6.24.25 U.S. strikes Iran, more SCOTS rulings, and the celebrity problem in CCM

Summary

Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It Episode: 6.24.25 U.S. Strikes Iran, More SCOTS Rulings, and the Celebrity Problem in CCM Release Date: June 24, 2025

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U.S.-Iran Conflict and Ceasefire Announcement

In this episode, World Radio delves into the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. President Trump announced a "complete and total ceasefire" between Israel and Iran via social media on the evening of June 24, 2025^1^. Vice President J.D. Vance hailed this development as the end of a 12-day war and the onset of a new era for Middle Eastern peace^1^.

However, this announcement came mere hours after Iran launched an attack on a U.S. airbase in Qatar, involving 14 missiles^1^. While all but one missile were intercepted, raising questions about the sustainability of the ceasefire^1^. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded a classified briefing to understand the full scope of Iran's retaliation and the potential U.S. response[^3:18^].

Retired Marine Corps Colonel Darren Duke provided expert analysis, highlighting the strategic execution of the U.S. airstrikes and Iran's limited escalation options[^8:33^]. Duke emphasized that Iran's attack on the Qatari airbase was a measured response aimed at saving face without causing significant damage[^9:36^]. He expressed cautious optimism that the ceasefire might pave the way for diplomatic negotiations, potentially stabilizing regions like Gaza and Lebanon[^11:14^].

As tensions subsided, cities across the United States, including Washington, LA, and New York, ramped up security measures around sensitive sites such as synagogues, mosques, and embassies[^4:36^]. New York Governor Kathy Hochul assured the public of robust safeguards for the city's public transit systems[^5:20^]. Homeland Security officials confirmed ongoing monitoring and collaboration with local agencies to prevent retaliatory or lone-wolf attacks[^5:23^].

Supreme Court Rulings

The podcast also covers significant Supreme Court decisions impacting U.S. immigration and regulatory law. A 6-3 decision allowed the Trump administration to deport certain unauthorized immigrants to South Sudan, despite objections from Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor[^6:03^]. Immigrants from nations like Vietnam and Burma argued that such deportations endangered their lives, but the Court upheld the administration's stance that the migrants posed serious criminal threats[^6:03^].

Additionally, World Radio's legal correspondent Ginny Ruff discussed five recent Supreme Court rulings focusing on judicial jurisdiction and standing:

• Flavored Vaping Products Case: The Court ruled 7-2 in favor of allowing retailers to challenge the FDA's denial in the 5th Circuit, emphasizing broader implications for affected parties[^16:04^].
• Environmental Cases:
  • Small Refineries in Louisiana: The Court held that cases affecting nationwide policies should be heard in the D.C. Circuit[^17:01^].
  • Oklahoma Air Pollution Rule: Unanimously decided that specific local impacts warrant regional court jurisdiction[^19:03^].
• Standing in Environmental Litigation: In Texas vs. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Court decided 6-3 that neither Texas nor the oil company had standing to challenge nuclear waste storage decisions due to insufficient participation in the licensing process[^20:16^].

Preserving Technological History: Aditya VIJ's Mission

Shifting to a human interest story, the episode features Aditya VIJ, an anthropologist from India who dedicates his life to preserving obsolete technological artifacts[^21:23^]. VIJ's home serves as a "veritable time capsule," housing items ranging from century-old matchboxes to wartime cameras and typewriters[^21:23^]. He aims to safeguard these "unrecorded histories" to educate future generations about life before the digital age. VIJ aspires to establish a museum that highlights the evolution of technology and its impact on society[^21:23^].

Fidelity Month: An Alternative to Pride Month

In an insightful interview, Professor Robert George, a Roman Catholic legal scholar and political philosopher, introduces Fidelity Month as an alternative observance to Pride Month[^22:51^]. Fidelity Month, celebrated in June, focuses on recommitting to God, family, community, and country[^22:51^].

