Hi friend, thank you so much for downloading this podcast and I truly hope you hear something that edifies encourage, equips, enlightens, and then gets you out there in the marketplace of ideas. But before you go, I want to tell you about this month's truth tool. It's called Have You Ever Wondered? And I absolutely love this topic because if you're like me, going out into the night sky and looking up and seeing a million stars, don't you just stop and think
about God? And are you not in a moment of awe and wonder or looking out over the vast expanse of an ocean and you start thinking, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And it makes you
wonder about the magnificence of God? I think that sense of wonder was put there on purpose, and this wonderful book includes a composite of multiple authors who have written from their perspective as a scientist, or a historian, or a mathematician or an artist, on why they all have this sense of awe through the work that they do. In other words, the heavens declare the glory. And as it tells us in Romans, we are really without excuse
because his handiwork is everywhere. And this book invites you to walk through the chapters written by people who all have a sense of awe and wonder when it comes to God through their various disciplines in life. It's an amazing book and it's yours. For a gift of any amount, just call 877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58. Ask for a copy of Have You Ever Wondered? And we'll send it right off to you as my way of
saying thank you, because we are listener supported radio. Or you can go online to in the market with Janet Parshall. When you're also on the website, consider becoming a partial partner. Those are people who give every single month at a level of their own choosing. You always get the truth tool, but in addition to that, you get a weekly newsletter that includes my writing and an audio piece just for
my partial partners. So 877 Janet 58 or the website in the market with Janet parshall.org consider becoming a partial partner or asking for this month's truth tool. Have you ever wondered? And now please enjoy the broadcast.
Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall. Today's program is where Janet and her husband, Craig, take some of the stories making headlines this week and offer their insight and analysis. Before they get started, let's take a quick look back at some of the highlights from the week.
When some new idea comes in to challenge those reigning paradigms, it's often treated with some contempt. And this is exactly what is going on with intelligent design and Darwinian evolution right now. Neo-darwinian evolution, for better or for worse, is the reigning paradigm within biology for how life arose and and diversified to all the forms we see today. Intelligent design is coming and saying, actually, there are other scientific ways to look at this question that are not mechanistic,
that are not naturalistic. We can actually use our understanding of what intelligent agents can to do, can do to better understand how we can explain the complexity of biology.
Satan knows the Bible very well, and when he looks at the entire Council of God, he's not omniscient, but he knows his Bible. He knows that at some point in the future, the the Jewish people are going to go through with a bunch of people through the tribulation. Some will survive, some will not. Those who survive will call on Yeshua, will say, Baruch Hashem Adonai. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and that will usher in the second coming of the Messiah.
When that happens, Satan is out of a job and he does not like his retirement plan.
What do you call it when you say to a mother you can kill your baby one hour before they are born, but if you kill them an hour after they are born, you'll be prosecuted. And the answer, of course, is that this bill was it is not. It's not even about abortion. It's about infanticide. And one of the things, and you and I have talked about this before, I've been saying this for years as the West turns away from Christianity, particularly in the United Kingdom. We are not
progressing to a secular nirvana. We are regressing to a Greco-Roman pagan view of the world.
The New Testament like a beautiful rainbow, beginning with the first coming and ending with the second coming of Jesus. And so even when you look at the whole Bible, Genesis and Revelation are just perfectly corresponding bookends. You know, from creation to new creation and from the garden to
the new Jerusalem. And so I commend to people, both biblical theology and looking at, at the Bible more synthetically, you know, how the different parts all fit perfectly within the whole library of the 66 books of Scripture.
To hear the full interviews from any of those guests, go to In the Market with Janet Parshall and click on Past programs. Here are some other stories making headlines this week.
European Union leaders are to be presented with a choice by the European Commission. Get a quick trade deal with the US at the cost of Washington getting better terms, or escalate the fight in the hope of something better in Nairobi.
Some are making money out of protests that shook the Kenyan capital on Wednesday. Others are counting the cost after confrontations between police and protesters turned chaotic.
US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr's newly appointed panel of vaccine advisers met for the first time on Wednesday.
Shell has denied reports it's in talks with BP regarding a takeover. The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday that negotiations were at an early stage, but shell said no talks were taking place.
