The State of the Church in America; When Science Is Not Science; and Keys to Cultivating Revival

Are you ready for some revolutionary radio. Let's do it together right here it's time for the line of fire with your host activist, author, international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown your voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution Michael Brown is the director of the coalition of conscience and president of fire school of ministry get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH.

That's 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

I waited out I posted Facebook last night. Just something I was feeling deeply. I I never signed up to be part of traditional religion or to be part of the religious right would be part of the mainstream establishment. I signed up to be a disciple and to make disciples. And sometimes that intersects with traditional religion and religious right in the mainstream establishment sometimes goes directly against it. That's why we keep talking about revolution.

Welcome to the broadcast Michael Brown delighted to be with you. 866348784 number call.

I have a question for you. Did you watch the.

The interview on Tucker Carlson last night. I guess his first show now take over for the slot for Bill O'Reilly where he interviewed Bruce Caitlin Jenner. Did you watch the interview the live or subsequently. If so, in your opinion, did it help the cause of transgender activism here. You have Bruce Jenner talking about the struggles he's endured in the struggles of those who identify as transgender and sexuality is one thing in gender identity is another and therefore discussing it in this way is only going to help the cause of trans activists or do you feel that it hurt the cause of transgender activists in that you have someone that is still evidently a biological male, even with sex change surgery doesn't change that. Jenner is a biological chromosomal mail and talking with you. Turn away from the screen.

That's a male voice and not able to answer certain questions head on, choose not to answer them head on. In that case, did it hurt the cause of trans activism. Just curious what your major on that may take a few calls but if you watched the interview. If you saw it last night. You have an opinion. Let me know. I also posted the question on Twitter and Facebook.

You can weigh in there as well.

866-34-TRUTH 87884 really bring on little while into the broadcast of the first hour at Johnson Dirac. John is a friend and colleague. He writes readily on the stream as well as PhD in English literature. He is a conservative Catholic and he has lots of concerns with where Catholic bishops are going and lots of concerns with where Pope Francis is going so since I'm not Catholic, and since I don't major in Catholic issues but they are of national interest in international interest because John is a conservative Catholic, but I think you'll find his perspective very interesting. John's always got brilliant, insightful perspectives as well. I will get into that whole someone just sent me, so I didn't hear about this.

A new family arrangement. Yeah, it's a shock open with the everyone can be so happy to tell you about that as well. Maybe get into some of the errors where science ceases to be science where in the name of science.

He gets involved in bizarre issues and claims. Hopefully we'll get to that as well. A bunch more things in your calls, 866-3487 84, but first I want to talk about which fuels my fire, I want to talk about why I said that I never signed up for traditional religion had a radical encounter with God over 45 years ago and since then I've lived to make him known Jesus revolutionized my life and I want to help spread that revolution around the filename line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown on one seven.

My latest article can read it by going to my website after Brown dog org it's drawing a good amount of attention and actually hang out you read charisma news site that looks like where it is. You can read it on the charisma news site and that might be the easiest place to read it right now. Low-cut tops sexual harassment and bill O'Reilly low-cut tops sexual harassment and bill O'Reilly. I think you'll find it interesting and I'm eager to start reading the responses and comments. Let me just see you haven't haven't even looked at the comments yet but I'm eager to check that out is what we talked about on the air yesterday and I'm not revisiting at today just will let you know that, as promised, I did write the article okay all right what did I mean when I said I didn't sign up for traditional religion. What prompted me to post that.

What's that got to do with you while you care what I did or didn't sign up for. Let me explain.

I was looking at some footage last night on YouTube looking at some remakes of classic songs folk songs rock songs that got redone by others. I forget what got me on that subject. There is apparently a heavy metal group or some am not familiar with them disturb and they put out a very powerful rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel sound of silence song.

Apparently, that's become a big hit. Not for me with the group just in the song for many years ago and there was the famous Jimi Hendrix remake of the Bob Dylan all on the watchtower course that was in the 60s. Just look at some of these and it drew me to some footage from Woodstock. There was a song that Joni Mitchell wrote about Woodstock. She wasn't there and Crosby stills and Nash then did their rendition of it.

There's was kind of a cheery, upbeat the Joni Mitchell Moore, Leica Musick and him to Woodstock in the Crosby stills Nash this kind of cheery one and it's it's often played with footage from Woodstock and oh what a day.

And what an era and all of that now. Of course ensure it was sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll with if you want to reduce it to what actually happened and in fact the counterculture revolution of the 60s helped pave the way for a lot of the problems were experiencing today and many of the radicals from the 60s are now tenured professors or universities with the just as radical as ever. So in that regard. A lot of bad came out of that time, there is the old saying if you remember the 60s you want. There some of your not exist. You were there, and you understand exactly what it means. On the other hand, there was a spiritual search going on. There was a cry. There was a recognition that the world as we knew it was messed up and that change needed to come. There was a recognition that the world as we knew it was. Not making sense. Daddy why you tell me I need to study hard in school son, you need to do well in school so that you can get accepted to the best college daddy want to want to get accepted to the best college son, you will get accepted to the best college so that you can get the best education and get the best job. Daddy why the need the best job need the best job so that you can put your kids in the best school and give them the best education so they can get the best job so they can put their kids in the best school I give them the best education and young people to wait. Wait, that's it.

