Avsnitt
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Fleeing from Europe to the New World for religious freedom in 1620, the Pilgrims intended to settle in northern Virginia, not far from Jamestown where there was an established community. But their ship was blown off course and landed instead at Plymouth, Massachusetts. And because they were in unsettled territory, the Pilgrims (before disembarking the Mayflower) created a document that became the prototype for America's Declaration of Independence and
Constitution. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, author and historian Dr. Jerry Newcombe explores the faith steeped history of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims who landed in the New World and created the essence of the American experiment, the agreement for self-government, a civil body politic under God. The very first Thanksgiving, as the Pilgrims sat down with the Indians to share a meal, was always about giving thanks to an Almighty God, through whose Providence they were brought to a new land. Unfortunately, the education system in this land of the free has worked to erase God from the history books. But Newcombe, the Executive Director of Providence Forum, is pushing back.
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The book of Acts seems to sit benignly in the Bible, following the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It's presented almost as a travelogue of what happens to the apostles and the growing community devoted to a man named Jesus who was crucified. But Acts, if read properly, is quite subversive, and a potential source of great fear for the kings and rulers of the world because it directly challenges their authority, says Dr. N.T. Wright. Acts, written by the Apostle Luke, announces that the Kingdom of God has been launched, and that Jesus is its head. Why is this a problem for us today? Because the Western world's 'Separation of Church and State' is a wobbly philosophy if in fact Jesus is King, and really can't be lived out to its most extreme manifestations, that they are on a collision course we can in fact see today in politics and the culture. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Wright, author, theologian, scholar, and Anglican priest, explains his new book, "The Challenge of Acts: Rediscovering What the Church Was and Is". Wright says, "Acts is a dangerous book; and if people take it seriously, it's still dangerous today because the powerbrokers don't like the idea that actually there is this thing called the Kingdom of God." Luke also wrote one of the two Gospels that includes the narratives of Jesus's birth. Luke describes it as the Royal Birth, of a King that will be at odds with all the Kings of the earth.
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The election is over, and Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States come January 20th, 2025. The voters have spoken and they've spoken decisively; the popular vote, the electoral college vote, the Senate, and the House likely. What's also very clear is how religious voters were key to Trump's victory. In almost every faith category, Catholics, Evangelicals, Jews -- Trump increased his share of the spiritual pie. It's proof that America's strong faith foundation still holds and that the path to the White House still runs through the nation's pews. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Alex McFarland, faith and culture expert, breaks down why Bible believing Christians were key to Trump's victory. And how it was more than a difference over politics, but in fact a widening gap of worldviews.
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Ryan Bomberger has a challenge to the ladies of "The View"- have him on the show to debate all things related to abortion. He knows it's a long shot that they'll extend an invitation but it's worth a try. For that matter Bomberger also has a challenge to Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Senator Raphael Warnock, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and even Melania Trump. All of whom he says have position on abortion that rankle him. Bomberger is the co-founder, along with his wife Bethany, of The Radiance Foundation, a faith-based pro-life advocacy non-profit. Its mission is to "illuminate" that every human being, no matter how they are conceived, has inherent and God-given, equal worth. Bomberger boldly tells anyone and everyone, "I was
conceived in rape, but adopted in love." He's one of 10 children of different races, adopted by the Bomberger family. He's just written an op-ed to answer the question, "What About Rape?" When abortion is debated, cases of rape and incest are often used to justify the cessation of a life in the womb. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Bomberger answers that question and more. For him, abortion is personal. He says, "Imagine for a moment, watching repeated news stories where people say that a person like you shouldn't exist. Imagine hearing, over and over again, that you should be dead. Imagine someone telling you on TV or in real life, that you should’ve been aborted."
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God made humans male and female not to build a divisive wall around their strengths and weaknesses, but to create a powerful union of husband and wife. Both have traits the other doesn't have. It doesn't make men and women better or worse... it makes them different. New York Times bestselling author Lisa Bevere is pushing back against the secular culture's obsession with gender ideology that she says is destroying the God-given image of male and female. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Bevere talks about her book "The Fight for Female, Reclaiming Our Divine Identity". Bevere is no feminist. In fact, she says feminism to her is teaching women how to be men. Instead, she's empowering women to be women; strong enough to be wives and mothers, and noble enough to see in their male counterparts a co-traveler on a journey of faith.
