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The World and Everything In It
3.11.25 Europe increases funding for Ukraine, Montana debates assisted suicide, and an American dream comes true
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- [00:06]
Mary Reichard
Good morning. The war in Ukraine is testing the unity of Western allies. We'll break down the changing US and EU policies.
- [00:14]
Nick Eichert
Also today, Montana's 16 year debate over doctor assisted suicide. Where do lawmakers stand now?
- [00:21]
Derek A. Stryker
Sometimes even the most principled legislators seem a little confused on this issue.
- [00:25]
Nick Eichert
And a restaurant built on faith and perseverance.
- [00:28]
Representative Julie Darling
My mom's determination of opening this place up comes from her believing that God has been with her always.
- [00:35]
Nick Eichert
And later, world opinion's commentary on whether it's okay now to be a Christian conservative.
- [00:47]
Mary Reichard
It's Tuesday, March 11th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Mary Reichert.
- [00:54]
Nick Eichert
And I'm Nick Eichert. Good morning.
- [00:58]
Mary Reichard
Time now for the news with Kent Covington.
- [01:01]
Kent Covington
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a US Delegation in Saudi Arabia today. They're sitting down with Ukrainian leaders for talks aimed at working toward a peace deal in Ukraine.
- [01:12]
Kristen Flavin
We have to understand the Ukrainian position and just have a general idea of.
- [01:17]
Maria Marta Schutte
What concessions they'd be willing to make.
- [01:19]
Kent Covington
Because you're not going to get a.
- [01:20]
Kristen Flavin
Ceasefire and an end of this war unless both sides make concessions.
- [01:23]
Kent Covington
He said. If the meeting goes well, it could influence President Trump's recent decision to pause all US Military aid to Ukraine. And Trump voiced cautious optimism about the talks. He said that up till now, Ukraine's government has not convinced him that it's ready to negotiate peace. But I think you're going to have eventually and maybe not in the distant future, you're going to have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week. The Associated Press has reported that the Ukrainian delegation was set to propose a limited ceasefire today. Secretary Rubio also said on Monday that major cuts are coming at the embattled USAID agency. World's Kristen Flavin has more.
- [02:07]
Elon Musk
Rubio said after a thorough six week review of the agency's spending, the Trump administration is scrapping 83% of USAID programs and the State Department will manage the remaining programs. Critics say the administration is callously slashing vital foreign aid. But Rubio insists that the programs being cut do not serve and in some cases actually harm the national interests of the United States. Trump officials say their probe found an agency that had been largely unaccountable, wasteful and had strayed far from its mission. The USAID was created by executive order in 1961 to strategically distribute foreign aid to advance US foreign policy. For world I'm Kristen Flavin.
- [02:52]
Kent Covington
Rubio said he's thankful for Elon Musk and the rest of the DOGE team the Department of Government Efficiency for its work in identifying waste at usaid. But of course, not everyone feels that way. One agency employee, now out of a job, described it this way.
- [03:08]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Heartbreaking. I love the work that we do. I really care about it.
- [03:14]
Mary Reichard
I felt like we made a difference.
- [03:16]
Kent Covington
And that cuts to the core of the criticism surrounding doge. Democrats say Musk and his team are destroying programs that make a difference across numerous agencies. But Musk on Monday fired back. He said the entrenched bureaucracy in Washington has become an unelected fourth branch of government.
- [03:34]
Nick Eichert
The president is the elected representative of the people, and if the president cannot get things implemented as a reflection of.
- [03:42]
Mary Reichard
The will of the people, then what we have is not a democracy.
- [03:45]
Kristen Flavin
We have a bureaucracy.
- [03:47]
Nick Eichert
We have rule of the bureau, not.
- [03:49]
Elon Musk
Rule of the people.
- [03:50]
Kent Covington
Musk claims the effort has thus far saved more than $4 billion per day for taxpayers. The markets have been getting jittery about a mounting showdown with US trading partners over tariffs. The S&P 500 plunged on Monday, but Republican Congressman Tom Emmer said the markets are going to have all kinds of different things going on, but yes, we are going to stay the course because.
- [04:14]
Nick Eichert
This country's future depends on it.