That's the meaning of life.

That's the American dream that again I'm oversimplifying, but people began to ask more questions about the meaning of life and then young people, young man faced with the prospect of a draft and Emily will fight in Vietnam for war that seemed to make no sense at all why why that what we going why we dine there were coming back and were rejected Brown country.

There was there was a pushback against establishment and just sociologically, demographically, the baby boomer generation so the postwar years. Now couples having children, and now a larger percentage of children being born so you have a larger percentage of young people and young people tend to fight more and be anti-establishment more and challenge the rules more so you have that happening in disproportionate measure relative to her normal societal breakdown. You have all of the ingredients for cultural change which way is it can ago psychologist David Myers in a book written about 15 years ago pointed out, if you fell asleep there it's 1960 and woke up in your 2000 you'd wake up to the divorce rate doubled teen suicide. Triple reported violent crime, a four times prison population of five times. Children born out of wedlock up six times people living together out of wedlock up seven times dramatic shifts. Good things happen in the 60s for sure.

Things like civil rights movement and certain aspects of women's equality, positive but there is also radical feminism that downplayed the importance and sacredness of of motherhood.

There is the strong pro-abortion movement. There was the sexual revolution.

There was the introduction of marijuana and psychedelic drugs.

There was the introduction of Eastern religion. There was the birthing a enforce of the gay rights movement.

A lot of these things were birthed out of the 60s and have had a negative destructive effect on our society. You say okay I still don't get where you going with all this and what is this have to do with traditional religion. Okay, I was part of that 60s counterculture revolution and anti-establishment and and again the hole just drugs and rock 'n' roll and decadent lifestyle. But when Jesus save me. I realize okay this is this is what life is all about who is not about traditional religion and only religion can have tradition, a Catholic woman started going back and forth with me on twitter. I said I will not think in Catholicism. That was my issue.

I wasn't thinking traditional Judaism.

I said I was. I was thinking within the context of traditional Protestant religion. Okay, it inventors the context of of the circles in which I travel primarily wasn't thing about Orthodox churches are more traditional Jewish synagogues or Catholic Church.

It wasn't thinking about that.

It's nothing you can have beauty in tradition, but their traditional religion to me is the religion of the establishment traditional religion is the religion of the status quo.

That's what I meant by and when I watch that old footage from Woodstock yes people were lost. Yes, it was decadent and people sleeping together didn't even know each other for 24 hours and all kinds of drug. Yes yes yes.

And a lot of the message that was coming forth in, and the music was anything but wholesome. I understand all of my glorifying, not changing what was I am saying that people were searching there was a spiritual search.

There was a recognition that this material world alone is not there was a recognition that there had to be more and for the most part, the church was asleep through a lot of what was happening and didn't realize it will stay in place with the church saw primarily in those days was just rebellion. This the end times. This is it the holes going to hell. Look around with what's happening rather say okay a lot of sinful things are happening is a lot of rebellion. No question about it, but people are looking people are searching and and a lot of young people knew the one place you don't searches the church cassettes traditional religion that's white of Eastern religions were this ideology that ideology and of course God graciously wonderfully gloriously did save many of us in traditional church buildings with stained-glass windows and pews say many of us in that setting an end in some settings where the leader war, Kharkov and others would just wear a suit and tie, but none of them talk about was that was a happy fast.

There is one thing, Jimi Hendrix music and and smoking pot and talk about Jesus, we got it.

Satan traditional churches that respect, but what has driven me all these years is not where you lost reestablish the status quo and enforce their long society know that's never resonated with me is not right wing politics that resonates with me resonates with me is the revolutionary cause of Jesus is what some of young people really looking for. That's why when they found him they found the meaning of life. The ultimate one who came to challenge the establishment. The ultimate one who came to challenge the the ways of man and the ways of the flesh, the ultimate one who said there is something more heat.

He's the one I relate to, relate to, right wing politics at all related traditional religion. I relate to the revolutionary cause of Jesus and in many cases is very different than what mainstream religion gives itself to how how revolutionary you want to be in terms of how much we really want apologies for by the Expo line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown your voice and more cultural and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown what I'm saying I I joyfully gladly work with believers from every background and if the person I'm working with wears robe was a clerical collar with a suit and tie was a T-shirt lesson material to me if they love the Lord. If there devoted to Jesus if they're serious about serving God. I could care less about that and I could care less about the tag that they put on themselves where they say were part of the radical underground church or were part of the Orthodox establishment.

I could care less about the. The tag I want to know exactly what you believe, according to the Bible. What do you believe and how you live. That's my issue and I recognize that there is much that is holy and beautiful in tradition.

I recognize that God has preserved choose in his word and among his people. Meaning I have no problem with one church group saying we base ourselves in this particular creed or confession because we find it to be in harmony with Scripture and sacred fine after reinvent the wheel every generation Massena and I am pro-authority. I don't know how you can be pro-God and anti-authority because God is a God of order and authority. And when we get out of authority, then we have chaos and anarchy and rebellion is wrong. I know it was a slogan in the American Revolution that rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.

