“Tactics” for Conversations with Non-Believers

Conversations with nonbelievers great Coca-Cola Fresno standard reason joins us today right here on the Christian worldview radio program for the mission is to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christian and to share the good news the gospel that all people can be reconciled to God. Faith in Jesus Christ, I'm David Weidner, host our website is the Christian world.org will.

We thank you for joining us today on the Christian world view radio programs we talk about tactics for conversations with nonbelievers and also get to some current events worldview in the news. Later in the program as well, but the worldview divide between biblical Christians and the rest of society, whether there are secular or religious people has never been wider, yet our commission. So speak the great commission remains the same to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Matthew 2819 and 20. Before someone becomes a disciple, they must first repent and believe in the gospel as Christ said in Mark chapter 1 and to get to that point of regeneration or new life are being born again, God will likely use a conversation or many conversations with a Christian sometimes it happens another way, but often it happens through a conversation with the believer now navigating conversations with nonbelievers is many things. This is tricky. It's exciting. It's anxiety inducing its frustrating and it's sharpening sharpens your worldview when you when you do that, but above all, it's the believers calling first Peter 315 says sanctified Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence talk more about that passage today after the interview.

So this weekend on the Christian roof you great cocoa president of stand to reason and author of tactics, a game plan for discussing your Christian conviction convictions joins us to discuss how to navigate these important spiritual conversations with nonbelievers.

Let's get to the first segment of the interview with great cocoa tactics. The book isn't so much of a book on apologetics. Specifically, but rather on navigating conversations, expelling that more Greg yeah that's a great way of putting it. David will I teach a lot apologetics conferences.

Those are great because they give you information, but they create a problem to because the difficulty is how I take all this great stuff I've learned you were either at a conference or from books or how your show. For example, and how I get it into play in a conversation and so there's a missing bridge.

A bridge from the content to the conversation or from the scholarships of the relationship. That's what the tactics book provides. It provides a as the subtitle goes a game plan for discussing your Christian convictions, now's as I spell out the game plan and a number of different tactics that are maneuvers you can put into play to help you be an effective communicator of your convictions in defense of Christ on there are all kinds of illustrations that I use there and develop that have substance to them. So people are going to learn a lot of apologetics when they read the book but they're gonna learn them in the context of using those things. In a conversation and I show them exactly how to maneuver so that their engagements looked let's call it what more like diplomacy then D-Day okay and that's the kind of thing whereafter one other thing I'll mention David this is a game plan that provides a tremendous amount of safety for the Christian, that is, even though they are making headway in productive ways better than they ever thought they could before. But there's almost no pressure on them because the way this is constructed, the other person is doing most of the talking, but we are in the driver seat of the conversation because of the way the game plan plays out great cocoa with us today in the Christian review, the founder and president of stand to reason their website is asked TR.org standard reason is having action apologetics conference for students I hear in the Twin Cities coming up on November 8 and ninth and Greg is in the tell us about that just a little bit. So sometimes Greg conversations with nonbelievers can come to get sideways and it can become a what we say or try to win the argument think it's important to keep the objective in these conversations with nonverbal believers clear and correct. What is the Christian trying to do in a conversation with someone who isn't a believer. Well, I'll give you my view on this and I'm gonna tell you right now that with some people it's a little bit controversial before there can be any harvest. There always has to be a season of what is called gardening.

How do you get people in a position where the fruit is right and I think most of the work in evangelism is gardening and I some biblical reasons for saying this but I don't just summing it up for you right now and so what I want to do is teach people to be gardeners. I'll tell you something, David. You know this. There were a lot of gardeners that are sitting on the bench because they think they have to be harvesters in it and they're not good � it's discomforting for them. It seems like conflict is a little do anything and when I get them the tool here, with the goal of not closing the deal but of and here's the way I put it. Just putting a stone in the shadow of the non-Christian. Just getting them thinking just in a certain sense, anointing them a little bit but in a good way. That's my goal. That's all I want to do. If I can do that in a conversation. If I could do a little spade work okay if I could pull a few weeds I can water little bit here I could plant the seed as it biblical way of putting it. If I can do that, then I'm making a contribution to that person's life and I trust that God is going to bring on other gardeners into their life to accomplish them. And so with that more modest goal.

