3.27.26 Social media companies held liable, 40th anniversary of Stand By Me, and Listener Feedback

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It

Episode: 3.27.26 Social media companies held liable, 40th anniversary of Stand By Me, and Listener Feedback
Date: March 27, 2026
Hosts: Myrna Brown, Nick Iger
Special Guest: John Stonestreet, President of the Colson Center
Reviewer: Max Bells

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Overview

This episode of The World and Everything In It provides an in-depth look at recent landmark legal decisions holding social media companies accountable, explores the cultural and moral implications through a “Culture Friday” conversation with John Stonestreet, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the film Stand By Me, and closes with moving listener feedback on a range of recent reports.

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Key Sections & Discussion Points

1. Headlines and Major News (00:49–06:44)

• Tensions over the Strait of Hormuz:
  President Trump issues Iran a 10-day ultimatum to reopen the crucial energy passage, with US military action implied if compliance fails.
  Quote (President Trump paraphrased): “They asked for seven and I said, I’m going to give you 10.” (01:09)

• US Diplomatic Efforts:
  US and Pakistani mediation deliver a ceasefire plan to Iran (01:35), with Treasury Secretary Besant optimistic about increased shipping traffic.
  Secretary Rubio urges European and NATO allies to do more for security.

• Venezuela:
  Nicolas Maduro and wife appear in a NY court on drug charges, with debates over blocked legal funds and their right to a “fair trial.” (02:58)

• Homeland Security Funding Lapse:
  Ongoing shutdown causes airport chaos, as debates over immigration enforcement stall Congressional action. President Trump considers deploying the National Guard to ease security bottlenecks.

• Olympic Gender Policy:
  The IOC will require biological testing for women’s events at the 2028 Olympics, reversing earlier stances on inclusion and gender identity. Kirsty Coventry:
  “Male chromosomes give performance advantages… It would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.” (05:16)

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2. Culture Friday with John Stonestreet (07:02–18:57)

Holding Social Media Companies Accountable

Timestamps: 07:02–13:18

• Two major verdicts:
  Meta (Facebook) and YouTube found liable for failing to protect children from exploitation and for addictive platform designs.
  New Mexico: $375 million verdict (child exploitation).
  California: Found liable for fueling a young woman’s mental health crisis.

• Discussion on Precedent:
  Stonestreet draws parallels to lawsuits against Big Tobacco and the Sackler opioid litigation.
  “The precedent here is the same as the harms of smoking and the lawsuits against Big Tobacco.” (07:52)

• Cultural Accountability:
  These cases highlight the need for societal self-examination, not just corporate accountability:
  “Now we know how bad it is, particularly for children… and yet parents are still buying smartphones and putting their kids on social media.” (08:33)
  Advice: Both parents and children need to ‘get off screens’ and set mutual examples.
  “You need to reflect the kind of behavior that you’re expecting your kids to exhibit.” (09:37)

• What is New vs. Known:
  The harm of social media has been known for years, especially by tech execs, education officials, and parents.
  “Educational officials knew a lot more than they acted upon, just like these companies did.” (10:29)

• The Limits of Justice:
  Even the largest fines don’t match the real damage caused—cultural “purification” will be slow and imperfect:
  “A culture gets messed up, it’s a lot more like a drop of dye has been put into the water… There’s going to be positives and negatives.” (12:31)

Responding to the Death of the Wicked (Kermit Gosnell)

Timestamps: 13:18–18:50

• Remembering Gosnell’s Crimes:
  Kermit Gosnell, infamous for illegal late-term abortions and infanticide, dies. Stonestreet highlights media silence and lack of oversight.
  “There was more oversight in Philadelphia of nail salons and ice cream shops than what this was, which became known as a house of horrors.” (13:57)

• Media Bias:
  Stonestreet critiques the mainstream media’s tendency to minimize or misreport egregious cases (including Ehrlich, author of 'The Population Bomb'):
  “Their ideas had consequences... and because they were such bad ideas, they had victims.” (15:31)

• Christian Reflection:
  The Biblical model doesn’t celebrate the death of the wicked, but never denies their wickedness.
  “Scripture tells us God doesn’t cheer the death of the wicked, but also doesn’t do anything to downplay the wickedness.” (16:52)
  He cites Blaise Pascal:
  “Humans are the glory and the garbage of the universe.” (17:19)

