← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
10.24.25 Culture Friday on doctrinal clarity and AI’s moral challenges, a review of The Promised Land, and a spotlight on the English Bible
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- [00:06]
Kent Covington
Good morning.
- [00:07]
Myrna Brown
Slowing superintelligent AI supporting persecuted Christians and finding co belligerence in unexpected places.
- [00:15]
Lindsay Mast
That's ahead on Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. And a new faith based comedy TV show takes Moses and the Israelites into mockumentary territory.
- [00:25]
Joseph Holmes
Just once would be great if there was a line of people taking turns to say, hey Moses, thank you for getting us out of Egypt.
- [00:36]
Lindsay Mast
Joseph Holmes has a review of the Promised Land and a visit to a museum with a unique collection of Bibles.
- [00:43]
Diana Severance
The church was beginning to preach some things that were not in the Bible. But how can anybody know that they didn't have a Bible?
- [00:56]
Myrna Brown
It's Friday, October 24th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [01:04]
Lindsay Mast
Hi, I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [01:07]
Myrna Brown
Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.
- [01:11]
Kent Covington
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Israel today where he'll meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That comes as the Trump administration pushes forward toward phase two of the US Authored peace plan in Gaza. Rubio said the administration is clear eyed about the challenge ahead.
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Todd Vishen
No one's under any illusions this is we've already done the impossible once we feel confident and positive about the progress that's being made.
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Kent Covington
Netanyahu said he looked forward to meeting with Rubio, noting that some big security challenges remain.
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John Stonestreet
But I think that we can work together and by working together, both address the challenges and seize the opportunities.
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Kent Covington
Rubio arrived as Vice President J.D. vance departed, capping a three day trip to the Jewish state, a trip that may have ended on a bit of a sour note. Vance on Thursday blasted a vote by the Israeli Parliament to annex the West Bank. He dismissed that as a largely symbolic vote, but one he said was not helpful amid efforts to broker a lasting peace in the region.
- [02:10]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
I mean, look, if it was a.
- [02:11]
John Stonestreet
Political stunt, it was a very stupid.
- [02:13]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
Political stunt and I personally take some insult to it.
- [02:17]
Kent Covington
President Trump also reacted to news of that vote in Israel's Knesset, telling White House reporters, israel's not going to do.
- [02:23]
John Stonestreet
Anything with the West Bank. Okay? Don't worry about it.
- [02:26]
Kent Covington
Is that your question?
- [02:27]
John Stonestreet
They're not going to do anything with the West Bank.
- [02:30]
Kent Covington
Meantime, more humanitarian aid is flowing into Gaza, but there is still some debate over how much aid is being allowed into the war ravaged territory. Andrew Saberton with the United Nations Population Fund says his agency has been able to deliver some much needed medical equipment.
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John Stonestreet
We have been able to distribute them.
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Myrna Brown
To hospitals now that we have more freedom of movement.
- [02:51]
John Stonestreet
But the trickle of aid being allowed to enter Gaza after the ceasefire is nowhere near enough. UNFPA has much more assistance at border.
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Kent Covington
Crossings ready to enter, But Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian pushed back, telling reporters.
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Lindsay Mast
Hundreds of trucks are flowing into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing and crossing 147 every single day.
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Kent Covington
She also blasted a ruling this week by the UN's International Court of Justice, or ICJ for short, demanding that Israel allow the UN Palestinian relief agency, known as unrwa, deliver aid within Gaza. But the Israeli government says UNRWA was infiltrated by Hamas and that some of its staff actively participated in the terror attack against Israel two years ago.
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Lindsay Mast
The United nations has never investigated the full extent of this infiltration that took place specifically on the morning of October 7th and after it. For the last two years, neither Israel.
- [03:49]
Kent Covington
Nor the United States recognized the authority of the ICJ to impose or enforce binding rulings. The US Senate failed to pass legislation on Thursday aimed at paying essential federal workers amid the government shutdown. World's Benjamin Eicher reports Senate Republicans tried.