- [04:16]
Kent Covington
Why should Americans not have free and full access to markets around the world when we give all of those other folks access to our markets right here? President Trump is planning reciprocal tariffs starting April 2. Those will vary from country to country to match whatever tariffs each individual trading partner has placed on US Goods. Separately, the president has already imposed some tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. The House could vote today on a six month stopgap funding bill that Republicans just unveiled that would avert a government shutdown this week. Democrats are expected to roundly oppose it, including Minority Whip Catherine Clark.
- [04:56]
Mary Reichard
It's all part of the same plot to give Elon and the billionaire class a tax break at the expense of what families in this country need.
- [05:07]
Kent Covington
Bathouse Republican conference Chair Congresswoman Lisa McClain.
- [05:10]
Elon Musk
Argues it continues to fund needed programs such as Medicaid, Social Security, pay raises for our military. I don't understand why the Democrats won't.
- [05:23]
Mary Reichard
Join us on that.
- [05:25]
Kent Covington
Democrats want language inserted that would limit the power of DOGE to audit government spending. Congress has until Friday to agree on a funding bill to avert a shutdown. Israel is expressing some concern over direct talks between US Officials and Hamas amid a push to renew a cease fire deal. But US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Bowler explained, the reason that I met with Hamas like that is because.
- [05:52]
Elon Musk
I'm a big believer in dialogue.
- [05:54]
Kent Covington
And I think the meetings with Hamas gave me some hope. Israeli government spokesman David Mentzer says Israel has agreed to send a delegation to Qatar to join Gaza ceasefire talks. But he insisted that if there is to be a ceasefire, Hamas will have to go. Returning to the reality that preceded the murderous attacks of October 7, 2023, is.
- [06:18]
Mary Reichard
Simply not an option for Israel.
- [06:21]
Kent Covington
Secretary of State Rubio says he doubts whether Hamas is serious about negotiating in good faith. And he called out the terror group for demanding massively lopsided exchanges of hundreds of Israeli prisoners for a handful of Hamas hostages. I'm Cat Covington. And straight ahead, shifting international policies signal, signal a growing divide over how to end the war in Ukraine. Plus, how one family uses food from home to bless others in their new home. This is the world and everything in it.
- [07:10]
Nick Eichert
It's Tuesday, the 11th of March. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE world. And good morning. I'm Nick Iger.
- [07:18]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichard. First up, the war in Ukraine. Last week, President Donald Trump stopped weapons shipments to Ukraine, saying he wants to see more progress toward peace.
- [07:30]
Nick Eichert
And meantime, the EU and several member states are stepping up with billions of dollars in aid and defense spending. The plans are not final, but they do signal a shift toward Europe taking more responsibility. Joining us now to talk about it is Maria Marta Schutte. She's an analyst with the Europe Policy center and has worked with both NATO and the eu. She joins us this morning from Brussels.
- [07:54]
Mary Reichard
Maria, good morning.
- [07:56]
Maria Marta Schutte
Good morning. Thank you for having me.
- [07:58]
Mary Reichard
Well, we're so glad you're here to talk about this. The US Froze arms shipments to Ukraine, as we know. How prepared was the EU to step in with more funding and military aid for Ukraine?
- [08:11]
Maria Marta Schutte
Well, EU has been providing aid to Ukraine over the past years collectively in the form of European Union aid, as well as bilaterally at member states level. Now, of course, it was expected that Trump might take certain reckless actions, if I can say so, in order to exert more leverage and pressure on Ukraine and on Europeans. So Europe was preparing for any kind of unexpected, unpredictable actions of this kind. Countries have stepped forward with additional packages of aid, The Nordics in particular, but also by the UK By Germany and others are under preparation. Now, of course, it has a very significant material impact in Ukraine because it translates into lack of Ukraine's ability to fight Russia back. And what I would like to add in this conversation is the hold of intelligence perhaps is even more significant short, immediate term, because that translates on the ground in the cost of lives in terms of deaths of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
- [09:29]
Mary Reichard
Could you go into more detail about the intelligence that's been halted?
- [09:32]
Maria Marta Schutte
So as far as I'm aware, America has stopped sharing intelligence information with Ukraine, which is absolutely key for Ukrainians to defend themselves, but also for Ukrainians to know where potential targets could be. Ukraine has over the past years relied predominantly, not exclusively, but predominantly on American intelligence. So this caused some of the deadliest days over the weekend and last week because Russia's exploited the situation in order to advance and become more aggressive towards the Ukrainians.