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Have you ever wondered why so many Evangelicals are starting to
drift to the left? There's a good reason. Daily Wire journalist Megan Basham's
new book uncovers the infiltration of conservative Evangelical churches by
far-left billionaires like George Soros and Pierre Omidyar, the founder of
eBay. Since around 2013 there's been a concerted effort to essentially buy off
pastors through opportunities or large amounts of funding if they support
left-leaning causes like climate change and abortion.
On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Basham talks about the research for her book, "Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda." Back in 2013 the likes of Soros and others saw religious voters as the one huge impediment to advancing their vision of America. Organizations like Soros' "Open Society Foundation" learned how to use the language of faith in order to lure pastors and their congregations to look more favorably toward a wide range of issues from the environment to gender ideology. Basham says, "They talked about how they could harness the power of high-profile Evangelical leaders in the hopes of influencing the rank and file in the pews."
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The grade school rhyme about Christopher Columbus will not suffice in today's Woke world, "Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14-hundred and 92." That's what Columbus Day, a national holiday, commemorates, the Italian explorer's founding of the Americas. Some municipalities have changed the title to "Indigenous Peoples Day", to honor the natives Columbus encountered, or conquered, or displaced... depending on which history class you take. But Columbus's intent, though, was to find a new Western trade route to Asia, since Turkey, conquered by the forces of Islamic Jihad, cut off the Eastern passages. Columbus, in his underestimating the circumference of the earth, may have stumbled onto the New World, but does that make him unworthy of accolades? And does it mean he was motivated by greed instead of the Gospel? No, says historian William Federer. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Federer, an author and national speaker, gives a veritable graduate school class on the centuries of history that leads up to Columbus's journey across the Atlantic, his spiritual motivation for lobbying the Queen of Spain to sponsor him, and the subsequent effects of what has happened in the centuries since, as even those who've benefited from the establishment of the United States of America have forgotten its roots. Columbus may have had no idea that a vast swath of land, another continent lay in his path to Asia; in fact, till his death he thought he had found a shorter, western trade route. But there was no mistaking that his faith in a God, who moves mountains and calms the raging seas, was real.
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Scripture says, "The battle belongs to the Lord", (1 Samuel 17:47). Coach Joe Kennedy can attest to that. His whole life of trials and frustrations, anger and pain, were preparing him for a battle over the right to pray on a football field. Kennedy is famous for winning a Supreme
Court case in 2022, after being fired for praying on the 50 yard line after
every game, as he promised God he would do, win or lose. Now a major motion
picture will be released about his life and court battle. Actor Eric Close
(Nashville, Suits, American Sniper), portrays Kennedy in the film.
On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Kennedy and Close talk about making the
film, and how they worked together in understanding Joe's journey from being a
forgotten child, tossed between homes and growing up angry, to becoming a
Marine, marriage, and then to a high school football coach. All the while, says
Kennedy, God's hand was there. He says, "I didn't see until later in life
that God had his fingerprints all the way from when I was in the womb, and all
those trials and tribulations I went through. I didn't see how they fit all the
puzzle pieces into the bigger picture, and it prepared me for the Marine Corps,
prepared me for this battle."
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For author and national Christian speaker Craig Huey, the group "Evangelicals For Harris" is bent on deception. Granted Donald Trump is no angel he says, but at least his policies were pro-life and protected religious freedoms far greater than the Biden/Harris administration. And yet, the left-leaning Evangelicals have launched a major seven-figure ad campaign targeting Evangelicals in swing states through Christian media, Google, TikTok and sites where only Christians will see them. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Huey talks about his book "The Christian Voter: How to Vote For, Not Against Your Values to Transform Culture and Politics", and takes aim at the new campaign and its clever marketing strategy that uses the image and powerhouse preaching of deceased evangelist Billy Graham, to make the point that Trump is unfit to be the leader of the United States. But Huey, who's worked in marketing for decades, says it's a classic misdirect, but one that could have a tremendous impact on the election if you just look at the numbers. According to Huey's research, nearly 7 million Evangelicals in swing states did not vote in 2020. In Michigan, nearly 1.3 million Evangelicals did not vote. Trump lost the state by 154,000. Huey explains that the campaign is not so much
about convincing Evangelicals to vote for Harris, as much as it is about convincing enough of them NOT to come out to vote for Trump.