George elaborates on the declining American values, citing reduced belief in religion, marriage, and patriotism, while emphasizing the alarming rise in materialism[^23:15^]. He advocates for "active fidelity," urging individuals to actively serve and uphold their commitments to God, spouses, and their nation[^25:29^]. George underscores the importance of collective strength through shared values and responsibilities, encouraging prayers for national unity and leadership[^27:32^].

Christian Celebrity Culture and the CCM Scandal

World Radio's Bethel McGrew addresses a seismic scandal within the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) scene involving allegations against Michael Tate, a prominent CCM artist[^30:25^]. Tate confessed to sexual misconduct, revealing a double life characterized by struggles with homosexuality and substance addiction[^30:25^].

This revelation has sparked a broader conversation about the pitfalls of Christian celebrity culture. McGrew critiques the industry's tendency to idolize artists, allowing their personal failings to go unchecked while expecting perfection from public figures[^30:25^]. She references the 2021 documentary The Jesus Music, highlighting past scandals like Amy Grant's divorce and remarriage, which were met with harsh judgments of fans rather than accountability for the artists[^30:25^].

McGrew argues that the CCM industry's focus on celebrity worship and consumerism creates an environment where unethical behavior is concealed, and grace is selectively applied[^30:25^]. She emphasizes the need for higher standards and accountability within the Christian community to prevent predators from exploiting their platforms[^30:25^]. McGrew concludes by invoking biblical principles, asserting that "God is also a just God," and stresses the inevitable exposure and purification of hidden sins[^34:04^].

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Notable Quotes:

• Robert George on Shared Values: "What bound Americans together despite our many differences were shared beliefs, shared commitment, shared values and world opinions." [01:04]

• Darren Duke on U.S. Airstrikes: "It was a demonstration of a highly coordinated joint force capability to project power an extreme distance from the United States homeland into the heart of Iran." [08:33]

• Chuck Schumer on Military Action: "The Trump administration must provide a classified briefing laying out the full threat picture." [03:18]

• Professor Robert George on Fidelity: "Fidelity is the active part of the equation. We can say family is important, we can say God is important, we can say country is important. Now what do we actively do?" [25:29]

• Bethel McGrew on CCM Scandal: "Gifted people are not served well by an industry that exploits their gifts and enables their sin while shielding them from the consequences of that sin." [30:25]

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This episode of The World and Everything In It offers a comprehensive analysis of international conflicts, judicial decisions, cultural phenomena, and societal values, providing listeners with in-depth perspectives grounded in faith-based journalism.

Transcript

[Nick Eicher]

Good morning. Nick Eicher here. Quick reminder, we are in the final week of World's June giving drive. You've already cleared two challenge goals and thanks for that. But if you've not given yet, we do still need your help to finish strong. If World's fact based, biblically grounded journalism is a benefit to you, would you lend your support today? Any gift, large or small, it moves the mission forward. It takes just a minute to do it. Wng.org and thanks for standing with world.

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Iran has responded to U.S. airstrikes against its nuclear program. What may be next? We'll talk to an expert.

[Nick Eicher]

Also today, more from the Supreme Court. And we talked to the founder of Fidelity Month about the importance of faithfulness to God, to family and to country.

[Robert George]

Bound Americans together despite our many differences were shared beliefs, shared commitment, shared values and world opinions.

[Nick Eicher]

Commentator Bethel McGrew says a recent Christian music scandal illustrates what is wrong with our celebrity culture.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Tuesday, June 24th. This is the world and everything in it. From listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mask.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Iker. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Mark Bellinger has today's news.