Janet and Craig have lots to share and they'll put the first story on the table when we return. To get more information or to download the podcast of any of the interviews, go to. In the market with Janet Parshall.
The questions that matter most often come while watching a sunset, or listening to music, or looking into the night sky. That's why I've chosen. Have you ever wondered, as this month's truth tool? God draws us to himself through a sense of awe and wonder, and this book will help you discover how. As for your copy of have you ever wondered when you give a gift of any amount in the market, call eight 7758. That's eight 7758 or go to in the market with Janet Parshall. Happy Friday
to you friends. So glad we're going to spend this hour together. Mr. Craig Parshall is with me. We take a look at all kinds of stories making headlines through the lens of Scripture. If you're interested, by the way, our first hour today, Craig and I talked about some of the major Supreme Court cases that were handed down
yesterday and today. Very important, dealing with some pretty big issues, not the least of which is a reaffirmation of parents rights and the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Thank you Lord, what a great decision. So you didn't miss it, because all you have to do is go where you find your favorite podcast and download in the market with Janet Parshall, and you will have heard everything we talked about the first hour. Glad you're with us this hour, by the way. I looked at my calendar
and I can't believe it. I blinked, I put my Christmas decorations away and now it's time to put up the American flag, because the 4th of July is right around the corner. But Tuesday is the 1st of July, which means from today until midnight on the last day of June. If you don't yet have your copy of Have You Ever Wondered? Well, it goes back in the bookshelves. So please, I want you to get a copy of it. It's my way of saying thank you when you financially
support in the market with Janet Parshall. And you can do that for a gift of any amount. All you have to do is call 877 Janet 58 877 Janet 58. Say, hey, I'd like a copy of. Have You Ever Wondered? We'll send it off to you. It's my virtual hug around the neck, and my way of saying thank you for financially supporting this program. You can do it online too. I know some of you are very gifted in this tech stuff. Just go to in the market with Janet Parshall.
Scroll to the bottom of the page. There's the cover of the book. Click it on and get your copy of. Have You ever Wondered? While you're there, consider becoming a partial partner. That is my ever increasing number of sweet, precious friends who give every single month at a level of their own choosing a you always get the truth tool, and b you'll get a weekly newsletter that includes my writing and a bit of audio just from my partial partner,
so that's yours as well. So think about pray about being a partial partner or get a copy of Have You Ever Wondered 877, Janet, 58 or online at In the Market with Janet Parshall. Org by the way, have you ever wondered is a compilation of authors under the editorial leadership of Andy Bannister, who's been on this program. He lives in the UK. Such a wonderful guy, and it really is about how we have awe and wonder,
particularly on these summer nights. Oh, with all this heat, if you're not having a rainstorm, look up there and the skies are twinkling with stars. God made them all. The Bible says he hung them all and he named them all. I don't know about you, but my little Mickey Mouse mind can't take all of that in. And I am filled with awe and wondered. Our God is an or some God. In fact, the word or should really only be used about God rather than boy, wasn't
that ball game awesome? No. Awe is reserved to God himself, and he puts that sense of awe and wonder in us, not by accident, so that we might hunger for something bigger, something greater, someone bigger and greater than us. And that's the great and glorious King himself. I love this book. It'll stir your heart. It'll make you say, wait a minute. Why am I always happy when there's a happy ending to a story? And why do I think that this isn't going to satisfy me? And why do I still
have a hunger after I try that? But I'm still wanting something more. All of that and more gets addressed in the book. Have you ever wondered? So goes away. Midnight Monday 877 Janet 58 or online at In the Market with Janet Parshall. We're going to start out by giving you an update on two cases that we talked about before that I think are important. And I think we owe you the duty of giving you an update When some of these cases happen, there's a camp called
I'd Rather Have. Jesus. Uh, and it's. I can't even say the name, but they the letters stand for. I'd rather have Jesus. It's a Christian camp. It's in Bailey, Colorado. My Colorado friends will know what camp I'm referring to. They were told that they would have to let children be indoctrinated by the trans cult. Whenever facilities were going to be used by people. The boy went to this Christian camp and he said, you know what? I'm a girl and he's going to show up and he's going
to use the other bathroom. The camp said, no, no, that's going to be a problem. We we just don't think that's going to work for us. And so we have some big concerns. Well, they asked for an exemption being a religious camp after all. And Colorado, guess what? Because boy are they aggressive there. We're praying for you. Colorado. Uh, they refused to give in and said, no, we're not going to give this protection to this Christian camp by any stretch of the imagination. Well, then along comes a
little group called Alliance Defending Freedom. And they said, okay, well, I'll meet you at Eurasia and we're going to see what we can do. So rather than having this go all the way through, they made an exception. Thank you, Lord, to allow the camp to continue freely practicing their religious free their beliefs that 99.99999% of all human beings throughout the world would agree with Craig. Why is this such a victory?