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With the overturning of Roe v Wade two years ago, which sent the issue of abortion back to the states, the political battle over abortion entered a new phase that has seemed to stymie those on both sides of the argument. Shawn Carney, founder of the pro-life national organization, "40 Days For Life", says that the Supreme Court decision was probably a shocker for both Republicans and Democrats, for different reasons of course. For decades the question has been over your stance on abortion, are you for it or against it? Each side being able to simply check a box. But neither side got too far into the weeds to actually discuss abortion; what it is, and what it isn't. But that's exactly where we are today as several states now have abortion matters on the ballot this election. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Carney talks about his new book, "What To Say When 2: How to Discuss, Clarify, and Question Abortion in a Hostile Culture". Like its title suggests, it's a "how to" for people of faith, and no faith, to respectfully debate a very contentious and controversial topic. Carney also grades how both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris did during their debate. He says Trump could have done better, and Harris didn't do as well as she thinks she did.
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We are in the final stretch of a very contentious presidential cycle. The two candidates vying for American votes couldn't be more different than day and night, and we're not talking about race or gender. They represent two almost diametrically opposite political views and two different visions for the future of the United States of America. What's more challenging for people of the Christian faith is the question, "How can you be a witness to the gospel in casting your vote when neither party or candidate is fully committed to Christian values?" Dr. James Spencer advises that they do what Jesus said to His disciples, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." In other words, be informed but still bow to the authority of God to whom also the government is under, even if it doesn't operate that way. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Spencer, best-selling author and president of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, MA, talks about his new book written for just a moment as this, "Serpents and Doves: Christians, Politics, and the Art of Bearing Witness." This "Serpents & Doves" directive is like threading a needle. It brings up the very problematic New Testament Bible verse about God giving government authority, Romans 13. Spencer explains how believers should interpret it, and why it's so important to understand its ramifications and how to stay true to your faith values when casting your vote.
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Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee calls the newest installment of the God's Not Dead film series a story made for this moment in history. He says it's a little like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington updated to this modern age where faith in God is not as publicly proclaimed and religious freedom totters in the wake of Woke political agendas. Huckabee plays himself in the film, and on this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, he jokes about getting his Oscar speech ready. But in all seriousness, this film, subtitled "In God We Trust", is meant to inspire millions of Christians, especially the 40 million who sat out last election, to make their voices heard at the ballot box this November. He says every vote counts. He also talks about why he, as an Evangelical Christian, still supports former President Donald Trump, and why even now, sees him as the best candidate to lead America... and why Kamala Harris is not.
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Pastor Max Lucado has never been an end times kind of preacher. It's just not a major factor in his preaching wheelhouse, which is why his most recent book, "What Happens Next: A Traveler's Guide Through The End Of This Age" seems at first a departure from his normal uplifting spiritual guidance. Predicting the end of the world has become a bit of a cottage industry of late. But prognosticators wouldn't pursue the subject if there wasn't widespread interest and attention given to it. Even though Jesus said no one but the Father would know the actual date and time, it hasn't stopped the forecasting. However, Jesus did tell His followers the conditions to look for when the end times will be upon us: "Wars and rumors of wars... famines and earthquakes." But Pastor Max says the 'when' of the end times is not nearly as important as the condition of our hearts, which is something we can address every moment of every day. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Max explains that the main point of his book is that, if you have clarity about the future, if you know what your ultimate destiny is, that allows you to be courageous about the here and now, and be able trust in the God who controls it all.
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First of all, there is no party called "Christian Nationalists". That's why many conservative Christians are stymied by how to respond to the left's accusations of Christian Nationalism. So, with that in mind, it makes more sense to have two Christians representing each side of the debate, talk with each other about what Christian Nationalism is, and what it is not. The problem though is that it is a term created and defined by liberals and tends to strike fear for those on the political left. It describes what liberals believe Christian conservatives want to achieve politically for their faith, a theocracy where Christianity is the favored religion. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Alex McFarland and Pastor Doug Pagitt, respectively challenge and debate each other. McFarland is a Christian evangelist, author and speaker on culture and religion. Pagitt is the founder of Vote Common Good and a self-described progressive on issues concerning faith and politics. If you're a liberal Christian who can listen to a conservative, or a conservative Christian who can listen to a liberal, then congratulations; you are part of the work crew who will help repair and rebuild the Body of Christ.
