5.22.26 Culture Friday on Fidelity Month, the latest Star Wars adventure, and training young journalists

Summary

The World and Everything In It – Episode Summary

Culture Friday on Fidelity Month, Star Wars’ Return, and Training Young Journalists

Date: May 22, 2026
Hosts: Myrna Brown, Nick Eicher
Guests: John Stonestreet (Colson Center), Colin Garbarino, Lindsay Mast, Kent Covington

Overview

This episode revolves around three core cultural topics: the emergence of "Fidelity Month" as a counter to Pride Month, reflections on generational changes in church and education, and a major Star Wars film review. It also highlights the training of young Christian journalists at the World Journalism Institute (WJI) and candidly discusses editorial policy on pronoun usage in reporting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fidelity Month: A Positive Cultural Vision

Segment begins: [06:44]

• Topic: Fidelity Month, proposed by Princeton’s Robert George, calls for June to be about fidelity to God, family, and country, not sexual identity politics.
• John Stonestreet: “One of the reasons I’ve loved Fidelity Month… is that this is an articulation of a positive vision of the good life… Historically, how do we actually flourish as human beings? We flourish by being faithful: to God, to family, to country.” ([07:56])
• Stonestreet stresses that Fidelity Month isn't merely reactive but articulates enduring values—especially relevant as America approaches its 250th anniversary.
• Action Point: Listeners are invited to participate, e.g., through a high school essay contest and social media (see fidelitymonth.com).

Notable Quote

“You can't celebrate one of the seven deadly sins on one hand, and then faithfulness to God and to others on the other hand. So they are polar opposites.” – John Stonestreet ([08:46])

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2. The Value of Humanities in Higher Ed

Segment begins: [10:21]

• Student Q&A: Kelsey Snowden asks if the humanities are being devalued in higher education and what impact this might have.
• Stonestreet: Devaluation is already a reality—education is treated as transactional (getting a job/grade) instead of transformational (pursuit of wisdom).
• References “chronological snobbery” (C.S. Lewis): neglect of great ideas, favoring self-expressive individualism instead of humility and lifelong learning.
• Challenge: Opportunity for Christians to reclaim and model education as wisdom-seeking.

Notable Quote

“To become an educated person is to be someone who’s curious, to be always learning and to be exploring… That requires as a student that you’re humble…” – John Stonestreet ([11:52])

Timestamps

• [12:07]: Discussion shifts to AI’s effects on academic grading post-ChatGPT.

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3. AI, Learning, and Wisdom

Segment begins: [12:50]

• Student Q&A: Katie Kearney asks about AI’s impact on Internet use and learning.
• Stonestreet: AI and the Internet have already re-shaped thought processes, moving away from linear, cause-effect reasoning into “networked” thinking.
• Warns of substitute of wisdom with mere access to information and efficiency as an enemy to deep, human engagement.
• “When [technology] replaces what it means to be human, that's when we're in really dangerous territory.” ([14:23])

Notable Quote

“The access to knowledge became a really bad substitute for the acquisition of wisdom. Those aren’t the same things…” – John Stonestreet ([14:56])

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4. Religion & Tradition Among Gen Z Men

Segment begins: [15:41]

• Student Q&A: Micah Foster on why young men trend toward Catholic and Orthodox churches.
• Stonestreet: Stats don’t show a massive increase in conversions, but definite trend of young men seeking more conservative, rooted church experiences.
• Pushback against “seeker-friendly” inventiveness; desire for historical rootedness, order, and inherited liturgical traditions.

Notable Quote

“There’s something in a post-modern ethos where we’re told everything is a social construct… to actually go back and see [history]… There’s something solid here to stand on.” – John Stonestreet ([17:03])

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5. Star Wars Returns: ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Review

Segment begins: [19:59]

• Colin Garbarino provides an in-depth review of the new Star Wars film, which brings fan-favorites Mando and Grogu to the big screen.
  • Addresses cautious optimism of fans after Disney’s streaming shows, promises a more cinematic experience.
  • Movie pitched as “Blade Runner meets Gladiator meets Predator”—beautiful, thrilling visuals, safe for most families, no foul language or sensuality.
  • Maintains franchise’s signature blend of action and humor; highlights father-son bond as emotional core.
  • Criticisms: Some CGI lacks realism (notably a computer-generated Hutt), film runs about 20 minutes too long.