- [10:13]
Mary Reichard
Now, Maria, I do want to, I want to revisit your characterization of what President Trump has done as reckless. Certainly many, many people see it the way you do and how you characterized it, but others see it as part of his art of the deal. You know, he wrote a book about that. He wants to put pressure where he can in order to reach a peace agreement and also to recoup some of the US Dollars already spent for Ukraine's defense. So what do you say to those people?
- [10:39]
Maria Marta Schutte
There's indeed different ways of looking at it. On the one hand, you could say that perhaps these are just tactics because he's indeed trying to show leverage. He has significant bargaining power because Europe, including Ukraine, is very much dependent historically on the US when it comes to military security domain. But at the same time, it's important to look at what consequences are on the ground and whether you really need to resort to tactics which eventually cost lives. And this is where I think that, you know, it is confusing to Europeans whether it is really necessary to take such measures and without any prior notice whereby, you know, if you are switching your own intelligence, perhaps other intelligence could then step in, but at least you should know about it in advance. So the way it looks as if it is, you know, kind of helping or facilitating or aligning more with Russia or at least appearing. So it's not clear what is the long term objective of America. It is quite suggestive that it seems to be undermining rather than helping bring parties to the table.
- [11:56]
Mary Reichard
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he's wary of a peace deal without adequate safeguards because he says Russia will just invade again. But if the US Were to gain mineral rights in Ukraine, do you think that would help achieve peace? Because then the US Will have a stronger tie to Ukraine beyond just giving them money.
- [12:18]
Maria Marta Schutte
Absolutely. Thank you for raising this. I do think this mineral deal is mutually beneficial for America and for Ukraine. It is important to cooperate with America. It is Ukraine's and Europe's ally. And it's important to show how what contribution Ukrainian Europe could make and economic domain is very important, not least because Trump also very much comes from the area of bargaining and making deals. So I think having Americans working on the ground in Ukraine could also provide significant economic security, so to say, or act as a deterrence. However, from the way that Russian foreign policy and military policy has been developing, Putin is really first and foremost an actor in a military sense. So to say, this is why having troops or having Article 5 of NATO extended to Ukraine or having American troops, besides just economic imperatives would be so important. Because ultimately what Ukrainian Europeans are trying to achieve is that the SEIZE ceasefire translates into a lasting, sustainable peace. And it is important to ensure that Russia does not utilize ceasefire time in order to reconstitute, strengthen itself and come back and strike later.
- [13:50]
Mary Reichard
Let's segue now to the EU itself. There are a lot of internal political dynamics that affect the EU's unified stance to support Ukraine. What would you say are the biggest challenges there?
- [14:03]
Maria Marta Schutte
Well, the greatest challenge of all right now is time. Trump really seems to be wanting a quick deal on Ukraine. I think the timeline is to reach a deal around Easter time. And this creates a lot of pressure for Europe because Europe is trying to better provide for its own defence and security, including with Ukraine. Other challenge is of course to make sure that the negotiations and that the peace agreement that we would get would be just and lasting. Because it seems that Trump perhaps wants to get some kind of deal and brush Ukraine off the table and then focus on bigger geopolitical issues, which he probably sees as more important from America first perspective, such as China.
- [14:59]
Mary Reichard
Final question here, Maria. Think of five years from now. How do you think these policy decisions now are going to end up in the eu, US and Russia?
- [15:09]
Maria Marta Schutte
Well, in Europe we are preparing for the worst case scenarios. US might change its mind when it comes to, for example, upholding Article 5 within NATO. Worsky's scenario is also such that perhaps after ceasefire is achieved, Russia would potentially launch another attack, for example, next year against Ukraine or perhaps even test NATO and EU countries. So we have to be prepared for that from a military standpoint, but also our civilians have to be prepared. So there's gradually more and more engagement with the civilian populations in order for them to explain to them the risks and threats that Europe is facing and to educate and train them from the preparedness point of view in case there are such emergence as crisis or war. I am an optimist. I would like to very much think that it would be possible to find a deal between the United States, Russia and Ukraine and Europe, the one that would be just and lasting and a compromise that would take on board the most important red lines of those who are victims to this war.
- [16:31]
Mary Reichard
Maria Marta Schutte is a policy analyst with the European Policy Center. Maria, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.
- [16:38]
Maria Marta Schutte
Thank you for having me.