We have a game plan that allows them to do that spade work. And that's the tactical game plan going great cocoa with us today on the Christian world of you I mentioned that tactics your your book has been updated and expanded as the 10th anniversary edition. Tell us about how the culture has changed in the last 10 years and how that change has required a change in maybe the tactics so to speak of discussing our Christian convictions. I'm thinking maybe specifically about the really the growth of homosexuality, the affirmation of that in transgender is him and that sort of thing.

Is there something you would say with regards to how tactics have necessarily needed to be changed in one sense, David. The tactics don't need to be changed on my view, this is one of the great things about the tactics is that they they have a tremendous flexibility to them. What's happened is the tactical approach has become absolutely essential if you're going to navigate in this much more hostile and ideologically electrified environment.

There are challenges that are so bizarre that are coming up now that did not come up.

10 years ago that unless you know how to maneuver carefully. The Christian is going to be completely flat-footed when they have to deal with challenges, and so this is where the tactical game plan really shines that those who are familiar with the tactics book. They know how it teaches you to maneuver, even with the most difficult challenges we do that with a basic tactic called I call it the Colombo tactic after Lieut. Columbo who did lots of folks still remember from television and I like four decades ago. Monday uses questions to maneuver and so let's just think about you know you're facing those kinds of whatever intense challenge that your listeners face now. If you are faced with the challenge and you simply asked the question will help me understand your challenge here. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that.

Can you flesh it out a little bit for me okay let's the first move you're gathering more information using a form of the question what you mean by that.

But notice how the challenge comes on strong whatever it happens to be the Christian is uncomfortable doesn't know how to deal with it there on the spot. But if they calmly just and graciously just toss the ball back in the other person's court with a genial request for more information. I noticed some people are not familiar with this. This might sound like a bad movie. It's not. It's fabulous because it it it takes you off of the defensive and it lets the other person do more talking and forces them to clarify their challenge and I'll tell you something, David. I know from his years of experience left with just this one question. When people are forced to begin thinking through and clarifying the nature of their objection.

It stops them in their tracks, they have to think about it and they realize on wait a minute. I haven't really thought through this it on repeating a slogan of those a lot more to it. Of course, but in answer to your question. What about what's going on nowadays in the last 10 years, I found that tactics are much more crucial than they ever have them and in the 10 years I've learned lots of loot new maneuvers and ways to approach these issues that I did 10 years ago, and that's why the 10th anniversary edition has 40% more material six new chapters completely risk revised and expanded for the believer. Just give us an example of of how you would ask those questions to explain yourself a little more what you think about that was someone who challenges a conviction that a Christian would hold. I'll give you one that happened yesterday.

So somebody says we are so your view is so narrow it's so arrogant and so I said to him, while confused about that. I hope not arrogant, but what you mean by arrogant.

What will you you you think your way is right and everybody else is wrong. Okay and I said well I do think I'm right night and I'm not just make it up. I got some raisins but can I ask a question what's that you think I'm mistaken in my approach right yeah sure you do your trying to correct me. Is that right yeah what you're doing as long as arrogant. I said so you think that my view is mistaken in your view is right and you are trying to correct my false view so that I believe like you. Is that right well there's a little pause now but nice as well yeah that's basically it is, it wasn't why aren't you considered arrogant for doing the same thing that you're accusing me of being arrogant for doing touch� yeah and she noticed my tone and my posture are all relaxed there all friendly, genial but I'm getting to the heart of this he's accusing me of a character flaw because I think I'm right on something really important and I'm trying to persuade other people to change their mind, which as it turns out, is the exact thing that he's doing with me in that moment, but he isn't doing it in such a nice way he's calling me names.

So instead of taking offense. I just unpack what's going on for him by asking a series of questions that just do it. She's all respondent yeah I think you're wrong you should be doing that, you know, he walks right into it, but is not. It is an illicit trap.

I want him to. In a certain sense, declare clearly that he thinks I'm wrong. I should believe like he does. And then I can then I could spring the last question to show that in practical terms, his view commit suicide is one of the tactics he's he's he's doing the very things he's claiming that I should not be doing and I left him speechless.

So what I'm trying to do. There is not, you will get a notch in my spiritual belt.

I'm trying to help him to see that challenging my view by calling the arrogant is not to get us anywhere. What I wanted to see is the best way for them to do it is to try to figure out who's right in the on the issue we are discussing instead of being distracted by name call. Coco is our guest today here on the Christian remove your radio program.