Memorable Moments

"Mando might come across as the John Wick of the Star Wars universe, but... his action-packed battles remain bloodless." – Colin Garbarino ([22:24])

“As Mando says, the old protect the young and then the young protect the old. This is the way.” – Colin Garbarino ([24:20])

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6. Training Young Journalists: Biblical Truth in the Newsroom

Segment begins: [24:45] (Ask the Editor)

• Setting: At Dordt University, for the World Journalism Institute’s collegiate course.
• Lindsay Mast reflects on fielding tough editorial questions from Christian students, namely how to refer to transgender individuals in their reporting.
• World Radio’s guiding principle: accurate, biblical language—refers to persons by biological sex, explains context when needed, always balancing truth with compassion.
• Contrasts World’s editorial transparency and integrity with other media’s claimed neutrality.

Quotes

“We tell the truth. A person with XY chromosomes is a man, XX is a woman. Of course, how we tell the truth matters too. We are to do it in love.” – Lindsay Mast ([31:12])

“World is honest about having a worldview that serves as our starting point for truth… We don’t claim to be impartial on all matters because we’re clear that the Bible is our foundation.” – Kent Covington ([29:39])

• Emphasis on training the next generation to wrestle through these issues thoughtfully under Christian guidance.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “You can't celebrate one of the seven deadly sins on one hand, and then faithfulness to God and to others on the other hand. So they are polar opposites.” – John Stonestreet ([08:46])
• “To become an educated person is to be someone who’s curious, to be always learning and to be exploring… That requires as a student that you’re humble…” – John Stonestreet ([11:52])
• “When [technology] replaces what it means to be human, that's when we're in really dangerous territory.” – John Stonestreet ([14:23])
• “The access to knowledge became a really bad substitute for the acquisition of wisdom. Those aren’t the same things…” – John Stonestreet ([14:56])
• "Mando might come across as the John Wick of the Star Wars universe, but... his action-packed battles remain bloodless." – Colin Garbarino ([22:24])
• “As Mando says, the old protect the young and then the young protect the old. This is the way.” – Colin Garbarino ([24:20])
• “We tell the truth. A person with XY chromosomes is a man, XX is a woman. Of course, how we tell the truth matters too. We are to do it in love.” – Lindsay Mast ([31:12])
• “World is honest about having a worldview that serves as our starting point for truth… We don’t claim to be impartial on all matters because we’re clear that the Bible is our foundation.” – Kent Covington ([29:39])

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Timestamps – Important Segments

• 06:44 – Introduction of John Stonestreet; Fidelity Month discussion
• 10:21 – WJI student Q&A on humanities in higher education
• 12:50 – Student Q&A on AI’s impact on learning and the Internet
• 15:41 – Student Q&A on young men and liturgical churches
• 19:59 – Colin Garbarino reviews “The Mandalorian and Grogu”
• 24:45 – Ask the Editor: Training young Christian journalists; pronoun usage and the pursuit of truthful journalism

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Conclusion

This Culture Friday is a packed episode examining deep questions about American culture, generational trends, faith, the ethics of journalism, and pop culture. From proposing a positive vision with Fidelity Month to equipping the next generation of journalists to stand for truth and clarity in a complex cultural context, the show synthesizes significant cultural and spiritual commentary with a recognizable, accessible conversational style.

If you missed the episode but want to catch up on the key arguments, voices, and cultural touchstones—this summary gives you the essentials, memorable moments, and a roadmap for further exploration.

Transcript

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. Today on Culture Friday, an alternative to Pride Month, Fidelity Month.

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, that and student questions. John Stonestreet is standing by. Also today, frustrated Star wars fans may find new hope in the latest film in the franchise. Colin Garbarino reviews the Mandalorian and Grogu.

[John Stonestreet]

What are you waiting for?