- [04:06]
Benjamin Eicher
Turning up the heat on Democrats with a test vote on paying federal workers who were required to work without a paycheck. For now, the GOP was effectively daring Democrats to vote against paying air traffic controllers, TSA workers, Border Patrol agents and others amid the shutdown. The administration has moved money around to pay the military in the short term. Democrats shot down the GOP bill and countered with their own legislation that called for paychecks for all federal workers during the shutdown, including those now furloughed. It also included a poison pill provision limiting President Trump's ability to fire federal workers. Republicans rejected that bill. The shutdown is now in its third week, with no end in sight for world I'm Benjamin Eicher.
- [04:58]
Kent Covington
The Pentagon says the US military has launched a ninth strike against a boat trafficking drugs in international waters. The latest strike occurred Wednesday in the eastern Pacific Ocean. That followed a strike against another boat in the same region on Tuesday night. Combined, five people were killed aboard those two boats, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday pushed back against Democrats who have criticized those strikes.
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John Stonestreet
I'm not going to get into the.
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Todd Vishen
Details of the intelligence that we gather.
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John Stonestreet
But I can assure you that every.
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Todd Vishen
One of these strikes involves boats and.
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John Stonestreet
Shipments that were tracked from the very beginning.
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Todd Vishen
From the moment these things were put together, the moment they were coordinated, we.
- [05:34]
John Stonestreet
Know where they're headed.
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Kent Covington
We know where they're at. Critics have called the lethal strikes illegal. President Trump authorized the use of deadly force after declaring the cartels foreign terrorist organizations. The first seven military strikes against vessels identified as cartel trafficking vessels were all carried out in the Caribbean, largely near Venezuela. The FBI has announced criminal charges against dozens of people, including an NBA head coach and a player in connection with alleged illegal gambling schemes. FBI Director Kash Patel. The FBI led a coordinated takedown across.
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John Stonestreet
11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for for this case, which is very much ongoing.
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Kent Covington
Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups is charged in an indictment alleging a wide ranging scheme to rig underground poker games backed by Mafia crime families. And Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is accused in a separate case of taking part in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information. Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges. I'm Kent Covington. And straight ahead, Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus Bible stories and the story of the Bible. This is the World and everything in it.
- [07:10]
Lindsay Mast
It's Friday, October 24th. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [07:18]
Myrna Brown
And I'm Myrna Brown. It's Culture Friday, and joining us is John Stonestreet, president of the Colson center and host of the breakpoint podcast. Good morning, John.
- [07:28]
John Stonestreet
Good morning.
- [07:29]
Myrna Brown
Well, John, in one of your recent Breakpoint articles, you reiterated to some and perhaps introduced to others the distinction between Mormons and Christians. It seems increasingly necessary for a refresher on the differences, especially as you pointed out in your article, when Pew Research lists Latter Day Saints among all Christians in the entertainment industry, where much of the culture war is fought, we have Angel Studios. Most people would consider the films they produce and distribute Christian base. But the company was founded by Mormons. And then there were the remarks made by President Trump after a gunman drove his truck into a building where Latter Day Saints were gathered in Northern Michigan. Last month, the president posted on social media this appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America. So confusion is expected. We do find ourselves, John, appreciating and sharing many of the same cultural values as Mormons. So my question is, how do we then embrace Mormons as cultural allies without compromising our Christian beliefs?