[Mark Mellinger]

President Trump says Israel and Iran have agreed to what he calls a complete and total ceasefire. The president made the announcement over social media Monday evening, claiming the ceasefire will bring an official end to the war between the two nations. The White House reposted Trump's post a short time later. Vice President J.D. vance says this could mark the start of a new age for the Middle East. The calling it the end of the 12 Day War, the end of the Iranian nuclear program, and I really do believe the beginning of something very big for peace in the Middle East. Vance talking to Fox News Monday evening. The deal, according to Trump, phases in the ceasefire. Iran stopping all strikes against Israel at midnight Tuesday Eastern time, with Israel then stopping all strikes against Iran 12 hours later at noon Eastern on Tuesday. But will the ceasefire hold? That seems to be the question everyone is asking. Trump's announcement came just hours after Iran launched an attack on a US Airbase in Qatar. Iran took credit for the strike on the Al Adid air base, which it said involved the same number of missiles the US Used in its attack on Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend. No casualties were reported and there was no damage. Trump said Iran fired 14 missiles and all but one was intercepted. He said the remaining missile was allowed to run its course because it was headed for a non threatening area. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are demanding more information. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer I asked.

[Robert George]

The Trump administration to immediately provide a classified briefing laying out the full threat picture, the intelligence behind Iran's retaliation, and the detailed scope and timeline of any U.S. response.

[Mark Mellinger]

Several Democrats, as well as GOP Congressman Thomas Massie are criticizing Trump's decision to authorize Saturday's strikes, saying he exceeded his authority. That debate over whether the White House should have consulted Congress before striking Iran is reverberating throughout the halls of the Capitol. Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries the.

[Ginny Ruff]

Use of military force, which is offensive in nature, must be approved by the.

[Robert George]

House and the Senate. That's according to the Constitution.

[Ginny Ruff]

It's not optional.

[Mark Mellinger]

Jeffries says the Trump administration's action would have been permissible only if the US Was under imminent threat from Iran, and he says there's no evidence showing that was the case. Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville disagrees, saying Iran's nuclear program had to be stopped.

[Nick Eicher]

Thank goodness to President Trump for doing that. I know he took a lot of flak for it. A lot of people were second guessing his actions, but at the end of the day, something like this had to be done.

[Mark Mellinger]

Tuberville talking to Fox Business the White House says both Republican and Democratic congressional leaders were briefed on the strikes ahead of time, but the top Democrats on the Senate and House Intelligence committees say they were not informed ahead of time. With the elevated tension over Iran dominating the headlines the past few days, cities across the US have been stepping up security. In cities like Washington, LA, and New York, more uniformed officers are patrolling near buildings like synagogues, mosques and embassies. And New York governor Kathy Hochul assured the public, we have robust safeguards in place to protect our public transit system. We've increased law enforcement presence at MTA.

[Ginny Ruff]

Commuter hubs in the New York City.

[Mark Mellinger]

Subway system and other sensitive locations. She stressed there were no known credible threats, but added new York City's always a potential target. And in South Florida, cities like Miami are ramping up uniformed patrols around Jewish schools and cultural sites. Officials say that move is precautionary, meant to deter any possible retaliation or lone wolf attacks tied to the tensions in the Middle East. Homeland Security officials say they're closely monitoring the situation and working with local agencies nationwide. The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to send certain unauthorized immigrants to South Sudan, even though that is not their home country. The high court announced the 6 to 3 decision Monday, with Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting. Attorneys for immigrants from countries like Vietnam and Burma had challenged those deportations saying it put the migrants at risk of torture or death and they deserved a chance to challenge the deportations. The Trump administration says the migrants in question are all accused of serious crimes and are unable to be returned quickly to their home countries. More than 20 people are dead and another 60 plus are wounded after a weekend attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, Syria. Some witnesses say two men were involved, claiming the attackers opened fire first, then one left while the other detonated an explosive vest inside the church. A spokesman for Syria's Ministry of the Interior says this attack was probably the work of terrorists connected to isis, though no group has claimed responsibility. The Syrian government is also calling it a criminal bombing that targeted all Syrians, not just Christians. I'm Mark Mellinger. Straight ahead, a Marine Corps colonel on whether this moment might really hold the new possibility of peace. Plus, what a recent CCM scandal brings to light about the dangers of Christian celebrity culture. This is the WORLD and EVERYTHING in it.