[Nick Eicher]

Hop on and ask the editor. Our Lindsay Mast on countercultural journalism.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Friday, May 22nd. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Iger. Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump seemed to signal on Thursday that he could be ready to launch US Military action against Cuba. He told reporters at the White House,

[John Stonestreet]

other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something, and it

[Lindsay Mast]

looks like I'll be the one that does it.

[Kent Covington]

His comments came a day after the Department of Justice announced murder charges against former Cuban president longtime dictator Raul Castro. That indictment mirrors drug trafficking charges against former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro that preceded a January military raid in Caracas to arrest him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the president's preference is always a negotiated agreement.

[John Stonestreet]

That's peaceful.

[Kent Covington]

That's always our preference.

[Colin Garbarino]

That remains our preference with Cuba.

[John Stonestreet]

I'm just being honest with you. The likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, is not high.

[Kent Covington]

The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and other US Navy ships arrived in the Caribbean this week. The Trump administration has also tightened sanctions and restricted fuel shipments to Cuba. Iran says it is still reviewing the latest peace proposal from the United States as President Trump says his patience is running thin. Pakistan's interior minister has been to Tehran twice in less than a week trying to keep the talks moving. Two major sticking points remain. First and foremost, Trump says Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and it cannot keep its enriched uranium.

[John Stonestreet]

We don't need it. We don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it.

[Kent Covington]

Iran still says it will not give up its nuclear program. And Tehran also wants the US to agree to allowing it to charge tolls to any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz. But the president says that's another non starter.

[John Stonestreet]

We want it open, we want it free. We don't want tolls. It's international. It's an international waterway. They're not charging tolls.

[Kent Covington]

Iran has reportedly offered to suspend uranium enrichment for five years. The US wants at least 20. Trump says Iran only has a few more days to reach a deal before the US could resume military strikes. Senators are heading home for the Memorial Day recess without voting on a bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies. World's Harrison Waters reports from Washington.

[Colin Garbarino]

Senators spent Thursday morning approving nominations for district court judges, but wrapped up before a so called vote a rama planned for the afternoon. Republican leaders had removed a $1 billion request in the bill to fund security for a new White House ballroom after the Senate parliamentarian said it broke chamber rules. But they hit the brakes on the entire package after the Justice Department unveiled a nearly $2 billion fund to compensate Americans for alleged Biden era political targeting. Democrats promised to swamp the session with amendments to block that fund, and Majority Leader John Thune said the White House needs to answer a lot of questions about it. Thune delayed the vote on immigration enforcement funding until after next week's recess. The Senate will return on June 1, the day the president hopes to sign the legislation into law. Reporting for World, I'm Harrison Waters.

[Kent Covington]

The Trump administration is loosening federal rules on the kinds of refrigerants grocery stores and air conditioning companies have to use. The EPA announced the change on Thursday, pushing back deadlines from a 2023 Biden era rule that phased out a class of refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons. Trump discussed the move at a White House ceremony alongside grocery executives.

[John Stonestreet]

Many grocery stores and restaurants had no choice but to replace their refrigerators entirely, and these costs rose. Americans faced higher grocery prices and reduced access to critical medical supplies.

[Kent Covington]

Trump says the move will have no adverse effect on the environment. Critics, though, disagree. Some environmental groups say it will slow the phase out of refrigerants many times more potent than carbon dioxide. In Turkey, hundreds of pro Palestinian activists who tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza returned home on Thursday that after Israeli security forces apprehended and deported them. Turkish state media reported that several appeared to have injuries and were expected to undergo medical checks. One activist with a black eye claimed his injuries were caused by Israeli police.

[John Stonestreet]

They put my head down and started beating me.

[Nick Eicher]

One of them had gloves on with

[Colin Garbarino]

hardened plastic and he started punching my face and swelled shut.

[Kent Covington]

That claim could not be independently verified, but it came after Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben GVIR posted a video on his X account, drawing widespread condemnation. The video appeared to show the activists crammed together, handcuffed in, bowing as the security minister mocked them and forced them to listen to the Israeli national anthem. The video was widely condemned by many, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also chimed in, characterizing the flotilla effort as a stupid stunt, but also calling Ben Gvir's actions despicable. I'm Kent Cuffington. And coming up, Colin Garbarino on whether the Mandalorian and Grogu does or does not live up to expectations. Plus, ask the editor. This is the WORLD and everything in it.