He is the founder and president of stand to reason with an apologetics ministry he's talking about tactics for conversations with nonbelievers. We mentioned that stand to reason some of their team and others are coming to the Twin Cities Minneapolis-St. Paul coming up soon November 8 and ninth for the rethink apologetics student conference. You can find out more about that@rethinkapologetics.com it's held at Grace Church and Eden Prairie Art. We have much more coming up today on the Christian review.

We hope you will stay with us.

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If you like to receive that here the end of the year. It also has all the resources they guide for that for ordering those at the end of the year. Just go to the Christian review.org and sign up for that today in the program. Grade Coco, the founder and president of stand to reason their website is Esta TR.org joins us to talk about his his book is popular book tactics. It's a 10 year anniversary edition of the book again plan for discussing your Christian convictions continue with the interview with grade Coco grade Coco again with us today in the Christian really were talking about his book tactics a game plan for discussing your Christian convictions. He is the founder and president of stand to reason.

Esta TR.org is the website also doing a conference here in the upper Midwest in the Twin Cities at Grace Church Eden Prairie November 8 and ninth called the rethink of student conference and you can find out more about that at grace.church. A Greg is that also your website to rethink.com. There's a whole lineup with all the speakers which would be our team. Tim Barnett, Alan Schliemann, myself any hall also J water loss of cold case Christianity fame Frank Couric out I was cross-examined. He wrote the book. I don't have enough to faith to be an atheist. Chris Yuan is going to be speaking on the issue of homosexuality and we just did this conference in Southern California. We had 2700 young people bursting Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa at the absolute seems that it was unbelievable. Almost the same lineup that we have here and so and by the way, this is geared for students but nothing is dumb down. It's made a lot more fun for them but the content is.

It is that really solid rich stop. It starts early on Friday evening, usually at about 630. The doors open at 530 we go to after 10 at night. We start first thing in the morning and go all day Saturday.

They are going to have an on believable experience at Grace Church and Eden Prairie and by the way were not chickening any IDs at the door for the old folk like you, David, I still think I'm a student still think of a teenager. Okay, the with the website is rethink up.com now one of the things you writing your book Greg.

On page 30 is the tactical approach requires as much careful listening as thoughtful response.

And so it's really about listening to what the other side is saying and then having a wise response or question to what they're saying. How can that be improved because it seems like that that is the aspect of the tactical approach that requires some your thinking on your feet are quick thinking in response to something that said to you what what's what's really interesting about this David is, it turns out to be just the opposite.

It doesn't require a lot of quick thinking on our part. What when I ask a question. For example, help me out. I am a little confused on the challenge you offered.

Can you can you explain it further that required a quick thinking. I've already got that question packed and ready to go. That's very easy for Christians to have you to be a brand-new Christian. One day old and know to ask that now the part of listening, as you pointed out comes in and that's really critical, but were not just listening to be polite.

We are listening to to gather information about that person's view and every time there is an ambiguity or something that can be clarified more work and ask that person to clarify it more now as time goes on, and people do this and I get further into the more advanced sections of the tactics in the book they're going to get better at being good on their feet, but well they will be amazed at how much they can do just with that one question and the follow-up question somebody who's making a claim like there is no God or Jesus never existed in the Bible's been changed or evolution proves that there is no daughter science proves it.

You know all of these things. The next question after you get clarification is to ask them how did they come to that conclusion now again a model question how did you come to that conclusion.

And now you're asking them for the reasons so notice what the Christian is doing what so clever about asking.

He tell me more about your video I know and understand the parking explain the better to me what so clever about asking oh okay think I get it now, but can you tell me why you think that's actually the way it happened, or why you think that's actually true.

The question keeps the Christian in the driver seat.

Yet at the same time, there's no pressure on them.