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3. Film Review: 40th Anniversary of Stand By Me (20:21–25:13)

• Film’s Enduring Power:
  Max Bells reviews the Rob Reiner film, adapted from Stephen King’s novella “The Body.”
  Quote from Reiner: “It was about him and this journey to see the body was something he had to do in order to come to grips with his relationship to his father and how his friends helped him see him through that difficult time.” (20:45)

• Coming of Age Themes:
  “The boys leave civilization behind in order to become more civilized. They have to face the unknown to come to grips with reality.” (21:04)

• Supporting Each Other:
  The boys, despite trying to act tough, reveal deep vulnerability and support:
  Chris Chambers encourages Gordy: “Kids lose everything unless there’s someone there to look out for them.” (23:37)

• Literary Context:
  Reflects a tradition of stories about the transition to adulthood and the importance of rites of passage and male mentorship.
  “These stories show the change from the tomfoolery of youth to the responsibility of manhood in our age, in which many young men find themselves in prolonged adolescence. These stories are worth retelling.” (24:38)

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4. Listener Feedback (25:13–27:48)

• Ministering to Those with Disabilities (March 11 report):
  Becky Manring thanks WORLD for calling attention to the church’s role in reaching brothers and sisters with special needs.
  “They teach us Christ in new ways.” (25:44)

• Grandfamilies Story (March 12):
  Lindsay Griffin finds joy and hope in hearing about grandparents raising grandchildren, especially the bond displayed in the story.
  “You could absolutely feel the goodness of God.” (26:31)

• Thailand Evangelism (March 10):
  Christine Hayden from Bangkok acknowledges the challenges of mission work in Thailand and thanks WORLD for their report.

• Johnny Cash Profile (Feb 23):
  Lita Powell appreciates Arsenio Orteza’s concise, honest review of Cash’s life and hopes for more historical artist profiles.

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Memorable Quotes

• John Stonestreet:

  • “[Social media lawsuits] open up the potential of all kinds of future litigation, too… The precedent here is the same as the harms of smoking and the lawsuits against Big Tobacco.” (07:52)
  • “We have companies held accountable. Consumers need to hold themselves accountable.” (09:37)
  • “Scripture tells us that God doesn’t cheer the death of the wicked, but also doesn’t do anything to downplay the wickedness of the wicked.” (16:52)
  • “Humans are the glory and the garbage of the universe.” (17:19, citing Blaise Pascal)

• Kirsty Coventry (IOC):

  • “It would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.” (05:30)

• Max Bells (on Stand By Me):

  • “Kids lose everything unless there’s someone there to look out for them.” (23:37, quoting film)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• News and Headlines: 00:49–06:44
• Culture Friday (Social Media Liability): 07:02–12:31
• Gosnell & the Death of the Wicked: 13:18–18:50
• Stand By Me Review: 20:21–25:13
• Listener Feedback: 25:13–27:48

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Tone and Takeaways

The tone is analytical yet compassionate, with a strong ethical and Christian worldview lens. The hosts and guests balance reporting current events, analyzing their broader cultural meaning, and encouraging personal responsibility and spiritual reflection.

• The legal verdicts against social media giants mark a potential cultural turning point—but true change requires deeper personal and social accountability.
• The legacy and reporting (or lack thereof) on figures like Kermit Gosnell and Paul Ehrlich underscores the ongoing struggle for truth and moral clarity in media and public discourse.
• Films like Stand By Me remain vital reminders of the importance of rites of passage, mentorship, and resilience in shaping the next generation.
• Listener feedback reveals deep gratitude and engagement with the issues, highlighting the program’s impact across diverse communities.

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Transcript

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. Judgments come for social media companies. Will parents follow suit and the right response to the death of the wicked.

[Nick Iger]

John Stonestreet will be along shortly for Culture Friday. Later, a coming of age story about boys on the edge of manhood and what it takes to guide them there.

[Myrna Brown]

Kids lose everything unless there's someone there to look out for them.

[Nick Iger]

Max Bells has a review of Stand By Me and your listener feedback.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Friday, March 27th. This is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Iger. Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Up next, Ken Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump said Thursday that he's giving Iran 10 more days to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before the US Military takes aim at Iranian energy facilities.