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An investigation is underway involving an anti-Christian group that targeted a family of ten and almost succeeded in having the couple's children taken away from them. But the details of what led to the scare should shock everyone. JD and Britney Lott are both veterans. The couple in their 30's are the proud parents of eight children ranging in age from a newborn to young teens. They have a following of some 600,000 on social media as they travel the globe posting their events, praising God and homeschooling their children. But an anti-Christian group on Reddit began targeting them, claiming their children were abused and also making false claims to the Florida Department of Families. On the basis of those false claims, a social worker contacted them demanding that they submit their newborn to inspection or risk having all their children taken away. The Lott's contacted an attorney and The Family Freedom project. They were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, but the fact remains that people who pedal in hate can weaponize a government agency to do their bidding. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith, the Lotts tell their story. It's a cautionary tale of social media's dark side, and also how what happened to the Lotts can easily happen to anyone.
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King Herod is probably one of the most, if not the most, ruthless character in the Holy Bible. Brilliant, but evil. And yet, his paranoia that led him to kill several members of his own family and issue an edict to kill all the children under two in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, still wasn't enough to thwart God's plan, the birth of a Savior. This is why Kathie Lee Gifford, TV personality, best-selling author, singer and composer, is fascinated with this character. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Gifford talks about her newest book "Herod And Mary: The True Story Of The Tyrant King And The Mother Of The Risen Savior", plus her recovering from her health emergency and the faith that is getting her through it all. Gifford researched the historical documents on King Herod and found some interesting swaths of information, like his friendship with Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Rome's power couple. But also, Herod may have occupied a blip in the biblical narrative, but his historical presence was significant, a master architect and powerful politician. But his undoing was his debauchery and derangement. Gifford says Herod's story is a testament to the fact that "When the world thought nothing more evil could be happening in the world, something far more glorious than anything that had ever happened was happening in the womb of a little teenage girl from Nazareth."
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Voting according to your faith values. We all do it. Yes, even an atheist. And that's one of big the problems with political polls and surveys measuring how much impact faith has on elections. They are based on the notion of institutional religion. But religion is not confined to a denomination or doctrine or congregation. Religion in its larger sense answers the big questions of life: "Why am I here? What's the purpose of my life? How do I treat people?" Morality and purpose. The answers to these questions, said one theologian, are at least implicitly religious because the answers have to be taken on faith, there is no scientific proof. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Jason Yates, president of My Faith Votes, explains the work ahead as his non-partisan organization endeavors to educate Christians about keeping a biblical worldview in the public square, not to be stymied by the demonization of Christianity which has grown larger and larger with the vitriol around "Christian Nationalism". Yates says, "They're trying to demoralize and shame, those of any beliefs that come against what they stand for... Too many people of faith have created a void and believe that lie that they should not be involved in the process... As a result, secular humanistic values and beliefs policies filled the void."
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The belief that science disproves the existence of a creator God is so last century! It's an out of date, intellectually feeble assertion that has no basis in, well, science! The fact is, says Dr. Stephen Meyer, "The major discoveries of modern science over the last 100 years in cosmology and physics and biology are pointing in exactly the opposite direction." In other words, the more we delve the deepest depths of cosmology, biology, physics and beyond, the more we understand, "there must be a God somewhere," as the spiritual says. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Meyer, best-selling author and director of the Discovery Institute in Seattle, talks about his most recent book, "The Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe". For instance, DNA, the foundation of human building blocks. Meyer shows that scientists have known for quite a while that it would be a mathematical impossibility that random forces could create even a fully functioning amino-acid sequence to produce a protein for DNA; it would be about 1 in 10 to the 195th. That's a direct assault on Darwin's theory of evolution. Meyer writes, "Over the past three decades, many evolutionary biologists have challenged a key tenet of the neo-Darwinian synthesis, namely the idea that small-scale microevolutionary changes can be extrapolated to explain large-scale macroevolution innovations." It's complicated, and yet so simple: "And God said..."
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Most politicians tend to write books about what they've done while
in office. But Scott Morrison, a former Prime Minister of Australia, wanted to
write about what God has done and continues to do for him. Morrison is candid
about how God brought him through some of the most harrowing days of his
leadership of Australia, a country not known for its religious fervor. And
that's what makes Morrison's faith all the more interesting. One would expect
such devout beliefs in America, a country that Morrison greatly admires. But
the land down under is a bit of a head scratcher. Founded as a penal colony for
the United Kingdom, Australia had a rough and tumble beginning. On this episode
of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Morrison talks about his book "Plans For Your
Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony Of God’s Faithfulness." It's based on
the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah's prescient words to the children of Israel,
and to us, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They
are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'” In
this political season, such comforts are words to cling to.
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