- [16:43]
Nick Eichert
Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, the fight over assisted suicide. Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized doctor assisted suicide. Medical professionals practicing there are allowed by law to prescribe deadly drugs to terminally ill patients who want to die.
- [17:02]
Mary Reichard
But back in 2009, Montana's highest court created a legal loophole for doctors to assist. Lawmakers have wrestled with the issue ever since. And pro life advocates warn that emotion can obscure principle around the sanctity of life. World's Leah Savis reports.
- [17:20]
Representative Julie Darling
With that, we will open the hearing on House Bill 637. Representative, open when you're ready.
- [17:28]
Mary Reichard
Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee.
- [17:31]
Representative Tracy Sharp
That was the start of an emotional hour and a half in a Montana House of Representatives committee the last week in February.
- [17:37]
Mary Reichard
I have the great honor of presenting to you the Montana Patient and Physician.
- [17:42]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Protections and Care Act, Representative Julie Darling's bill proposed to officially legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill Montanans. More than 20 members of the public spoke at the 7am hearing. Many supporters cited the suffering of loved ones as their reason for backing the legislation.
- [17:59]
Mary Reichard
I speak today for myself and for my spouse who died of Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS, back in 2009. Dick suffered such pain. In the end, he died without the peace of mind that the option of medical aid in dying would have offered him.
- [18:20]
Kent Covington
My wife of 53 years was a strong, energetic, community minded person who started and ran a non profit business for 17 years. She was diagnosed with ALS, a 100% fatal disease. On a zero to 10 scale, she rated her pain at 13. She died in 2023.
- [18:40]
Representative Tracy Sharp
But opponents also had personal connections to the issue. Montana Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juris was the first to speak against the bill and shared that two of her grandchildren have cystic fibrosis, a life threatening genetic disorder that affects the lungs.
- [18:55]
Mary Reichard
My grandkids most likely are going to face a lung transplant. I want everyone to come alongside of them and not give them the option of saying just don't go through the pain, don't go through the suffering.
- [19:10]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Jurists cited the most recent national statistics that show that Montana has the highest suicide rate in the country. The state has ranked in the top five for at least a decade.
- [19:21]
Mary Reichard
This state has consistently adopted a policy opposing suicide in any form. You cannot say that suicide is not appropriate in these situations but is allowable in other situations. It sends a message that life doesn't matter in some instances, but it does in others.
- [19:47]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Among the others who spoke against legalizing assisted suicide was Derek A. Stryker, chief legal counsel at the Montana Family Foundation. He didn't share any personal stories in his testimony, but later he told me about his own experience.
- [20:01]
Derek A. Stryker
I watched my own father pass away from cancer and it was very painful and there was a lot of suffering. But I know personally I am grateful to have had that time with him in those last moments. I think that was important for him and for me.
- [20:20]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Ice Striker said, all the emotions rolled up in this debate make it complex and sometimes hard to predict how someone will fall on the issue.
- [20:27]
Derek A. Stryker
It really is an issue that transcends political ideology. So it doesn't necessarily matter if you're Republican or Democrat on this issue, because when you think of end of life and whether or not you're being compassionate or whether or not you've had a loved one that's gone through a difficult passing, a lot of those personal feelings and experiences are brought to that issue.
- [20:53]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Representative Julie Darling, the bill's sponsor, is herself a Republican.
- [20:58]
Mary Reichard
You may ask why I am bringing this bill as it's not a subject matter that a Republican legislator would typically support. And with the permission of my nephews, I'm going to tell the story of my little sister, Jackie Lee Nelson.
- [21:13]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Her sister Jackie died from breast cancer last year. Jackie scheduled a date to take life ending drugs, but died the day before.
- [21:20]
Mary Reichard
I firmly believe that Jackie was able to let go that week due to the plan and choices she had set into motion. That plan meant she would not suffer and her loved ones would not watch her suffer. Medical aid in dying is not a partisan issue. It's a freedom of choice, and with that I requested you pass.
- [21:38]
Representative Tracy Sharp
That appeal gained her support from another Republican when the committee voted on the bill two days later. Here's Representative Tracy Sharp ahead of the vote.
- [21:47]
Kent Covington
I'm anti abortion for this particular bill, which I know there's a sanctity of life and all that, but I just can't vote to deny all the people that we heard something that I would want for myself. For me, it would be too hypocritical. I would like to die with dignity. I feel very strongly about that and that's why I will be supporting this bill.
