This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 12:10) A Conspicuous Attempt at Espionage: China's Balloon – Why Did the U.S. Government Handle This So Clumsily? Part II (12:10 - 17:36) Freedom Always Has Enemies: Why Democracy Will Always Face Massive Threats in a Fallen World Part III (17:36 - 25:55) Political Stunt or Strong Economic and Ideological Statement?: Congress Votes Down Socialism in all its Forms Sign up to receive The Briefing ...
Feb 06, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 09:16) Spiritual Appropriation or the ‘Wisdom of Mother Earth’?: The Pagan Resurgence in the Midst of a Secular Culture Marie Kondo’s life is messier now — and she’s fine with it by Washington Post (Jura Koncius) As smudging goes mainstream, concerns rise over appropriation, overharvesting by Washington Post (Laura Reiley) Part II (09:16 - 12:25) ‘Is the Artificial Meat Kosher?’ — Theology is Al...
Feb 03, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 14:41) Sinful But Not Criminal?: Pope Francis Confuses, and Then Attempts to Clarify, Recent Comments on Homosexuality Pope Francis Says Homosexuality Is Not a Crime by New York Times (Elisabetta Povoledo) Pope Francis clarifies comments on sin and homosexuality by Catholic News Agency (Hannah Brockhaus) Part II (14:41 - 19:09) ‘The Task of the New Pope Will to Ensure Doctrinal Clarity’: Catholi...
Feb 02, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 15:51) ‘The Ideology of the Judges Makes All the Difference': Why It Matters Who’s Sitting on the Courts Biden Has Bolstered 9th Circuit’s Liberal Flank, But Has Yet to Match Trump’s Impact by LA Times (Kevin Rector) Part II (15:51 - 20:17) The Most Important Election of 2023?: Why Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Election is on the Forefront of the Political Battlegrounds 2023’s Biggest, Most Unusual ...
Feb 01, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 07:26) A Bit of Recovered Sanity in the UK: British Government Puts Halt to New Scottish Gender Change Law Part II (07:26 - 12:26) Redefining Moral Issues as Healthcare Access: Evaluating the New Dictionary of the Sexual Revolutionaries Utah Becomes First State in 2023 to Ban Gender-affirming Care for Transgender Minors by USA Today (Susan Miller) Gov. Spencer Cox Signs Education Funding, Transg...
Jan 31, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 11:55) Yet Another Horrifying Video Presented to Americans: Bodycam Footage Released of Tyre Nichols’ Arrest and Beating Part II (11:55 - 17:30) Public Opinion, Moral Consensus, and Justice: Theological Considerations of the Memphis Crisis Part III (17:30 - 22:03) Mourn with Those with Mourn: Praying for the Mourning and for Gospel Ministry in Memphis Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbo...
Jan 30, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 04:56) M&Ms Cancels Their Spokescandies: How the Candy Controversy Provides a Window into Our Culture M&M’s accept Tucker Carlson’s invite to the culture wars by Washington Post (Molly Roberts) M&M’s replaces 'polarising' chocolate mascots by The Telegraph (Jamie Johnson) How M&M’s Found Itself in the Culture Wars by New York Times (Daniel Victor) Part II (04:56 - 13:26) Strange Business: Why ar...
Jan 27, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 10:13) Church of England Will Not Authorize Same-Sex Marriages But Permits Clergy to Bless Same-Sex Unions — This is Moral Cowardice and a Theological Disaster Draft prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and for God’s blessing for same-sex couples published by Church of England Part II (10:13 - 20:47) The Church’s Bishops are Corrupting the Church: There Can Never Be a Middle Way Between Same-Sex...
Jan 26, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 10:25) The Right Side of History? Vice President Delivers Pro-Abortion Address in Wake of 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Part II (10:25 - 19:15) ‘We Deserve So Much Better Than Roe’: Pro-Abortion Movement Uses Dobbs Decision to Push for Abortion Rights That Far Exceed Those Brought By Roe Does the War Over Abortion Have a Future? by New York Times (Linda Greenhouse) We Deserve So Much Better Th...
Jan 25, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 07:54) Public Schools vs Parental Rights: Educators Assume Right to Affirm a Child’s Trans Identity and Hide it From Parents Is Defying Parents the Only Ethical Alternative? by The Atlantic (Conor Friedersdorf) January 12, 2023 by The Briefing (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.) Part II (07:54 - 19:03) Whose Morality? Whose Authority? Educators Claim Moral Imperative to Undermine Parents on Gender Issues Wh...