[Nick Iger]

They asked for seven. You're going to say, oh, Trump's a terrible negotiator. They asked for seven and I said

[Max Bells]

I'm going to give you 10.

[Kent Covington]

The president during a White House Cabinet meeting said Iran earlier this week allowed 10 vessels filled with oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture. And he said despite denials on Iranian state TV and some public grandstanding, Iran is absolutely negotiating. In fact, he said, its government is begging for a deal. And US special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that Washington's 15 point ceasefire plan was delivered to Tehran.

[Max Bells]

This has been circulated through the Pakistani

[John Stonestreet]

government acting as the mediator, and this has resulted in strong and positive messaging and talks.

[Kent Covington]

Witkoff added, though, that Iran should not miscalculate again. Meanwhile, with energy prices still elevated amid the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant voiced optimism about reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

[John Stonestreet]

I am confident that shipping traffic will continue to increase on a daily basis even before we secure the straits.

[Kent Covington]

And Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Thursday just before boarding a State Department jet en route to France for a summit of G7 ministers. And he again called out US allies, particularly NATO countries, for not doing more thus far to help secure the strait. The United States is constantly being asked to help in a war, and we

[John Stonestreet]

have more than any other country in

[Kent Covington]

the world on a war that's happening in another continent, continent in Ukraine.

[John Stonestreet]

But but when the US Had a

[Kent Covington]

need, he didn't get positive responses. Secretary Rubio echoed the president's remarks, saying that reopening the strait is far more important to Europe than to the United States. Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maruro and his wife, co defendant Celia Flores, wore beige jail uniforms into a Manhattan federal courtroom on Thursday. World's Kristen Flavin reports.

[John Stonestreet]

The couple pressed Judge Alvin Hellerstein to throw out drug trafficking charges against them, but the judge made clear that's not going to happen. But he did question whether the federal government should continue to block Venezuelan government funds from covering the couple's legal costs. Existing US Sanctions bar that money from flowing. But Hellerstein noted that relations between Washington and Caracas have warmed since Maduro's capture in January. The judge, however, delayed his ruling on the question. President Trump said today Maduro will get, quote, a fair trial. Both face life in prison if convicted. For World I'm Kristen Flavin.

[Kent Covington]

It is now day 42 of the funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security. And air travelers continue to wait in winding hours, long security lines, including this traveler at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston,

[John Stonestreet]

traveling from Houston to Baton Rouge.

[Myrna Brown]

So I should have just driven right? Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.

[Kent Covington]

Amid the airport chaos, pressure is growing on Congress to fund homeland security ahead of its upcoming spring recess. Senators are trying to move quickly to debate an offer to end the funding impasse. Republicans are trying again to address Democratic demands for changes to immigration enforcement. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has given the final offer to lawmakers across the aisle. Democrats have repeatedly said that they want

[John Stonestreet]

to pay tsa, Coast Guard, FEMA and employees who defend America from cyber attacks.

[Nick Iger]

This bill would do it.

[Kent Covington]

But some Democrats claim the GOP's latest offer does not go far enough to limit immigration enforcement tactics. President Trump has already dispatched ICE officers to assist TSA agents and he is now discussing the possibility of of deploying the National Guard to airports if the shutdown continues. Olympic organizers say biology will determine who competes in women's sports at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. World's Harrison Waters has that story.

[John Stonestreet]

Olympic athletes going forward will be required to take a one time cheek swab or blood test to screen for male DNA. Kirsty Coventry is president of the International Olympic Committee, or ioc. She says the policy reflects evidence based science.

[Myrna Brown]

Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power or endurance. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So it's absolutely clear that it would

[John Stonestreet]

not be fair for biological males to

[Myrna Brown]

compete in the female category.

[John Stonestreet]

But as recently as 2024, that was not so clear to officials. The IOC has previously encouraged what it framed as inclusion and deferred to governing bodies of each sport to determine eligibility to play in female sports. But after a controversial boxing match in Paris And President Trump's executive order last February calling for clarity. In the women's category, the IOC has changed course. The new rules state that men, regardless of physical appearance or so called gender identity, can only compete in men's sports. Reporting for world, I'm Harrison Waters.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Kent Covington. Straight ahead, John Stonestreet is standing by for Culture Friday. And later, your listener feedback for the month of March. This is the World and everything in It.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Friday, March 27th. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Iker. It's Culture Friday. Back with us today, John Stonestreet, the president of the Colson center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. John, good morning.