[Nick Eicher]

It's Friday, May 22nd. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE world. And good morning. I'm Nick Iker.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. It's Culture Friday. And joining us now is John Stonestreet. He's president of the Colson Center. He's host of the Breakpoint podcast, and he's here now. Good morning, John.

[John Stonestreet]

Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, John, we're coming up on June, which for decades in American public life has been dominated by so called Pride Month celebrations. But there's now a counter observance gaining traction among religious conservatives. It's, it's been around a few years. It's called Fidelity Month. It's the idea that June ought to honor fidelity to God, to family, to country, instead of celebrating sexual identity politics. The effort is associated with Princeton Professor Robert George, and it's drawn support from Christian conservatives across denominational lines. It's a great idea and I know it'll be active again this year. But is there any danger, John, that conservatives simply become reactive? So, in other words, are we too busy building parallel observances instead of articulating a positive vision of the good life? What do you say?

[John Stonestreet]

Well, one of the reasons I've loved Fidelity Month since the idea first came across my attention is exactly that, is that this is an articulation of a positive vision of the good life in the sense of what the good life historically has meant. What is good? How do we actually flourish, flourish as human beings, and we don't flourish with an inward turn, we flourish with an outward turn. We flourish by being faithful, faithful in our trust of God, faithful to those to whom we have responsibility, especially our families, and then faithful ultimately to country. Now, if you ask Professor George, though he does not describe this as an alternative, I know it. It is because you can't celebrate both. You can't celebrate one of the seven deadly sins on one hand, and then faithfulness to God and to others on the other hand. So they are polar opposites. And so I think that competition's probably built into the system. Listen, whatever happens with Pride Month, I love the idea of Fidelity Month because it's true, and it's good. And it wasn't invented just as a way to get back at those who are celebrating something else. It is something worth honoring and remembering. And I think it's especially true right now in light of the 250th anniversary of America. But you can choose to participate in it by putting something on your social media feed, by just changing your profile picture. All of it is available [e-mail] I'm a big fan of it. In fact, this year, to connect with the 250th anniversary of America, there's a high school essay contest with cash prizes so you can show your fidelity to God and others and maybe get some cash. I don't know if there's a contradiction in there, but it's something people should know about and it's a lot of fun. I love the idea. It is gaining traction. Pride is losing traction. So why not lean in this year?

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah. Well, John, as you can tell from the backdrop of the screen, we are in a different location today. A lot of our team is up in Northwest Iowa. Myrna is here with me. We're involved in the 2026 World Journalism Institute Collegiate course. It is an honor to get to do it every year. And as we have done the last when we're here at Dort University, we ask students whether they have questions. And they do again this year. So we have time for just a few.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hi, my name is Kelsey Snowden. I am a student at Southwest Baptist University. My question is, are we seeing a devaluing of the humanities in higher education? If so, how will that impact the workforce going forward?

[John Stonestreet]

Oh, we. We're not seeing it. We have seen it devaluing things like great literature, great works, those things that make you think prioritizing pragmatism, getting a grade, getting a result, getting a job, as if education itself is primarily a transactional endeavor as opposed to a transformational endeavor. All of these things have been pretty much in the water for quite some time. I do think it's gotten worse. I do think the amount of debt that people, students go in to oftentimes to study a field that isn't actually a field and get a degree that means nothing and makes one less employable than they were maybe going in. I mean, these are the realities of higher education right now. So I do think, perhaps more than in any other time that I can think of in my lifetime, the opportunity for Christians to show a better way what education really is. The pursuit of wisdom, to become an educated person is to be someone who's curious, to be always learning and to be exploring and living, not just for self expressive individualism. And that requires as a student that you're humble, you're not sucked into the chronological snobbery that is at the heart, as C.S. lewis called it. That's at the heart of so much of this devaluing of the past, the valuing of the great ideas and the elevation of the individual over and above the humility that is required to actually be a student.

[Nick Eicher]

You know, John, speaking of the humanities in higher education, did you see this one? The Berkeley center for Studies in Higher Education, this was reported this week in the Wall Street Journal. It found a 30% relative surge in A grades in college courses that were heavily exposed to AI since the launch of ChatGPT. Did you see that one?