It's very simple to do this and all they have to do is listen to what the other person has to say, and the other guys doing all the work, although in a certain way. They're not really working because it's a relaxed conversation and you will be absolutely amazed your listeners will be how those two questions what you mean by that, and how did how did you come to that conclusion or some appropriate variation is going to allow them to make tremendous progress because this forces the other person to be clear and give the reasons and there a lot of times their ideas are modeled and they have no reasons and the questions themselves have a powerful impact to get the other person thinking which leads into the next question which is you've encountered so many people with different worldviews, atheist secularists, Eastern religions, all different kinds of other religions using the book you talk about that ultimately a Christian does not have to be live in any sort of fear or concern or anxiety about the other side's viewpoint, because ultimately believe that the Bible is the truth of the truth is on our side in dealing with people who are highly educated, highly articulate good debaters. There's always a crack there's always some sense of sort of crack or fault fault line in the other person's worldview. Talk about those two issues of a Christian's confidence but also how they can know the other side will have cracks in their worldview write one suggestion though I avoid the word believe or belief or faith in my conversations with non-Christians because what they read from those words as they read a leap of faith or belief, and so I want to say is that these are my convictions, these are the things that I think are true about the world and I have some reasons for that. Now if our view is true, as you pointed out the contrary views are going to have problems. While it turns out I been studying this for 46 years.

There's tons of problems with the contrary view of new the Internet tactics apologetics won't see all of those right away, but the second half of the book gives techniques to help them to see whether a point of view has leads to absurd conclusions. This is called taking the roof off it or it itself refuting in some way, like the illustration I gave earlier. That's called the suicide tactic and then once you are able to see the flaws in the cracks and that sometimes takes a little time which is okay, then you can use questions to try to exploit those flaws that they might see. And of course as I mentioned in the book. There are a multitude of illustrations of how those things work for it. For example when somebody says I could get you that you believe in the Bible and God and all that I believe in science. Science is wet gives you truth about the world not all that other stuff will turns out that view is actually self refuting. And so I talked about not only how this defeats itself, but also questions you can ask to demonstrate how it defeats itself. So these are all examples of countries seeing these laws. What I want your people to take to understand. David is you don't have to be an expert in any of these things to just start out the first two questions keep you in a passive position in a certain sense, that is, you're not making claims you're not advancing your own ideas so you have nothing to defend. Instead you're asking questions about the other person's ideas and when you ask the right questions. It has a powerful impact of unsettling them and their confidence gray Copenhagen with us today here on the Christian review discussing his updated book tactics conversations with nonbelievers is also coming to the Twin Cities area November 8 and ninth for their rethink student conference at Grace Church Eden Prairie, the website is rethink up.com now Paul in the sermon on his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens. In acts 17 is often used as a model for conversation with nonbelievers, but in reading that in preparation for interview today. He really seems like a one-way preaching message to me.

He said he said men of Athens. I observed that you are very religious in all respects by always passing through and examining the object of your worship. I also found altar with this inscription to an unknown God is goes into this. The next sentence.

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance. This I proclaim to you the God who made the world and all things in it since he is Lord of heaven and earth. He does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things and he goes on and on and on and he gets to the end. In verse three says therefore there is the conclusion to a sermon having overlooked. The times of ignorance God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising him from the dead. This is a very direct proclamation a command if you will, an assertion to repent and then the reaction was there.

The three responses that we always get to only have a spiritual conversation or present the gospel to someone said some begin to sneer others that we want to hear more from you in some joined them and believed how to categorize that conversation is as to how you're talking about getting too tactical conversations with nonbelievers.

Okay, great. Coco will answer that question after this next break of the day here on the Christian review radio program again. Our guest is great cocoa from stand to reason were talking about conversations with nonbelievers in light of Greg's book tactics. The game plan for discussing your Christian convictions.

You know, if you're a believer and you get outside your house likely can be bumping up against nonbelievers and were here on earth, not just to have it for ourselves but to share this good news.

We've been given with other people. How do we do that how we enter into those conversations, how to make those transitions into that more next on the Christian review the prosperity gospel is a prominent false gospel that God offers health, wealth and prosperity. If you just have faith and give money costing him grew up on the inside of the prosperity gospel movement.

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That's what we strive to do here on the Christian review radio program every week as we cover various topics, both in the Christian life and in current events try to sharpen our biblical worldview and proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ today in the program were talking with great cocoa, the president of stand to reason about tactics, so to speak. Title of his book for conversations with nonbelievers try to sell spiritual seeds get to the gospel fulfill the great commission.

That's our calling as believers we have one short segment left with him and then we'll get to some worldviews in the news that was get back to the last segment with great cocoa. This is a very direct proclamation a command if you will, and assertion to repent and then the reaction was there. The three responses that we always get to only have spiritual conversation or present the gospel to someone said some begin to sneer others that we want to hear more from you in some joined them and believed how to categorize that conversation is as to how you're talking about getting too tactical conversations with nonbelievers. Sure it's a great question and I want to make a couple of observations. First of all I love that pass is great, but her spell.