- [08:51]
John Stonestreet
Well, I think clarity is just absolutely essential when it comes to doctrine. And we're at a cultural moment in which doctrine is often downplayed, where that kind of precision is frowned upon because it gets in the way of unity. And I get the desire to want to have unity, particularly when we find ourselves with common enemies, which we often do with various groups with whom we would disagree. Years ago, I really benefited from being given a framework from a ministry colleague about kind of, you know, checking when groups become what he called at the time pseudo Christian. He basically encouraged students and I always found this framework really helpful to do the math. Add, subtract, multiply, divide. Because if a group adds to holy Scripture, you know, big red flag. Obviously, the Latter Day Saints do that. They put the Book of Mormon on par with scripture as the interpretive framework through which to understand scripture despite it dealing with really unusual, let's just put it this way, pretty unusual things. And then subtract. This is a key thing. If it subtracts from either the deity or the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. And that, of course, is something that the Latter Day Saints do as well. If the requirements of salvation are multiplied, that's also a red flag. Salvation by grace through faith is a pretty clear statement. And the very clear understanding throughout the history of the church that it is God who brings salvation to man through Christ. And the idea of working our way to God's approval or to heaven is anathema. And then finally, if it divides the body of Christ. Now, of course, to some degree, all of those things can be found even within Christian denominations. But when you have a group like the Latter Day Saints, where they fail all of those tests in pretty dramatic ways, then that is a helpful framework. I do think that we can find ourselves in a position of co belligerence with a lot of groups and with a lot of different religious bodies, and we can agree on what we can agree on. Christians, because we believe that truth is fundamentally revealed, we orient ourselves to truth. And if another group finds itself oriented to a particular aspect of truth, then we thank God for that. And we hope that from that perspective, they can reach the extent of truth in Christ, in Holy Scripture and in salvation. Do the math, do the math.
- [11:21]
Myrna Brown
Well, John, I think there's a bit of math involved where we're going next. 7,000 Christians in Nigeria murdered for their beliefs just this year. This week, the heads of 33 organizations, you being one of them, signed a letter to President Trump asking him to give Nigeria, the country of particular concern designation. Now, a country gets slapped with that designation when it is found to be tolerating or carrying out serious violations of religious freedom. Now, when I looked at the signatures behind that letter, I thought, an impressive group, many Christian organizations represented here. But my second thought, just 33 signatures. So going back to that statistic of how many Christians in Nigeria killed this year 7,000. And if you do the math, that's an average of 35 killings a day. So, John, shouldn't that warrant more signatures and support? And if so, why aren't there more?
- [12:29]
John Stonestreet
Well, you know, listen, it certainly merits much greater concern than has been given this unbelievably awful situation that has been developing in Nigeria for years. Basically, every Christmas and every Easter and many other holy days like Palm Sunday, there would be a massacre of Christians in a church. And then you would see the incredible faithfulness of those Christians going back to church the next Sunday. And this was the story that would sneak out, and it didn't gain much attention. This year. We haven't waited for holy days. The massacres have been in church and out of church. It have been on holy days and outside of holy days at a rate that's just absolutely astonishing. The real shame is that this is even a debate, you know, designate this country a country of particular concern. I know that is a legal title that doesn't sound too intimidating, you know, from this side of. Of the government, but it enables all kinds of sanctions and financial pressures. Now, why this particular letter has the signatures. It does. I. I wasn't, you know, privy to that. I. I don't know that, you know, a whole bunch of people said no to being on it. I think there was a real push and a timing factor that led it to want to get the right signatures on and get it in front of the president. And I do think we have good reason to suspect that this decision will be made and this designation, you know, will be given, and that's the political pressure that the. The government can put on. But, look, there's been real hesitation, because the hesitation, I think, under previous administrations requires that you not accept the kind of the dominant narrative of what's causing this now, which people are calling it a land dispute. And even, I think, under the Biden administration, somebody said it was the fault of climate care, climate change, or something. Absolutely absurd. This has been a targeted attack to exterminate Christians that is coming at the hands of radical Muslims. And what we have had is as after 9, 11 radical Islamic groups did their best to attack Western nations. That was largely turned around and pushed back on. And now we have, you know, Islam going back and attacking within these developing nations. And you've got three groups in Nigeria that have been guilty of this for a long time. The Boko Haram group, the various versions of ISIS that took root there, and then, of course, the Fulani Herdsmen. And it's absolutely Horrific. It's spreading across Nigeria. It's spreading out of Nigeria into other African countries, and it's spreading in churches, out of churches, and also beyond. Just holy day. So, look, something has to be done. And the rest of us should not wait to sign a letter. We should all be in prayer. We should all be calling our representatives and saying, hey, please make this designation a reality.