[John Stonestreet]

That's really amazing. Yeah, what a coincidence, right?

[Nick Eicher]

I mean, 30% is not a small rise. Though I will admit I half expected an even bigger bump than that. We actually had several student questions on the subject of AI, John, and here's the one that we decided we would go with.

[Lindsay Mast]

Hi, John, my name is Katie Kearney and I'm a student at Emmaus University in Iowa. My question's about AI.

[Kent Covington]

With the amount of AI content flooding

[Lindsay Mast]

the Internet right now and with how

[John Stonestreet]

realistic it's been getting, how do you

[Lindsay Mast]

think this will affect the way people use the Internet long term?

[John Stonestreet]

Well, I think it's affected the way people use the Internet already in dramatic ways. I mean, the most obvious way is we're all kind of in on how much better AI search is than actually, you know, relying on Google. But of course, all of that in and of itself was a replacement of something of what it meant. When I was a kid and I had a question and my mom said, look it up. What she meant was go to a book. And to go to a book for the answers for our questions is a fundamentally different exercise than going online. You know, whether you start at page one and get to page 70 or you start at page one and only get to page seven. It's a linear way of approaching life in the world. It orders your brain in a cause and effect sort of way. What happens on page one takes you to page two and so on. And already in kind of life online or life on the Internet. We lost a lot of linear capability in our thought. We've lost the capability to think about life in terms of cause and effect. There was always workarounds. Life was seen in a network and there's benefits to that, but there's also liabilities. Now, fundamentally, I think the challenge, and we'll see it in a million different ways, but I think fundamentally the challenge is that our technology should be tools that we use in order to enhance our humanity. The real tragedy happens when it's used to replace our humanity. And those are tough lines always to figure out, because we certainly do appreciate the ability to get around disability with some of our technology or to increase our capability because of our technology. But when it replaces what it means to be human, that's when we're in really dangerous territory. So, for example, in the search world, the idea that we could access an incredible amount of information at any point of our day, the access to knowledge became a really bad substitute for the acquisition of wisdom. Those aren't the same things, but in an information age, it's easy to take those two things and confuse them. And now when it comes to an AI generation with even more effective access to even more information, even more conveniently, then we'll miss the things that make us human. The ability to cultivate wisdom, the. The hard, inefficient ways that are required us. If we're actually going to think well, and if we shortcut those things, then we're going to be impoverished. It's going to make us poor in pretty profound ways.

[Colin Garbarino]

Hi, John.

[John Stonestreet]

My name is Micah Foster, and I'm a senior at Reformation Bible College from Sanford, Florida. My question is about a growth in liturgical church interest among young men.

[Colin Garbarino]

I've noticed a lot of my male

[John Stonestreet]

friends in their teens and in college are becoming interested in Catholic or Orthodox churches. Why do you think we're seeing this trend? I think this is a part of a larger trend because if you actually look at the overall numbers, the actual numbers of those who are converting to either Roman Catholic or Orthodoxy, there's actually not as big of a trend line as many people have the impression that there is. And it's probably not all that greater than those from Catholic and Orthodox backgrounds converting to Protestant and evangelical one. So I do think, though, we're seeing something specific among young men, which of course, was your question, but it's an important distinction. What we're seeing is that young men do seem to be trending more conservative in many areas, including religious affiliation, and young women are actually trending the other direction in some reports. This is not really an increase of those who are converting, it's a decrease. And the ones that we're losing out of religion and religious identification altogether. And so it seems like a growth. But I will make at least one suggestion, and that is that we are coming out of, in many ways and thankfully so, a seeker friendly model within the evangelical church in which basically pastors and church leaders and worship pastors and so on had to make up something new every week and essentially had to outperform and outdo themselves week in and week out. And what we wanted was something that didn't need to be made up each and every week, I think. And there's something in a post modern ethos where we're told everything is a social construct and history is bunk to actually go back and see, oh no, there's a historical trend here. We're not making stuff up. There's something solid here to stand on. I don't think that that is necessarily fully a reality, as if there's no problem in the history of liturgics or older hierarchical churches. Of course there's all kinds of issues, but I do think there's a bit of pushing back against the inventiveness that really defined the last several decades. And you're seeing kind of a pendulum swing the other way. There was a promise. There was a promise that if we didn't get into kind of the rote, the rhythm, the habitat, you know, of the saying the same thing over and over and over, then it would be more authentic. And I just think that that didn't come true. That was probably a false dynamic and things have changed.

