Best of the Program | Guest: Lee Strobel | 12/12/25

Summary

The Glenn Beck Program — Best of the Program | Guest: Lee Strobel | 12/12/25

Date: December 12, 2025
Podcast: The Glenn Beck Program
Host: Glenn Beck
Guest: Lee Strobel
Network: Blaze Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

This episode is a "Best Of" compilation featuring open phone lines with listeners, in-depth commentary on current energy and political issues, discussion on the challenges in healthcare—especially referencing the Canadian system—and a special interview with Lee Strobel, renowned author and former atheist, who presents "The Case for Christmas." Throughout, Glenn Beck addresses concerns about American culture, infrastructure, spirituality, and the growing influence of AI, all while maintaining his signature blunt, entertaining tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Update on Canadian MAID Case and Healthcare Crisis (00:00–03:10, 26:10–33:00)

• Context: Beck opens with an update on supporting a Canadian woman contemplating MAID (medical assistance in dying), reflecting broader concerns with the Canadian healthcare system’s rationing due to overload.
• Caller Story (Tom from Florida): Shares a personal experience with a Canadian couple struggling to get timely care for a potentially serious condition, illustrating systemic shortcomings.
• Beck’s Analysis:
  • Stresses dangers of overburdened socialized medicine (“You have people who are, you know, it’s a meat grinder. It’s... like triage.” — [28:51])
  • Draws parallels with issues in US states with similar healthcare approaches, notably Massachusetts’ "Romneycare."
  • Notes pressures caused by population surges and open borders, emphasizing that adding millions of new residents without expanding resources stresses housing, healthcare, and schools.
• Strong Message:
  • “It just no longer works. And you know it doesn’t work because now the health care system is offering death to people.” (29:57)

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2. The American Energy Crisis & Grid Strain (04:04–16:09)

• Caller from Upstate New York: Raises alarms over aggressive solar farm expansion and the loss of prime farmland.
• Beck’s Position:
  • Asserts large-scale solar/wind projects are failing and inefficient for actual energy needs (“It does not work. It doesn’t work. You can’t run anything of any significance.” — [04:53])
  • Predicts major energy failures, especially in Texas: “I think 2026 is going to be the first year that we see things like Texas having rolling brownouts for a week at a time.” ([05:43])
  • Blames overregulation and federal restrictions for stifling energy solutions, particularly nuclear.
  • Warns that the rise of AI and data centers will massively outstrip current grid capacity; energy demands could double or triple in a year: “The grids are already at the breaking point. They’re old, they’re brittle, they’re not prepared for what we have to do.” ([09:09])
• Societal Danger: Beck argues that if jobs disappear, prices rise, and the general public loses access to reliable power (while Silicon Valley tech companies do not), it will stoke political and cultural unrest: “The Bubba effect is just the beginning. This will be an absolute nightmare for all politicians.” ([08:46])
• Emphasis on Spiritual Preparation: Beck pivots to the need for deep personal/spiritual grounding given looming tech and societal changes: “You have to be spiritually in tune. You have to be rock-solid in who you are... what’s important, what’s not important.” ([12:02])

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3. Lee Strobel — Making the “Case for Christmas” (16:09–26:01)

Guest: Lee Strobel
Main Segment: 16:09–26:01
Topic: Can the Nativity story’s historicity and the Christian celebration of Christmas be defended against modern skepticism and claims of myth?

Strobel’s Background & Motivation

• Origin Story: Former atheist, Strobel tried to “rescue” his wife from Christianity, launching a two-year personal investigation into the evidence for Christianity.
• “I became convinced that in light of the evidence, it would take more faith to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian.” (16:39)

The Historical Reliability of the Gospels

• Primary Sources: Emphasizes that the nativity accounts in Luke and Matthew are independent and consistent. Luke investigated as a journalist would and likely included Mary’s perspective. Matthew would have drawn on Jesus’ brother James for the “male” side of the story.
• “We’ve got two real early, independent but consistent reports about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.” (17:48)
• Additional Gospel Evidence:
  • Mark references Jesus as “Mary’s son”—“in 1st century Jewish culture, you would never do that. You’re always your father’s son... I think that was a wink to say, ‘Yeah, I know Joseph wasn’t his biological father.’” (19:30)
  • John’s Gospel takes a theological—not historical—approach but was close to direct sources.