[Nick Eicher]

It's Tuesday 24th June. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Nick Icker.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. First up on the WORLD and Everything in it, the United States hits Iran. Israeli airstrikes on targets in Iran continued Monday, days after the US Struck three of Iran's nuclear facilities with bunker busters.

[Nick Eicher]

We talked about the strike and its aftermath with retired Marine Corps Colonel Darren Duke. He served three years as the Marines attache to Israel starting in 2006. We began by asking the colonel what he thinks the U.S. airstrikes accomplished.

[Ginny Ruff]

Well, what we know is it was a demonstration of a highly coordinated joint force capability to project power an extreme distance from the United States homeland into the heart of Iran and to deliver advanced ordnance on the Fordal facility as well as Natanz and Isfahan facility. What we don't know at this point is what the exact battle damage assessment is and what the long term effects will be on the Iranians nuclear program as a result of that strike.

[Nick Eicher]

After we spoke with Colonel Duke, there were some signs of de escalation. President Trump announcing a ceasefire, Vice President Vance calling the war his words effectively over and adding, there's an opening now for diplomacy. That said, the announcement was only hours after Iran targeted the US Air base in Qatar. That appeared to be in retaliation but may have been more measured with advance notice evidently given and most of the missiles intercepted. So we went back to Colonel Duke and asked, what does all of this say about Iran's strategy?

[Ginny Ruff]

Well, it's clear from the developments on Monday that Iran had run out of escalatory options, that they were becoming very scarce. They could have closed the Straits of Hormuz or threatened to do so, but that would have hurt them more than it would have hurt the region or the United States or Israel. They could have turned to terrorism, but that would have hurt their cause, since they had claimed from the beginning that they were the victims of aggression and not aggressors and they had no allies coming to their help. So this creative solution emerges to save face. Late in the day, they could attack Qatar, where US Forces are headquartered for that region, and then declare the virtue of their cause, knowing that the air defenses would likely be effective in preventing massive damage. And Al Udit Air Base is removed from Doha itself, the capital of Qatar. Qatar issues a rapid message after that attack, saying that they condemn the attack, but that they were successful in defending their airspace and saying that they've always been trying to be an element of stability in the region. And then, of course, Iran comes out right after that and says, we had no intention of striking the Qatari people. We were only aiming at the Americans. And then a few hours later, it's followed by the President's announcement of a ceasefire. This all has the marks of a set of actions occurring feverishly behind the scenes to find a diplomatic solution and a way out of the conflict.

[Lindsay Mast]

With that in mind, then we asked whether Vice President Vance might be right, that this is a genuine opening for diplomacy, or might it just simply be a pause in the conflict?

[Ginny Ruff]

I think, as we've all felt from the beginning, this conflict needed to find its way back to the negotiating table. And this was the way that the powers found to get back to the negotiating table for us to achieve its policy goal of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, for Israel to restore its deterrent in the region, and for the Iranian regime to escape further assault that would only have served to erode its control internally over the country itself. So now I think it's time to look forward to what might come out of those negotiations and the positive opportunities for stability and peace that might present themselves. Perhaps this opens the way for an end to the fighting in Gaza and the returning of the Israeli hostages. It lets perhaps Lebanon settle down as the pressure from Iran for Hezbollah to act is lessened. Yemen, of course, remains a question mark in the region. The Houthis are still in control there and have no real pressure to end their actions in the Red Sea. However, perhaps this will moderate somewhat Iran's support and pressure on the Houthis to come to their aid. So, yes, I think you're seeing the end of at least this chapter of the conflict and hopefully a return to quiet for all of the non combatants in the region that were exposed to the warfare of the last 12 days.