He starts with where they are at, you know, he talks about their gods and their idle he's very congenial at that point. Okay then he begins to reason with them. He gives him a step-by-step rationale. He quotes their own epicurean philosophers.

He skipped over that portion for time sake.

And then he does get to a conclusion at the end but the conclusion is is grounded in evidence, having provided proof for all men by raising this man from the debt.

Okay, now taken as a whole. Keep in mind what is doing these at the Areopagus. This is a place where people come and give speeches so we gave a speech he was not talking to it an individual person when you look at Jesus like that's why you don't see questions and all that you look at Jesus life so he asked hundreds of questions there are all kinds of times when he's engaging individuals or small groups of individuals and he offers a question to them whose image is on this coin. Caesars will render under Caesar the things that are Caesar's right under God the things that I got was the baptism of John from God or from man, okay, etc. etc. etc. and so on. This gives us two different motifs when I have to go to university. I was at George Mason two weekends ago in the DC area. I gave a talk so I started at the beginning and went to the yeah but then we had open Q&A and all the atheists jumped up at the microphone and guess what, I began using crime like aspects tactics that the place in that individual conversations where those tactics are going to be most valuable and that incidentally 99.9% of the people that are listening to your show right now David are not the kind of people that are going to be get able to get up on a stage before a large audience and give the kind of sermon that you we see Paul giving there in the book of acts on the Areopagus, they're going to be the kind of people there with the boots on the ground day-to-day talking to individuals and zaps the circumstance where tactics shine well said great cocoa with us today on the Christian world view. Talk about your own conversion experience to Christ when you were I believe was in your 20s and how some of the things that you have based your ministry on today were effective with you.

Back then you know it's real good question and I it's an unusual circumstance for me because I looking at the re-things at right now there's Jay Warner Wallace, nurse Frank Turk both well-known Christian apologists were won to Christ as a result of apologetics.

In my case back in 1973 of apologetics actually ironically did not play that big of a part in my own conversion I had my brother who was the gardener in my life just yet kept communicating the gospel to me over a longer period of time and it just began to sink in, by the power of the Holy Spirit know people would get one to Christ in different ways. Sometimes there's an argument something at times.

There's an experience, and sometimes there is just a you know you get worn down by the Holy Spirit.

What Lewis called the hound of Heaven now and I think that's more of how my life developed as a Christian, but after I became a Christian course, I naturally wanted to tell other people about Christ and as I began doing that I started getting a lot of pushback and that's when I thought I better get some answers to these challenges not only for them but for me and as I began to change to study Francis Schaeffer and John Warwick Montgomery and CS Lewis and Josh McDowell, and these are the Norm Geisler these are the guys that were around then there were too many of just to handle but as I began to read them.

This is when I deepen my own convictions about the truth of Christianity. And then I was able to go out in a much older, more confident, courageous way with content to be able to address the challenges that I was experiencing final question for you. Greg is just give us an overview of what students and even adults who want to come are going to experience at the upcoming rethink student conference on November 8 and ninth year in the Twin Cities. The Grace Church of Eden Prairie. Yeah, the theme this year is rethinking your false ideas about God. Each speaker is going to be addressing a different aspect of that. For example Christopher Yuan coming out all the gay culture and giving us clear ideas about a clear understanding about God's perspective, but also how integrationist, gracious, winsome and attractive way we can address those challenges. Women have issues that deal with the origin of the universe would have issues that deal with the character of God we have a whole segment at the end of Saturday as I mentioned what were talking about the tactical approach and how engaging people is a really effective in a very effective way. We don't dumb it down. We don't put it on the lower shelf, but we do throw the ball so that people can catch it. We been doing this in Orange County for nine years and also in Dallas and in Birmingham Alabama in our reaching out to the Midwest region to draw from that whole region usually people from 15 states are represented at any regional and were really thrilled at being able to work with Grace Church and Eden Prairie to make this happen on November 8 and ninth were excited to have you and your team come up. We just we praying that there's a big impact in this younger generation as they hear reasons for why they believe in the world view battles that are taking place all around us today very important, so great, thank you for all you do withstand a reason we always enjoy having you on the Christian really radio program and that we just wish all of God's best, and grace to you.

