched Radio over the past five years. And the best news is it's actually funnier than this and this. About as funny as this. Get Wretched Shtick at WretchedRadio.com. And remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Doing your homework? Yeah, Dad. I have to explain where the universe came from. Oh, I can help. The universe just appeared out of nowhere. Science has this proved spontaneous generation many times. Something can't come from nothing. Oh, well then it's always been here. Want some ice cream? The second law of world dynamics proves Your point being? The universe has an end. Therefore, it had a beginning. Matter has not always existed. Well, then the whole thing is just a figment of our imagination. Dad, we can predict the movement of heavenly bodies. Predictability indicates it's not an illusion. Those are the only three choices there are. What are you writing? Well, the only logical option left is that God created it. That doesn't sound very scientific. It has to be one of the other three. Dad! you're not being logical. Can I have some ice cream now? Another message from Lifeline Productions, the comic strip of radio at lifelinepro.com. It never seems to stop people attacking the New Testament. They say the Bible's based on myths. Or it's got tons of errors, contradictions. It's not the same as the New Testament that was written 2,000 years ago. Well, Dr. James White will answer all of those accusations and more in New Testament Reliability. This DVD makes it clear you can trust your Bible. Get your copy of New Testament Reliability today at wretchedradio.com. Remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Now here's a clip of one of our favorite pastors here at Wretched Radio. This is Matt Chandler. You don't have to be brilliant to draw a crowd. You tracking with that? You need some fog machines, some lasers, and then something kitschy. So, like, just all of a sudden I'll wrestle a white tiger and then pull a cross out of his mouth and go, huh? That's for all of you. All right. And then you would leave here and go, I swear you got to come check this out. All right. And then you bring your friends. It's easy to draw a crowd, hire musicians. Um, so you have great music, talk about stuff, do a series on sex every three to six weeks. When you're not talking about that, encourage people that, by golly, they're good enough, and they're strong enough, and God likes them. And if you'll do that, you can draw a crowd. But here's the problem with man's power to draw a crowd. Man's power can conform people to a pattern of religion, but they cannot transform their hearts. In order for hearts to be transformed, you need the Holy Spirit, you need God and His mercy to extend grace. Sharing your faith with others is scary. We get that. That's why there's Terrified 2, over 20 actual witness encounters with real people. Terrified 2 gives you the confidence you need as you watch Todd, who's not the sharpest bulb in the picnic basket, interact and respond to unbelievers' accusations and questions. No more excuses. Get equipped to share your faith. Get Terrified 2 at wretchedradio.com. And remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Books of the Bible 2 Corinthians is Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church, written about one year later. Since Paul had last written, some false apostles had snuck in and began to question Paul's authority. There are many who claim authority in the church, but those called by Christ will bear the marks of Christ, which are humility and reliance upon Christ. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Indeed it is, and this is Lutheran Satire presenting... Donald and Connell meeting Richard Dawkins, whom they call Patrick. Tell us a bit more about this atheism thing. Yeah, Patrick, tell us. Certainly, yes. Well, you see, in ancient times, people like you invented stories about various gods creating the Earth and mankind because you lacked the scientific knowledge necessary to understand the origins of the universe. But in my day, thanks to scientific progress, we do understand these things, and so it's no longer necessary for us to fool ourselves into thinking that some silly God created us. But what about all that stuff that defies scientific explanation? Isn't that evidence of God's existence? Yeah, riddle us that, Patrick. Stuff like what? Well, how about the multitude of miracles in the Bible, chief among them the resurrection of our Lord Jesus? Oh, you sweet little simpletons, people don't rise from the dead. Except for that one time Jesus rose from the dead. Yeah, that was awesome. No, what I'm saying is that Jesus never rose from the dead. And how do you know that, Patrick? Because it's not possible for people to rise from the dead. Yeah, we know. That's why it was sort of a big deal when Jesus rose from the dead. That is why that was circular reasoning. Lutheran satire, I'm telling you, getting funnier and funnier all the time. I think this got kicked off originally when these two Irishmen met St. Patrick. and helped him understand Trinitarian theology a little bit better, so I think now they just call everybody Patrick, including Richard Dawkins. Lutheran satire, of course, we all know is headed by... Pastor Hans Feeney. Like I said, Pastor Hans Feeney. This is Connell and... Donnell and Connell? Donnell and Connell, I get it. Connell and Donnell. Both are going alphabetically, but Connell and Donnell. Well, that's, I think, the proper way to do it. Absolutely. Unless, of course, Donald, it looks like they're twins, except the one belly on Donald goes to the right and the belly on Conal goes to the left. I think that was Donald. Maybe that was Conal. They never say