But I want to emphasize obedience to God. I want to emphasize that that's what matters.

Obedience to God.

I'm not out to rebel against the system on that to rebel against the society to obey God, but often we have this traditional religious way of doing it. We can do it in a house group or everyone sitting around you know drinking soda and with wearing sandals and James and I were not traditionally be totally tradition that the forum is not as important to me is the spirit of the thing and what I do not resonate with the status quo. Religion. What I do not resonate with is just the old way of doing it were just gonna impose that without vitality and life. The old trees. Yes, the old ways of God. They never change. But today that is totally revolutionary to live by the ways of God today is totally revolutionary to live by biblical principles is totally revolutionary and that's what my heart beats with a Jesus revolution, meaning he radically changes us and we go and change our world that the effect of God's presence. God's truth. God's spirit in our lives. The effect of the death and resurrection of Jesus in our lives is so dramatic that it causes us to bow down to different gods that it causes us to live for different purposes that we live with eternity in mind passing through this world but we have a big house or small house we have money in the back or not.

That's all secondary to the attitude of the heart, which is the biggest and and we're here to bring about change that is raising our kids were here to raise kids that are not just going up live by the that the that the status quo of the society or or march to the beat of the same drummer we want them to to march to the drumbeat of our God of her king of our Savior of our Lord. We want to raise up kids, then turning to be counterculture revolutionaries were Jesus by going against the tide of the society by going against the grain of the society by going against the status quo of the world be at the the values of the world be at the lifestyle of the world be at the practices of the world where those are contrary to the ways of God than naturally stand up and say we are going to do what is right and we are going to swim against the tide and we are going to go against the grain and we are going to sensitize are they are our minds, our hearts to the things that Jesus cares about.

And if that means wearing tie-dyed shirts or that means wearing suits and ties and long dresses that part is immaterial, but the idea that all that were here to do is impose traditional religious values on the side. I resonate with that I resonate with that fact.

I don't like to use the term traditional marriage.

We stand for traditional art.

So please, many my friends and colleagues use the term and I understand exactly what they mean, but I'm not fighting for traditional marriage.

One of our traditions were wrong. What if we lived in Uganda were traditional marriage included polygamy, even in the church settings I'm I'm I'm that's not the goal.

What traditional marriage was a completely patriarchal thing where where the man was over, the woman she was like a slave boy to possession what if what if that was traditionally either someone or want is on the goal. The goal is marriage is God intended. The goal is family as God intended that the goal is is truth as God defines it not the subjective definitions of this age that your truth and my truth but the truth. That's the goal and again many times just semantics, but a lot of times it is.

It is how we live. It is how we relate to this world. I relate to this world revolutionary way the the same way, the same way that I was in sin and thinking, hey, this is what I'm living for now and drugs and rock 'n' roll muscle lifestyle and and and gave myself to, I was wrong. It was demonic. I was deluded when I met the Lord will that I gave myself to him all the way I partially met halfheartedly, but all the way and I remember as a fairly new believer. My life was clean.

For the first time and and now I'm living for God, but I'm not totally filled with God and that I got rid of the bad, but I haven't totally filled myself with the new with the good with God, and I never said to myself I could live a clean and empty life or I could give myself to God the way I gave myself to drugs and rock music, and with that I took the plunge and with that spent hours and hours with the Lord in the word and prayer in my life was revolutionized even yet more radically, that's what I'm appealing to you to do to give yourself to God. The way in the past you gave yourself to sin, or the way you gave yourself to sports or music or making money or whatever it was to get ahead and you gave yourself with great dedication and sacrifice.

Give yourself to God.

That way, and then say Lord here I am, send me use me friend I want to encourage you to visit our website asked her to Brown.org when you do make sure you sign up for my emails.

My weekly emails which will bless you and encourage you and equip you and help you. I want to send you a free e-book seven secrets of the real Messiah. I'm telling you this is an eye-opener.

Is my gift to sign up for emails go to ask Dr. Brown.org today we come back to John's marriage to be another interesting conversation. It's the line of fire with your host activist, author, international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown voice of more cultural and spiritual revolution get into the line of fire now by calling 6643 here again is Dr. Michael Brown as friends for joining us on one 788. It is my delight, speak with friend and colleague, John's neurotic he writes regularly, Senior editor with the stream stream.org I'm always learning from his articles and finding them thoroughly enjoyable as well get a bunch of things to talk about today.

Hey John, thanks for joining us again on the line of fire. Thank you.

Let's let's talk briefly about France and and then with you being a conservative Catholic, I really want to hear your view on Pope Francis and and and then a Bishop's Catholic bishops in America it's it's a world that's a little different than my world and I'm am eager to hear your perspective on it, but Jon, I wrote an article just with one focus about the Jewish people of France and bring the pen and raise up that one side of the issue only your looking at the broader issues of what France is facing in and the two candidates that he could potentially vote for. So what is you see what he sees the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates with whom you learn from French history in the past