Addressing Contradictions and Parallels to Pagan Myths

• Are differences in the Gospels a credibility issue?
  • No, according to Strobel: Courts expect witnesses to have differing perspectives; exact sameness suggests collusion. First-century literary techniques (“spotlighting”) explain narrative differences.
  • “When you have different perspectives, people emphasize different things...” (21:31)
• Pagan Parallels (e.g., Mithras, Hercules):
  • Strobel states similarities are completely fabricated, stemming from 19th-century German theologians and popularized by things like “The Da Vinci Code.”
  • “In the actual myth of Mithras, number one, he was not born of a virgin... He emerged fully grown, naked, wearing a hat out of a rock.” (24:01)
  • December 25th birth? Unfounded. Mythic details don’t match up on discipleship, death, or resurrection.
  • “All of these parallels, supposed parallels, disappear when you investigate what actually took place.” (25:07)

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4. Technology, AI, and Anthropomorphism Danger (33:02–End)

• Caller (Rebecca in Texas): Asks why Beck refers to their AI project as “he,” raising concerns about normalizing AI as sentient or person-like.
• Beck’s Response:
  • Admits accidentally anthropomorphizing the AI because of its natural human-like interaction and vows to correct this habit: “I don’t think of it as a person... but it’s a bad habit... It’s the beginning of the slippery slope.” (33:47)
  • Emphasizes the importance of clear AI labeling, particularly in content for children (“Anything anthropomorphic must be marked and parents must know and have a choice... I don’t think anybody should be able to make any kind of AI doll plush, anything that represents like a talking animal or anything else, because the AI is going to get so good...”) ([35:44])
  • Beck explains plans for watermarking all AI-generated material for transparency and safety.
• Societal Risk: Warns that increasingly lifelike AI in toys and content will emotionally manipulate children and breach privacy unless controlled. Parents must stay vigilant.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Struggling US Power Infrastructure:
  “The grids are already at the breaking point. They’re old, they’re brittle, they’re not prepared for what we have to do.”
  — Glenn Beck ([09:09])

• On the Looming Societal Shift:
  “The world is going to change in such profound ways between now and 2028, in ways you cannot even imagine at this point... You have to be spiritually in tune.”
  — Glenn Beck ([12:02])

• Lee Strobel on Gospel Reliability:
  “If you ask my husband the story about the birth of our child and you ask me, you’re going to get two different perspectives. We’re going to be consistent. It’s the same birth... So we’ve got these two very early reports... that are independent, that are consistent with each other.”
  — Lee Strobel ([18:34])

• On Pagan Parallels to Nativity:
  “In the actual myth of Mithras... he emerged fully grown, naked, wearing a hat out of a rock. That’s not a virgin birth.”
  — Lee Strobel ([24:01])

• On Anthropomorphizing AI:
  “It is a tool, it is a machine, period.”
  — Glenn Beck ([36:46])

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Open Phones Introduction / Energy Talk (Solar & Nuclear): 02:57–16:09
• Lee Strobel Interview – The Case for Christmas: 16:09–26:01
• Canadian Health Care & MAID Update Segment: 26:10–33:00
• AI and Anthropomorphism Conversation: 33:02–End

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Tone & Style

Glenn Beck remains combative, passionate, and deeply concerned about the direction of American culture, politics, and technology. The discussion with Lee Strobel is respectful, inquisitive, and focused on apologetics. Throughout, the episode blends sharp skepticism with calls for spiritual and personal re-alignment, all delivered in Beck’s direct and relatable style.

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For New Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

This episode is a microcosm of Beck’s broader show—direct listener engagement, urgent warnings about infrastructure and culture, challenging received wisdom on both the left and right, and integrating spiritual discussions with current headlines. The Lee Strobel segment, in particular, is a compelling argument for the historical roots of Christmas, offering intellectual ammunition against popular skeptical claims. Whether you’re seeking practical insights on energy, skepticism about big tech, or thoughtful faith apologetics, this episode offers all—with a sense of urgency and wit.

Transcript

[Glenn Beck]