[Nick Eicher]

John Stonestreet is president of the Colson center and host of the Breakpoint Podcast. John, thanks.

[John Stonestreet]

Thank you. Additional support comes from Peace International, serving South Sudan's refugees by educating children, empowering women and equipping pastors. Peaceint.org from Reformation Bible College, where theology shapes every calling. More@discover b reformationbiblecollege.org and from Eyewitness Ride

[Kent Covington]

to Freedom, three friends, one simulation trapped in history during the Freedom Rides now on all major platforms or eyewitnesspod.com.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Friday, May 22nd. Thank you for turning to world radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Nick Iker.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Erna Brown. Coming next on the world and everything in it. After a long hiatus, Star wars returns to the silver screen. Arts and culture editor Colin Garbarino reviews the Mandalorian and Grogu.

[Colin Garbarino]

It's been seven years since the rise of Skywalker left Star wars fans with mixed emotions over the state of the galaxy far, far away. Then Lucasfilm began cranking out streaming content for Disney instead of developing new films. Much of that content was of such middling quality that the emotions of die hard fans started to become less mixed and more hostile toward parent company Disney. But it wasn't all bad. Both critics and fans adored the first season of the Mandalorian, a western inspired series about a tough as nails bounty hunter who rescues the eminently memeable baby Yoda named Grogu. Now Lucasfilm wants to pivot back to theaters, so it's adapting its most popular duo for the big screen.

[John Stonestreet]

What are you waiting for? Hop on.

[Colin Garbarino]

The Mandalorian in Grogu takes place during the years after the Empire's defeat and the Return of the Jedi. Mando is no longer a gunslinger for hire. He and his force sensitive Ward, make their living working for the New Republic, rounding up Imperial warlords who remain at large. I only hunt down Imperial war criminals.

[John Stonestreet]

I don't work for gangsters anymore. Especially the Hutts.

[Myrna Brown]

That's right, you don't. You work for us. And right now, this is what we need you to do.

[Colin Garbarino]

Their next mission will test their resourcefulness.

[Myrna Brown]

Commander Coin.

[John Stonestreet]

Our missing Aesop Staves. No one knows what he looks like

[Myrna Brown]

and most believe him to be dead.

[John Stonestreet]

Not a lot to go on.

[Colin Garbarino]

In searching for their quarry, Mando and Grogu run afoul of the galaxy's most notorious crime family. The Hutts don't take kindly to having New Republic bounty hunters meddling in their affairs.

[John Stonestreet]

We note the men. Lori. Creep. You'll be outcast for letting an enemy see your face.

[Colin Garbarino]

Not if you all die. It could be a tough sell for Disney to convince folks who are used to watching this story on the small screen to get off the sofa and head to the theater to watch the next installment. But the film includes some truly cinematic visuals. The movie was filmed for IMAX and it drops us into an expansive, beautiful and thrilling world.

[Kent Covington]

This is worth a lot more than

[John Stonestreet]

the bounty on that imp.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, let's call it an advance on the next mission.

[Colin Garbarino]

Even though the film is rated PG13, it's probably safe for younger kids who don't mind sci fi action. There's no foul language or sensuality. Mando might come across as the John Wick of the Star wars universe, but for the most part his action packed battles remain bloodless. Though don't expect the gritty western feel from the TV series. This movie is more like Blade Runner meets Gladiator meets Predator. It's typical for Star wars films to have a healthy dose of humor and this movie is no exception. Mando might be a no nonsense tough guy, but his non verbal sidekick peppers the film, with amusing moments that are also terribly cute, and the father son bond they share, gives the film its emotional core. Roku, I need you to go to the control panel.