which is which. The point is... These are two Irishmen confronting Richard Dawkins, helping him with his circular logic. Look, I think you're far too uneducated to understand this, but if people could rise from the dead, then people would rise from the dead. If Jesus could rise from the dead, surely someone else would have risen from the dead as well. Other people have risen from the dead. Like who? Like all the people in the Bible who rose from the dead because Jesus rose them from the dead not long before he himself rose from the dead. Well, obviously you can't count those examples. Why not, Patrick? Because they come from the Bible, and the Bible is a ridiculous book full of silly stories that couldn't possibly happen, like... People rising from the dead? Exactly. Right. So according to you, the resurrection doesn't prove the existence of God because it never happened. And we know it never happened because we know that people can't rise from the dead. And we know that people can't rise from the dead because no one ever has risen from the dead, if you don't count all the people who have risen from the dead. Circular Raj logic exposed. I think I'm on to your little trick here Patrick. Yeah, you're a sneaky little secularist Patrick. So your strategy for proving the non-existence of God is to systematically rule out every piece of evidence for the existence of God solely because that evidence could be used to prove the existence of God. What a perfectly reasonable use of the scientific method, Patrick. Yeah, we'd love to see you employ this strategy in the laboratory, Patrick. Hey, Connell, I just proved that there's no such thing as barium. And how'd you do that, Donnell? By throwing out all the samples of barium. I'm surprised more defense attorneys don't attempt this in the courtroom. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have conclusively proven to you that my client is innocent, as long as you ignore the murder weapon, his confession, and the 400 witnesses who saw him stab that guy in the face. hehehehehehehehehehe You're gonna think that was... Oh, I can't defend that or explain that in any way. You have to go find the Connell and Donnell or Donnell and Connell, whichever you prefer, dealing with St. Patrick. Clearly you're not enlightened enough to understand what I mean. I mean really, Patrick. By your logic, the first president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod could prove himself to be the best looking man in the world. All he'd have to do is lock every other male on the planet in his dressing room right before the beauty pageant begins. Exactly. Oh no, even then I would still lose. So I may not be a scientist, Patrick. I may not possess your superior intellect and education. I may even be a superstitious Neanderthal who thinks that thunder is what happens when God yells at leprechauns. I think it's the result of a shockwave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of plasma in the lightning channel, but that's because I'm stupid. Nonetheless, I still know a lame argument when I hear one. And when you accuse Christians of remaining in ignorance because they refuse to allow any evidence to challenge their theistic worldview, only to dismiss every eyewitness account of our Lord's resurrection solely because it challenges your atheistic worldview, well, that's not just lame, it's also a wee bit of the clover calling the grass green. That's an adorable Celtic twist on a classic idiom, Patrick. Speaking of bad arguments, this will be a tease. Tomorrow we are going to make our way through the Supreme Court arguments talking about the issue of gay marriage. Prepare. If you think Richard Dawkins' arguments are bad, Oh, hoi! You're in for a treat. Don't be absurd! I treat the Bible exactly the way I treat everything else. I'm a man of reason and evidence and facts. I'm a man of science, a world-renowned evolutionary biologist. I defy you to give me one example of something that I believe in despite no scientist ever having seen it happen. Evolution. Dang it! Which is not observable, which is not testable, which is not provable, it's not scientific at all-able. But really, have you actually read your holy book? Your god is a heartless, hateful, murderous ogre. There's no reason to believe in such a vile deity. I'm sorry, Patrick, I'm gonna need a second to recover from that. Yeah, Patrick, stop in the name of logic before you break my brain. Placing your failure to properly understand the justice of the Almighty aside for a moment, did you honestly just argue that God doesn't exist because he's mean? Well, I think a jerk made you cease to exist and every war in human history would have been over the second it started. Rosie O'Donnell would have disappeared in a puff of smoke in 1998 instead of getting fired from The View once every seven minutes. And that jerk who makes those Lutheran satire videos wouldn't even be able to finish recording- That was Lutheran satire as things go dark. Yeah, that's right. What they exposed is it's a bad syllogism. We don't like mean people. We think God is a mean person. Therefore, he doesn't exist. Doesn't make any sense. You can bring a lament that you think God is mean, but that doesn't prove that he doesn't exist. That means you don't get him. That means you don't understand him, or that you just think that he's mean, but that does not disprove his existence. Gotta tell you, Lutheran satire, funnier and funnier all the time. I sent him your request, by the way. I'm sorry, what? I sent him your request, by the way. For? That Donald and Connell should chat with Roma Downey about the Bible franchise. That's a funny, did I have that idea? Wasn't it you? Anyway, he said it was a good idea, but that would require him watching the whole thing, and it's not. Can't do it. No. Could not. Is that thing still going on, by the way? No, it's AD. No, I know that, but is that still on, or is that series still on? It was last Sunday. how the ratings are doing are they growing are they studying I wonder how those things are doing any idea smaller than the Bible son of but better than a lot of things yeah that's just that's just terrific there's it is it is such a It lacks the understanding of the gospel. I think if I had to say, okay, what is the problem with Roma Downey Jr.' 