Well, thanks. It's a lot of fun for me and just incidentally we've already got over 1600 people signed up for this conference. I'm glad to be here talking about this with you, David, thanks for give me a shot. Okay great cocoa again with our gas. The title of his book is tactics the game plan for discussing your Christian convictions. We have it linked on the Christian rule view.org would really recommend this book to you just because it's going to sharpen you, help you be more intentional about getting in these conversations with nonbelievers and how to navigate them. So I wrote down a few things that I think just in summary from the interview today. Number one is pray for these conversations in the spirits leading in them.

That's really important because when you start praying for something it starts to become on your mind, and it's ultimately if you try to do this in your own power in your own cleverness, and so forth. This is not in a work out very well. It's it it is God the what is God is the one who brings someone to the saving faith were blind God can only open the blind person's eyes and so we need to be praying to God asking him that these conversations would happen, that his spirit would lead us in these conversation us number one number two is need to prepare for these conversations and that means taking and the word on a regular basis so you know what you believe you're never going to know everything but increase improve what you know about Scripture and the reasons for why you believe what you believe. Think in advance about what you want to say when you read tactics you will know those two questions. Greg mentioned today what do you mean by that make someone explain what they mean.

Just let them get away with some statement and then making you respond. Let them explain a little more and then how did you come to that conclusion know those couple of questions in advance and how these conversations should go is a good game plan before a sporting event. Your team has a game plan for what they're going to do. We need the same thing when we can engage with, and conversations with non-believers .3 is for something to fill a gift for something is not there. If someone is unwilling to enter into a conversation.

Are you sent sense that there there contrary or their unit is downright rude, don't try to force some someone something on someone who's not willing, you can't leverage for someone an unwilling person into the kingdom of God. So just it just pray about it. Maybe for another time, another person, you don't need to feel like you need to get into your high tension encounters with people number four. Keep your expectations for these conversations biblical.

By that I mean I like his example of some of us are gardeners, some of us are harvesters know the gardeners are those that sew the seeds who get into these conversations, not necessarily bringing that person to coming to write to the point of would you like to repent and put your faith in Christ. That point of conversion.

That's more of a harvester but just being a gardener. Anyone can be a gardener and that's a very important role by the white is not a more one role is not more important, the other gardener versus harvester because ultimately if God is the one who gives the increase. Use the one that brings someone to saving faith look at the says in first Corinthians chapter 3 what then is Apollo's and what is Paul Paul's writing this servants were to serve and through whom you believed even as the Lord gave opportunity each one pulses I planted in Apollo's watered. But God was causing the growth so that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything but God, who causes the growth and using the another word there for gardeners and harvesters. Your Paul had planted in this that he was the gardener in Apollo's was the harvest he was the watered water so they're just different.

Different role players on the same team. Number five will quickly commit the break here engagement when you do this more is going to lead to improvements don't need to worry about having every answer or ever losing it's always the wind.

When you sow seeds of the gospel, and finally you Scripture get to Christ if you can explain the gospel in your own story that the win would back you environmental scaremongering is the favored tactic of the left to gain massive government control.

After all, if you can convince people that we are imperiling our very existence by human caused climate change. There is no tax law or reordering of society that goes too far.

As need to be fully informed of this nefarious climate change scheme.

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Finally, in this last segment today. Let's talk about some stories and worldview in the news, you know, moral confusion and corruption is the canary in the coal mine is the evidence of the thought of societal corruption on a larger screen scale as people who are our law store or shaking their fist at God and when we see more and more stories like this in the news, it just reinforces that particular point of light is focused on two stories here in the final segment of the day. The first is there both on the issue of transgender is him. The first is story that the daily wire put out entitled court rules that a mom in Texas can transition her son into a girl against his father's wishes. Now this is a troubling story is kind of a good news ending to it.