Well, it's a victory number one, considering the state of Colorado. It has been. And we got close friends. We love the people of Colorado, but the power structures, the political power structures in Colorado are a hot mess. Uh, they seem to enjoy. And they certainly have become experts in targeting Christians of faith who have sincerely held beliefs about not participating. As the Apostle Paul says in the very evil that they don't agree with. But Colorado says, oh,
you will, or we'll be. You'll be fine. You'll be sent to an education camp, basically. Um, and you'll lose a lot of your civil liberties that other people have that are first class citizens. You'll be a second class citizen. So Colorado has been in a troubled state for some time. I hope that this is the beginning of a turnaround, where they're saying they're waking up to the fact that they are on the wrong side, not not only of history, but of the law.
And they did more than back up. By the way, the state is clarifying in a memo on its website and in administrative guides that churches, synagogues, mosques or any other place that is principally used for religious purposes are exempt from the requirements. Now, I'm going to say, given the hostility, and this is the state that gave us Jack Phillips masterpiece cake. Right. And I think creative 310 is also from Colorado, too, if I remember. Right. So when you look at what they do when it comes
to religious liberty in Colorado, it's a chilling effect. So this was good for this camp. I think I may have figured out how to pronounce it. I'd rather. I'd rather I'd rather have. Jesus, I a r a h a j e a rad day. That's it. You think so? Yeah. Okay. All right. Now, I may have that dead wrong, but anyway, the bottom line. I'm happy for the camp. So, do you remember another case that we talked about to this one was Washington State. Washington state, by the way, was
going to have legislation called SB 5375. It was scheduled to take effect on July 27th. Oh, that happens to be today. Unlawfully targets. This is what some are saying. And this is a complaint that has just been filed by the Department of Justice. This is the update. This is why we're telling you, the complaint argues that this legislation, quote, unlawfully targets clergy and specifically Catholic priests by requiring mandatory
reporting of abuse for clergy without exempting the professional. That confessional, by the way, which is supposed to be confidential, uh, in fact, the lawsuit reads the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also known as confession, is one of the seven holy sacraments of the Catholic Church. It is a sacred rite with roots that can be traced back to the origins of Catholicism. The seal of confidentiality is therefore the lifeblood
of confession. Without that, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e. the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priests to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place. And so I find it fascinating. And boy, do I admire this woman, the assistant ag, Harmeet Dhillon. Uh, she is in charge of DOJ Civil Rights division. And God bless her, she while she is not, um, a professing Christian, she is one who understands the invaluable nature of religious liberty. So
good for them. And by the way, while this hones in specifically on Catholics, there is that that private confidentiality it would spill way beyond the confessional booth in its application, I'm sure. So give me your take on this.