's Bible, besides the fact that she's into some wacky mystical stuff, besides that, I just don't think that there's a basic understanding of the gospel and the preeminence of the redemptive work of Jesus. I think that's what's missing. The line that kind of captures the whole problem with that franchise, is when Peter is in the boat with Jesus and Jesus says, come follow me. Why, Lord? What did he say? I will make you fishers of men. Not according to Roma Downey Jr. We're going to change the world. That's not the purpose of Jesus, to change the world. That's the purpose of a movement. That's a political party. That's an ideology. Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost. And so their central interpretive hermeneutic is is just something other than jesus and the gospel oh by the way i've got to show no what tony remind me to save this for the end i've got a little bit of good news good news okay yeah i got a little i got a little i got a little good news at the very end so remind me Speaking of not understanding the gospel, let me introduce you to the words of Elder Dallin H. Oaks. He's an elder of what? Not a Presbyterian church, although there's plenty of elders there. He's an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a great demonstration of somebody who does not understand the gospel. He's an elder for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Talking about the question, have you been saved Please listen to his response, and this is a vivid reminder that Mormons are not Christians. They have a different soteriology, which means they cannot be esteemed with insight of orthodoxy because of this. He wrote this, what do you say when someone asks, have you been saved? The question so common in the conversation of some Christians, they didn't used to say that about us, can be puzzling to members of the Mormon Church because it's not our usual way of speaking. We tend to speak of saved or salvation as a future event. rather than something that has already been realized. Well, I got to tell you something, then he doesn't know Colossians, he doesn't know Galatians or Romans, or he didn't know the New Testament. You have been called as saints. It is completed. If we answer according to what our questioner probably means in asking if we have been saved, our answer must be yes. If we answer according to the various meanings we attach to the terms saved or salvation, our answer will either be yes or yes, but with conditions. Uh-oh. If we are obedient. Does that sound like grace alone, faith alone, and Jesus Christ alone? Uh-uh. Quote, we believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Does that sound Christian to you? For we know that it is by grace that we are saved. After all we can do, 2 Nephi 25, 23. And what is all we can do? It surely includes repentance, see Alma 24, 11, and baptism. Keeping the commandments? Oy! And enduring to the end, I'm exhausted. Moroni pleaded, yea, come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness and if ye shall, deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all of your might. I can't do this. Mind and strength. Then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ." Does that sound Christian to you? We are not saved in our sins, writes the elder, as by being unconditionally saved through confessing Christ and then inevitably committing sins in our remaining lives. We are saved from our sins by a weekly renewal of our repentance and cleansing through the grace of God and his blessed plan of salvation. We can renew that rebirth each Sabbath when we partake of the sacrament. This is the yoke that the Pharisees put people under. The laws were intended to be a schoolmaster to drive them to Jesus Christ. Instead, the Pharisees, like the Mormon Church, went, yep, we'll do it. And then we'll put Jesus on top of that. You will be saved after all you can do. That's a little different from Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any Mormon should boast. That's an updated paraphrase, but he was talking to Mormons, and he was talking to anybody who thinks, I'll give it a go, and maybe Jesus will help me make up the difference. Or, I don't need Jesus, I can do this on my own. Or, a little bit of Jesus, a little bit of me. That's the formula. Ephesians 2, 8, 9 screams to you. You can't do it. You can't love God perfectly. You can't keep the commandments. You can't keep your mind pure. You can't keep your thoughts from straying into filth. You need a Savior to save you totally from your sins. If you've never repented and put your trust in Jesus Christ, you're outside of his grace if you've been relying on yourself you have you are we will not be saved because he will get credit for it all because he has paid it all and as promised I think this must be a typo from Christian news get ready for something good Court upholds right of a Christian company not to print t-shirts with gay pride messages. Look at that, first decision of its kind right there. You know what that means, Tony? We are pretty close to reclaiming America. Yeah, let's go with that. Until tomorrow, go serve your king.