[John Stonestreet]

Good morning.

[Nick Iger]

Well, John, two massive legal blows for Meta this week. They are sending shock waves all throughout Silicon Valley. First and early in the week, New Mexico, a jury there hit meta with a $375 million verdict for failing to protect kids from exploitation. Then came Wednesday, California. Another jury found Meta and YouTube Lynn liable for addictive designs that the jury said fueled a young woman's mental health crisis. So two states, two completely different kinds of legal attacks. But one big question, is the immunity shield for big tech finally cracking? So, John, for you, lawyers say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Do you think we're watching the start of a huge legal shift?

[John Stonestreet]

Oh, they are huge. That's the understatement because this obviously opens up the potential of all kinds of future litigation, too. And we know the victims are many from patients who have experienced the same kind of mental distress or depression, even being led to self harm and suicide. And also what we now know, which is that the tech execs knew they behave differently with their own kids as compared to how they were expecting and hoping parents would behave with their kids. So I think the precedent here is the same as the harms of smoking and the lawsuits against Big Tobacco. I think it's similar to the lawsuits against the Sackler family after MIS advertising addictive free pain medication. You know, that's a famous story as well. The question is, where is this going to end? And I think it still leaves the question, are we going to behave differently? Because yes, I do think the companies bear some responsibility. But now we know now they've been guilty. Now the platforms are still there and the addictions also are still there. Now we know how bad it is, particularly for children. And yet parents are still buying smartphones and putting their kids on social media or allowing their kids to be on social media. Schools, private schools, public schools, are still encouraging technology use and not regulating it even during the school day. Some are. A whole lot more are now than used to be. But there's a responsibility now that we know, now that it's been litigated, now that a decision has been made, now that these companies are beginning to be held accountable, that we hold ourselves accountable. I was speaking at an event last week in another country that is not as far down the sewage drain as we are on some of these issues. And I just, you know, did a flat out, you know, endorsement, get your kids off social media, get your kids off screens. And another speaker there, that was a pastor who was on the panel with me, said, and get off it yourselves. In other words, you need to reflect the kind of behavior that you're expecting your kids to exhibit. And I think that's the case. We have companies held accountable. Consumers need to hold themselves accountable.

[Myrna Brown]

John, you said we know, we know the harm, we know what these platforms are doing. So how much of this is really new, I mean, and how much of it is something we should have acted on years ago?

[John Stonestreet]

Yeah, I think there's a difference between 20 years ago and 10 years ago. I think it is a difference between the ability of parents to stay in touch with their kids and a culture that felt more dangerous. There were all kinds of reasons for parents to want to stay in touch with their kids. And that's been a driver, I think, of parents doing this for, for, for their kids in, in many ways. But 10 years into it, when you're talking about the social media boom, we knew a lot more than we acted upon. Educational officials knew a lot more than they acted upon, just like these companies knew a lot more than they acted upon. And there's also those who use this, not only those who developed this technology and created it in a way so that it would be addictive, but then those who knew it and then use that to brainwash kids. I mean, one of the things we're going to have to reckon with, that Gene Twenge and others have pointed out, is that when you lay the trend lines of social media use and the expansion and growth of that among minors and the incredible spike in mental health issues among minors of gender confusion and self harm, I mean, these are trend lines that literally lay on top of each other. And we knew that. We should have known that. And those companies that leverage these platforms that we are now saying are dangerous knew that they were dangerous then, just like parents did. So there's a lot of accountability here to go around. And look, even 20 years ago, we may not have known everything about smartphones, but we had a whole lot of people warning us about screens and entertainment addiction and things like that and early sexualization of children and, you know, go down the line of the things that we did know about. So were we pressing in on this? No. Should we have been more. Absolutely.

[Nick Iger]

Well, John, before we leave this topic altogether, I'm curious what your overall thought was as to the importance of these verdicts. Would you say that this is a general good for the culture?