- [22:08]
Representative Tracy Sharp
He voted with every Democrat in the committee to advance the bill during the hearing. He wasn't the only Republican who appeared to be open to the legislation, but every other Republican in the committee ultimately voted against it. That killed the bill. The committee is scheduled to consider the assisted suicide issue again later this month. It will be taking up a bill the Senate passed in February that proposes to close the legal loophole for assisted suicide that the state supreme court created in 2009. Similar bills have failed each session since that ruling, even though Republicans have consistently held a majority.
- [22:42]
Derek A. Stryker
And sometimes even the most principled legislators seem a little confused on this issue.
- [22:48]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Ice Striker said his organization is trying to help lawmakers see past the emotional appeals and to the pressure legislation like this could put on vulnerable, sick people.
- [22:58]
Derek A. Stryker
So it starts out under the guise of compassion, but really it's just another name for euthanasia, for people that certain members of society consider a burden. It's not the right way to approach life as a precious gift. And it's really playing God in a very, very dark way, I think.
- [23:19]
Representative Tracy Sharp
Reporting for world, I'm Leah Savas.
- [23:30]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from the book From Eden to Egypt by Alex Duke, A guided tour of Genesis from edentoegyptbook.com from Reformation Bible College, offering classical Christian education that prepares students to glorify and enjoy God in any career. Reformationbiblecollege.org and from ambassadors Impact Network, helping entrepreneurs who are looking for more than just funding discover a community of Christian faith. Led investors. More@ambassadorsimpact.com.
- [24:20]
Nick Eichert
Alright, so this one is all about the audio. What you're going to hear is a toddler playing with an old cell phone, but one that was able to make a certain kind of phone call, a very important one.
- [24:30]
Maria Marta Schutte
More 91 1.
- [24:31]
Representative Julie Darling
What's the address of your emergency?
- [24:34]
Mary Reichard
Hello?
- [24:34]
Representative Julie Darling
More 911.
- [24:37]
Derek A. Stryker
What?
- [24:37]
Kent Covington
Hello?
- [24:38]
Mary Reichard
Yes.
- [24:39]
Nick Eichert
Okay, so this really doesn't go anywhere and the call ends up cutting off. But the little guy is going to persist and call right back.
- [24:49]
Mary Reichard
Donuts, donuts.
- [24:52]
Representative Tracy Sharp
I want donuts.
- [24:56]
Nick Eichert
Oh, that's so cute. The operator was trying to get mom on the line to no avail. So instead the dispatcher sent some backup. Not with sirens, but with snacks. A black and white showed up with a sweet delivery from Duncan. Turns out old phones can still call for help and sometimes it comes glazed and sprinkled.
- [25:16]
Maria Marta Schutte
Mmm.
- [25:17]
Nick Eichert
Yeah, it's the world and everything in it.
- [25:30]
Mary Reichard
Today is Tuesday, March 11th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Mary Reicherday And I'm Nick Iker.
- [25:38]
Nick Eichert
Coming next on the World and everything in it, chasing the American dream one recipe at a time. For many immigrants, that dream means moving to the land of opportunity and building a better future through hard work. And for more than a third of immigrant owned businesses, that means food.
- [25:57]
Mary Reichard
Today world reporter Jenny Ruff will introduce us to a family from El Salvador who make family recipes to support the family.
- [26:07]
Elon Musk
Yaritza Galvez loves her mother's cooking.
- [26:10]
Representative Julie Darling
Think of it kind of like a tortilla puffed up and then we stuff it with cheese and then whatever else.
- [26:14]
Elon Musk
You'D like, especially pupusas. The national dinner of El Salvador, a small country in Central America where her parents were born.
- [26:22]
Representative Julie Darling
So it's made out of like corn base and it brings mozzarella cheese. And usually the traditional ones would bring like pork or chicken or beans.
- [26:31]
Elon Musk
Her family makes thousands of pupusas each.
- [26:33]
Kristen Flavin
Day, at least 3,000 Papusas.
- [26:36]
Elon Musk
That's Yuritza's dad, Gonzalo. But sharing this authentic homemade recipe has long been the idea of Yuritza's mom, Issui. Yaritza's family owns Pupusa 503 Salvadorian Kitchen in Charlotte, North Carolina. And by family, I mean family. Yuritza's parents and uncle partnered up to open the business.