We got a great show today. We opened it up to the people because, you know, we're, we're people of the people, I guess. But we took some great phone calls today. Also a couple of things. We have a massive update, really good news on the woman up in Canada that we're trying to make sure that she doesn't kill herself up in Canada with maid in January. Great update on that. An update on what's happening in Venezuela. Also, Lee Strobel is joining us. He is making the case for Chris Christmas. He is a former atheist, scholar, journalist, investigative journalist, and he is, I mean, he's gonna rock your world on Christmas. All that and so much more on today's podcast. Most of the time, change is not pleasant. But every once in a while, you make a change that actually feels good. Like when you just put your foot down and say, I'm gonna live more intentionally. Okay, I'm gonna live more intentionally. That is what switching to Patriot Mobile is about for a lot of people. Because, you know, on top of getting the same quality service as the big guys, you know your money is not being funneled into causes that you'd never choose. You're looking at a monthly bill and going, wait, I mean, how much am I spending on this? What are you charging me for? And then you realize that my money is pointed in the opposite direction of where you believe things should go. You don't get a lot of chances to change that direction. Most of the time you just tolerate things because they're familiar and you have to pay. Patriot Mobile will give you a moment where you can draw a line, make a simple switch. Know that your service, your values and your peace of mind are finally aligned without. You're gonna switch service, but you're not gonna lose any kind of coverage. You can upgrade to a free smartphone. You're gonna save money. This is a no brainer. Patriotmobile.com Beck Save money right now. 972 Patriot 972 Patriot Use a promo code. Beck don't wait. Limited time offer won't last. Patriotmobile.com Becky hello America. You know we've been fighting every single day. We push back against the lies, the censorship, the nonsense of the mainstream media that they're trying to feed you. We work tirelessly to bring you the unfiltered truth because you deserve it. But to keep this fight going, we need you right now. Would you take a moment and rate and review the Glenn Beck podcast? Give us five stars and leave a comment. Because every single review helps us break through big Tech's algorithm to reach more Americans who need to hear the truth. This isn't a podcast. This is a movement. And you're part of it, a big part of it. So if you believe in what we're doing, you want more people to wake up, help us push this podcast to the top rate, review, share, together, we'll make a difference. And thanks for standing with us. Now, let's get to work.

[Lee Strobel]

You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck program.

[Glenn Beck]

Welcome to the Glenn Beck program. It's open phones today. I want to talk to you about whatever it is you want to discuss. Let me go to Alex in New York. Hello, Alex? Alex, are you there?

[Caller]

Hi, Glenn. Yes, I am. Hi.

[Glenn Beck]

Hi. Go ahead.

[Caller]