[John Stonestreet]

You know, when a culture gets messed up, it's a lot more like a drop of dye has been put into the water and you can't really fully pull it out without kind of going through a whole purification process. There's going to be overreach, there's going to be greed, you know, of lawsuits and lawyers and, and honestly, it's kind of like again, the Sackler family, the overall amount of money that they ended up paying was nowhere near the damage that they caused. And you know, you think about eye popping number like 300, and some million dollars in one jury decision, that's eye popping, but that's not even close to the overall financial cost of this behavior. So there's going to be positives and negatives. There's going to be good and bad even in the decisions that are rendered in the future of the litigation.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, another story this week, John, the death of Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted in 2013 of murdering infants born alive during late term procedures. Along with the death of a patient under his care, his clinic was described by prosecutors as. As a house of horrors. The case drew outrage at the time not only for the crimes themselves, but for how little attention it received from the national media. John, when you look back at the Gosnell case, both the crimes and the lack of media coverage, what stands out most to you now?

[John Stonestreet]

It is hard to know where to begin. I mean, this was a scandal at the time that the media was so silent on. Really what was the trial of the maybe the most prolific serial killer in American history by any definition, not to mention the medical malpractice here specifically directed at women and the lack of care to women who underwent abortions, some of them having died at the clinic or in the days after. I mean, this was just an incredible thing. It was also a story about the lack of oversight, how abortion got to play by different rules. There was more oversight in Philadelphia of nail salons and ice cream shops than what this was, which became known as a house of horrors. According to the police investigators that looked at the story and the media coverage of this or the lack thereof both during the trial and now in the days after his death, I, I guess is unsurprising. The malpractice is pretty deep, as we know in media, and we saw it actually this past week or the last couple weeks, and another death, that of Paul Ehrlich. Here you had the author of the population bomb who predicted essential essentially that the population of the earth would exceed the resources decades ago and lead to mass starvations and, and so on and so on and so on. And what did we have? We had national media outlets calling his views controversial. They weren't controversial. They were flat out wrong. And not only were they flat out wrong, but they inspired things like China's one child policy, which was a state sponsored genocide of epic proportions. Not to mention forced sterilizations in developing nation like India and other places. Paul Ehrlich and Kermit Gosnell have an awful lot in common. Their views were very anti human. Their ideas had consequences. And because they were such bad ideas, they had victims. They were both wrapped up in their own ability to be heroes and saviors and ended up instead leading to an awful lot of deaths. And the media failed to deal with either one of them in a way that was appropriate for the terribleness of their views. So it came in bunches in the last couple weeks not only from Gosnell, but also Paul Ehrlich.

[Nick Iger]

Well, John, let me ask you this. How do you think Christians ought to respond to the death of someone responsible for real evil like this? We did just have a public object lesson with the President of the United States celebrating the death of someone he considered to be a political enem. And he was rightly criticized for the way he went about that. But it does raise a question, I think for us. What is the right response to the death of the actual wicked, specifically a convicted mass murderer?

[John Stonestreet]

Well, scripture tells us that God doesn't cheer the death of the wicked, but it also doesn't do anything to downplay the wickedness of the wicked. And that's why I think the Bible is so compelling and the Christian worldview so compelling. When people ask, you know, what is it about it that you find the most convincing? It's its description of the human condition. Because within other worldviews you have to assume that humans are gods. And some worldviews you have to assume that intention overcomes the rightness or wrongness of action and others. You, you know, basically remove human responsibility or accountability. You know, since we're just essentially animals with a conscience. It's within the Christian worldview that you have the inherent human dignity and also the ability and capacity of humans to violate that dignity both in themselves and in others. Blaise Pascal wrote about this in incredibly powerful terms in his collection of writings called Ponce that humans are the glory and the garbage of the universe. And I think we should apply that and frame that out and how we think and talk about folks. I thought, for example, Professor Robert George on his X account wrote a bit of a description of Kermit Gone as an image bearer and also as someone who just completely lost track of what was true and right and what gave humans value and the consequences of that were dramatic. And I think you can do that as a practitioner, like Gosnell did. I think you can do it as a theoretician like Paul Ehrlich did. I think you can do it as a dictator like we saw throughout the 20th century and the dehumanizing ideas of communism and so on. There's all kinds of ways to violate human dignity and it doesn't do us any favors to downplay that, ignore that or anything else. And yet what do we know that God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked?