[Lindsay Mast]

On Sunday, I was at the FIFA Club World cup game in Atlanta, and I saw event security stricter than I've encountered before at that stadium. I asked Colonel Duke about what else American citizens should expect to see if this continues.

[Ginny Ruff]

Well, it's true that wars are easy to start and hard to end, and once you begin them, they don't follow necessarily a predictable course. And so it's very important that our leaders exercise wisdom and forethought as they head into the next steps of addressing this conflict and trying to either bring it to an end or manage it in its outcomes. Americans should stay vigilant. Iran and its allies do possess the ability to conduct terrorist attacks, and whether or not they're going to choose to execute those options will be seen in the next few days. But we've seen this type of activity before. We have a strong nation. We have a strong democracy. We have a government that's selected by our people. And so we aren't dependent on any particular leader or regime to keep us safe. And I think the resilience of the American people, just like the resilience of the Israeli people, will. Will see us through this crisis and future ones.

[Nick Eicher]

Now, when we learned initially over the weekend that the US had hit Iran, the New York Times blared a headline on its app, US Enters War with Iran. So we asked whether that was ever accurate to say the United States was at war.

[Ginny Ruff]

So, officially, the United States is not at war with Iran. We have no declaration of war by the US Congress. We have a single military action directed by the president of the United States to address a particular threat. That threat has been an established and communicated position of the United States government since at least 2007, if not earlier, in 1993 under the Clinton administration, when Iranian aspirations for nuclear capability first appeared on the agenda of the US President. So we are not at war with the Iranians. Rather, we have addressed a particular threat. And for that to be the case, there would have to be severe expansion of Iranian military activities across the region, threats to our allies, for example, in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and a serious movement by Iran to destabilize the region before I think we would enter into any type of prolonged conflict. This is something I'm sure that President Trump wants to avoid, and I know that there are many involved in the discussions on the way forward on this to prevent this from becoming an expanded conflict. If there's anything about this conflict that warrants more attention from Christians, it's that we should not enter into conflicts lightly. And we should realize always that there are unintended consequences and unintended victims of conflicts. And in this case, there are many millions of people who live in the region who would be caught in the middle of such a conflict. And so it would behoove Christians to consider what our Lord said when he said, does not a king consider when he goes to war against another king, whether he can defeat them or not? And we should be very careful and watchful and prayerful about our role in any conflict.

[Nick Eicher]

That is retired Marine Corps Colonel Darren Duke.

[Lindsay Mast]

Coming up next on THE WORLD and everything in it, more Supreme Court opinions. World legal correspondent Ginny Ruff catches us up on five decisions the court issued last week.

[Bethel McGrew]

This batch of Supreme Court cases is all about the courthouse door, who's allowed to walk through it and which door they get to use. The first case tested the hinges of both not the heart of the issue itself, but of the courtroom where it was argued and who has access. When the Food and Drug Administration denied R.J. reynolds application to market flavored vaping products, Reynolds challenged. Now, on its own, Reynolds could go to the 4th Circuit, where it resides, or the D.C. circuit where the FDA is headquartered. But Reynolds asked retailers in Texas and Mississippi to join in and filed in the 5th Circuit instead, hoping for a friendlier reception. The FDA argued the retailers weren't part of Reynolds original application in the first place, so they shouldn't qualify. But that didn't fly with Justice Clarence Thomas.

[Robert George]

If your argument is that only applicants are covered, what do you do with the language? Any person adversely affected?