Sure. So I'm calling in from upstate New York where we definitely have a situation on our hands here with the solar farms that our governor is pushing very, very hard. They are absolutely using it as a land grab to take our best farmland. And in the case of near my farm here, they're trying to put in a solar farm on a protected grassland habitat that New York State already designated as an important habitat, except when big solar comes to town, and we're currently fighting that up here. I meet with a coalition of people across the state, really amazing people who are battling this in every village in upstate New York right now. And we definitely have a situation on our hands. I call it a runaway team.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, just keep fighting. I don't know how you fight it in New York, but just keep fighting because there are, there are communities around the country that are fighting things like this that are winning. I don't, I don't know about New York, but we've got to have our farmland. And it kills me. You know, I talked about this the other day. It absolutely kills me that we the people could not have nuclear energy. No way we can have a nuclear energy. But the minute big tech needs nuclear energy, oh, we're going to, they can build them. Build as many as you want. I mean, it's so disgusting. I want to talk to you about energy on something else. The solar thing does not work. And as a man who has spent maybe, maybe a million, million and a half dollars on, on alternative energy for a ranch I have up in the mountains that has no power to it. And over 10 or 12 year period, I have just poured money into it and it's a nightmare. It does not work. It doesn't work. You can't, you can't run anything of any significance. You know, running my studio, just my studio alone has been an absolute nightmare in there. It's not, it doesn't work. Okay. Solar and wind, it might be good for a little add on, you know, if you live in Phoenix, you know, or I don't know, on the sun. But it doesn't work at least to the scale that we need. But just the other day, do we happen to have the clip from the prediction show where I made a prediction of what was coming next year on energy? Can we play that, please? I think in 2026, 2025 was the year, as I said, that we started really understanding AI and what is coming to some degree. And we understood, oh, energy is going to be a problem. I think 2026 is going to be the first year that we see things like Texas having rolling brownouts for a week at a time. I think you're going to start to see the, the strain on the grid by the end of, of next year in ways that you would never have expected in the United States. It's just growing exponentially. Okay, I think I said that on Wednesday show. We had a prediction show of what, what the biggest stories and what are the predictions. And when I said that, I'm like, you know, at the end of next year, Let me give you this from the Associated Press today, The amount of ERCOT's large load interconnection requests ballooned to more than 3230 gigawatts this year, a massive increase. Now last year, December 2024, ERCOT needed 63 gigawatts. A year later this December, the load that is required is 230 gigawatts. That's a lot more than they needed to go back to the future. This you're going to see. The grids are not built for this. More than 70% of the large loads are for the data center. The data centers are just beginning to be built. We don't have the energy. And I'm telling you, this is going to be the Achilles heel of this administration. And believe me, it will only be worse with the Democratic administration. This is going to be the Achilles heel because we can't build these power plants fast enough. And while Donald Trump is fast tracking these nuclear power plants, it's not fast enough. Because as we build these data centers, what's going to happen is your energy, you're going to start to have rolling brownouts also because of these data centers. You're also going to see the unemployment go up. If you start to have high unemployment, high prices and rolling brownouts to where you're having a hard time with electricity yourself. But the data centers for the Silicon Valley companies, they're getting your power. I'm telling you, the Bubba effect is just the beginning. This will be an absolute nightmare for all politicians. I'm so pissed off what this was. I was on this show, they were like, hey, you want to be on a prediction show? You'll be squaring off against the guy that predicted Osama bin Laden, the financial crisis. Good luck, buddy. And I' I just knew it. I didn't know it was going to happen that quick. But like two days later, two days later. And it comes. I mean, I mean, Texas is, look, Texas is in trouble, you know, and as goes Texas, so goes America, so goes America, so goes the world. Texas has got to get serious about. And I know they are to some degree, but the president has got to get rid of all of these restrictions and Texas has to get all of these. And we have to concentrate on electricity, and not just electricity for the average homes, or I mean for these data centers, but for the average homes. The grids are already under strain. They're not. You know, the problem is if they start taking this electricity out of, off of the grid, the old grid, you can't pour more electricity into that grid. The grids are already at the breaking point. They're old, they're brittle, they're, they're not prepared for what we have to do. That's why they have to build these nuclear power plants at the server farms because they, they cannot go on to the system because the system can't handle that much power. We are in real trouble. And everybody is still talking about solar power and everything else. You're out of your frickin minds. Nobody has any idea. Stu, I'm sorry. Stu's like, watch your language, mister. I'm sorry. That f. You hit really hard at the beginning. I was wondering what road we were going down. I mean, you're out of your mind. People have got to wake up to between now and 2028. I can't emphasize this enough. If you've listened to me for a long time and you heard me say, I'm telling you we're going to have a financial meltdown and it is going to be the worst. You know, it's going to, it's going to, you know, you'll lose your 401k, you'll lose everything. Get your money out of the system. I was saying that in 2006, 2007, and no one was listening, thank God. A lot of the listeners were Listening. And they saved their money and got it out in time. I'm telling you now with just as much surety in this. The world is going to change in such profound ways between now and 2028, in ways you cannot even imagine at this point that you have to be. Forget your money, forget everything else. You have to be spiritually in tune. You have to be rock solid in who you are, what it means to be human, what it means to be alive, what's important, what's not important. You can't. You. And this is so hard. I'm a guy who's in this business, I'm telling you. This is why in those last week I've spent more time on that woman in Canada than I have on really important things that are happening politically. Because the most important thing we can do is realign ourselves with truth, universal truth. Humanity must be preserved. Your life is worth saving. Your life is worth living. Don't go down the road of madness with the rest of society. Because right now, these gigantic corporations, you know, in Silicon Valley, they are promising us the only way out. Listen to me carefully. The only way out to pay off our debt or to survive our debt is to have something that takes our country and pushes it, our GDP up, you know, by 10 points. All of a sudden, if that happens, then we're starting to make more income tax revenue and we can pay the debt. We can afford the things that we've already, you know, spent money on. If we don't have that, we're into, into a different bad scenario world. So they're promising us that, but at the same time they're promising us we can pay the debt, we can lead the world on this. But we also are not going to have a lot of jobs. Oh, and by the way, to do that, we're also going to have to take energy and maybe for a while, take it from the people. People who can't afford food, don't have jobs, don't have meaning, and don't have power that doesn't lead to any place good at all. Warning. It's coming. Please, please pay attention to those things that are meaningful. Let me tell you about Bernalacher. One of the most meaningful gifts you can give this time of year is real peace of mind, knowing that the people you love have a way to protect themselves as something unexpected, frightening happens. And the world's gonna get more dicey. It is. Before it gets better, it's gonna get more dicey. The burner launcher, It's a non lethal personal safety device. That uses compressed air to fire chemical irritant projectiles without. Without killing anybody. But serious stopping power, giving you options without taking a life. It's legal in all 50 states. No permits or background checks required anywhere. You know, one of the things, like, first of all, I got this yet last Christmas for all of my kids. They're all over 18. So I gave it to him. I said, if you're. You're going on a campus, I want you to have it in your backpack. You have it in your car, you have it in your purse. You carry it concealed. You don't need permits or whatever. And it's given me as a dad a lot of peace of mind. But I don't know why this isn't in every school. I really don't understand this. I mean, we say, the left says, we want to get rid of guns. We want to protect our children. This is it. This is the way to do it. It won't kill anybody even if somebody in the classroom happened to take it from the teacher. Okay, so there's tear gas, but nobody has died. But if you have a shooter come into the school and they've got a gun and they're killing people, you could just put your hand around the corner and just shoot in the direction and tear gas the guy down on the ground for 40 minutes, cops are there, they arrest him, and you stop the killing. I don't understand it. This is a great product. Burna B R n a.com glenn it's a solution to a lot of problems you can try before you buy at a Sportsman's Warehouse location near you. As I said, great Christmas gift, but I think every household should have it. I think every teacher should have it. By rna.com glenn berna.com/glenn now back to the podcast. You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck Program. Lee, welcome to the program. How are you?