[Myrna Brown]

All right, John Stonestreet is present of the Colson center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. Thank you, John.

[John Stonestreet]

Thank you both.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from the Joshua program at St. Dunstan's Academy in Virginia.

[John Stonestreet]

A gap year shaping young men through trades, farming, prayer.

[Kent Covington]

St. Dunstansacademy.org From Water's Edge competitive rates and supporting churches. 4.55% APY on a 13 month term investment. Watersedge.com invest and from the evangelistic film Heaven how I got brought here with Stephen Baldwin as the thief on the cross in 30 languages. OpenTheBible.org heaven.

[Myrna Brown]

Today is Friday, March 27th. Thank you for turning to world where to help start your day? Good morning, I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Iger]

And I'm Nick Iker. Coming next on the world and everything in it, a film returning to select theaters this weekend marking its 40th anniversary. The film Stand by me World's Max Bells. Now on why this coming of age tale has stood the test of time.

[Max Bells]

The late Rob Reiner directed Stand by Me and in an interview he reflected on what drew him to the story.

[John Stonestreet]

It was about him and this journey to see the body was something he had to do in order to come to grips with his relationship to his father and how his friends helped him

[Nick Iger]

see him through that difficult time because

[John Stonestreet]

he felt his father didn't love him.

[Max Bells]

Stand By Me is based on a Stephen King story called the Body, in which a group of boys, intrigued by news of a missing boy, head out on an adventure. King, in turn, had been Inspired by the 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, about boys who crash land on an island and have to govern themselves. The results in that book are not good, but in Stand By Me, the boys leave civilization behind in order to become more civilized. They have to face the unknown to come to grips with reality.

[Myrna Brown]

I'm never going to get out of this town now.

[Max Bells]

My gory Reiner made this movie before the Princess Bride, one of the few Hollywood movies approved for viewing in the most guarded Christian homes in the 1990s. Stand By Me would not have made that cut. It's rated R for profanity and coarse language throughout.

[John Stonestreet]

It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.

[Max Bells]

The film is framed by a voiceover from Gordy, played by Richard Dreyfuss. He remembers an adventure in the late summer of 1959 in Castle Rock, Oregon, when he and his friends search for the missing boy who might have been struck by a train.

[Myrna Brown]

Hey you guys, I bet you anything that if we find him, we'll get our pictures in the paper.

[Max Bells]

The four of them strike out with their bedrolls through the forest to find the corpse. We follow their adventure and their confessions to each other about the pain in their own families. They are growing up. We knew exactly who we were and exactly where we were going.

[John Stonestreet]

It was grand.

[Max Bells]

The boys talk big, trying to be tough and street wise. But their journey reveals that they are insecure, finding their way through the forest but also through life. Gordy's parents ignore him, overcome with grief over the loss of their older son, who died in an accident.

[Kent Covington]

Bible says in the midst of life,

[John Stonestreet]

we are in death.

[Max Bells]

Did you know that

[Myrna Brown]

I lost a brother in Korea?

[Max Bells]

A junkyard owner mocks one of the other friends, Teddy Duchamp, about his dad, who suffers from shell shock.

[Myrna Brown]

Did I know who you are?

[Nick Iger]

You're Teddy Duchamp.

[John Stonestreet]

Your dad's a loony.

[Myrna Brown]

A loony up in the nuthouse.

[Max Bells]

In togas, he stormed the beaches at Normandy. Teddy cries in defense of his dad. Gordy's boyhood friend and leader of the pack is Chris Chambers, played by an exceptional River Phoenix, the late brother of Joaquin. Chris delivers a moving monologue about the people in the town accusing him of being a thief even though he righted his wrongs. He sees Gordy's talent and encourages him about his writing.

[Myrna Brown]

It's like God gave you something, man, all those stories that you can make up. But he said, this is what we got for you, kid. Try not to lose it. Kids lose everything unless there's someone there to look out for them.

[Max Bells]

These boys are trying to find their way on. This escapade and the struggles on their quest strengthen them to take on the difficulty in other, more painful parts of their lives. They face dangers in the forest like howling wolves and leeches in a swamp. The search for the missing boy also causes them to face their own mortality.