Well, this is a season of the return to reason And reasoned approach to the Constitution and to the long history of the law in the United States and much of the English common law that we inherited in the colonies, and then, when we became a constitutional republic, was imported into our understanding in the 1700s and into the 18th and 19th century. Um, and it has stood the test of time until very recently. Now, the confidentiality, uh, afforded it has been known by various names. The, the, um,
the parishioner, uh, penitent, uh, clergy exception. Uh, it's also been just simply the clergy confidentiality. Confidentiality exception. And by the way, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, uh, have adopted, uh, those kinds of confidentiality requirements. And the states have historically had them for two centuries. Now, suddenly some of the more progressive, quote unquote states like the state of Washington has decided, no, we're going to change the history of
the law on this issue. And by the way, it's not just the Catholic Church. Uh, if a pastor of a Protestant church has a member come in or even a member of the public come in and say, I need some spiritual counsel, but I need your I need this to be confidential. Well, very often the the best work that takes place in terms of a spiritual breakthrough with a person who is burdened like that is the protection of confidentiality. And by the way, confidentiality has been
extended to other important decision making processes. I'll give you as an example, jury deliberations are absolutely sacred and confidential. No one can force them to say what happened in the jury room, unless the jury themselves want to break that silence. That's confidential. You're voting when you vote. No one can put a gun to your head and say you're going to tell me who you voted for. That's illegal. That has been protected for anonymity and for the anonymity
of your vote. So confidentiality here has a long history. Janet. And I'm shocked that the state of Washington would say we're going to obliterate all those hundreds of years.
And the next time somebody shouts separation of church and state, just smile graciously. Because this is another example. Again, that really, while it's not in the Constitution, it becomes a cudgel for states like Washington who think they have the right to intrude in the church, the very thing that Jefferson warned against and promised he would protect when he wrote to the Danbury Baptist Society. The government stays out of
the church. Period. End of statement. So I am very happy to see DOJ put some shoe leather into this, and we wish them all the best in their lawsuit against Washington State. We're going to take a break. Come right back. Now you've got an update because we had talked about both of those in the past. I want you to be current on this back after this. I love good news stories. Sometimes we have to dig a little bit harder to find those, but we got a
bunch today. First we started, like I said last hour, talking about some really excellent decisions coming down from the United States Supreme Court. That's a good news story. Then we talk about the fact that the Christian camp in Colorado is protected. That's a good news story. Then we talk about the fact that the DOJ is going to go over this unconscionable intrusion into the ecclesiastical practices of a church and violate the privacy between a priest and
a parishioner, and it will spill beyond Catholicism. By the way, the same vulnerability could take place in the pastor's study. That's good that DOJ wants to go after that. And here's another good story. And I was telling Craig boy, I'll tell you, you'll talk about these cases of exploitation until the cows come home. You'll do documentaries, ABC we'll spend, you know, Dateline and 2020 and all this other stuff. But when there's victory, when there's absolutely liberty and justice
gets meted out, how come it's so quiet? Well, we're not going to be quiet. We're going to herald this from the rooftops. It was called Operation Dragon Eye. Officials are calling it the most successful child recovery effort in the United States. I'm sorry. Did you. Did you not get this in the news? Good. Well, let me tell you then. Operation dragonfly, a rescued 66 zero critically missing children. What if your baby was one of those 60 and they were in Florida's Tampa Bay region? It was led
by U.S. marshals, and it involved over 20 agencies. It was a two week operation. Only the Lord knows how difficult this must have been. And it reflects a powerful example of justice, compassion and government working in unity to protect the vulnerable. These kids were ages 9 to 17. They were identified as high risk, mainly endangered by abuse, trafficking and exploitation. So the Florida Attorney General and U.S. Marshal William Berger confirmed eight arrests, including suspected traffickers and
child predators. The suspects face serious charges ranging from human trafficking to drug offenses, with bonds as high as $250 million. Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Children and Families played a vital role, ensuring that each child received immediate physical and psychological care, and authorities hope this rescue is a turning point for the young lives involved. So there it is, shouted from the rooftops.
Rent an airplane. Fly it through the sky. 60 precious children rescued from the claws of this demonic activity. I think that's huge. And again deemed to be the largest rescue of children being trafficked in the country. This is a huge story.
There are those who, um, try to minimize the reality of the risk to children and youth in this country. Um, well, you know, statistically, you know, what are the odds? But one child is too many to be human trafficked. One child, uh, who, for whatever reason, finds his or her way on the street and without a home is so vulnerable to predators. And by the way, uh, a number of those who had been arrested and charged with these crimes were known sex offenders. So the the future of these children was
very dire. And I just praised these Florida law enforcement agents, uh, and I, I wasn't sure from reading the background whether the feds were involved as well. But there there are a number of years ago there was a, I think close to 80, um, children had been rescued, um, down in Georgia. But it took, I think, close to a year of tracking and surveillance to be able to determine this and then find them and rescue them. So this is happening not in a third world country, but in
the United States of America. And if you don't think that this is a problem in your neighborhood, unfortunately, think again.