- [26:57]
Representative Julie Darling
The partnership between my uncle and my mother is wonderful, and it works. I mean, the girl that came out there, she's my cousin. My aunt, which is sister to my mother, is in there, but anybody up here is also like my brother, sister or cousin.
- [27:11]
Elon Musk
As a boy, Gonzalo lived in a region of El Salvador that was so remote there were no cars to get anywhere he walked. As a girl, Issui didn't even realize other places existed outside of El Salvador. When she finally learned of America, she heard the streets were painted gold and believed it. Gonzalo and Issui legally immigrated to the United states in the 1990s. Separately. A few years later, they met through a friend at a Spanish speaking evangelical church. After they married, cooking became Isui's passion.
- [27:43]
Representative Julie Darling
Here's daughter Yuritza, she loves to cook. And that's like her love language to show to other people.
- [27:48]
Elon Musk
Gonzalo used to leave $20 on the table before he left for work. Issui spent it on groceries and experimented with dinners.
- [27:56]
Kristen Flavin
It was my wife's dream. She used to tell me it can be a tiny, tiny one, but I want to have and run my own restaurant. I want to share with customers all these great dish ideas that I have.
- [28:12]
Elon Musk
Yuriza says her mom's decision to put family first delayed her dream.
- [28:17]
Representative Julie Darling
She kind of took a step back and she raised us. She became a stay at home mom and she saw for us to finish school, finish high school.
- [28:24]
Elon Musk
And once growing up, Yaritza witnessed her mom faith in God as she waited for him to make a way.
- [28:30]
Representative Julie Darling
My mother's a woman of prayer. My mom's like determination of like opening this place up comes from her believing that God has been with her always and would help her reach her dreams.
- [28:40]
Elon Musk
Husband Gonzalo agrees.
- [28:42]
Kristen Flavin
She had no doubt that God was directing her in this.
- [28:47]
Elon Musk
When an opportunity finally arrived in 2020, the circumstances seemed terrible. We opened mid Covid restaurants were shutting down, not opening up. But the Galvez family trusted God's timing.
- [29:01]
Representative Julie Darling
It was like very chaotic around us and like in the world. And it was like a huge learning curve because we had a pandemic plus opening up a new restaurant, which we have never done before. But I honestly think just because God knew when the time was gonna be, it just all fell into place.
- [29:18]
Elon Musk
In the kitchen, the cooks work in perfect rhythm. Some women chop, slice and grate. Veggies, meat and cheese.
- [29:27]
Kristen Flavin
Everything here is like homemade cooking, so everything is very fresh.
- [29:31]
Elon Musk
Another chooses the stuffing options and mixes the ingredients into a dough ball.
- [29:36]
Kristen Flavin
So these are corn flour tortillas.
- [29:39]
Elon Musk
Next, she pats the dough into a flat circle until it looks like a pancake. A little oil and onto the griddle it goes. Flip it once and then it's ready to eat.
- [29:51]
Kristen Flavin
You cut into the pupusa, you grab a piece of it, then add some, the cabbage salad on top, and grab some of the dipping sauce and knit it all together.
- [30:02]
Elon Musk
The family's faith is evident. Praise music plays in the background. A copy of the ten Commandments hangs on the wall. Yaritza's grandfather, a pastor, has handwritten Bible verses from First Kings 19:8 and Acts.
- [30:16]
Representative Julie Darling
27:34, which both speak about, you know, like, food and how like, unique and like special it is to share food.
- [30:24]
Elon Musk
Yaritza says some customers push back against the Christian atmosphere.
- [30:28]
Representative Julie Darling
Like, maybe you guys should switch up the music or like, the sales would skyrocket if you had alcohol in here or if you would soccer on the TV on the weekends. And you have.
- [30:38]
Elon Musk
But that's not the ambiance the family wants. On the drink menu. Horchata, a milky blend of spices and seeds.
- [30:45]
Mary Reichard
This is sesame seed.
- [30:48]
Kristen Flavin
Sesame seed.
- [30:49]
Elon Musk
No alcohol. Even though in general it's a huge part of restaurant culture.
- [30:54]
Representative Julie Darling
And I think one of my mom's favorite thing is that, you know, in the Bible it says that God's like a God of order and peace and you know, like he, he likes when things are in order and when things are like in a well manner and they've just tried and really maintain it like very family friendly and like, make sure that the ambiance in here is always maintained.