- [15:24]
Lindsay Mast
Well, John, this week another group of people banded together to sign a different statement. This one about AI superintelligence. Now, I know, I know AI comes up frequently on Culture Friday, but as quickly as the technology is developing, perhaps that's understandable. This statement has been signed by thousands of people across the globe and includes notable people with a wide range of interests in this faith. Leaders, policymakers, artists, business people, and beyond. The statement expresses concern over the development of superintelligence that could significantly outperform humans on cognitive tasks. That raises concerns, of course, about threats to freedom, civil liberties, dignity even, it says the chance of human extinction. So they want the development banned until there is scientific evidence that it will be done safely and controllably, and perhaps notably until there is public buy in. So here's my question. This feels like a bigger alarm bell than what we've seen in the past. So we Will statements like this help slow the train?
- [16:29]
John Stonestreet
At this point, Maybe slow the train, I don't see a way to stop it. Although let me just immediately express my great appreciation as someone who is asked to sign statements on somewhat frequent occasions for the brevity of this one. I mean, this is just straightforward. This is really simple. And it's really simple because the request is really simple, like, let's not do this until we figure out how to do it ethically. Let's not do this and wish we hadn't later. And there's a really good reason to suppose that we will have buyer's remorse. And that's because almost all technology proceeds ahead of ethics. The complication here, of course, is the international development of it and so many other cases when we're talking about new technologies, that's really arising in a central location most of the time, the US May be spreading to Europe and other countries around the world are catching on when it comes to AI and computer technology and the speed that we're on right now. The problem is, I think there is almost a mutually assured destruction that if we don't do this, China will. And I'm like anyone here, and by here, I mean everywhere other than China, thinks that China will, you know, sign this pledge and mean it we have a real issue, I think, as Christians, misunderstanding AI in two ways. Number one is just dismissing concerns as a new form of being a Luddite. I think that's where a lot of Christians are. It's like, oh, we've heard these concerns before, and they're nothing. The other is to give it too much credit. You know, there is something called human exceptionalism. We believe humans are made in the image of God. We aren't just like animals with a conscience, nor are we just computers made of meat. So there is an ability, I think, to put brakes on this. I do think there's an ability to use some of this amazing computing power for good. But the question is, when you're talking about the national players that are involved, whether that's even a realistic possibility. So I think, you know, the answer is, I'm glad the statement's out there. I'm glad people signed it. I was really blown away by the diversity of the crowd. But even for example, in the faith leaders, you have people who not. Who would not normally sign a statement together signing up, you know, a statement. And I think you would have the same thing when it comes to policymakers. There's real reason to be concerned that the technology cat is out of the bag here. This is a strong statement. Again, big fan that it's so brief, like, let's just have scientific consensus and buy in before we, you know, move forward. But, you know, whether those two things are even possible is certainly with this kind of mutually assured destruction model that we have with China. It's going to be hard to see that, I think, become a possibility. Right.
- [19:19]
Lindsay Mast
John, do you even see a way for there to be scientific consensus when you have such a broad range of interests? Because I would imagine people who are artists might have somewhat different concerns than people who are business leaders or faith leaders. So is that even possible?
- [19:37]
John Stonestreet
Well, look, as we have seen on all kinds of other areas of science, there's not scientific consensus on anything. If you're talking about worldview consensus, and the most important worldview consensus, when you're thinking about the scientific enterprise, is, A, is the world designed? And B, are humans unique and distinct, made in the image of God? Right. Because, you know, at that point, you know, there's an incredible difference within the scientific community, I mean, within the scientific enterprise between transhumanists, those who actually think their job is to harness the evolutionary process and drive it forward as if nothing could go wrong with that plan, you know, and others who actually think ethics and science should go together. And there is a whole camp that thinks that the limit of scientific ethics is if we can do it, we should do it. And if we aren't doing it, then we're robbing humankind of something. Because there is this fundamental belief that salvation ultimately comes through technology. A lot of people don't believe that they have what I think is a much greater appreciation for the fallenness of man, including the quote, unquote experts. That's a real division. This is not just a theoretical division. This is not just a philosophical. The philosophy that drives our science really matters. I think about that wonderful quote by G.K. chesterton who says, there are some of us and I'm one of them, he said, who think that someone's philosophy is the most important thing that you can know. He said, for someone who is hosting a border, it's really important to know that person's income, but even more important to know his life philosophy. And for a general going to war, it's really important to know how many numbers the enemy has. But even more important to know their philosopher philosophy. And he's like, you know, the question is not whether someone's philosophy and what he means by this is their worldview, which includes their frame of reference of reality and their ethics, is whether it matters some, but whether anything else matters like that is what really matters, according to Chesterton. And you know, he considered himself one of that group and I do too.