Wow. All right. That's good news story. Now let me talk about AI because hey, it's Friday. We love to talk about AI. Goldman Sachs said this week it's going to roll out an artificial intelligence tool that could be used to take over tasks traditionally done by junior bankers. What did Craig and I what have we said over and over and over again? You know, I it's more than just making a pretty cartoon on your computer top. It's going to end up taking away people's jobs. I
care about my fellow man. I care about their ability to put bread on their table. I believe in human flourishing. I think it's a biblical mandate. And guess what? Now we've got the rise of the machines. And so, of course, this is fueling ongoing fears that technology is going to soon eliminate entry level jobs. So I will be used to generate efficiency plans in the Wall Street giant's investment banking and wealth management divisions by helping employees with everyday tasks.
According to an internal memo that was circulated and eventually got out to the press. Mhm. Uh, in fact, it's interesting because Goldman Sachs, their CIO, uh, said this today marks an important moment in our AI journey as we are excited to announce the firmware launch of the AI assistant. We're giving them names now the first generative AI powered tool to reach this scale. So apparently the David Solomon led financial powerhouse had previously rolled out the tech to
about 10,000 of its estimated 46,500 global employees. I'm. I got to tell you, I'm. You know, they're all about the bottom line. That's why they're bankers. That's why they're Goldman Sachs. I get it. But it breaks my heart because somebody's going to lose a job because of a machine. I, I don't call that progress. I that makes this kind of a story. Makes me unhappy.
You know, I read this story, um, and I immediately thought, and this is going to show, you know, my proclivity for certain movies that you and I enjoy. But I immediately went back to the 1957 movie called Desk Set between Katharine Hepburn. She was a information librarian who had answered all wide variety of questions that were called in to her, and she'd do it from her own notes and her own knowledge. And then there was Spencer Tracy, who was the computer expert who would come in and
he was going to replace Katharine Hepburn with a computer. Uh, if you're tired of hearing these I stories about how they're going to replace us, I'd advise you watch desk set. It's a great comedy. But also there's a lesson there that computers are not ready, nor will they ever be ready to replace humans.
Yeah. And again, I don't know what the answer is to this because somebody builds them. The guy who builds the machine, the gal that builds the machine, they're making money. The people who buy the machines are buying the machines because it's going to cost them less money. And they don't have to pay employee taxes or benefits to a machine. I get it, but in the meantime, this is what happens when you take God out of your worldview. You don't see his image in your fellow man. Back after this.
We live in complicated times and in the market. We're helping you interpret complex cultural issues through the lens of Scripture. Our team of partial partners is growing. And to say thank you, they receive exclusive information from me. In fact, I talk to you directly from my personal computer to yours by email. Become a partial partner today and you'll receive these exclusive benefits. Call eight 7758 or go online
to in the market with Janet parshall.org. Org. One of the things Craig and I would like to do on Fridays is really and truly help us learn to discern. We talk about the Bereans a lot on this program. So these people tested the writings of Paul. They didn't
swallow anything hook, line and sinker. And neither should we, particularly when it comes to the careful handling of the word of life holding fast to that which is good, not adding to or subtracting from, but absolutely teaching line upon line, precept upon precept, and not trying to bend and twist whatever you read in Scripture to fit some current cultural or political ideology that the person who's doing
the teaching might have. When that happens, you are hearing a wolf, and it shouldn't come as any kind of a surprise. We need to recognize that sound, don't we? Matthew 715 says, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. And that's just one of multiple verses that the Bible talks about with those who are going to come among us, and they're going to have all kinds of false teaching.