[Bethel McGrew]

The high court ruled 7 to 2, giving the retailers a key to that more favorable court. But it declined to answer the question about whether Reynolds must independently establish its right to be in the chosen court. That could have significant repercussions and may be an issue the 5th Circuit will have to figure out. Now let's stick to the where question, but move from flavored vape products to other kinds of emissions. The next two cases both ask which courtroom do you go to when challenging the Environmental Protection Agency? In one case, small refineries in Louisiana sued over a denial tied to renewable fuel standards. Normally, these kinds of cases happen in regional courts, but here the Supreme Court applied an Exception to hold again, 7, 2 that the case belongs in the D.C. circuit because the EPA's justification for the denial applied nationwide. The court took a similar look in its next decision, but reached the opposite conclusion. This one came from Oklahoma. It involved a rule about air pollution that drifts across state lines. The court unanimously held that Oklahoma and Utah could fight the EPA in regional courts because this analysis requires the agency to consider a specific location and it involves a local fact intensive examination. So those cases hit on the where, namely which courthouse door. Now onto two cases about who's even allowed to knock. The first of those comes from California. Diamond Alternative Energy vs EPA. Fuel companies challenged an EPA decision approving state regulations that require more electric cars and fewer gas powered ones. The question before the court do the fuel companies even have a legal right to sue? Do they have standing? Is the legal term of art. To prove standing, they must show they've suffered an injury that a court decision can fix. At oral argument, lawyer Jeffrey Wahl argued they did.

[Ginny Ruff]

It doesn't take much common sense to figure out that if California limits the.

[Nick Eicher]

Number of cars that can run on.

[Ginny Ruff]

Gas, automakers will make fewer cars that run on gas.

[Bethel McGrew]

A decrease in the sale of cars will decrease the sale of fuel. Overturning the EPA's approval of California's strict emission standards would fix it. In a 7:2 decision, the court agreed the fuel companies do have standing. So in the Dimon case, the court said, yes, you've got a key, you've shown harm. You're in. You get your day in court, but you still have to prove your case. But in the next case, the court didn't just keep the door shut. It said the challengers had no business knocking. In legal terms, they lacked standing. This case involves nuclear waste. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a license to allow a private company to store spent nuclear fuel in West Texas. Texas, along with an oil and gas company, filed a lawsuit. But they have to show that they participated as parties in the commission's licensing proceedings. Texas had submitted comments and the oil company applied to intervene, but neither was officially admitted. Here's Justice Elena Kagan during oral argument it seems to me party means somebody who has participated in an agency proceeding with the degree of formality required for that proceeding.

[Nick Eicher]

I don't see how we can say.

[Lindsay Mast]

That you were a party.

[Bethel McGrew]

In a 6 to 3 decision, the court held that because neither Texas nor the oil company were parties, they had no standing to challenge the commission in court. Alright, that's it for now. We expect more Supreme Court decisions later this week and we'll keep our eye on them. Reporting for World I'm Jenny ruff in Washington D.C.

[Ginny Ruff]

Additional support comes from the Issue Etc. Podcast Expert Guests Expansive topics extolling christ.

[Mark Mellinger]

[e-mail] and from water's Edge Kingdom Investments.

[Ginny Ruff]

Personal investments that build churches 5.05% APY on a three month term watersedge.com investor.

[Nick Eicher]

In a Tech driven world there's one man in India trying to rescue yesterday's tech innovations from oblivion. Anthropologist Aditya VIJ calls himself a history hunter. Every product has played a role. Every product. From century old matchboxes to wartime cameras and typewriters. His home is a veritable time capsule filled with artifacts, thousands of them. Things that he calls unrecorded history. I try to write that unrecorded history through my collections. He does. One time he saved a vintage radio just seconds before a scrap dealer smashed it. VIJ hopes one day to open a museum so that children understand there was life before the touchscreen. Believe it or not, it's the world and everything in it.

[Lindsay Mast]

Today is Tuesday, June 24th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Icker. Next up on the World and everything in it, Fidelity month. Back in 2023, Roman Catholic legal scholar and political philosopher Robert George proposed what many saw as an alternative to so called Pride Month. George thought June ought to be Fidelity Month in America.

[Lindsay Mast]

Fidelity Month celebrates a season of recommitment to God, our families, our communities and our country. Robbie George is Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton. He joins us now to talk about the effort. Professor George, Good morning. Thank you for joining us.