[Lee Strobel]

I'm doing great, Glenn. Great to be with you again.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, I love talking to you. I'm really excited to hear the case for Christmas. Now, you were an atheist, and we've talked about this before. Your eyes opened up and how did you get to the place to where you're like, okay, let me see if I can make the case for the baby Jesus in the manger?

[Lee Strobel]

Well, yeah, being an atheist, my wife became a Christian. So I decided to try to rescue her from this cult that she's gotten involved in. So that launched me on investigation into the historical reliability of Christianity. I did that for two years until I became convinced that in light of the evidence, it would take more faith to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian. So I became a Christian, ended up leaving journalism and so forth and written many books about it. But I wanted to do a book on Christmas because in the Christmas season there seems to be more spiritual openness than any other time of the year. Even when I was an atheist, I felt more spiritually sensitive during the time of Christmas. I don't know why. I guess it's because it permeates the culture. And yeah, I think it's because we.

[Glenn Beck]

See, we see hope, we see goodness in one another. It's different.

[Lee Strobel]

Yes, exactly. But how do we know that it's based on reality? How do we know? We can all enjoy the parties and the gift giving and so forth, but how do we know it's really based on historical reality? That's what really intrigues me as someone who's kind of a history buff.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay, so take me through that. How do we know?

[Lee Strobel]

Well, we've. Yeah, we've got two real early, independent but consistent reports about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. One comes from the Gospel of Luke. Now, Luke was a. I love this guy. He was a first century investigative reporter. He was a companion of St. Paul. And Luke said, he didn't say, well, I'm going to tell you about something that happened in the distant past once upon a time. No, he said, I carefully investigated everything so I could write an orderly account about the certainty of what took place. So he's claiming, I'm writing about what actually took place. I believe he writes from Mary's perspective. I think he may have interviewed Mary. If he didn't, I think he interviewed Susanna and Joanna, who were friends with Mary, who he mentions in his gospel. And then we have Matthew. Matthew was also, he was a disciple. Matthew was right there in the first century setting. He later became a leader in the church in Jerusalem. And one of the other leaders was a guy named James, who was the half brother of Jesus. So James, I think, communicated to Matthew kind of the male, the guy's perspective of the birth of his brother Jesus. And so here we've got. By the way, I was talking to a woman the other day and she has a young child and I was talking to her about this and she said, yeah, you know, if you ask my husband the story about the birth of our child and you ask me, you're going to get two different perspectives. We're going to be consistent. It's the same birth. You know, we're talking about the real situation. So we've got these two very early reports that are independent, that are consistent with each other. And then we have a very interesting report in the Gospel of Mark. Now, Mark is writing based on the recollections of Peter, who is one of the inner circle with Jesus. And he starts his gospel later in Jesus life. So he doesn't have a birth narrative. But Interestingly, in Mark 6:3, he refers to Jesus as Mary's son. Now, in 1st century Jewish culture, you would never do that. You're always your father's son. It would have been Joseph's son. Even if Joseph were already deceased, you would always refer to him as Joseph. And no, he referred to him as Mary's son. I think there was a wink to say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Joseph wasn't his biological father. And then we have John who writes the last Gospel. He doesn't repeat a lot of the historical stuff. In the first three Gospels. He writes from a grand theological perspective about the Incarnation. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then the Word came into our world and dwelt among us. So I was very theological. But interestingly, John had a disciple who he mentored. And that guy wrote a letter. And in that letter he says Jesus was, quote, really and truly born of a virgin. Where'd he get that idea? I think it was from John who wrote the Gospel of John.

[Glenn Beck]

So is it concerning at all? Because I've heard this argument before. When the Gospels all say the same thing, it's pretty clear, but they can't even agree on the last words of Christ when he's on the cross. And does it matter? Should we be concerned that only two of the four Gospels talk about the birth?