- [21:34]
Myrna Brown
John Stonestreet is president of the Colson center and hosts of the Breakpoint Podcast. Thank you John.
- [21:41]
John Stonestreet
Thank you both.
- [21:52]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from Missions Upside Down, a free award winning video series about Christian missions past, present and into the future. Missions Upside down from the Peace of.
- [22:07]
John Stonestreet
God Bible inviting you to experience God's.
- [22:11]
Kent Covington
Peace with notes and devotions from Dr. Jeremiah Johnston PeaceOfGodBible.com and from Covenant College where Christian faculty equip students for their.
- [22:24]
John Stonestreet
Callings through hard ideas, deep questions and meaningful work.
- [22:28]
Kent Covington
Covenant Eduardo.
- [22:43]
Myrna Brown
Today is Friday, October 24th. Thank you for turning to world radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Myrna Brown.
- [22:52]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. Coming next on the World and Everything in It, a new faith based comedy TV show that capitalizes on the popularity of the office trading Michael Scott for Moses reviewer Joseph Holmes. Now on the Promised Land.
- [23:09]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
Most Christians who grew up in the 90s are familiar with the Christian version of some kind of media like rock music. There's Christian rock, like superheroes, there's Bible man. So I was a little skeptical when I heard someone was making a TV show described as the Bible meets the Office. But while the series never becomes more than its logline premise in its first season, it does mostly live up to it, with plenty of potential to grow.
- [23:35]
Kent Covington
Hear me leader for I have many complaints.
- [23:38]
Joseph Holmes
There is this every day I sit down and people from the 12 tribes come to me with their problems. There is no water. This water is too bitter. Make it sweet. My son's 14 and he won't move out. Just once would be great if there was a line of people taking turns to say, hey Moses, thank you for getting us out of Egypt. Can't wait to go to the Promised Land with you.
- [24:07]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
You have a great day in the Promised Land. Moses and the Hebrews are fresh out of Egypt and adjusting to their new freedom with all the chaos of a fledgling startup. With Red Sea miracles Behind them and 40 years of wandering ahead, the people grapple with doubt, bickering and bizarre wilderness problem. From complaints about manna to doing laundry in a dirty river, Moses, helped by his siblings Aaron and Miriam, tries to keep the group moving forward even while questioning his own ability to lead.
- [24:35]
Joseph Holmes
Do not murder. Do not commit.
- [24:40]
Kent Covington
There are a lot of new rules. I remember the first ten pretty well.
- [24:44]
Joseph Holmes
But some of those laws about crops and property are a little hazy.
- [24:49]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
The series is written and directed by Mitch Hudson, the assistant director of the Chosen, and it does a solid job of translating the biblical story into the mockumentary sitcom format. Biblical figures like Moses, Miriam and Joshua are reimagined to emphasize their very lovable and silly human foibles. These characters feel recognizably like the people we know from the Bible, yet work as sitcom characters we affectionately laugh with.
- [25:13]
Lindsay Mast
You are wise and you are passionate.
- [25:17]
Myrna Brown
And you care what God wants for.
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Lindsay Mast
His people even when it's not what they want for themselves. It is easy to be popular.
- [25:25]
Myrna Brown
It is harder to lead.
- [25:29]
Joseph Holmes
You always say the right things, but just for once I would love to see what popular is like.
- [25:36]
Myrna Brown
Well, in this part of the camp you are very popular.
- [25:40]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
What makes the Promised Land work as a faith based comedy is it's always the people being made fun of, not God. And the people aren't made fun of in a cruel way, but in a way that says I can see myself in that. It feels like the show is designed to make you love people and love God. More episodes often start off with characters doing something silly in an effort to avoid God's commands, then end with them getting good advice and doing the right thing.