Jan 24, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 07:04) Yesterday Marked 50 Years Since the Infamous Roe v. Wade Decision, But How Did That Decision Happen in the First Place? Part II (07:04 - 14:15) A Thunderclap Across the U.S. Moral Landscape: Justice Harry Blackman’s Majority Opinion That Led to Abortion on Demand Part III (14:15 - 18:54) The Awakening of the Christian American Conscience: The Emergence of the Evangelical Response to Roe v...
Jan 23, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 12:56) ‘The State Doesn’t Surrender in the Face of the Mafia’: Italy’s Top Mob Fugitive Captured After 30 Years on the Run Italy’s most-wanted Mafia boss nabbed after 30 years on run by Associated Press (Frances D’Emilio) Mafia Boss Arrested in Italy After Eluding Capture for 30 Years by New York Times (Jason Horowitz and Gaia Pianigiani) Just How Common Is Corporate Fraud? by New York Times (Ep...
Jan 20, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 18:44) China Has Become Old Before It Has Become Rich: China in Crisis as Birth Rates Drop Lower Than Death Rates For First Time in Decades China records 1st population fall in decades as births drop by Associated Press (Ken Moritsugu) China’s Population Falls, Heralding a Demographic Crisis by New York Times (Alexandra Stevenson and Zixu Wang) Part II (18:44 - 23:03) No, This is Primarily a Mor...
Jan 19, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 15:52) Hold Onto Your Stoves — Yes, Progressive Really Are Coming for Them The Coming Gas Stove Culture War by Wall Street Journal (The Editorial Board) How the Gas Stove in Your Kitchen Became a Symbol of Freedom by Wall Street Journal (Gerard Baker) It’s Only a ‘Culture War’ When Conservatives Do It by National Review (Nate Hochman) Part II (15:52 - 18:35) Experts Note A Significant Uptick in ...
Jan 18, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 16:52) ‘They’re Trying to Cancel My Whole Existence.’: Psychotherapeutic Ideology and Identity Politics Meets in the Moral Revolution and its Transformation of Language Want to Understand L.G.B.T.Q. Life in America? Go to Alabama. by New York Times (Lydia Polgreen) Part II (16:52 - 23:20) Holy Scripture Must Give Way? Bishop Calls for Church of England to Change Its Doctrine on Sexuality and Mar...
Jan 17, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 05:04) Thoughts of an Observer: SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy Carrying Classified Payload Part II (05:04 - 18:41) Classified Documents Found in Trump’s Mar-A-Lago, Biden’s Corvette Garage, and Hillary Clinton’s Email: How Did the U.S. Become So Incompetent in Dealing with Its Classified Information? Documents Inquiry Puts Spotlight on Biden’s Frenetic Last Days as Vice President by New York Times...
Jan 16, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 09:27) Governments Have Consequences, Especially Totalitarian Regimes: Just Consider China and its Current COVID Crisis China’s Opaque Decision-Making Confounds Business, Governments by Wall Street Journal (Chun Han Wong and Liza Lin) Part II (09:27 - 14:49) Why Does God Seek Glory for Himself? Does That Make Him a Narcissist? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing by Pa...
Jan 13, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 15:40) ‘Deferring to Parents Cannot Be Morally Justified’: Educator Group in U.S. Calls Teachers to Disregard Parental Rights on Issue of Gender Identity in Schools Is Defying Parents the Only Ethical Alternative? by The Atlantic (Conor Friedersdorf) Gender Expression and Identity by NAEYC (Stephanie Feeney, Nancy K. Freeman, Katie Schaffer) Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every we...
Jan 12, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 13:19) So What Armed Rebellion? Theological Considerations of Rebellions Against Government Brazilian Authorities Detain 1,500 Protesters Involved in Riot by Wall Street Journal (Samantha Pearson and Luciana Magalhaes) Part II (13:19 - 20:18) Two Models of Revolutions in the Modern Age: What Conservatives Can Learn from the American and French Revolutions Part III (20:18 - 25:52) Most Teenagers ...
Jan 11, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 07:58) The Return of Doctor Population Bomb — Why Do the Media Seem to Want Such an Intellectually Discredited Doomsday Prophet to Be Vindicated? The Paul Ehrlich Apocalypse Is Back by Wall Street Journal (The Editorial Board) Part II (07:58 - 14:04) An Anti-Human Worldview Runs Rampant Through Our Culture: How Issues of Abortion Intersect with Those of Population Control and Make For a Deadly C...