[Lee Strobel]

No, I don't think so. Because first of all, those are two solid sources historically and very early. Mark gives us a reference to the fact that Joseph was not the biological father. And he also portrays Jesus as being the unique son of God. And John, of course, was a theological take on the Incarnation is basically saying the same thing. So, no, I don't think that's a problem. And the differences in the Gospels, I don't think our problem either. Because, you know, as someone trained in law, if you're in a trial and the witnesses get up and they all say the exact same thing, you object and say, your honor, collusion. They got together, they worked out the story, and you can't trust it. But when you have different perspectives, people emphasize different things. There's for instance, a technique that was used in ancient literature that's used today called literary spotlighting. And what that means is somebody will focus on what one person is saying or doing, and other people will focus on other people who are involved in the same scene. But it's not contradictory. They're just focusing on different aspects of the same scene. So when you look at what. What the. Yeah, no, I'm so.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm sorry to interrupt.

[Lee Strobel]

I was going to say finish.

[Glenn Beck]

And then I have a question on this.

[Caller]

Sure.

[Lee Strobel]

When you look at the literary techniques that were used in the first century by other ancient writers like Plutarch and so forth, these historians, and you use those same literary techniques in writing the New Testament, these discrepancies between the Gospels virtually disappear.

[Glenn Beck]

So let me take you here, and I believe in this story, but I want to push back as hard as I can on this. You know, the virgin birth is so hard for people to accept. And especially once you look at Greek mythology, you're like, this is the same story. They're just plagiarizing. This is half man, half God. You know, this is Hercules. So how do you respond to that?

[Lee Strobel]

Yeah, I actually deal with this in my book. This is totally bogus. This was invented by German theologians in the 1800s. In the early 1900s, the Christians responded to it and answered it and refuted it. But now it's come up again, I think, because the Internet has dredged up these old arguments. So, for instance, you've got the most famous example is Dan Brown in his book and movie the Da Vinci Code, where he says, oh, well, you know, Christian just copied all this stuff. He said there was an ancient myth called Mithras, and Mithras was born of a Virgin. Virgin on December 25th. He had 12 disciples. He died for world peace. He was resurrected from the dead. So now Jesus is just kind of plagiarizing this. That story of Jesus was invented by people and plagiarized from Mithras. Well, I investigate that, and what do you find you find in the actual myth of Mithras? Number one, he was not born of a virgin. The myth was he emerged fully grown, naked, wearing a hat out of a rock. That's not.

[Glenn Beck]

But I mean, it's the same thing.

[Lee Strobel]

Yeah, I guess you could say the rock is a virgin, but I mean, that's ridiculous. Secondly, born on December 25th. Well, so what? We don't know the date Jesus was born. That's not in the Bible. The ancient records don't record it. Ancient Christians did not care about birthdays. Third, he didn't die for world peace. He was known for killing a bull. Fourth, he didn't have 12 disciples. According to one version he had one disciple. According to another version, he had two disciples. He wasn't resurrected from the dead. There is no nothing in the myth about mythos about him dying and so nothing about a resurrection. So all of these parallels, supposed parallels disappear when you investigate what actually took place. You know, people say, oh, Alexander the Great, you know, there was a myth that he was conceived by Zeus, the God Zeus. Well, even Alexander the Great's own mother, Olympias said it's not true. It's crazy. It's just a story. It's not true. So every one of these supposed myths that predated Christianity, none of them are parallels to the story of Jesus birth in Bethlehem.

[Glenn Beck]

All right, let me, I'm going to take a one minute break and then I want to ask you about the one word, one Greek word that shed new light on the traditional Christmas story. More with Lee Strobel here in just a second. The name of the book and it makes a great Christmas gift. And then you should buy it now and read it yourself as well. The Case for Christmas. The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel.

[Lee Strobel]

You're streaming the Best of Glenn Beck. To hear more of this interview and others, download the full show podcasts wherever you get podcasts.

[Glenn Beck]

Welcome to the Glenn Beck Program. We were talking to Tom in Florida and you were about to tell us a story. Tom, go ahead.