- [26:05]
Joseph Holmes
Nobody's perfect. We're all going to make mistakes God knows that he chose Abraham's wife. He chose Sarah even though she doubted him. He chose our ancestor Jacob even though he was a liar. And he has chosen you even though you made a mistake.
- [26:22]
Todd Vishen
But how can I be worthy again.
- [26:24]
John Stonestreet
After I've already betrayed him?
- [26:26]
Joseph Holmes
It's not about being worthy, it's about being faithful to him.
- [26:31]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
If there's a flaw in the series, it's that it could be even funnier if it weren't playing it so safe. The laughs are largely half smiles, punctuated by some chuckles interrupted by a few laugh out loud moments. Many of the jokes are pretty basic looks at the camera like Jim from the Office that you expect from the genre. Likewise, most of the characters begin as recognizable types and only slowly develop layers as the series goes on. Moses is a lovably awkward leader, basically exactly like Michael Scott. Korra is a self righteous and prideful rule follower. Joshua is desperate to please Moses. Miriam is the most immediately well rounded. She's a genuinely smart leader, but she's not as smart or as talented as she thinks she is. So she's both sympathetic and relatably silly.
- [27:19]
Lindsay Mast
My name is Miriam. I'm Moses and Aaron's sister. I'm one of the few women in the camp who can read and write.
- [27:26]
Diana Severance
I'm also what you might call a musical prodigy.
- [27:30]
Reviewer/Commentator (possibly Joseph Holmes or another culture commentator)
The Promised Land only has six episodes and it's often said that the Office didn't gel until its second season. So there's every possibility that the Promised Land will develop more depth and the laughs will get bigger as it goes on. And hey, for free on YouTube. That's hardly a bad deal. I'm Joseph Holmes.
- [28:08]
Myrna Brown
Today is Friday, October 24th. Good morning. This is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.
- [28:16]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. Before we end today, a quick correction from Wednesday's program. We misspoke in our story about George Santos. We should have said that President Trump had commuted his sentence. That means Santos doesn't have to serve the rest of his jail time, but it doesn't erase his record or time already served.
- [28:36]
Myrna Brown
Finally this week, a story in our occasional Destination series. This time a museum in Houston that tells the story of the English Bible. World's Todd Vishen recently visited and is here now with what he found.
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Todd Vishen
How many Bibles do you have in your home? I have 16 printed editions. One of them is my great great grandmother's Bible. It's about 5 inches by 3 inches with a gold embossed cover, yellowing pages And a metal clasp on the side. It was printed in 1849. The title page says the Holy Bible translated out of the original tongues by his Majesty's special command, printed by printers to the Queen's most excellent Majesty. Many of us have similar family heirlooms. Recently I visited a unique collection of Bibles at Houston Christian University. Dunham Bible Museum director Diana Severance was my guide.
- [29:35]
Diana Severance
Well, we first bought the American collection from Jonathan Bird, who had spent a lifetime collecting rare American Bibles.
- [29:42]
Todd Vishen
That initial collection has grown to now more than 8,000 volumes. Visitors come from around the world. The day I visited, a group of about eight women from a nearby assisted living facility admired the displays. The first Bible on my tour was a manuscript from the 12th or 13th century. It's known as a Paris Bible. Scribes at the University of Paris established the standard order of books, introductory remarks and chapter breaks we take for granted in today's text. It marks another unique milestone in Bible.
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Diana Severance
Publishing and the first time that you could have a Bible that's small enough that a person could carry around. The paper was thinner and the format is much like ours with the two columns and they write very, very small so that you could put all the Bible in one easy to carry book.
- [30:28]
Todd Vishen
With the format set and the arrival of better bookmaking technology, the scribes fed the growing appetite of itinerant priests and teachers to carry pocket Bibles to the end of the earth. Around the corner and past the display featuring the Gutenberg Press, another Bible publishing milestone, translations in common languages for common people. The Dunham Bible Museum has an original leaf on display from the 14th century Wycliffe Bible.