[John Stonestreet]

Remember the buttons I told you never to touch? I'm gonna need you to touch them.

[Colin Garbarino]

But while many fans will enjoy the Mandalorian and Grogu, the film isn't perfect. In many ways, it manages to recapture the look and feel of the original trilogy. But one of the computer generated huts never looked quite as real as the giant Jabba puppet from the Return of the Jedi. Also, the 132 minute film is about 20 minutes too long. The second half drags and a couple of scenes don't add anything to the story. The we also have to listen to one character give the same cliche laden speech twice.

[John Stonestreet]

It would get him not yet, sir, but we will.

[Colin Garbarino]

Despite its deficiencies, Star wars fans will enjoy the movie because it respects the franchise and the audience. Even folks unfamiliar with the series can enjoy the film. Those who thoroughly know Star wars lore will be delighted by some of the inclusions. But knowing the backstory isn't necessary. The film tells you what you need to know. And embedded in this story about a grizzled warrior and his adopted son is a message that America, in the midst of a demographic crisis, needs to hear. As Mando says, the old protect the young and then the young protect the old.

[Nick Eicher]

This is the way.

[Colin Garbarino]

I'm Colin Garbage.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. This is the World and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Time now for Ask the Editor. And as you heard a moment ago, we are at Dort University. IT is the 28th World Journalism Institute collegiate course. And appropriately this month, Ask the Editor is on journalism education because, let's face it, there has been a lot of asking of the editor.

[Myrna Brown]

No doubt one of the student projects this week had to do with a couple of cases about to be decided in the Supreme Court, cases on men and women's sports. And a student question happened to land on the desk producer Lindsay Mast, who joins us now. Good morning, Lindsay.

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning, Nick and Myrna. So the students were writing reports this week about a story that involved transgender athletes, boys who were competing against girls in sports and taking their places on the podium. Here's World's Lawrence Smith to describe the situation.

[Nick Eicher]

They were all doing the practice legal case assignment which concerned two male transgender

[John Stonestreet]

athletes suing to participate in female sports.

[Nick Eicher]

One lawyer referred to the plaintiff as

[John Stonestreet]

he and the other used she and confusion abounded.

[Nick Eicher]

The students weren't sure what term to

[John Stonestreet]

use or how to make it clear to the listener who or what they were talking about.

[Lindsay Mast]

And this is when the power of what world does at WJI crystallized a little bit more for me. And here's why. We have more than two dozen smart, energetic Christian young people who have come to us from all over the country.

[John Stonestreet]

What's up, WJI family? My name is Josh Ranier.

[Colin Garbarino]

I'm so excited to meet all of you wonderful people.

[John Stonestreet]

Hi, my name is Lydia Johnson and

[Lindsay Mast]

I just finished my junior year at Anderson University in South Carolina.

[John Stonestreet]

Hey guys, I'm Kenna Hardian.

[Lindsay Mast]

I'm a multimedia journalism student at Taylor University.

[Colin Garbarino]

My name is Adam Roseberry. I'm a student here at College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri.

[Lindsay Mast]

These students went through a lengthy application process because they wanted us to put them through the paces on what they will face should they continue in the field of journalism. And these question questions likely won't go away in their lifetime. Many of these students were in elementary school when the Obergefell decision came down. It's possible they've never known a social media account that didn't prompt them to put in pronouns of their own. Facebook added 50 gender options to profiles before they were teenagers, and about one out of every four of their Gen Z peers would say they fall somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum. And you can see why this generation specifically would need an answer to the question they asked Lauren what's our policy

[John Stonestreet]

on pronouns for transgender people?

[Lindsay Mast]

It's one that our own staff has had to grapple with in jobs at traditional newsrooms, and we deal with that or similar questions every day at World, having to make real time judgment calls about how we will present information to you. The Associated Press Style book has long been the same standard for grammar, style and language among journalists. We like to say that we follow their style, except when we don't. Take, for instance, how the Associated Press and an NPR affiliate talked about the drug mifepristone recently.

[Myrna Brown]

Most abortions in the US Are obtained

[Lindsay Mast]

by taking medication, usually involving this pill, mifepristone. The United States Supreme Court issued a

[John Stonestreet]

temporary order Monday restoring nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication.