[Lee Strobel]

Hey, thanks, Glenn.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Lee Strobel]

To kind of recap the Reader's Digest, the parathyroid thing, very real. I shuttle those patients as far as them coming in to stay at one of the five hotels. I shuttle full time active voiceover town. They used to support that. Here's the thing. This, this thing with Canada is very, very real. God's blessed man. I sold my home a 26 years, 36 year Florida back in May, June. I went on a four month lease out here at the beach till I figure out what I want to be when I grow up. What I did is this Canadian couple, he's got a shoulder issue, black and blue all the way up and down. They were going to come down, they were going to take it over emergency to the Canadian government to get this thing. There could be a blood clot in there. I don't want to say the name or anything like that. You know, you could break away, embolism, whatever. There's all kind of dangers and this guy's waiting and I mean, I'm kind of benefiting from it because I still want to go month to month because I haven't bought anything yet. I'm, you know, God's been good to me. I'm a cash buyer. But this, this thing is very, very real. The parathyroid thing. I mean, that system up there is a, is, is just a total best. Before you comment, if there's time before I get off the call or get kicked off the call, I may, because of my experiences with a shuttle, as a shuttle driver, have a ray of hope for you on the power situation in Texas, but I won't get into that right now.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay. All right, so let me comment on that, Tom, and I'll put you, I'm going to put you on hold and you can pass that information to my producer. But let me, let me comment on the health care thing. You're absolutely right. And I want to make sure that because up in Canada, they're trying to make this like I'm, you know, against Canadian health care. I'm not a Canadian. I, you know, I feel the same way about the socialized health care up in Massachusetts when they did Romney care. I'm not in Massachusetts. You have a right to make that decision if that's what you want to do. I don't want it in my state and I think it's a mistake. But you're Canadian. You can do whatever you want. And I know Canadians. I mean, you know, my brother Robert, his wife is Canadian and she has defended the Canadian health care system my whole life. I've known her since we were teenagers and she has defended this her whole life. And her family lives up in Canada. That is starting to change as people they know and people in the family are not able to get basic things done anymore are it's because the system is being overwhelmed. Sometimes this socialized thing will work for a little while, but then as things change and numbers begin to change, you get overwhelmed and then you have to start rationing. And that's what's happening. And it is extraordinarily dangerous. And, you know, I don't know what's happening with Jolene. I just know that the doctors down here, the hospital, everybody is on board. They're going to do a thorough review of her case. They're going to get her help. If she needs surgery, she'll have surgery. If she doesn't need surgery, she'll find whatever it is, we'll find out what's going on with her. But they don't have the luxury of that up in Canada, you have people who are, you know, it's a meat grinder. It's. It's like triage. Up in Canada, from the way I understand it, you got to get in and you got to be processed. Got to move, got to move because I've got so many patients, and I can't take any more patients. I'm overwhelmed. So we got to move, got to move, got to move. And you don't want that in your health care because sometimes it's not what it seems like it is, or, you know, you go, like you said, going with a bad shoulder and, well, that might be an embolism. Might be what? Whatever. I don't know. But that's why you need time. That's why you need doctors. That's why you need to be able to have a doctor who's looking at you, listening to you think, thinking out of the box. I mean, I've been so fortunate myself, but I'm, you know, and I'm. I'm not your average person, and I. It kills me that people don't have this ability, but we have to find a way to fix it so everyone can have this ability to be able to see doctors here in the United States. And socialized medicine is not it. But I've. I've seen three doctors, I think, from my back, and all three of them have had different opinions. They all say pretty much the same thing, but the treatments are completely different. Completely different. And one will say, I think there's something here that the other didn't see. If you only have one doctor and you're in socialized medicine, what that doctor says, there you go. That's what you're going to do. And sometimes doctors can be wrong. It's just a system that no longer works. It just no longer works. And you know, it doesn't work because now the health care system is offering death to people. There's no reason Jolene should have been recommended for death. You don't kill people because of this. You fix it. You find out what's going on, but because they don't have the time. And again, no. No dispersions on the doctors up in Canada. No dispersions on Canada. You do your own thing. But this is wrong. This. This has to be fixed. And it's not going to be fixed with more government. It's just not. And it's also not going to be fixed with more open borders. Recognize what the problem is? We have a problem with our. Our school systems here. We're Having a problem with our health care systems, being overwhelmed. Why do you think that is? Why do you think people can't afford houses? Well, the price of apartments have gone through the roof. The price of condos have gone through the roof. The price of houses have gone through the roof. Why do you think that is? You can't bring 10 million new people in and then expect that your house is going to remain at the same price. It's. You have too many people chasing too few homes. That's what makes it go up. You want it to go down. You have to fix the problem with. Sell your homes to citizens, rent your omes to citizens. They have to go home. If they came here illegally, they've got to go home. That's the real crux of so many of our problems. And I don't know why people can't see that other than they're blinded by politics. Take the political blinders off. Let the chips fall where they may. If the Republicans did something bad, great. Give them the blame. If the Democrats did something bad, give them the blame. Let's just talk about the problem and what the real issue is. Rebecca in Texas. Hi, Rebecca, how are you?