- [30:53]
Diana Severance
He translated it from the Latin Vulgate. And one of the reasons he did that is because the church was beginning to preach some things that were not in the Bible. But how could anybody know if they didn't have a Bible?
- [31:05]
Todd Vishen
Eventually, in 1408, church authorities declared it illegal for anyone to produce or read any portion of the Bible in English.
- [31:12]
Diana Severance
If you have even a portion of the Bible, just a few pages or so, there were people executed. There were even people executed for having teaching their children the Lord's Prayer in English.
- [31:22]
Todd Vishen
That law was still on the books in the 16th century when William Tyndale began secretly translating the Bible in Germany. He then smuggled copies into England. Church authorities bought up as many copies as they could before burning them in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. But they couldn't keep up.
- [31:37]
Diana Severance
Tyndale used the money to encourage and print more Bibles, which he did instead smuggle them back into England.
- [31:44]
Todd Vishen
I was surprised to discover a similar story closer to home.
- [31:47]
Diana Severance
So in colonial America, it was against the law to print a Bible in English.
- [31:53]
Todd Vishen
Historians estimate there were 50 printing presses in the colonies by the 1770s. They could print the Bible in German and even the language of Native Americans in New England, but not in English. Only printers licensed by the king could print the Bible in the common vernacular. The restriction was defended as a way to ensure accurate translations, but it was more likely retained to guarantee revenue for the Crown.
- [32:15]
Diana Severance
Not until independence do you have an English Bible printed in America.
- [32:20]
Todd Vishen
In 1782, Philadelphia petitioned Congress to print the first American English Bible.
- [32:26]
Diana Severance
And Congress sent over their chaplains and inspectors to see what he was doing, make sure he was doing a good job. So Congress approved the first English Bible printed in America.
- [32:36]
Todd Vishen
One of the most unique Bibles on display at the Dunham Museum is smaller than the Paris pocket Bibles. Much, much smaller.
- [32:43]
Diana Severance
This microfilm in that frame, the 1 inch square of microfilm has the entire Bible on it. You have to magnify it 200 times in order to read it with a microfilm reader. But the Bibles are all there.
- [32:55]
Todd Vishen
Astronaut Ed White planned to take a printed Bible to the moon on the Apollo 1 mission. Tragically, he and fellow astronauts Roger Chafee and Gus Grissom were killed when a flash fire engulfed their capsule during a launch rehearsal in 1967. But four years later, astronaut Edgar Mitchell took over 100 microfilm editions of the Bible into space. He left one on the lunar surface in White's memory. And another copy is in the museum. The Dunham Bible Museum has 250 Bibles or pages from Bibles on permanent display. It is a vivid testimony to how the Bible has been burnt, banned and and blasphemed, but never destroyed. It has been read by more people and its words have changed more lives than any other book in and out of this world. Reporting for world, I'm Todd Vishen in Houston, Texas.
- [34:10]
Lindsay Mast
Time now to name the crew who put the week's programs together. David Bonson, Hunter Baker, Lauren Canterbury, Daniel Darling, Emma Eicher, Joseph Holmes, Travis Kercher, Carolina Lumeta, Becca McCallum, Mary Muncie, Mary Reichard, Onize, Adua Adiafrens, Arsenio Orteza, Jenny Ruff, John Stonestreet, Daniel Serr, Cal Thomas and Todd Vishen. Thanks also to our breaking news crew, Kent Covington, Daniel Devine, Christina Grube and Steve Klosterman. And thanks to the moonlight maestros working in the dark of night. So the program's ready bright and early Benj Eicher and Carl Peetz, Harrison Waters is Washington producer, Kristin Flavin is features editor, Paul Butler is executive producer, Les Sillers is editor in chief and Nick Eicher is chief content officer. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [35:06]
Myrna Brown
And I'm Myrna Brown. If you enjoy this podcast, help a friend find it too. Send a link to a favorite story or the whole podcast right from your app. It's a simple click that helps the program grow. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, for while we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Verses 6 through 8 of Romans 5 a reminder to worship at a Bible believing church this weekend. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances and Lord willing, we'll be right back here on Monday. Go now in grace and peace.