[Lindsay Mast]

But what does it mean to call mifepristone abortion medication? The Cambridge Dictionary defines medication as a medicine or set of medicines or drugs used to improve a particular condition or illness. In our May 12 episode, here's how we handled that same topic.

[Nick Eicher]

Up next, the US Supreme Court extended a stay yesterday that allows mail orders of the abortion drug mifepristone.

[Lindsay Mast]

And that's just one subtle difference you hear there. They're calling it an abortion drug, but it comes out of our belief that we tell the truth. And accurate language is vital to truth telling. Here's our thinking. First of all, pregnancy is not an illness. Secondly, if a medicine is something that's harming, killing a child in the womb, that's contradictory to medication's definition of improving a particular condition or illness. Sure, mifepristone is packaged like a medication. It comes in pill form, and there are some limited approved uses for it for true illnesses. But in conjunction with the term abortion, it's not by definition a medication. And using the term that way paints what it does and why inaccurately. And that's just one topic. One word out of the roughly 5,000 this program alone produces. Each day, our news director, Kent Covington, interacts with other reporting, probably the most out of any of us at World Radio. He spends time each day combing through its bias. Here's what he told me when I asked about what he encounters.

[Kent Covington]

Yeah, I think World is honest about having a worldview that serves as our starting point for truth. We're clear about what that is. And so we don't claim to be impartial on all matters because we're clear that the Bible is our starting point. It is our foundation. Whereas, in contrast, other sources, a lot of mainstream media sources may claim to be impartial or say they are, you know, news without an agenda, when they very clearly do have agendas and a crystal clear worldview of their own, almost always left of center. Worldview that drives their story selection, how they prioritize the stories, how they choose their sources, and then, of course, the writing of the stories themselves. And I think World is honest about its worldview, while others, frankly, are not as forthcoming.

[Lindsay Mast]

To be clear, we do not always get these things right. We work under tight deadlines on complex stories. But you can trust that we are thinking about what we say and how we say it. Our editorial staff is talking about it and trying to cut through noise we now find in sources we once depended on and looked up to. So that brings us back to WJI and the question raised by the students. Here's what I told Lauren. We tell the truth. A person with XY chromosomes is a man, XX is a woman. Of course, how we tell the truth matters, too. We are to do it in love. As Christians, we respect each person's worth and dignity, and we are held to a high standard in how we speak of others. So we work hard not to disrespect those who are struggling with identity issues. We may have to spend extra time explaining how someone views him or herself, but we strive to be as accurate as possible. And that's one of the reasons we believe in the work of wji. Some of these students are at Christian schools, some are not. Some are studying journalism, some are in other fields. But they are all young Christians who at least have an interest in living out their worldview in the field of journalism. And what WJI provides for them is a place to work through these questions under the guidance of other Christians. We know many of you believe in it, too, and give financially to help make it happen each year. So we thank you for your support and we covet your prayers for these students and for those of us tasked with guiding them. And that's Ask the Editor for the month of May.

[John Stonestreet]

I'm Lindsay Master.

[Nick Eicher]

All right, time now to name the crew who helped with this week's programs. Mary Reichert, David Bonson, Jenny Ruff, Mary Muncie, Juliana Chan Erickson, Kim Henderson, Cal Thomas Onize, Addua, Hunter Baker, Janie B. Cheney, Arsenio Ortezza, Daniel Ser, John Stonestreet, Colin Garbarino and Josh Gagne. Thanks also to our breaking news crew, Kent Covington, Steve Klosterman, Travis Kircher, Daniel Devine and Christina Grube. And thanks to the guys who stay up late so that your program is ready for you bright and early Tech producers Benj Eicher and Karl Carl Peetz. Harrison Waters is Washington producer. Kristen Flavin is features editor. Emma Eicher is assistant producer. 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's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says, oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the agent, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through your precepts I get understanding. Therefore I hate every false way. Verses 97, 104 of Psalm 119 a reminder to go to a Bible believing, truth telling church this weekend. Let's someone's burden and let someone help carry yours. And Lord willing, we'll be right back here with you on Monday. Go now in grace and peace.