[Robert George]

Good morning. It's good to be with you.

[Lindsay Mast]

Lindsay, tell me about when you first had the idea of Fidelity Month. Where were you and what was going on at the time?

[Robert George]

I was having breakfast. It was early in the spring of 2023. I was having my morning cup of tea and four biscotti cookies. That's my breakfast. And I was going through the various papers and websites that I look at in the morning. And the Wall Street Journal happened that morning to be reporting on some recent survey data. Respondents had been asked questions. The general public, people from the general public had been asked questions about what they thought was important in life. These are questions that had been put to people by this survey organization for many years now. And what was striking about those survey data was that it showed that Americans belief in the importance of, for example, God and religion in their lives had significantly diminished from where it was 10 or even five years ago. Similarly, Americans Belief in the importance of marriage, in the family had diminished. And finally, it reported that Americans belief in the importance of patriotism and service to one's community or communities had also diminished. The one thing, the one value that had seen an increase in Americans belief in the importance of, turned out to be money. And what alarmed me even more than that was this. For almost all of our history, really until very recently, what bound Americans together despite our many differences, united us. What provided our sources of unity and strength were shared beliefs, shared commitment, shared values. Number one, of course, our shared belief in our system of government, in our constitutional republic. But number two, in supporting that first sort of foundation of our common life, you had shared belief in the importance of God and religious faith and of marriage and the family and stable marriages and good families and the belief in patriotism.

[Lindsay Mast]

But you didn't choose to call it Values Month, you chose Fidelity Month. So talk to me about this term fidelity.

[Robert George]

Fidelity is the active part of the equation. We can say family is important, we can say God is important, we can say country is important. Now what do we actively do? What should our behavior be? That's where fidelity comes in. Because God is important. We should be faithful to God. If we're Christians, let's be better Christians. If we're Jews, let's be better Jews. If we're Hindus, let's be better Hindus. But let's join with our fellow citizens who may not be of the same specific creed as us. Same with spouses and families. Being a husband or being a wife is a vocation. And a vocation is a way of serving. A true marriage is where the spouse is understanding that they have a vocation to marriage. Serve each other, put each other's interests and needs ahead of their own. Put the needs of the children ahead of the desires of the parents. So true fidelity to marriage and family means being a better husband, being a better wife, being a better mom, being a better dad. And all of us can work on that because it's a never ending process. Same with fidelity to your country. Fidelity to your country and to your communities. It's the active part again. It's what we do. Now. Some have been called on and have answered the call to serve in the military. Some have given what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion, sacrificed their very lives for our liberties, for our country. Not all of us are called to do that, thank God. But all of us are called to be more active citizens.

[Lindsay Mast]

You've set aside today, June 24, as a day of prayer and fasting and now you have a prayer on your website that you encourage individuals and churches to pray. But I'm curious, Professor George, what are you personally praying for today?

[Robert George]

I'm praying for our nation and I'm praying for our leaders and I'm praying for our people. I'm praying for our nation, that we as a people may be faithful, ever faithful, more faithful, to the principles that made this a great country, that made us one nation under God. We have very often in our history strayed from those principles. From the very beginning with slavery, we strayed from that principle of all men are created equal. And today, similarly, we are not living up to our beliefs in many domains. Our precious unborn brothers and sisters are not being given the full and equal protection of the loss. You know, there are still injustices in this country that need to be rectified. Let's pray for the wisdom and the courage to act to rectify these injustices, to bring our nation more perfectly into line. We'll Never be there 100% in this veil of tears. We're all fallen, infallible and frail. But let's get closer, as close as we can, always moving forward toward our ideals of liberty and justice for all. So I'm going to be praying for our nation for that. I'm going to be praying for our people because it will be individual people believing in those principles more fervently and acting on those principles with greater determination. And then, of course, for our leaders. I'm going to be praying for all of our leaders, even those I would race to the polls to vote against, because they need that prayer support as much as anybody other leader does. So that's what I'm praying for.