- [31:15]
Elon Musk
Isui's had so much success with her first restaurant, she's now busy at her second, 20 miles away. Her pupusas clearly a hit.
- [31:24]
Representative Julie Darling
Two revoltas, two bean and cheese.
- [31:28]
Elon Musk
Yuritza adds, her mom takes no credit for the success.
- [31:32]
Representative Julie Darling
She would never be like, it's my, you know, like my cooking that's bringing people is because she knows that God has given us this Blessing.
- [31:39]
Elon Musk
Reporting for World, I'm Jenny Ruff in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- [32:00]
Nick Eichert
Today is Tuesday, March 11th. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio, I'm Nick Iker.
- [32:08]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichard. A quick error correction from yesterday. We inadvertently misidentified the lawyer representing an inmate on death row. Her name is Ann Fisher. Sorry about that. Well, for years we have been told that faith and politics should stay in separate lanes. World Opinion's managing editor Andrew Walker says it's time to rethink that.
- [32:36]
Kristen Flavin
I came of age at a time in American evangelicalism where putting distance between conservative politics and Christianity was a very, very popular trend. The assumption was that an association with conservative politics would repel potential converts. The rallying cry was God was neither a Republican nor a Democrat. Thus arose third way evangelicalism. Enlightened Christianity stood above all earthly politics, which is true insofar as Christianity is a transcendent judge of all earthly political regimes. Advocates of this approach believed less partisan Christianity would be more successful at evangelizing unbelievers. There was also the injection of ambiguity, the mistaken idea that left and right were equally an affront to God's apolitical kingdom. During this era of evangelicalism, the highest aspiration for a culturally learned evangelicalism was that the well known liberal elite would come to this depoliticized faith, thus lending to Christianity a sort of cultural legitimacy that many strove for. There are positives to commend in this approach. There are ways that partisanship can become too much. Christian faith, after all, is not about temporal gain or power. It is fundamentally about redemption and union with Christ. But nearing age 40, as I am, I want to make peace with something that my late 20something faith would have tried to resist. It really is okay to be a politically conservative Christian and not be Embarrassed about it? Just own it. This permission slip came to me after the new Pew Religious Landscape study was released recently. This study is the unofficial gold standard of American religious demography. One important data point stood out. If one identifies as a Christian, there is a far higher likelihood that one has what is considered conservative politics. In our context, the reverse is also true. The more one identifies as politically liberal, the less likely one is to identify as Christian. A lot of further analysis could be offered, but I want to challenge one common line of critique that it harms Christianity when Christians are too intertwined with the Republican Party. The study shows the exact opposite. In fact, one could potentially see how conservative politics may be an on ramp to Christian belief, while liberal politics may be an off ramp to Christian belief. There are parallel belief structures between conservatism and Christianity, making them share an affinity without being synonymous. Conservative belief structures have an architecture that resembles patterns of Christian belief. Despite what critics say, this is not simply a matter of a person politicizing his or her faith. Rather, the species of conservatism and Christianity share a genus. In prioritizing transcendence, objective moral, law ordered liberty, and natural institutions like the family and nation, conservatism can be a gateway into Christianity. It's our job as Christians to open those gates and not leave them merely with the political architecture, but the fullness of the Christian faith and a relationship with God through Christ. The Pew study suggests that our evangelistic efforts may be more fruitful when directed towards those with conservative inclinations rather than those steeped in progressive ideology. While evangelism should be occurring in both directions, the data point from Pew suggest that much of Third Way evangelicalism's fascination with politically liberal elites has led us to miss a harvest more amenable to Christian truth claims with those on our right. This is another way of saying conservative beliefs that Christians have may be a form of pre evangelism for those who have conservative convictions, but not the Christian faith. Maybe we should not apologize for being conservative Christians after all. I'm Andrew Walker.
- [36:27]
Nick Eichert
Tomorrow, the growing push to dismantle the Department of Education. How serious is that idea? And a rodeo wrangler who dodges rampaging bulls while taking on eternal questions. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Iker.
- [36:42]
Mary Reichard
And I'm Mary Reichard. 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 records that when the crowd found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to him, rabbi, when did you come here. Jesus answered them. Truly, truly, I say to you. You are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him God the Father has set his seal. Verses 25 through 27 of John chapter 6. Go now in grace and peace.