[Caller]

Hi, I'm well. How are you?

[Glenn Beck]

Good. That's all right.

[Caller]

Good. I was calling because my fourth grader, I was showing him George AI the other day, and when you were speaking. It looks great, by the way. Well done. And when you were speaking about it.

[Glenn Beck]

A long way from being right, but thank you.

[Caller]

Well, it looks great. You mentioned and you referred to it as a he, and I was just curious how. How that kind of evolved where you get to where you're calling it he. Is it because you're intimate with the algorithm that almost, in a sense, you trust yourself so much? Okay, so just kind of how I can't. Are you wrestling with that?

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, big time wrestling with that. I try and I've said on the air, don't ever refer to it as anything but it. And I do. And I don't know what's causing that other than it can respond in a human way. It can respond in a way that a human would. And so it is natural. And I'm glad you caught me on that. And I have to ask all my producers, when you catch me on that, and if I'm saying he instead of it, correct me, because this is a big problem. I don't refer. I. I might refer to it as he, which is a problem, but I don't think of it as a person or anything else. I know when I Think about it. I know exactly what it is. It's just. And it's a bad. It's the beginning of the slippery slope. I think it's a bad habit because when we're talking about an interview, I'm talking about an interview with him. I've never used. There's no other case where I'm like, I'm doing an interview with it and I need to. I need to. But you seem very concerned about that, Rebecca. Why is it. I agree with you, but what is your concern?

[Caller]

Well, I thought it was, you know, you told us, really, and, you know, I knew it as well, but to kind of just fear what it can be. And already we're having a hard time believing our own eyes. And so I just thought it more of an interesting. Just an interesting note and just how easy it can be to fall into that.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, I know. So you are. You are the perfect mom. You are so great. And being aware of all of this, it is. Why we had a discussion because people said, glenn, you don't want to call it George AI, because AI is going to be. Everything's going to be AI eventually, and it's going to look outdated. And I, My, my view was George AI. We're not to that point yet where everybody understands AI, And I want it always to be, you know, when we. When we get into the video releasing of this next year, and this is not something that you'll even be able to recognize, but everything we create beginning next year, everything is watermarked. So I'm going to know what's live and what is AI. You can't take any of my videos and manipulate me because there will be an invisible watermark that we know about, and we'll be able to go, not Glenn, that's AI. And the same thing with everything that we produce that is AI. It will be watermarked. And an invisible watermark that will be able to say, no, that's not truth. That's AI. And everyone who is producing this kind of stuff needs to do that. And one of the reasons why I call it George AI is so everyone understands it's AI and not a person. You know what I. You said it looks great, it's out of sync, the voice isn't right, the features aren't exactly right, but it's amazing. But in a year from now, it's going to be remarkable. And that's when it is really important that people understand. I was talking to somebody who just gave a talk at the White House yesterday. She called me for Some, you know, some AI talking, you know, some, some thoughts on this because she represents families and moms and she was asked by the president to speak to all of these producers of AI and she said, glenn, what do I need to know? And I said, you need to know that anything anthropomorphic must be marked and parents must know and have a choice. So, you know, any of these plush toys that have AI capabilities, I think they should be banned. I don't think anybody should be able to make any kind of AI doll plush, anything that represents like a talking animal or anything else, because the AI is going to get so good and it is going to be gathering stuff from your children. And unless you have control of that, you know, on our AI, when we actually release the full version of it, you will have an opt out. Do you want it to be able to discuss things with your children and learn from your children on their educational stuff? Not any personal stuff, just educationally? Do you want it to evaluate educationally or not and learn from that so it can help your children learn better or not? And then all of that information goes into a vault that you would control. You could say, purge it and we would never use it for anything else. But that, that requires a great deal of trust. I don't know how many people would sign up for that. But that would give us an ability to help your child learn a little bit better. But it also requires us to learn or the system to learn about your child. When you are dealing with corporations that you don't know, you don't trust, that information is going to go everywhere. And that's the kind of information that is going to go into these plush toys and they're going to learn everything about your kid and they're going to map everything about your kid and it's not good. And your kid will start to associate that cute little teddy bear that can talk to them just in a way that mom and dad don't understand. It is extraordinarily dangerous. So you. Thank you for calling in. Thank you for correcting me. I urge you as an audience to help me learn this. Correct me if I say it. I'm urging my. I know Stu will. He loves to hammer me, you know, if I make this mistake, to correct me immediately, because that is a grave, grave danger. It is a tool, it is a machine, period.