I'll get to that in a second, but just the may read what was taking place earlier this week. Anthropologist in the future. This writer from the daily writer daily wire rates will spent a lot of time discussing and debating the question of when exactly the once great American civilization went insane. Why it happened and how what I do know that this case will be viewed as a seminal moment in our collective plunge into madness, it will be seen as at least from a legal standpoint, the point of no return. The crossing of some kind of terrible Rubicon. I referred the story of seven-year-old James younger, whose father, Jeff younger has been trying to save him from a forced gender quote transition. Jeff, the father has been locked in a bitter court battle with his ex-wife and George Euless. Despite being a medical professional who a pediatrician and George Euless, who presumably presumably understands basic facts about human biology in child psychology. George Euless got it into got it into her apparently deranged mind that her son James is really a girl as the Texan previously reported, the factors that convince George Euless that her son is really a daughter include his affinity to the movie frozen in his request to get a girl toy from McDonald's. She also says he started expressing a wish to dress in girls clothing, but the father. Jeff recently explained an interview, that of James ever had any desire to wear drugs is only because his mother started putting him in dresses and painting his nails when he was just three years old. He claims that she used several other methods of manipulation including locking the boy in his room and telling him that quote the monsters only eat boys unquote.

Jeff speculates that George you if the mother would withhold affection from James if he did not act like a girl last paragraph you're the court case revolved around Jeff's effort to rescue his sons James and his twin brother from the abuse of this mother. However, the decision was passed down yesterday and the court ruled against the father. Virtually all control over James and his brother have now been handed to the mother named and George Euless. She is free to continue his social transition into a girl, a process already well underway, as he goes by the name Luna imposes as a girl at his mother's house and at school.

Eventually the mother can and presumably will start James on drugs to chemically castrate him. There is nothing.

His father can do to stop it short of quote kidnapping the boy and fleeing the country that just I'm just an unbelievable situation of a mother basically forcing a child, a seven-year-old child into being the gender this sex opposite that God gave him at birth 12 is a mentor. There is some good news to the store later in the week from life site news that the judge presiding over the case of Jeffrey younger. The father who is trying productive several son James from chemical castration via gender quote transition ruled today. Thankfully, that the parents will have joint conservatorship over James which includes making joint medical decisions for the child judge Kim Cook's of the 255th district also put a gag owner on both parents so that they cannot speak to the press about the case and decide that the father is not required to pay attorneys fees, but the judge's decision means that the save James website will have to be shut down. This is this truly just made that the judge could come to this decision that the last judge with the former judge, but the father would have no say in the mother wanting to transition so to speak her son into a girl is just complete God rejecting fist in the face of God. Lunacy melt like homosexuality.

Transgender is him rejects God's design, but if you think about it. Transgender is and is actually a deeper perversity of the Bible calls these things then homosexuality because transgender is him so often involve children a homosexually can as well with with the adult homosexuals grooming are going after I children but it seems in so many stories that transgender is him involves children, you, whether from the drag queen story hour. It's always about children grooming him to be something that God did not design them as adults making decisions for children that have these lifelong consequences.

These chemical castration's and mutilation. It just is sick.

The Bible says and in Genesis chapter 1 God said, let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the scene of the birds of the sky and over the cattle, and all the over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. This is the key verse, God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him, here's the key phrase male and female he created them says in Psalm 139, he leaves us in our mother's womb, God designs what are gender is to be and we should not reject that we should embrace that if we have feelings. Otherwise, about what we think we are. We should embrace what God made us we should be reminded of the truth of what God made us and replace the temptation to be something you're not with the truth of what actually God made us so that this story fortunately ended, I guess, from a legal standpoint better, but you can imagine the sort of tension and conflict. This particular family is going to have going forward to remember to pray for this family and that this this this innocent child isn't going to be scarred and marred for life by the mother, who was clearly in a situation where she's rejected all that God is designed for her and for her child want to get to another one on a transgender athlete and mail who now believes he is a female just won the world Masters Sprint title in the female division and how this is changing could change women's sports drastically, but we don't time for that today. Thank you for joining us today though on the Christian Rove you know we do live in a changing and challenging world where we engage in conversations with nonbelievers need to know how to navigate those and when we do navigate those we can be confident that the truth is on our side the biblical worldview is the truthful one. So until next weekend. Everyone think biblically and live accordingly. We hope today's broadcast turned your heart toward God's word and his son to order a CD copy of today's program or sign up for our free weekly email or to find out how you can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ go to our website the Christian world you dawdle. Call us toll-free at one Tripoli 646-2233. The Christian worldview is a weekly one-hour radio program that is furnished by the over comer foundation and is supported by listeners and sponsors request one of our current resources with your donation of any amount go to the Christian world dawdle or call us toll-free at one Tripoli 8646 2233.2 is that Box 01, Excelsior, MN 55331 that's Box 401, Excelsior, MN 55331. Thanks for listening to the Christian world. Until next time think biblically and live according