It is imperative that you and I learn to discern either what we're hearing from the pulpit comes into alignment with God's straight truth or gray in between. So you read the word, and through the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that's your Geiger counter. That's your straight stick. That's your metric. Wait, wait, wait, what I just heard from the pulpit doesn't say that in the Bible, but that that doesn't come into alignment with. I just read from the word of God. And so Craig and
I will oftentimes play what we call wolf audio. That's what the two of us call it, because these are wolves. And I'm not interested in naming the name of the pastor, tell you if that's a male or a female. And I'm never going to name the denomination because we, you know, we kind of root for the home team. And then you get so bound up in a particular denomination, you're not hearing the utterances. So it's out of the overflow of the mouth, out of the overflow of the heart.
The mouth speaks. It is listening to what someone says that becomes imperative. So I want you to listen to this person who's going to tell the story of the demoniac, the Gerasene demoniac. This is an absolutely fascinating story in Scripture. And, well, just put on your thinking cap, listen with the ears on your heart and listen to what this person standing at the pulpit in front of a gay flag draped over the pulpit and draped over the altar and draped
around the person's speaking's neck. Just listen.
Loving this half life, he's he's alive. But then he's he's living among the tombs. He's socially buried. And his community describes him as dangerous. This is someone who would have been so separated from belonging and community. He would have been completely labeled as beyond help. But Jesus isn't afraid of him. Jesus opens with a question what is your name? Another thing that should perk our ears up in Scripture, just like in our day to day lives, right?
Our names really matter. So when this man says Legion, for we are many, that means something. And that's where it gets explicitly political. Because Legion isn't just a word for a lot. It's not just like he whipped out a thesaurus and thought, what's a fun word? Legion is something really specific. It's a military word. And in this moment in time in history, it's a Roman word for a division of soldiers. The language that the man is
using to name himself is the language of empire. He doesn't say I'm hurting or I'm broken or I'm alone. He says I am occupied. I am legion. The demons that have been tormenting this man are not just personal. They're political. They reflect the systems of domination that he lives under. And however we engage these stories of demons, whether we understand them as literal beings or we understand them as the language that the people had at the
time to describe other afflictions. The gospel here is really clear. By using the name Legion. This man has been so colonized, so criminalized, so degraded, that he can only name himself by what is hurting him. That's what Empire does. It gives people labels instead of names. Undocumented. Unstable. Criminal threat. Other Empire teaches people to call themselves Legion. So what
do we do with this today? With all the stuff happening in the world, in the world that I talked about at the beginning of our sermon, we do what Jesus did. It's not so hard, but it's so radical. We ask each other, what is your name? Not the name on your birth certificate or your email handle, or your real ID that you had to get but your real name, what the spirit calls you, the name that you claim when the chains fall off and no one puts them back on.
Oy vey. Where do you start? With something. You know, when all else fails, just read the instructions so you can go to Luke chapter eight, verses 26 through 39. It is a fabulous story. So because she makes such a point of the person's name, let's talk about it. So she rightfully talks about the name that it was legion, meaning many. So if you look at a Roman legion,
that was a whole lot of soldiers. Okay. So I don't think it's by happenstance that he's called Legion because the answer is right there to be found in Scripture. When Jesus says, what is your name? The demoniac answers, Legion, for many demons have entered us. In other words, it wasn't just one which would be awful enough. He's got multiple demons that have taken up residence on him, a legion of demons. And they, the Bible says, begged him Jesus not to command them, the demons to depart into
the abyss. And this is where the large herds of swine shows up. And what happens? They get cast into the swine. The demons. Do the demons come out of the man? They enter the swine. The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. And there's so much more to the story. And the man, of course, rejoices once the demons are gone. No, she had to take a sharp turn into politics. I'm sorry. Were they voting for Nero? Were they voting for the Epicureans?
Were they voting for the Stoics? Were they voting for the Pharisees? Were they voting for the. Where does voting and politics come into this? This is a man who's occupied by demons, and Jesus rescues him and sets us free. The demons, she said, are political. I'm pretty sure they were not political at all, but hey, that's just me. Your take. Craig.