Jan 10, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 10:12) The Insatiable Culture of Death Expands Its Reach: FDA Approves Retail Stores to Prescribe Abortion Pills Abortion Pills Can Now Be Offered at Retail Pharmacies, F.D.A. Says by New York Times (Pam Belluck) Justice Department clears Postal Service to deliver abortion pills even in restrictive states by USA Today (Christine Fernando) Abortion pills in pharmacies are the future. But the FDA ...
Jan 09, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 08:44) ‘Teens Who Grow Up Checking Social Media Become Hyper Sensitive to Their Peers’: New Study Shows Social Media Use Changes Brain in Teens Social Media Use Is Linked to Brain Changes in Teens, Research Finds by New York Times (Ellen Barry) Part II (08:44 - 14:29) How Should Christians Think About IVF? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing Christian Morality and Tes...
Jan 06, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 06:54) An Unprecedented Event in the History of the Roman Catholic Church: Pope Francis Set to Preside Over Benedict XVI’s Funeral Part II (06:54 - 10:31) When the Papacy Pushed Back Against the Increasingly Hostile, Secular Age: What Cardinal Ratzinger Taught Me About Confronting Liberal Protestantism Benedict’s Death Leaves Catholic Conservatives Bereft by New York Times (Jason Horowitz) Part ...
Jan 05, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 08:32) ‘When Does Life Start?’: The New York Times Asks One of Life’s Biggest Questions — How Should Christians Answer It? When does life begin? by New York Times (Elizabeth Dias) Part II (08:32 - 18:45) ‘Your Eyes Saw My Unformed Substance, You Knitted Me Together in My Mother’s Womb’: A Theological Argument for Affirming Life’s Beginning at Fertilization Part III (18:45 - 24:52) Just About Eve...
Jan 04, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 09:31) A Reshaped Landscape of Political Expression in the U.S.: Today Marks the Opening of the 118th Congress — We Must Watch It Closely Part II (09:31 - 23:18) The Passing of a Political Epoch: Nancy Pelosi’s Tenure as Speaker of the House Comes to an End Part III (23:18 - 27:14) Leaving the House (Far) More Liberal Than She Found It: The Political Legacy of Nancy Pelosi Sign up to receive The...
Jan 03, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 11:23) Buyer Beware, There’s Always a Worldview Story Behind Toys: American Girl Publishes Book Pushing Puberty Blockers to Adolescent Girls American Girl Refuses to Apologize for Pushing Advice for Pre-teens to Obtain Puberty Blockers from Doctors if They Feel 'Different' - and Says It's Meant to Make Children 'Feel Informed and Confident' by Daily Mail (Vanessa Serna) How American Girl Lost Th...
Dec 16, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 10:38) ‘Old Fashioned Embezzlement With New Blockchain Jargon’: Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested for Fraud Prosecutors Say FTX Was Engaged in a ‘Massive, Yearslong Fraud’ by New York Times (David Yaffe-Bellany, Matthew Goldstein and Emily Flitter) Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Crash by Wall Street Journal (The Editorial Board) Part II (10:38 - 14:12) Value Must Be Based in Something Real: The Issue of Cr...
Dec 15, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 09:38) How Do We Understand Our Place in History and the Morality of History?: The View of History Revealed in Yesterday’s White House Ceremony Celebrating Gay Marriage Part II (09:38 - 18:55) Vice President Harris Says “This is a Victory, and This is a Part of a Larger Fight”: The Interconnectedness of LGBTQ Issues Abortion, and Contraception for the Left — But You Won’t Find Any of Them in the...
Dec 14, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 12:40) Conservative Christians, Why Draw the Line over Gay Marriage?: A Case for Upholding the Biblical Definition of Marriage in Our Society A Question to Conservative Christians on Gay Marriage: Why Draw the Line Here? by Washington Post (E.J. Dionne Jr.) Part II (12:40 - 20:34) Answering E.J. Dionne: Explaining Why Conservative Christians Cannot Just Accept Same-Sex Marriage and Move On Part ...
Dec 13, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. Part I (00:13 - 09:00) Welcomed Back into the Arms of Vladimir Putin: The Merchant of Death Returns to Russia in Brittany Griner Exchange Viktor Bout’s Release Is Hailed in Russia as a Kremlin Victory by New York Times (Richard Pérez-Peña) Part II (09:00 - 16:11) A New Morality of Hostage Takers: Why the U.S. (And Other Democratic Nations) Will Get the Short End of the Stick in Government International Hostage ...
Dec 12, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