[Myrna Brown]

Why did he have to die? Chris, why did Denny have to die? Why? I don't know. It should have been me.

[John Stonestreet]

Don't say that.

[Myrna Brown]

It should have been me. Don't say that, man.

[Max Bells]

They enjoy teasing each other, but they offer genuine support. The events of the movie happen at the end of elementary school. It's a rite of passage when a

[Myrna Brown]

cigarette tastes best after supper, right?

[Max Bells]

In literature, we have a tradition of coming of age stories. Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, and even the Catcher in the Rye. These stories show the change from the tomfoolery of youth to the responsibility of manhood in our age, in which many young men find themselves in prolonged adolescence. These stories are worth retelling. I'm Max Bells.

[Nick Iger]

Finally today we end the World Week with your listener feedback. Becky Manring of Sterling Heights, Michigan sent this in about our feature story on a church that set out to help members with special needs.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. I want to thank your report that was on the 11th of March, Mary Jackson's report on ministering to people with disabilities and bringing it to all of our attention that we have brothers and sisters who have challenges because of different things in their bodies that don't work

[John Stonestreet]

the way they are supposed to.

[Myrna Brown]

And yet they need Christ. They need compassion. And we in the church are to minister to them because they are just as much part of the body as anyone. And they teach us Christ in new ways.

[Nick Iger]

Well, Myrna Lindsay Griffin of Tampa, Florida sent this note in about your March 12 story on grandparents raising their children.

[John Stonestreet]

I listened twice to your story about grandfamilies on Thursday. Both times I was brought to tears, not because of sadness, but because of pure joy when Little Mercy described her baptism and her favorite song and how she and her grandmother would sing it in the car. You could hear the love and happiness in her voice. It was the most beautiful sound and

[Max Bells]

you could absolutely feel the goodness of God.

[John Stonestreet]

It's stories like this that make your

[Max Bells]

podcast an essential part of my day.

[Myrna Brown]

On March 10, we had a story about Christians in Thailand. Listener Christine Hayden lives there and had this to say. Hi, this is Christine Hayden in Bangkok, Thailand. We just listened to the podcast about the challenges of evangelism in Thailand. Thanks so much for this report. We have lived in Thailand almost 30 years, ministering in Christian education at International Community School. May listeners continue the prayers for the lovely people here who need Jesus. Thanks again.

[Nick Iger]

And finally, Lita Powell from Cedar Crest, New Mexico, on our February 23rd history book.

[Myrna Brown]

I really enjoyed Arsenio Orteza's piece on Johnny Cash and the concise summary of

[John Stonestreet]

his life,

[Myrna Brown]

his music and the good

[John Stonestreet]

times, the bad times, the challenges, the victories. It was just a great piece.

[Myrna Brown]

And I hope you do more of

[John Stonestreet]

those kind of segments to learn about these people that have passed on, that have left their mark on this world. So thank you for that piece about Johnny Cash.

[Nick Iger]

And that's listener feedback for the month of March. All right, time now to say thank you to the crew who helped out with this week's programs. Mary Reichert, David Bonson, Max Bells, Mary Muncie, Emma Eicher, Albert Moeller, Onise Adua, Elizabeth Shank, Hunter Baker, Cal Thomas, Lauren Canterbury, John stonestreet and Bethel McGrew. Thanks also to our breaking news crew, Kent Covington, Steve Klosterman, Travis Kircher, Daniel Devine and Christina Grube. And thanks to the moonlight maestros serving up the program each weekday. Bright and Early Benj Eicher and Carl Peetz. Harrison Waters is Washington producer. Kristen Flavin is features editor. Lindsay Mast is producer. I'm executive producer Nick Eicher.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio World. The world's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible recounts what happened after Jesus healed the ten lepers. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. And he fell on his face at Jesus feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan then. Jesus answered, were not 10 cleansed? Where are the 9? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, rise and go your way. Your faith has made you well. Verses 15 through 19 of Luke, chapter 17. Give thanks and praise to God this weekend and be sure you're in a Bible believing church on Palm Sunday. And Lord will family we'll meet you right back here on Monday. Go now. And grace and peace.