Um, well, it's difficult to to try to decide where to start with, um, all of the errors that this cleric wearing a clerics collar in this church are committed. But let me give you the overview. When I heard this and read it, I thought, this is a perfect example of the danger of what C.S. Lewis said was the error of of naturalism. In other words, that every issue, even if it looks like it's a spiritual or transcendent or supernatural episode, for instance, some of Jesus's miracles, clearly
supernatural in nature. But the natural person goes, no, I'm going to interpret this as a simple, natural act. How can I explain it in natural terms and demythologize the existence of any spiritual or transcendent spiritual aspect to this? So it couldn't have been a legion of demons in this individual, this man. It had to be a political statement of a poor, tortured soul who was being oppressed because the Roman Empire was in charge of his neighborhood. Um, no. No.
As a matter of fact, the story goes on. And she this particular female cleric didn't expand on that. The story goes on to say that Jesus exorcised the demons and the demons, begged him not to, uh, begged him to send them into the swine because of what frankly, Jesus talked about in Matthew chapter 12. You see, the
the demonic world exists, the spiritual world exists. And as Jesus explained in Matthew chapter 12, when someone is occupied by a demon and is exercised spiritually, that demon is ends up in a what Jesus described as a dry, waterless places seeking rest and finding none. It's a place of torment and so therefore they have to reoccupy a human. Jesus is not going to allow that sends them into
the swine instead that go over the hill. That was an entirely supernatural reality, showing the supernatural power of the Son of God, not some political statement about the Roman Empire.
I think the part that breaks my heart the most. And again, I man looks on the outward appearance. God looks on the heart. We read in first Samuel. So I can't tell you what's in this particular person's heart, but I can tell you what I think she's missing, and that's Jesus. Because if you read this, there's no sense of politics. There isn't any sense of the empire. The empire doesn't give people names. It gives them labels. Well,
here's what happens at the end of this. Precious. Honestly, this is a story that puts a lump in your throat. So the man from whom the demons had gone, the Bible tells us, begged that he might be with him, Jesus. But Jesus sent him away, saying, return to your home and declare, how much God has done for you. And he, the person who formerly had legions of demons inside him. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. So he goes from
being a demoniac to an evangelist. And this poor person who is wearing the colored robes of the gay pride flag on her podium, on her body, and on the altar behind her, is so focused on trying to superimpose sloppy political thinking into the story that she missed Jesus. That Jesus was able to take a man who was in excruciating pain and somehow had been occupied by all these demons, and now he's so treasured what Jesus did for him. He wanted to follow Jesus the rest of
his life. And Jesus says, no, just tell people how much God loves you and what Jesus has done for you. So I have to tell you, Craig, It breaks my heart because not only is it a torturous misinterpretation of scripture, you want the fancy word for it, it's eisegesis. She put there what wasn't there, as opposed to exegesis, where she pulled out of the scripture exactly what the scriptures taught,
and in the process she missed Jesus. Oh Lord, please help us to never miss Jesus, particularly in your words back after this. So did you ever stop and think about the power of a name? I mean, how many times do we read in the scriptures where somebody actually has their name changed, right? And it's usually very significant. Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah. Um, we just look at who gets called Israel in the Bible, right? I mean,
these names are so tremendously important. And when you have a child, I don't know about you, but in the partial household, boy, did we do a lot of praying before we named our children because we thought this is going to be something they carry with them for the
rest of their life. So after much prayer, it was decided that when we had children, we would name them after people in the Bible so that we would always have an open door to talk about the attributes the, the good and the bad, because most of the humans in Scripture have just that. They have good and they have bad things that we can learn from. But we wanted to give them a paradigm of a person in history that we could turn back to and say, this
was what they did right. Here's where their challenges were, and that would become an open door. So hence Sarah, Rebekah, Samuel and Joseph. And, uh, we for our house, it was the right thing to do and we felt very happy about it. But I gotta tell you, there's a precious baby coming into the world. That's going to have a challenge, because this baby is going to have an interesting name. In fact, they put out a baby shower announcement that says, join us to celebrate the upcoming arrival
of our little bundle of joy. The baby's name is Chernobyl. Hope you can't make this up. Chernobyl hope. And apparently that showed up in the baby shower invitation. It was posted online under the title I'm Speechless. And Greg, there are a lot of clever people out there because there were people who commented. Someone said, I'm sure everyone at the celebration will be radiant. Another person said, speak for yourself. If I were a guest at the shower and heard
that name, I'd have a total meltdown. This one? Are all friends invited or is this just for the nuclear family? Of course, this is referring to the absolutely horrible incident that took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Center in the former Soviet Union. It's just a terrible story. And then other people said, well, after this they can they can have Auschwitz, joy, Hiroshima love and Columbine kindness. This one said. Introducing new triplets. Nine over 11 peace Boston Marathon sunshine
and Sandy hook radiance. So it's just amazing that people would put that kind of a name on for the rest of their life. Craig, your thoughts?