[Lindsay Mast]

Robert p. George is McCormick professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and the founder of Fidelity Month. Professor George, thank you so much for joining us.

[Robert George]

Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me on, Lindsay.

[Lindsay Mast]

This was a small part of a longer interview with Professor George. We discussed much more about how to live out the values of Fidelity Month. We'll run that full interview over the weekend on the World and Everything in it podcast feed.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Tuesday, June 24th. Good morning. This is the World and Everything in it from listener support. Welcome back to Supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Up next, World opinions contributor Bethel McGrew says a recent scandal in CCM reveals the dangers of Christian celebrity culture.

[G]

Recent sexual assault allegations against CCM icon Michael Tate have rocked the Christian music scene. Major press outlets are rushing to cover what might be the worst scandal in the industry's history. The former DZ Talk star abruptly left the newsboys in January in what he now claims was an attempt to seek help for his homosexuality and substance addiction. His much circulated confession refers to the breaking reports as largely true and admits that at times he touched men in an unwanted sensual way. However, if the specifics of the allegations are factual, then the carefully worded statement hardly scratches the surface. According to multiple sources, Tate's double life was a more or less open secret in the business for years, but given his status, it simply cost less to look the other way. On his Instagram page, worship leader Corey Asbury says everyone knew, even if they didn't know all the specific details. In answer to a follow up question about how many Christian bands or artists are living a double life, Asbury answers, a lot. Of course, this is prompts a further question. What did you know, Corey, and why are you only telling us now? In a fiery reaction to the scandal, Paramore frontwoman Haley Williams says she hopes the whole CCM industry crumbles and more she hopes they abandon a traditional sexual ethic. As she claims, Tate's case highlights the need for gay affirming support, as if celebrating his destructive identity would somehow have made it less likely for him to engage in destructive behavior. The industry is no doubt deeply dysfunctional, but it hasn't typically erred on the side of holding strong theological lines and harshly punishing sinners. On the contrary, it has created an atmosphere of celebrity worship and consumerism, where badly catechized artists are placed on a dangerously high pedestal, but their audiences are scolded for accordingly holding them to high standards. This attitude is on display in the 2021 documentary the Jesus Music, which prominently features Tate alongside other CCM pioneers like Amy Grant. Grant's divorce and remarriage was a widely publicized industry scandal in the 90s, leading some stations to pull her music when fans complained. The documentary portrays those fans as judgmental fundamentalists unable to give grace to their flawed heroes. Of course, it's appropriate for Christians to give grace and to be compassionate to repentant sinners. But high standards are also appropriate given the enormous influence of Christian celebrities, influence far greater than most pastors will ever have. Gifted people are not served well by an industry that exploits their gifts and enables their sin while shielding them from the consequences of that sin. And a subculture where people are inclined to make excuses for each other's brokenness provides cover and cheap Christianese for predators to exploit. DC Talks Classic hit what if I Stumble opens with a spoken word intro by the defrocked celebrity priest Brennan Manning. The greatest single cause of atheism in the world are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle. Many fans of the song have sadly reflected that those words hit different now. Surely God can still speak even through terribly broken vessels. But God, God is also a just God. And whatever lies hidden in the dark will one day be exposed in his all purifying light. I'm Bethel McGregor.

[Bethel McGrew]

What if I stumble and what if I fall?

[Nick Eicher]

Tomorrow, Washington, Wednesday. Criticism of ICE agents often ignores the unique structure, mandate and operations that make the enforcement agency unique. And one man's mission to clean up the streets in his neighborhood includes gallons of gray paint. That and more tomorrow. I'm Nick Iger.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. Scripture says, answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails. Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Verses 7 and 8 of Psalm 143 go now in grace and peace.

[Bethel McGrew]

SA.