You know, I tried to find, um, some positivity in this and I thought, did this dear woman who was proposing this name, was she, uh, kind of stumbling on trying to find an optimistic view for the future. In other words, may we never have another Chernobyl or. And, you know, that's where the hope part comes in.
Um, why would you burden a child with.
Exactly. In other words, think about the ramifications for your child living with that. Uh, would you call, you know, would they start adopting a nickname so they wouldn't have to be burdened? Uh, hi, I'm czerny, you know, I'm not Chernobyl. I'm. I'm Czerny. Um, on my journey. So, uh, but, you know, on the on the serious side of this, uh, names, uh, carry with it blessings or curses. Um, and you just beautifully laid out some of our thinking just in our family.
And we know other families do this, too. A lot of thought about the name that's going to be given to a child very often thinking about names from your, uh, extended family or to carry on the legacy of the name of a grandfather or grandmother, uh, as a middle name, uh, and to be able to create kind of a link and an appreciation for the family that has come before
and the attributes that they brought. So important names are significant. Um, so I'll pray for this person that they still have time to change.
Hopefully that poor child. Wow. So at this point, I want to bring in a little common sense, because often what we talk about on Fridays really is just so lacking in common sense, whether it's this trans issue or some of the cases that we've talked about that the Supreme Court had to take up, or even the craziness of naming a child after a horrific human disaster. I think at this point, I want to call in your honor as my expert witness one, Andy Griffin. So you're
going to hear a little craziness. And then here's the sagely wisdom that probably now you'd only see in black and white. And if you're lucky, you might find it somewhere written, but it's probably going to be shouted down by woke inclusivity language. And then again, there's this common sense. So you decide. Have a listen.
When our children tell us who they are. It is our job as grown ups to listen and to believe them.
Now, I'm afraid it don't work that way. You can't let a youngin decide for himself. He'll grab it. The first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then when he finds out there's a hook in it, it's too late. The wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter, it's hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run. And all a parent can do is say, wait, trust me and try to keep temptation away.
Package with so much glitter. I mean that that's. I love the simplicity of that. But it really is profound because when you think of someone coming as a prince of light, right? And how deceptive he was and shiny objects, I mean, there's nothing new under the sun. And yet he just said it in plain talk. And what I liked was and he said it as a reminder for us never to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. No, I'm afraid it just don't work that way.
I that advice beware of latching yourself to every shiny new thing rather than that. Say, well, what are the ancient truths that have stood the test of time from time immemorial? And you'll find those, by the way, in the covers of Genesis to Revelation. Walk in the word. Keep it as the guide for your life. Those are the ancient divine truths that are going to make sure
you don't fall for the shiny new thing. You will hand handle, uh, life with the things that really matter and the things that are true, rather than the things that grab your attention and then melt away.
Yeah, well, that's the joy of truth, isn't it? Is that it's eternal? It's the same yesterday, today and forever. It's knowable. It's objective. It applies to all people in all times and all places, and sometimes it isn't shiny. And oftentimes it's not new, but it still is the best thing that's out there. So seek truth. No truth. Follow the one whose name is truth. And I hope
you have a great weekend. Thank you so much for joining us in these conversations there again, designed to have you take the Word of God and apply it to every single aspect of the world around you. God didn't make us stumble in the dark. He said, hear, my word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. Here I'm going away. And if I don't go away, you're not going to have the benefit of the comforter, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He hasn't left us. He hasn't left us on our
own by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know about you, but in a world turned upside down and on Fridays we point to all the upside down craziness in the stranger things out there. Just cling to Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We'll see you next time, friends.